International
Argentina requests arrest in Qatar of senior Iranian official
AFP
Argentina on Monday called on Qatar to arrest a visiting Iranian vice president over his alleged responsibility for the deadly 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center.
Iran’s vice president for economic affairs, Mohsen Rezai, is wanted by Argentinian special prosecutors for alleged participation in the planning of the July 18, 1994 bomb attack against the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, or AMIA, which killed 85 people and wounded 300.
Special prosecutors submitted a petition to Argentina’s foreign ministry calling for all appropriate diplomatic levers to be pulled, noting an outstanding Interpol red alert against Rezai as well as newspaper clippings mentioning his visit to Qatar, according to the official Telam news agency.
A diplomatic source told AFP that the foreign ministry had granted the special prosecutor’s request after confirming Rezai’s presence in the Gulf country.
The ministry “requested the collaboration of Interpol for the arrest,” while Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero “instructed the Argentine ambassador in Doha… to communicate urgently with the Qatari Foreign Ministry and report on the situation,” the diplomatic source told AFP.
Last January, the Argentine government voiced its anger at Rezai’s presence during the inauguration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, and had also condemned the Iranian’s appointment as vice president in August 2021.
The government of President Alberto Fernandez said at the time that the appointment constituted “an affront to Argentine justice and to the victims of the brutal terrorist attack against the AMIA.”
Rezai, who was commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps at the time of the attack, is part of a group of high-ranking Iranian officials accused by Argentina of masterminding the attack on the Jewish center.
In 1992, the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires had been the target of another attack that left 29 dead and 200 wounded, and for which no one has ever been held accountable.
Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America, with some 300,000 members.
International
Shark attack kills 40-year-old fisherman in Great Barrier Reef waters
A shark attacked and killed a 40-year-old man who was fishing with his family in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, authorities reported.
The predator struck on Saturday afternoon near Humpy Island, on the east coast of the country, according to emergency services.
“The man was fishing with family members when he was bitten by a shark,” said the Queensland state police in a statement.
He suffered “injuries that put his life at risk” and died an hour and a half later, the police added.
A spokesperson for the Queensland ambulance service told AFP on Sunday that the victim had suffered a “significant” neck wound.
Humpy Island is known for its camping site, with access to reefs for diving and snorkeling.
International
Machado appeals to venezuelan military and police to join the change for freedom
The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado expressed on Saturday that she is confident the military and police are “one step away from doing the right thing,” in light of the “will for change” expressed in the elections five months ago, referring to the contested victory of Edmundo González Urrutia, despite the fact that President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner.
“Military citizens, police citizens, this message is for you. The time for decision has come, and it is time to tear down the last obstacle that separates us from freedom. Venezuela trusts you. I trust in the moral reserve of our men of honor and arms. See you soon in the streets,” wrote the former congresswoman on X.
In an audio posted on this social media platform, Machado addressed the members of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) and police forces, saying the people “are united in one voice” and that “everyone, deep down, has made the right decision and is just waiting for the collective resolution to act.”
In this context, the opposition leader urged the military and police to ask themselves “if silence” does not make them “accomplices of the current tyranny,” and “if undue obedience” does not “place them at the service of a handful of criminals.”
International
U.S. health authorities report mutation of avian flu virus in Louisiana patient
The avian flu virus mutated inside the first seriously ill patient in the United States, according to the country’s health authorities. However, they assured that, so far, no person-to-person transmission of the virus has been identified in this patient, who is hospitalized in Louisiana.
Scientists warned that while it is concerning because mutations could make the virus potentially more transmissible between humans, they would be alarming if found in animal hosts or in the early stages of infection or symptom onset, which would facilitate the spread to close contacts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified at least 65 human cases of avian flu in the United States, with more than half (36) reported in California, including the country’s first child infected with this virus.
CDC analysis of the Louisiana patient identified mutations in the hemagglutinin gene, which were not found in the samples from infected poultry at the source of the outbreak. This suggests that the changes emerged as the virus replicated in the seriously ill patient.
-
Central America2 days ago
Honduras receives two Airbus H-145 D3 helicopters to strengthen humanitarian and anti-drug efforts
-
International2 days ago
U.S. health authorities report mutation of avian flu virus in Louisiana patient
-
Central America21 hours ago
Guatemala issues arrest warrant for Lev Tahor Leader, Interpol launches international alert
-
International4 days ago
Gustavo Petro increases Colombia’s minimum wage by 9.54%
-
International3 days ago
Dozens dead, including five journalists, in a new wave of Israeli bombings in Gaza
-
International21 hours ago
Machado appeals to venezuelan military and police to join the change for freedom
-
International3 days ago
Javier Milei: the eccentric far-right economist who shook up Argentine politics
-
International2 days ago
José Mujica’s recovery continues with successful stent procedure in esophagus
-
International2 days ago
Preliminary Investigation Suggests ‘External Interference’ in Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash in Kazakhstan
-
International3 days ago
Russia claims to have foiled a series of attacks against top military leaders
-
International3 days ago
Azerbaijani government sources say AZAL plane was hit by Russian missile
-
International3 days ago
The Russian merchant ship that sank in the Mediterranean was the target of a terrorist attack, according to its owner
-
International3 days ago
Indonesia remembers 2004 tsunami from mosque that stood at ground zero
-
Internacionales4 days ago
One dead in explosive attack on new prison site in Santa Elena, Ecuador
-
International2 hours ago
Shark attack kills 40-year-old fisherman in Great Barrier Reef waters
-
Internacionales2 hours ago
At least 15 bodies found in clandestine graves in Chiapas amid rising violence