International

Mexican President condemns sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba

Photo: La Jornada

October 14 |

The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, reaffirmed this Friday his rejection of the unilateral coercive measures of the United States against Venezuela and the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by Washington for more than 60 years against Cuba.

“If a country is sanctioned, its people are affected, in addition to the fact that it is an act of interference. Who is harmed by a sanction against a country? Who is harmed by a blockade against a country? The people”, said the President in his usual morning conference with respect to Venezuela.

In this sense, the Mexican head of state pointed out that certain sectors seek to maintain coercive measures to take economic and political advantage, while stressing that this is the case of the White House blockade against Cuba.

“Who have promoted it? Well, those who have taken economic and political advantage in the United States, even legislators who promote the blockade. And who is being harmed? The people, because that is inhumane, besides, nobody has the right to harm another people,” he said.

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Likewise, López Obrador referred to the dialogue process between the Venezuelan government and the opposition in pursuit of an agreement, which, if successful, he highlighted, would leave no pretext for “the unjust sanctions”.

“We have information that members of the Government are meeting with members of the opposition. It is good that a negotiated, political solution is being sought, through democratic means in the case of Venezuela, and we also wish it for all countries”, he stressed.

In turn, the head of the Mexican Executive expressed his hope that everyone will be able to participate in the upcoming presidential elections to be held next year in the Bolivarian nation.

International

Chile declares state of catastrophe as wildfires rage in Ñuble and Biobío

Wildland firefighting crews are battling 19 forest fires across the country, 12 of them concentrated in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, located about 500 kilometers south of Santiago.

“In light of the severe fires currently underway, I have decided to declare a state of catastrophe in the regions of Ñuble and Biobío. All resources are now available,” the president announced in a post on X.

Authorities have not yet released an official report on possible casualties or damage to homes.

According to images broadcast by local television, the fires have reached populated areas, particularly in the municipalities of Penco and Lirquén, in the Biobío region, which together are home to nearly 60,000 people. Burned vehicles were also reported on several streets.

“The Penco area and the entire Lirquén sector are the most critical zones and where the largest number of evacuations have taken place. We estimate that around 20,000 people have been evacuated,” said Alicia Cebrián, director of the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), in an interview with Mega TV.

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In recent years, forest fires have had a severe impact on the country, especially in the central-southern regions.

On February 2, 2024, multiple wildfires broke out simultaneously around the city of Viña del Mar, located 110 kilometers northwest of Santiago. Those fires resulted in 138 deaths, according to updated figures from the public prosecutor’s office, and left approximately 16,000 people affected, based on official data.

International

Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other charges, concluding the first in a series of trials stemming from his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.

The sentence is shorter than the 10-year prison term sought by prosecutors against the 65-year-old conservative former leader, whose move against Parliament triggered a major political crisis that ultimately led to his removal from office.

Yoon, a former prosecutor, is still facing seven additional trials. One of them, on charges of insurrection, could potentially result in the death penalty.

On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on one of the multiple secondary cases linked to the affair, which plunged the country into months of mass protests and political instability.

International

U.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster

A new flight carrying 231 Venezuelans deported from the United States arrived on Friday at the airport serving Caracas, marking the first such arrival since the military operation that ousted and captured President Nicolás Maduro.

On January 3, U.S. forces bombed the Venezuelan capital during an incursion in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. Both are now facing narcotrafficking charges in New York.

This was the first U.S.-flagged aircraft transporting migrants to land in Venezuela since the military action ordered by President Donald Trump, who has stated that he is now in charge of the country.

The aircraft departed from Phoenix, Arizona, and landed at Maiquetía International Airport, which serves the Venezuelan capital, at around 10:30 a.m. local time (14:30 GMT), according to AFP reporters on the ground.

The deportees arrived in Venezuela under a repatriation program that remained in place even during the height of the crisis between the two countries, when Maduro was still in power. U.S. planes carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued to arrive throughout last year, despite the military deployment ordered by Trump.