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

Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco

The U.S. city of San Francisco was plunged into darkness Saturday night after a power outage left about 130,000 customers without electricity, although the utility company said service was restored to most users within hours.

Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) said in a statement posted on X that nearly 90,000 homes had their power restored by 9:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT on Sunday), while the remaining 40,000 customers were expected to have service restored overnight.

Large areas of the city, a major technology hub with a population of around 800,000, were affected by the blackout, which disrupted public transportation and left traffic lights out of service during the busy weekend before Christmas, a crucial period for retail businesses.

“I know it’s been a difficult day,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video posted on social media from the city’s emergency operations center. “There has been progress, but for those still without power, we want to make sure they are safe and checking in on their neighbors,” he added.

Lurie said police officers and firefighters advised residents to stay home as much as possible. He also noted that officers and traffic inspectors were deployed to manage intersections where traffic lights were not functioning.

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The mayor confirmed that the outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Parts of the city were also covered in fog, further complicating conditions during the incident.

As a result of the blackout, many businesses were forced to close despite it being the weekend before Christmas. The sudden drop in shopper traffic ahead of the holiday is “devastating” for retailers, the manager of home goods store Black & Gold told the San Francisco Chronicle.

International

Cristina Kirchner recovering after appendicitis surgery in Buenos Aires

Former Argentine President Cristina Kirchner underwent surgery on Saturday after being diagnosed with appendicitis and is recovering “without complications,” according to a medical report released by the Otamendi Sanatorium.

Kirchner was admitted to the Buenos Aires medical center on Saturday after experiencing abdominal pain. Doctors performed a laparoscopic procedure that confirmed a diagnosis of “appendicitis with localized peritonitis,” the statement said, adding that her post-operative recovery has been progressing without complications.

The former president was transferred to the clinic with judicial authorization from her apartment in Buenos Aires, where she is serving a six-year sentence under house arrest for corruption.

International

Argentina detects first local cases of Influenza A (H3N2) Subclade K

Argentina’s National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes (ANLIS) “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán” has confirmed the detection of three cases of influenza A (H3N2) corresponding to subclade K in the country. These are the first locally recorded cases of this variant, which has become predominant in several countries in the Northern Hemisphere in recent months and is associated with higher transmissibility.

The cases were identified through the National Network of Laboratories and Sentinel Units and confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory of INEI-ANLIS using genomic sequencing techniques. According to health authorities, the cases involve two adolescents from the province of Santa Cruz, detected as part of the Ambulatory Monitoring Strategy for Acute Respiratory Infections, and a child who had been hospitalized in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

In all three cases, patients experienced mild illness and recovered without complications. Officials did not specify whether any of the affected individuals had a recent travel history.

The jurisdictions involved have already launched the corresponding epidemiological investigations and are responsible for ensuring timely medical care for the detected cases. According to the latest integrated surveillance report, the circulation of influenza and other respiratory viruses in Argentina remains within expected levels for this time of year.