International
The UN calls for a humanitarian pause in Gaza to vaccinate against polio
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, called on Friday for a humanitarian pause in the conflict in Gaza to develop a polio vaccination campaign aimed at more than 640,000 children under the age of ten and facing “serious challenges.”
In a press conference, Guterres called on the parties to the conflict to provide “immediate concrete guarantees” for a ceasefire or a humanitarian pause for the safe delivery of vaccines and medical care, and to protect workers and health facilities from bombing.
“Let’s be clear: the definitive vaccine against polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. But in any case, a break due to polio is essential. It is impossible to carry out a polio vaccination campaign while war sweeps everywhere,” he said.
He recalled that the campaign is carried out with a decimated health infrastructure and insecurity for health workers and communities.
The vaccination campaign arises after polio was detected in wastewater samples in Gaza, which puts hundreds of thousands of children at risk, so he warned of the “urgent” need for global action to contain its spread.
Last month, the Ministry of Health of Gaza declared a polio epidemic, days after the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the presence of the disease in wastewater.
“Polio doesn’t care about dividing lines and polio doesn’t wait. Preventing and containing the spread will require a massive, coordinated and urgent effort,” said Guterres, who did not indicate when that campaign would begin.
A UN statement states that the organization plans to start a two-phase campaign at the end of this month. On August 7, WHO announced the shipment of 1.2 million vaccines to Gaza.
He explained that, due to the devastation in Gaza, vaccination coverage of at least 95 percent will be necessary during each phase of the campaign to prevent the spread of the disease and reduce its occurrence.
Guterres also indicated that the medical teams of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), the largest provider of primary health care in Gaza, are ready to administer the vaccines and help with logistics.
The campaign will involve 708 teams in hospitals and primary health care centers, he said, reiterating that many barely work and 316 community outreach teams throughout Gaza.
And he stressed that for a successful campaign they will need safe transport of vaccines and personnel, fuel, reliable internet service and telephone to inform the communities, as well as security so that children and families can reach the centers and that they are protected from bombing.
“Polio goes beyond politics. It transcends all divisions, so it is our shared obligation to unite, to mobilize, not to fight against the people, but against polio,” he said.
International
Italian tourist dies after jet ski collision in Colombian caribbean waters
The Colombian Navy recovered the lifeless body of an Italian national on Tuesday who had gone missing in the waters of Colombia’s Caribbean on Monday afternoon after a suspected maritime incident.
Nicholas Cudini, 26, was riding a jet ski near Cholón Island, located in Cartagena, when he collided with another artisanal vessel operating in the area. The collision reportedly caused him to fall off the jet ski, according to information gathered by the Colombian Navy.
“Apparently, the person accompanying the foreigner noticed that his companion did not resurface, so he called for help from other nearby boaters, who alerted authorities to the emergency,” stated the Navy in a press release.
According to Frigate Captain Juan Felipe Portilla, commander of the Cartagena Coast Guard Station, Cudini was driving the jet ski when the incident occurred.
The search for Cudini lasted 22 hours, even continuing overnight, with specialized divers and sailors from the Caribbean Naval Force combing the area where he was last seen.
The body was recovered and later transported to a dock in Cartagena for an autopsy, conducted by judicial police.
International
Liga de Quito expresses concern over former player’s alleged kidnapping in Esmeraldas
Ecuador’s police reported on Tuesday that they are investigating the involuntary disappearance of player Pedro Pablo Perlaza.
Meanwhile, the popular club Liga de Quito, where he played four years ago, expressed concern about what it referred to as the news of the athlete’s kidnapping.
On its X account (formerly known as Twitter), the police stated that “due to the alleged involuntary disappearance” of Perlaza and Juan M. in the city of Esmeraldas, and following the formal complaint filed by their families, authorities immediately began “investigative and operational work around the incident.”
The Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Police is handling the investigation, according to the statement.
Last weekend, 33-year-old Perlaza had finished the Ecuadorian first-division season with the Delfín club and traveled to the city of Esmeraldas, located 182 kilometers northwest of the capital. His whereabouts have been unknown since Sunday. He had been part of Delfín’s 2019 Ecuadorian Championship-winning team.
Liga de Quito, in a statement on X, expressed its “deep concern and solidarity over the news of the kidnapping of our former player” and extended its solidarity to the athlete’s family and friends. Perlaza played for Liga de Quito in 2020 and the team is set to play the first of two championship matches this weekend.
Esmeraldas province, whose capital bears the same name, is considered one of the regions where criminal groups have extended their control, engaging in activities such as extortion and kidnapping. Other provinces facing similar situations include Guayas and Manabí.
Since 2021, Ecuador has been experiencing a spiral of criminal violence driven by local groups linked to drug cartels from Colombia and Mexico, seeking to control trafficking routes and territories. One of the signs of conflict between local gangs is the frequent massacres in the country’s prisons.
International
Over 1,500 migrants face blockade by mexican authorities in Chiapas
A caravan of over 1,500 migrants that set out this week from Mexico’s southern border is facing a blockade by Mexican authorities, who are preventing them from leaving the state of Chiapas, which borders Central America.
Amid pressures from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for Mexico to control the flow of migration, the group departed at 5:00 a.m. (11:00 GMT) from the municipality of Huixtla, moving slowly, with some migrants on bicycles and tricycles, flanked by the National Guard and municipal police.
The undocumented migrants, mostly from Venezuela, told EFE that officials from the National Institute of Migration (INM) have been monitoring their movements since their arrival in Huixtla, following them along the road. On Tuesday, the authorities attempted to detain a family, but the migrants prevented it.
The migrants are calling for understanding from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who last week assured Trump in a phone call that caravans “no longer reach” the U.S. border. Meanwhile, Trump has promised to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican products if the country fails to stop the “invasion” of migrants and drugs.
“President Sheinbaum should support us in reaching Mexico City, where there are more job opportunities, so we can wait for our ‘CBP One’ appointment (to apply for asylum in the U.S.) peacefully, because other states are more dangerous,” explained Venezuelan Genaro Cárdenas.
Cárdenas, who is traveling by bicycle with a group of fellow Venezuelans, remains hopeful of reaching their destination despite the obstacles and the pressure from immigration officials to convince them to return to the southern border.
“We fear that we will be disbanded and sent back to Tapachula, but we will continue forward,” Cárdenas warned.
Italian tourist dies after jet ski collision in Colombian caribbean waters
Liga de Quito expresses concern over former player’s alleged kidnapping in Esmeraldas
Over 1,500 migrants face blockade by mexican authorities in Chiapas
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
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