International

Guterres says that “the lack of protection of civilians in Gaza is inconceivable”

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, condemned Wednesday’s attack on a school in Nuseirat (Gaza) that served as a refuge for the displaced and said that “the constant effective lack of protection of civilians in Gaza is inconceivable.”

Guterres issued a statement after details of the bombing against the school became known, which led to the death of 18 people, including women and children and six employees of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).

He recalled that also in wars “civilians and the infrastructures on which they rely must be protected.”

Israel justifies attack on school in Gaza

The Israeli Army said that nine of the dead were members of Hamas – it gave their names and surnames -, and of them, three officially worked for UNRWA, an accusation that the agency said “was not in a position to comment or verify,” according to a spokesman for the agency briefly commented to EFE.

Regarding the Israeli version that the school served as a Hamas command center, Guterres demanded that the incident be investigated “independently and thoroughly,” although he did not announce that the UN will carry out that investigation.

In what also seems like a critical evening to Hamas – but does not mention it – Guterres “called on all parties to refrain from using schools, shelters or surrounding areas for military purposes.”

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The victims of UNRWA

With regard to the UNRWA deaths, the statement specifies that with them the number of members of this organization rises to 220 since the beginning of the war.

Israel has accused UNRWA of collusion with Hamas and has gone so far as to put the number of its agents who have double militancy in hundreds; however, it has never been able to prove it, and the UN has defended its agency as “the backbone of humanitarian work in Gaza” and has made it clear that its absence could not be covered by any other UN agency.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.