International
Death toll rises to seven after the passage of tropical storm Oscar in Cuba
The Cuban government raised the death toll to seven on Tuesday after the passage of the tropical storm Oscar in the eastern end of the island.
The island president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, reported in his X account that the seventh fatal victim was located in the town of Imíaz, in the province of Guantánamo, the most punished by the meteorological phenomenon.
“We deeply regret and convey our deepest condolences to family and friends. We point out the effects for each area, the actions that will be taken as soon as it is possible to start the recovery phase, as well as the necessary resources according to the protection of the people and the compensation of the damage in the shortest possible time,” wrote the Cuban president.
A number of rural communities still incommunicado after the passage of the storm has made it difficult for the authorities to make an initial assessment of personal and material damage.
Thousands of homes affected in Cuba by storm Oscar
The Government and the official media have added that, in addition to the loss of life, there are more than a thousand homes affected, damage to state infrastructure and considerable damage to agriculture.
Early Tuesday, the Cuban state press reported that there are 6,000 people affected and about 4,000 “family nuclei” mainly by the floods, which have caused river overflows and sea penetrations in low coastal areas.
Oscar entered Cuba as a category 1 hurricane (out of 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale on Sunday afternoon and spent just over 24 hours on the island, accompanied by strong winds, heavy rains and tides.
According to the Insmet, it made landfall near Baracoa (east) at 18:10 local time on Sunday and left Cuban territory in the vicinity of Gibara (east) around 19:20 local time this Monday.
In that sense, Civil Defense decided this Tuesday to declare the return to the phase of “normality” in the eastern provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguín and Las Tunas “as it did not have any effects.”
Fifteenth tropical storm
Oscar is the fifteenth tropical storm of the current cyclonic season in the Atlantic and the first to hit land in Cuba.
The U.S. weather services The US and Cuba warned months ago that this season of hurricanes in the Atlantic, which runs from June 1 to November 30, was going to be especially active.
The last time a major hurricane hit Cuba was in September 2017 when Irma advanced parallel to the north coast of the island and caused ten deaths and material losses officially valued at 13,185 million dollars.
International
Mexico’s president blasts ‘Inhumane’ U.S. migration law
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Friday that any Mexican detained in the United States should be “immediately” returned to Mexico. Her remarks come in the wake of the opening of a new migrant detention center in Florida earlier this week.
Speaking during her daily press conference, known as La Mañanera del Pueblo, Sheinbaum emphasized that so far, no Mexican national has been held in the facility, which has already sparked controversy and has been nicknamed “the Alcatraz of the Alligators.”
She also criticized the new fiscal law signed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, passed by Congress just a day earlier. The law, which Trump dubbed the “great and beautiful tax reform,” includes significant tax cuts and sweeping reductions in public policies, reallocating billions toward national security and defense—including $170 billion to enhance border security, deportations, and the expansion of detention centers.
“We do not agree with a punitive approach to migration. Migration must be addressed through its structural causes, with cooperation for development,” Sheinbaum asserted.
The Mexican president labeled the Trump administration’s view of migrants as criminals as “inhumane,” and warned that such policies ultimately harm the U.S. economy. She pointed to the mass deportation of agricultural workers as an example of how these actions are already backfiring.
“These are hardworking people—people of good will—who contribute more to the U.S. economy than they do to Mexico’s,” Sheinbaum said, announcing that her government will strengthen support programs to ensure that affected migrants can return home safely and reintegrate into the workforce.
International
Julio César Chávez Jr. faces charges in Mexico after U.S. arrest
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Friday that the country is expecting the deportation of boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. so he can face legal proceedings in Mexico, following his arrest in the United States and confirmation by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) of an arrest warrant for organized crime and arms trafficking.
“This is an arrest warrant stemming from an investigation that began in 2019 and was granted by a judge in 2023 (…). We are expecting his deportation so he can serve his sentence in Mexico,” Sheinbaum stated during her daily press briefing.
The president said she was unaware of the case until speaking with Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero, who confirmed an investigation linked to organized crime. She also noted that authorities had been unable to execute the warrant earlier because Chávez Jr. had spent most of his time in the United States. “His deportation to Mexico is now being pursued,” she added.
Sheinbaum said there is no confirmed date yet for the boxer’s return to the country, as the process involves “specific protocols” that the FGR is currently handling.
Her statement follows the announcement by U.S. authorities on Thursday of Chávez Jr.’s arrest. The boxer, son of Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez, is accused of involvement in organized crime and arms trafficking allegedly tied to the Sinaloa Cartel.
“This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate, wanted for trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” said Tricia McLaughlin, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in an official statement.
International
Europe faces a summer of heatwaves and wildfires, Red Cross warns
The heatwave sweeping across Europe — accompanied by wildfires in countries such as Greece and Turkey — is “just the beginning” of a summer season expected to see extreme conditions lasting through September, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned.
In a statement, the IFRC stressed the urgent need for governments and communities to shift from a reactive to a preventive approach to safeguard lives.
The organization reported that wildfires in the Turkish region of Izmir, on the country’s western coast, have already claimed at least two lives and forced the evacuation of 50,000 people. Meanwhile, on the Greek island of Crete, around 5,000 residents and tourists have also had to flee due to encroaching fires.
Smaller-scale evacuations and wildfires are also being reported in other countries, including eastern Germany and North Macedonia, with Red Cross volunteers actively involved in firefighting and relief operations.
“Heatwaves and wildfires — increasingly frequent and deadly — are no longer isolated events. They are becoming the new reality for millions,” said Birgitte Bischoff, IFRC’s Regional Director for Europe.
Mexico’s president blasts ‘Inhumane’ U.S. migration law
Julio César Chávez Jr. faces charges in Mexico after U.S. arrest
Europe faces a summer of heatwaves and wildfires, Red Cross warns
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