Latest news with #ÓscarVillegas
Euronews
3 days ago
- Sport
- Euronews
Israel recovers body of Thai national taken by Hamas on 7 October
After their 2-0 defeat against Venezuela in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, the Bolivian national team has faced a new setback: the Venezuelan authorities have prevented their flight from leaving Maturin airport, without offering clear explanations. The Bolivian delegation, which claims it had all the necessary documentation and permits to return to its country, was forced to return to its hotel in the middle of the night after hours of waiting without authorisation to leave Venezuela. The technical director of the Venezuelan team, Óscar Villegas, said that the situation took them by surprise, as they had previously asked a Bolivian government minister to coordinate with the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro to facilitate their departure. Harold Howard, in charge of security and logistics for the team, spoke of "sabotage" by the Venezuelan regime, explaining that they were informed of an alleged problem with "air traffic" as the reason for the hold-up, despite the fact that there were only two planes landing at the time. The incident has generated outrage in the Bolivian sporting and political community, which has called on the national authorities to intervene and demand answers from the Venezuelan government. The situation has also affected the planning of the Bolivian team, which was scheduled to leave for La Paz at around 5:00 (local time) and train that afternoon ahead of Tuesday's match with Chile in El Alto. This episode adds to a series of obstacles and problems that, according to complaints, Maduro's regime has imposed on foreign delegations, displaying a lack of reliability and transparency in the treatment of visiting teams. Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage kidnapped into Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, as it continues its military offensive across the strip, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's health ministry. The prime minister's office said Saturday that the body of Thai citizen Nattapong Pinta was returned to Israel in a special military operation. Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity near the start of the war, said the government. This comes two days after the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages were retrieved. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says more than half are dead. The defence minister said on Saturday that Pinta's body was retrieved from the Rafah area. He had come to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture. The army said he was taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that it said had also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her two small children. It's also the same group that took the two Israeli-American hostages, Judith Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrieved by the army on Thursday. Later on Saturday, the Israeli army announced that they believed to have found the body of Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, killed in Gaza last month. The IDF also said that four of its soldiers were killed when a building collapsed following a booby trap in southern Gaza's Khan Younis on Friday. Pinta's body was found based on information received from the hostage task force and military intelligence, the IDF explained. A statement from the hostage forum, which supports the hostages, said it stands with Pinta's family and shares in their grief. It called on the country's decision makers to bring home the remaining hostages and give those who have died a proper burial. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas militants. Many of the Thai agricultural workers lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants overran those places first. A total of 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, according to Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before Pinta's body was retrieved, three Thai hostages remained in captivity and two were confirmed dead. The fate of Pinta was uncertain until today, according to the hostage forum. Four strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, one strike hit an apartment, killing seven people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital. Israel said Saturday that it's responding to Hamas' 'barbaric attacks' and is dismantling its capabilities. It said it follows international law and takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. Staff at Nasser hospital where six of the bodies were taken, said they were killed while on their way to get food assistance. Israel's army said Saturday that despite prior warnings that the area is an active combat zone during night time hours, several suspects attempted to approach army troops operating in the Tel al-Sultan area overnight 'in a manner that posed a threat to the troops'. The army said the troops called to drive them away but as they continued advancing they fired warning shots. The army said it was aware of reports of casualties. An army official who can't be named in line with military procedures, said the warning shots were fired approximately one kilometer from the aid distribution site. Estonia will lease space at Tartu Prison to Sweden and accept up to 600 inmates under a new agreement being negotiated between the two countries. The draft legislation has been sent to the parliament. Meanwhile, the Estonian Office of the Chancellor of Justice and the Internal Security Service emphasise the risks that placing foreign prisoners in Tartu may bring. Amid the possible worsening situation for the Estonian prisoners, the main concern is that people with connections to extremism or international organised crime may arrive in Estonia. The Internal Security Service has forwarded the recommendations to the government and hopes that it will take them into account to the greatest extent possible. Marta Tuul, spokesperson of the Internal Security Service commented on Estonian TV: "The main concerns we see are that people with connections to extremism or international organised crime do not arrive in Estonia. We also see that foreign prisoners may begin to be visited by individuals with connections to extremism or international organised crime." In 2023, the number of inmates in Estonia dropped below 2,000 for the first time and has been decreasing by about one hundred people each year. Meanwhile, the Swedish government aims to impose tougher and longer sentences, making it unlikely that the number of prisoners there will decline in the near future. Indrek-Ivar Määrit, Head of Inspection Department of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice told Estonian public TV: "For us, there are three main concerns here: Firstly, the situation of Estonian prisoners must not worsen because foreign prisoners are coming. Secondly, these foreign prisoners themselves must be treated in accordance with Estonian law and international requirements. And thirdly, in the broadest sense, Estonia's internal security should not be endangered, and we are not only mindful of the danger that these people themselves pose, but also the danger that may accompany this process." For Swedish offenders, the Estonian state plans to use the S-Wing of Tartu Prison, which has approximately 350 places across 175 cells, followed by the E-Wing, which has 631 places in 318 cells. Rait Kuuse, Secretary General for Prisons at the Ministry of Justice further elaborated on the plams: "We prefer not to accept prisoners who are women or children. These would be male prisoners, either people convicted of crimes against the person or convicted of drug crimes, who do not have signs of being part of a network and who should not pose a significant threat to Estonia as a whole." Through the agreement, Estonia hopes to generate at least €30 million in additional revenue.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Sport
- Euronews
Bolivian national football team held in Venezuela on dubious grounds
After their 2-0 defeat against Venezuela in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, the Bolivian national team has faced a new setback: the Venezuelan authorities have prevented their flight from leaving Maturin airport, without offering clear explanations. The Bolivian delegation, which claims it had all the necessary documentation and permits to return to its country, was forced to return to its hotel in the middle of the night after hours of waiting without authorisation to leave Venezuela. The technical director of the Venezuelan team, Óscar Villegas, said that the situation took them by surprise, as they had previously asked a Bolivian government minister to coordinate with the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro to facilitate their departure. Harold Howard, in charge of security and logistics for the team, spoke of "sabotage" by the Venezuelan regime, explaining that they were informed of an alleged problem with "air traffic" as the reason for the hold-up, despite the fact that there were only two planes landing at the time. The incident has generated outrage in the Bolivian sporting and political community, which has called on the national authorities to intervene and demand answers from the Venezuelan government. The situation has also affected the planning of the Bolivian team, which was scheduled to leave for La Paz at around 5:00 (local time) and train that afternoon ahead of Tuesday's match with Chile in El Alto. This episode adds to a series of obstacles and problems that, according to complaints, Maduro's regime has imposed on foreign delegations, displaying a lack of reliability and transparency in the treatment of visiting teams. Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage kidnapped into Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, as it continues its military offensive across the strip, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's health ministry. The prime minister's office said Saturday that the body of Thai citizen Nattapong Pinta was returned to Israel in a special military operation. Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity near the start of the war, said the government. This comes two days after the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages were retrieved. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says more than half are dead. The defence minister said on Saturday that Pinta's body was retrieved from the Rafah area. He had come to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture. The army said he was taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that it said had also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her two small children. It's also the same group that took the two Israeli-American hostages, Judith Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrieved by the army on Thursday. Later on Saturday, the Israeli army announced that they believed to have found the body of Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, killed in Gaza last month. The IDF also said that four of its soldiers were killed when a building collapsed following a booby trap in southern Gaza's Khan Younis on Friday. Pinta's body was found based on information received from the hostage task force and military intelligence, the IDF explained. A statement from the hostage forum, which supports the hostages, said it stands with Pinta's family and shares in their grief. It called on the country's decision makers to bring home the remaining hostages and give those who have died a proper burial. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas militants. Many of the Thai agricultural workers lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants overran those places first. A total of 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, according to Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before Pinta's body was retrieved, three Thai hostages remained in captivity and two were confirmed dead. The fate of Pinta was uncertain until today, according to the hostage forum. Four strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, one strike hit an apartment, killing seven people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital. Israel said Saturday that it's responding to Hamas' 'barbaric attacks' and is dismantling its capabilities. It said it follows international law and takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. Staff at Nasser hospital where six of the bodies were taken, said they were killed while on their way to get food assistance. Israel's army said Saturday that despite prior warnings that the area is an active combat zone during night time hours, several suspects attempted to approach army troops operating in the Tel al-Sultan area overnight 'in a manner that posed a threat to the troops'. The army said the troops called to drive them away but as they continued advancing they fired warning shots. The army said it was aware of reports of casualties. An army official who can't be named in line with military procedures, said the warning shots were fired approximately one kilometer from the aid distribution site.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
🔥 Conmebol qualifiers: the table so far and what's next 🗓️
🔥 Conmebol qualifiers: the table so far and what's next 🗓️ With Venezuela's 2-0 victory over Bolivia at the Monumental de Maturín, Matchday 15 of the Conmebol Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico came to a close this Friday. La Vinotinto secured a crucial win against a direct rival in the race for a playoff spot, a position now held by the team led by Fernando Batista, pulling four points ahead of La Verde, coached by Óscar Villegas. Advertisement Earlier, Colombia did not have a great match in Barranquilla and could not get past a goalless draw against Peru, who celebrate the point earned, although it may not be of much use. With three matchdays left, several confirmations on the road to the World Cup On Thursday night, Argentina and Chile staged a great duel at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, which ended with a narrow Albiceleste victory, thanks to a stunning goal by Julián Álvarez in the first half. This match, and this result, confirmed the superiority of Lionel Scaloni's team over the lowest-ranked rival in the table, but also over all the other teams in this tournament, as they have already been crowned winners of the Qualifiers, having built a 10-point lead over Ecuador, second in the standings. Advertisement Sebastián Becaccece's team, meanwhile, drew 0-0 with Brazil in Guayaquil, in a match with few thrills on the field and some extra excitement off it, with Carlo Ancelotti making his debut at the helm of the Canarinha. Another great match on Thursday was the one Paraguay played at the Defensores del Chaco, defeating Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay 2-0, who are on a downward trend. Gustavo Alfaro's Albirroja extended their unbeaten streak to nine matches and won 'the mother of all battles,' as the coach put it, climbing to third place and, with Friday's results, confirming at least a playoff spot. Matchday 16 of the Conmebol Qualifiers will be played in its entirety next Tuesday, June 10. After that, the final double matchday will take place in mid-September. Advertisement This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. 📸 JUAN BARRETO - AFP or licensors
