The Week In News

captivity in Haiti” and that they “have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas.”

On the day of the abduction, and amidst ever worsening conditions in Haiti, the U.S. State Department issued an order that all non-emergency government officials leave the Caribbean country.

Since the beginning of 2023, 1,014 people have been kidnapped in Haiti. At least 256 of them are women, 24 are boys, and 13 are girls, according to the UN. The country has been seized by gangs, wreaked by violence.

Dorsainvil was born in New Hampshire and “fell in love with the people” of Haiti during her college years, said El Roi Haiti. The first time she visited the Caribbean country was after the 2010 earthquake. Since 2020, she has been taking care of the medical needs of Haitian schoolchildren.

Prior to the release of Dorsainvil and her daughter, students at El Roi Haiti and other Haitians held protests in hopes of the pair’s return.

Gas Station Explodes in Russia

Eighty people were wounded in the fire.

Search and rescue efforts were ongoing as of Tuesday morning, with emergency workers clearing the rubble and searching for potential survivors.

A statement from the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin “expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala and wished a speedy recovery to the victims.”

The Dagestan government declared Tuesday a day of mourning.

Ecuadorian Pres. Candidate Assassinated

state,” and expressed his wishes to put an end to the “political mafia” that, according to him, is responsible for the country’s increasing levels of violence and corruption.

A gunfight between the suspect and police followed thereafter, resulting in the gunman’s death. Additionally, according to Juan Zapata, interior minister of Ecuador, six Colombians, who are part of organized crime groups, have been arrested for alleged involvement with the crime.

In a series of investigations and raids, officials found that the six Colombian nationals had several weapons in their possession, including a machine gun, rifle, pistols, and grenades, along with ammunition, two motorcycles, and a stolen vehicle.

The officials protecting Villavicencio were no match for the criminal group responsible for his death, said Luisa González, the frontrunner for the upcoming election.

“It’s not a question of how much security you have by your side. My security told me to wear a vest. I said they shoot in the head, and there it is. It’s as simple as that, or a grenade. The criminals are better armed than the police,” González added.

the operating company for the Eiffel Tower, said.

After determining that all was safe, the iconic tower was reopened for the public.

About seven million people visit the Paris tourist attraction every year. The monument has a police station at the foot of the south pillar, its premises are under video surveillance, and visitors have to undergo security checks before entry.

Evacuations are very rare. Still, they do occur occasionally. In 2019, the monument was evacuated and closed after a man was spotted climbing up the side.

When the Eiffel Tower opened in 1889, it was the world’s largest structure. At 986 feet, it towered over the 555-foot Washington Monument, which had been the world’s tallest structure. Years later, in 1930, the Chrysler Building, at 1,046 feet, nabbed the title.

U.S.-Iran Prisoner Exchange

Last week, Fernando Villavicencio, a candidate in Ecuador’s upcoming presidential election, was shot and killed. Nine others were injured, as well.

In response, current President Guillermo Lasso requested assistance from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and instituted a sixty-day state of emergency, three days of mourning, as well as the rapid deployment of military personnel, throughout the entire country.

Since the assassination, a few presidential candidates, including Yaku Pérez and Jan Topic, have paused their campaigns as a show of respect for Villavicencio, urging others in the race to do the same.

A once peaceful country, Ecuador has been overrun with crime and chaos in recent years and has been made a hub for drug trafficking from Peru and Colombia, two of the country’s neighbors.

At least 35 people were killed and dozens more were injured when a fire caused an explosion at a gas station in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan.

The blaze started at a car repair shop on Monday night then spread to the nearby fuel station on the outskirts of Dagestan’s capital of Makhachkal, Russia’s emergency situations ministry said.

Several children were among the dead, according to the head of the Dagestan republic, Sergey Melikov, and at least three bodies were recovered from the rubble.

“Organized crime has come a long way, but the full weight of the law will fall on them,” Lasso declared, promising justice for the fallen Ecuadorian.

Villavicencio, a fifty-nine-year-old legislator in the National Assembly, was murdered as he was leaving a campaign event near Quito, the capital of Ecuador.

Ecuador’s presidential election is set for August 20 and will still take place despite these recent events, said Diana Atamaint, the president of the country’s Electoral Council.

Villavicencio had publicly called the South American country a “narco

Eiffel Tower Bomb Threat

On Saturday, the Eiffel Tower was evacuated for several hours over a bomb threat.

The three floors of the tower, as well as the courtyard, were evacuated while authorities assessed the threat. Traffic was diverted from the area and a large security perimeter was established.

A team of deminers were brought in to access the threat.

“It’s a usual procedure in this kind of situation, which is rare nevertheless,” a spokesperson for SETE,

On Thursday, August 10, it was announced that the U.S. and Iran are currently working out a prisoner swap. As part of this ongoing deal, five Iranian Americans detained in the Islamic Republic have been released from jail and are now under house arrest.

In exchange for the release of the five American hostages, the U.S. will allow $6-$7 billion held back by economic sanctions to go to Iran. According to Iran’s representation in the UN, the funds will first be sent to Qatar, and then, if the deal works out, the money will arrive in Iran.

Additionally, Iran is negotiating for the return of several Iranians imprisoned in the States. While U.S. government officials haven’t said how many detainees would be released, the New York Times reported that the number is five.

According to two Israeli officials,