Storms, arrests, and sports news dominate the headlines this week, with severe weather battering Europe and northern Africa, a prominent figure in Venezuelan politics detained, and Cristiano Ronaldo's absence from his new team raising questions.
Spain and Portugal faced torrential rain and strong winds as Storm Leonardo continued to pummel the Iberian peninsula, prompting severe weather alerts, according to The Guardian. The storm, which began Tuesday, led to flash floods in Morocco, forcing over 100,000 people to evacuate. In Spain, the state meteorological agency, Aemet, issued its highest red alert for heavy rainfall in Cádiz and parts of Málaga.
Meanwhile, in Caracas, a close ally of the deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, Alex Saab, was reportedly detained during a joint operation by Venezuela's intelligence agency and the FBI, as reported by The Guardian. Saab, a wealthy Colombian-Venezuelan businessman, has long been considered Maduro's frontman. The same operation reportedly led to the arrest of billionaire media mogul Raúl Gorrín. Saab's potential extradition to the US could occur within days, according to the source.
In other news, Cristiano Ronaldo missed his second consecutive game for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, amid reports of discontent with the club, according to Al Jazeera. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was not in the squad when Al-Nassr faced defending champions Al-Ittihad. Ronaldo is reportedly unhappy with the club's majority owner over the lack of transfer activity.
In the energy sector, the global LNG dynamics were discussed at the Qatar energy summit, uniting top players in oil and gas, according to Al Jazeera. The article noted that for two decades, global energy demand was static, and efficiency gains, economic shifts, and renewable growth created an illusion of control.
Venezuela's interim government received a lifeline through a US-brokered agreement, after transferring between 30 and 50 million barrels of crude to the US, according to Al Jazeera. The agreement allows Venezuela to receive $500 million from its first oil sale. However, the government does not control the proceeds, which are deposited into a restricted account in Qatar, subject to US approval, to pay public sector salaries and essential services.
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