International
Venezuelan government promotes development of the state of La Guaira
August 24|
The Venezuelan Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Europe, Franklin Ramírez, led this Wednesday at the Foreign Ministry headquarters the inter-ministerial meeting in which the tourism potential of the state of La Guaira was evaluated and sectors such as the local Chamber of Construction proposed initiatives to expand it.
Among the proposals collected by the Ministry of Tourism, the investment in infrastructure and services for the attention of foreign tourists and an international cooperation project to twin La Guaira with European cities stand out.
La Guaira plans the construction of works of cultural interest such as the Marine Museum and the new headquarters of the nucleus of the System of Youth and Children Orchestras and Choirs. On the other hand, it has already inaugurated the Jorge Luis García Carneiro baseball stadium, also known as the Forum of La Guaira, with a capacity of 14,300 spectators.
Additionally, the possibility of exhibiting the tourist and port benefits of La Guaira during the Hamburg Fair, scheduled for September of this year in Germany, was discussed.
The Ministry of Tourism informed that new air connections have been agreed with multiple operators, which will take international tourists directly from Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru and Poland to La Guaira, Barquisimeto and Margarita.
The Venezuelan Minister of Tourism, Alí Padrón, explained that thanks to the signing of new agreements, Venezuela will increase the number of foreign visitors to the levels it had ten years ago.
La Guaira is a coastal entity, located 30 minutes from the capital, Caracas, and is home to the main international airport and the second largest port in the country, for which reason the initiative contemplates turning it into an entry locality for tourist cruises and international cargo. According to estimates, this proposal would create some 8,000 new jobs, both direct and indirect.
Padrón stated last August 16 that he estimates an increase of more than 50 percent in the entry of international tourists with respect to 2022, when the figure exceeded 656,000 people. He detailed that an average of 2,740 people enter the country daily so far in 2023.
Despite the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States and the European Union on the Venezuelan economy, the country is making progress in the recovery of its infrastructure and its connectivity with the world.
International
Trump orders immediate U.S. nuclear testing, ending 30-year moratorium
U.S. President Donald Trump’s order to begin “immediate” testing of the country’s nuclear arsenal could, if carried out, end the nuclear testing moratorium that the United States has maintained for over 30 years.
The announcement follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear maneuvers on October 22 from the Kremlin, which involved land, sea, and air exercises and the launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of up to 12,000 kilometers.
In 1992, the U.S. Senate approved a temporary suspension of nuclear tests in August, followed by the House of Representatives in September, initially for nine months, with the goal of ending all U.S. atomic testing by September 1996.
Although then-President George H.W. Bush, a Republican, and his successor Bill Clinton, a Democrat, threatened to veto the measure, the moratorium has remained in place ever since.
The decision came after the fall of the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War, and a political climate in which many U.S. leaders and a significant portion of public opinion believed that the country should lead global denuclearization efforts. Technological advances have also allowed the United States to verify the reliability of its nuclear arsenal without conducting atomic explosions.
From World War II until 1992, the United States conducted over a thousand nuclear tests. Until 1963, these tests were atmospheric, after which only underground tests were performed.
Although the U.S. has not conducted nuclear detonations since September 1992, it has carried out several dozen subcritical experiments. These do not trigger chain nuclear reactions or produce atomic yield but are designed to verify the safety and effectiveness of the nuclear arsenal and remain within the limits established by the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
International
Brazilian president defends coordinated anti-drug operations after deadly Rio raid
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended on Wednesday the integration of the country’s various police forces into an anti-drug strategy that avoids civilian casualties, commenting on Tuesday’s police operation in Rio de Janeiro that left 121 dead—the deadliest in Brazil’s history.
“We need coordinated efforts that strike at the backbone of drug trafficking without putting police, children, and innocent families at risk,” the progressive leader wrote on social media.
Lula, along with several of his ministers, emphasized that organized crime is not defeated through violent confrontations in the favelas, but by measures that decapitalize these groups and reduce their financial power.
“That was exactly what we did in August during the largest operation against organized crime in the country’s history, targeting the financial core of a major organization involved in drug trafficking, fuel adulteration, and money laundering,” he stated, referring to a recent operation against the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), a major national criminal group.
Lula stressed that Brazil cannot allow organized crime to continue destroying families, oppressing citizens, and spreading drugs and violence across cities.
He added that, in a federal country like Brazil, where public security is the responsibility of regional governments, it is necessary to unify the country’s police forces.
The head of state affirmed that integrating regional and national police forces to combat organized crime will be possible with the approval of a public security bill that the government has submitted to Congress.
International
US Deputy Secretary criticizes Mexico’s call to end Cuba trade embargo at UN
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau reacted on Wednesday against Mexico’s request at the United Nations to lift the trade embargo on Cuba.
Landau expressed on X that he felt “sad” as a “friend of Mexico” after Mexico’s ambassador to the UN, Héctor Vasconcelos, reiterated solidarity with Cuba and stressed the “urgent need to end the trade embargo.”
“Let’s base ourselves on reality and not fantasies. There is no trade embargo on Cuba (…) Cuba freely receives goods and visitors from many countries,” Landau wrote.
The reaction from the State Department official came after the Mexican delegation urgently requested the removal of sanctions against Cuba at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where a majority of 165 countries voted in favor of ending the embargo imposed on the island since 1960.
Seven countries voted against the proposal, and twelve abstained. The United States, Israel, Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay, and Ukraine were among those opposing the measure, but the overwhelming support left the U.S. and its allies in the minority.
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