International
Nicolás Maduro says that the cane will remain in good hands in the years to come
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, said this Friday, when there are 23 days left for the presidential elections, that the staff of command of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces will remain in “good hands” in the years to come and, he said, “never” will fall into the hands of an “oligarch.”
“I swear to you soldiers of my homeland, I swear to you people of Venezuela, that this command baton of commander-in-chief of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) (…) will remain in good hands in the years to come,” said the president, who led a civic-military parade in Caracas, about Independence Day in Venezuela.
Maduro maintained that the command baton will “never” fall into the hands of an “oligarch, a puppet, a traitor, I swear, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces will never have that embarrassing act of dishonor.”
The president of Venezuela added that that cane has been carried with “honor, honesty.”
“I have never trembled any imperial threat from the north or anyone, or from oligarchs, or from fascists,” he said.
He added that patriotism is out of love for history, for the right to the future, to be free and independent.
“When we say that we are anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist we do it out of love for the right we have to be free and in our homeland to decide what we have to decide,” he said.
This Friday, the candidate of Venezuela’s largest opposition coalition – Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) -, Edmundo González Urrutia, promised to modernize the FANB for the “new strategic military scenarios that are glimpsed at the national and global level,” in case of winning the presidential elections on July 28.
“Soldiers of the Venezuelan Armed Forces for that reason the Venezuelan people ask them to respect the results of their electoral decision (…) the Venezuelan people count on their military institution to respect and respect their sovereign will on July 28,” he said in a statement, about the 213 years of Venezuela’s independence.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
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