International
Biden does not support a new election in Venezuela, he misunderstood the question
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, misinterpreted on Thursday a question about the holding of new elections in Venezuela, which created hours of confusion after he implied that he supported the repetition of the elections.
The confusion occurred when Biden appeared before the press before boarding the Marine One presidential helicopter. When a journalist asked him if he supported the call for new elections in Venezuela, he limited himself to answering: “Yes, I do it,” without offering more details.
However, hours later, a spokesman for the White House clarified that the president was actually referring to the “absurd” that the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, has not published the voting minutes of the July 28 elections, where Maduro’s re-election was proclaimed with questioned results inside and outside the country.
That spokesman reiterated that Washington considers that the winner of the elections was Edmundo González Urrutia, according to the minutes reviewed by the opposition bloc, and again called for “the will” of the people of Venezuela to be respected so that there is a “transition back to democratic norms.”
This Thursday, during an interview on Radio T, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, suggested two possible solutions to the post-election crisis in Venezuela: the formation of a coalition government that integrates members of Chavismo and the opposition or the holding of new elections.
Lula’s words immediately generated the reaction of the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who said that he does not see “prudent” to ask for new elections in Venezuela now.
Meanwhile, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, suggested for Venezuela a “national front” like the one in Colombia in the twentieth century, in which liberals and conservatives took turns power as a “transitory” step towards a “definitive solution” to the crisis, in an idea similar to the one suggested by Lula about a coalition government.
In addition, the president of Colombia called for “new free elections”
Maduro’s victory in the elections of July 28 was proclaimed by the National Electoral Council (CNE) without publishing the voting minutes, and the Biden Administration considers that the winner was the opponent Edmundo González Urrutia, according to the minutes obtained by the majority opposition bloc.
After the elections in Venezuela, the governments of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico began contacts to find a solution to the crisis, a mediation effort that has, among others, the support of the United States.
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
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