International
The cry of “freedom” of thousands of Venezuelans resounds in various cities of America
Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets this Saturday in various cities of America in “defense of the truth” and urged the Governments of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico to take a clear position and pressure so that the National Electoral Council, which declared Nicolás Maduro re-elected president, to announce the disaggregated results of the elections of July 28, which according to the majority opposition, Edmundo González Urrutia won.
From Canada to Argentina, these demonstrations take place in a context of great political tension, where the opposition denounced an “electoral fraud” in an election in which the majority of the diaspora could not participate in the face of bureaucratic obstacles, another of the great complaints of the thousands of Venezuelans against the Maduro Government.
The global marches were called by Venezuela’s largest opposition alliance, the Platform of Democratic Unity (PUD), led by María Corina Machado, to claim the truth of victory in the presidential elections.
In Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, Venezuelans and many local citizens, who marched in solidarity, criticized the position of the governments of these three countries, close to Maduro, which have adopted varied and changing positions regarding the crisis in Venezuela, while they have tried to make medication arrangements to provide a peaceful way out of the crisis.
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose party was one of the first to recognize Maduro’s triumph, has hardened his speech in recent days in the face of the official result of the presidential elections.
Both Lula and the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, have put forward several proposals. The Brazilian proposed two solutions – the formation of a coalition government that integrates members of Chavismo and the opposition or the holding of new elections – and the Colombian suggested a “national front” as a “transitory” step towards a “definitive solution” to the crisis.
These alternatives have already been rejected by Chavismo and the opposition, both sides defend their victory in the presidential elections.
For Lorena Lara, a 44-year-old Venezuelan who has been living in Brazil for 17, the proposal “does not make sense” because the elections were already held “with the rules of the Government” and it has not yet “proved” the results published by the National Electoral Council and that gave the victory to Maduro.
While President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reiterated that Mexico’s position is to “wait” for what the electoral court resolves and criticized the governments and international organizations that have recognized González Urrutia’s victory.
“The position of the president of Mexico is a position, let’s say, like Pontius Pilate, it’s like wanting to save himself from giving an opinion that can then create a compromise, we don’t know what his reasons are,” Venezuelan dentist and university professor Juan Carlos Vielma told EFE.
Carrying flags, dressed in the colors of the national flag and with the printed ballots that, according to them, show that González Urrutia was the winner of the elections, many Venezuelans maintain “alive hope” that there will be freedom in their country, which they long for to returning soon.
In Colombia, Ana Ángela Jugo, who left Venezuela in 2019 after “a series of blackouts” in which they lasted several uninterrupted days without electricity and endangered the work with which she kept her family, said that her desire is to return, like that of many of the eight million Venezuelans who have left the country to other parts of America in recent years motivated by the economic crisis above all, but also by opposition to the Venezuelan Government.
Shouting “enough is enough!”, Venezuelans in Chile demanded that Maduro show all the minutes of the elections and leave power.
One of the organizers of the Toronto march, Rebeca Sarfatti, told EFE that the congregated represented “the democratic will of the Venezuelans of the world who passionately” want the end of the Maduro regime.
“I want to be recognized internationally and not to leave us alone. Don’t turn your back on us. Those elections in Venezuela were manipulated. Edmundo won,” Génesis Pernia, one of the Venezuelans present in the massive march and resident in Panama for almost a decade, told EFE.
In the rest of the main capitals of the world, thousands of Venezuelans also demonstrated as a show of strength and unity against the “fraud” that they say the Maduro Government committed in the presidential elections.
The surprise of the day took place in Caracas, the epicenter of the worldwide call of the PUD, with the reappearance of María Corina Machado before thousands of her followers, after spending several days “in protection” for her safety.
On the eve of the marches, twenty-two countries and a group of nations of the European Union asked for the “immediate publication of all the original minutes” of the elections and the “impartial and independent” verification of the results of those elections, according to a statement signed in Santo Domingo this Friday.
In addition, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved by consensus a resolution that requires the authorities of Venezuela to publish the “expitently” of the election minutes, which Venezuelans have been waiting for almost a month ago.
The non-binding text was presented on behalf of the United States and Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Suriname and Uruguay as co-sponsors.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America2 days agoGuatemala arrests first escaped gang member after Barrio 18 prison break
-
International5 days agoMaría Corina Machado calls 2025 Nobel Peace prize a victory for venezuelan people
-
International2 days agoMexico reports 64 dead, 65 missing after devastating central region floods
-
International2 days agoVenezuela calls for continued global pressure to secure ‘just peace’ for Palestine
-
International2 days agoPope Leo XIV to skip COP30 in Brazil but plans future visit, Lula confirms
-
International5 days agoNetanyahu says Trump deserved 2025 Nobel Peace prize
-
International4 days agoPeruvian president Jerí leads prison raids to tackle organized crime
-
International4 days agoVenezuela launches ‘Independence 200’ defense plan amid U.S. naval presence
-
Central America3 days agoFraijanes II prison in Guatemala reports gradual escape of 18th Street gang inmates
-
International1 day agoSheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
-
International3 days agoHeavy rains leave dozens dead in Hidalgo, Puebla, and Veracruz
-
International1 day agoArmed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
-
International1 day agoVenezuelan media faces fresh restrictions after reporting on opposition leader’s Nobel win
-
International1 day agoCaracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
-
International48 minutes agoNew road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
-
International46 minutes agoMexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods