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Venezuelan opposition meets US delegation visiting Caracas

AFP

The main bloc of Venezuelan opposition parties said Tuesday that their representatives had met with a visiting US delegation and that they were ready to restart negotiations with President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

On Monday, Maduro announced the US delegation had arrived in the country to discuss a “bilateral agenda,” expanding on talks in March the White House had said were focused on American “energy security.”

The United States and Venezuela severed diplomatic ties in 2019 after Maduro was re-elected the year before to a second term in a ballot boycotted by the opposition.

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Maduro said Monday that the US delegation was being hosted by National Assembly speaker Jorge Rodriguez — also the government lead in negotiations with the opposition, which have been at a standstill since last October.

Earlier on Tuesday, Omar Barboza, coordinator of the largest opposition bloc, told reporters “we have not been summoned (to the talks), we do not know the agenda.”

But later in the evening, the bloc released a statement saying it had met with the US delegation “to coordinate efforts for the sake of reestablishing the negotiation process” with the Maduro government.

The bloc said it was “ready” to “immediately resume a serious negotiation process.”

In a bid to oust Maduro from power after his disputed re-election, Washington and dozens of other countries recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president and imposed a battery of sanctions on Caracas. 

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These prevent Venezuela from trading its crude oil — which represented 96 percent of the country’s income at the time — on the US market.

Before Washington enacted sanctions against Venezuela, the South American country exported almost all of its oil production to the United States.

Since then, Maduro has received support from Russia to continue exporting oil despite the sanctions.

Washington sent a high-level delegation to Caracas in March, just days after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Observers said the move sought to distance Caracas from ally Moscow, and to discuss an easing of US sanctions on Venezuelan oil after Russia’s invasion caused a spike in global fuel prices.

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After the talks, Washington announced it would ease some sanctions against Venezuela, including one linked to the oil company Chevron, to promote dialogue between Maduro’s government and the opposition.

Caracas also released two Americans detained in Venezuela in what was widely seen as a goodwill gesture.

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International

President Boric announces curfew following triple police homicide in Chile

Chile offers residency and Chilean nationality to Nicaraguan opponents

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has implemented a nighttime curfew in three municipalities of the Biobío region following the murder of three police officers. The Chilean leader emphasized that “criminals will answer to Chile and its justice system.”

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Boric stated that he made the decision “after discussing with the General Director of the Carabineros, the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, the Head of National Defense, and the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, having also considered various alternatives and taking into account the needs of the ongoing investigation.”

He further detailed that “I have instructed to decree a curfew in the municipalities of Cañete, Contulmo, and Tirúa from midnight to 7:00 AM. Additionally, police and military presence will be intensified to our utmost capacity with joint patrols in the area.”

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International

President López Obrador meets with Astros and Rockies ahead of Mexico City Series

Last Friday, before the 2024 Mexico City Series between the Astros and Rockies at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador met with representatives from both teams.

Through his social media, the President shared his interaction with executives from the Houston and Colorado teams, as well as with Astros’ Mexican pitcher, José Urquidy.

“Yesterday (Friday), before starting the tour, I had breakfast with executives and friends from the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies. There’s increasingly more baseball fever in our country,” López Obrador wrote.

The photos also featured former Mexican major leaguers Vinicio “Vinny” Castilla and Jorge de la Rosa, both of whom played for the Colorado team.

On Saturday night, the Houston Astros won the first game in the “capital inferno,” home of the Mexico City Red Devils, with a commanding score of 12 to 4.

This Sunday, the second game of the series will take place at AHH, with both teams arriving in Mexico on a losing streak. Another great Major League celebration is anticipated at the “fire diamond.”

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International

Social media star Om Fahad fatally shot in Baghdad

An Iraqi TikToker, previously sentenced to prison last year for posting content deemed “indecent” on social media, was fatally shot in Baghdad on Friday, according to two security officials.

Om Fahad, who had tens of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram, gained fame for her videos featuring her in tight outfits dancing to Iraqi music, in a country that is predominantly conservative and patriarchal.

The young woman was shot by an assailant on a motorcycle while she was in her vehicle outside her home in central Baghdad, two security officials reported anonymously to AFP.

In February 2023, a court initially sentenced Om Fahad to six months in jail for “publishing various videos with indecent intentions that violate modesty and public morals.”

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