International

Colombia hosts 20 countries in search of reactivating dialogue between Venezuelan government and opposition

Photo: VOA

April 25 |

Twenty delegations from different countries of the world, invited by the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, will meet on Tuesday in Bogota with a view to reactivating the dialogues between the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the Venezuelan opposition, frozen last year.

The opening of the so-called International Conference on the political process in Venezuela, which will be held at the headquarters of the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will begin at 11:00 a.m. local time, will be in charge of the Colombian President, Gustavo Petro.

Prior to the meeting, the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Álvaro Leyva, told the media that it is expected that from the meeting “a formula will come out so that Venezuelans can understand each other among Venezuelans in order to comply with what the constitution foresees, elections in 2024, presidential elections which, if they are successful, can follow the path of democracy to carry out elections in 2025”.

Leyva emphasized that Colombia is not in charge of providing guarantees in the process, but acts as a “precipitator”. In this way, he added, “the insinuations” of the summoned countries will be attended.

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Without the presence of opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who said he was “forced by Petro’s government” to leave Colombia, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that the delegations of the United States, Germany, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Spain, France, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa and Turkey, and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy European Union will be present at the meeting.

At the end of the day, the Foreign Minister is expected to make statements to the media.

International

Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with skin cancer while serving a historic sentence for attempting a coup d’état. His medical team confirmed that the lesions have been removed and that, for now, he does not require further procedures, though he will need regular monitoring.

On Wednesday, September 17, Bolsonaro’s doctors confirmed the diagnosis. The announcement comes shortly after the former leader was convicted of orchestrating an attempted coup.

According to his physician, Claudio Birolini, Bolsonaro has “squamous cell carcinoma, which is neither the most benign nor the most aggressive form — it is intermediate.” Birolini warned, however, that this type of skin cancer “can carry more serious consequences.”

International

Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’

Argentine President Javier Milei praised Paraguay’s economic growth over the past two decades during a speech before the Paraguayan Congress on Wednesday (Sept. 17, 2025), crediting it to incentives that favored capitalism. At the same time, he contrasted that progress with what he described as Argentina’s deepening “decline” during the same period.

“If we compare the last 20 years of Paraguay with those of the Argentine Republic, we will find almost diametrically opposite results,” Milei told lawmakers during a special session of Parliament on the second and final day of his official visit to Asunción.

“While you have not stopped growing, we have deepened our decline. If we understand incentives as the engine of capitalism, Paraguay focused on preserving and strengthening them, while Argentina dedicated itself to chaining, directing, and suffocating them,” the right-wing leader stated.

International

Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intensified a large-scale immigration operation in the Chicago area with the arrival of additional Border Patrol agents on Tuesday and the presence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem during a raid.

Noem posted a video on her X account showing the immigration operation, in which DHS reportedly removed “violent criminals” from the streets. The footage shows Noem observing the arrest of a man taken into custody at his home early Tuesday morning at an undisclosed location.

“I was in Chicago today to make it clear that we will not back down,” the secretary wrote. “Our work is just beginning,” she added.

The warning from Noem was echoed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Gregory Bovino, who posted a video on X Tuesday showing multiple Border Patrol vehicles arriving in the city with the caption: “Chicago, we are here!”

Bovino, who led the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles implemented since last June, said the team will remain in Chicago to continue the mission they started in California.

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Operation “Midway Blitz” is currently focused on the Chicago metropolitan area and its suburbs. Activists and residents have reported sightings of masked agents and unmarked vehicles in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.