International

Venezuelans behind Taller Neo, a recycling success story in Caracas

Photo: VOA

August 16|

Four months ago, Venezuelans Gabriel Santana and Alberto Alfonso decided to crystallize a business idea they had been studying for some time, the purpose of which was to contribute to environmental protection. Thus was born Taller Neo, a space in Caracas that transforms waste into objects of value and then put them on sale.

“The idea was born first of all out of a concern or a sensitivity that Alberto and I had for the environment (…) We saw that there were these workshops that work with recycled plastic in various parts of the planet, especially in Europe and the United States, more than in Latin America, where there are already some interesting cases,” Santana explained to the Voice of America.

He added that they then began “to see how to set up one of those workshops, what things could be made in those workshops that could be sold so that it could be a business”.

“So we started to look at the objects, the things that are created and everything around them.”

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Since formally opening on April 15, Taller Neo has been very well received. It currently offers an item created from waste: the materos, plant pots, which have become a trademark of the project.

“Our materos have been a success that we never imagined and have exceeded our expectations,” noted Alfonso.

“It has been very exciting because we have had a great receptivity from the people, from the community, from people who are involved in the environment in Venezuela and have received us very well, in social networks we have done very well. We are very happy with what we have been building and happy because we know that when we start to release the other products there will also be a good receptivity in that sense,” said Gabriel Santana.

Taller Neo is open every day from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Two people work in the space along with the founders and two online interns, although they are always open to receive more help.

In addition to recycling and creating objects from waste, Gabriel Santana and Alberto Alfonso also receive students, scouts and environmental groups at the site and give them a talk and a tour of the facilities. For both of them, these activities are crucial because they help raise awareness about environmental care and the importance of recycling in the future.

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“Young people are very important in this project because in the end it is these young minds, motivated and enthusiastic about the future, who best receive this message, and therefore become lifelong advocates and promoters of the cause,” said Alfonso.

International

Winter Storm Fern Leaves 30 Dead and Over One Million Without Power Across the U.S.

The massive winter storm Fern, bringing polar temperatures, battered large portions of the United States for a third consecutive day on Monday, leaving at least 30 people dead, more than one million households without electricity, and thousands of flights grounded.

In the Great Lakes region, residents awoke to extreme cold, with temperatures dropping below -20°C. Forecasts indicate that conditions are expected to worsen in the coming days as an Arctic air mass moves south, particularly across the northern Great Plains and other central regions, where wind chills could plunge to -45°C, temperatures capable of causing frostbite within minutes.

Across the country, heavy snowfall exceeding 30 centimeters in roughly 20 states triggered widespread power outages. According to PowerOutage.com, nearly 800,000 customers remained without electricity on Monday morning, most of them in the southern United States.

In Tennessee, where ice brought down power lines, approximately 250,000 customers were still without power. Outages also affected more than 150,000 customers in Mississippi and over 100,000 in Louisiana, as utility crews struggled to restore service amid dangerous conditions.

International

Spain approves plan to regularize up to 500,000 migrants in Historic Shift

In November 2024, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a reform of the country’s immigration regulations aimed at regularizing 300,000 migrants per year over a three-year period, in an effort to counter population aging in a country where births have fallen by 25.6% since 2014, according to official data.

Going against the trend in much of Europe, Spain’s left-wing government has now approved an exceptional migrant regularization plan that could benefit up to 500,000 people, most of them from Latin America.

The measure will allow the regularization of around “half a million people” who have been living in Spain for at least five months, arrived before December 31, 2025, and have no criminal record, Migration Minister Elma Saiz explained on public television.

The plan, approved on Tuesday by the Council of Ministers, establishes that applications will be processed between April and June 30, enabling beneficiaries to work in any sector and anywhere in the country, Saiz said.

“Today is a historic day for our country. We are strengthening a migration model based on human rights, integration, and one that is compatible with economic growth and social cohesion,” the minister later stated at a press conference.

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The socialist government of Pedro Sánchez stands out within the European Union for its migration policy, contrasting with the tightening of immigration measures across much of the bloc amid pressure from far-right movements.

Central America

Honduras swears in conservative president Asfura after disputed election

Conservative politician Nasry Asfura assumed the presidency of Honduras on Tuesday with an agenda closely aligned with the United States, a shift that could strain the country’s relationship with China as he seeks to confront the economic and security challenges facing the poorest and most violent nation in Central America.

Asfura’s rise to power, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, marks the end of four years of left-wing rule and secures Trump another regional ally amid the advance of conservative governments in Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina.

The 67-year-old former mayor and construction businessman was sworn in during an austere ceremony at the National Congress, following a tightly contested election marred by opposition allegations of fraud and Trump’s threat to cut U.S. aid if his preferred candidate did not prevail.

Grateful for Washington’s support, Asfura—who is of Palestinian descent—traveled to the United States to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We need to strengthen relations with our most important trading partner,” Asfura said after being declared the winner of the November 30 election by a narrow margin, following a tense vote count that lasted just over three weeks.