International
President Maduro highlights strengthening of relations with China
September 19 |
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro described his recent tour of China on Monday as historic, intense, extensive and productive, while highlighting the strengthening of relations between the two countries, during the broadcast of the Con Maduro Más program.
The president indicated that during his visit, he and the Venezuelan delegation that accompanied him traveled 24,000 kilometers during seven days.
“We went with a well-established plan. We were there for seven days, fulfilling a plan and attending to the very special invitation to make a state visit to China, which President Xi Jinping made to me”, he said.
The President explained that the visit to the Asian country was constitutionally authorized by the National Assembly, a fact that was used by the right wing based in Miami, United States, to speak ill of the Venezuelan government.
During his program, the President referred to the value of the work team that accompanied him, as well as the twinning agreement between the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the second largest in the world, and the Venezuelan state of La Guaira.
“We went to seal deep friendships for the work of the future”, he said, while expressing the great achievements of this Chinese region.
Likewise, he commented that he decided to create an office of Economic and Commercial Development of Venezuela in Shanghai and to install an office of Development and Relations of the Venezuelan Petroleum Company (PDVSA) in that Chinese region, to work on the projects, together with the Venezuelan Consulate in Shanghai.
“We must prepare to make the relationship a twinning of Shanghai investors in Venezuela, of importers from Shanghai for Carabobo”, he indicated.
President Xi Jinping also expressed his admiration for the heroic struggle of the Venezuelan people and told me: “Venezuela is not alone, it has China by its side”, said the president.
In this sense, the governor of Carabobo, Rafael Lacava, and the president of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (Pdvsa), Pedro Tellechea, exchanged on future development projects for Venezuelans together with China.
The Venezuelan leader acknowledged that in the context of the G-77 and China Summit in Havana, the support for the nation and the Cuban Revolution was demonstrated, he also commented on the meetings with counterparts from different nations and heads of different delegations.
In this regard, he highlighted the exchange with the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) António Guterres, to whom he requested support to demand that the United States lift all actions against Venezuela.
He also met with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Alicia Bárcena, with whom he shared future projects between both Latin American nations, and with the President of Angola, João Lourenço, as well as the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, and the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, with whom he held talks of interest.
International
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
President Donald Trump issued an executive order this Monday for the immediate construction of two new warships that will bear his name. These vessels will be the pioneers of what he described as the “Golden Fleet,” a future generation of “Trump-class” battleships that he claimed would be “100 times more powerful” than those currently in service.
The announcement took place at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The President indicated that following the initial two ships, the administration aims to commission up to 25 additional vessels. He is scheduled to meet with Florida-based contractors next week to expedite production, criticizing existing defense firms for failing to deliver results efficiently.
This naval expansion is a cornerstone of Trump’s goal to revitalized the American shipbuilding industry and address the strategic gap between the U.S. and competitors like China.
The move comes amid heightened geopolitical tension. Just last week, Trump ordered the seizure of all sanctioned tankers involved with Venezuela’s “ghost fleet” to cripple the country’s crude oil industry. Since December 10, the U.S. military—deployed in the Caribbean under the guise of counter-narcotics operations—has already detained two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil transport.
International
U.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration
A U.S. federal judge ruled this Monday, December 22, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is prohibited from re-detaining Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García, who was erroneously deported to El Salvador earlier this year during the administration of President Donald Trump.
During a hearing in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Ábrego García must remain free on bail through the Christmas holidays, concluding that his initial detention lacked a legal basis. The ruling follows a request from his legal team for a temporary restraining order to prevent ICE from carrying out a new arrest.
Earlier this month, on December 11, Judge Xinis ordered his release from a Pennsylvania migrant detention center after determining that the government had detained him without a formal deportation order. In 2019, an immigration judge had already ruled that Ábrego could not be returned to El Salvador because his life was in danger.
Despite that protection, Ábrego García was deported in March 2025 following a raid by the Trump administration. Officials argued at the time that he was a gang member, and he was sent directly to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) in El Salvador. In June, he was returned to the United States to face a new trial for alleged human smuggling—a charge he denies.
On Monday, Judge Xinis also temporarily invalidated a new deportation order issued by an immigration judge following Ábrego’s recent release, granting him legal protection through the coming weeks. His trial is scheduled to begin in Tennessee in January 2026.
International
Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco
The U.S. city of San Francisco was plunged into darkness Saturday night after a power outage left about 130,000 customers without electricity, although the utility company said service was restored to most users within hours.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) said in a statement posted on X that nearly 90,000 homes had their power restored by 9:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT on Sunday), while the remaining 40,000 customers were expected to have service restored overnight.
Large areas of the city, a major technology hub with a population of around 800,000, were affected by the blackout, which disrupted public transportation and left traffic lights out of service during the busy weekend before Christmas, a crucial period for retail businesses.
“I know it’s been a difficult day,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video posted on social media from the city’s emergency operations center. “There has been progress, but for those still without power, we want to make sure they are safe and checking in on their neighbors,” he added.
Lurie said police officers and firefighters advised residents to stay home as much as possible. He also noted that officers and traffic inspectors were deployed to manage intersections where traffic lights were not functioning.
The mayor confirmed that the outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Parts of the city were also covered in fog, further complicating conditions during the incident.
As a result of the blackout, many businesses were forced to close despite it being the weekend before Christmas. The sudden drop in shopper traffic ahead of the holiday is “devastating” for retailers, the manager of home goods store Black & Gold told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
U.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration
Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco
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
-
International4 days agoShakira’s El Salvador concerts sell out in hours, fans demand more dates
-
International3 days agoPentagon confirms Trump pick for SouthCom as U.S. military pressure grows
-
International4 days agoTrump moves to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous substance
-
International3 days agoArgentina detects first local cases of Influenza A (H3N2) Subclade K
-
International17 hours agoU.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration
-
International2 days agoFire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco
-
International17 hours agoTrump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
-
International2 days agoCristina Kirchner recovering after appendicitis surgery in Buenos Aires