International
Venezuelan President welcomes support from leaders calling for lifting of coercive measures
October 24 |
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, thanked on Monday the support that Latin American and Caribbean leaders gave to the demands for the lifting of the unilateral coercive measures of the United States against his country, at the Palenque Meeting, in Mexico.
During his intervention in the television program Con Maduro Más, the dignitary highlighted that he shared with presidents and prime ministers and heads of delegation of 10 nations that met to dialogue on vital issues for the development of the nations involved.
“We are deeply grateful to the Government of Mexico, to the people of Mexico, for all the attentions, all the affection we have received in this summit of good neighborliness and for the well-being of our America”, he said.
In this sense, the dignitary assured that the Palenque Meeting was impregnated with the history of the ancestral Mayan culture, which invites us to think about the accumulated struggles and the current generations as a result.
“From all the cosmovision of these centuries of struggle, of life, of resistance, we are here. We are the result of those causes, of that life, of a whole grandiose history,” he said.
The Venezuelan president assured that the Palenque Meeting: For a fraternal neighborhood with well-being ratifies that the Venezuelan people are on the right side of history.
Nicolás Maduro refers to the agreements signed with the opposition in Barbados
The head of state specified that with the signing of the agreements with the opposition in Barbados, his government is once again betting on peace, respect and tolerance , following the postulates of the Venezuelan Constitution and laws.
“If it is necessary to sign with the devils for the peace and progress of Venezuela, we sign, in the name of God, the people and our homeland”, he stressed.
The President urged the opposition to enter the lane of respect and tolerance within the framework of the Constitution, and stop conspiring and asking for sanctions against the country.
He assured that the Barbados agreements are expected to have good results, and specified that, on the part of the Government, nothing will be done to damage it.
“This agreement allowed the activation of a set of agreements that have been discussed with the Government of the United States, as it is already known. A Return to the Homeland plan was then activated with two airplanes”, he said.
Maduro detailed that last Wednesday and Monday two planes arrived in Venezuela with nationals from the United States, who were mistreated in prisons of that country as if they were criminals or terrorists.
He denounced the networks of coyotes led by some members of the Venezuelan opposition, who incite people to emigrate to the U.S. and, when they arrive, they are imprisoned in subhuman conditions.
“Do not believe in false tales of the American dream. How many compatriots are enslaved abroad? The first Return to the Homeland flight urgently requested by the U.S. Government was activated”, he said.
He commented that in the context of the dialogues with the opposition in Barbados, the United States announced the beginning of a path that must be permanent and sustained that must lead to the total lifting of the unilateral coercive sanctions on Venezuela.
President Maduro welcomes the approval of the questions of the referendum on the Essequibo
The Venezuelan president also welcomed the questions to be included in the referendum on the Essequibo, after they were unanimously approved this Monday by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
Maduro emphasized that in the South American country, major issues of national interest are consulted to the people, and affirmed that Venezuela is the protagonist of true participative democracy.
Previously, in his social network account X, he had called Venezuelans to vote five times yes next December 3.
“We greet with great satisfaction the authorities of the National Electoral Council for the approval of the five questions that will be asked to Venezuelans in the Consultative Referendum in defense of Essequiba Guyana,” he wrote.
Head of State sends solidarity to the Palestinian people
Nicolás Maduro also sent his solidarity to the Palestinian people and called for a halt to Israel’s genocide against the population of Gaza.
Likewise, he insisted on the need to establish a world conference that would allow the establishment of a negotiation to return the rights to peace, territory, independence and a state of their own to the Palestinian people.
“From Venezuela we demand that, and we are going to achieve it with the peoples of the world”, he assured.
International
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed concerns over China’s growing military activity near Taiwan during a meeting on Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur.
“It was a constructive and positive meeting,” Hegseth wrote on X. “I emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and raised U.S. concerns about China’s actions around Taiwan,” the self-governed island that Beijing claims and does not rule out invading.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea. According to Trump, Taiwan was not discussed during their talks.
“The United States does not seek conflict and will continue to firmly defend its interests, ensuring it maintains the capability to do so in the region,” Hegseth added in his message.
Friday’s encounter followed a September 9 video call between Hegseth and Dong. Their previously planned meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was canceled due to Dong’s absence from the event.
Trump’s sit-down with Xi — their first since 2019 — resulted in some trade agreements but avoided addressing the issue of Taiwan, a long-standing source of tension between the world’s two largest powers.
Trump has taken a more ambiguous stance on Taiwan’s future compared with former President Joe Biden, who repeatedly stated that Washington would support Taipei if China launched an invasion. The Republican president has also criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the U.S. semiconductor industry.
International
U.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
The United States may soon carry out airstrikes on military facilities inside Venezuela as part of an escalating offensive against Nicolás Maduro’s regime, according to reports Friday from the Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal, citing sources close to the Trump administration.
Airstrikes could take place “within days or even hours,” the Herald reported. The Journal noted that while the option is under serious consideration, President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on authorizing strikes on Venezuelan soil.
Potential targets allegedly include military-controlled ports and airports used in drug trafficking operations, such as naval installations and airstrips, officials told the Journal.
The Herald also quoted a source saying that “Maduro’s time is running out”, suggesting that more than one Venezuelan general may be ready to detain and hand him over. However, officials declined to confirm whether the Venezuelan leader would be among the military targets.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to block the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, following nearly two months of airstrikes against vessels in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Those operations have destroyed 15 boats and left 61 people dead and three survivors since September 1.
“We are finally waging a war against the cartels — a war like they’ve never seen before — and we are going to win that battle. We are already winning at sea,” Trump told U.S. troops during a speech in Japan.
The reports on possible airstrikes come on the same day the United Nations accused the U.S. of violating international law with its maritime operations, saying those killed at sea may have been victims of extrajudicial executions.
International
Pope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
Pope Leo XIV announced on Friday that he will revive and update the Global Compact on Education, an initiative launched by the late Pope Francis aimed at deeply transforming global culture through education.
The announcement was made during an audience in St. Peter’s Square, held on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Educational World, which this week gathers more than 20,000 participants from 124 countries in Rome.
During his address, the pontiff — who is of U.S. origin and Peruvian nationality — emphasized the importance of restoring the value of educators and reinforcing the principles that support the pact.
“We must be careful: damaging the social and cultural role of educators means mortgaging our own future,” he warned before thousands in attendance. “A crisis in the transmission of knowledge leads to a crisis of hope.”
The Global Compact on Education, launched by Pope Francis, seeks an integral and long-term cultural transformation. It is structured around five pillars: dignity and human rights; fraternity and cooperation; technology and integral ecology; education for peace and citizenship; and culture and religions. To date, the initiative has been joined by over 553 schools and nearly 410,000 students, according to Catholic Schools data.
Pope Leo XIV also expressed concern over the widespread inner fragility affecting both students and teachers — many of whom feel overwhelmed by bureaucratic burdens.
He additionally addressed the role of artificial intelligence in education, warning that it may worsen emotional isolation among learners: “It can further isolate students who are already isolated, giving them the illusion that they do not need others — or worse, the feeling that they are unworthy of them,” he said.
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
Pope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
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