International
Electoral Power ratifies victory of the Yes in the referendum on the Essequibo
December 7 |
The president of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela, Elvis Amoroso, offered to the public opinion new details on the voting during the consultative referendum on the Essequibo Guayana, held last December 3, and ratified the victory of the Yes vote in said democratic exercise.
He added that the new update corresponds to the transmission of 99.89 percent of the votes counted. On the other hand, he specified that there was a 51.01 percent participation of the electoral roll, which in concrete figures corresponds to 10,555,092 voters.
He then recalled the five questions of the referendum and offered the most recent figures computed:
1) Do you agree to reject, by all means, in accordance with the law, the line fraudulently imposed by the Paris Arbitration Award of 1899 that intends to dispossess us of our Essequiba Guyana? Yes – 10,315,445 votes (98 percent) / No – 210,329 (2 percent) / Valid votes – 10,525,814 / Void votes – 29,278 / Total votes – 10,555,092
2) Do you support the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the only valid legal instrument to reach a practical and satisfactory solution for Venezuela and Guyana, regarding the dispute over the territory of Guayana Esequiba? Yes – 10,322,718 votes (98.27 percent) / No – 181,725 (1.73 percent) / Valid votes – 10,504,443 / Null votes – 50,649 / Total votes – 10,555,092
3) Do you agree with Venezuela’s historical position of not recognizing the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to resolve the territorial dispute over Guayana Esequiba? Yes – 10,132,099 votes (96.35 percent) / No – 384,321 (3.65 percent) / Valid Votes – 10,516,420 / Spoiled Votes – 38,672 / Total Votes – 10,555,092
4) Do you agree to oppose, by all means, in accordance with the law, Guyana’s claim to unilaterally dispose of a sea pending delimitation, illegally and in violation of International Law? Yes – 10,134,189 votes (96.37 percent) / No – 381,770 (3.63 percent) / Valid votes – 10,515,959 / Void votes – 39,133 / Total votes – 10,555,092
5) Do you agree with the creation of the state of Guayana Esequiba and the development of an accelerated plan for the integral attention of the current and future population of said territory, which includes, among others, the granting of Venezuelan citizenship and identity card, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and International Law, consequently incorporating said state in the map of the Venezuelan territory? Yes – 10,070,255 votes (96.37 percent) / No – 379,397 (3.63 percent) / Valid votes – 10,449,652 / Null votes – 105,440 / Total votes – 10,555,092
Mr. Amoroso reiterated the CNE’s congratulations to voters for their participation in the historic referendum.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
International
Three salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
Three Salvadoran residents living in Orlando, Florida, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and wire fraud involving a scheme exceeding $146 million in the construction industry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. The sentence was handed down by federal judge Timothy J. Corrigan on Tuesday, July 29.
Eduardo Aníbal Escobar (45) was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison, Carlos Alberto Rodríguez (36) to 3 years and 4 months, and Adelmy Tejada (57) to 18 months in prison, followed by 6 months of house arrest. All three pled guilty on April 3, 2025.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered restitution payments totaling $36,957,616 to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes, and $397,895 to two insurers for workers’ compensation claims related to the scheme.
Escobar and Rodríguez are permanent legal residents originally from El Salvador, while Tejada is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Salvadoran origin.
International
Kremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
The Kremlin expressed relief that the earthquakes that struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula today —the first being the strongest since 1952— resulted in no casualties, and emphasized that the region is well prepared to face such natural disasters.
“Thank God, there were no victims,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his daily press briefing.
The presidential representative stated that “all alert systems were activated in time, and evacuations were organized for residents in areas requiring it in response to tsunami threats.”
“Overall, the seismic resilience of the buildings proved effective (…) Therefore, we can say that the technological preparedness demonstrated a high level,” Peskov added.
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Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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