International
María Corina Machado hopes that Maduro will accept a negotiation for an orderly transition
The opposition leader of Venezuela María Corina Machado told EFE on Wednesday that she hopes that President Nicolás Maduro, a candidate for re-election in the elections of July 28, will agree to negotiate for an orderly transition because, she expected, anti-Chavism will “wipe out,” with former ambassador Edmundo González Urrutia as a candidate.
“We are going to a delicate process of transition and, for the very good of Mr. Nicolás Maduro and the rest of his structure, I hope he accepts a negotiation process that allows us an orderly and sustainable transition,” said the former deputy, during a political event in which she participated, along with González Urrutia, 74 years old, before thousands of supporters.
In his opinion, Maduro – in power since 2013 – lost “the trust and support of the people,” and that is why he has chosen to sow “fear,” a strategy that, he considered, “does not work for him.”
The opponent thus responded to the president’s speeches in recent weeks, when – in front of thousands of sympathizers at her rallies – she has used expressions such as “old decrepit” to refer to “a candidate” of anti-Chavism, whose name she did not mention, as she usually does.
In addition, he said that the accusations of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Government about alleged plans of the opposition, along with an irregular Colombian group, to act against the president or destabilize the country, are one more “fabrication” of Chavismo, which has denounced more than a hundred “conspiracies” against him in the 25 years he has been in power.
“I’ve already lost track of how many conspiracies they are. Every week a new one starts and, evidently, they make some narratives, manufacture the evidence, chase innocent people and in the end everything falls,” he said.
Machado, who accompanies González Urrutia in her campaign events, was elected in the primaries as a presidential candidate of the Democratic United Platform (PUD), the main anti-chavista coalition, but could not register in the contest due to a sanction from the Comptroller’s Office, so she supports the former ambassador.
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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