International
González Urrutia asks Maduro to stop “violence” and accept “what expressed” in the stest
The standard-bearer of Venezuela’s main opposition coalition, Edmundo González Urrutia, asked President Nicolás Maduro to stop the violence unleashed after the July 28 elections – whose official result gave the victory of the Chavista leader – and accept that he lost the elections, as assured by the anti-Chavista bloc and some international observers.
“I call on you on behalf of all Venezuelans to stop the violence and persecutions and immediately release all the compatriots arbitrarily detained,” said the diplomat, in a video he shared through X, alluding to the more than 2,400 arrests that have taken place in the context of the post-election protests.
“Enough of persecution and violence, enough of trying to sow terror, enough of disrespecting the will of Venezuelans for change. Accept what is expressed by our people and let’s all begin to get our country out of this crisis,” continued González Urrutia, who claims to have won the elections by a wide margin.
He reiterated that demanding compliance with the Constitution, “protesting peacefully to make the will of millions of Venezuelans respected,” having worked as an electoral witness on July 28 and reporting what happened that day “is not a crime.”
“Crime is not to accept the will of our people, crime is to disappear, persecute, imprison and unjustly condemn hundreds of innocent citizens, crime is to savagely repress peaceful protesters,” he stressed.
This pronouncement comes hours after the PUD denounced, on the same social network, that “repression and political persecution have reached inhuman and critical levels,” since “dozens of adolescents, hundreds of women and men have been kidnapped for expressing their will for change and a better future.”
According to the NGO Foro Penal, which leads the defense of those considered political prisoners in the country, so far there have been 1,303 verified arrests, produced in the post-election situation, which includes 170 women, 116 adolescents, 14 indigenous people and 16 people with some disability.
In the context of the protests, violent and vandalism events were recorded, resulting in 24 civilians killed – according to the NGO Provea – as well as two soldiers killed and about a hundred security agents injured.
The National Electoral Council (CNE), which claims to have suffered a cyber attack on voting day, has not yet published the disaggregated results that confirm Maduro’s victory, a silence that has been questioned by numerous countries and organizations, including the Carter Center, which participated as an observer in the elections.
International
Chile enters runoff campaign with Kast leading and Jara seeking a last-minute comeback
Chile’s presidential runoff campaign for the December 14 election kicked off this Sunday, with far-right candidate José Antonio Kast entering the race as the clear favorite in the polls, while left-wing contender Jeannette Jara faces an uphill scenario, hoping for a comeback that some experts describe as “a miracle.”
The final polls released in Chile—published before the mandatory blackout on survey dissemination—give Kast, an ultraconservative former lawmaker running for president for the third time, a lead of between 12 and 16 points. His opponent, the communist former minister in Gabriel Boric’s current administration, is weighed down not only by the government’s low approval ratings but also by a fragmented electorate.
Although Jeannette Jara received the most votes in the first round with 26.9%, her lack of alliances beyond the left makes it difficult for her to expand her support. Kast, who secured 23.9%, has already brought key figures on board: ultralibertarian Johannes Kaiser (13.9%) and traditional right-wing leader Evelyn Matthei (12.4%), both now backing his candidacy.
Analysts note that although Kast’s support base consolidates more than 50% of the electorate, it does not guarantee an automatic transfer of votes. Populist economist Franco Parisi, who placed third with 19.7%, emerges as the major wildcard. His party, the People’s Party (PDG), is set to decide this Sunday through an internal consultation whether to endorse one of the two finalists.
International
Trump says asylum decision freeze will remain in place “for a long time”
U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that the suspension of decisions on asylum applications—implemented as part of his order to “halt” immigration from third-world countries following Wednesday’s shooting in Washington—will remain in effect “for a long time.”
The president declined to specify how long the freeze, imposed last Friday by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), would last. The suspension affects individuals waiting for an asylum ruling from that agency, though it does not apply to cases handled by U.S. immigration courts.
The delay is part of a series of measures enacted by the Trump Administration after a shooting on Wednesday in which an Afghan national allegedly opened fire on the National Guard in Washington, D.C., killing one officer and leaving another in critical condition.
Trump has ordered a permanent halt to immigration from 19 countries classified as “third-world.” He also indicated on Sunday that “possibly” more nations could be added to the list.
“These are countries with high crime rates. They are countries that do not function well… that are not known for success, and frankly, we don’t need people from those places coming into our country and telling us what to do,” Trump said, adding: “We don’t want those people.”
USCIS had already announced on Thursday a “rigorous review” of green cards held by migrants from 19 “countries of concern,” including Afghanistan, Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti.
International
Sri Lanka and Indonesia deploy military as deadly asian floods kill over 1,000
Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed military personnel on Monday to assist victims of the devastating floods that have killed more than a thousand people across Asia in recent days.
A series of weather events last week triggered prolonged torrential rains across Sri Lanka, parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, southern Thailand, and northern Malaysia. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Monday in North Sumatra that “the priority now is to deliver the necessary aid as quickly as possible.”
“There are several isolated villages that, with God’s help, we will be able to reach,” he added. Subianto also stated that the government had deployed helicopters and aircraft to support relief operations.
Floods and landslides have claimed 502 lives in Indonesia, with a similar number still missing.
This marks the highest death toll from a natural disaster in Indonesia since 2018, when an earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed more than 2,000 people.
The government has sent three military ships carrying aid and two hospital vessels to the hardest-hit regions, where many roads remain impassable.
In the village of Sungai Nyalo, located about 100 kilometers from Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, floodwaters had receded by Sunday, leaving homes, vehicles, and crops coated in thick mud.
Chile enters runoff campaign with Kast leading and Jara seeking a last-minute comeback
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