International
Nicolás Maduro plans to talk to Lula, López Obrador and Petro to address the post-election crisis
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, said on Friday that he foresees a conversation with the leaders of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and Colombia, Gustavo Petro, to address the crisis unleashed after the July 28 elections, whose result – which ratified the victory of the Chavista leader – is reported as fraudulent by the majority opposition.
“A conversation is pending with the 3 presidents, let’s hope it will take place,” said the president at the exit of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), where he appeared before the magistrates of the Electoral Chamber – controlled by judges related to Chavismo – as part of the judicial review of the election result, which Maduro himself requested.
He assured that, in recent days, without specifying when, this call was going to be made but it was canceled at the last minute due to problems with the agenda of one or some of the interlocutors, whose foreign ministries published yesterday a joint statement in which they asked the National Electoral Council (CNE) to publish the disaggregated results that certify Maduro’s victory.
“I deeply respect these three presidents and I will communicate with them at the right time,” continued the head of state, who assured that he was available “on the phone 24 hours a day” to talk to these leaders, considered their political allies in the region.
He insisted that he respects the sovereignty of each of these countries, so he will not comment on his governments, and that when the time comes he will explain in detail to his presidents the “difficult to understand situation” that Venezuela is going through.
“Everything that circulates in the media in those countries is manipulation, (but we) are experts in defeating that, we have the power to overcome the lie,” he added.
The CNE denounced having suffered a cyber attack on its system on voting day, which did not prevent Maduro’s proclamation without providing evidence, while the opposition presented thousands of voting minutes on a website that would give the overwhelming victory to its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia.
The complaint of fraud and the post-election protests – some turned into acts of violence that result in 24 civilians killed, according to the NGO Provea – are seen by the Executive as a “cyber coup d’état”, so it ordered extreme police and military control.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, said that the “only negotiation” with the opposition leader María Corina Machado is that she “delivers to Justice,” after the former deputy and the standard-bearer of the largest opposition coalition, Edmundo González Urrutia, offered rapprochements after insisting that the president did not win the presidential elections, as officially announced.
“The only one who has to negotiate in this country with Machado is the attorney general. Let him surrender to Justice and show his face, and answer for the crimes he committed. It is really the only negotiation that fits here,” said Maduro, who points out the former deputy and González Urrutia as responsible for generating “violence” during the post-election demonstrations in rejection of the official result that grants the triumph to Maduro.
Likewise, the president assured that he will convene a “political dialogue,” without specifying when, with the “38 political parties that are registered with the National Electoral Council (CNE)” from which he hopes that “instances for future understanding” will arise.
Last Wednesday, Machado said that Maduro must “understand that his best option” is to “enter into a negotiation,” while ratifying an “absolute willingness” by the majority opposition, Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), to negotiate a transition, as several countries have done, including Panama, which offered political asylum to the president to solve the post-election crisis.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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