International

Nicolás Maduro asks Parliament to approve the law against fascism “very quickly”

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, asked Parliament this Saturday to approve “very quickly” the law against fascism, neo-fascism and hate crimes, which contemplates, among other things, sanctioning those who promote acts of “violence” in the country, a product of “intolerance.”

“We are facing a malevolent, fascist people. Do you understand well what fascism is? It is hatred, intolerance, turned into violence,” Maduro said in reference to the largest opposition coalition, at the end of a demonstration in which his supporters and state officials supported the “victory” of the president in the presidential elections, a triumph questioned inside and outside the country.

In addition, he pointed out that if the Government had not “defeated on Monday, July 29” the anti-chavist mobilizations against the official result of the elections, which the authorities described as “violent” and led by opposition politicians, “on Tuesday 30, they would have gone to kill more than one” of those present at the event.

“That’s why I support with all my strength what the people are doing with the National Assembly (AN, Parliament) and I ask that it be approved very quickly (the law) against fascism, neo-fascism and hate crimes,” he added.

In the activity, broadcast by the VTV channel, the president of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, said that he has heard “a violent extremist,” a person, whose name he did not pronounce, who – he assured – “only wants hatred between Venezuelans and Venezuelans” so – he stressed – its “end” arrives.

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“This is your ending, sayona (as some Chavistas call María Corina Machado). And these laws that we are discussing are to provide tools for the people of Venezuela to fight a scourge (…). With fascism nothing, with fascism it is not negotiated, fascism is confronted, fascism is defeated, fascism is annihilated and extinguished,” Rodríguez said.

In this sense, the deputy – who did not specify when or where he had heard the “extremist” or what were the words of “violence” to which he referred – said that it is being discussed throughout the country what will be “the contributions” of the bill against fascism, so that “nothing escapes” in this fight.

According to the NGO Provea, the bill against fascism “adds to a series of arbitrary regulations that seek to close the civic space, silence critical sectors and legitimize persecutory practices by the Venezuelan State.”

On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, urged the authorities of the Caribbean country not to approve “laws that undermin the civic and democratic space of the country,” among which he mentioned the law against fascism and the law against NGOs, which was already approved this week.

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International

Winter Storm Fern Leaves 30 Dead and Over One Million Without Power Across the U.S.

The massive winter storm Fern, bringing polar temperatures, battered large portions of the United States for a third consecutive day on Monday, leaving at least 30 people dead, more than one million households without electricity, and thousands of flights grounded.

In the Great Lakes region, residents awoke to extreme cold, with temperatures dropping below -20°C. Forecasts indicate that conditions are expected to worsen in the coming days as an Arctic air mass moves south, particularly across the northern Great Plains and other central regions, where wind chills could plunge to -45°C, temperatures capable of causing frostbite within minutes.

Across the country, heavy snowfall exceeding 30 centimeters in roughly 20 states triggered widespread power outages. According to PowerOutage.com, nearly 800,000 customers remained without electricity on Monday morning, most of them in the southern United States.

In Tennessee, where ice brought down power lines, approximately 250,000 customers were still without power. Outages also affected more than 150,000 customers in Mississippi and over 100,000 in Louisiana, as utility crews struggled to restore service amid dangerous conditions.

International

Spain approves plan to regularize up to 500,000 migrants in Historic Shift

In November 2024, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a reform of the country’s immigration regulations aimed at regularizing 300,000 migrants per year over a three-year period, in an effort to counter population aging in a country where births have fallen by 25.6% since 2014, according to official data.

Going against the trend in much of Europe, Spain’s left-wing government has now approved an exceptional migrant regularization plan that could benefit up to 500,000 people, most of them from Latin America.

The measure will allow the regularization of around “half a million people” who have been living in Spain for at least five months, arrived before December 31, 2025, and have no criminal record, Migration Minister Elma Saiz explained on public television.

The plan, approved on Tuesday by the Council of Ministers, establishes that applications will be processed between April and June 30, enabling beneficiaries to work in any sector and anywhere in the country, Saiz said.

“Today is a historic day for our country. We are strengthening a migration model based on human rights, integration, and one that is compatible with economic growth and social cohesion,” the minister later stated at a press conference.

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The socialist government of Pedro Sánchez stands out within the European Union for its migration policy, contrasting with the tightening of immigration measures across much of the bloc amid pressure from far-right movements.

Central America

Honduras swears in conservative president Asfura after disputed election

Conservative politician Nasry Asfura assumed the presidency of Honduras on Tuesday with an agenda closely aligned with the United States, a shift that could strain the country’s relationship with China as he seeks to confront the economic and security challenges facing the poorest and most violent nation in Central America.

Asfura’s rise to power, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, marks the end of four years of left-wing rule and secures Trump another regional ally amid the advance of conservative governments in Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina.

The 67-year-old former mayor and construction businessman was sworn in during an austere ceremony at the National Congress, following a tightly contested election marred by opposition allegations of fraud and Trump’s threat to cut U.S. aid if his preferred candidate did not prevail.

Grateful for Washington’s support, Asfura—who is of Palestinian descent—traveled to the United States to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We need to strengthen relations with our most important trading partner,” Asfura said after being declared the winner of the November 30 election by a narrow margin, following a tense vote count that lasted just over three weeks.