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.
“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.
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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