International
The cry of “freedom” of thousands of Venezuelans resounds in various cities of America
Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets this Saturday in various cities of America in “defense of the truth” and urged the Governments of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico to take a clear position and pressure so that the National Electoral Council, which declared Nicolás Maduro re-elected president, to announce the disaggregated results of the elections of July 28, which according to the majority opposition, Edmundo González Urrutia won.
From Canada to Argentina, these demonstrations take place in a context of great political tension, where the opposition denounced an “electoral fraud” in an election in which the majority of the diaspora could not participate in the face of bureaucratic obstacles, another of the great complaints of the thousands of Venezuelans against the Maduro Government.
The global marches were called by Venezuela’s largest opposition alliance, the Platform of Democratic Unity (PUD), led by María Corina Machado, to claim the truth of victory in the presidential elections.
In Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, Venezuelans and many local citizens, who marched in solidarity, criticized the position of the governments of these three countries, close to Maduro, which have adopted varied and changing positions regarding the crisis in Venezuela, while they have tried to make medication arrangements to provide a peaceful way out of the crisis.
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose party was one of the first to recognize Maduro’s triumph, has hardened his speech in recent days in the face of the official result of the presidential elections.
Both Lula and the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, have put forward several proposals. The Brazilian proposed two solutions – the formation of a coalition government that integrates members of Chavismo and the opposition or the holding of new elections – and the Colombian suggested a “national front” as a “transitory” step towards a “definitive solution” to the crisis.
These alternatives have already been rejected by Chavismo and the opposition, both sides defend their victory in the presidential elections.
For Lorena Lara, a 44-year-old Venezuelan who has been living in Brazil for 17, the proposal “does not make sense” because the elections were already held “with the rules of the Government” and it has not yet “proved” the results published by the National Electoral Council and that gave the victory to Maduro.
While President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reiterated that Mexico’s position is to “wait” for what the electoral court resolves and criticized the governments and international organizations that have recognized González Urrutia’s victory.
“The position of the president of Mexico is a position, let’s say, like Pontius Pilate, it’s like wanting to save himself from giving an opinion that can then create a compromise, we don’t know what his reasons are,” Venezuelan dentist and university professor Juan Carlos Vielma told EFE.
Carrying flags, dressed in the colors of the national flag and with the printed ballots that, according to them, show that González Urrutia was the winner of the elections, many Venezuelans maintain “alive hope” that there will be freedom in their country, which they long for to returning soon.
In Colombia, Ana Ángela Jugo, who left Venezuela in 2019 after “a series of blackouts” in which they lasted several uninterrupted days without electricity and endangered the work with which she kept her family, said that her desire is to return, like that of many of the eight million Venezuelans who have left the country to other parts of America in recent years motivated by the economic crisis above all, but also by opposition to the Venezuelan Government.
Shouting “enough is enough!”, Venezuelans in Chile demanded that Maduro show all the minutes of the elections and leave power.
One of the organizers of the Toronto march, Rebeca Sarfatti, told EFE that the congregated represented “the democratic will of the Venezuelans of the world who passionately” want the end of the Maduro regime.
“I want to be recognized internationally and not to leave us alone. Don’t turn your back on us. Those elections in Venezuela were manipulated. Edmundo won,” Génesis Pernia, one of the Venezuelans present in the massive march and resident in Panama for almost a decade, told EFE.
In the rest of the main capitals of the world, thousands of Venezuelans also demonstrated as a show of strength and unity against the “fraud” that they say the Maduro Government committed in the presidential elections.
The surprise of the day took place in Caracas, the epicenter of the worldwide call of the PUD, with the reappearance of María Corina Machado before thousands of her followers, after spending several days “in protection” for her safety.
On the eve of the marches, twenty-two countries and a group of nations of the European Union asked for the “immediate publication of all the original minutes” of the elections and the “impartial and independent” verification of the results of those elections, according to a statement signed in Santo Domingo this Friday.
In addition, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved by consensus a resolution that requires the authorities of Venezuela to publish the “expitently” of the election minutes, which Venezuelans have been waiting for almost a month ago.
The non-binding text was presented on behalf of the United States and Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Suriname and Uruguay as co-sponsors.
International
U.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
The United States announced on Wednesday that it will suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 nationalities, marking another move by President Donald Trump’s administration to curb the entry of migrants into the country.
“ The United States is freezing the processing of all visas for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia and Iran,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X. According to Fox News, the measure will take effect on January 21 and will remain in force indefinitely.
Based on an internal State Department memorandum obtained by Fox News Digital, consular officers have been instructed to deny visa applications under existing law while the agency conducts an in-depth review of screening and vetting procedures. The stated goal is to tighten criteria to prevent the entry of foreigners who could eventually rely on public assistance.
The list of affected countries includes several nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Somalia and Yemen, among others. Fox News reported that exemptions to the suspension will be “very limited” and will only be granted once applicants pass an assessment related to the public charge requirement.
Other countries in the Americas subject to the suspension include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The decision is based on a strict interpretation of the so-called “public charge” clause of U.S. immigration law. A cable sent to U.S. consulates worldwide in November 2025 had already signaled the shift, instructing officials to apply tougher standards when evaluating applicants, taking into account factors such as age, health status, English proficiency, financial situation, history of public assistance, and even the potential need for long-term medical care.
International
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
A court of Peru’s National Superior Court of Specialized Criminal Justice ordered the definitive dismissal of the criminal proceedings for alleged money laundering and criminal organization against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, authorities reported on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
The ruling was issued by the Tenth National Preparatory Investigation Court in compliance with a previous decision by the Constitutional Court (TC). The decision was confirmed by Fujimori’s attorney, Giuliana Loza, who said on social media platform X that “there was no money laundering nor criminal organization.”
According to the defense, the case was closed for lacking legal grounds and for violating due process. “The proceedings concluded because they lacked a legal basis and constituted clear prosecutorial persecution,” Loza stated.
Judge Wilson Verastegui, whose ruling was reported by local media, said the Constitutional Court determined that the facts alleged in the so-called ‘Cocktails Case’ do not constitute a criminal offense under the principle of legality. The court noted that the crime of illegal financing of political organizations was not in force at the time the alleged acts occurred.
The dismissal also applies to other leaders of the Fuerza Popular party, including Pier Figari, Ana Rosa Herz, Jaime Yoshiyama and José Chlimper, as well as the party itself.
Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000), had been under investigation for the alleged irregular financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, a case that exposed her to a possible 30-year prison sentence. However, one year ago the National Superior Court annulled the trial and returned the case to the intermediate stage.
Fujimori is currently pursuing her fourth presidential bid, ahead of Peru’s general elections scheduled for April.
International
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, is in the United States this Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, Colombian officials said, in a visit that comes as ties between Bogotá and Washington begin to ease after a period of diplomatic tension.
The trip is seen as a prelude to a scheduled visit by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to Washington, where he is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time in early February. Sánchez will remain in Washington through Wednesday, according to Colombian government sources.
During his stay, Sánchez is slated to meet with senior U.S. officials, including representatives from the Department of Defense, members of the U.S. Senate, and White House advisors, to outline a joint strategy to “defeat drug trafficking” and expand cooperation on intelligence against transnational crime.
According to a statement from the Colombian Defense Ministry, the agenda will include strengthening collaboration on technology, intelligence sharing, and efforts to disrupt criminal networks that operate across borders. Officials said the discussions will also help set the stage for Petro’s upcoming talks with Trump.
The visit follows a period of strained U.S.–Colombia relations last year, when Washington revoked Petro’s visa and withdrew Colombia’s certification as a key partner in anti-drug efforts — moves that coincided with disagreements over counter-narcotics strategy and broader diplomatic frictions. However, a recent phone call between Petro and Trump, described as cordial by officials, helped lower tensions and reopened channels for dialogue ahead of the presidential meeting.
U.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
Bukele warns crime can become a ‘parallel government’ during visit to Costa Rica
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International2 days agoDeadly van accident near Brazil border leaves 11 dead in Bolivia
-
Central America2 days agoTaiwan’s $10 million donation after 2001 earthquakes allegedly diverted in El Salvador
-
Central America2 days agoU.S. and El Salvador maintain close partnership, embassy says
-
International2 days agoDominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
-
International2 days agoU.S. to host Danish and Greenlandic Foreign Ministers at the White House
-
International2 days agoPolice hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
-
International2 days agoEx-President accused of bid to establish dictatorship as verdict nears in South Korea
-
International2 days agoVenezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
-
International4 days agoU.S. strike in Caracas killed 32 cuban security officers, experts say surprise was crucial
-
International3 days agoU.S. Issues Urgent Evacuation Call for Citizens in Venezuela
-
International15 hours agoColombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
-
Central America6 hours agoBukele warns crime can become a ‘parallel government’ during visit to Costa Rica
-
International14 hours agoPeruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
-
International6 hours agoU.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries