International

Chavismo rejects the opposition’s call for a “serious negotiation”

Chavismo rejected this Thursday, again, the call for a “serious negotiation” by the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), which claims to have won the presidential elections of July 28, in which Nicolás Maduro has been proclaimed re-elected president.

The president of the National Assembly (AN, Parliament), Jorge Rodríguez, responded in a press conference – broadcast by the state channel Venezolana de Televisión – that Chavismo will maintain a “political dialogue” exclusively through the Chamber, which opened this Thursday a process of consultations without the participation of the PUD, despite having been invited.

“We are not going to accept tables, private meetings, secret meetings, chaplants, or anywhere other than the Federal Legislative Palace,” said the deputy, who called the flag bearer of the PUD in the presidential elections, Edmundo González Urrutia, exiled in Spain since September 8.

In this way, Rodríguez, one of the leaders of Chavismo, responded to the appeal of the opposition, which reiterated its invitation to the Government to start a direct dialogue for January 10, when the next presidential period begins.

“Here (in the AN), on January 10, the president-elect on July 28, 2024 will be sworn in, so that it is clear to them. Stop thinking about stupid things and nonsense. That’s going to happen, write it in stone,” remarked the Chavista, who presides over a Chamber controlled by deputies related to Maduro.

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Sectors of the opposition interested in dialogue with Chavismo?

He also assured that some parties that make up the PUD, whose identities he did not reveal, considered the possibility of participating in the “political dialogue” that began this Thursday, with which the Parliament hopes to adjust the electoral laws, but – he said – the opposition leader María Corina Machado, the main advocate of González Urrutia, imposed the decision not to answer the call of the Legislature.

International

Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case

10 reported dead after explosion in Dominican Republic

A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.

The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.

Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.

Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.

“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.

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The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.

“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.

“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.

The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.

The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.

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“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”

International

Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he was “eager” to welcome the opposition leader, who left Venezuela clandestinely with U.S. assistance, to receive her Nobel Prize in Oslo.

Machado dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump, who nevertheless showed a very cautious attitude toward including her in any potential political transition in Venezuela.

The opposition leader said on Monday, after an audience with Pope Leo XIV, that “the defeat of evil is closer” in Venezuela following the U.S. military operation that overthrew and removed President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the country.

Trump has claimed that he is now in control of the South American nation, stating that the primary objective at this stage is to stabilize the country before considering elections.

Venezuelan oil is Washington’s main objective, Trump added after Maduro’s overthrow.

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International

Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica

A man was shot dead on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, local media reported. The victim was identified as Alain Orsoni, former president of local football club AC Ajaccio, according to sources close to the investigation cited by French news channel BFMTV.

Orsoni, 71, was killed in the town of Vero, near Ajaccio, the island’s capital, while attending his mother’s funeral.

He was also a former member of the National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC), a nationalist organization that has long sought independence for the island, reports said.

BFMTV reported that the gunmen fled the scene and remain at large. Local police have opened an investigation into the shooting.