International
Maduro says that “no one will veto or silence the country” on his return after the BRICS summit
The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, said this Saturday, on his return to the nation after participating in the BRICS summit in Russia, that “no one will veto or silence” the country, after Brazil vetoed the entry of the nation of South America to the group of emerging economies.
“There is no force in this land that silences the voice of rebellion and justice of Venezuela, neither today nor tomorrow nor ever, no one will veto or silence Venezuela and anyone who tries will dry up (will be forgotten),” said the president, in a brief welcome ceremony broadcast by the state channel VTV, without mentioning Brazil or Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Maduro assured that Venezuela’s participation in the BRICS summit, held this week in Kazan, Russia, was “stellar, exemplary, beautiful.”
Maduro: “We are on the right side of history”
“It fully ratifies that we are on the right side of history and we are at the forefront of the new world that has been born, the multipolar, multicentric, pluripolar world,” he added.
On Friday, Brazilian government sources told EFE that Maduro tried to pressure “at the last minute” to get Venezuela included in the list of countries associated with the BRICS, to which Brazil reacted by demonstrating against it “emphatically.”
Brazil refused to join Venezuela in the list of associated countries because, “at this time,” relations between the two countries “are not friendly,” according to the sources.
“Hostile gesture of Brazil”
At the end of the summit, the Maduro Government described Brazil’s veto as a “hostile gesture” and an “aggression” against the nation’s interests.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said that this veto is “reproducing the hatred, exclusion and intolerance promoted from the Western centers of power to prevent, for now, the entry of Bolivar’s homeland into this organization.”
Relations between Caracas and Brasilia have deteriorated as a result of the Venezuelan presidential elections, in which Maduro was declared the winner by the National Electoral Council (CNE), in a decision questioned by the opposition.
Brazil has refused to recognize Maduro’s victory and has repeatedly asked the Venezuelan authorities to disclose the electoral records to demonstrate the triumph of the Chavista leader over the opposition Edmundo González Urrutia.
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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