International
The Constitution of Venezuela, a quarter of a century later
The Constitution of Venezuela reaches its 25th anniversary this Sunday with a questioned compliance with its precepts and a country far from that described in the Magna Carta – approved in a popular referendum on December 15, 1999 -, of which Chavismo and the opposition mutually accuse each other.
The text, which obtained 71% of the votes in favor – in a day marked by a high abstention and a natural disaster that took the lives of thousands in the north of the country -, was prepared to “establish a democratic, participatory and leading society,” in a “State of justice” that “consolidates the values of freedom” and guarantees human rights.
A quarter of a century later, the refounded ‘Bolivarian Republic’ is experiencing one of its greatest political crises, unleashed after the July presidential elections and marked by protests, police operations, 28 deaths and 2,400 arrests -according to official figures-, complaints of human rights violations, uncertainty, diplomatic conflicts and alleged terrorist and magnicide plans.
Here are some of the most invoked constitutional articles in this context:
Art. 5: The sovereignty resides intransferable in the people.
The candidate of the largest opposition bloc – the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) -, Edmundo González Urrutia, cited this article in defense of his claimed victory in the elections, a process tarnished by the coalition’s denunciation of fraud and a broad international questioning of the proclaimed re-election of Nicolás Maduro, who also claims popular sovereignty that – he assures – supported him.
Art. 68: Citizens have the right to demonstrate, peacefully and without weapons.
According to the Social Conflict Observatory (OVCS), there were 5,005 protests between January and November, of which – it indicates – 218 were suppressed. The hottest days were those after the elections, with demonstrations pointed out by the PUD as “spontaneous and legitimate expressions” and by the ruling party as “criminal guarimbas (violent revolts)” and “terrorists.”
Art. 49: Due process shall apply to all judicial and administrative proceedings.
Relatives of those who are considered “political prisoners”, activists and NGOs denounce violation of due process, impossibility of appointing lawyers and accessing files, incommunicado, early convictions, pressures to attribute to themselves facts that – they assure – they “did not commit”, transfers away from their places of residence without prior notice, mistreatment and lack of medical care, allegations that the Government denies and describes as false.
Art. 130: Venezuelans have the duty to honor and defend the homeland.
The Parliament – controlled by Chavismo – insisted this year on legislating against the “traitors to the homeland” based on article 130, and one of its most recent actions was to approve the ‘Organic Law Liberator Simón Bolívar’, which establishes penalties of 25 to 30 years in prison and fines of up to one million euros (1,050,400 dollars) for those who promote or are involved in foreign sanctions, as well as political disqualification of 60 years.
Art. 328: The Armed Forces constitute an essentially professional institution, without political militancy, (…) at the exclusive service of the nation and, in no case, to that of any person or political partiality.
The Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), called “deeply Chavista” by Maduro, ratified its “absolute loyalty and subordination” to the head of state after the validation of its controversial victory by the Supreme Court, controlled by magistrates related to the ruling party, and after the PUD urged the military institution to “respect popular sovereignty.”
Art. 91: Every worker has the right to a sufficient salary that allows him to live with dignity and cover the basic needs for himself and his family.
The minimum wage – a reference for the rest of the remuneration in the public sector – has remained, since March 2022, at 130 bolivars, today about 2.5 dollars, when the basic food basket for a representative family of five people reached 539.79 dollars in October, according to independent estimates, an amount unattainable even with the additional bonuses of 130 dollars.
International
French Parliament Moves to Approve Social Media Age Limit for Minors
France’s Parliament is expected to approve legislation on Tuesday banning children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms, following an agreement reached Monday between lawmakers on the mechanism to enforce the measure.
The initiative is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s broader effort to strengthen online protections for minors and regulate children’s screen time before the end of his second presidential term in May 2027.
“Tomorrow, France will become the first country in Europe to establish a digital age of majority to better protect our children online,” Digital Affairs Minister Anne Le Hénanff said Monday in a post on X.
If approved, the government plans to implement the restriction in September, when students return to school after the summer holidays.
The United Kingdom has already passed similar legislation restricting social media access for users under the age of 16, although that measure is scheduled to take effect in early 2027.
Both the National Assembly, France’s lower house of Parliament, and the Senate are expected to hold final votes on the legislation Tuesday after a joint committee of seven senators and seven lawmakers reached an agreement on the bill’s final wording.
Under the proposed law, children under 15 years old would be prohibited from accessing online social media services, with limited exceptions for certain platforms, including online encyclopedias.
The legislation would make France the first member of the European Union to introduce a nationwide minimum digital age for access to social media platforms, reflecting a growing international movement to strengthen online safeguards for children and teenagers.
International
WHO to Hold New Round of Talks After Slow Progress on Pandemic Accord
Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) made limited progress during the seventh session of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) tasked with finalizing a key annex to the global pandemic agreement, prompting negotiators to schedule another round of talks in September.
The session, which opened on July 6 and concluded last week at WHO headquarters in Geneva, focused on drafting and negotiating the annex covering the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, a central component of the pandemic accord.
Without the completion of the PABS annex, the global pandemic agreement cannot enter into force.
The annex had originally been expected to be finalized before May 2026, but negotiations have progressed more slowly than anticipated.
In a statement, the WHO said member states “advanced negotiations” on the PABS system while acknowledging that additional discussions are required to complete a framework capable of supporting a faster, more effective and more equitable response to future pandemics.
The organization announced that an eighth round of negotiations will take place on September 14.
Despite the limited progress, delegates succeeded in streamlining the draft text and concentrating discussions on several technical issues.
According to the WHO, negotiators focused on the contractual arrangements underpinning the PABS mechanism, the laboratory networks responsible for handling and sharing pathogens and their genetic sequence data, as well as the framework for distributing the benefits generated through the sharing of those pathogens.
The PABS system is considered one of the most important elements of the future pandemic agreement, as it aims to ensure timely access to pathogens for scientific research while establishing fair mechanisms for sharing the benefits derived from vaccines, diagnostics and other medical countermeasures developed during future global health emergencies.
International
Iran Says It Is in “Full-Scale War” as U.S. Launches Ninth Consecutive Night of Airstrikes
Iran declared on Monday that it is facing a “full-scale war” against the United States after Washington carried out another wave of overnight airstrikes, including attacks near a city that hosts one of the country’s nuclear facilities.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country must prepare for the consequences of the ongoing conflict, describing the situation as a broad military confrontation.
“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” Pezeshkian said in a statement released by the presidency. “We must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance.”
The latest U.S. strikes marked the ninth consecutive night of military operations, according to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which announced the attacks on X.
Since hostilities resumed on July 7, U.S. air operations have expanded well beyond southern Iran, reaching central and northwestern regions of the country, according to local sources.
Local authorities reported that one person was killed and several others injured in Tabriz, in northwestern Iran, more than 1,000 kilometers from the Persian Gulf.
Additional casualties were reported in the nearby city of Urmia, where several people were wounded during separate strikes.
Washington said the attacks targeted military installations. However, Iranian officials accused the United States of striking populated areas, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant.
Iran also reported that the Darkhovin nuclear facility, which is still under construction, was among the sites hit during the latest attacks.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the renewed military campaign was carried out in honor of American service members killed in recent days.
Two U.S. soldiers died on Friday during attacks on a military base in Jordan, while another service member was killed on Sunday during the controlled disposal of unexploded munitions from an Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
According to U.S. figures, 17 American troops have been killed since the conflict began on February 28.
On the Iranian side, the latest official figures released on Friday reported 50 deaths and more than 500 injuries since fighting resumed earlier this month.
A memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the United States on June 17, which had been intended to pave the way for peace negotiations, collapsed after hostilities resumed over the strategic control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.
French Parliament Moves to Approve Social Media Age Limit for Minors
WHO to Hold New Round of Talks After Slow Progress on Pandemic Accord
Iran Says It Is in “Full-Scale War” as U.S. Launches Ninth Consecutive Night of Airstrikes
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