International
Machado calls Venezuelans to the streets one day before the presidential investiture
Opposition leader María Corina Machado called on “everyone” on Sunday to take to the streets of Venezuela and the world on January 9, one day before the presidential investiture, which both President Nicolás Maduro and anti-Chavista leader Edmundo González Urrutia promise to assume.
“This day will be recorded in history as the day when Venezuela said enough. Stop holding on, stop shutting up. It’s our land, our flag. Freedom is not begged, it is fought and conquered,” Machado said in an audio published in X.
He asked to leave “full of confidence” because -he stressed- “Maduro is not going to go alone, you have to make him leave with the strength of a people who never give up.”
“Get out, shout, fight, it’s time to stand firm, to make them understand that they have come this far, that this is over. There are no excuses, there is no tomorrow if we don’t fight today. Freedom is achieved when we overcome fear. I’m going with you,” said the former deputy, who claims to be in hiding for fear for her safety.
Machado and the largest opposition coalition in front of the presidential investiture
Machado and the largest opposition coalition maintain that González Urrutia is the winner of the presidential elections of July 28, so they demand that this triumph be recognized, despite the fact that the National Electoral Council proclaimed Maduro’s re-election.
Meanwhile, the opposition leader – exiled since September in Spain – reiterates that he will travel to Venezuela to assume the Presidency and, as a preliminary step, he is on an international tour, which has already taken him to Argentina and Uruguay, in search of support.
Tomorrow, Monday, he will be received in the United States, where he hopes to meet with President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, the Prosecutor’s Office maintains an arrest warrant against González Urrutia and the Police recently offered a reward of 100,000 dollars to anyone who provides information about the opponent’s whereabouts or provides some information that facilitates his arrest.
The Government of Venezuela deployed 1,200 troops throughout the country with the aim of “guaranteeing peace” in view of the inauguration of the Presidency.
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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