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☆ Venezuela’s Maduro says he needs to win reelection to avoid possible ‘bloodbath’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Mauricio Torres | Sahar Akbarzai | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Only a win for his party would ensure “peace” in the country, Maduro said, adding that he expects “irreversible results” in his favor. Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attend a rally in Caracas on July 16, 2024. Two days after Laboratorio’s report came out, the barred opposition leader Machado said in a post on X that her security chief had also been arrested. CNN has reached out to Venezuela’s Attorney General’s Office for comment on Ávila’s arrest and to determine whether he has legal representation. Maduro is one of 10 candidates vying for the presidency, however, several of them have minimal support and are viewed by the main opposition as government allies.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Maduro, Hugo Chavez, Federico Parra, – Maria Corina Machado, Corina, Laboratorio de Paz, Edmundo González Urrutia, Laboratorio’s, Machado, Milciades Ávila, “, ”, González Urrutia, ” Machado Organizations: CNN, Organization of American, United, Venezuelan, Getty, Laboratorio, Democratic, Alliance for Development, Democracy, Venezuelan Foreign Ministry Locations: Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuelan, Canada, United States, Organization of American States, AFP, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Panama

☆ Why a fair election in Venezuela could influence the fate of millions of migrants – and Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A 27-year-old single mother from Valencia, Alvarez left Venezuela in 2017 when her son Gabriel was only one. We are all abroad: uncles, aunts, cousins… only my mom and my dad, and one of my brothers remain in Venezuela,” Alvarez told CNN. Alvarez and many other migrants in Bogota, think similarly: “Maduro can only win the election if he steals it. Gaby Oraa/ReutersWhat it means for AmericaIt’s the fate of migrants like Alvarez and millions of others like her that are making this such a closely watched election. Dib estimates that up to two million more migrants could be on the move by next year.

Persons: Barrio Hugo Chavez, Maria Alvarez, Alvarez, Gabriel, haven’t, … I’ve, …, ” Alvarez, “, ”, Christian Monterrosa, Nicolas Maduro, Edmundo Gonzalez, Maduro, Maria Corina Machado, Gonzalez, Laura Dib, I’d, Endel Gonzalez, Gaby Oraa, Joe Biden, Jose Raul Mulino, Brandon Bell, Biden, Jorge Rodriguez, Washington, ” Dib, there’s Organizations: CNN, Barrio, United Nations, Venezuela –, Getty, US State Department, Venezuelan, Carter Center, UN, Washington Office, Latin America, US Customs, Border Patrol, Democratic, Migrants, State Department Locations: Venezuela, Bogota, Colombia, Municipal, Valencia, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, El Paso , Texas, Ciudad Juarez , Chihuahua, Mexico, AFP, Washington, Caracas, Maduro, Maracaibo, Carabobo State, United States, Panama, Central America, Northern Mexico, Peru, Rio Grande, China, Russia, Iran, Trump

☆ They Fled Oppression at Home, but It Followed Them Abroad
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The line outside the Venezuelan Consulate in Madrid stretched down the block. Pregnant women, families with small children, older people and those with disabilities arrived as early as 4 a.m. — five hours before the office opened — trying to register to vote in Venezuela’s highly anticipated presidential election. Adriana Rodríguez, 47, who left Venezuela in 2018, showed up at 8 a.m., two days in a row. Both times, she waited four hours before reaching the front of the line, only to be turned away, she said, always with the same explanation: “They could not register any more people.”With Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, trailing badly in polls ahead of the July 28 vote, the government has imposed stringent rules making registering to vote nearly impossible for millions of Venezuelans living abroad, including in the United States, Spain and Latin American countries.

Persons: Venezuela’s, Adriana Rodríguez, Nicolás Locations: Venezuelan, Madrid, Venezuela, United States, Spain

☆ 5,000 Miles, 8 Countries: The Path to the U.S. Through One Family’s Eyes
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Luis Ferré-Sadurní | Juan Arredondo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

With three children and a dog, the Aguilar Ortega family trekked through the jungle, hopped freight trains and toured Times Square. Millions of Venezuelans like the Aguilar Ortega family have fled economic misery and political repression in their homeland as it descended into turmoil. “The kids want to go to New York,” Mr. Aguilar said in Spanish as he stood by his tent in Mexico City. Mr. Aguilar created hiding places for their cash, using toenail clippers to cut small openings into Hayli’s jacket and Josué’s pants. She called Ms. Ortega to check in, and learned of the family’s setup.

Persons: Aguilar Ortega, trekked, Miles, — Hayli, Samuel, Henry Aguilar, Leivy Ortega, Eric Adams, Biden, Aguilar, Ms, Ortega, Donna, ” Mr, ”, COLOMBIA Samuel, Hayli, Nicolás Maduro, It’s, Mr, selfies, “, Josué, Donna meandered, patted, Aguilar Ortegas, Aguilar’s, weren’t, “ It’s, Rafael García, “ Papi, Ortega’s, Floyd Bennett, Simón, Floyd Bennett Field, “ I’ve, I’m, Maria Cardona, ” Ms, Cardona, Amy Swan, Ray Swan, Swan Organizations: New York Times, U.S ., The Times, GAP, MEXICO CITY, Mexico City, Central America, CIUDAD, Times, United, Venezuela’s, Roman Catholic Church, New York, La Guardia Airport, Delta, Roosevelt, Queens, Honda, Facebook Locations: Mexico City, Latin America, Venezuelan, New York City, New York, U.S, United States, Venezuela, “, COLOMBIA, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, la, ”, ” PANAMA, MEXICO, Guatemala, Mexico, earshot, Central, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Ciudad Juárez, Texas, Juárez, Mexican, Rio Grande . Texas, Rio Grande, Cuba, Haiti, El Paso , Texas, El Paso, PASO , TEXAS, York, La, Michigan, Santa Claus, Manhattan, Spanish, MANHATTAN, BROOKLYN, Brooklyn, Simón Bolivar, Spain, Jamaica, MIDDLETOWN, CONN, Middletown, Conn, Connecticut

☆ How Venezuela’s Leader Could Stay in Power, No Matter What Voters Want
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Julie Turkewitz | Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, faces a watershed moment that will determine the fate of his rule and the course of his troubled country. On July 28, the leader of the nation that holds the world’s largest oil reserves — and yet has seen millions of residents flee amid a crushing economic crisis — will confront his toughest electoral challenge since taking office in 2013. Polls show that his main opponent, a low-key former diplomat named Edmundo González, is far ahead. Mr. González is backed by a fiery opposition leader, María Corina Machado, who has captivated voters as she crisscrosses the country, campaigning for him on a promise to re-establish democracy and reunite families separated by migration.

Persons: Nicolás, Edmundo González, González, María Corina Machado

☆ Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia: Meet the quiet, bird-loving grandfather taking on strongman Maduro in Venezuela’s election
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-08 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But most analysts agree Gonzalez represents the best chance that Venezuela’s political opposition has had to dislodge Maduro from power since 2013. But amnesty for outgoing officials could be on the table, Gonzalez told CNN en Español. “Edmundo is a public servant, he knows there cannot be any revenge [against the government],” Eickhoff told CNN. Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Venezuela's new opposition candidate, feeds birds at his home in Caracas on Wednesday, April 24. “It’s time for the big Venezuelan family to come together once more,” he told CNN en Español.

Persons: Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Gonzalez, – Maria Corina Machado, Corina Yoris –, “, ”, Maduro, Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Reuters Gonzalez, he’s, CNN En, Juan Guaido, ” Gonzalez, ” Gonzalez’s, Mariana, –, Jesus Vargas, won’t, Sadio Garavini, Tullio, Chavez, “ Edmundo, he’ll, ” Garavini, George Eickhoff, Konrad Adenauer, ” Eickhoff, Machado, Edmundo, Gaby Oraa, Venezuela's, Gonzalez’s Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Maduro, European Union, Reuters, “, Wednesday, Bloomberg, Getty, Real Madrid football Locations: Venezuela, Venezuela’s, Venezuelan, Algeria, Argentina, United States, Barbados, Washington, Caracas, Hague, German, Spain

☆ Margot Benacerraf, Award-Winning Venezuelan Documentarian, Dies at 97
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Alex Williams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Margot Benacerraf, a critically acclaimed Venezuelan documentary filmmaker whose hypnotic “Araya,” a visual tone poem chronicling the daily lives of salt workers on an austere peninsula on her country’s coast, shared the critics’ prize at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, died on Wednesday in Caracas. Her death was announced by the country’s culture minister. Hailed as a major figure of Latin American cinema, Ms. Benacerraf founded Venezuela’s national cinematheque and in 2018 was given the Order of Francisco de Miranda, honoring outstanding merit in the sciences and humanities, by the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. But although Ms. Benacerraf was celebrated, she was not prolific. She made only two films in her career: “Reverón” (1952), a 23-minute documentary short about the reclusive later years of the Venezuelan artist Armando Reverón, and “Araya,” her sole feature-length work.

Persons: Margot Benacerraf, Araya, ”, Benacerraf, Francisco de Miranda, Nicolás, “, Armando Reverón, “ Araya Organizations: Venezuela’s, cinematheque Locations: Venezuelan, Caracas

☆ Briefly Open to a Fair-Looking Election, Venezuela Reverses Course Again
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Venezuelan officials rescinded an invitation to the European Union to observe the upcoming July 28 presidential elections, another stark sign that President Nicolás Maduro is unlikely to cede power despite allowing an opposition candidate to run against him. After months of intensified repression by the Maduro government — which banned legitimate challengers from the ballot, jailed political opponents and cracked down on civil society — the country’s electoral authority surprised many in April when it allowed the former diplomat Edmundo González to register as an opposition candidate. The Venezuelan government has been choked by sanctions from the United States and the European Union on the country’s vital oil industry, and some experts say Mr. Maduro allowed Mr. González to run only because it might help him sway Washington and its allies to ease up on the penalties. The president of the council, Elvis Amoroso, said in a televised broadcast that he was rescinding the invitation until the E.U. lifted “the unilateral and genocidal coercive sanctions imposed on our people.”

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, Edmundo González, Maduro, González, Elvis Amoroso, ” Organizations: European Union, Venezuelan Locations: United States, Washington

☆ Venezuela’s 2024 Presidential Vote: What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the past 25 years Venezuela’s government has been controlled by Chavismo, the socialist movement that began with the democratic election of Hugo Chávez in 1998 and has since grown more authoritarian. When Mr. Chávez died in 2013 his protégé Nicolás Maduro narrowly won the presidency. Venezuela’s economy imploded nearly a decade ago, prompting one of the world’s largest displacements in Latin American history. The flow of Venezuelans and other migrants to the United States has become a dominant theme in the U.S. presidential campaign. This is the first Venezuelan election in more than a decade in which an opposition candidate has a reasonable — if slim and improbable — chance at winning.

Persons: Hugo Chávez, Chávez, Nicolás Maduro Organizations: Chavismo, U.S Locations: United States

☆ Venezuela expands military buildup at Guyana border in ‘dangerous game,’ says report
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Venezuela continues to build up military infrastructure and hardware close to the border with Guyana as President Nicolas Maduro and his supporters scale up their threats to annex an oil-rich piece of Guyanese land. Guyana had called the move a step towards annexation and an “existential” threat as the specter of armed conflict loomed over the region. Using satellite imagery and social media, CSIS found that the expansion of Anacoco Island’s military base has continued. Maduro could ‘fall victim to own rhetoric’The threats to Guyana have concerned its partners. “Thus, one of the most concerning possibilities is that Maduro will fall victim to his own rhetoric.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, “, ” Ryan Berg Organizations: CNN, Strategic, International Studies, Venezuelan, US Navy, Americas, CSIS Locations: Venezuela, Guyana, Washington, Venezuelan, Essequibo, Punta Barima, arm’s, Essequibo ”, Guyanese, Georgetown, Idaho

☆ Can Elections Force Venezuela’s Authoritarian Leader From Power?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Julie Turkewitz | Adriana Loureiro Fernandez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The stakes could hardly be higher. This July, for the first time in more than a decade, Venezuelans will vote in a presidential election with an opposition candidate who has a fighting — if slim and improbable — chance at winning. Amid an economic and democratic crisis that has led more than seven million Venezuelans to abandon the country — considered among the world’s largest displacements — Nicolás Maduro, the country’s authoritarian president, has done something few thought he would: allowed an opposition candidate with widespread support to appear on the ballot. Though largely unknown, the challenger is leading in several polls, underscoring how many Venezuelans are hungry for change.

Persons: Maduro

☆ India’s time zone: Why the world’s most populous country has a unique one
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Dhruv Tikekar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

India’s half-hour zone dates back to colonial rule of India and the era when ever-faster steamships and trains were shrinking the world. The start of the 20th century saw some push from scientific associations to calibrate India’s time to GMT. That recommendation was rejected by the colonial government, which opted for a unified time that sat squarely in the middle: five and a half hours ahead of GMT. In 2015, North Korea moved out of sync with South Korea by creating “Pyongyang Time,” putting the country eight and a half hours ahead of GMT instead of nine. India’s colonial-era time zone decision making, however, reflected a chorus of political, scientific and commercial voices both from within the government and outside of it, Gordon says.

Persons: Hulton, ”, Geoff Gordon, Gordon, “, it’s, Wong Maye, Hugo Chávez, Nicolas Maduro, Terry Gilliam, Rube Goldberg, Maulik Jagnani, Jagnani Organizations: CNN, East India Company, Hulton Deutsch, University of Amsterdam, Madras, Washington D.C, Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich Observatory, Meridian, Royal Society, Prime Meridian, Physical Laboratory, Tufts University, NPL Locations: New York, London, Tokyo, Iran, Myanmar, Australia, India, British, Madras, Chennai, “, Bombay, Kolkata, Washington, London ., Greenwich, North Korea, South Korea, Korea, Pyongyang, Brazil, ”, Greenwich , London, China, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat

☆ Reality Show Contestants Compete for an Authoritarian’s Campaign Jingle
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The lively host with slicked back hair in a sea foam green suit. The contestants who share emotional personal stories before belting their songs into a microphone. It has all the elements of a typical singing competition. Instead, contestants on the show, “M Factor,” write and perform songs in a competition to become the official campaign jingle for the party of President Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian leader of Venezuela. Mr. Maduro’s repressive government, which has been in power for over a decade, is under investigation by an international court for crimes against humanity.

Persons: Nicolás Maduro Locations: Venezuela

The day Edmundo González was plucked from obscurity and chosen to take on South America’s longest ruling authoritarian leader, technicians were busy making sure his home was not wiretapped. “This was not in our plans,” his wife, Mercedes López de González, said in an interview that day in April in their apartment in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Not long ago, Mr. González, 74, was a retired diplomat and grandfather of four with no political aspirations. He kept busy writing academic papers, speaking at conferences and taking his grandchildren to haircuts and music lessons. Now, many Venezuelans have placed their hopes in him to end years of repressive rule as he challenges President Nicolás Maduro, who has held power since 2013, in elections scheduled in late July.

Persons: Edmundo González, ”, Mercedes López de González, González, Nicolás Maduro Locations: Caracas, Venezuela

☆ Murders, imprisonment and violence: Threats to press freedom grow in Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Esteban Campanela | Sol Amaya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

These are just the tip of the iceberg of the challenges faced by many media workers in Latin America, where experts say the status of press freedom is increasingly worrisome. The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in a press conference that they believed the crime was linked to his journalistic work. Last week, the Mexican president criticized the US State Department’s report on human rights in the world, which refers to concerns over press freedom in Mexico, saying that US authorities should “be respectful”. In a publication in social network X, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said US officials are not concerned about the human rights of Cubans and that the United States has its own human rights violations. Nicaragua: Ortega-Murillo regime targets journalismHarassment of the press in Nicaragua has been widely reported on numerous occasions.

Persons: CNNE, Francisco Cobos, ”, Cobos, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, López Obrador, Enrique Peña Nieto, Felipe Calderón, Lourdes Maldonado López, Maldonado López, Séptimo Día, Roberto Figueroa, Xochitl Zamora, Lourdes Maldonado, Maldonado ´, Marco Ugarte, AP López Obrador, Andres Oppenheimer, Javier Milei, Lopez Obrador, Abraham Jimenez, Jimenez, civically, “, Miguel Diaz, Yamil Lage, Jiménez, Bruno Rodríguez, Ortega, Murillo, Juan Lorenzo Hollman Chamorro, Hollman Chamorro, Chamorro, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Rosario Murillo, … provocateurs, Chávez, Vos, Chavez, ” Edgar López, López, Juan Pablo Lares, Maximiliano Bruzual, Ariana Cubillos, Nicolas, Maduro’s, Yván Gil, ” Jeannine Cruz, Gustavo Petro, Nayib Bukele, Gonzalo Zegarra, Rey Rodríguez, Manuela Castro, Ana María Cañizares, Ivonne, José Álvarez, Elvin Sandoval, Iván, Sarmenti, Español Organizations: CNN, Amnesty International, Protect Journalists, Univision, Televisa, Prosecutor’s, AP, CIA, Canel, Getty, Cuban Foreign, La Prensa, National Police, ”, El, Regional, Democracy, Nicaraguan, State Department, National College of Journalists, Venezuelan, TC Television, Communication, “ Locations: Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Latin America, Mexican, American, Tamaulipas, McAllen , Texas, Tijuana, Morelos, Tijuana , Mexico, Spain, Cuban, Havana, AFP, United States, Costa Rica, El Confidencial, Managua, NIcaragua, Sur, Washington, Venezuelan, “, Caracas, ”, Ecuador, Guayaquil, America, Argentina, Colombian

☆ Oil inches up after U.S. reimposes Venezuela oil sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The sun sets beyond an oil pumping unit, also known as a "nodding donkey" or pumping jack, at a drilling site operated by Tatneft OAO near Almetyevsk, Russia. Oil prices rose in early trade on Thursday, slightly paring the previous session's losses after the United States said it would reinstate oil sanctions Venezuela, while the European Union talked of fresh curbs on Iran. The U.S. said it would not renew a license set to expire on Thursday that had broadly eased Venezuela oil sanctions, moving to reimpose punitive measures in response to President Nicolas Maduro's failure to meet his election commitments. Looking to prevent a wider conflict, European Union leaders decided on Wednesday to step up sanctions against Iran. According to JP Morgan estimates, worldwide oil consumption so far in April has averaged 101 million bpd, or 200,000 bpd below its own forecast.

Persons: OAO, Brent, Nicolas Maduro's, Morgan Organizations: ANZ Research, European Union, Iran, The U.S . House, Federal Locations: Almetyevsk, Russia, States, Venezuela, European, Iran, U.S, United States, Israel, The, Ukraine

☆ U.S. Restores Oil Sanctions on Venezuela as Hopes Dim for Free Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When the government of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and his country’s opposition signed an agreement in October to work toward free and fair elections this year, it was seen as a glimmer of hope after years of authoritarian rule and economic free fall. The United States, as a sign of good will, temporarily lifted some of the economic sanctions that have crippled the country’s crucial oil industry. But six months later, the Maduro government has made several moves that have dimmed the chances of legitimate elections, and a frustrated Biden administration on Wednesday announced that it was letting the sanctions relief expire. The reinstatement of the penalties could carry significant consequences for the future of Venezuela’s democracy, for its economy and for migration in the region.

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, Biden Organizations: Wednesday Locations: Venezuela, United States

☆ Why America Should Not Give Up on Venezuela - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Farah Stockman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela isn’t even pretending to play fair anymore. The Maduro regime has even refused to register the candidate that Ms. Machado deputized to run in her stead. The Biden administration essentially offered Mr. Maduro a deal: sanctions relief in exchange for freer and fairer elections. Had Mr. Maduro taken it seriously, Venezuela would have had a path out of its protracted political and economic crisis. But Mr. Maduro won’t risk losing to Ms. Machado.

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela isn’t, María Corina Machado, Ms, Machado deputized, Biden, Maduro, Machado, haven’t, Trump Locations: Venezuela, Argentina, U.S, Poland, United States

☆ World leaders call for restraint in the aftermath of Iran’s unprecedented air attack against Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesWorld leaders have called for calm in the aftermath of Iran's large-scale air attacks on Israel on Saturday, with many expressing deep concern over the prospect of a broader regional conflict. Ahead of a war cabinet meeting on Monday, Israel has pledged to "exact a price" from Iran in response to the Saturday attack. watch nowU.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday said that he condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Iran's unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel. 'No one wants to see more bloodshed'European leaders castigated Iran's attack against Israel and vowed to work to de-escalate the situation. France and the U.K. intercepted some of Iran's strikes on Israel on Saturday.

Persons: Israel, Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran's, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Annalena Baerbock, Baerbock, Sunak, Yoko Kamikawa, Kamikawa, Gustavo Petro, Petro, Nicolas Maduro Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, CNBC, NBC News, Downing, German, NBC, Israel, Saudi Arabia's Foreign, United Nations Security Council, Sunday, UN, UNRWA, Kyodo, Japan's, United Nations, Colombia's, Bloomberg Locations: Israel, Tehran, Iran, Syria, Gaza, Syrian, Damascus, France, London, England, Germany, East, North Africa, Saudi, Egypt, Asia, China, Beijing, Palestine, Tokyo, Japan, South America, U.S, Miraflores, Caracas, Venezuela

☆ Argentina and Colombia move to mend ties after Milei calls Petro a ‘terrorist murderer’ in CNN interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Marlon Sorto | Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Argentina and Colombia say they have taken “concrete steps” to improve frayed relations between the two countries after far-right Argentine leader Javier Milei called his left-wing Colombian counterpart a “terrorist murderer” in a CNN interview. In a joint statement Sunday, the two nations’ foreign ministries said they had held talks under orders from Milei and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. The measures include the return of both countries’ respective ambassadors after Colombia last week expelled all Argentine diplomats from Bogota following Milei’s comments to CNN. “You can’t expect much from someone who was a terrorist murderer,” Milei said in the interview of Petro, a former guerilla who became Colombia’s first left-wing president in 2022. Colombia recalled its ambassador to Argentina in January following similar comments from Milei, Reuters reported.

Persons: Javier Milei, ”, Gustavo Petro, “, ” Milei, Petro, Colombia’s, Milei, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, ” López Obrador, López Obrador, Argentinians “, Nicolás Maduro Organizations: CNN —, Colombian, CNN, Reuters, Venezuela’s, Español Locations: CNN — Argentina, Colombia, Argentine, Milei, Bogota, Argentina, Venezuela, Caracas, Buenos Aires, Nazi

☆ Argentina accuses Venezuela of cutting power to its embassy in Caracas after hosting opposition leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Mauricio Torres | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Argentina on Tuesday accused Venezuela of cutting the electricity supply to its embassy in Caracas after the diplomatic mission hosted a meeting with the country’s opposition leaders, the latest sign of souring relations between the two South American nations’ ideologically opposed governments. CNN has contacted the governments of Venezuela and Argentina for comment. Venezuela’s opposition has accused Maduro’s government of repressing its leaders and stifling any free and fair campaigning ahead of the country’s presidential elections on July 28. Colombia and Brazil issued statements Tuesday expressing concern over the opposition’s ability to fairly compete in the upcoming presidential contest. Maduro on Tuesday criticized foreign governments which he claimed, “seek to intervene in the internal affairs of Venezuela.”

Persons: Javier Milei, Nicolás Maduro, ”, Maduro’s, Maduro, Hugo Chavez, María Corina Machado, Machado, “ Organizations: CNN, Argentine, Venezuela’s, Español Locations: Argentina, Venezuela, Caracas, Argentine, Venezuelan, Buenos Aires, Nazi, United States, Colombia, Brazil

☆ Venezuela’s Democratic Hopes Dim as Opposition Is Blocked From National Vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | Isayen Herrera | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Then, it was supposed to be Corina Yoris, a little-known philosophy professor. But now, an opposition coalition has been blocked from fielding any candidate to run against President Nicolás Maduro in elections scheduled in July. The coalition of opposing political parties, the Democratic Unity Roundtable, had hoped that uniting behind a single candidate would make it a viable challenger to Mr. Maduro. But on Monday, a national electoral commission controlled by allies of Mr. Maduro used a technical maneuver to prevent the coalition from putting a candidate on the ballot. As a result Mr. Maduro, whose repressive rule has left Venezuela in financial ruin and helped push out roughly one-fourth of its population, is increasingly likely to hold onto power.

Persons: María Corina Machado, Nicolás Maduro, Maduro Organizations: Democratic Unity Roundtable Locations: Venezuela

☆ House passes bill to bar data brokers from selling sensitive personal information to U.S. adversaries
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-20 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee speaks during the hearing with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. Rodgers and Pallone, the respective chair and ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced the bill to prohibit data brokers from selling sensitive data to certain countries in March. The strong showing "should help build momentum to get this important bipartisan legislation, as well as more comprehensive privacy legislation, signed into law this Congress," the lawmakers said. The bill bans organizations that profit from selling personal data, known as data brokers, from making data accessible to a foreign adversary country or entities controlled by adversaries. The legislation follows earlier efforts by the Biden administration to hold data brokers who sell highly sensitive information more accountable by bolstering the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Persons: Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Shou Zi Chew, Frank Pallone, Rodgers, Pallone, Biden Organizations: House Energy, Commerce, WASHINGTON, Wednesday, Energy, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Rayburn, Washington , DC, United States, China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, American, TikTok, U.S

☆ Right-wing outlets facing 2020 election defamation lawsuits may have found a key defense overseas
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —An alleged bribery scheme in the Philippines has thrown a potential lifeline to Fox News and other right-wing media outlets that are battling massive defamation lawsuits from the voting technology company Smartmatic for their promotion of 2020 election lies. The overseas scandal washed ashore last year when the Justice Department charged the Philippines’ former election commissioner with money laundering. Since then, Fox News, Newsmax and OAN have seized on the allegations, attempting to obtain new documents about potential wrongdoing by Smartmatic that could boost their defense. None of the allegations levied by US prosecutors in court filings pertain to vote-flipping or alleged rigging of election results. Last year, Fox paid a historic $787 million settlement with another election technology company, Dominion Voting Systems, for its promotion of similar election lies.

Persons: CNN —, Smartmatic, Newsmax, Donald Trump, Andres Bautista, Bautista, Fox, Nicolas Maduro, —, Smartmatic “, ”, Trump, “ Smartmatic, ” OAN, Eric Davis, OAN, “, OAN –, ” Smartmatic, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Justice Department, Trump, OAN, Philippine, Smartmatic, Fox, Dominion Voting, Lawyers Locations: Philippines, California, Venezuela, Manila, Smartmatic, Miami, Delaware, Brazil, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Kenya, Oman, Switzerland, Taiwan

☆ Venezuela Announces Election Date, With Opposition Candidate Still Banned
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Venezuelan officials announced on Tuesday that national elections that many had hoped would forge a path toward democracy will be held on July 28. But the decision on a date comes a month after the country’s highest court barred the leading opposition candidate from the ballot, leading many to question how free and fair the summer election would be. Still, the announcement from the government of President Nicolás Maduro is at least a partial fulfillment of a commitment to the United States to hold elections this year in exchange for a lifting of crippling economic sanctions. In October, Mr. Maduro signed an accord with the country’s opposition and agreed to work toward a free and fair presidential vote. In the agreement, Mr. Maduro said he would hold an election before the end of this year, and the United States in turn lifted some sanctions as a sign of good will.

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, Maduro Organizations: Mr Locations: United States

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