International

Colombia will not send an observation mission for the presidential elections in Venezuela

The Colombian Government will not send an electoral observation mission to the presidential elections of Venezuela on July 28, as it does not have enough time to structure it, the Foreign Minister of Colombia, Luis Gilberto Murillo, reported on Thursday.

“We obviously intended to be able to send some technical observers. We had conversations with the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to do so; however, due to the time, it was not possible to structure an observation with the technical characteristics required by the MOE,” Murillo explained to journalists.

Venezuelans are called to elect president in the elections to be held on July 28, for which they must be registered in the Electoral Registry.

Foreign Minister Murillo explained that “some Colombian personalities will be in that observation (…) in this we want to keep a lot of prudence, zero protagonism and also be able to contribute to what is within our reach on the part of the Government, the authorities and the Venezuelan people.”

He also said that the Colombian Government wants “this process to go well for the benefit of Venezuelans and also for the region where Colombia has a brotherhood with Venezuela and a closeness that is important to maintain it in good health.”

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Regarding the elections in Venezuela, Murillo indicated that he has been talking with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, as well as with other countries in the region.

“We had talks with Foreign Minister Mauro Viera of Brazil yesterday (Wednesday) on the subject, also with Minister (Josep) Borrell” of the European Union (EU), he said.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela annulled last Tuesday the invitation to the EU to send an observation mission for the presidential elections due to the ratification of sanctions by the community bloc to members of the Government and the ruling party.

The presidential race in Venezuela has accelerated, less than two months before the elections, with Chavismo and opposition in the streets, making a proselytizing that does not stop, despite the changing reality that is conditioning the political environment and the confidence of the electorate.

President Nicolás Maduro and former ambassador Edmundo González Urrutia are the clear contenders of this battle, in which eight other candidates compete who do not stand out in the voting intentions collected by the pollsters.

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International

Zelenski urges global action after russian ballistic missile strike

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski called on the international community Thursday to “respond” to Russia’s ballistic missile strike on Ukraine, which he said has heightened the “escalation and brutality” of the conflict.

“The world must react. So far, there has been no strong response,” Zelenski lamented in a social media statement.

“We must act. We must pressure. We must push Russia towards real peace, which is only achievable through strength,” he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Thursday that Russia had launched a new type of hypersonic ballistic missile against Ukraine in its “non-nuclear configuration.”

International

Elon Musk plans sweeping cuts to U.S. bureaucracy and spending

Elon Musk has pledged massive cuts to government programs, subsidies, and bureaucracy in his anticipated role as a “State Efficiency” leader, according to an article published Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal.

The billionaire entrepreneur plans to target hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending, including funds for public broadcasting and Planned Parenthood. Musk called government bureaucracy an “existential threat” to American democracy.

Teaming up with fellow businessman and Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk aims to streamline federal regulations and implement significant administrative and cost reductions.

“We are entrepreneurs, not politicians. We will serve as external volunteers, not federal officials or employees,” Musk and Ramaswamy stated in the article.

International

Putin warns of escalation, suggests strikes on western weapon suppliers

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the conflict in Ukraine is taking on the characteristics of a “global war,” warning that Russia might target Western nations supplying Ukraine with weapons used in attacks on Russian territory.

These remarks come after a day of heightened tensions, during which Russia launched a state-of-the-art medium-range missile designed to carry a nuclear warhead. However, this particular missile was loaded with conventional explosives.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the missile strike, calling it the action of a “deranged neighbor” using Ukraine as a “military testing ground.”

Earlier, Ukraine accused Russia of attacking the central-eastern city of Dnipro with a missile exhibiting “all the characteristics” of an intercontinental missile, an unprecedented development in the ongoing conflict.