International
Venezuelan candidate Ecarri says that the electoral agreement opens a new democratic stage
The opposition Antonio Ecarri, candidate for the Presidency of Venezuela, said on Friday that the agreement to recognize the electoral result, proposed by the Government and signed on Thursday by eight of the ten candidates before the National Electoral Council (CNE), is the beginning of a “new democratic stage” in the country.
“Yesterday’s photo, for me, is the beginning of a new democratic stage, of coexistence of all sectors,” said the anti-chavista – who declares himself “independent” -, according to a press release from the Alianza Lápiz, the formation for which he is presented to the presidential elections.
Ecarri criticized the absence, at the headquarters of the CNE, of the candidates Enrique Márquez, from the Centrados party, and Edmundo González Urrutia, standard-bearer of the main anti-Chavista coalition, Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (PUD).
“It is an absurd and clumsy bad silt to play with the policies of absences in Venezuela,” Ecarri said.
Ecarri added that it is “unacceptable” to be the “guarantor of a change in peace, without being part of the agreements.”
“How are you going to lead the pacification of a country and a change in peace if you don’t go? Those absence policies, I particularly don’t like them, that absence has a swew of cowardice,” he said.
Eight of the ten candidates for the July 28 elections in Venezuela, including President Nicolás Maduro, signed on Thursday, before the CNE, an agreement that obliges them to recognize the result that the governing body of the elections announced after the count, leaving no room for claims.
Enrique Márquez said this Friday that the recognition agreement is “useless,” since it is “redundant” and “incomplete.”
Márquez also criticized, during a press conference, that the agreement is “unilateral,” having not been able to “give an opinion and discuss its content” all the candidates, as – he assured – was his case, which is why he refused to go to the CNE and sign the document.
Meanwhile, González Urrutia said on Thursday that he was not invited to sign the agreement, which he had previously rejected, saying that the recognition of the results is already contemplated in the Barbados Agreement, signed between the PUD and the Government in October.
International
Merengue concert turns to mourning as Jet Set collapse claims 136 lives
Dominican rescue teams will end search and recovery operations on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at the Jet Set nightclubin Santo Domingo, where the building collapsed during a live concert.
Authorities estimate that the final 20 bodies will be recovered from the rubble today, bringing the official death toll to 136. This includes 12 additional bodies found overnight in the disaster zone, adding to the previously confirmed 124 fatalities.
Outside the collapsed nightclub, desperate relatives of the missing continue to gather, clinging to hope for news. Many also visited nearby hospitals and morgues in search of their loved ones.
A list of confirmed victims has been posted on a tent set up near the site, where the bodies are being transferred for identification.
The tragedy occurred during a performance by renowned merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among the deceased.
Central America
Colombia to host fourth EU-CELAC Summit in November
The Fourth Summit between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will take place on November 9 and 10 in Santa Marta, Colombia, according to a joint statement released Wednesday by the Colombian government and the European Council.
The summit will be co-chaired by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in his role as pro tempore president of CELAC, and European Council President António Costa, the statement added.
The last EU-CELAC summit took place in July 2023 in Brussels, when both blocs agreed to hold these meetings every two years.
The summit brings together the 27 EU member states and the 33 CELAC countries, representing 14% of the global population, 21% of global GDP, and one-third of the members of the United Nations, the communiqué noted.
International
Russia and US to Meet in Istanbul for Diplomatic Talks on April 10
The Kremlin confirmed today a forthcoming meeting with the United States to discuss the normalization of diplomatic relations, which will take place in Istanbul.
“Our participation will be through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesperson, during his daily telephone press conference.
Peskov was responding to a question about who would represent Russia in the new round of negotiations, which is supposedly scheduled for April 10.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the delegations will be led by the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Alexandr Darchiev, and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Sonata Coulter.
These are the same negotiators who met in late February in Istanbul, where the expert-level negotiation format was the same, according to the source.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said a few days ago that the next meeting would be held in the Turkish city, though he did not confirm a date.
Lavrov, who participated in only one of these meetings, clarified that the upcoming discussions would address the issues still dividing Moscow and Washington diplomatically, referring to the operations of both countries’ embassies.
The Kremlin asserted that Washington has not yet responded to Russia’s security concerns, preventing a ceasefire declaration on land, sea, and air.
Meanwhile, Trump expressed discontent with Russia’s recent attacks, including one last week that killed 20 people in Krivi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So far, Russia has rejected a cessation of hostilities and only declared a 30-day ceasefire on March 18 against attacks on energy infrastructure, which was extended by Kyiv a week later.
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