International
US sanctions Venezuelan officials for “falsely” proclaiming Maduro’s victory
The United States imposed sanctions on 16 Venezuelan officials, including members of the National Electoral Council (CNE), the Supreme Court of Justice and the National Assembly, for “falsely” proclaiming the victory of Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, in the presidential elections of July 28.
Among those sanctioned are the president of the Supreme Court, Caryslia Rodríguez, the secretary general of the CNE, Antonio José Meneses, and the vice president of the National Assembly, Pedro Infante Aparicio.
“Instead of respecting the will of the Venezuelan people expressed at the polls, Maduro and his representatives have falsely proclaimed their victory while repressing and intimidating the democratic opposition in an illegitimate attempt to cling to power,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
In total, the Treasury Department announced financial sanctions on 16 people “related to Maduro,” including members of the National Electoral Council, the Supreme Court of Justice and the National Assembly, whom it accuses of having “impeded a transparent electoral process and the publication of accurate electoral results.”
At the same time, the State Department banned the entry into the country of “officials aligned with Maduro who have undermined the electoral process in Venezuela and who are responsible for acts of repression.”
Almost 2,000 people with visa restrictions
With the measures announced today, to date there are more than 140 Venezuelan officials sanctioned by the US Treasury and about 2,000 people are subject to visa restrictions by the US State Department.
“The United States will continue to promote accountability by those who undermine democracy in Venezuela,” Blinken warned.
The CNE proclaimed Maduro’s re-election in the elections of July 28 without publishing the voting minutes, but the opposition claims the victory of its standard bearer, Edmundo González Urrutia, who recently traveled to Spain and asked for asylum in that country.
Reaction of Venezuela
The Government of Venezuela described as a “new crime of aggression” the sanctions announced by the United States against 16 officials of the Caribbean country, including members of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the Parliament, for “falsely” proclaiming President Nicolás Maduro as the winner of the July elections.
In a statement, the Venezuelan Executive rejected, in “the most energetic terms,” this “new crime of aggression committed by the Government of the United States of America against Venezuela, by imposing unilateral, illegitimate and illegal coercive measures on a group of state officials.”
For the Chavista government, the United States demonstrates, “once again, its total contempt for international law, the self-determination of the peoples and the democratic will of Venezuelans.”
“Little can be expected”
However, he continued, “little can be expected from the most hostile and bloodthirsty power that humanity has known, responsible for millions of murders in the world with genocidal partners and a history of indifference to the needs of its own citizens.”
With these “erroneously called sanctions, which have been shamefully promoted by the fascist extreme right,” as Chavismo usually refers to the opposition, “they break and violate the agreements signed in Qatar” between both American countries.
Guterres’ refection
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, believes that the new sanctions of the US Government against 16 high-ranking officials of the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, whom he accuses of hindering the last elections, will not help find a way out of the political crisis in which the South American country is immersed.
“I don’t think they will help,” said Guterres spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, when asked about it in his daily press conference from the United Nations headquarters in New York.
He immediately added that in the UN general secretariat the “concern for respect for human rights” and for the “lack of transparency” still prevailing today after the presidential elections of July 28 in Venezuela continues.
Venezuela affirms that António Guterres is on the side of those who “illegly sanction”
In turn, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil said that Guterres sides with those who “illegally sanction,” in relation to the new measures imposed by the United States, despite the fact that the Portuguese diplomat considered that these penalties do not help solve the crisis in the Caribbean country.
“The UN secretary general avoids condemning the application of unilateral coercive measures, he takes the side of those who sanction illegally, it is an affront to the mandate that the States have given him, all to defend the aggressors of Venezuela,” Gil said in a message published on Telegram.
The foreign minister indicated that Guterres, instead of showing solidarity with the “victims of the blockade and sanctions,” sides with the “liars and victimizers, of the fascists who violate rights and do not know the Venezuelan State.”
“(It is) urgent that the secretary general return to international legality, respects Venezuela and asserts the institutions of the system to which it is due,” he added.
International
Climate-driven rains trigger one of Indonesia’s deadliest flood emergencies in years
A torrential monsoon season, compounded by two unusual tropical cyclones, has triggered intense rainfall in several regions since last week, including southern Thailand, northern Malaysia, and large parts of Indonesia.
Climate change has recently intensified rainfall patterns, as a warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture. In Indonesia, desperation is growing among those affected by the disaster due to the slow pace of rescue operations and the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Relief agencies warned that the scale of the emergency is nearly unprecedented, even for a country accustomed to frequent natural disasters.
Across the island of Sumatra, the death toll was revised downward to 770 fatalities and at least 463 people still missing as of Wednesday night. Earlier, the national disaster management agency had reported 804 deaths.
Gathering accurate information on the ground remains difficult, as many regions are still cut off due to flood damage, widespread power outages, communication failures, or a combination of all three.
International
Russian authorities ban Roblox citing child safety and moral concerns
Russia has blocked access to the U.S.-owned game creation platform Roblox, accusing it of distributing extremist materials and what authorities described as “LGBT propaganda,” state media reported on Wednesday.
The country has repeatedly threatened to ban certain foreign digital platforms, a move that human rights organizations view as part of broader efforts by authorities to tighten control over internet use.
In a statement released through Russian news agencies, the federal communications watchdog Roskomnadzor accused Roblox of hosting “inappropriate content that can negatively affect the spiritual and moral development of children.”
“The game exposes minors to sexual harassment, tricks them into sharing intimate photos, and encourages them to commit acts of depravity and violence,” the regulator claimed.
Last week, the same agency also threatened to ban WhatsApp, the country’s second most widely used messaging app, accusing it of failing to prevent criminal activity.
Roblox, which is owned by the U.S.-based Roblox Corporation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to company data for 2024, the platform has around 100 million daily users worldwide, nearly 40% of whom are under the age of 13.
Other countries, including Qatar, Iraq and Turkey, have also restricted or banned Roblox, mainly over concerns about the safety of underage users. In the United States, the states of Texas and Louisiana have filed lawsuits against the platform on similar grounds.
International
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, months after his brother Ovidio reached a similar plea agreement, according to local media reports.
The defendant appeared before a federal court in Chicago early Monday afternoon and changed his previous plea in the case, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. authorities accuse him of forming, together with his three brothers, the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.”
The group is believed to have continued the operations of El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 2019.
Guzmán López, 39, was arrested after landing in Texas in a small aircraft alongside cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
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