International
María Corina Machado asks Norway to give her extreme support to guarantee free presidential elections
Opposition leader María Corina Machado asked Norway – a mediating country in the negotiations between the Government of Venezuela and the majority opposition – for its maximum support to ensure that “free and fair” presidential elections will be held in the Caribbean country on July 28, according to a communication released on Monday.
The letter, addressed to the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr, aims to urge his Government, in “its capacity as a facilitator of the process of dialogue and negotiation between political actors in Venezuela, to maximize the diplomatic resources at its disposal” so that the Barbados agreement – signed by both parties in October and which establishes electoral guarantees – is “fully complied with.”
In the communication, dated this Sunday, Machado, winner of the opposition primaries last October, assured that the agreement “has been completely violated by the regime presided over by Nicolás Maduro.”
The former liberal deputy, who became a presidential candidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) – the main opposition coalition – after winning in the primaries, recently announced the decision of this bloc to appoint the historian Corina Yoris as a candidate for the upcoming elections in the face of the disqualification that prevents her from competing for public office in these and other elections until 2036.
Likewise, Machado condemned the “regimen” decision to also block the registration of Yoris’ candidacy and added that “there is no political or legal cause that prevents” such registration.
Machado denounced that the head of state “has sought to prevent, by all means,” his “participation as a presidential candidate,” despite the fact that the Barbados agreement established – he pointed out – that “each party could freely choose” its standard-bearer, in addition to “electoral guarantees for all the actors who participate in said elections” and the “promotion of a favorable political climate.”
Among the “most flagrant violations of the agreement,” Machado mentioned the ratification of his disqualification in January by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), the arrest of “at least eight people linked” to his party, Vente Venezuela (VV), and Maduro’s qualification of this formation as a “terrorist” organization.
“To accuse us, they have forged evidence and forced some detainees to accuse their own companions of false armed conspiracies,” said the opponent, who warned that teams in her country “are at risk of upcoming forced disappearances” and that she herself “could be subject to unjustified detention.”
On Tuesday, the PUD reported the registration, on a provisional basis, of Edmundo González Urrutia, a candidate who can be replaced from this April 1, as long as he does not have any administrative sanction or impediment contemplated by the law, and that the National Electoral Council (CNE) admits the candidacy that replaces it.
Machado said on Sunday that the electoral schedule of the presidential elections establishes the replacement of candidates up to ten days before the process, so he asked for confidence from his followers.
International
Thirteen kidnapped individuals found alive in Honduras after drug cartel abandonment
At least thirteen people who had been reported missing since June 17, 2024, in the Caribbean region of Honduras have been found alive, according to Miguel Martínez, spokesperson for the Secretariat of Security.
Martínez provided a brief statement confirming that the thirteen individuals—four women and nine men—were discovered “alive at a dock on the shore of a beach in Tela, Atlántida,” near the village of Crique Las Marías.
The group had been abandoned by a criminal organization linked to drug trafficking, which remains under investigation, he added.
Martínez also noted that “intense police pressure” led to the group’s release. They were subsequently taken to the Metropolitan Police Headquarters in Tela, where they received medical attention.
The abduction of these thirteen individuals, who were reportedly taken at gunpoint on June 17 by an armed group arriving by sea at Crique Las Marías, is believed to be connected to the death of a relative of José Rafael Sosa. Sosa, a Honduran national, was extradited to the United States at the request of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on drug trafficking charges.
Sosa, who was arrested on March 5, 2017, in Jutiapa, Atlántida, had been held at the National Penitentiary in northern Tegucigalpa.
International
Trump accuses EU of exploiting the U.S., promises retaliation over tariffs
President Donald Trump has stated that the United States will respond to the European Union’s countermeasures against his new 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, escalating the risk of a broader global trade war.
“Of course, I’m going to respond,” Trump said Wednesday when asked by reporters at the White House if he would take retaliatory action. “The problem is that our country never responded. Look, the EU was created to take advantage of the United States.”
Trump did not specify what measures he would take. The U.S. tariffs on metals, which went into effect Wednesday, have already triggered immediate retaliation from the EU and Canada, prompting other countries to intensify negotiations with the Trump administration in an attempt to remove the import taxes.
The European Commission delivered the strongest response yet to Trump’s latest trade offensive, launching “swift and proportionate countermeasures” on U.S. imports. The EU reinstated countervailing duties from 2018 and 2020 and added a new list of industrial and agricultural products. These measures will impact up to €26 billion (US$28.4 billion) in U.S. exports—matching the economic impact of the U.S. tariffs, according to EU officials.
International
Gal Gadot opens up about her emergency surgery during pregnancy
he 39-year-old actress has confessed that she was terrified when doctors found a blood clot in her brain in February 2024, just before giving birth to her daughter, Ori.
The Hollywood star—who also shares daughters Alma, 13, Maya, 7, and Daniella, 3, with her husband Jason Varsano—opened up about the frightening experience on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: “It was a huge scare. Suddenly, I understood what it really means to be scared to death.”
Gal had been suffering from severe headaches for weeks before finally receiving the correct diagnosis.
She was also “very pregnant” when the symptoms first appeared.
“I had excruciating headaches for three weeks and saw different doctors and neurologists,” she explained.
Initially, medical professionals attributed her headaches to migraines and hormonal changes. However, it was Gal’s mother who convinced her to get an MRI.
“They discovered something terrible, and we were rushed to the hospital. They delivered the baby immediately. I had a thrombectomy,” she shared.
In December, Gal publicly addressed her health scare in an emotional Instagram post.
Best known for her role as Wonder Woman, the actress wrote: “Back in February, during my eighth month of pregnancy, I was diagnosed with a massive blood clot in my brain. I had been suffering from unbearable headaches that left me bedridden for weeks, until I finally underwent an MRI that revealed the terrifying truth. In an instant, my family and I were reminded of how fragile life can be. It was a harsh reality check on how quickly everything can change. In the midst of an already difficult year, all I wanted was to hold on and survive. We rushed to the hospital, and within hours, I underwent emergency surgery. My daughter, Ori, was born in the middle of that uncertainty and fear.”
Thirteen kidnapped individuals found alive in Honduras after drug cartel abandonment
Trump accuses EU of exploiting the U.S., promises retaliation over tariffs
Gal Gadot opens up about her emergency surgery during pregnancy
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
-
Central America5 days agoFormer First Lady of Honduras Seeks Presidential Nomination Amidst Controversy
-
International5 days agoVenezuela Refuses to Repatriate Citizens Amid Tensions Over Chevron’s Departure
-
International3 days agoAt least two members of the Gulf Clan die in a Colombian Army operation
-
International3 days agoRomanian electoral authorities reject presidential candidacy of pro-Russian Georgescu
-
International3 days agoNoem appoints new Immigration Service leaders with a view to accelerating deportations
-
International1 day agoFour-Bus Pileup in Chile Leaves Six Dead and Several Injured
-
International3 days agoSheinbaum: Mexico will collaborate so that fentanyl does not reach the US and that there is dialogue
-
International1 day agoTrump Announces Tesla Purchase to Support Elon Musk Amid Boycott Calls
-
International3 days agoEvo Morales reinforces his security in the Tropic with foreigners and hopes that more will arrive
-
International2 days agoBolivia struggles to import fuel amid dollar shortage, sparking protests
-
Sports1 day agoLamine Yamal and Raphinha lead Barça to a 4-1 aggregate victory over Benfica
-
International1 day agoPedro Castillo protests imprisonment with hunger strike amid rebellion charges
-
International1 day agoPope Francis shows signs of recovery, Vatican says he is ‘feeling better’
-
International10 hours agoGuatemalan suspect in New York subway murder appears in court, family demands deportation
-
International1 day agoFloods and landslides in Peru claim 85 lives, thousands affected
-
Central America10 hours agoXiomara Castro calls for investigation after electoral materials arrive late in Honduras’ largest cities
-
Deportes2 days agoFBI hunts former athlete accused of leading cocaine trafficking network
-
International3 days agoThere is discontent in Honduras over several irregularities in the primary and internal elections
-
Internacionales2 days agoCuban Supreme Court Confirms Successful Completion of Prisoner Release
-
International10 hours agoPetro labels FARC dissidents as ‘private army’ for mexican cartels after deadly ambush
-
Centroamérica2 days agoGuatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora returns to prison after court revokes release
-
International10 hours agoScarlett Johansson on motherhood: “Protecting my children’s privacy is my biggest lesson”
-
International11 hours agoColombia defends its anti-drug efforts ahead of U.S. certification decision
-
International1 day agoIsraeli army kills Hezbollah’s aerial systems chief in southern Lebanon
-
International10 hours agoTrump accuses EU of exploiting the U.S., promises retaliation over tariffs
-
International10 hours agoGal Gadot opens up about her emergency surgery during pregnancy
-
International10 hours agoThirteen kidnapped individuals found alive in Honduras after drug cartel abandonment