International
Venezuelan government says it will defeat US “neocolonial claims” in elections
The Government of Venezuela said on Wednesday that it will defeat the “neocolonial claims” of the United States on Sunday, when the South American country will hold presidential elections, in response to a statement by Washington in which they considered that massive participation in these elections will favor the triumph of the opposition.
“The defeat that (US) has painted on his forehead, by the beating that his lackeys will take on July 28, is as great as the precariousness of his government management,” said in X the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, before the statements of the head of the Department of State for Latin America, Brian Nichols.
The Venezuelan minister asked the American official to take care of his own affairs, relax and contemplate “how a free, revolutionary and democratic people turns their neocolonial pretensions to cosmic dust through the popular vote.”
“All fascist plans to ignore the popular victory will fail again,” Gil added, just 20 days after the Governments of Venezuela and the United States resumed a process of dialogue that had been paralyzed for several months.
During an audience in the U.S. Congress, Nichols assured that participation will be a key factor for the majority opposition – with Edmundo González Urrutia as a candidate – to win the presidential elections, which according to Washington represent “an opportunity” for the country to return to “democracy.”
Although Nichols acknowledged that there is “important evidence” that the government of Nicolás Maduro has interfered in the elections with arrests of opponents and disqualification of candidates, such as opposition leader María Corina Machado, the diplomat considered that the elections are “an opportunity for a better future” in the country.
Nichols also explained that the United States is in contact with its partners in the region to address the situation in Venezuela, among which he cited Brazil, whose president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Maduro’s historic ally, has criticized the recent statements of the Venezuelan president in which he predicted a “bloodbath” if he loses the elections.
Chavismo, which has governed since 1999, aspires to keep in power the current president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who has held the presidential seat since 2013.
Central America
Guatemala’s Attorney General Consuelo Porras Loses Bid for Constitutional Court Seat
Guatemala’s attorney general, Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by the United States over corruption allegations, lost a key vote on Monday in which a public university selected two of the 10 magistrates for the country’s highest constitutional court. However, she could still seek a seat through another nominating body.
The election of five full magistrates and five alternates to the Corte de Constitucionalidad (CC) is taking place gradually over more than two months and is considered crucial in the ongoing struggle for control of Guatemala’s judiciary, which critics say has long been influenced by a political and economic elite accused of corruption.
According to results announced at a press conference, the governing council of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) rejected Porras, who had applied as either a full or alternate magistrate, and instead chose two candidates aligned with the university rector. The vote was held at a hotel in Antigua, about 35 kilometers from the capital.
Despite the setback, Porras — whose term as attorney general ends on May 16 — could still be nominated to the Constitutional Court by the Corte Suprema de Justicia, which appoints two magistrates. The remaining six are selected by the president, the bar association and Congress.
“It’s always a possibility,” the 72-year-old lawyer said days earlier when asked by reporters whether she would seek nomination through another institution if she lost the USAC vote.
Porras has been sanctioned by Washington and the European Union for allegedly attempting two years ago to block the inauguration of President Bernardo Arévalo and for pursuing legal actions against anti-corruption prosecutors, judges, journalists and social leaders since taking office in 2018.
The USAC vote was controversial because most members of the university’s governing council are serving beyond the expiration of their terms. Students, academics and social activists staged protests against Porras’ candidacy.
International
Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC
A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.
Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.
Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.
Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.
International
Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says
Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.
Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.
Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.
Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.
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Central America18 hours agoGuatemala’s Attorney General Consuelo Porras Loses Bid for Constitutional Court Seat