International

Maduro rejects Panama’s offer of asylum and US guarantees in the midst of the crisis after the elections

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, rejected the asylum proposal of his counterpart from Panama, José Raúl Mulino, as well as the guarantees of the United States to solve the crisis after the presidential elections, whose official result ratified the Venezuelan president as the winner, an announcement that the largest opposition coalition considers fraudulent.

Through the state channel VTV, Maduro asked the president of Panama to govern his country and not pretend to do so in Venezuela, while he demanded respect from the United States.

“That the United States (…) is willing to give me anything, I am happy (…) I would ask him for respect for Venezuelan democracy; second wish, respect for the independence and stability of Venezuela; third wish, that we reach an agreement of understanding for 50 years where they stay where they are and let Venezuela be calm,” the president said.

On the other hand, Maduro said that Mulino sent him a message, after assuming the mandate, to “count on him” and to promise that relations between Venezuela and Panama would be resumed, but then the head of the U.S. Southern Command “visited him”, and after a meeting,” Maduro continued – “he left agitated” to convene a summit to deal with the post-election crisis in the Caribbean country.

“Unanimously, Latin America and the Caribbean said (to Mulino): ‘Who are you, compadre? You were wrong, you don’t have the power to convene a summit,” said the Venezuelan president.

However, last Thursday, Mulino reported that between six and seven presidents confirmed attendance at this meeting, while raising the possibility of it being done next week, when several leaders are going to coincide in the Dominican Republic in the swearing-in of Luis Abinader as re-elected president.

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Maduro warned Mulino that “whoever messes with Venezuela dries up” and “goes badly,” after the president of Panama proposed the summit to “rehearse more actions that support the democracy and popular will” of the Caribbean country.

Both Panama and the United States do not recognize the results announced by the Venezuelan electoral body and said that the winner of the presidential elections is the standard-bearer of the largest opposition coalition, Edmundo González Urrutia, who gathered “83.5%” of the electoral records that – he assures – demonstrate his triumph, something that Maduro considers as “forged documents.”

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.