International
Anti-chavista Enrique Capriles resigns from his party’s board for “lack” of transparency
The opposition leader of Venezuela Henrique Capriles announced on Monday his resignation from the national board of directors of the First Justice (PJ) party for “lack of internal unity”, “irreconcilable” differences and “lack of transparency and accountability of the administrators.”
These and other factors, which he detailed in a letter he published today on his Instagram account, “all they do is weaken the party, make the militancy feel the loss of it and, therefore, every day increase the disconnection with the feeling and longings for change of Venezuelans.”
The two-time presidential candidate also pointed out that “some militants” have been “exposed” to “lowness” by former deputy Julio Borges -exiled in Spain-, vice president of Communication and International Relations of PJ, who, according to Capriles, prioritizes “his particular interests” and has a “long history in the paid use of networks and portals to attack and discredit” opponents, “even members of this party.”
He assured that the board “does not have a clear plan or a proposal” in “times of so much turbulence and uncertainty,” especially after the elections of July 28 and “the theft of popular sovereignty by those in power,” in reference to the proclaimed re-election of Nicolás Maduro, pointed out as “fraudulent” by the majority opposition, which claims the “victory” of Edmundo González Urrutia.
Capriles explained that the board of directors, with “some exceptions, decides everything without respecting the vast majority of the members” of the board and that “huge majority of grassroots militants who are in the country fighting for a change.”
“We have unfortunately fallen into a practice in which a small bud in some positions wants to impose their interests, interests that, in addition, are not clear with the reason for being of this political organization. It is already customary that the message that is transmitted on behalf of the party does not respond to collective values, but to the ‘agenda’ of a kind of caudillo, who, with his collaborators, believes himself as a master and lord,” he said.
He clarified that he will continue to “fight” in Venezuela along with the regional and local “militancy and leadership” of PJ, and added that he hopes that “the decomposition and decadence in which it fell” the national junta “will not end up destroying” the party in “the states, municipalities and parishes” of the Caribbean country.
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
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