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Thousands of people in Chile ask Boric for “concrete actions” after a year of war in Gaza

Thousands of people in Chile joined this Saturday in Santiago the global mobilization for the anniversary of the war in the Gaza Strip and asked the Government of Gabriel Boric for “concrete actions and not just words” and urged him to break diplomatic relations with Israel.

The march, which started from the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center and in which chants such as “Israel kills and the Yankees sponsor” were heard, was called by the Palestinian community in Chile, considered the largest outside the Arab world, with about 500,000 people.

“Our country has always stood by Palestine and has always carried the name of human rights ahead. But we need concrete actions and not just words,” Nadia Gharib, of Palestinian descent and who attended the march with her family, told EFE.

What is the position of the president of Chile on Gaza?

Boric, a renowned defender of the Palestine cause, has repeatedly described the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip as “barbarism” and “criminal violence,” which has already left more than 41,000 people killed, mostly civilians.

During his speech at the last UN General Assembly, the president urged to “rebel against the double standard in human rights” and said that he refuses “to choose between Hamas terrorism or the massacre and genocide of Netanyahu’s Israel.”

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“We don’t have to choose between barbarisms. I choose humanity,” added Boric, who has so far refused to break diplomatic relations with Israel.

In January, Chile, along with Mexico, presented a request to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate probable war crimes in the context of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Chile also formally joined on September 12 the accusation of genocide against Israel that South Africa presented before the International Court of Justice, the highest court of the United Nations that is also located in The Hague.

More forcefulness against Israel

For Felipe, another demonstrator, the actions carried out so far are not enough and he asked to go further: “Any type of economic, military and political relationship with a State that is complying with a real genocide must be cut. And that is the first point in the table of all of us who have focused today on this mobilization,” he added.

A few meters later, the embroiderer Rosa Esther carried with a classmate a loom with children’s faces and the slogan “The children of Gaza are not a threat.”

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“We, through embroidery, capture that children are not a threat. Enough of making these innocent children suffer for a fight of egos, of adults,” he told EFE.

Chile recognized Palestine as a “free, independent and sovereign” state in 2011, during the first government of the conservative Sebastián Piñera (between 2010 and 2014).

 

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International

Top U.S. Military Commander Meets Interim Venezuelan Leaders After Maduro’s Capture

The commander of the United States Southern Command, Marine Francis L. Donovan, visited Venezuela on Wednesday, holding meetings with interim leaders following the recent capture of former President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces. The visit, confirmed by both U.S. and Venezuelan officials, marked a significant diplomatic and security engagement in Caracas.

Donovan, accompanied by senior U.S. officials including acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph M. Humire and top diplomat Laura Dogu, met with acting President Delcy Rodríguez and key members of her cabinet, including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.

According to official statements, discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation on regional security issues, including efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking, terrorism, and migration. Both sides reiterated a commitment to pursuing diplomatic engagement and shared security goals for Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere.

The meetings also discussed progress on a three-phase plan supported by the United States to help stabilize Venezuela, following Maduro’s removal from power and subsequent detention in the U.S. on drug-related charges. This agenda reflects expanding U.S. engagement with Venezuela’s interim government amid broader efforts to restore diplomatic relations and address regional challenges.

The visit concluded on Wednesday, underscoring a growing U.S. focus on cooperation with Venezuelan authorities in the aftermath of major political developments earlier this year.

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Bayly Says Trump ‘Gets Along Better With Dictators’ and Criticizes U.S.–Venezuela Policy

Peruvian author and journalist Jaime Bayly said Tuesday in Madrid that U.S. President Donald Trump “gets along better with dictators than he does with democrats” and that his administration is experiencing “a honeymoon with the Venezuelan dictatorship,” according to a report on his remarks during the launch of his new novel Los golpistas (Galaxia Gutenberg).

Bayly made the comments while presenting the book, which reconstructs the turbulent three days in April 2002 when Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez briefly lost power. He also sharply criticized the current Venezuelan leadership, saying that Delcy Rodríguez should be recognized as a dictator and “a continuation of Maduro’s dictatorship.”

The writer lamented that the failed 2002 coup — which he described as carried out by “amateurs” — did not lead to free elections that might have restored democracy to Venezuela. He argued that, even now, U.S. policy under Trump seems more focused on securing access to Venezuelan oil than on supporting Venezuelans’ freedom. “Venezuela could have chosen a free, clean and legitimate government — which we still impatiently await despite Trump, who only seems interested in freeing Venezuelan oil, not Venezuelans,” Bayly said.

Bayly also claimed that “every day that passes, Trump seems more enchanted with Delcy,” suggesting that Washington might leave Venezuelan leaders in power so long as they cooperate on economic interests.

A U.S. citizen who has lived in Miami for decades, Bayly said he is proud never to have voted for Trump, whom he described as “servile with the powerful and cruel with the weak.” He also criticized U.S. immigration enforcement as abusive.

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Regarding the book’s creative process, Bayly said he combined extensive documentation and interviews with historical events, weaving fictional dialogue and narrative into real episodes without altering core facts. Los golpistas explores why the April 2002 coup attempt against Chávez failed and how key figures such as Chávez and Cuban leader Fidel Castroshaped modern Venezuelan history.

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International

Maduro and Cilia Flores Receive Consular Visit in U.S. Jail Ahead of March 26 Hearing

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is detained in the United States, and his wife, Cilia Flores, received a consular visit from a Venezuelan government official on January 30 while they remain in a New York jail awaiting their next court appearance, scheduled for March 26, 2026, according to a court filing.

The notification, submitted to the judge by prosecutors and the defense and now part of the digital case file, states that Maduro and Flores were visited by “an official representing the Republic of Venezuela to help facilitate any services the accused needed.”

The document also notes that U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered the U.S. prosecutor’s office at the couple’s first court appearance on January 5 to ensure they had access to consular services and to inform the court when such access was provided.

Their next hearing was postponed by the court from an original date of March 17 to March 26 at 11:00 a.m., after prosecutors, with the consent of the defense, requested extra time to gather evidence, allow the defense to review it, and determine which pretrial motions they will file, the filing says.

Maduro has denied wrongdoing, calling himself “innocent” of the narcotics charges authorities have brought in federal court.

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