Thousands of Georgians marched today in Tbilisi in favor of the European future of the country six days before parliamentary elections, which President Salomé Zurabishvili sees as an election between the EU and Russia.
Under the slogan “Georgia chooses the EU” the supporters of rapprochement with Europe met in five points of the capital from where they marched in a column towards the Plaza de la Libertad, where they sang the anthems of the Caucasian country and the EU.
The action, called by non-governmental organizations and opposition parties, was also attended by the Georgian president.
From the largest opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM), they warned the Government that the people “will not give up their European future.”
European future
“This action is the last warning to the honorary president of the ruling Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, that the Georgian people will not give up their European future,” said MNU President Tinatin Bokuchava.
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Meanwhile, Zurabishvili asked the attendees to demonstrate the will to “return to the country freedom, independence and a European future.”
Participants in the demonstration said that it is a “rehearsal of the electoral victory of the opposition,” while the Georgian Dream, which has ruled Georgia since 2012, assures that it will obtain about 60 percent of the support, after which it will re-establish relations with the West.
Relations with the Kremlin
The Caucasian country has significantly improved its relations with the Kremlin coinciding with the war in Ukraine, which has dramatically worsened its ties with the United States and the European Union.
After the Georgian Parliament passed the Foreign Influence Transparency Act in May of this year, which the Georgian opposition considers similar to the one approved in Russia to suppress civil society, the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom froze cooperation programs with Georgia.
In addition, Brussels and Washington also criticized the Georgian Parliament last September for approving another document that prohibits, as in Russia, information regarding homosexuality.
Maduro signs Economic Emergency Decree to counter U.S. sanctions on Venezuela
The National Assembly of Venezuela approved on Thursday an economic emergency decree presented this week by the government of President Nicolás Maduro, in response to sanctions and tariffs imposed by the United States.
In March, the government of Donald Trump began suspending licenses for foreign oil companies operating with the state-owned Venezuelan oil company PDVSA and imposed secondary tariffs on crude oil and gas exports. Maduro signed the decree on Tuesday, invoking constitutional articles that allow him to declare states of exception, temporarily restrict constitutional guarantees, or declare a state of emergency in the event of disasters, public calamities, or events that seriously threaten the country’s security.
The emergency decree “is to support national production,” said Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President and Minister of Hydrocarbons, during the document’s presentation.
“The affected oil markets, the fall in oil prices, have already surpassed 30% in our measurement, and this, as we say, is just the beginning,” Rodríguez stated, clarifying that Venezuela’s oil and gas production continues.
Rodríguez also mentioned that foreign oil companies are welcome to operate in Venezuela in accordance with local laws.
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The United States has set a deadline of May 27 for oil companies operating in Venezuela, including Chevron (U.S.), Eni (Italy), and Repsol (Spain), to wind down their operations and exports.
The decree grants Maduro the authority to implement measures he deems necessary to ensure economic growth, contain inflation, offer special treatment to investors, suspend taxes, or apply exceptions to tax laws, and establish import substitution mechanisms, among other measures.
Maduro and his government have consistently rejected sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries, arguing that they are illegitimate measures constituting an “economic war” designed to cripple Venezuela.
The president and his allies have celebrated what they describe as the country’s resilience despite these measures, although they have historically attributed some economic difficulties and shortages to the sanctions.
This is not the first time Maduro has governed under an emergency decree. In 2016, he signed a similar decree, which was extended until 2021 under the argument of sanctions imposed on Venezuela by Washington.
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With the Assembly’s approval, the decree must now be sent to the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice.
U.S. Government says deported migrants should remain in El Salvador for life
The United States government believes that the 238 migrants recently deported to El Salvador should remain in the country “for the rest of their lives.”
This was stated by Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, during a press conference. The following day, in a televised cabinet meeting, she reiterated the government’s commitment to continue its campaign to deport over 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal immigration status.
“We are confident that the people (sent to El Salvador) should be there, and they should stay there for the rest of their lives,” Noem told a group of reporters on Wednesday.
Despite the Trump administration’s defense of its decision to transfer the migrants to the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), both testimonies from their families and reports from U.S. media outlets have shown that most of those currently detained there have no criminal backgrounds.
Italian biologist found dead in Colombia; investigation underway
An Italian scientist has been found dead in Colombia, local authorities confirmed, after body parts were discovered along a trail in the coastal city of Santa Marta on Sunday.
Municipal police said that a bracelet found among the remains belonged to Alessandro Coatti, a biologist who had recently embarked on a journey across South America. Additional human remains were later discovered in two other locations within the city.
According to the police, Coatti had been staying in a local accommodation and was reportedly visiting the scenic Tayrona coastal area on April 5. His whereabouts since that date remain unknown, prompting an urgent investigation.
“There are currently no further details available; the case remains under investigation,” Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office said on Thursday. “It is still unclear what happened or where.”
