International
María Corina Machado says that Nicolás Maduro is “cornered” inside and outside Venezuela
Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Sunday that the president, Nicolás Maduro, is “cornered” inside and outside the country, and expressed that “the end” of the Chavista government is “much closer than many imagine,” despite the fact that the president insists that he will be sworn in as head of state in January, after his controversial re-election.
“Maduro is totally cornered. However, it still seems that there are some men of little faith who, in addition, believe they can convince Venezuelans that we are a defeated people, a people that must settle for humiliation, with the indignity of what those leftovers are left by that feast of the corrupt,” said the former deputy in an audio shared on social networks.
Machado assured that Chavismo “collapsed” in the presidential elections of July 28, with the “victory” – as he reiterated – of the candidate of the largest opposition alliance, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), Edmundo González Urrutia, after which the Maduro government reacted with “violence.”
“But what he reaffirmed was the will to change of us Venezuelans and isolated Maduro inside and outside the country,” said the opponent, the main endorse of the leader of the PUD.
The presidential inauguration
In his opinion, the Government “is aware of its weakness” and understands “the implications of the collapse of tyranny” in Syria, where President Bashar al Asad fell exactly a week ago due to an offensive by an insurgent coalition, after decades of a “regime of strength that sowed terror in the people,” Machado said.
“However, in a matter of days, that regime fell apart, it fell because it was hollow inside, isolated internationally, (…) and because many things were happening under the table without anyone noticing, but, above all, it fell because the vast majority of the population did not want them,” he said.
In Venezuela, Machado continued, we are “one step away from that long-awaited change,” so he called on citizens to be alert to “the signs” and to prepare “the heart, mind and body to do what needs to be done at the right time.”
“We have never been so close to the final triumph and that there is nothing that is impossible for those who put their heart, mind, will in that goal that we have set ourselves, and that is what we have shown,” he added.
Both Maduro and González Urrutia assure that they will take office as president on January 10.
Although Maduro’s re-election has received criticism from the international community, mainly for the lack of evidence to confirm his triumph at the polls, all the institutions of the Caribbean country – including the Armed Forces – support the Chavista leader and see the PUD as coup plotters who intend to take power by force.
International
Petro accuses top guerrilla leader of bribing officers to evade military strikes
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said Saturday that the country’s most wanted guerrilla leader is bribing members of the security forces to obtain advance information and evade military operations.
According to the government, Iván Mordisco, a dissident leader of the now-defunct FARC, is currently on the run in the जंगल following an الجيش bombardment last week that killed six of his closest collaborators in the department of Vaupés.
Authorities believe the guerrilla commander had been at the site shortly before the operation. “He buys off the commanders who are supposed to capture him; that’s how he escapes the bombings, but leaves his own people to die. He is warned before every strike,” Petro wrote on social media platform X.
The six individuals killed in the strike were part of Mordisco’s security ring, according to Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Local media reported that one of those killed was a woman known as “alias Lorena,” who was allegedly Mordisco’s partner and the mother of his child.
After failed attempts to negotiate peace, Petro’s administration has shifted to a more aggressive military strategy against the guerrilla leader. In recent months, three of Mordisco’s brothers have been captured and now face charges including homicide, kidnapping, and arms trafficking.
Central America
Costa Rica urges China to halt actions against Panama-flagged vessels
The government of Costa Rica on Saturday called on China to halt retaliatory actions against vessels flying the Panamaflag, amid escalating tensions over control of two strategic ports linked to the Panama Canal.
In a statement shared on social media, Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry warned that the situation “puts global trade at risk” and expressed its “deep concern and strongest condemnation” over what it described as “arbitrary and unjustified delays and inspections in Chinese ports.”
The Costa Rican government urged “full respect for international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” while reaffirming its “unconditional support and solidarity” with Panama.
San José’s position aligns with growing international criticism from countries including Honduras, Peru, Paraguay, Israeland Ukraine.
Paraguayan authorities described the detentions as “unacceptable” and pointed to what they called “undue pressure” on the Panamanian government.
International
Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds
Mexico accounts for the highest number of urgent actions related to enforced disappearances worldwide, according to the latest report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
The report, released by I(dh)eas, indicates that Mexico has accumulated 819 cases between 2012 and February 2026, representing 38% of the global total.
In the past five months alone, 40 new urgent requests have been recorded — more than one-third of all such actions worldwide during that period.
The report warns that this trend reflects a structural problem, as the urgent action mechanism — originally intended as an exceptional measure — has become routine in Mexico.
Although the Mexican state formally complies with response deadlines, the Committee identified significant shortcomings in the implementation of these measures. These include the lack of comprehensive search plans, delays in key investigative procedures such as video surveillance and phone data analysis, and insufficient inquiries into possible links involving state agents.
The report also highlights inadequate protection for relatives and individuals involved in search efforts, including cases of reprisals.
Among the most serious incidents documented is the disappearance of a father who had denounced alleged involvement of authorities in his son’s case in the state of Guanajuato.
The accumulation of cases could lead to the application of Article 34 of the Convention, which would allow for the launch of an international investigation into systematic enforced disappearances.
Geographically, the state of Chiapas accounts for 30% of the new urgent actions, many of them linked to collective disappearances of migrants.
Petro accuses top guerrilla leader of bribing officers to evade military strikes
Costa Rica urges China to halt actions against Panama-flagged vessels
Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds
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