International

Machado calls Venezuelans to the streets one day before the presidential investiture

Opposition leader María Corina Machado called on “everyone” on Sunday to take to the streets of Venezuela and the world on January 9, one day before the presidential investiture, which both President Nicolás Maduro and anti-Chavista leader Edmundo González Urrutia promise to assume.

“This day will be recorded in history as the day when Venezuela said enough. Stop holding on, stop shutting up. It’s our land, our flag. Freedom is not begged, it is fought and conquered,” Machado said in an audio published in X.

He asked to leave “full of confidence” because -he stressed- “Maduro is not going to go alone, you have to make him leave with the strength of a people who never give up.”

“Get out, shout, fight, it’s time to stand firm, to make them understand that they have come this far, that this is over. There are no excuses, there is no tomorrow if we don’t fight today. Freedom is achieved when we overcome fear. I’m going with you,” said the former deputy, who claims to be in hiding for fear for her safety.

Machado and the largest opposition coalition in front of the presidential investiture

Machado and the largest opposition coalition maintain that González Urrutia is the winner of the presidential elections of July 28, so they demand that this triumph be recognized, despite the fact that the National Electoral Council proclaimed Maduro’s re-election.

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Meanwhile, the opposition leader – exiled since September in Spain – reiterates that he will travel to Venezuela to assume the Presidency and, as a preliminary step, he is on an international tour, which has already taken him to Argentina and Uruguay, in search of support.

Tomorrow, Monday, he will be received in the United States, where he hopes to meet with President Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, the Prosecutor’s Office maintains an arrest warrant against González Urrutia and the Police recently offered a reward of 100,000 dollars to anyone who provides information about the opponent’s whereabouts or provides some information that facilitates his arrest.

The Government of Venezuela deployed 1,200 troops throughout the country with the aim of “guaranteeing peace” in view of the inauguration of the Presidency.

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International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.