International

Between weddings and gifts, Venezuelans celebrate the Day of Love and Friendship

The celebration of Love and Friendship Day did not go unnoticed this Friday in Venezuela, where flowers, gifts of all kinds and even collective weddings broke everyday life in a country immersed in recent months in a political crisis following the presidential elections of July 2024, in which Nicolás Maduro was proclaimed winner among opposition claims.

Among the preferred flowers, balloons and chocolates, as EFE could verify in the streets of Caracas, to express their feelings to loved ones or friends, and, for lack of a budget, there was no lack of hugs and affectionate greetings.

Others took the opportunity to swear eternal love to their better half at collective weddings held in the Venezuelan capital and the city of Maracaibo, in the west of the country.

Altamira Square, in the heart of the municipality of Chacao (east of Caracas), hosted this Friday the union, in civil marriage, of a group of couples in a ceremony that has become a tradition to celebrate love on Valentine’s Day.

This time, 16 couples lived a special day, which included a makeup session for the ladies, rental of the suits for the wedding, photo sessions and an outdoor act in which the “yes, I accept” was heard.

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The director of Municipal Justice of the Mayor’s Office of Chacao and civil registrar, Alejandro Urdaneta, explained to EFE that the activity, promoted by the local mayor, Gustavo Duque, reached its third edition this year and has as a framework the fountain of the Altamira Square, its obelisk and different recovered spaces.

The contractors, who previously registered with the municipal entity, also enjoyed a toast, gifts and a bottle of champagne to celebrate with their relatives.

One of the brides was Farides Galvis, 65, a pensioner and currently a housewife, who formalized before the law her union with her partner, which began 11 years ago.

She, born in the Colombian city of Valledupar, and he, a native of Barranquilla, met when Galvis was returning from work at her now husband’s kiosk.

“I’m looking for a husband,” the brand new bride who responded to her then suitor, who, without hesitation, said: “That’s me.”

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Andreína Mendoca, 25, was also getting ready to celebrate her wedding, who told EFE that they chose this date because it was a “symbolic” day.

“We got the date, the opportunity, we wanted to formalize our home properly,” added this young woman, who has been sharing life with Johan for five years.

Also in Maracaibo, the capital of the state of Zulia, 39 couples got married in a collective wedding organized by the mayor’s office and another ten answered the invitation of a shopping center to formally unite their lives.

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.

Central America

Kristi Noem in Latin America: Talks with Bukele on expulsions and security policies

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived in El Salvador on Wednesday for a meeting with President Nayib Bukele. In a post on the social media platform X, she stated that her goal is to increase deportation flights and expel foreign nationals who have committed crimes in the United States.

El Salvador is the first stop on Noem’s three-nation tour of Latin America this week. On Thursday, she will travel to Colombia to meet with President Gustavo Petro, and on Friday, she will visit Mexico, where she is scheduled to meet with President Claudia Sheinbaum.

After arriving in El Salvador, Noem, along with Gustavo Villatoro, El Salvador’s Minister of Justice and Security, visited the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot)—the megaprison built under Bukele’s administration, designed to house 40,000 inmates. Noem said she wanted to “see firsthand the detention center where the worst criminals are held.”

Cecot is considered the largest prison in the Americas and a key symbol of Bukele’s controversial crackdown on crime.

According to the Salvadoran government, the prison—located about 70 kilometers from San Salvador—houses members of gangs such as MS-13 and Barrio 18, who have been convicted of serious crimes. The facility also holds the 238 Venezuelans deported from the United States on March 15, in an unprecedented transfer that has drawn criticism from Venezuela’s government and international human rights organizations.