International

NASA astronauts stranded for nine months finally begin journey back to Earth

After more than nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the two astronauts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) stranded in space began their journey back to Earth this Tuesday, concluding a dramatic marathon mission that started with a failed Boeing test flight more than nine months ago.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams bid farewell to the International Space Station— their home since last spring—departing aboard a SpaceX capsule along with two other astronauts. The spacecraft undocked in the early hours and was set to splash down off the coast of Florida in the afternoon after a 17-hour journey, weather permitting.

The two astronauts were initially expected to be in space for just about a week after launching aboard Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule on June 5. However, numerous issues arose on the way to the space station, leading NASA to send the Starliner back to Earth empty and transfer the test pilots to SpaceX, delaying their return until February. Then, additional problems with the SpaceX capsule caused another month-long delay.

The arrival of the replacement crew on Sunday finally allowed Wilmore and Williams to leave. NASA decided to send them back slightly earlier due to an uncertain weather forecast later in the week. They are traveling alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, who arrived aboard a SpaceX capsule last fall with two empty seats reserved for the Starliner pair.

International

MPV Denounces Electoral Blockade as Secretary-General is Disqualified for May Elections

The anti-Chavista party Movement for Venezuela (MPV) denounced on Monday that it was “prevented” from submitting its candidates for the regional and legislative elections on May 25, elections rejected by opposition leaders Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado.

“MPV, being an active and recognized party in the National Electoral Council (CNE), was prevented from submitting candidates for the current electoral process,” stated the political group through a communiqué on X.

Additionally, the group denounced that its Secretary-General, Simón Calzadilla, was “suddenly disqualified,” as the opposition leader warned last Friday. He also explained that he attempted to access the CNE’s automated candidate submission system but, as he added, the portal showed that he was not authorized to create a user and submit the MPV candidates.

For the party, its “strong decision” to participate in the May elections “highlighted the true nature of this electoral process,” which it described as “extremely flawed.”

International

Maduro Plans Major Workers’ March on May 1st to Defend Venezuela’s Freedom

Nicolás Maduro, who swore in for a third term in January following his controversial re-election, called on Monday for the “working class” and the “armed people” to gather for a concentration on May 1st for peace, as part of the celebration of International Workers’ Day.

“Let’s have a powerful march of the working class, the combat bodies, and the Bolivarian National Militia in all the cities of the country, from end to end, working class and armed people in the streets shouting for peace,” said the chavista leader in a broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), surrounded by military authorities.

He also stated that Venezuela is more armed than “ever” to “defend the sacred dream of a free homeland, the sacred soil of a heroic land, Venezuela.”

Maduro called on all military personnel to “stay in shape” with a “deployment capacity” and also to have “a very clear view of the entire national territory.”

International

Venezuela accuses Guyana of “warlike intentions” after UK defense deal

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez denounced what she called “warlike intentions” from Guyana on Saturday (April 12, 2025), following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Guyana and the United Kingdom aimed at strengthening bilateral defense cooperation.

“Guyana threatens Venezuela with its founding fathers. The UK and the U.S. are the architects behind the territorial dispossession of our Guayana Esequiba. These are the same actors who forged a fraudulent arbitration award in 1899 to strip Venezuela of its land,” Rodríguez stated via Telegram.

Rodríguez, who also serves as Venezuela’s Minister of Hydrocarbons, warned the region about “these drums of war, in clear violation of the CELAC declaration that recognizes Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace.”

“Venezuela will stand firm in defending its legitimate rights, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in all scenarios,” she added.