Pollution in Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo threatens life in one of the world's oldest lakes
The fishermen of Lake Maracaibo say they face their worst nightmare everyday as fish stocks decline and pollution degrades the health of this great freshwater lake, one of the oldest — and largest — in the world.
Immigration parole program: Cuban mother dreams of family reunion in Miami-Dade
Odamyis Gomez, a married mother of two in Cuba, said she dreams of a family reunion in Miami-Dade County, and she had put her hope on President Joe Biden’s parole program. But in January, a group of 20 states challenged the case-by-case basis program to help Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.
'Risk it all': Migrant surge as US prepares for Title 42 end
A recent surge of migrants in the Brownsville, Texas, area of the U.S.-Mexico border is highlighting immigration challenges as the U.S. prepares for the end of a policy linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants.
Venezuela’s Guaidó denounces being expelled from Colombia
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó says he was expelled from Colombia hours after he crossed the border from Venezuela to try to meet with some participants at Tuesday’s international conference to discuss his country’s political crisis.”
Cuba beats Australia, reaches 1st WBC semifinal since 2006
Cuba advanced to the World Baseball Classic semifinals for the first time since 2006 with a 4-3 win over Australia as Alfredo Despaigne hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly and Yoelkis Guibert followed with a two-run single in three-run fifth inning.
South Florida sponsor helping Venezuelan migrants with Biden parole program
As President Joe Biden announced the recent expansion of an immigration policy for migrants coming from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, sponsors in South Florida are stepping up to help people who might not even know about the program.
Jury finds Hugo Chavez’s ex-nurse guilty of money laundering
The former nurse of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been found guilty of money laundering in connection to bribes paid by a billionaire media mogul to green light lucrative currency transactions when she served as the country's national treasurer.
Venezuela’s bid to save ‘diplomat’ from US charges takes hit
For two years, Venezuela’s socialist government has been fighting to extricate from the U.S. justice system an insider businessman it claims was on an ultra-secret mission to Iran when he was arrested on a U.S. warrant during a routine fuel stop in Africa.
US migrant policy 'bucket of cold water' to some Venezuelans
Venezuelan Gilbert Fernández still plans to cross the dangerous Darién jungle into Panama headed over land toward the U.S. despite Washington's announcement that it will grant conditional humanitarian permits only to 24,000 Venezuelan migrants arriving by air.
Treasury Department to probe whether DeSantis misused COVID funds for migrant flights
The U.S. Department of the Treasury will investigate whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis misused pandemic relief funds to fly a group of Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Massachusetts in September, a U.S. Senator said.
Reports: Migrant flights’ mysterious recruiter identified
The mysterious woman who allegedly lured dozens of migrants on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ flights to Martha’s Vineyard from San Antonio has been identified by several media outlets as Perla H. Huerta, a former combat medic and U.S. Army counterintelligence agent living in Tampa.
All eyes to the western Caribbean and Gulf next week
The disturbance we’re tracking along the northern coast of Venezuela in the eastern Caribbean Thursday – coined Invest 98L – is expected to organize into a strengthening storm by next week and pose a potential threat to the U.S. while powerful Hurricane Fiona will bring hurricane conditions to Bermuda Thursday night into Friday before morphing into an extreme, historic, and potentially record-shattering hurricane-like storm for Nova Scotia and the Canadian Maritimes this weekend.
Amid lawsuit, investigation, Gov.’s political opponents continue taking aim at migrant flights
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to send a group of Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard continues to attract criticism from political opponents, as well as a criminal investigation and lawsuit, but the governor has remained steadfast defending the move.
‘Opening people’s eyes’: DeSantis defends migrant flights amid Texas investigation, lawsuit
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is defending his decision to send a group of Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard amid a criminal investigation and, now, a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of the migrants filed Tuesday.
Venezuelan tycoon shields US fortune from FARC rebel victims
An appeals court has overturned a Florida federal judge’s order seizing the U.S. fortune of a sanctioned Venezuelan billionaire with alleged cartel ties to satisfy a $318 million judgment for the American victims of a Colombian terrorist kidnapping.
New claims against ex Miami congressman hired by Venezuela
New filings in a civil suit allege that a former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela’s socialist government not only did no apparent work, but also channeled a large chunk of the money to a yacht company on behalf of a fugitive billionaire.
Asset managers accused of helping launder $1.2B in Venezuelan oil money
Federal prosecutors charged two financial asset managers Tuesday, accusing them of taking part in a $1.2 billion international scheme to launder funds corruptly obtained from Venezuela’s state-owned oil company over a span of more than three years.
Caribbean storm likely to gain force, hit Central America
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says a storm that has hurled rain on the southern Caribbean and the northern shoulder of South America is expected to hit Central America as a tropical storm over the weekend and eventually develop into a hurricane over the Pacific.
Ex-Venezuela mayor pleads guilty for $3.8 million in bribes in Miami federal court
A one-time ally of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has pleaded guilty for taking $3.8 million in bribes to help steer lucrative oil contracts to companies tied to officials in Venezuela’s socialist government and military.
Possible Russia oil embargo drives US outreach to Venezuela
Senior U.S. officials secretly traveled to Venezuela over the weekend in a risky bid to unfreeze hostile relations with Vladimir Putin’s top ally in Latin America, a top oil exporter whose re-entry into U.S. energy markets could mitigate the fallout at the pump from a possible oil embargo on Russia.
Colombian working as Venezuelan diplomat was DEA informant, records show
A federal judge unsealed records on Wednesday in Miami revealing that a Colombian businessman who Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had described as his envoy was a confidential source for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Victory at the cradle of Chavismo offers a glimmer of hope for Venezuelan opposition
Voters in the Venezuelan state of Barinas — where Chavismo was born — elected an opposition candidate as governor during a special election on Sunday. It was the first time in more than two decades that a member of the Chávez family wasn’t on the ballot.
Opposition candidate wins in Venezuela's cradle of Chavismo
Voters in the home state of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chávez have picked an opposition candidate for governor in a closely watched special election called after the contender representing that faction in November’s regular contest was retroactively disqualified as he was ahead in the vote count.