Iran’s president says oil exports have doubled since August
Iran’s president says the country is exporting twice as much oil as when he took office in August, despite heavy sanctions on oil exports imposed by the U.S. Ebrahim Raisi made the claim in a live interview on state-run TV on Monday night without elaborating, including on the amount of oil being exported
washingtonpost.comUS unlikely to invite Cuba, Nicaragua or Venezuela to summit
The Biden administration is unlikely to invite the leaders of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba to the upcoming Summit of the Americas, a senior State Department official said Wednesday while sidestepping questions about an eventual role for Venezuela's opposition leader at the gathering of hemispheric leaders. The summit, to take place in Los Angeles in early June, will focus on defending democracy and human rights in the Western Hemisphere as well as addressing irregular migration, climate change and efforts to ensure equitable growth as the region emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols told reporters.
news.yahoo.comPossible 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.
For many asylum-seekers, flying to Mexico is ticket to US
For Colombians and other nationalities that don't need a visa, flying to Mexico can be a ticket to seeking asylum in the United States. Once arriving at a Mexican border city, they can walk across the border in broad daylight and surrender to U.S. agents. In doing so, they avoid the dangers of traversing Mexico and other countries over land and circumvent sweeping U.S. asylum restrictions.
news.yahoo.comVictory 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 wins revote for governor in heartland of Chavismo
Twice in less than two months, Venezuela’s opposition has prevailed in the gubernatorial race in the home state of the late President Hugo Chávez, with the results giving hope to that faction while shocking the ruling party
washingtonpost.comOpposition 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.
Opposition candidate wins in Venezuela's cradle of Chavismo
Voters in the home state of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chávez on Sunday 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. Sergio Garrido, candidate for the U.S.-backed opposition, defeated former foreign minister Jorge Arreaza, whose campaign drew ruling party heavy hitters in an all-out effort to keep the bastion of Chavismo under their control. The candidates campaigned for roughly five weeks after the country’s highest court disqualified opposition candidate Freddy Superlano and the special contest was scheduled.
news.yahoo.comExxonMobil discovers more oil off Guyana's coast
ExxonMobil said Wednesday that it made two additional oil discoveries off the coast of Guyana as the South American country prepares to become the world’s newest major oil producer. The company said a vessel that arrived in Guyana late last year is expected to start production in upcoming months with a target of up to 220,000 barrels of oil a day. Guyana issued its first oil and gas license to ExxonMobil in 2017 after the company said it made “significant” oil discoveries off the country’s Atlantic coast.
news.yahoo.comVermont Man Pleads Guilty to Hiring A Person to Kidnap and Kill an Individual in a Foreign Country and Child Pornography Charges
A Vermont man pleaded guilty today to hiring a woman in Venezuela to kidnap an adult male and make a video of the man being beaten, tortured, and suffocated to death, and to conspiracy to produce child pornography and possession of child pornography. Fiore’s digital media, seized and searched by law enforcement, revealed that he paid a woman in Venezuela $4,000 to kidnap, torture, and murder a “slave” in Venezuela. Fiore requested a video of the torture and murder, which the woman sent to him over the internet. Fiore pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to kidnap or murder a person in a foreign country, conspiracy to produce child pornography, and possession of child pornography. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factorsThe woman who sent Fiore the videos, co-defendant Moraima Escarlet Vasquez Flores, is charged with conspiracy to murder and kidnap a person in a foreign country, conspiracy to produce child pornography, production of child pornography, and aiding and abetting the receipt of child pornography.
justice.govVenezuela's bolivar, from banknote to children's toy
For the third time in 13 years, Venezuela has slashed zeroes off its inflation-battered currency, the bolivar. This time, it will shed six zeroes, for a total of 14 since 2008. With that, a million bolivars have overnight become one -- still the equivalent of about 25 US dollar cents. Venezuela's central bank announced the move last month to simplify transactions, with consumers scrambling to make payment for even the most basic goods or services. According to private sector estimates around two thirds of transactions in the country now happen in US dollars. Old banknotes now worth almost nothing have become children’s toys or lie discarded in streets around the country. The once-rich oil producer is battling its eighth year of recession and hyperinflation that reached nearly 3,000 percent in 2020 and more than 9,500 percent the year before, according to central bank figures.
news.yahoo.comLatinoamericanos viajan a Estados Unidos para recibir vacunas donde no faltan
Ante esta situación de superávit de vacunas en Estados Unidos y la negativa a esta población a usarlas, ciertos lugares ya ofrecen vacunación para turistas. Muchos latinoamericanos lo han considerado como una opción mejor que esperar por el turno correspondiente en sus países. Fue gratis y ya me dieron fecha para la segunda dosis; tengo que acercarme ahí y me la colocan”, dijo Rodríguez. En abril, el excandidato presidencial peruano Hernando de Soto tuvo que aclarar que se vacunó en Estados Unidos. Porcentualmente hablando, pocas personas pueden pagar los costos de un viaje a los Estados Unidos y los trámites para obtener la visa de turistas.
thewestsidegazette.comMiami officials say outdoor venue, sanitation stations will help keep people safe during ‘Down With the Chains’ event
City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Commissioner Joe Carollo held a news conference Friday to announce new details regarding the Call for Freedom of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua event.
US begins to ease Venezuela sanctions allowing propane deals
The U.S. government has begun to ease the crippling sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against Venezuela by allowing companies to export propane to the troubled South American country, a step that could mitigate a shortage that has pushed people to cook on charcoal or wood grills
washingtonpost.comDespite ally donations, few Venezuelans get COVID-19 vaccine
Some Venezuelans have gotten a shot in the arm thanks to a gift of Cuban-developed COVID-19 vaccines, bringing relief to some residents while simultaneously deepening the mystery around the country’s donation-dependent vaccination campaign
washingtonpost.comAutoridades nicaragüenses encarcelan líderes de oposición, facilitan reelección de Daniel Ortega
Tiene demasiadas conexiones con Venezuela y con Cuba para mantenerse en el poder, y él mismo quiere mantenerse en el poder. No me sorprendería que propongan a Rosario como presidente y Daniel como vicepresidente, o alguna otra combinación en la que Rosario sea la cabeza. A final de cuentas, Ortega está yendo en la dirección de ser reconocido como un paria en la región”, dijo Breda. Además, la familia Ortega, así como la familia Chamorro, son conocidas por acaparar el poder en la historia reciente del país. (Editado por Melanie Slone y Gabriela Alejandra Olmos)The post Autoridades nicaragüenses encarcelan líderes de oposición, facilitan reelección de Daniel Ortega appeared first on Zenger News.
thewestsidegazette.comFears over Iranian gunboats 'delivering missiles' to Venezuela
Concern is mounting over two ships from the Iranian Navy thought to be carrying a cargo of missiles and speeding across the Atlantic Ocean toward Venezuela. The ships were mid-ocean on Saturday, after reportedly departing from the port of Bandar Abbas in early May. It marks the first time that the Iranian military has sent vessels to round the Cape of Good Hope and enter the Atlantic. Satellite images show the larger of the two ships, the Makran, a forward supply vessel, carrying small, fast att
news.yahoo.comVenezuelan and Haitian leaders call for permanent protections in light of Supreme Court ruling
Venezuelan and Haitian leaders stood together at a press conference to call for permanent protections for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders in light of a Supreme Court decision, Monday, which excluded some TPS holders from permanent residency.
Venezuelan government seizes headquarters of independent newspaper founded in 1943
The duty of journalists is to keep those who are in power in check. This continues to be difficult in Venezuela where Nicolas Maduro and his supporters harass the Venezuelan editors, writers, reporters, and photojournalists who are doing their job.
Activists explain why Colombians are still protesting
Impoverished indigenous teenagers who left their families behind to get a college education in Bogotá have joined the tax reform protests. Some of them decided to march against police brutality. Others are demanding health reform and an increase of the $285 monthly minimum wage.
Opositor venezolano Leopoldo López: hay que negociar
Leopoldo López, un activista prominente de la oposición venezolana, dijo el miércoles que la reciente oferta de negociación hecha por su movimiento al gobierno del presidente Nicolás Maduro fue motivada por la crisis humanitaria en el país y el prolongado estancamiento político.
Venezuela gives US oilmen house arrest in gesture to Biden
Six American oil executives jailed in Venezuela more than three years ago on corruption charges have been granted house arrest in a gesture of goodwill toward the Biden administration as it reviews its policy toward the politically turbulent South American country.
EEUU a Venezuela: si siguen igual se aumentará la presión
Estados Unidos dijo el viernes que está trabajando con sus aliados de Latinoamérica y Europa para expandir la ayuda humanitaria y promover elecciones en Venezuela, pero advirtió que podría retomar la política de sanciones si no ve acciones concretas de cambios por parte del gobierno de Nicolás Maduro.