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Venezuela Opens Process to Choose New Supreme Court Judges

23 October 2026 at 22:42
The chairman of the Committee, Giuseppe Alessandrello, announced the early elaboration of a work schedule under the Supreme Court Law to ensure institutional stability and peace. Photo: EFE.

Venezuela’s National Assembly installed a Judicial Nominations Committee on Friday to evaluate and select new Supreme Court justices, a step lawmakers described as central to consolidating institutional stability.


The committee was formally established on October 23, at the Federal Legislative Palace in Caracas, one day after being sworn in during a legislative session.

Giuseppe Alessandrello, who presides over the body, announced that its immediate task is to draw up a work schedule under the Law of the Supreme Court of Justice.

RELATED: Venezuela’s Acting Pres. Delcy Rodríguez Meets 2015 Assembly Delegations

Alessandrello said the law opened the selection process to ordinary citizens. Writing on social media, he stated that the legislation brought people into the work of “evaluating and selecting the leadership, in this case of the Supreme Court of Justice, to seek plurality.”

#23Oct || Desde el Palacio Federal Legislativo se realiza la Instalación del Comité de Postulaciones Judiciales. pic.twitter.com/MczZA2GxJ7

— Asamblea Nacional 🇻🇪 (@Asamblea_Ven) October 23, 2026

Text reads: “From the Federal Legislative Palace is carried out the installation of the Judicial Applications Committee.”

The committee operates within a broader national dialogue that authorities describe as “building a new Venezuela.” Officials have repeatedly framed the judiciary as the institution responsible for guaranteeing what they call true and just peace among citizens. “The judicial branch is the institution that will guarantee peace among us,” Alessandrello said.

The work schedule will set specific periods for the call for nominations, the evaluation of candidates, and the handling of challenges and responses.

The final goal is to present a definitive list of eligible candidates to the National Assembly.

Alessandrello stressed the weight of the assigned tasks, linking them directly to institutional stability. The committee’s operational work and the eventual delivery of the list will follow the terms and periods established by current law.

The process is governed by the Organic Law of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It covers the selection of both principal and alternate justices of the Supreme Court of Justice.

Subrayó el rol clave de la ciudadanía:

"La ley incorporó a los ciudadanos y ciudadanas de la sociedad en este trabajo de evaluar y seleccionar a las directivas, en este caso del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, para buscar la pluralidad". pic.twitter.com/LhNVkaK6ov

— Asamblea Nacional 🇻🇪 (@Asamblea_Ven) October 23, 2026

Text reads: “The President of the committee, Giuseppe Alessandrello, highlighted the group’s harmony: “Everything we produce is decided unanimously and the auspices with the work of the committee are positive.” He also emphasized the importance of plurality in this process. He stressed the key role of citizenship: “The law incorporated citizens of society in this work of evaluating and selecting directives, in this case from the Supreme Court of Justice, to seek plurality.”

Selecting Court Leadership

The mandate extends beyond the high court itself. It also includes related judicial positions, among them the directorship of the National School of Magistrates.

The committee emerged from a process announced earlier this month. The National Assembly opened the nomination period between October 2 and October 9, allowing interested citizens and institutions to take part in the selection of the court’s leadership.

Once the schedule is finalized, the committee will move through successive phases, receiving nominations, reviewing candidates, and addressing any challenges filed against applicants. Each challenge will carry its own opportunity for a formal response before the list reaches the legislature.

The final list of selected candidates will be delivered to the National Assembly for consideration. The body’s work therefore functions as a preliminary filter within a process whose ultimate decisions rest with the legislature.

Cristina Kirchner Goes on Trial in Hotesur-Los Sauces Money Laundering Case

23 October 2026 at 21:03
(FILE) The Court enabled virtual participation for the first hearing of the accused. Photo: La Nacion.

A new trial in the unified Hotesur and Los Sauces money laundering cases opened Friday in Buenos Aires against Argentine former President Cristina Kirchner, her son, Deputy Máximo Kirchner, and 17 other defendants.


Federal Oral Tribunal 5 allowed the former President and the deputy to attend the opening session virtually, with the favorable vote of judges José Michilini and Fernando Machado Pelloni. The ruling sought to coordinate the deputy’s parliamentary schedule and simplify transfer logistics from the home where the former president is serving a sentence.

The remote format was granted exceptionally, only for the formal reading of the indictment and the order sending the case to trial. The tribunal said later hearings will be in person for all defendants.

RELATED: Cristina Kirchner’s Defense Seeks UN Help to Lift Public Office Ban

The case covers 19 people, including businessmen Lázaro Báez, Cristóbal López and Fabián de Sousa. Hearings are set for Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, including the January 2027 judicial recess, when the defense lawyers must attend in person every day.

With over 300 witnesses initially slated to testify, the dynamics of witness credibility and testimonies would play a crucial role in shaping the outcome, but it was reduced by agreement between the parties.

[JUSTICIA] Terminó la audiencia por Hotesur y Los Sauces: solicitaron que Cristina Kirchner sea juzgada como "jefa de una asociación ilícita, coautora de lavado de activos y admisión de dádivas", y su hijo, Máximo, fue imputado como "organizador del entramado criminal". https://t.co/3s4n4ORbW3 pic.twitter.com/VbWP9G9bve

— ElCanciller.com (@elcancillercom) October 23, 2026

Billing Under Scrutiny

The prosecution alleges that Kirchner’s family bought hotels and apartments, rented them to businessmen, mainly Báez, and laundered illegal money from public works.

The defense’s argument about the legitimacy of the funds is crucial. The defense, led by Carlos Beraldi and Ary Llernovoy, says the properties were bought with declared funds, including assets the family owned before Néstor Kirchner became Mayor of Río Gallegos, and that rentals were invoiced, banked and at market prices. The defense says similar claims were dismissed in three illicit enrichment cases. None of these claims has been tested at trial, and the defendants are presumed innocent.

Lawyer Carlos Beraldi maintained from the start that the hotels operated, collected and paid taxes like any other business. In September 2023, Chamber I of the Federal Chamber of Cassation revoked a previous dismissal and ordered that the trial go ahead.

The merged file brings together two fronts. Hotesur concerns the family’s hotel operation, while Los Sauces covers the real estate company at the center of the billing accusation.

The Cassation court removed the two judges who had dismissed the case and left only Palliotti, the magistrate who had voted to convict Cristina and Máximo Kirchner.

The same account recalls that in November 2021 judges Adrián Grünberg and Daniel Obligado dismissed the case against all defendants, with Adriana Palliotti dissenting, relying on an accounting expert report that found no harm. In September 2023, the Cassation Chamber overturned that decision and ordered a trial.

The opening of the process was preceded by an episode described as embarrassing. The Cassation court ordered the Federal Oral Tribunal 5 to merge the Hotesur and Los Sauces cases into a single proceeding and to begin it this Friday.

It is the first time in the country’s history that the Cassation court has dictated how a trial must be conducted, a power that normally belongs to each oral tribunal. Political pressure mounted after a Supreme Court resolution, and the judges had only 72 hours to unify the files. The order left the tribunal with no margin to set its own calendar.

The core of the Los Sauces case is the billing of the family’s real estate firm. According to the accusation, 88% of everything the company collected between 2009 and 2016 came from businesses controlled by Báez and from the Indalo Group.

The Hotesur portion of the merged case has not yet been read in court. The next hearings, set for October 26 and October 30, will determine how the combined process advances.

Text reads: “When there is political persecution, the times in the judiciary are always electoral.”

Italia: ¿el alto costo de vida pone a Meloni contra las cuerdas?

23 October 2026 at 16:10
El aumento del coste de la vida está elevando la tensión social en Italia y poniendo al Gobierno de Giorgia Meloni bajo presión. Las protestas por los bajos salarios y el encarecimiento de la energía han dado paso a bloqueos de transportistas y problemas de abastecimiento en varias regiones. Mientras el Ejecutivo defiende la disciplina fiscal, también ha tenido que aprobar ayudas de emergencia para los sectores más afectados. ¿Cómo puede Meloni responder al malestar ciudadano sin comprometer sus objetivos presupuestarios? Lo analizamos en Ventana a Europa.

My husband and I have different risk tolerances and approaches to investment. Here's how we handle it.

23 October 2026 at 11:51
The author and her husband
The author and her husband approach investing differently, but have figured out how to find a common ground.

Courtesy of Laura Leavitt

  • My husband and I have different approaches to investing.
  • He's risk-tolerant, and I'm a bit more risk-averse.
  • Still, we've managed to talk through financial decisions and find a common ground.

The conversation started because of a windfall: it was the first month that we didn't have the preschool tuition payment because my son was starting kindergarten. "I'd love for this money not to just disappear into the monthly budget," I said to my husband.

He nodded, and immediately had a suggestion. "What if we used it to start up a brokerage account? It'd be good to have some investments that are accessible without penalty before retirement."

Our approaches to investing differ

I knew, deep down, that this was a reasonable response to my point: we both already were on board with the idea of paying ourselves first, where we commit to an amount ahead of time for savings and retirement investments and then live on whatever we earn above that. This strategy served us well, and I wasn't opposed… exactly.

"I was actually hoping to use some of it to add to our emergency fund," I told him slowly. "And maybe getting some additional solar panels I've been looking at."

We have recently lived through instability that made me really appreciate the kinds of standard comforts that are currently easily accessible. Our family experienced the impact of a major hurricane only two years ago (Hurricane Helene), and when water, electricity, and telecommunications were interrupted for days and then weeks, I realized that a relatively modest amount of money and supplies would have made weathering a period of instability easier.

This is the place where my husband and I diverge: I tend to see things somewhat pessimistically, believing there's a good chance supply chains will be interrupted more than a few times during our lifetimes due to a variety of factors.

My husband has a generally optimistic, risk-tolerant approach to life. He knows we've made a solid plan for retirement, so he sees that a brokerage account offers promising returns (not guaranteed, but based on historical data) on funds that we've worked hard to earn. I'm sometimes fearful of the possibility of losing everything in a stock market crash.

I don't think either of us is truly at odds with the other person: my husband witnessed Helene and set to work setting up a battery backup system for our solar panels, an impressive feat and investment that falls more in line with my own risk-averse nature.

And I've never squashed his goals of investing for both short and long-term stability, even if, deep down, I want all our savings in high-yield savings accounts with FDIC protection.

We've learned how to figure out what's right for us

In order to make these conversations civil and positive, we tend to follow three steps.

First, we each get to make the case for why this investment, and why right now.

I think some of the way that we both get over our anxieties about spending or saving well is that we want to be heard, so he hears me out when I want to construct an expensive greenhouse on our property to grow more food, and I hear him out when he identifies that our current ages merit a somewhat risk-tolerant strategy so that we can reap the benefits when the market jumps higher.

Frequently, this process of hearing each other out helps us find an in-between pretty organically, and finding an in-between is the second step. Sometimes, we realize that, for instance, we are too busy to take full advantage of a greenhouse right now and should table it for a year or two. However, maybe this is a good year to invest in a higher-speed home charger for our electric car. Because many of his goals are "invest as much as possible," it's usually possible to buy some portion of the physical items I want while still contributing to our investments.

When I'm advocating for a deeper emergency fund, housed in a high-yield savings account rather than a market-invested brokerage account, I typically ask that we contribute in a percentage-based way. If I ask, for instance, for a windfall to be split 30/70, he gets to invest 70% of the money toward higher yields, and I get 30% in a very secure account. It's not exactly what either of us would like, but it ultimately gives us some benefits of both risk-averse and risk-tolerant strategies.

Finally, any time we find a split that really feels aligned for us, we see if we can make it a rule for the future, the third step. No one loves having to reinvent the wheel every time new money conversations come up. When that 70/30 split worked well for us once, I've returned to it for later money decisions, and while it sometimes needs to be adapted, it lets us balance each of our needs without a long discussion. My husband, famously of few words, likes when we can keep the conversations a little shorter and get back to playing a board game or watching a silly TV show to relax.

When we hear each other out, find a useful middle ground, and operationalize the result for future use, we find ways to invest in both a more secure and a more growth-focused future, favoring methods that work well for both our risk tolerance levels.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Paraguay Evacuates 4,200 Families as Parana River Overflows

23 October 2026 at 02:11
Inhabitants of the coastal neighborhoods in the department of Alto Parana face the rising waters after the continuous rains. Photo: EFE.

Severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall and the rising Parana River has forced the evacuation of some 4,200 families in eastern Paraguay, with local authorities monitoring vulnerable areas to move residents into temporary shelters.


More than 1,000 severely damaged homes are concentrated in the municipality of Ciudad del Este, where the rising waters have swallowed entire parcels of land. Remansito neighborhood was hit hardest. Around 35 families who work in recycling had to abandon houses submerged under the floodwater.

The emergency extends beyond that city. In the department of Ñeembucú, severe flooding has been reported in the towns of Ayolas and Cerrito. Local authorities and rescue teams continue to watch the most exposed areas as they coordinate the transfer of affected residents to temporary shelters.

RELATED: El Niño Phenomenon Reaches “Super” Category: Unprecedented Ocean Warming

The scale of the crisis has grown quickly. Just days earlier, official figures put the number of affected households at 3,000, a count that has now risen above 4,200 as the river keeps climbing.

Residents along the riverbank say the situation worsens considerably each time the gates of the Itaipu Binacional hydroelectric dam open. They argue that releasing the reservoir’s excess water has an immediate and direct impact on homes built along the coastal strip.

Dam Blamed, Rain Persists

Representatives of the hydroelectric facility defended the maneuver. The gate openings, they said, respond strictly to technical safety protocols established for operational contingencies. The dam’s administration rejected the claim that these operations are the main cause of the river overflowing in the region.

The dispute places technical necessity against lived experience. For the communities watching water pour into their streets, the relationship between the releases and the flooding feels direct. For the dam operators, the gates are simply doing what they were designed to do under extreme conditions.

The national weather agency has offered little relief. Projections from the Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology warn that rain will continue falling through the weekend across the country’s eastern zone. The agency urged the public and protection agencies to maintain precautionary measures amid the risk of new landslides.

#Paraguay | Families in La Rivera have been affected by flooding along the Paraná River, with rising water levels impacting homes and surrounding communities.
Footage captures the extent of the flooding and the challenges faced by residents as they deal with its consequences.… pic.twitter.com/7GKTOoXEnB

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 23, 2026

Solidarity has also moved through the affected areas. Neighbors in working-class sectors have organized to supply community kitchens and distribute donations of basic goods. That support network has become essential for families who left their homes with little more than what they could carry.

The flooding follows a pattern familiar to the region. The Paraná River, one of South America’s largest waterways, regularly swells after sustained rains, but the current emergency has outpaced local capacity to respond.

With the forecast showing no break in the weather, the number of displaced families could continue to rise. Shelters are filling, and the most vulnerable households, including those who earn their living from recycling along the riverbank, face an uncertain wait before the waters recede enough to return.

Pope Leo XIV Confirms Official Visit to Argentina in November

22 October 2026 at 22:55
The announcement put an end to speculation about the Pontiff's international agenda as he recovers from lung cancer surgery. Photo: EFE.

Pope Leo XIV confirmed his official visit to Argentina on Thursday, as he announced a four-day pastoral tour set to begin on November 8.


The Holy See press office released operational details of the journey after doctors cleared international travel, noting that the Pope requires no additional oncological treatment.

The Pope’s visit will include prisons, care homes for people with disabilities and meetings with workers’ organizations, reflecting an institutional intention to weigh in on debates over social justice, labor rights and the plight of the most vulnerable sectors.

RELATED: Vatican Confirms Successful Lung Surgery for Pope Leo XIV

His itinerary opens November 8 with a 4:30 P.M. local time arrival at Jorge Newbery Airport aboard a flight from Uruguay. From there he will pay tribute at the General San Martin Monument before attending a protocol reception hosted by President Javier Milei and meeting with diplomats.

The following day brings a packed schedule. Pope Leo will visit the Cottolengo in Don Orione, in Claypole, preside over a massive outdoor mass at the Monument to the Spaniards, meet with the labor sector at the Argentinean Catholic University, lead an interreligious gathering at San Martín Palace and dine with bishops at the Archbishopric.

During the welcoming session for newlyweds at the general audience, a couple said to Pope Leo XIV: “Papa, we’ll be waiting for you in Argentina!” The Pope replied enthusiastically: “Argentina—let’s go!” https://t.co/ut3jm7A7qB

— FrischeBriese (@FrischeB17467) October 22, 2026

On November 10 the tour moves inland to Cordoba province, where he will celebrate a liturgical ceremony at the Military Aviation School and walk through the of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Cathedral. He returns to Buenos Aires that night to preside over a youth vigil.

His final day, November 11, begins at the Federal Penitentiary Complex and continues with a mass at the of Lujan Basiliek. The trip concludes at 2:00 P.M. local time with a departure from Ezeiza International Airport bound for Lima.

Security and logistics teams from the Holy See are coordinating directly with Argentine authorities to finalize arrangements for the Pope’s movement at each public gathering on the schedule.

The visit unfolds in a political and social landscape shaped by the complex economic situation Argentina faces under the Milei’s administration. Structural tensions generated by fiscal adjustment policies and economic deregulation form the backdrop for a papal message that now carries deep political significance. The dignity of work and the protection of the vulnerable are expected to anchor his public remarks throughout the tour.

The confirmation also marks a decisive moment in the Pontiff’s recovery. Weeks after surgery, the international travel signals that his medical team considers the convalescence sufficiently advanced for the demands of a four-day, multi-city itinerary across two countries.

For Argentine faithful, the words delivered from St. Peter’s Square close months of uncertainty. The trip’s official schedule now stands, and preparations have shifted from speculation to logistics as November 8 approaches.

Powerful 7.0 Earthquake in China’s Tibet Kills at Least 16 People

22 October 2026 at 22:17
Relief brigades began operational field deployments to assess potential infrastructure damage and assist nearby communities. Photo: Xinhua.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Xizang and Qinghai regions of southern China on Thursday, killing at least 16 people and injuring 32 others.


Seismological monitoring placed the epicenter 202 kilometers north of Nagqu prefecture-level city in the Tibet Region, at a depth of ten kilometers.

The shallow focus amplified the tremor’s destructive force, sending shock waves across the autonomous region and into border areas of neighboring countries.

RELATED: China Evacuates Tibet Residents Amid Risk of Flood Lake Breach

The quake’s reach extended well beyond China’s borders, underscoring the scale of the event in a mountainous zone near the Himalaya range. Residents across the Himalayan chain felt the shaking, with alerts reported among populations in India, Myanmar and Nepal.

Rescue brigades and Chinese government agencies deployed immediately to the ground. Teams began assessing possible damage to infrastructure and attending to communities near the epicenter, where access routes and basic services could have been compromised.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Baqen County of Nagqu City in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, at 10:33 p.m. Thursday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). #XinhuaNews pic.twitter.com/ewln8dGEvn

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) October 22, 2026

Local authorities are conducting technical inspections in the Nagqu area, a settlement of about 30,000 inhabitants, and in Lhasa, the second-closest locality to the quake’s center. Emergency crews are checking the network of basic services and road structures in rural counties to rule out major damage from possible landslides.

Early Warning Network

China’s natural disaster response committees remain deployed as a preventive measure to coordinate logistical assistance and protect families living in zones of high seismic risk.

That response now leans on infrastructure the country has spent years building. In July, China consolidated the deployment of the world’s most extensive earthquake early warning system, a scientific network capable of issuing real-time alerts within seconds of detecting the first seismic movements.

The mechanism exploits a basic principle of physics, radio waves travel faster than seismic waves. That gap allows notifications to be triggered from magnitudes as low as 1.0, buying precious minutes for people to seek protection before the shaking arrives. The system covers more than 90% of the key risk areas across Chinese territory and generates intensity reports within minutes. Officials describe it as essential technical support for decision-making in rescue operations.

🇨🇳 A 7.0-magnitude earthquake in China's remote Tibet region has killed at least 16 people and injured dozens more, state media reports, with hundreds of houses collapsed. pic.twitter.com/IAH9IzVSHh

— Political Pen (@politicalpen_) October 22, 2026

Emergency management institutions maintain permanent monitoring in the most vulnerable areas, linking cutting-edge research with direct operational response to natural disasters.

The quake arrives against a backdrop of recent tragedy in the region. A flood in Nepal and Tibet left at least 1,143 people dead and the mountainous terrain now faces a new emergency demanding the same mobilization of rescue resources.

With the preliminary toll still being updated, the priority has shifted to reaching remote settlements where landslides may have cut roads and interrupted communications. The full extent of the damage will depend on how quickly those rural counties can be reached and assessed.

Luisa Gonzalez Denounces Political Persecution After Detention in Ecuador

22 October 2026 at 23:16
(FILE) The ex-presidential candidate appreciated the support of communities throughout the national territory and ratified the determination of the people to overcome the censorship of Noboa's government. Photo: AFP.

Former presidential candidate Luisa González denounced political persecution Thursday after security forces detained her in a predawn raid in Ecuador’s Manabí province, accusing the government of President Daniel Noboa of an authoritarian drift.


In her first written message since the arrest, Luisa González rejected the accusations against her and described the country’s institutional situation as “unsustainable.”

“Today it is my turn to be detained over an absurd accusation,” she wrote on X. “I will respond with the dignity of the Ecuadorian men and women who owe nothing and who are committed to achieving freedom for Ecuador and a better future for the country,” she added.

RELATED: Former Ecuadorian President Correa Denounces the Arrest of Luisa Gonzalez

The leading figure of the Citizen’s Revolution movement also warned of mistreatment and torture inflicted on political prisoners held by the current far-right government of Daniel Noboa.

Faced with what she called a repressive escalation and a socioeconomic decline marked by violence and state corruption, González issued a call for unity to social organizations and leftist movements. “To my partners of the Citizen’s Revolution and all progressive forces, I say: it is time for unity, unity and unity to achieve freedom and democracy in the country,” she said.

A mi patria querida 💛💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/fJrIXAvG0B

— Luisa González (@LuisaGonzalezEc) October 22, 2026

She thanked communities across the country for their support and insisted that the people remain determined to overcome government censorship. González closed her statement by asserting that popular silence would eventually break the authoritarian siege and restore sovereignty and full democracy to Ecuador.

A Judicial Crackdown

Luisa González was detained in the early hours of Thursday in the Canuto parish of Chone canton, Manabí province. National Police officers and state prosecutors carried out the operation under the name “Labyrinth case,” an inquiry authorities describe as targeting alleged electoral financing during the 2023 campaign.

The police deployment included simultaneous raids in Manabí and Pichincha provinces and ended with three people detained for the purpose of formal charges.

After the procedure, relatives and allies of González denounced uncertainty over her whereabouts. Officials have not clarified whether she remains in Manabí or is being transferred to Quito for a court hearing, a situation her supporters describe as a grave violation of due process guarantees.

The arrest is part of a broader judicial offensive against the Citizen’s Revolution movement, which is currently suspended for nine months following rulings by the Electoral Contentious Tribunal that critics say were designed to block its participation in sectional elections.

That institutional push previously prevented González from registering as a candidate for the Manabí prefecture. Quito mayor Pabel Muñoz, meanwhile, faced raids on his offices in the middle of his reelection campaign.

Ecuadorian Former President Rafael Correa denounced the detention of González in a separate statement, adding his voice to the growing criticism of the operation. The predawn arrest now places one of the government’s most prominent opponents at the center of a legal battle that her movement frames as political persecution rather than a legitimate investigation.

Asamblea Nacional aprueba incorporación de 12 representantes de la sociedad civil al Comité de Postulaciones Judiciales

La Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela aprobó por unanimidad a 12 representantes de la sociedad civil para integrar el Comité de Postulaciones Judiciales. Fueron seleccionados entre 85 candidatos elegibles y deberán ser juramentados para participar en la renovación del TSJ.

Asamblea de Venezuela incorpora 12 representantes de la sociedad civil en Comité de Postulaciones Judiciales

La Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela aprobó por unanimidad la incorporación de 12 representantes de la sociedad civil al Comité de Postulaciones Judiciales, órgano encargado de evaluar a los aspirantes a magistrados del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia como parte de la renovación del Poder Judicial.

State Department asked some career diplomats about voting for Trump: Report

22 October 2026 at 21:01
The State Department is asking some career diplomats who are applying for senior assignments about their voting history in the past three presidential elections, according to a report. Candidates who voted for President Trump would be eligible for the mid- to upper-level foreign service roles, the Washington Sun reported, adding that campaign donations were also…

Venezuela Reaffirms Sovereign Control of Oil Revenue as Deals Advance

22 October 2026 at 20:52
The president of the Venezuelan National Assembly has ratified that the country autonomously manages the resources captured through energy exports. Photo: EFE.

Venezuela’s National Assembly President reaffirmed sovereign control over the country’s oil revenues and reported 71 active energy agreements alongside 44 contracts under negotiation, framing the figures as evidence of a sector revival after years of financial restrictions.


The statements came amid what officials called a strategic reconfiguration of the Venezuelan hydrocarbon industry. After years of intense global financial restrictions, the gradual operational reactivation of agreements between state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and international firms aims to restore a steady flow of foreign currency into the national treasury.

“No foreign agency or international financial entity administers or safeguards the public funds that enter the country from hydrocarbon sales,” National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said.

RELATED: Venezuela’s Acting President Reviews Wage Consensus With Business, Unions

Rodríguez detailed that the money enters the public treasury under the supervision of authorized national banks, and he ruled out any external trust or any management of accounts by third parties outside the country’s institutions. In this sense, he called autonomy over foreign currency “a non-negotiable principle” for the country’s macroeconomic stability.

71 agreements are currently in force, while another 44 contracts are being negotiated. For the government, that volume confirms an operational momentum geared toward diversifying investment across the country’s main extraction fields.

The National Assembly President presented this dynamism as the result of a deliberate push to reopen the sector to international capital without surrendering control. Over the past several years, sweeping financial measures limited Venezuela’s ability to sell crude, collect payments and maintain production infrastructure. The current wave of deals represents a step-by-step return to commercial activity.

#EnVideo📹 | Coordinador del diálogo por el Gobierno Nacional, Jorge Rodríguez, aseveró que Venezuela mantiene el control sobre los recursos financieros obtenidos a través de la comercialización de petróleo hacia distintos países del mundo. pic.twitter.com/MUoEuwKXQI

— Ministerio de Comunicación e Información (@mippci_ven) October 22, 2026

Text reads: “Coordinator of the dialogue by the National Government, Jorge Rodríguez, asserted that Venezuela retains control over financial resources obtained through the marketing of oil to different countries in the world.”

Each reactivated agreement carries a single objective, officials indicated, the capture of hard currency for the public coffers. That revenue is meant to fund the productive apparatus and national infrastructure rather than remain subject to outside oversight.

By spreading investment across the country’s principal extraction zones, the government seeks to reduce dependence on any single field or partner.

Sovereign Control Defended

Reaffirming sovereign control over monetary flows stands as a central pillar of the government’s message. The leadership projected institutional stability at a moment when Washington continues to review and adjust the licenses it grants for oil operations.

Rodríguez also denounced continuous pressure and unilateral coercive measures against the country’s financial system by foreign powers. He said that, despite what he described as an economic siege, the government has consolidated alternative mechanisms to receive payments directly for oil-product exports.

Against that backdrop, the government is working to shield energy agreements legally, dismiss any suggestion of foreign tutelage and guarantee direct financing for public budgets.

Official strategy insists that autonomous management of oil income is an indispensable guarantee for preserving fiscal balance, defending the national currency and sustaining social development programs.

For the Bolivarian government, legal protection of the energy agreements goes hand in hand with financing priorities. The revenue is meant to flow directly toward the productive apparatus and public infrastructure, a framework that Rodriguez described as essential to institutional stability.

Diálogo en Venezuela cierra con acuerdos para revisar leyes y reformar instituciones

Representantes de la Asamblea Nacional de 2015 y del Parlamento de mayoría oficialista anunciaron avances en materia de garantías políticas, renovación institucional y revisión de leyes vinculadas a las inhabilitaciones y los partidos políticos.

Ronda de negociaciones en Venezuela concluye con acuerdos para revisar leyes y avanzar en reformas institucionales

Durante esta etapa se celebraron dos sesiones plenarias y quince reuniones técnicas, en las que se dio continuidad a las tres mesas de trabajo existentes y se instaló una cuarta dedicada a las garantías políticas, económicas y sociales.

Africa CDC Urges Global Help as Ebola Spreads

22 October 2026 at 03:37
The Africa CDC made an urgent call to the international community to support the fight against the Ebola outbreak with funding, medical supplies, diagnostic tests and trained response personnel. Photo: ABC.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued an urgent call for international solidarity Wednesday, warning that the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is spreading faster and across a wider geographic area than any previous outbreak of its kind.


The alert followed confirmation by Nigeria’s government on Tuesday of the country’s first case, a woman who arrived in the capital Abuja on an international flight from Uganda, who remains isolated under medical care while authorities work to contain any possible transmission.

Nigeria has become the fourth nation on the continent to report confirmed infections, joining the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya.

RELATED: Nigeria Confirms First Ebola Case as Outbreak Spreads in Africa

Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC, described the gravity of the moment in direct terms. “We cannot allow this outbreak to spread to more countries or continue for another year,” he said, stressing that the virus has now achieved the widest geographic reach in the history of the disease.

"This Ebola outbreak is no longer one country's fight."

Africa CDC Director General H.E. @Dr_JeanKaseya calls on every @_AfricanUnion Member State to detect early, trace every contact and protect health workers. On the 28th of October, he will be convening Africa's ministers of… https://t.co/7esmXLjk1N

— Africa CDC (@AfricaCDC) October 21, 2026

Four Countries Affected

The current episode stands as the second deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded worldwide, with more than 4,600 deaths across the region. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone, the toll has surpassed 4,205, a figure that underscores how deeply the epidemic has taken root there even as it extends into new territory.

Kaseya framed the response as inseparable from global security. “Every day of delay costs lives. Africa’s health security is global health security. Stopping Ebola in Africa today means protecting the world,” he said, adding that Nigeria has the agency’s total solidarity and that the outbreak must be defeated together.

Africa CDC had already anticipated the crisis. In May 2026 the specialized agency of the African Union declared a public health emergency of continental security, a warning that positioned the region’s institutions ahead of the current escalation. The agency has since begun mobilizing assistance toward Nigerian territory while reinforcing response operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Uganda.

Urgent Call for Funding

Kaseya directed his appeal beyond the continent, telling the international community what the response requires. “We need immediate and flexible funding, medical supplies, diagnostic tests, trained response personnel and stronger community surveillance,” he said.

The public health agency of the African Union has moved quickly to convert the appeal into action. On Wednesday it invited the region’s health ministers to a virtual meeting scheduled for October 28, where they will debate the spread of the virus and coordinate next steps. The gathering arrives less than a week after Nigeria’s first confirmed case, a timeline that reflects the urgency Kaseya has attached to the response.

Nigeria’s entry into the outbreak carries particular weight. The country is the most populous on the continent, and its capital’s connection to an international flight from Uganda raises questions about how far the virus may have traveled before detection. For now, the patient remains the single confirmed case in the country. But the presence of the disease in Abuja, rather than in a border community, changes the calculus for responders who must now trace contacts across a dense urban network. The woman’s isolation is one line of defense; the contact tracing around her is another, and both depend on the resources Africa CDC is struggling to assemble.

The outbreak’s trajectory since May has followed the pattern Kaseya warned about. Declared an emergency when still confined to a smaller footprint, it has now breached four national borders and shows no sign of slowing. The October 28 meeting of health ministers will test whether that warning has finally translated into the funding and supplies that African institutions have been requesting for months.

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