HUGO CHAVEZ

Venezuela’s government has released a former spy chief for the late Hugo Chavez who spent nearly five years in prison for spearheading a movement of disgruntled leftists that defied President Nicolás Maduro’s rule.

A former Venezuelan treasurer and nurse to late President Hugo Chavez, she is the first former high-ranking official to contest criminal charges in the U.S. Her jury trial, which kicked off this week in south Florida, is a critical test of federal prosecutors’ ability to hold accountable so-called Venezuelan kleptocrats for fleecing the oil rich nation. The transactions allowed privileged brokers to purchase dollar-denominated assets issued by Venezuela with bolivars at the overvalued official rate. The trial is taking place as normally hostile relations between the U.S. and Venezuelan are starting to ease after the Trump-era policy of “maximum pressure” to remove Maduro has stalled. Reflecting the charged nature of the case, Diaz’s attorneys at the start of the trial screened potential jurors for any ties to Venezuela, exile politics or hint of animosity toward Chavez.

A former Venezuelan treasurer and nurse to the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is contesting criminal charges in the U.S. Claudia Diaz is charged with money laundering, accused of taking at least $4.2 million in bribes and gifts in exchange for green lighting lucrative currency transactions.

The Associated Press has learned that a company with an office in Houston and another owned by two American citizens appear to be helping Venezuela bypass U.S. sanctions.

Extolling his administration's infrastructure plans in Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden projected confidence for Democrats at the midterm elections. "It ain't over until it's over," Biden said of his party's prospects in the Senate. (Oct. 20)

It’s one of the United States’ few enduring alliances in an often-turbulent Latin America, one built around a decades-long partnership combating the nation’s drug cartels.

Leftist parties that had nearly disappeared from the French political landscape have grown wings in the runup to Sunday’s legislative elections and now threaten to weaken President Emmanuel Macron and his hopes of slam-dunking his agenda through parliament.

A one-time rebel fighter has used an emotional anti-establishment discourse and promises to boost state involvement in the economy to garner a commanding lead in polls as Colombia heads into Sunday's presidential election.

Venezuela's auto mechanics are increasingly busy these days, trying to coax a little more life out of aging vehicles.

Venezuela-Corruption FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2018 file photo, Claudia Patricia Diaz Guillen, the nurse of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, leaves the national court in Madrid, Spain. The Venezuelan woman who rose from being the late President Hugo Chávez's nurse to the nation's treasurer has been extradited from Spain to the U.S. to face money-laundering charges. Federal prosecutors in South Florida are accusing Claudia Díaz, 48, of taking bribes from a billionaire media mogul to greenlight lucrative currency transactions when she served as Venezuela's treasurer a decade ago. (AP Photo/Paul White, File) (Paul White)WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — (AP) — A Venezuelan woman who rose from being the late President Hugo Chávez's nurse to the nation's treasurer has been extradited from Spain to the U.S. to face money-laundering charges. In 2011, Chávez named her Venezuela’s national treasurer, but she was replaced in 2013 when Chávez’s successor Nicolás Maduro was elected.

A Venezuelan woman who was the late President Hugo Chávez’s nurse and later the nation’s treasurer has been extradited from Spain to the U.S. to face money-laundering charges.

Colombian presidential frontrunner Gustavo Petro pledged that he will not nationalize private property if he wins the nation’s presidency this year as critics in the South American country accuse the leftist candidate of wanting to make radical changes to the country’s free market economy.

Maybel Sequera and Juan González recently shared for lunch a plate of noodles and beans at their home in a low-income neighborhood west of Venezuela’s capital.

The Venezuelan opposition was re-energized recently by an unexpected gubernatorial victory in the home state of the late President Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council says an opposition petition drive seeking to force a recall referendum against President Nicolás Maduro fell far short of the signatures needed.

(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) (Matias Delacroix)CARACAS, Venezuela — (AP) — Venezuelans got a chance on to demand a recall of President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday — but a government-friendly electoral board imposed limits that backers said were impossible to meet. “The recall referendum is absolutely blocked,” Luis Lander, director of the independent Venezuelan Electoral Observatory, said this week. Twenty percent of voters in each state must sign such a petition to call for a recall vote. Nicmer Evans, a member of Venezuelan Movement for Recall that filed a request for the recall, complained on Twitter that the conditions were imposed without consultation and were unconstitutional. An attempt to recall Maduro in 2016 was suspended by the electoral council at the order of local courts.

Venezuelans are getting a chance on to demand a recall of President Nicolás Maduro.

APTOPIX Venezuela Elections Grass grows around a mural of the late President Hugo Chavez's in his home state of Barinas, in Barinas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. The internal struggles of Chavismo were encapsulated by the apparent defeat — and its aftermath — of one of Chávez’s brothers during gubernatorial elections in November. Chávez, elected in 1998, promised to improve the lives of Venezuela’s poorest using the country’s oil. He expanded social services, including housing and education, thanks to the country's oil bonanza, which generated revenues estimated at some $981 billion between 1999 and 2011 as oil prices soared. The country’s political, social and economic crises, entangled with plummeting oil production and prices, have continued under Maduro’s watch.

The internal struggles of the movement started by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez were encapsulated by the apparent defeat _ and its aftermath _ of one of his brothers during the gubernatorial election in November.

A judge says that a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems can go forward.

Venezuela Elections A mural depicting late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez adorns a wall at his home town Sabaneta, in Barinas state in Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs and the government's top hostage negotiator, arrived in Caracas on a chartered flight Tuesday evening and returned home Friday in a previously unreported visit. One person familiar with the visit described Carstens’ jailhouse meeting with the six executives from Houston-based Citgo, which lasted about 90 minutes, as highly emotional. Carstens told the prisoners he had discussed their case with Maduro government officials while in Caracas but declined to say whom. ____AP Writer Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela and Matthew Lee in Liverpool, England contributed to this report.

Venezuela Elections A mural depicting late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez adorns a wall at his home town Sabaneta, in Barinas state in Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs and the government's top hostage negotiator, arrived in Caracas on a chartered flight Tuesday evening and returned home Friday in a previously unreported visit. One person described Carstens’ jailhouse meeting with the six executives from Houston-based Cigto, which lasted about 90 minutes, as highly emotional. Carstens told the prisoners he had discussed their case with Maduro government officials while in Caracas but declined to say whom. ____AP Writer Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela and Matthew Lee in Liverpool, England contributed to this report.

The Associated Press has learned that a senior U.S. diplomat quietly traveled to Venezuela this week and met with imprisoned Americans in an ongoing effort to secure their release.

For many Hondurans, Sunday’s election will be about removing a party whose successive administrations are widely seen as deepening the country’s corruption over the past 12 years, driving tens of thousands to flee the country.

Zoe Martano is no stranger to misery.

The Christian Broadcasting Network says Pat Robertson is stepping down as host of the long-running daily television show the “700 Club.”.

A Rome court has rejected a request by Venezuela to extradite its former oil czar to face corruption charges, citing the country’s record in violating human rights.

Spain’s Supreme Court has refused to suspend a government decision allowing a former Venezuelan spymaster to be extradited to the United States.

A gathering of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean here this weekend is the latest sign of Mexico flexing its diplomatic muscle as it looks to assert itself as the new mediator between the region and the United States.

Venezuela US Maduro FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2019 file photo, former Venezuelan military spy chief, retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal, walks out of prison in Estremera on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File) (Manu Fernandez)MADRID — (AP) — Police in Madrid on Thursday arrested a former Venezuelan spymaster wanted on U.S. narcoterrorism charges, capturing him in a hideout apartment nearly two years after he defied a Spanish extradition order and disappeared. Gen. Hugo Carvajal, who for over a decade was late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez’s eyes and ears in the Venezuelan military, was arrested in the small apartment in which he had been holed up. From Europe, Carvajal had hoped to leverage contacts and knowledge of the Venezuelan deep state to mount a military-backed rebellion against Maduro. Those witnesses include members and associates of the “Cartel of the Suns,” former high-ranking Venezuelan officials, according to the affidavit.

Venezuela US Maduro FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2019 file photo, former Venezuelan military spy chief, retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal, walks out of prison in Estremera on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File) (Manu Fernandez)MADRID — (AP) — Police in Madrid on Thursday arrested a former Venezuelan spymaster wanted on U.S. narcoterrorism charges, capturing him in a hideout apartment nearly two years after he defied a Spanish extradition order and disappeared. Gen. Hugo Carvajal, who for over a decade was late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez’s eyes and ears in the Venezuelan military, was arrested in the small apartment in which he had been holed up. From Europe, Carvajal had hoped to leverage contacts and knowledge of the Venezuelan deep state to mount a military-backed rebellion against Maduro. Those witnesses include members and associates of the “Cartel of the Suns,” former high-ranking Venezuelan officials, according to the affidavit.

Police in Madrid have arrested in a hideout apartment a former Venezuelan spymaster on U.S. narcotics charges more than a year after he defied a Spanish extradition order and disappeared.

A federal judge has cleared the way for a defamation case by Dominion Voting Systems to proceed against Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell, allies of former President Donald Trump who had all falsely accused the company of rigging the 2020 presidential election.

Vote-counting machine maker Dominion Voting Systems is filing defamation lawsuits against right-wing broadcasters and a prominent Donald Trump ally over their baseless claims that the 2020 election was marred by fraud.

A federal judge appeared skeptical of arguments to dismiss a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over baseless 2020 election claims made by Trump allies Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani and the MyPillow Guy.

Peruvians are set to pick a new president amid a relentless coronavirus pandemic that has even pushed cemeteries in the South American nation beyond capacity.

A Venezuelan state governor who once served as defense minister for former President Hugo Chavez has died, officials said Saturday. Gen. Jorge Luis García Carneiro was 69. The death was confirmed in a string of tweets from senior officials, including President Nicolás Maduro, who called him “a friend, a brother for life.”

A surging pandemic that has brought new lockdown measures has pushed the upcoming elections to the background for many weary voters in the neighboring South American nations of Ecuador and Peru.

FILE- In this Sept. 16, 2019, file photo, a Dominion Voting Systems voting machine is seen in Atlanta. Attorneys for Dominion said Fox News’ behavior differs greatly from that of other media outlets that reported on the claims. Though Dominion serves 28 states, until the 2020 election it had been largely unknown outside the election community. One employee, Eric Coomer, told the AP he had to go into hiding over death threats because of the false claims. A rival technology company, Smartmatic USA, also sued Fox News over election claims for a similar sum of money.

AdA senior Biden administration official portrayed that as a failed strategy. “The United States is in no rush to lift sanctions," the official said, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss the policy. Any easing of sanctions would likely face opposition in Congress, but the granting of temporary protected status for Venezuelans has bipartisan support. Temporary protected status is a more formal status that cannot be as easily reversed. Citizens of 10 countries, totaling about 400,000 people, are in the United States now with temporary protected status.

Since losing the November election to President Joe Biden, Trump has been hemorrhaging attorneys. Trump's impeachment lawyers started off their defense by misspelling the words “United States” in their brief. Navarro told The Associated Press that he “warned the president that his legal team was going to fail him." Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said Trump’s team did a “terrible job." AdBut after impeachment, Trump's legal needs will likely accelerate, with the investigations in New York, Georgia and possibly Washington, D.C., where prosecutors will have the power of subpoena.

(AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)QUITO – A young leftist backed by a convicted-but-popular former president led the field of 16 candidates in early returns from Ecuador’s presidential election Sunday, which was held under strict sanitary measures due to the coronavirus pandemic. Arauz got 31.5% of the votes, while Pérez had 20.04% and Lasso had 19.97%, according to the Electoral Council of Ecuador. To win outright, a candidate needed 50% of the vote, or to have at least 40% with a 10-point lead over the closest opponent. Pérez's challenge to grab second place surprised some observers as he had trailed behind Arauz and Lasso in pre-election polls. That conviction barred him from running as Arauz's vice presidential candidate.

Supporters of presidential candidate Yaku Perez, representing the Indigenous party Pachakutik, take part in a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. Voters in Ecuador are heading to the polls to pick a new president amid a deepening economic crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)QUITO – Evidence of the crisis in Ecuador is everywhere: shuttered restaurants, soaring oxygen tank prices and countless “for sale” and “for rent” signs hanging from buildings. Jaramillo said the top two challenges for Ecuador’s next president go hand in hand: A proper vaccination campaign of the majority of the population will be necessary to start the country’s economic recovery. The pandemic paralyzed 70% of businesses last year and left 600,000 unemployed, bringing the country’s unemployment rate to almost 68%.

There is increasing concern for the safety of journalists covering protests at state capitals across the U.S., and in Washington. This week, now as a reporter in Oregon, I attended virtual training by the state police on what to do if there's a shooting rampage in the Oregon Capitol. The Legislature’s leadership, for the first time, included journalists in the training after several were assaulted by rioters outside the state Capitol in December. What has happened at the Oregon Capitol is a clear example of how those divisions have become sharper and more bitter. Until last year, protests at the marble-sheathed state Capitol had been relatively mild.

WASHINGTON – Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit against lawyer Sidney Powell on Friday, seeking at least $1.3 billion for Powell's “wild accusations” that the company rigged the presidential election for Joe Biden. “Dominion brings this action to set the record straight,” the company said in the suit filed in federal court in Washington. Powell has been representing Trump in a series of unsuccessful lawsuits filed to contest the election outcome. There was no widespread fraud in the election, which a range of election officials across the country including Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed. Eric Coomer, Dominion's security director, already has sued Powell, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and the president's campaign for defamation after he was driven into hiding by death threats.

The ruling socialist party assumed the leadership of Venezuela's congress on Tuesday, the last institution in the country it didn't already control. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)CARACAS – Parading giant portraits of Hugo Chavez and independence hero Simon Bolivar, allies of President Nicolas Maduro retook control of Venezuela's congress Tuesday, the last institution in the country it didn’t already control. “They are trying to annihilate Venezuela’s democratic force,” Guaidó said in his online address, which was overshadowed by the government’s celebratory session in the legislature downtown. Rodriguez emphasized that urgent work would be needed to mitigate the fallout from U.S. sanctions, which have exacerbated Venezuela's many homespun economic problems. He also reiterated a desire for dialogue with the opposition at the same time that Maduro and others have threatened arrest for Guaidó.

[TRENDING: $600 direct payments could be coming soon | Cookies made from python eggs | Motive sought in Nashville bombing]The virus cratered the state's economy. Of course, the virus wasn't the only major Florida story in 2020. November's election had only minor problems even with the pandemic, perhaps burying the state's reputation for voting ineptitude forever. But on April 1, with 130 Floridians dead and 10,000 confirmed cases, DeSantis issued a 30-day stay-at-home order with exceptions for essential workers and such activities as grocery shopping. With cases declining, DeSantis loosened restrictions in early May except for hard-hit Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Many Republican voters in Georgia are angry; certain that widespread voter fraud claims of which are baseless cost President Donald Trump the election. The companies deny several statements made about them, and there is no evidence any voting system switched or deleted votes in the 2020 election. That came days after Smartmatic sent a letter threatening legal action to Fox and two other networks popular with Trump supporters, Newsmax and One America News Network. A statement aired by Newsmax anchors on Monday, and also printed on the company website, was much broader and concerned both Smartmatic and Dominion. “No evidence has been offered that Dominion or Smartmatic used software or reprogrammed software that manipulated votes in the 2020 election,” Newsmax said.

Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday, Dec. 1, that the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud and has seen nothing that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)WASHINGTON – Disputing President Donald Trump’s persistent, baseless claims, Attorney General William Barr declared the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election. Under federal regulations, a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons such as misconduct, dereliction of duty or conflict of interest. An attorney general must document such reasons in writing. Trump himself continues to rail against the election in tweets and in interviews though his own administration has said the 2020 election was the most secure ever.

Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday, Dec. 1, that the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud and has seen nothing that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)WASHINGTON – Disputing President Donald Trump’s persistent, baseless claims, Attorney General William Barr declared Tuesday the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election. Under federal regulations, a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons such as misconduct, dereliction of duty or conflict of interest. An attorney general must document such reasons in writing. Trump himself continues to rail against the election in tweets and in interviews though his own administration has said the 2020 election was the most secure ever.

The purpose: to lure Exxon back to Venezuela after a decade's absence and inject much-needed dynamism into the OPEC nation's collapsing oil industry. But Sessions did engage in other mediation efforts in Venezuela over the next 15 months. The earlier email regarding Exxon and his connection to Rivera was not known at the time. The five-sentence message sent to Sessions' personal email address, which starts with the word eagle," is short on specifics. The U.S. Department of State would be your best resource for any information regarding contacts made with Venezuela, a spokesman said.

Guaid said Monday, May 11, 2020 that two U.S.-based political advisers have resigned following a failed incursion into Venezuela aimed at capturing President Nicols Maduro. In exchange, officials paid Gonzlez $20 million between 2014 and 2018 to provide goods and services to Citgo's parent company, PDVSA, at inflated prices. "Citgo lost millions of dollars as a result," the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit follows a similar complaint filed by Citgo two weeks ago against former Miami congressman David Rivera for allegedly breaking a $50 million consulting contract with PDVSA. To date, 28 individuals have been charged as part of the ongoing probe by prosecutors in Houston, Miami and Washington.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro Marco Bello | ReutersWASHINGTON In the latest move meant to back Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, the Trump administration on Tuesday sanctioned more than a dozen aircraft used to support the regime of President Nicolas Maduro. The Department of Treasury identified 15 aircraft operated by Venezuela's state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, that transport senior members of the Maduro regime. According to the Treasury release, Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Salvador Quevedo Fernandez flew to an OPEC meeting last year in the United Arab Emirates on a PDVSA aircraft. During his campaign for president, Chavez vilified the U.S. and other countries he felt were taking advantage of Venezuela. Maduro, who is not the charismatic leader Chavez was, consolidated his power in 2017 by stripping the country's opposition-led legislature of power.