Fox, Dominion argue over legal standards to prove defamation
March 22, 2023 GMTWILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Lawyers for Fox News and a voting machine company tangled Wednesday over the high bar to prove defamation in a $1.6 billion lawsuit that has embarrassed the conservative network over its airing of false claims related to the 2020 presidential election.
Oil exec held for 5 years in Venezuela sues Citgo for $100M
March 22, 2023 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — One of the Citgo oil executives who was held for nearly five years in Venezuela has sued his company for $100 million, alleging it conspired in his detention and then abandoned him and his family as he wasted away in horrific prison conditions for a crime he didn’t commit.
Getting safe water a struggle for many of Venezuela’s poor
March 22, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Everyone knows Franklin Cáceres in his neighborhood on the far east side of Venezuela’s capital. A roadside vendor directs a visitor downhill, past a curve and to the left.
Venezuela oil czar in surprise resignation amid graft probes
March 21, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The man responsible for running Venezuela's oil industry — the one that pays for virtually everything in the troubled country, from subsidized food to ridiculously cheap gas — has quit amid investigations into alleged corruption among officials in various parts of the government.
Venezuela’s oil czar resigns amid corruption investigations
March 21, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s oil czar announced his resignation Monday as officials investigate alleged corruption among public officials in the state oil industry and other parts of the government.
Governments pledge money, attention to Venezuela’s crisis
March 17, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Governments and financial institutions pledged millions of dollars Friday for humanitarian and development projects to address the urgent needs of Venezuelans at home and abroad affected by a crisis that diplomats acknowledged requires renewed attention.
Ohtani leads Japan over Italy 9-3, into WBC semifinals
March 17, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Japan manager Hideki Kuriyama still gets a special tingle watching Shohei Ohtani. It's been that way since Kuriyama managed the two-way star with the Hokkaido Ham-Fighters.
“When we see Shohei playing, not only the players but also the Japanese baseball fans, all the nation is feeling something extra,” Kuriyama said through a translator after Ohtani led Japan over Italy 9-3 on Thursday night to put the Samurai Warriors in their fifth straight World Baseball Classis semifinal.
Foreign policy of Brazil’s Lula takes shape, irking the West
March 16, 2023 GMTRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s new President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has so far shown little concern about defying consensus in the West on foreign policy -- even when it comes to dealing with authoritarian governments.
OAS boss traveled with female aide at center of ethics probe
March 9, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — The head of the Organization of American States made almost three dozen work trips with a female staffer with whom he maintained a long-running intimate relationship, according to travel records uncovered by The Associated Press.
All-Star Pérez with different pitch, sings Venezuelan anthem
March 9, 2023 GMTWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — This was a different kind of pitch for All-Star pitcher Martín Pérez, who is playing for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.
Pérez sang the Venezuelan national anthem before the team played an exhibition game Wednesday night against the Houston Astros.
José Pekerman leaves role as Venezuela coach after 15 months
March 8, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — José Pekerman has left his role as Venezuela's national team coach after being in charge for only 15 months and 10 matches.
The South American country's soccer federation said in a statement Wednesday that it had terminated the contracts of the 73-year-old Argentine coach and his agent Pascual Lezcano, who also worked as a director of the federation.
Lebanon, Gabon and South Sudan regain UN vote, not Venezuela
March 7, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The president of the U.N. General Assembly announced Tuesday that Lebanon, Gabon and South Sudan made sufficient payments to restore their voting rights in the 193-member world body, leaving Venezuela as the only country that is barred from voting.
Venezuelans still miss Chavez, want Maduro to do ‘better’
March 7, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — In his last televised message before dying of cancer, the late President Hugo Chávez told Venezuelans to choose Nicolás Maduro as his successor, promising that the leftist policies that oversaw a reduction in poverty would continue under the then-vice president's guidance.
A generation of Venezuelan children know only struggles
March 5, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Valerie Torres’ mother has tried to shield her from the worst of Venezuela’s protracted crisis — the deadly protests, the sick people begging for help, the malnourished children with protruding ribs.
Police: Venezuelan businessman killed son, self in Miami
March 3, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — A businessman who was facing conviction on bribery charges linked to Venezuela’s state oil company killed his 3-year-old son before fatally shooting himself in a luxury condominium in Miami, police said.
Brazilian team suffers racist abuse before match in Caracas
February 23, 2023 GMTSAO PAULO (AP) — South American soccer body CONMEBOL condemned racist incidents that took place in Venezuela's capital before a Copa Libertadores qualifying match between Carabobo and Brazil's Atletico Mineiro.
Presidents of Colombia, Venezuela sign trade deal on border
February 17, 2023 GMTBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The presidents of Colombia and Venezuela met on their border Thursday to sign an agreement designed to improve trade between the two countries and lift import duties on dozens of manufactured goods.
Trout, Betts, Ohtani among 8 MVPs in World Baseball Classic
February 10, 2023 GMTPALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The United States’ Mike Trout and Mookie Betts, Japan’s Shohei Ohtani and Venezuela’s Miguel Cabrera and Jose Altuve are among eight Major League Baseball MVPs on rosters for next month’s World Baseball Classic.
Dudamel to become NY Philharmonic music director, leave LA
February 7, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Gustavo Dudamel will become music director of the New York Philharmonic for the 2026-27 season, ending a heralded tenure with the Los Angeles Philharmonic that began in 2009.
US court gives $153 million to Miami man jailed in Venezuela
January 23, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — A federal judge in Miami has awarded $153 million in damages to the family of an exiled Venezuelan lawyer lured back home by his father’s kidnapping only to end up imprisoned for two years on trumped up charges of working as a “financial terrorist” undermining President Nicolás Maduro's rule.
Venezuela frees former spy chief who defied Nicolás Maduro
January 21, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — Venezuela’s government has freed a former spy chief who spent nearly five years in prison for leading a movement of loyalists to the late leftist President Hugo Chávez in challenging the rule of his handpicked successor, Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela, Lebanon, SSudan lose UN voting rights over dues
January 20, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Venezuela, Lebanon and South Sudan are in arrears on paying dues to the United Nations’ operating budget and are among six nations that have lost their voting rights in the 193-member General Assembly, the U.N.
Maduro’s newest foe: an in-home caregiver who fled Venezuela
January 13, 2023 GMTVALENCIA, Spain (AP) — Like many of the 7 million Venezuelans who have abandoned their homeland in recent years, when Dinorah Figuera left behind her family and medical career in 2018 she was forced to accept meals from local charities and hop from one low-cost shared apartment to another upon arriving in Spain.
Venezuela orders arrest of exiled lawmakers fighting Maduro
January 9, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's socialist government has ordered the arrest of three exiled former lawmakers at the forefront of renewed efforts to unseat President Nicolas Maduro.
Dinorah Figuera leads an all-female team selected last week by fellow opposition politicians to lead the National Assembly that was voted into office in 2015.
Exiled Venezuela lawmakers chosen to lead anti-Maduro fight
January 9, 2023 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s opposition has selected an all-female team of mostly unknown exiled former lawmakers to replace the beleaguered Juan Guaidó as the face of its faltering efforts to remove socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
Message from US asylum hopefuls: Financial sponsors needed
January 6, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — Migrants and asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries have increasingly found that protections in the United States are available to those with money or the savvy to find someone to vouch for them financially.
Colombia, Venezuela open key binational bridge as ties warm
January 1, 2023 GMTBUCARAMANGA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia and Venezuela on Sunday opened a key bridge linking the countries that had been closed for almost seven years amid political tensions, launching an era of improved relations under Colombia’s new leftist president.
Venezuelan opposition strips Guaidó of ‘presidential’ role
December 31, 2022 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — For three years, Juan Guaidó led the Venezuelan opposition’s efforts to bring about new elections and remove socialist President Nicolás Maduro.
But on Friday, dozens of politicians who once backed Guaidó voted in favor of removing the 39-year-old engineer and replacing his U.S.-supported “interim government” with a committee to oversee presidential primaries next year and protect the nation’s assets abroad.
In Venezuela, Maduro-like Christmas toy stirs controversy
December 28, 2022 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Every year, Venezuela’s socialist government hands out thousands of Christmas presents to the nation’s poorest children, including bicycles, Barbie dolls and plastic trucks imported from China.
US judge rejects Maduro ally’s claim of diplomatic immunity
December 24, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — A federal judge in Miami on Friday rejected attempts by a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to shield himself from criminal charges, ruling Alex Saab isn't entitled to diplomatic immunity in the U.S.
Migrants near US border face cold wait for key asylum ruling
December 23, 2022 GMTEL PASO, Texas (AP) — Hairdresser Grisel Garcés survived a harrowing, four-month journey from her native Venezuela through tropical jungles, migrant detention centers in southern Mexico and then jolting railcar rides north toward the U.S.
Venezuela opposition looks to overhaul ‘interim government’
December 22, 2022 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Juan Guaidó has been the face of Venezuelans' efforts to restore their democracy since he took to the streets to challenge the rule of President Nicolás Maduro in early 2019.
Everton striker Rondon leaves club 6 months early
December 16, 2022 GMTLIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Everton striker Salomon Rondon agreed to terminate his contract with the club six months early on Friday.
The 33-year-old Venezuela international made just three starts since Frank Lampard took over at the end of January despite first-choice forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin spending much of that period injured.
Venezuela’s Maduro enters 2023 seeking global recognition
December 15, 2022 GMTLIMA, Peru (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was not invited to a summit of Western Hemisphere leaders in June. But by October, he traveled to Egypt for a conference where he joked with French President Emmanuel Macron and shook hands with John Kerry, the U.S.
Jury finds Hugo Chavez’s ex-nurse guilty of money laundering
December 13, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — 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.
Mexico to host next round of Colombian peace talks
December 13, 2022 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Colombia's government and its largest remaining rebel group on Monday said they will continue to hold peace talks in Mexico following three weeks of negotiations in Venezuela's capital that have only yielded modest results.
Venezuela’s Maduro to fully open border with Colombia
December 13, 2022 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday announced his intention to fully open the border crossings with Colombia starting Jan. 1, a measure repeatedly postponed following the restoration of diplomatic and commercial ties between the South American neighbors.
Maduro ally seeks recognition as Venezuela diplomat in court
December 12, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — For more than two years, almost since the time of his arrest on U.S. warrant, Alex Saab has insisted he is a Venezuelan diplomat targeted for his work helping the South American country circumvent American economic sanctions.
Oil spill smears coast in Venezuelan tourist hotspot
December 6, 2022 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — An oil spill has polluted more than 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of coastline at the city of Lechería, one of Venezuela's top tourist destinations, the city's mayor said Tuesday.
Ex-Miami US Rep. David Rivera arrested in Venezuela probe
December 6, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela’s socialist government was arrested Monday on charges of money laundering and representing a foreign government without registering.
Pelicans dying as bird flu outbreak spreads to Venezuela
December 5, 2022 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — An outbreak of bird flu in pelicans has authorities in Venezuela taking emergency efforts to protect poultry producers.
Numerous pelicans were found dead over the weekend along Venezuela’s coast as the species arrived amid their annual winter migration.
Venezuelan publisher receives award from US book association
November 30, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — One of Venezuela's few remaining independent publishers is being honored by the Association of American Publishers, the trade association announced Wednesday.
Editorial Dahbar, which publishes books that include interviews with political prisoners and critiques of the country's criminal justice system, has been given the AAP's International Freedom to Publish/Jeri Laber Award.
Colombia asks for legal status for its people already in US
November 30, 2022 GMTBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia wants the Biden administration to grant temporary legal status to its citizens now living in the United States, noting its own efforts to address regional migration by hosting 2 million Venezuelans who fled their homes.
Bribery trial tests US cases against Venezuela kleptocrats
November 29, 2022 GMTFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — For years, as the U.S. has ramped up pressure on Venezuela’s socialist government, dozens of allegedly corrupt insiders have raced through the U.S. criminal justice system, cutting plea bargains to avoid lengthy prison sentences and sparing prosecutors the work of having to prove their cases in court.
Venezuela’s gov, opponents resume talks; US eases sanction
November 26, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Venezuela’s government and its opposition on Saturday agreed to create a U.N.-managed fund to finance health, food and education programs for the poor, while the Biden administration eased some oil sanctions on the country in an effort to boost the newly restarted talks between the sides.
Venezuela’s government, opposition to resume negotiations
November 24, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The government of Venezuela and its opposition announced Thursday the resumption over the weekend of long-stalled negotiations meant to find a common path out of their country’s complex crisis.
Colombian government, guerrilla group resume peace talks
November 21, 2022 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Colombian government and the South American country’s largest remaining guerrilla group resumed peace talks Monday, breaking a roughly four-year hiatus during which the rebels have expanded the territory where they operate.
Venezuelan baseball league condemns violence after 2 brawls
November 21, 2022 GMTCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League on Sunday condemned violence and unsportsmanlike conduct on the field after two incidents the day before, including one in which former two-time MLB all-star Asdrúbal Cabrera attacked a rival player as he celebrated a home run.
US-owned firms appear to help Venezuela avoid US sanctions
November 16, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — A company with an office in Houston and another owned by two American citizens appear to be helping Venezuela bypass U.S. sanctions and quietly transport millions in petroleum products aboard an Iranian-built tanker, The Associated Press has learned.
Venezuela’s bid to save ‘diplomat’ from US charges takes hit
November 8, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — For two years, Venezuela's socialist government has fought to extricate from the U.S. criminal justice system an insider businessman it claims was on an ultra-secret mission to ally Iran when he was arrested on a U.S.
Airline flights resume between Colombia and Venezuela
November 8, 2022 GMTBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Commercial flights between Colombia and Venezuela resumed Monday as relations improve between the South American neighbors following the election of Colombia’s first leftist president.
Venezuela, opposition reported preparing to resume talks
November 5, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The Venezuelan government and the political opposition are preparing to resume talks stalled for more than a year, people familiar with the process told The Associated Press on Friday.
Colombia’s President promises to deepen ties with Venezuela
November 1, 2022 GMTBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The presidents of Colombia and Venezuela met on Tuesday and said they would improve trade and security cooperation, as both countries seek to normalize relations following the election of Colombia’s first leftist leader.
ICC prosecutor seeks to resume Venezuela investigation
November 1, 2022 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor sought Tuesday to reopen his investigation into allegations of torture and extrajudicial killings committed by Venezuelan security forces under President Nicolás Maduro’s rule.
Colombia leader to see Venezuela’s Maduro as isolation thaws
October 31, 2022 GMTThe presidents of Colombia and Venezuela will have a face-to-face meeting Tuesday for the first time in six years as Colombia's new leader moves rapidly to improve long-frigid relations with a socialist neighbor still facing international sanctions.
Venezuelans halted in Panama by US policy change return home
October 26, 2022 GMTPANAMA CITY (AP) — With dashed dreams and empty hands, hundreds of Venezuelan migrants are stranded in Panama’s capital looking for a way home after surviving the crossing of the Darien Gap only to find that a United States policy change had closed the border to them.
Venezuelans expelled from US decide next steps in Mexico
October 23, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — In a shelter on Mexico City’s east side, Venezuelan mechanic José Cuicas is waiting anxiously for an American friend to answer his request to sponsor him for one of the 24,000 visas the Biden administration says it will give to Venezuelans.
U.S.-bound migration from Venezuela plunges under new policy
October 22, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Border crossings by Venezuelans fleeing to the United States from their South American country plummeted in the first week of a U.S. policy to expel them to Mexico without an opportunity to seek asylum, U.S.
Cash is king for sanctioned Russian, Venezuelan oligarchs
October 21, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — It was a deal that brought together oligarchs from some of America's top adversaries.
“The key is the cash," the oil broker wrote in a text message, offering a deep discount on Venezuelan crude shipments to an associate who claimed to be fronting for the owner of Russia's biggest aluminum company.
Biden, Mexico’s López Obrador discuss immigration, summit
October 19, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Presidents Joe Biden and Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke Tuesday as a growing number of migrants from crisis-gripped Venezuela arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Venezuela insider seeks dismissal of criminal charges
October 18, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — Attorneys for a key ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have filed a new motion seeking to dismiss federal money laundering charges, arguing again that he was illegally detained on U.S.
Biden turning to Trump-era rule to expel Venezuelan migrants
October 16, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Two years ago, candidate Joe Biden loudly denounced President Donald Trump for immigration policies that inflicted “cruelty and exclusion at every turn,” including toward those fleeing the "brutal" government of socialist Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
US migrant policy ‘bucket of cold water’ to some Venezuelans
October 14, 2022 GMTNECOCLI, Colombia (AP) — Venezuelan Gilbert Fernández still plans to cross the dangerous Darien jungle into Panama and head toward the United States over land, despite a U.S.
Oilman catches sentencing break for exposing Venezuela graft
October 13, 2022 GMTMIAMI (AP) — A Florida-based oilman who pleaded guilty for taking part in a $1 billion conspiracy to pay bribes to Venezuelan officials received a major break in sentencing after providing standout cooperation to U.S.
FIFA judge among 5 Venezuelans guilty of corruption charges
October 13, 2022 GMTZURICH (AP) — A FIFA disciplinary judge and a former president of Venezuela’s soccer federation were found guilty by the world soccer body on Thursday of financial corruption.
Former federation president Laureano González was banned for five years for mismanagement of its money including a “fictitious invoicing scheme,” FIFA said in announcing the verdicts of its ethics committee.
Guyana protests pro-Venezuela maps posted on social media
October 13, 2022 GMTGEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana’s government said Wednesday said it has formally asked Facebook and Twitter to remove "illegal maps” posted by users showing large parts of Guyana as Venezuelan territory — reflecting a longstanding territorial claim by the neighboring nation.
Survivors of Venezuelan mudslide bury dead, look for missing
October 13, 2022 GMTLAS TEJERÍAS, Venezuela (AP) — A day after burying his mother, Rafael Negrín on Wednesday carried the coffin of his aunt who also died in floods and landslides in central Venezuela that killed at least 43 people and left dozens missing.
US will take in some Venezuelans, expel others to Mexico
October 13, 2022 GMTSAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden administration agreed to accept up to 24,000 Venezuelan migrants at U.S. airports, similar to how Ukrainians have been admitted since Russia’s invasion, while Mexico has agreed to take back Venezuelans who come to the U.S.
UN: 75% of 6 million Venezuelan migrants go unfed, unhoused
October 12, 2022 GMTPANAMA CITY (AP) — The United Nations said Wednesday that almost three-quarters of the 6 million Venezuelan migrants currently in Latin America do not have adequate food, shelter, employment or medical care.
Venezuela, SKorea, Afghanistan lose vote for UN rights body
October 11, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Venezuela, South Korea and Afghanistan lost contested races for seats on the top U.N. human rights body in Tuesday by the General Assembly, which faced criticism for electing countries like Vietnam and Sudan, which have been accused of having abysmal human rights records.
Tales of survival emerge as Venezuela landslide toll hits 34
October 11, 2022 GMTLAS TEJERIAS, Venezuela (AP) — Rescue workers using drones and trained dogs searched for survivors Monday following a massive landslide in central Venezuela, as the death toll rose to 34 and residents described harrowing tales of escape from the water and mud.
Rain-fueled landslide sweeps through Venezuela town; 22 dead
October 9, 2022 GMTLAS TEJERÍAS, Venezuela (AP) — A landslide fueled by flooding and days of torrential rain swept through a town in central Venezuela, leaving at least 22 people dead as it dragged mud, rocks and trees through neighborhoods, authorities said Sunday.
Support for Venezuela’s opposition is dwindling at OAS
October 7, 2022 GMTBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Venezuela’s opposition suffered a rebuff Thursday as 19 members of the Organization of American States backed a proposal to remove its envoy from the regional forum for political and economic issues.
Colombia and ELN rebels to restart peace talks
October 4, 2022 GMTBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Delegates of Colombia's government and the nation's largest remaining guerrilla group met on Tuesday and announced that they will restart peace talks that were suspended in 2018.
Venezuela swaps 7 jailed Americans for Maduro relatives
October 2, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — In a rare softening of hostile relations, Venezuela freed on Saturday seven imprisoned Americans in exchange for the United States releasing two nephews of President Nicolás Maduro’s wife who had been jailed for years on narcotics convictions.
Navy bribery fugitive ‘Fat Leonard’ seeks Venezuelan asylum
September 27, 2022 GMTSAN DIEGO (AP) — The fugitive defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard" who orchestrated a huge bribery scheme involving dozens of U.S. Navy officials, has requested asylum in Venezuela, a law enforcement official said Monday, nearly a week after he was captured in the South American country.
Cargo traffic movement resumes between Colombia, Venezuela
September 26, 2022 GMTBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Trucks loaded with aluminum and medications crossed a bridge linking Colombia and Venezuela for the first time in seven years Monday following restoration of diplomatic relations, giving regional businesses hope for growing trade.