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MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega was sworn in for a fourth consecutive term Monday following elections considered rigged and on a day marked by sanctions from the United States and European Union against members of his government.
BARINAS, Venezuela (AP) — 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, shocking the ruling socialist party he founded.
BARINAS, Venezuela (AP) — 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.
SABANETA, Venezuela (AP) — Nancy Mora yearns for the affection she says late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez showed his people. She touches her heart when she talks about the man she still calls her president and believes the revolution he started will continue as long as self-proclaimed Chavistas like her are alive.
MIAMI (AP) — A senior U.S. diplomat quietly traveled to Venezuela this week and met with imprisoned Americans as part of an ongoing effort to secure release of men the Biden administration believes are being held as bargaining chips by a top U.S.
BARINAS, Venezuela (AP) — Farmer Julio Álvarez hasn’t sold milk in about a year and a half even though the cows at his farm in northwestern Venezuela are milked at dawn every day.
Fuel shortages and rationing amid Venezuela's economic meltdown make it impossible to transport it to market, except in 18-gallon (70-liter) plastic containers strapped to a motorcycle.
BARINAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Sunday named a former foreign minister as his party’s candidate for a special gubernatorial election in the home state of his mentor, Hugo Chávez, that was scheduled after the opposition contender in November’s regular contest was retroactively disqualified.
BARINAS, Venezuela (AP) — About 500 supporters of a Venezuelan gubernatorial opposition candidate who was retroactively disqualified as the vote count showed him ahead in the home state of the late President Hugo Chávez protested Saturday against a decision that has become emblematic of what opponents say are unfair election conditions.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — José Pekerman, who has coached teams in three World Cups, was hired Tuesday to take over the Venezuelan national team.
The 72-year-old Argentine signed a five-year contract, the country’s soccer federation said, with the goal of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A Venezuelan opposition candidate who has been leading in vote count in the governor's race for the home state of the late President Hugo Chávez has been retroactively disqualified by the country’s highest court more than a week after the election was held.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — If Xiomara Castro’s wide lead in Honduras’ presidential election holds, her leftist government could present challenges, but also opportunities for a Biden administration that has struggled with how to work on the country’s problems while keeping current President Juan Orlando Hernández at arm’s length.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s regional elections last weekend happened under better conditions compared to the country's elections in recent years but were marred by the use of public funds to benefit pro-government candidates, European Union monitors announced Tuesday.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A divided Venezuelan opposition found itself Monday on familiar territory, having lost an overwhelming majority of races disputed in a regional election a day earlier. But the divisions over how to move forward from their expected defeat and achieve their goal of knocking off President Nicolás Maduro have never been so evident.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Under the scrutiny of international observers, Venezuelans cast ballots for thousands of local races in elections that for the first time in four years included major opposition participation, a move that divided the already fractured bloc adversarial to President Nicolás Maduro.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of Venezuelan musicians, most of them children and adolescents, have earned the title of the world’s largest orchestra.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicolás Maduro is not on the ballot for Sunday’s elections across Venezuela and the winners of the gubernatorial and local races likely won’t be well known beyond their country’s borders.
MIAMI (AP) — A businessman accused of siphoning off millions in state contracts from Venezuela pleaded not guilty on Monday in a high profile case that's strained relations between Washington and Caracas.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Hundreds of violins, violas and double basses sounded at Venezuela’s military academy Saturday, then woodwinds, brass and percussion gradually joined in — and thousands of musicians, mostly children and adolescents, were playing with a single goal: setting the record as the world’s largest orchestra.
VILLA DEL ROSARIO, Colombia. (AP) — Xiomara Ruiz woke up before dawn and boarded a bus with her son to make a one-hour trip to the bridge connecting Venezuela to Colombia, which they crossed on foot.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Six U.S. oil executives detained in Venezuela for four years on corruption charges have been granted a hearing before an appeals court, a rare decision by the judicial system in the South American country.
MIAMI (AP) — A businessman accused of siphoning off millions in state contracts from Venezuela met secretly with U.S. law enforcement to provide intelligence against Nicolás Maduro’s government prior to being charged in 2019 with money laundering, according to new filings in a related case against a disgraced University of Miami professor.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The International Criminal Court is opening a formal investigation into allegations of torture and extrajudicial killings committed by Venezuelan security forces under President Nicolás Maduro’s rule, the first time a country in Latin America is facing scrutiny for possible crimes against humanity from the court.
MIAMI (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Miami have dismissed several criminal charges against an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro due to assurances they made to Cape Verde over a year ago as part of a rancorous extradition fight.
MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela’s government quietly offered last year to release imprisoned Americans in exchange for the U.S. letting go a key financier of President Nicolás Maduro, according to people with knowledge of the proposal and message exchanges seen by The Associated Press.
MADRID (AP) — A Spanish court has delayed the extradition of a former Venezuelan spy chief to the United States where he is wanted on charges of drug trafficking.
The same National Court tribunal that had consented to handing retired Maj.
MIAMI (AP) — Federal prosecutors have unveiled criminal charges against an alleged corruption ring accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to a top ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to profit from lucrative contracts to import food and medicine at a time of widespread hardship in the South American country.
MADRID (AP) — A Spanish court on Wednesday ordered the extradition of a former Venezuelan spy chief to the United States where he is wanted on charges of drug trafficking and belonging to a terror organization.
MIAMI (AP) — A businessman who prosecutors say was a major conduit for corruption by Nicolás Maduro's inner circle appeared for the first time in Miami federal court Monday after a weekend extradition that has further strained relations between the U.S.
MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela’s government said Saturday it would halt negotiations with its opponents in retaliation for the extradition to the U.S. of a close ally of President Nicolás Maduro who prosecutors believe could be the most significant witness ever about corruption in the South American country.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Esperita García de Perez got her first vaccination against COVID-19 in May. That, along with her Catholic faith, made her feel better protected against the virus, and she had hoped to get her second shot of the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine a few weeks later.
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s National Court consented Friday to the extradition to the United States of ex-Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez’s former nurse, who is charged in Miami with money laundering.
The court’s magistrates “consider that all requirements are met” for the extradition of Claudia Díaz to proceed, the court said in a statement.
SAO PAULO (AP) — A month ago, Raphinha feared Brazil's national team might never again call on him to play in a World Cup qualifier — he and other England-based players were stopped from playing due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions in Britain.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Raúl Isaías Baduel, a former Venezuelan defense minister and ally-turned-critic of the late President Hugo Chávez, died from COVID-19 while in prison, where he had been awaiting trial since 2017 for alleged links to a purported plot to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro, the government said Tuesday.
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Venezuela players have been stopped from training in Santiago ahead of Thursday's World Cup qualifying game against Chile because of COVID-19 protocols.
The Venezuela soccer federation issued a statement Tuesday saying all of its players had shown negative tests for the coronavirus upon arrival in Chile and again after being tested at the team hotel.
SAO PAULO (AP) — It's been a while since Brazil had a home crowd advantage.
The Brazilian team will have home fans in the stadium for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began when it hosts Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil has won all nine matches in World Cup qualifying so far and could well make it 10 on Sunday at Colombia. The Brazilians lead the 10-team South American round-robin competition by eight points.
SAO PAULO (AP) — Leaders Brazil and second-place Argentina had uninspiring performances in their World Cup qualifying matches on Thursday, but gained key competition points as they try to secure their direct spots for Qatar next year.
SAO PAULO (AP) — Not having star playmaker Neymar or midfielder Casemiro available for selection will allow Brazil coach Tite to experiment with his lineup in Thursday's World Cup qualifier at Venezuela.
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil and Argentina will be hoping to avoid any more interruptions when World Cup qualifying resumes Thursday across South America.
The game between the two rivals in Sao Paulo last month was suspended shortly after kickoff after a Brazilian health official entered the pitch to remove four Argentina players he considered should be in quarantine due to COVID-19 protocols.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A new currency with six fewer zeros debuted Friday in Venezuela, whose currency has been made nearly worthless by years of the world’s worst inflation.
But the new bills were difficult to find in the capital, where consumers' fears that prices will continue to spiral upward proved to be right.


