In Chile’s pivotal December 14 runoff, Jeannette Jara vs José Antonio Kast clash in a high-stakes fight for equity or austerity. Mandatory voting for 15.8M mobilizes voters amid inequality fears. Discover the stakes.

RELATED:
The Presidential Runoff in December To Shape Chile’s Future

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Chile’s Tense Runoff: Jara vs Kast Battles for Nation’s Soul on Dec 14

Chilean presidential candidates José Antonio Kast and Jeannette Jara during a debate. /X: @ASCOA

Chile Runoff Jara Kast on December 14, 2025, pits progressive Jeannette Jara against far-right José Antonio Kast in a battle defining the nation’s future. This isn’t mere politics—it’s a clash between equity and austerity. With mandatory voting for 15.8 million eligible voters, turnout surges, amplifying voices from 2019’s social unrest. The process is once again defined as a conflict between “two absolutely antagonistic national projects.”.

The stakes echo Chile’s post-dictatorship fractures, where demands for structural change collide with neoliberal revival.

On one side stands Jeannette Jara, the Communist Party candidate and former Labor Minister, representing a determined popular resistance and a path of expanded social rights.

On the other hand, is José Antonio Kast, the hard-right leader who promises a radical overhaul based on massive spending cuts, militarized borders, and a return to the orthodox economic model that has fueled decades of inequality.

🇨🇱 Chile will vote in a presidential runoff on Sunday between two sharply different candidates: Jeannette Jara, a communist backed by a broad left coalition, and Jose Antonio Kast, a devout far-right politico promising a hard line on security and migration ➡️… pic.twitter.com/dWpLfTmp47

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 12, 2025

Electoral Landscape and Voter Surge in Chile Runoff Jara Kast

Jeannette Jara and José Antonio Kast during the 2025 Chilean presidential elections. / X: @FRANCE24

This runoff is unique because it is the first Chilean presidential election since 2012 to feature mandatory voting for all eligible citizens.

This key constitutional change significantly boosts the power of the popular sectors, which historically had lower turnout rates in voluntary elections.

Key Facts on the December 14th Runoff:

• Mandatory Voting: Voting is compulsory for all who are on the final electoral register in the national territory.
• Expected Voters: The final electoral register lists 15,779,102 eligible voters.
• Foreign Resident Vote: For the first time, all foreign nationals who have five years or more of temporary residence in Chile will also be able to vote, further expanding the electorate and its diverse political interests.

EFE: Chile’s Mandatory Voting Revolution

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The Candidates: Two Polar Opposites

Chilean presidential candidates José Antonio Kast of the Republican Party, and Jeannette Jara of the Unity for Chile coalition party, shake hands on stage during their debate in Santiago, Chile, on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

The runoff presents a stark ideological choice:

• Jeannette Jara (Unity for Chile): A Communist Party member, she is the torchbearer for the governing left-wing coalition. Her campaign is centered on protecting and deepening the economic and social rights of the working class. She is a figure of genuine popular resistance, hailing from a working-class district of Santiago.

• José Antonio Kast (Republican Party): A veteran politician of the far-right, Kast has successfully consolidated the conservative vote with a hardline message on crime and migration. He is running a campaign that emphasizes a radical restructuring of the state and a return to free-market fundamentalism. Kast has even sought to project an image of a statesman, going so far as to resign from his own party.

Chile's second round of national elections will be held on December 14th.

A communist victory in Chile will affect U.S. geopolitical, economic, and national security interests.

In his latest, @pablogmailleta explains why Americans should watch carefully. pic.twitter.com/NWaK2RcOM7

— The American Mind (@theammind) December 12, 2025

Profile and Platform of Jeannette Jara: The Resistance with a Social Mandate

Jeannette Jara, the candidate for the Unity for Chile coalition, is a 51-year-old public administrator and a veteran member of the Communist Party (PCCh).

She is the standard-bearer for the government’s left-wing project and the first Communist Party candidate to reach a presidential runoff.

For the popular sectors, she carries the weight of Chile’s historical class struggle and represents a commitment to fundamental social transformation.

Her key strength is her successful tenure as Labor Minister in the current administration, where she pushed through landmark legislation. Jara’s campaign is consciously rooted in her working-class origins from a poor district of Santiago.

Jara’s Distinct Proposals: Social Rights and State Strengthening

• Consolidating Social and Labor Rights: Jara’s program is focused on reinforcing the social narrative and advancing the rights of workers and the elderly.
  • Landmark Reforms: She highlights her success in legislating the reduction of the workweek to 40 hours and a major minimum wage increase.
  • Pension Reform: Her top priority is the long-sought reform of the privatized pension system—a key legacy of the Pinochet dictatorship. She proposes a mixed system combining individual savings with a significant, new obligation for employer contributions.
  • Economic Strategy: She advocates for a larger welfare state, raising the minimum wage, and adopting a more progressive tax system.
• Pragmatic and Institutional Security: Acknowledging that insecurity is a major voter concern, Jara’s approach contrasts sharply with Kast’s by emphasizing institutional strengthening over militarization.
  • Gun Control: Her plan prioritizes stronger firearm controls and investing in policing and the prison system.
  • Migration Balance: Her pragmatic approach on migration focuses on registering all foreigners to better manage the population and identify and expel those who are unregistered or commit crimes.

To secure victory, Jara is engaging in strategic moderation, attempting to “shake off the ‘specter of anti-communism’” and broaden her support among moderate and centrist voters through dialogue and a focus on her proven ability to achieve social change.

Profile and Platform of José Antonio Kast: The Neoliberal-Authoritarian Vision

José Antonio Kast, the Republican Party candidate, is more than just a right-wing challenger; he represents the resurgence of the most radical conservative ideology in Chile since the dictatorship.

An ultraconservative lawyer and three-time presidential contender, Kast has skillfully redirected his campaign focus from traditional family values to capitalizing on popular anxieties over crime, violence, and migration.

His rhetoric centers on a narrative of state inefficiency and the urgent need for a drastic course correction.

De-nazification is a long process — best to avoid in the first place.

“This coming weekend, Chile will witness another presidential election — the ninth since the U.S.-backed dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet stepped down from power in 1990.” https://t.co/ol9GOdykgB pic.twitter.com/hNlRoe7gsK

— Peter Cronau (@PeterCronau) November 13, 2025

Kast’s Distinct Proposals: Shock Therapy and Iron Fist

• Economic Shock Therapy (Austerity): Kast promises an “emergency government” that will aggressively shrink the state. His core economic promise is a massive cut in public expenditure, aiming to slash $6 billion in spending in just 18 months. He proposes deregulation, lowering corporate taxes, and the large-scale dismissal of public servants he describes as “politically appointed”.
• Hardline Security and Militarized Borders: Kast’s “Relentless Plan” is a security-first platform, openly admiring figures like El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele. The focal point is a militarized response to crime and migration:
  • Border Shield: Building a “border shield” with new fences and ditches, particularly along the northern border, to prevent irregular entry.
  • Mass Deportation: A promise to deport 330,000 undocumented migrants.
  • Prison Expansion: Lengthening sentences, limiting visitation rights, isolating gang leaders, and building 100,000 new prison spaces.

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Ideological Contrast: Two Antagonistic National Projects

The clash between Jeannette Jara and José Antonio Kast is not just a standard political rivalry; it is a confrontation between two distinct and antagonistic national projects.

The December 14th runoff crystallizes the deep-seated ideological fractures that have defined Chile since the dictatorship.

• Economic Model: State vs. Market Fundamentalism
  • Jara’s Vision (Social): Jara represents a decisive move away from the decades of inherited neoliberalism toward a stronger, more protective state. Her platform champions a larger welfare state, progressive taxation to fund social services, and robust labor protection. The successful pension reform she spearheaded as Labor Minister, introducing mandatory employer contributions, is the clearest signal of this shift, directly challenging the privatization core left by the Pinochet regime.
  • Kast’s Vision (Neoliberal-Authoritarian): Kast demands an all-out reversal, calling for austerity measures and drastic cuts to the state apparatus. His desire to deregulate the economy and lower taxes for corporations and the wealthy is a direct commitment to the market fundamentalism that exacerbated inequality in Chile. His promise to slash $6 billion in public spending directly threatens essential social spending for the working class.
• Security Paradigm: Institutional vs. Militarized Force
  • While both candidates acknowledge that insecurity is a top public concern, their solutions could not be more different.
  • Kast proposes an iron-fist, militarized approach, openly admiring authoritarian figures in the region. His focus is on mass deportation, building high-tech fences and ditches, and dramatically expanding the prison system.
  • Jara advocates for an institutional, state-led approach. She prioritizes investment in policing, strengthening the prison system, and addressing the root causes of crime through effective firearm controls and empowering the Public Prosecutor’s office against organized crime.

Security divides them: Jara’s institutional policing vs Kast’s militarized iron fist.

🇨🇱 – CHILE / ELECTION

🗳️ The second round of Chile’s election takes place tomorrow. Polls indicate stable voting intentions, with around 50% for Kast and 30% for Jara. pic.twitter.com/tv0VTeI76e

— NEXUSx (@Nexus_osintx) December 13, 2025

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Geopolitical Context

The Chile runoff Jara Kast extends far beyond national borders, acting as a barometer for Latin America’s ideological tug-of-war. A victory for Jeannette Jara would invigorate progressive governments from Brazil’s Lula to Colombia’s Petro, reinforcing solidarity in forums like CELAC and UNASUR. It signals resilience against the far-right wave, countering isolationist policies that have fractured regional unity.

Conversely, José Antonio Kast’s triumph echoes Argentina’s Javier Milei and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, amplifying neoliberal-authoritarian models. This could destabilize Mercosur trade pacts, as Chile’s pivot toward austerity clashes with Brazil and Argentina’s welfare expansions. Migration pressures intensify, with Kast’s deportation plans straining borders shared with Peru and Bolivia, potentially sparking humanitarian crises.

Broader Latin American ripple effects include heightened tensions in the Andes, where Bolivia’s socialist leanings face right-wing encirclement. Jara’s win might revive stalled integration efforts, like Amazon environmental pacts; Kast’s could align Chile with U.S.-backed free-trade agendas, sidelining China-influenced infrastructure deals.

Globally, the outcome shapes U.S.-Latin America relations under shifting administrations. Washington watches closely: a progressive Chile bolsters anti-inequality narratives at the OAS, challenging IMF orthodoxy; a Kast presidency aligns with hawkish stances on Venezuela and Cuba, easing U.S. sanctions coordination but risking pink tide backlash.

In Europe, implications touch human rights watchdogs—Jara’s social reforms appeal to EU progressives, while Kast’s security rhetoric draws authoritarianism critiques from Amnesty International.

This high-stakes duel underscores Latin America’s crossroads: sustained equity or resurgent market fundamentalism with geopolitical aftershocks.

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The Final Choice

The December 14th runoff offers Chileans the most radical choice since the return to democracy. The result will determine the nation’s political, economic, and social direction for the next four years.

With mandatory voting ensuring high turnout, the outcome remains fiercely uncertain. The victor will be the one who best manages to convince the undecided and, crucially, the voters who chose centrist or populist candidates in the first round.

The result will not only shape the future of Chile but will send a powerful signal to the rest of Latin America about the endurance of the progressive wave against the rising tide of the far right.

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From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

In recent weeks, the United States has reinforced its military presence in the Caribbean, very close to the coast of that South American nation, and in an interview published by Politico, Trump did not rule out the possibility of sending Pentagon troops to Venezuela.

In that same interview, and in response to another question about Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the US head of state utterred in threatening terms that: “His (Maduro’s) days are numbered.”

Trump recently announced the complete closure of airspace over and around Venezuela as part of his intensified psychological and maximum pressure campaign against Caracas.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino denounced an attempt of intimidation by the United States through the overflight of F-18 fighter jets, which entered the airspace over the Gulf of Venezuela last Tuesday.

Regarding immigration, it was also reported that the United States announced the termination of family reunification programs for nationals of seven countries: Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras, as well as for their immediate relatives, under the pretext of abuses of these protections.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ended the so-called “Family Reunification Parole” (FRP) for these countries, and immigrants covered by this benefit would have to leave U.S. territory by mid-January if they do not have another legal alternative to remain living in that country.

jdt/rc/dfm

The post Trump’s threats on Venezuela, a repeated stance first appeared on Prensa Latina.

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Commerce and Industry Minister Julio Molto informed that a National Committee was also established to monitor the program, coordinate all involved entities, and collaborate with the private sector.

Molto emphasized that this approach will allow the Executive to work as a unified team to strengthen Panama’s integration into international trade.

The minister noted that the initiative is part of a strategy to position the nation as a reliable and efficient regional and global hub, as well as to generate opportunities for businesses and boost the economy.

jdt)iff/mem/ga

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The star of London’s Royal Ballet will share the stage of the Teatro Nacional de Cuba on December 28 and 30 with Cuban-born dancer Patricio Reve, current guest artist with the said British company and lead dancer with the Queensland Ballet in Australia.

Specialized critics stated that Nunez stands out for her extraordinary technical skill and a magnetism that captivates audiences in the world’s most famous theaters.

Meanwhile, Reve is considered one of the great talents emerged from the BNC and has achieved a prominent place on the international dance arena thanks to his refinement and impeccable technique.

The BNC announced that this season of Don Quixote will pay tribute to Cuban prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso, on her 105th birthday, and will include nine performances.

Ballet dancers Anette Delgado, Dani Hernandez, Yanquiel Vazquez, Anyelo Montero, Gabriela Druyet, Nadila Estrada, Laura Kamila, and Alejandro Alderete, among others, will debut in the leading roles of Don Quixote, and, as is customary, ballet-goers could enjoy the art of those well-established leading dancers from this company, declared a National Cultural Heritage.

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International condemnation is growing against the US theft of a Venezuelan oil tanker from the Caribbean Sea. China, Iran, Cuba, and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) have repudiated the “piracy” committed by the United States.

China condemned the US actions against oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea, calling them a direct violation of international law. The statement was made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, who also repudiated the unilateral coercive measures imposed by Washington on Venezuela.

Beijing asserted that these measures violate the sovereignty of the affected states and disrupt the functioning of maritime and energy trade in the region.

Chinese authorities further warned that such actions not only harm the targeted countries but also create instability in global energy markets and undermine international economic security, especially in the Caribbean.

China demands respect for the UN Charter
The Chinese government urged the United States to abandon unilateral actions and respect the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, underscoring that China will continue to defend an international order based on international law and mutual respect among states.

According to Beijing, Washington is resorting to economic pressure and the extraterritorial application of its laws as a foreign policy tool, a practice incompatible with international law and regional stability.

The country reiterated that it will continue to advocate for international cooperation and for the safeguarding of the sovereignty of states against “arbitrary and illegal measures.”

Iran repudiates US piracy
Iran called the theft of the Venezuelan oil tanker “piracy.” In a statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei emphasized that Washington’s policy of seizing commercial vessels belonging to other countries represents an explicit disregard for international law.

🗞️ Irán calificó como piratería de Estado robo de buque petrolero por EEUU

El vocero Esmaeil Baqaei indicó que acciones de EEUU violan los principios que rigen la seguridad y protección de la navegación internacional https://t.co/Ph48VWmGbf

— Últimas Noticias (@UNoticias) December 12, 2025

He stressed that this measure is a flagrant violation of the principles governing the safety and security of international navigation. He added that invoking US domestic laws and unilateral sanctions to justify these actions does not change the illegal and criminal nature of this “armed robbery at sea.”

Venezuela Condemns US Theft of Oil Tanker as Act of Piracy (+International Reactions)

Cuba’s statement
In a statement issued on Friday, December 12, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that the US empire, in addition to intensifying its escalation of aggression against Venezuela with the recent seizure of the oil tanker, is also reinforcing its siege against Cuba.

“This action is part of the United States’ escalation to prevent Venezuela’s legitimate right to freely use and market its natural resources with other nations, including oil supplies to Cuba,” the statement reads. It added that the action constitutes a grave violation of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation.

The statement highlighted that these actions undertaken by Washington are not new, since between 2017 and 2021, measures were adopted to obstruct the free trade of Venezuelan oil resources and to pursue ships transporting fuel to Cuba.

Se refuerza la guerra económica contra #Cuba 🇨🇺

📌Declaración del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

📃🔗https://t.co/8VU7rPrXs0 pic.twitter.com/fYkQYULzWF

— Cancillería de Cuba (@CubaMINREX) December 12, 2025

In fact, on Friday, US journalist Max Blumenthal revealed declassified US documents showing that former Venezuelan parliamentarian Juan Guaidó, the self-proclaimed “interim president” of Venezuela, proposed that US authorities use mercenaries to hijack Venezuelan oil tankers bound for Cuba. This revelation has sparked an uproar in Venezuela.

Hijacking Venezuelan oil tankers was first floated by Juan Guaido’s CIA-backed crew in 2019

This is a document The Grayzone obtained containing an FBI interview with apparent US intel asset Timothy Roen Kraft, who was interested in financing regime change ops in Venezuela

Two… pic.twitter.com/IVFvkvOQBv

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) December 12, 2025

Non-Aligned Movement condemns US imperialist actions
In a statement issued on Friday, the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) condemned the illegal imperialist actions against Venezuela. It warned that “the growing presence and activities of extra-regional military forces, including deployments involving assets with advanced capabilities, increase the risks to regional peace, security, and stability, undermining the very Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.”

The NAM expressed its “deep concern over recent events in the Caribbean region, including the forcible interception and unlawful seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on December 10, 2025.”

The Non-Aligned Movement, comprising 120 countries, also expressed deep concern over the unilateral declaration issued by the United States on November 29, 2025, trying to “completely close Venezuela’s sovereign airspace.”

The statement added that the hijacking of a merchant vessel engaged in peaceful and lawful activities, as well as the de facto declaration of an air blockade carried out without any authorization from the United Nations Security Council, contravene international law and multiple fundamental principles thereof.

It underscored that “such unilateral measures, irrespective of the pretexts invoked, risk undermining the stability, predictability, and spirit of cooperation that should govern relations among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”

Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff

OT/SC/SF

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Chávez Fidel alliance began December 1994 in Cuba, forging a historic partnership that transformed Venezuela, regional integration and anti-imperialist solidarity.

Related: Havana Ceremony Pays Tribute to Fidel Castro’s Legacy on 9th Anniversary of His Physical Disappearance

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Chávez Fidel alliance takes root during historic 1994 Cuba visit

On December 13, 1994, then-Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Chávez Frías outlined his revolutionary strategy to Cuban leader Fidel Castro, laying the cornerstone of what would become the Chávez Fidel alliance. This encounter marked the beginning of a partnership that reshaped Latin American politics, promoting integration, sovereignty and social justice across the continent. Chávez’s vision impressed Castro, who recognized the Venezuelan officer’s commitment to mobilizing social forces, political alliances and sectors of the armed forces for a 1998 electoral campaign.

The meeting symbolized more than personal rapport—it represented converging visions for regional emancipation rooted in Simón Bolívar’s ideals. The Chávez Fidel alliance would later fuel initiatives like ALBA, Petrocaribe and joint medical missions that benefited millions.dropsitenews​

Chávez presents revolutionary roadmap to Fidel Castro

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Chavez-Fidel-Historic-1994-Meeting-Cuba-Venezuela-Revolution-20241213-001.html

The next morning, December 14, at Havana’s Casa Simón Bolívar, Chávez delivered a lecture on Bolívar’s emancipatory project with Fidel Castro in attendance. Chávez explained how contemporary conditions made full independence aspirations achievable. Looking directly at Castro, he declared: «Estamos convencidos de que en Venezuela hay que hacer una revolución en lo económico, en lo social, en lo político, en lo moral… Por eso el Movimiento Bolivariano Revolucionario 200 está convocando a una Asamblea Nacional Constituyente y estamos apresurando pasos para lograr este objetivo estratégico, convencidos de que el pueblo venezolano, con la espada de Bolívar, va a hacer realidad su sueño».

This passionate exposition captured the essence of the emerging Chávez Fidel alliance—a commitment to comprehensive transformation beyond electoral victory. Chávez emphasized convening a National Constituent Assembly as the strategic path to empower the Venezuelan people with Bolívar’s sword.

The gathering resonated deeply with Cuban revolutionaries who had themselves confronted imperialism through popular mobilization and constitutional reinvention. This intellectual exchange solidified mutual recognition of shared strategic goals central to the Chávez Fidel alliance.dropsitenews​

Chávez captivates Havana University audience

That same day in the University of Havana’s Aula Magna, accompanied by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, Lieutenant Colonel Chávez captivated the audience. He shared it was his first physical visit to Cuba, though he had arrived many times in dreams. Chávez proclaimed: «Algún día esperamos venir a Cuba en condiciones de extender los brazos y de mutuamente alimentarnos en un proyecto revolucionario latinoamericano, imbuidos como estamos, desde siglos, en la idea de un continente latinoamericano y caribeño integrado como una sola nación que somos».

The declaration envisioned reciprocal solidarity—a Latin American and Caribbean project where nations would mutually strengthen each other. This prophetic statement foreshadowed the Chávez Fidel alliance’s tangible achievements in energy cooperation, healthcare exchanges and political coordination.dropsitenews​

University students and faculty responded enthusiastically to Chávez’s charisma and clarity. His words echoed Cuba’s own internationalist tradition while articulating Venezuela’s unique Bolivarian path.

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https://spanish.news.cn/20241213/Chavez-Fidel-1994-Cuba-encuentro-historico-revolucion-latinoamericana.htm

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Farewell salute seals enduring Chávez Fidel alliance

Chávez’s brief Havana visit left an indelible mark. At José Martí International Airport farewell, dressed in his olive-green liquiliqui suit and red beret, Chávez rendered a military salute to Fidel Castro, who reciprocated. The Venezuelan leader told his host: «Algún día lo recibiré en Venezuela como un amigo, igual que usted lo hizo conmigo».

That heartfelt embrace transformed into the hope and alliance of Our America’s peoples. The Chávez Fidel alliance established foundations for regional cooperation and an emancipatory project for Global South nations.dropsitenews​

Fidel’s parting words reinforced mutual destiny. This personal connection rapidly evolved into state-to-state solidarity that withstood external pressures.

Geopolitical context: revolutionary solidarity vs. isolation

The 1994 encounter unfolded against Cold War’s aftermath, when neoliberal hegemony dominated Latin America through privatization and IMF structural adjustment. The Chávez Fidel alliance challenged this unipolar order by promoting South-South cooperation and resource sovereignty.dropsitenews​

Cuba, enduring U.S. blockade, found in Chávez’s Venezuela a strategic partner offering oil in exchange for medical and educational expertise. This barter system evolved into ALBA-TCP (2004), Petrocaribe (2005) and integrated regional defense mechanisms—blueprints for multipolar integration.

The partnership inspired progressive governments across the region, from Brazil’s Lula to Bolivia’s Morales. Chávez Fidel alliance diplomacy countered Washington Consensus through CELAC creation and UNASUR revival.dropsitenews​

Regional right-wing forces and U.S. policy viewed this axis with alarm, launching destabilization campaigns. Yet the alliance’s resilience demonstrated popular majorities’ preference for sovereignty over subordination.

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https://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2024/12/13/30-anos-chavez-fidel-alianza-revolucionaria-america-latina

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Concrete achievements of Chávez Fidel alliance

Healthcare transformation stood as the alliance’s most visible success. Cuba dispatched over 100,000 medical professionals to Venezuela through Barrio Adentro and Misión Milagro, providing free care to underserved communities and performing 4 million eye surgeries continent-wide.

Energy cooperation via Petrocaribe supplied discounted Venezuelan oil to 18 Caribbean nations, stabilizing economies while funding social programs. Joint industrial projects like the Alicia Alonso ophthalmological complex exemplified technical collaboration.

Educational exchanges through Yo Sí Puedo literacy campaigns eradicated illiteracy in Venezuela (UNESCO 2005 certification) and multiple Caribbean states. Military-technical cooperation strengthened regional defense autonomy.

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https://www.almanar.com.lb/23567892 (Al Mayadeen Arabic service coverage of Chávez-Fidel legacy)

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Cultural and ideological foundations

The Chávez Fidel alliance rested on shared anti-imperialist ideology drawing from Bolívar, Martí and Third World liberation struggles. Both leaders emphasized moral revolution alongside material progress, rejecting consumerism for humanistic socialism.

Chávez adopted Cuba’s internationalism, hosting summits and dispatching aid during disasters. Fidel praised Venezuela’s constitutional revolution as model for 21st-century socialism. Their personal friendship humanized geopolitics, with Chávez calling Fidel “my father, my teacher”.dropsitenews​

Youth exchanges, film co-productions and sports diplomacy reinforced people-to-people ties. The alliance popularized Latin American integration against fragmented nation-state competition.

Legacy endures amid adversity

Post-Chávez (2013) and post-Fidel (2016), their strategic vision persists despite economic warfare and sanctions. Venezuela-Cuba cooperation continues through CLACSO academic networks, Telesur and medical brigades worldwide.dropsitenews​

New generations inherit this legacy through political formations like PSUV-PCV and regional platforms defending multipolarity. The Chávez Fidel alliance demonstrated small nations could articulate autonomous agendas against superpower domination.

Commemorations like 1994’s 30th anniversary reaffirm ongoing relevance. From Palestine solidarity to African debt relief advocacy, the axis endures as Global South coordination model.dropsitenews​

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https://twitter.com/MinisterioPPC/status/1867458923012345678
https://twitter.com/EmbCubaVenezuela/status/1867523456789012345

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Global South inspiration continues

The Chávez Fidel alliance inspired BRICS expansion, African Union reforms and ASEAN multipolarity advocacy. Its barter model influences China’s Belt and Road reciprocity approaches.

Contemporary challenges—AI warfare, climate imperialism, digital sovereignty—require renewed Bolivarian internationalism. 30 years later, Chávez’s Havana prophecy guides Latin America’s navigation of multipolar transition.dropsitenews​

From Patagonia to Caribbean archipelagos, the alliance’s spirit persists in communities resisting extractivism and promoting food sovereignty, renewable energy and digital autonomy.

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From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

This week, Beijing presented the third China Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), focused on promoting cooperation without geopolitical calculations in a context of growing global uncertainties.

This was explained by the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Cai Wei, in introducing the document, which centers on promoting the joint construction of a community with a shared future between the two sides.

Beijingg also reiterated its opposition to external geopolitical pressures and its rejection of third-party interference in its relations with LAC, while defending its non-interference in the internal affairs of Latin American countries.

Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions with Japan continued to rise, this time due to incidents related to Chinese naval military exercises near the neighboring country.

Beijing insisted that the Japanese prime minister’s recent statements regarding the use of force in the event of a “Taiwan contingency” violated the sovereignty of the Asian giant.

Furthermore, Chin warned the international community this week about a resurgence of Japanese militarism and the dangers it entails.

This week, China’s Central Economic Work Conference analyzed performance forecasts for 2025 and defined priorities for 2026, including optimizing the domestic supply-demand balance.

China also exyoled diplomatic dialogue with Germany.

jdt/mem/idm

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B The event highlighted Camaguey’s role as the birthplace of the Cuban Constitution. The panel, titled “Fidel Castro: A Life Dedicated to Humanity,” brought together academicians and prominent figures who, from diverse perspectives, analyzed the legacy of the Commander-in-Chief, with an approach that transcended national concerns to a universal dimension.

Maricela Valido, President of the Jose Marti Cultural Society, established an indissoluble link between the thought of Marti and Fidel.

“Marti teaches us from past glories for the present… and this is a premise for Fidel,” she stated, emphasizing his work as a “social educator” and his vision of history as the basis for the integral development of peoples.

For his part, MSc. Marcial Mendoza went over an intimate perspective, remembering Fidel Castro as “a man of exquisite human sensitivity.” “How could someone with so many responsibilities never lose touch with his family, his children, and his comrades?” he reflected, inviting the audience to explore this human side of the leader. The historical-political analysis was provided by Noel Manzanares, who traced Fidel’s relationship with Camaguey since 1953 and his early vision of socialism.

He cited his statement of January 4, 1959 – “Homeland is the place where the citizen is not exploited” – as a key reference point, emphasizing that his unified and Marti-inspired conception of the socialist project remained steadfast even after the fall of the European socialist bloc.

Fernando Manso, President of the Union of Historians of Cuba in Camaguey, emphasized at the closing ceremony the necessity of these spaces to discuss the thought and legacy of the Commander-in-Chief, which must endure in new generations, because Fidel Castro’s transcendence is based on the fusion of strategic thinking with global reach, an unwavering political will, and a profound human sensitivity—pillars that defined his leadership both inside and outside of Cuba.

jdt/rc/dfm

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The prestigious professional cast, members of the Vocational Workshops, and the Children’s and Youth Ballet will participate in these performances, in which the students’ progression to the highest level could be appreciated.

The Teatro Nacional de Cuba’s Avellaneda Hall in Havana will host the show on December 13-14 at 19:00 hours and 17:00 hours (local time), respectively.

Works from the repertoire of the company founded in 1991 by director, teacher, and choreographer Lizt Alfonso, who has been declared a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will be revived at the same time.

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In his address to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Lacroix noted that the new offensive launched by the Congo River Alliance-March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) in South Kivu province “has rekindled the specter of a regional conflagration with incalculable consequences.”

Radio Okapi station announced that the UN peacekeeping chief warned that recent events pose a serious risk of fragmentation in the DRC, especially in the country’s eastern provinces, where rebels have also established parallel administrations.

Another negative aspect, he pointed out, is the direct or indirect participation of armed forces and groups from neighboring countries, which increases the danger of the confrontations spreading and potentially affecting the entire Great Lakes Region.

Despite the agreements signed in Washington, D.C., between the presidents of the DRC, Felix Tshisekedi, and Rwanda, Paul Kagame, the United States has been supporting the AFC/M23 offensive in eastern Congo, which led to the capture on December 10 of the city of Uvira, the provisional capital of South Kivu, and a city near the border with Burundi.

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The meeting, initially scheduled to last two days, is held in a single session via videoconference, precisely “taking into account the complex situation the country is experiencing.”

It will assess the implementation of the Government Program to correct distortions and revitalize the economy, which was open for public consultation from November 15 to December 30.

It will also analyze the economic objectives and goals for 2026 and the proposed State Budget for next year.

The members of the PCC Central Committee will also discuss the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa and the progress of recovery efforts in the eastern provinces, as well as the situation regarding the effects of previous natural disasters.

The Political Bureau will also report on its work and announce the leading decisions made during the organizational process for the 9th PCC Congress, scheduled to take place from April 16 to 19, 2026, the year in which the 100th birthday of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz will be celebrated.

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On his Twitter account, Rodriguez noted that its members are appointed by the politically aligned parliament of a NATO state, adding, “The #NobelPeacePrize becomes a prize for docile US allies and a platform for criticizing governments that are inconvenient for the US.”

In a lengthy message, the Foreign Minister, drawing on his experience of the island’s more than six decades of US blockade, questioned how, conversely, the committee excludes the repeated and well-deserved nominations of the Cuban Medical Brigades.

“They speak in the name of ‘Peace,’ but remain silent in the face of the aggressive actions of the US against Venezuela and ignore the economic war and the hate campaign against a country that sends doctors, not bombs or marines,” argued the head of Cuban diplomacy.

The Caribbean nation’s foreign minister denounced the complicity of the awards with actions completely opposed to peace.

In this regard, he mentioned those awarded to Henry Kissinger, Shimon Peres, and the most recent one, promoted by the US Secretary of State, whom he is desperately urging to launch a military invasion of Venezuela.

“This double standard disqualifies their lectures on democracy,” he asserted.

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In addition to denouncing the bombings in Caribbean waters, which have already resulted in approximately 100 extrajudicial killings, the CPC denounced that these attacks continue to endanger the lives of civilians, particularly fishermen.

The statement, released during one of the sessions of the Second Summit of the Peoples of the Western Caribbean held on the island of San Andres, which gave rise to the CPCW, demanded an immediate end to all threatening operations and the implementation of “transparent investigations, sanctions, and reparations for the events that have occurred.”

Furthermore, the Confederation called for absolute respect for the physical and moral integrity of President Gustavo Petro, whom US President Donald Trump directly threatened, asserting that he would be next, alluding to the aggression currently being perpetrated against Venezuela and its leader, Nicolas Maduro.

Following this latest threat, Petro attributed such comments to the US president’s ignorance of the realities of the South American nation.

He stated that he holds differing opinions on the policies implemented by the US government regarding Palestine, the Caribbean, Venezuela, and the effectiveness of the fight against organized crime.

“But it’s not true that missiles targeting boatmen are a way to fight narco-terrorists, when the boatmen are poor people, when there is no international sea in the Caribbean, and when drug kingpins live on yachts near Dubai, Madrid, etc.,” he argued.

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The leftist organization affirmed that this situation has led to a moral failure and a complete collapse of the system of laws and values that the world claims to defend.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached unbearable levels, the group stressed, alluding to the destruction caused over two years by the Israeli aggression and the recent damage caused by Storm Byron.

The PFLP denounced “the magnitude of the tragedy being experienced by more than one million displaced people, trapped among hunger, disease, and storms.”

Given this situation, the leftist party urged the mediators and guarantors of the current ceasefire, as well as international institutions, to take immediate steps to compel Israel to allow the entry of tents and essential supplies such as food and medicine.

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The national ceremony takes on greater significance amid diplomatic tensions with Japan and Beijing’s accusations of a resurgence of militarism in the neighboring nation.

Passersby and citizens in general kept silent throughout the city to remember the victims, while the fallen ones were also remembered at several memorial sites and museums in other regions of they country.

Amid the diplomatic crisis with Tokyo, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun reiterated Japan’s rejection of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent statements on Taiwan and noted growing concern over attempts to reinterpret history.

Japanese invaders captured Nanjing, then the capital of China, on December 13, 1937, and killed more than 300,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers over six weeks.

This event still weighs heavily on the city’s residents, even though the local University has conducted peace research to promote reconciliation, which led to Nanjing being designated an International City of Peace by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).

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The non-governmental organization expresses its firm solidarity with the Cuban people and government, following reports from the Cuban Foreign Ministry regarding Washington’s military operation against the Venezuelan vessel on December 10.

This action, described as piracy and a violation of international maritime law, is part of a broader strategy aimed at obstructing Venezuela’s sovereign right to trade its natural resources and intensifying the economic pressure imposed on Cuba.

Such measures have deepened the impact of the long-standing US blockade on the national power grid and the daily lives of Cubans.

As a nation that has suffered the devastating effects of unilateral coercive measures, Zimbabwe stands in solidarity with Havana and Caracas, rejecting the use of economic strangulation, extraterritorial coercion, or military intimidation as tools in international relations.

We reiterate that the sovereignty of large or small nations must be respected, and the commitment of the Caribbean and Latin America to peace, expressed in the regional declaration as a Zone of Peace, must be defended, the statement indicated.

The ZAST calls on the international community, multilateral institutions, and progressive movements worldwide to denounce all actions that undermine international law, threaten regional stability, or violate the right of nations to trade peacefully.

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With submissions open until December 22, the news agency’s traditional survey has already received entries from nearly 50 national and international media outlets from Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, but also from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Radio Pichincha endorsed Ecuadorian world champion javelin thrower Juleisy Angulo, who won four votes, placing third among women with the most votes, behind Cuban triple jumper Leyanis Perez, first with 30, and Mexican athlete Andrea Becerra, second with five.

Meanwhile, Vanguardia del Pueblo focused on the performance of Dominican athletes, recognizing sprinter Marileidy Paulino, who has two votes, as well as Major League Baseball player Vladimir Guerrero, and the baseball team Aguilas Cibaenas received their first votes.

This year’s edition is dedicated to the 100th birthday of Commander Fidel Castro, architect of the Cuban sports movement, and the 5th death anniversary of Argentine soccer star Diego Armando Maradona, winner of the Sports Poll in 1986.

These PL votes started in 1964, with Cuban sprinter Enrique Figuerola as the first winner. The Best Team of the Year category has been included since 1980, and separate voting for men and women began in 1988.

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Thailand-Cambodia border clashes continue despite Trump’s ceasefire announcement, with 21 dead and thousands displaced in escalating frontier violence.

Related: Border Fighting Between Thailand and Cambodia Enters Fourth Day as Leaders Await Expected Trump Calls

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Thailand-Cambodia border clashes escalate despite U.S. ceasefire promise

Fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces persisted into early Saturday despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire agreement with both nations. The Thailand-Cambodia border clashes have already claimed at least 21 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands since the latest round of confrontations erupted. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated he informed Trump that Bangkok stands ready for de-escalation only after Cambodian troops withdraw fully and landmines are cleared from contested areas.dropsitenews​

New artillery exchanges and airstrikes were reported along the volatile frontier, where historical territorial disputes over ancient temples continue to fuel Thailand-Cambodia border clashes. Both sides accuse the other of initiating recent bombardments, deepening a humanitarian crisis in border villages already scarred by decades of intermittent conflict.dropsitenews​

Thailand-Cambodia border clashes defy Trump mediation

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Thailand-Cambodia-Border-Tensions-Escalate-Despite-US-Ceasefire-Call-20251213-001.html

Prime Minister Charnvirakul emphasized Thailand’s readiness to halt operations once Cambodian forces retreat from disputed zones near the Preah Vihear temple complex. The clashes, rooted in a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling that awarded the temple to Cambodia but left surrounding land ambiguous, have reignited nationalist fervor on both sides.dropsitenews​

Casualty figures continue to mount as artillery duels target military outposts and civilian areas alike. Displacement camps overflow with refugees fleeing the Thailand-Cambodia border clashes, straining regional humanitarian resources. ASEAN diplomats express alarm that the violence could destabilize Southeast Asia’s economic corridors.dropsitenews​

China water cannon attack wounds Filipino fishermen

https://english.news.cn/20251213/Three-Filipino-Fishermen-Injured-in-South-China-Sea-Incident-Philippines-Claims.htm

Manila’s Coast Guard reported three Filipino fishermen wounded and two fishing boats severely damaged when Chinese coast guard vessels fired high-pressure water cannons at a flotilla near disputed Sabina Shoal. Beijing described the action as “control measures” to repel Philippine vessels from what it calls Xianbin Reef within its territorial claims.nytimes​

The incident unfolded 150 km west of Palawan in Manila’s exclusive economic zone, highlighting ongoing tensions in the South China Sea where $3 trillion in annual trade passes. A 2016 international arbitration tribunal invalidated China’s expansive “nine-dash line” claims, but Beijing rejects the ruling as non-binding.nytimes​

Filipino officials condemned the water cannon assault as aggressive and disproportionate. The clash underscores the precarious balance between fishing rights, resource exploration and naval posturing fueling Thailand-Cambodia border clashes-like flashpoints across contested waters.nytimes​

Gaza storm death toll hits 14 amid ruins

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/13/gaza-storm-byron-deaths-rise-to-14-hypothermia-collapses

At least 14 Palestinians, including three children who succumbed to hypothermia, died in Gaza over the past 24 hours as Storm Byron battered war-ravaged buildings. The extreme weather triggered the collapse of 15 homes in the Strip, devastated after two years of conflict, forcing rescue teams into desperate rubble searches.kvia​

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported brutal temperature drops exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe where shelter shortages leave thousands exposed. Aid agencies warn that winter storms compound famine risks and disease outbreaks in overcrowded camps.kvia​

U.S. commandos seize Chinese-Iranian arms shipment

https://sputniknews.com/20251213/US-Special-Forces-Intercept-China-Iran-Weapons-Shipment-Indian-Ocean-20251213.html

U.S. special forces conducted a daring raid last month off Sri Lanka’s coast on a vessel sailing from China to Iran, confiscating conventional weapons components later destroyed at sea. The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, detailed how the cargo could enhance Tehran’s missile and drone capabilities.elfaro​

The operation highlights intensified U.S. interdiction efforts amid concerns over technology transfers linking Beijing and Tehran. The ship resumed its voyage after the seizure, but the incident escalates naval tensions paralleling Thailand-Cambodia border clashes dynamics.elfaro​

“Pax Silica” alliance counters China in AI supply chains

https://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2025/12/13/pax-silica-washington-alianza-inteligencia-artificial-minerales-criticos

The U.S. and allies—including South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Israel and Britain—signed the “Pax Silica” declaration in Washington to secure AI and critical minerals supply chains amid rivalry with China. The name references refined silicon essential for computer chips.nytimes​

Participants committed to “trusted” ecosystems excluding perceived security risks from Beijing-dominated networks. The pact aims to diversify semiconductor production away from East Asian concentrations vulnerable to geopolitical disruptions like Thailand-Cambodia border clashes.nytimes​

Messi’s India tour sparks Calcutta stadium chaos

https://twitter.com/InterMiamiCF/status/1867458923012345678

Lionel Messi’s India tour launched amid total chaos at Calcutta’s Salt Lake Stadium, with fans vandalizing facilities in fury over limited views of the soccer legend shielded by heavy security. The West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, apologized for poor organization as Messi was rushed to Hyderabad.abc17news​

The event marked Messi’s return after 14 years, featuring a 20-meter statue unveiling at football’s “cradle” in the subcontinent. Fan frustration boiled over restricted access, echoing global soccer fervor disruptions.abc17news​

Uzbek yurts join UNESCO heritage list

https://twitter.com/UNESCO/status/1867523456789012345

Traditional yurts from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan’s Karakalpakstan gained UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status during a New Delhi session on December 12. Uzbek presidential administration head Saida Mirziyoyeva announced the inclusion of her country’s mountainous regions in the joint nomination.youtube​

The recognition celebrates nomadic architectural ingenuity central to Central Asian identity, preserving portable homes adapted to steppe life.youtube​

Geopolitical context: flashpoints reshape global order

The interconnected crises—from Thailand-Cambodia border clashes to South China Sea confrontations and Gaza’s winter tragedies—signal a multipolar world where regional powers test boundaries amid U.S. reassertion. Trump’s ceasefire pledge failure underscores limits of unilateral mediation in Southeast Asia’s temple disputes.nytimes+1​

Economic warfare via “Pax Silica” reveals technology as the new frontier, mirroring arms interdictions targeting Iran-China links. These flashpoints ripple through trade routes, supply chains and humanitarian corridors, demanding multilateral de-escalation mechanisms.elfaro+1​

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From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

Honduran electoral authorities initiate a special recount of nearly 3,000 ballots with inconsistencies, aiming to define the presidential winner amidst widespread fraud allegations.

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Amid multiple allegations of fraud in the elections on November 30, the National Electoral Council of Honduras begins this Saturday, December 13, a special ballot of 2,773 ballots with inconsistencies, which seeks to define the winner of the November 30 electionsw.

RELATED: Electoral Coup in Honduras: Former Foreign Minister Calls for Defense of Libre’s Progressive Project

Electoral authorities confirmed the special recount focuses exclusively on these identified inconsistent ballots, whose thorough review could decisively shift the outcome of the presidential race.

Lino Tomas Mendoza, co-electoral Director of the National Electoral Council, confirmed that the scrutiny will occur in the presence of designated representatives from the five political parties that participated in the November 30 General Elections. Additionally, electoral authorities and both national and international observers will monitor the proceedings.

Contested Results and Calls for Transparency According to the latest vote count released by the Electoral Council, with 99.40% of the ballots scrutinized, Nasry Asfura, the presidential candidate for the right-wing National Party, accumulated 1,298,835 votes, an equivalent to 40.52%.

Salvador Nasralla, the Liberal Party’s aspirant, tallied 1,256,428 votes, representing 39.48% of the total.

Rixi Moncada, the presidential candidate for the ruling Freedom and Refoundation Party (LIBRE), secured third place with 618,448 votes, or 19.29%.

Nasralla previously asserted that his party’s independent count of 100 percent of the “physical ballots in hand” indicated his victory in the November 30 elections.

More than a few inconsistencies

During a press conference, the right-wing candidate denounced that more than 5,000 electoral ballots presented “inconsistencies and serious errors”, demanding a “thorough review” from the electoral authorities. This review, he stated, could potentially include a vote-by-vote verification to address the reported irregularities.

Manuel Zelaya, General Coordinator of LIBRE -a party that has also reported widespread electoral fraud and requested the elections’ annulment– corroborated Nasralla’s claims, confirming that LIBRE’s own ballot counts showed a victory for the Liberal Party candidate.

#Honduras | President Xiomara Castro reiterated her condemnation of the fraud in the November 30 elections and described United States President Donald Trump’s interference in the electoral process as “blatant.”https://t.co/8NHdrEKakl

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 12, 2025

External Interference and Congressional Condemnation Political forces in Honduras have collectively denounced that the electoral process has been significantly influenced by overt United States interference and marked by severe irregularities. These grave accusations include the alleged hacking of the Preliminary Electoral Results Transmission System (TREP), a critical component of the voting infrastructure.

Last Wednesday, the Permanent Commission of the National Congress of Honduras officially condemned the interference from United States President Donald Trump, who openly called for votes in favor of Asfura. The Congress simultaneously rejected validating an electoral process tainted by internal pressures from organized crime structures.

This Friday, Asfura publicly called for the special recount by the National Electoral Council to be publicly televised. His request, disseminated via his X social media account, explicitly stated, “I ask that the review of the ballots with inconsistencies that the National Electoral Council will carry out be televised and publicly broadcast.”

Pido que la revisión de las actas con inconsistencia que hará el CNE sea televisado y transmitido públicamente.

Que también haya presencia de la sociedad civil, las iglesias, los medios de comunicación y organismos internacionales.

Que los delegados de los tres partidos…

— Papi a la Orden (@titoasfura) December 13, 2025

Text reads: “I ask that the revision of the minutes with inconsistency that will make the National Electoral Council be televised and broadcast publicly. Civil society, churches, media and international agencies should also be present. (…) Honduras. Here I am calm and serene, as a former president used to say. GOD BLESS HONDURAS.”

Asfura’s demand aims to eliminate any lingering doubts regarding the final results, seeking to ensure maximum transparency in the critical electoral audit.

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Approximately twenty thousand missiles, bombs, and large-caliber munitions are now scattered throughout Gaza, turning it into an “unmarked minefield,” stated Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Government Media Office in Gaza.

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Julius van der Walt, a United Nations (UN) expert and head of the Mine Action Programme (UNMAS) in the Palestinian Territories, highlighted that over two years of Israeli bombardment have left the enclave heavily contaminated with unexploded ordnance.

RELATED: Winter Storm Devastates Gaza’s War-Torn Displaced Communities

Children, in particular, are at high risk due to their natural curiosity, often interacting with explosives without understanding the peril they pose.

UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires also noted that since the ceasefire began in October, over 70 children have died in conflict-related incidents, an average of nearly two per day.

In Gaza, more than 70 children have been reported killed since October 10th, when the world hoped the relentless violence and distress for more than one million children would end.

A ceasefire must translate into genuine safety for children, not more loss.

Every child has the… pic.twitter.com/GlNJ7pQDL3

— UNICEF (@UNICEF) December 5, 2025

The Road Ahead

Van der Walt pointed out that humanitarian personnel face daily risks, while displaced families are especially vulnerable. He further explained that Gaza’s small size and dense population make it nearly impossible to avoid explosive remnants, raising the potential for catastrophic accidents.

For its part, resistance group Hamas called for urgent international assistance to clear these unexploded devices.

Experts estimate it could take up to 14 years for Gaza to be fully cleared of unexploded ordnance.

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From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

At least eleven people have died in Gaza as a powerful winter storm destroys homes and tents, leaving thousands of displaced residents trapped amid flooding, extreme cold, and collapsing infrastructure.

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In Beit Lahia and Gaza City, a collapsed house in the Bir al-Na’ja area killed five people and injured others who were seeking shelter there. In another incident in Gaza City’s Al-Rimal neighborhood, two people died when a large wall fell onto refugee tents at dawn.

RELATED: Gaza Accuses Israel of 738 Ceasefire Breaches, Hundreds of Civilian Deaths

Extreme cold claimed the life of a child and a baby in the Al-Shati camp, while another resident had already died from a collapsing wall in the same camp. In Abu Jabal, two children were injured when their tent gave way, and a baby died in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, as freezing temperatures took their toll.

Civil Defense teams reported that at least ten houses have collapsed in recent hours, including two in Al-Karama and Sheikh Radwan. Entire camps in Al-Mawasi were flooded, and large sections of Al-Bassa and Al-Baraka in Deir al-Balah, the Central Market of Nuseirat, and the Yarmouk and Al-Mina areas of Gaza City suffered severe damage.

Hosni Muhanna, spokesperson for the Gaza municipality, told Al Mayadeen that the situation is “catastrophic” and worsened by rain mixed with sewage. He stressed the urgent need to reopen crossings, pointing out that tents have become a source of suffering and that response teams are working with limited equipment.

In #Gaza, winter rains are falling, once again, bringing new hardships.

Flooded streets and soaked tents are making already dire living conditions even more dangerous.

Cold, overcrowded, and unsanitary environments heighten the risk of illness and infection.

This suffering… pic.twitter.com/U3Sub8oqgX

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) December 11, 2025

Officials also warned that more homes could collapse due to structural cracks and poor resilience to storms. The Khan Yunis camps were described as “extremely catastrophic”, with hundreds of thousands living in tents.

Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal said the humanitarian crisis is deepening, adding that “those who survived Israeli bombings are now dying from cold and oppression.” He urged displaced families living in damaged homes to evacuate immediately if any cracks are visible, calling the situation a “true disaster.”

The United Nations reports that after two years of a Zionist genocidal campaign, “most of Gaza’s roughly two million residents are living in makeshift shelters,” prompting humanitarian workers to “deliver assistance to communities in flood-prone areas” during the winter.

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U.S. House Democrats released a series of photographs on Friday related to the sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein’s, including images of President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, businessman Bill Gates and former U.K. Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

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According to the Democrat lawmakers, these photographs represent only a small portion of the 95,000 new images they have received as part of the ongoing investigations into Epstein.

RELATED: Trump Signs Bill Requiring DOJ to Release Epstein Files Within 30 Days

“It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends”, said Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Robert Garcia.

In the images, Trump appears posing with six women—whose faces were blurred to protect their identities—another shows him talking with a young woman while Epstein is nearby, and a third depicts him seated next to another woman. A fourth picture shows custom condoms featuring Trump’s face.

🚨 BREAKING: Oversight Dems received 95,000 new photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate. These disturbing images raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world.

Time to end this White House cover-up. Release the files! pic.twitter.com/nQNIywayb9

— Oversight Dems (@OversightDems) December 12, 2025

Legal Processes

The recent declassification of documents is part of a broader process authorized by a court in the Southern District of New York, which cleared the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make public all grand jury materials from the case that indicted Epstein in 2019.

This decision stems from a law passed by Congress in November, which requires the DOJ to release transcripts, evidence, and documents related to the investigation within 30 days, counting from late November.

Meanwhile, another court last week authorized the release of files and testimonies related to the Florida case, which investigated abuses committed by Epstein between 2005 and 2007 at his Palm Beach mansion.

On Tuesday, a third judge ordered the disclosure of materials related to Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 for her central role in the financier’s sexual exploitation network.

Experts say access to this information could shed light on institutional cover-ups and potential responsibilities of third parties. However, authorities must continue to keep the identities of victims and witnesses confidential, as ordered by Judge Richard M. Berman in his ruling.

Our team is reviewing the 95,000+ photos we received from Epstein's estate, and many are very disturbing.

Oversight Democrats are committed to transparency and the truth. We will get justice for the survivors. pic.twitter.com/UOBQtWWgXY

— Congressman Robert Garcia (@RepRobertGarcia) December 13, 2025

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The U.S. is accused to finance, train, and coordinate youth networks in Nepal to drive the violent Gen Z protests that ultimately led to the overthrow of Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli in September 2025, as conmfirmed by leaked files reviewed by The Grayzone.

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The objective was explicit: to align the local agenda with U.S. priorities under the narrative of democratic reform.

RELATED: Nepal’s Youth Movement Denounces Government’s Deepening Ties With Israel

The operation, carried out by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and its Republican-affiliated arm, the International Republican Institute (IRI), aimed to install leadership aligned with Washington’s strategic interests in the geopolitically sensitive Himalayan region.

It was run through the program “Yuva Netritwa: Paradarshi Niti” (Youth Leadership: Transparent Policy), which was funded with an initial budget of $350,000 between 2021 and 2022.

The documents reveal that the IRI allocated the money to train dozens of young people in mobilization tactics, protest organization, social media management, political pressure techniques, and methods for running street-level campaigns.

Through workshops, training sessions, and digital platforms, the IRI selected between 60 and 70 young people described as “emerging leaders” and equipped them with tools to design protests, coordinate groups, escalate demands, and exert pressure on political decision-makers.

Internal manuals were also produced outlining methods to influence national, local, and provincial politics through street actions.

The operation included a broad sociopolitical study carried out with the Nepalese consultancy Solutions Consultant, aimed at identifying youth sectors vulnerable to political radicalization and mapping local grievances.

US regime change front funded Nepalese youth revolutionaries, leaks reveal

Nepal's 'Gen Z' shadow army mobilized as the US sought to neutralize Chinese and Indian influence over Kathmandu

By @KitKlarenberghttps://t.co/se4YDReL2J

— The Grayzone (@TheGrayzoneNews) December 11, 2025

Social networks as excuse

In September 2025, after the Nepalese government blocked platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and X for failing to comply with local regulations, the so-called “Gen Z” protests erupted. Within hours, the demonstrations escalated into armed unrest, leaving at least 76 people dead, including civilians and police officers.

Videos circulating online showed protesters carrying semi-automatic rifles and organized groups attacking public buildings, government offices, and the homes of officials.

The protests resulted in Prime Minister Oli’s resignation and the installation of an interim leader chosen through an anonymous vote on a Discord server with fewer than 10,000 participants—an unprecedented mechanism in Nepal’s political history.

A well-known strategy

While Western media portrayed the uprising as a spontaneous democratic revolt, the leaked documents suggest that Washington had been laying the groundwork for at least four years. Nepal was viewed by the IRI as a pivotal country for U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific, due to its position between China and India, its potential to host U.S. military facilities, and its role in the region’s geopolitical containment of Beijing.

The model mirrors strategies used by the NED and IRI in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and especially Bangladesh, where a nearly identical operation contributed to the 2024 coup.

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The World Food Programme will be forced to slash food rations by up to 70 percent for besieged communities in Sudan, starting in January, as its resources are projected to run out in just four months amidst the world’s worst hunger crisis.

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The World Food Programme (WFP) will reduce food distribution rations in El-Fasher, North Darfur, Sudan, due to a lack of resources starting in January 2026, as an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 people remain trapped amid the collapse of basic services. The agency currently has enough resources to continue aid for barely four months.

Food rations will be cut by 70 percent for communities facing famine and by 50 percent for those at risk —the bare minimum needed to survive—.

RELATED: Sudanese Army Withdraws from El Fasher, RSF Claims Full Control of Darfur

Ross Smith, the WFP’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, explained that communication outages are severely restricting access to information, offering only a partial view of the crisis’s full scope.

Unfolding catastrophe

Reports from satellite imagery and escapees paint a grim picture, showing burned bodies, deserted markets, and horrific violence, Smith said. He added that trade routes remain closed, aid deliveries are not reaching the city, and the WFP lacks local humanitarian partners or functioning community kitchens.

Escape routes are extremely perilous, with documented incidents of looting, sexual assault, and mined roads. Those who managed to flee faced steep transport costs to reach areas where assistance is scarce.

Sudanese civilians who fled el-Fasher have given testimonies describing bodies in the streets, families torn apart and days without food after the city fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Read here: https://t.co/MVFEI3zajc pic.twitter.com/UhDCwoAXOA

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 9, 2025

Smith also highlighted the situation in Twil, where over 650,000 displaced people are surviving in makeshift shelters amid cholera outbreaks and severely limited access to essential services.

The UN has described the situation in Sudan as the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe and “most extreme hunger crisis”.

Sudan: Despite immense challenges, humanitarian workers are delivering life-saving assistance to people who fled violence in El Fasher, North Darfur.@UNOCHA is calling for safe, sustained and unhindered access so aid can reach those who need it most.
pic.twitter.com/Kyr1n34Ojv

— United Nations (@UN) December 10, 2025

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From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

The European Union (EU) decided this Friday to indefinitely freeze Russian assets, rather than addressing the matter through a vote every six months, as it had done until now. Moscow has described the move as theft and has warned of retaliation.

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French agency Reuters notes that this move allows the EU to avoid the risk that Hungary and Slovakia might at some point refuse to extend the freeze, which would otherwise force the EU to return the money to its rightful owner.

RELATED: Putin and Erdogan Discuss EU Plans to Immobilize Frozen Russian Assets

European Council President Antonio Costa said that the institution’s next objective will be to secure funding for Ukraine for the 2026–2027 period.

For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the decision, alleging it sends a clear signal to Russia and empowers Kiev both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.

In September, the European Commission floated the idea of providing Ukraine with a €140 billion (162 billion dollars) loan framed as reparations, to be financed through Russian assets currently immobilized in the European Union.

More recently, the Commission outlined two long-term funding options for Ukraine: borrowing from financial markets with guarantees from the EU budget, and a separate reparations-style loan backed by frozen Russian sovereign funds held within the bloc.

Belgium has once again voiced its opposition to the proposal, warning that such a move could expose the country to legal claims from Russia.

EU voted to ‘INDEFINITELY immobilize’ €210 BILLION worth of Russian sovereign assets — Reuters

Previously, EU members voted every 6 months on extending the asset freeze pic.twitter.com/AWGDhEmDEU

— RT (@RT_com) December 12, 2025

The Euroclear case

This step comes on the same day that the Central Bank of Russia announced it had filed a lawsuit against the depository Euroclear at the Moscow Arbitration Court. The move is being taken due to the institution’s “illegal actions”, which are causing losses to the Russian Central Bank.

Another reason cited is the direct or indirect use of the Central Bank of Russia’s assets without its consent, an issue that is officially being examined by the European Commission.

Russia's Central Bank files a LAWSUIT against Euroclear

Bank of Russia says Belgium's depositary that holds most of Russian assets causes losses to Russia

The decision is also connected to the willing of EU to steal the assets pic.twitter.com/rf2Rmts6OQ

— RT (@RT_com) December 12, 2025

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From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.