Venezuela’s Maduro takes new oath amid protests and international rebuke

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been sworn in to serve a third term despite credible evidence that his opponent won the July 2024 election. Maduro’s inauguration Friday follows protests in the South American country and abroad against his increasingly repressive rule. In a fiery speech at the legislative palace in Caracas, Maduro accused his opponents and their supporters in the U.S. of trying to turn his inauguration into a “world war.” The opposition collected tally sheets from more than 80% of electronic voting machines after the election, posted the tallies online and said they show opposition candidate Edmundo González won twice as many votes as Maduro.

Canada’s Liberal Party to decide on March 9 who will succeed Trudeau as prime minister

TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s governing Liberal Party will announce the country’s new prime minister March 9 after a leadership vote that follows the resignation of Justin Trudeau this week. The party’s National Board of Directors announced the initial rules of the race late Thursday. Trudeau remains prime minister until a new leader is chosen. Former central banker Mark Carney and ex-Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland are considered the front runners. The political upheaval comes at a difficult moment for Canada. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump keeps calling Canada the 51st state and has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods.

South Korea’s acting leader accepts resignation of presidential security chief

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s acting leader has accepted the resignation of the chief of the presidential security service, Park Jong-joon, as he faced police questioning over how his forces blocked law enforcement efforts to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol last week. The acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, also on Friday expressed regret over the clashes between law enforcement officials and the presidential security service and called for lawmakers to reach a bipartisan agreement to launch an independent investigation. Anti-corruption officials and police are planning a second attempt to bring Yoon into custody as they jointly investigate whether his brief martial law declaration on Dec. 3 amounted to an attempted rebellion.

Thousands rally across Slovakia to protest prime minister’s pro-Russia policies

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Thousands of Slovaks have taken to the streets as protests against the pro-Russia policies of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico spread from Slovakia’s capital to towns and cities across the country and abroad. The latest wave of anti-government rallies on Friday was fueled by Fico’s unexpected trip to Moscow before Christmas to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The protesters say Fico’s meeting with Putin is “unacceptable” at a time when Russia is waging war against Ukraine. Fico says that his trip was a reaction to Ukraine’s move to halt Russian gas supplies to European customers through its pipeline network. Fico has condemned Ukraine’s move and has threatened to retaliate.