sonia schott

Communications Consultant and Analyst .Washington savvy in the making with an eye on Latin America a heart on #Venezuela.@HSS fellow so my soul in #Germany

[María Corina Machado @MariaCorinaYA]

En un acto profundamente cruel, el régimen venezolano le sigue impidiendo a la jueza María Lourdes Afiuni salir del país para recibir el tratamiento médico que requiere con urgencia, ya que le han diagnosticada 3 lesiones tumorales.

Hace 16 años, por orden de Hugo Chávez, el régimen encarceló a la Juez Afiuni por emitir una sentencia conforme a su conciencia y a la Ley, pero contraria a los intereses de Chávez. Esto fue un golpe mortal a la independencia judicial en Venezuela e impuso el terror en jueces y fiscales.

Mantener abierta una causa que nunca debió existir es prolongar una agonía que le ha arrebatado años de vida y la ha separado de su familia.

No hay razón jurídica, moral ni humana para mantener este ensañamiento.

María Lourdes Afiuni merece recuperar plenamente su libertad, sus derechos y su vida. Venezuela tiene una deuda con ella, porque su caso simboliza el precio que han pagado quienes decidieron actuar con rectitud frente a la arbitrariedad.

Exigimos el cierre definitivo de su causa y la restitución plena de todos sus derechos.

Todo mi cariño y apoyo para María Lourdes, Geraldine, su hija, Ignacio y Lucas, sus nietos, y para Nelson, su hermano; Venezuela está con ustedes.

[Albert R. Ramdin - OAS Secretary General @SG_OEA_OAS]

In my Op-Ed for @washingtonpost, I address the Nicaraguan regime’s announcement that it intends to end elections in #Nicaragua. To those who believe this is merely an internal matter, I say: it is not.

National authorities may decide to walk out of a room, but they cannot pack a suitcase and move their country out of this Hemisphere. Geography does not negotiate. When repression crosses borders, it ceases to be a local matter. It demands a united and firm hemispheric response.

The @OAS_official will continue doing what is necessary to defend the just cause of a democratic Nicaragua, until its citizens can once again freely choose their own future.

https://t.co/CUAPdNzgHT

[sonia schott @schottv]

Ppl

[Bitácora Económica Venezuela @BitEcoVe]

Gobierno fija esquemas de racionamiento eléctrico en Caracas mientras Corpoelec establece pautas al resto del país

🖋️@yohanpimentel

https://t.co/ieojaywqo3

[EL ESPAÑOL @elespanolcom]

🔴 #URGENTE | Meloni rechaza el ultimátum de Sánchez y mantendrá la suspensión de Schengen con España: "Italia no acepta imposiciones"

📲 Más información: https://t.co/GjHXpzQh77

[Fox News @FoxNews]

President Trump says Strait of Hormuz negotiations are progressing and a deal could come soon, while stressing U.S. Navy control of the regional blockade.

The president also defending War Secretary Pete Hegseth and dismissing reports of severe U.S. munitions shortages, though he acknowledged the need to boost production.

Trump also predicted oil and gas prices will fall sharply after the conflict ends, with NSC Director Kevin Hassett calling current price increases temporary. | @JacquiHeinrich

[EFE Noticias @EFEnoticias]

El presidente de EE.UU., Donald Trump, anuncia la imposición de un arancel del 15 % al insumo clave para la fabricación de paneles solares y semiconductores.
https://t.co/ltinxwP1je

[The Hormuz Report @HormuzReport]

BREAKING: Saudi Arabia fired approximately 2,400 Patriot PAC-3 interceptors during the first 44 days of the Iran war, depleting an estimated 86% of its pre-war stockpile and leaving roughly 400 missiles by April. At the same rate of fire, those would be exhausted in just 8 days, according to Reuters.

With Lockheed Martin producing only 620 PAC-3 interceptors annually—while supply chains remain constrained by China's rare earth dominance—and existing production already allocated to the U.S. and 17 other countries, Saudi Arabia cannot rapidly rebuild its inventory. Replacement deliveries are not expected before 2027.

[RPP Noticias @RPPNoticias]

🚨 #URGENTE | Los gobiernos del Perú y de México anunciaron en un comunicado conjunto el restablecimiento de sus relaciones bilaterales, rotas desde noviembre de 2025.

“Los gobiernos del Perú y de México, considerando los históricos lazos de hermandad, amistad y cooperación que unen al Perú y a México, acordaron, en la fecha, la reanudación de las relaciones diplomáticas entre ambos Estados”, se lee en el documento.

📸: Presidencia/EFE/ Sáshenka Gutiérrez

📲 Más información 👉 https://t.co/mQpcCj4aHD

[The Hormuz Letter @HormuzLetter]

BREAKING: Iran directly responds to the NATO-style Defence Agreement signed today between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, saying "Saudi Arabia must understand that a paper agreement with Türkiye and Pakistan will not bring them security, just as years of unilateral 'feeding' from the United States did not bring them security," per Tasnim.

Iran adds Saudi Arabia should "fix the situation so that you do not have to ask others for protection."

The Iranian response comes as Iran’s IRGC, Yemen’s Houthis, and Iraqi militias are expected to launch coordinated attacks soon on Saudi civilian, energy, oil and critical infrastructure.

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

BREAKING: The S&P 500 closes at the highest level on record, up another +3.6% this week.

The S&P 500 added +$2.5 trillion in market cap this week.

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

BREAKING: Gold futures surge above $4,400/oz to their highest level since June 5th on news that the US economy lost -23,000 jobs in July.

Gold is now up more than +10% in over the last month.

[BBC News (World) @BBCWorld]

Mexico and Peru restore diplomatic relations after asylum row https://t.co/yuVlDu01fh

[The Associated Press @AP]

BREAKING: The Senate has passed a punishing Russian sanctions bill negotiated by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham to bolster support for Ukraine. https://t.co/qfcKmLkiMS

[Cancillería Perú🇵🇪 @CancilleriaPeru]

#NoticiasTorreTagle | En Cali, el canciller Carlos Espá sostuvo una reunión con su homólogo de Israel, Gideon Sa’ar, en la que se hizo un repaso de los principales temas de la agenda bilateral y se enfatizó la importancia de la ayuda frente al fenómeno de El Niño, así como el fortalecimiento de la gestión de recursos hídricos en favor de la población más vulnerable.

[Bloomberg @business]

Peru’s government cleared an embattled former prime minister to leave the country and travel to Mexico in a move that eases diplomatic tensions between the two estranged Latin American countries https://t.co/DaCkn8dcgs

[RPP Noticias @RPPNoticias]

🇵🇪🤝🇲🇽 Los gobiernos de Perú y México anunciaron el restablecimiento de sus relaciones diplomáticas, luego de casi un año de ruptura. La decisión marca un nuevo capítulo en los vínculos entre ambos países, afectados desde la crisis política originada tras el fallido golpe de Estado de Pedro Castillo.

👉https://t.co/rWd5DeL0iA
#ROTATIVARPP

[Embajada EEUU Perú @USEMBASSYPERU]

Frente a amenazas transnacionales, nuestra cooperación marca la diferencia. 🇺🇸 A través de @TheJusticeDept y el @FBI, EE. UU. reunió a 75 jueces, fiscales y policías de 9 países para fortalecer las capacidades de respuesta frente al terrorismo.

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

US productivity growth is accelerating:

US labor productivity rose +1.4% annualized rate in Q2 2026, more than double the +0.6% expected.

This follows an upwardly revised +0.8% increase in Q1, marking the 5th consecutive quarter of productivity gains.

At the same time, US manufacturing productivity jumped +1.9%, driven by a +4.6% surge in output, the strongest increase since Q4 2021.

However, these productivity gains came at the expense of workers, with inflation-adjusted compensation falling -3.2%, the largest quarterly decline since Q4 2022.

Meanwhile, unit labor costs, which measure how much a company pays workers to produce one unit of output, rose just +1.3% last quarter, well below the +2.1% expected.

The productivity boom is gaining momentum.