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A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 14 december 2018

Venezuela’s El Nacional newspaper to cease print edition

Associated Press Otero, El Nacional’s presi-
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) dent and CEO, told the
— Venezuela’s last nation- Spanish newspaper ABC.
ally circulated, anti-gov- “But in the end we could
ernment newspaper will not persist.”
stop publishing its print edi- Venezuelan journalists work
tion amid unrelenting gov- under the threat of jail or
ernment pressure and pa- crushing lawsuits, driving
per shortages, editors said several abroad fearing for
Thursday. their personal safety. A pro-
El Nacional’s final edition government constitutional
will run Friday after 75 years assembly created last year
in print. It will become an has passed a law decree-
exclusively online publica- ing up to 20 years in pris-
tion. on for publishing material
Upon learning of the deemed hateful.
changes to come, editors Journalists working at on-
and reporters in the Cara- line news publications of-
cas newsroom said they ten complain of what they
were undaunted, ready to call government censor-
press ahead and continue ship done by blocking web
bringing critical news to searches through internet
readers. A view of El Nacional’s newsroom, Venezuela’s last nationally circulated, opposition newspaper, providers stopping readers
“They won’t beat us. We’re in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. from seeing their stories.
not defeated,” said gener- Associated Press Since August, El Nacional
al manager Jorge Makrini- once-wealthy oil nation have had strained relations that in recent years have had cut back from print-
otis, who recalled growing that has been plunged into with the media and ac- stopped circulating due to ing daily to just five days
up with the paper in his economic turmoil under cused journalists of contrib- the lack of imported paper a week. The newspaper
family’s home. “It’s impor- two decades of socialist uting to anti-government and the economic crisis does not release its circu-
tant to note that.” rule. plots and publishing fake striking media companies lation numbers, but editors
El Nacional is known for its Both the late President news. across the country. say their print readers have
harsh criticism of the gov- Hugo Chavez and his suc- El Nacional joins more than “We’ve endured longer dramatically shrunk in the
ernment of Venezuela, a cessor, Nicolas Maduro, a dozen local newspapers than the others,” Miguel last several years.q

Mexico leader says he talked with Trump about migrants, jobs

Associated Press “In respectful and friendly people there won’t have its southern border with bridge,” she said.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — terms, we spoke about the to emigrate. Guatemala, but didn’t say “Anyone who wants to en-
Mexico’s leftist President migration issue and the Despite their differences in exactly how the country ter illegally, we are going
Andres Manuel Lopez Ob- possibility of implementing background and policy, plans to accomplish that to say: ‘Get in line and you
rador said he spoke by a joint program of devel- the relationship between daunting task. can enter our country.’”
telephone Wednesday opment and job creation the two leaders has been Interior Secretary Olga San- Sanchez Cordero offered
with U.S. President Donald in Central America and our quite cordial. chez Cordero said the new no details on how that
Trump about migration and country,” Lopez Obrador Lopez Obrador, who took administration will end the would be done, however.
job creation. wrote in his Twitter account. office Dec. 1, has said he practice of undocument- In late October, Mexican
The issue came to the fore The Mexican president has hopes to make migration a ed or illegal crossings over authorities briefly tried to
last month when a caravan called on the United States choice, not a necessity, for the Suchiate River, which block a migrant caravan
of about 7,000 migrants ar- to join in a “Marshall Plan” poor people of the region. marks much of the border from crossing the river with
rived in the border city of effort to commit about $20 Earlier Wednesday, Mex- between Mexico and Gua- ranks of police and military
Tijuana and some attempt- billion in public and pri- ico’s top security official temala. personnel, a helicopter
ed to enter the United vate investment in Central said the government will “In the south there will and boats but the migrants
States. America to create jobs, so close off illegal entries at be only one entry, on the crossed anyway.q