CARACAS, March 24 -- More than $30 billion disappeared from Venezuela’s foreign accounts in the past two months, according to Venezuelan Minister for Communication and Information Jorge Rodgriguez. "In the past two months, over $30 billion were stolen," he was quoted as saying by Venezuela’s state TV. The official accused Washington of ordering to seize Venezuela’s assets. "Assets, which Venezuela has in various banks, are being withdrawn. This is carried out under direct orders from the US President Donald Trump’s administration," he said. The minister’s statement came shortly after opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself the country’s acting president in January, said that in an interview to Reuters that "the diplomatic pressure [on the country’s government] has worked, the economic pressure and the pressure on assets have worked." "They [Maduro’s government] are isolated, alone, they are falling apart day by day," he added. Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas on January 23. Several countries, including the United States, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), as well as the Organization of American States, recognized him as president. Venezuela's incumbent President Nicolas Maduro blasted these actions as an attempted coup and said that he was cutting diplomatic ties with the United States. In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey voiced support for Maduro. Earlier on Saturday, the opposition leader said in a Twitter post that he and his supporters would keep protesting until Maduro resigns.
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CARACAS, March 14 -- Venezuelan Armed Forces will hold drills on protecting strategic facilities after a series of power outages in the country, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Wednesday. "In order to reinforce the victory of our people in the face of aggression against the power lines, President Nicolas Maduro has ordered National Bolivarian Armed Forces to hold drills 'Ana Karina Rote' this Saturday and Sunday to protect the people and strategic facilties," Lopez wrote on his official Twitter account. On March 7, at least 20 out of 23 Venezuelan states were left without electricity. Venezuela's state energy company Corpoelec said that the blackout was caused by an accident at the Simon Bolivar hydroelectric power station. Some experts say the accident was unprecedented in its scale. Venezuelan Minister of Communications and Information Jorge Rodriguez said earlier that power supply has been restored on the whole territory of the country. CARACAS, March 12 -- Venezuela's National Assembly has declared a state of emergency over power outage on most of its territory at the request of opposition leader Juan Guaido. "The state of emergency is declared in all parts of the country because of the catastrophic situation that resulted from interruptions in power supply," AFP quoted the parliament's resolution as saying. Guaido earlier submitted a request to the National Assembly to declare a state of emergency in the country for 30 days over power outages. The draft decree proposed by Guaido also tasks "Venezuela's Armed Forces with mobilizing all resources necessary for adequate protection of facilities and employees of [state energy company] Corpoelec." On March 7, at least 20 out of 23 Venezuelan states were left without electricity. Venezuela's state energy company Corpoelec said that the blackout was caused by an accident at the Simon Bolivar hydroelectric power station. Maduro blamed "US imperialism" for the accident. The US State Department denied any involvement. CARACAS, March 11 --The power supply of the Venezuelan capital Caracas is restoring. After dark it could be seen that a considerable part of the street lighting system had started operating, and there was light in some houses. Caracas residents also reported the renewal of the electric power supply. On Thursday evening, Caracas and most Venezuelan states were left without electricity. These are 20 or 22 out of 23 states, according to the local media. Thus, almost the whole territory of the country had no electricity. It is the longest power outage within the capital residents’ memory. The incident was reportedly caused by a sabotage at the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Plant in Bolivar State, which is the largest in the country. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro blamed the "American imperialism" for the incident. The US Department of State refuted these accusations. On Friday evening the electricity supply improved, but deteriorated again on Saturday afternoon after a report of an explosion at the electric power station located on the outskirts of Ciudad Bolivar, the capital of Venezuela’s southeastern Bolivar State. Venezuela’s government declared Monday, March 11, to be a nonworking day due to the absence of electricity. CARACAS, March 8 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday blamed "American imperialism" for a prolonged power outage which affected most of the South American country. The embattled president blamed the blackout on "the electrical war announced and directed by American imperialism against our people", he said on Twitter. But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denied Washington was behind it. "Power shortages and starvation are the result of the Maduro regime's incompetence." State-owned electricity operator Corpoelec blamed the outage on the act of "sabotage" at the Guri Dam, one of the world's largest hydroelectric stations and the cornerstone of Venezuela's electrical grid. Speaking from the capital Caracas, as the city is being completely in the dark. "The government is saying that the opposition and its leader Juan Guaido are behind this attack, as well as the US," she said, adding that many states remain without electricity. For his part, Guaido, the self-declared interim leader said early on Friday that all but one of Venezuela's 23 states had no electricity and that capital Caracas had been without light for "a record" six hours. "This blackout is evidence of the usurper's inefficiency," Guaido said on Twitter, referring to Maduro. Venezuela's Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez told state broadcaster Telesur that some 10 states had been affected by the blackout, which he called "brutal electrical sabotage", adding that the power was back on in three states and the rest of the country would follow within hours. "What's the intention?" he said. "To submit the Venezuelan people to various days without electricity to attack, to mistreat, so that vital areas would be without power." Rodriguez also accused US Senator Marco Rubio of being involved in the "sabotage", claiming that he "predicted" the power outage before it happened. "My apologies to the people of Venezuela," Rubio responded on Twitter. "I must have pressed the wrong thing on the 'electronic attack' app I downloaded from Apple. My bad." Maduro has presided over a massive economic crisis since he succeeded Hugo Chavez as president in 2013. The prolonged crisis has seen large numbers of people facing food and medicine shortages forcing millions to leave the country. The girl had fallen pregnant after being raped by her grandmother’s boyfriend. A practitioner who assisted in the procedure told the Guardian there were thousands of such cases in Argentina. Last week, the Guardian reported the story of Lucía – not her real name – who was raped by her grandmother’s 65-year-old partner. She was denied an abortion, despite the law allowing terminations in cases of rape or when the woman’s life is at risk. Despite Lucía qualifying on both accounts, local authorities in the northern province of Tucumán, where she lives, delayed a decision until 23 weeks into her pregnancy. By that time Lucía was not physically able to undergo a normal, vaginal abortion. Instead she had to undergo what is called a hysterotomy abortion, in which the foetus is removed via a small incision in the abdomen, similar to a caesarean section. Rescued by hospital staff, the foetus survived the procedure but is not expected to live.
Cecilia Ousset, who assisted her husband, Jorge Gijena, in carrying out the procedure, said she was “horrified” by the outcome of the case. “At no moment was it our intention to force the girl to give [a] live birth,” said Ousset in a phone interview punctuated with tears. Ousset and her husband are pro-choice private practitioners, called in by the government when the public hospital staff refused to carry out the court-ordered procedure. Ousset feels they were tricked by a deliberate and ultimately successful ploy by provincial officials to delay the procedure long enough to force the delivery of a live newborn. CARACAS, March 3 -- Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno has called Venezuela a failed state. "Venezuela today is a completely failed state, and this should not go on like that," Moreno said after a meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido in Salinas. Guaido in turn thanked Moreno for assistance in "liberating" the Bolivarian Republic. "I thank [Ecuador's] President Lenin Moreno for supporting our efforts to liberate and restore Venezuela," Guaido wrote on his official Twitter account. He also noted that Ecuadorians and Venezuelans are fraternal peoples. "We will continue expanding cooperation and strengthening our relations," he said. On January 23 Venezuelan National Assembly Speaker Juan Guaido proclaimed himself as the country's acting president. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has described it as a coup attempt and announced severing diplomatic relations with the United States. On January 28 the US imposed sancitons on Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA oil company. Guaido was recognized as interim president by the Lima Group countries (except for Mexico), as well as by Albania, Georgia, the United States, and the Organization of American States. Several EU countries came forward with support for the Venezuelan parliament and expressed hope for new elections to resolve the crisis. Maduro was supported by Russia, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Turkey. Belarus and China called for resolving all issues by peaceful means and spoke against any interference from the outside. The UN secretary general called for dialogue to resolve the crisis. CARACAS, February 23 -- The first aid shipment from the United States has passed into Venezuela despite efforts by forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro, according to Juan Guaidó, the country's self-declared interim leader. Guaidó announced the successful border crossing of the first aid truck Saturday morning on his Twitter account, calling it a "great achievement" according to a translation. "Attention Venezuela! We officially announce that the first shipment of humanitarian aid has already entered our border with Brazil. This is a great achievement, Venezuela!" he wrote. ¡Atención Venezuela! Anunciamos oficialmente que YA ENTRÓ el primer cargamento de ayuda humanitaria por nuestra frontera con Brasil. ¡Esto es un gran logro, Venezuela! ¡Seguimos! #23FAvalanchaHumanitaria — Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) February 23, 2019 The remaining convoy of trucks was headed to the border of Venezuela as of 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, according to The Associated Press. The interim leader, who previously led Venezuela's National Assembly, called on allies of Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez on Saturday to join his cause and support his government over that of Maduro. "This fight is for everyone and for all Venezuelans. I want to make a special call to the people of Chavez and those who were close to join the Constitution, the democratic coexistence and the welfare of all," he added in a second tweet: Esta lucha es de todos y por todos los venezolanos. Quiero hacerle un especial llamado al pueblo chavista y a quienes estuvieron cerca a que se sumen al lado de la constitución, de la convivencia democrática y el bienestar para todos. pic.twitter.com/grB6UFfm4T — Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) February 23, 2019 The announcement comes just a day after a violent clash on Venezuela's border with Colombia resulted in the deaths of two indigenous people at the hands of Maduro's troops, according to a local mayor, as well as other injuries to protesters angry at Maduro's closure of the border over Guaidó's efforts to bring humanitarian aid into the country. Maduro has stated that the aid trucks are part of an effort led by the U.S. to support a coup against his government, and has refused to step down. The White House urged Maduro on Friday to allow aid to "peacefully" enter the country. "Egregious violation of human rights by Maduro and those who are following his orders will not go unpunished. The United States strongly urges the Venezuelan military to uphold its constitutional duty to protect the citizens of Venezuela. The Venezuelan military must allow humanitarian aid to peacefully enter the country. The world is watching," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. CARACAS, February 5 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro denounced the statement made by US President Donald Trump that it was possible to deploy servicemen to Venezuela as madness. "Speaking of a war in the 21st century is madness. Even the thought that you will send your army to the soil that has people to protect it is madness, Mr Trump," he said during a speech in the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was broadcast on Twitter. On Sunday, Trump stated that he does not rule out the possibility of using the American armed forces in Venezuela. On January 23, Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas. Several countries, including the United States, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), Australia, Albania, Georgia and Israel, as well as the Organization of American States, recognized him. Maduro, in turn, blasted the move as a coup staged by Washington and said he was severing diplomatic ties with the US. In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Turkey voiced support for Maduro, while China called for resolving all differences peacefully and warned against foreign interference. The United Nations secretary general, in turn, called for dialogue to resolve the crisis. NEW YORK, February 3 -- Newly unsealed documents about notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman contain claims by witnesses that he had sex with minors he called “vitamins,” a disturbing allegation coming just as a jury is about to start deliberating in his US drug-trafficking case. According to papers made public late Friday, a key government cooperator told authorities Guzman had him drug girls as young as 13 before Guzman had sex with them at one of his Mexican hideouts in the late 2000s. On Saturday, one of Guzman’s lawyers called the accusations “extremely salacious” and questioned the timing of the government filing. Guzman “denies the allegations, which lack any corroboration and were deemed too prejudicial and unreliable to be admitted at trial,” lawyer Eduardo Balarezo said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that the material was publicly released just prior to the jury beginning deliberations.” The jury is set to begin deliberations Monday after a nearly three-month trial on charges that as the head of the Sinaloa cartel, Guzman oversaw a drug-smuggling empire that flooded the US market with at least 200 tonnes of cocaine and made US$14 billion off of it. The defence says cooperating witnesses have made Guzman a scapegoat for their own crimes. The unsealing of the documents came at the request of The New York Times and Vice News. US District Judge Brian Cogan had ordered prosecutors to review the material – originally sealed because it was deemed unrelated to the drug charges – and make portions of it public within four days after the government rested its case against Guzman. One document says Colombian drug trafficker Alex Cifuentes, while living with Guzman around 2007, told investigators someone known as Comadre Maria would offer photos of young girls to Guzman. For US$5,000, the one of Guzman’s choice would be sent to a secluded Sinaloa ranch, Cifuentes said, according to the papers. Guzman directed Cifuentes to put a “powdery substance” into the girls’ drinks before sex, said Cifuentes. Guzman “called the youngest of the girls his ‘vitamins’ because he believed that sexual activity with young girls gave him ‘life’.” he added. Cifuentes also admitted having sex with minors but without drugging them. The document says other cooperating witnesses have backed up the claims about Guzman’s interactions with underage girls. The cooperator told the government that he saw Guzman “consulting with a witch doctor from whom he obtained sake oils,” the papers said. The documents also describe an interview with Guzman conducted by a Drug Enforcement Administration agent in 1998 at a Mexican prison where Guzman escaped two years later. They say he allegedly asked if he could avoid extradition to the United States if he provided information to the DEA about the drug-running operations of rival cartels. CARACAS, February 2 -- Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro has proposed holding early elections for the National Assembly as he seeks to outmanoeuvre a renewed opposition that is trying to use its control of the legislature to challenge his rule. Maduro said in a speech to supporters on Saturday (Sunday NZT) it would be up to the pro-government constitutional assembly to decide whether or not to back his proposal. Elections for the opposition-controlled National Assembly aren't supposed to take place again until 2020. National Assembly President Juan Guaido is leading a charge to force Maduro from power after he took the oath of office last month for a second, six-year term widely considered illegitimate. Meanwhile, the opposition leader says humanitarian assistance will begin flowing into the crisis-hit country within the next few days, despite the objections of Maduro. Guaido made the announcement as tens of thousands of cheering supporters took to the streets of Caracas demanding that Maduro step down from power. Guaido said supplies of badly needed food and medicine will start entering from the Colombian border town of Cucuta. He said assistance will also come from two more unnamed entry points. Loyalists of Maduro's socialist government flooded the streets in a different part of the capital to celebrate 20 years since Hugo Chavez launched the Bolivarian revolution. CARACAS, January 31 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that a group of military deserters fled to Colombia in order to conspire to sow discord in the Venezuelan armed forces. "A group of military deserters that became mercenaries for Colombian oligarchy are conspiring from Columbia to sow discord among [Venezuelan] armed forces," Maduro told servicemen before military drills on Wednesday. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Tuesday that Venezuelan military recognize Maduro as the only legitimate president of the country. On January 23 Venezuelan National Assembly Speaker Juan Guaido proclaimed himself as the country's acting president. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has described it as a coup attempt and announced severing diplomatic relations with the United States. On January 29 the US Treasury announced imposing sanctions on PDVSA (Petroleos de Venezuela) oil and gas company and blocking $7 billion in assets. Guaido was recognized as interim president by the Lima Group countries (except for Mexico), as well as by Albania, Georgia, the United States, and the Organization of American States. Several EU countries came forward with support for the Venezuelan parliament and expressed hope for new elections to resolve the crisis. Maduro was supported by Russia, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Turkey. Belarus and China called for resolving all issues by peaceful means and spoke against any interference from the outside. The UN secretary general called for dialogue to resolve the crisis. MOSCOW, January 30 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday he was ready to sit down for talks with the country’s opposition and is open to the possibility of third countries mediating. RIA released his comments as the struggle for control of Venezuela intensified, with the government preparing an investigation that could lead to the arrest of opposition leader and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido, who has called for new street protests. Venezuela was plunged into political turmoil last week after the United States recognized Guaido, 35, as acting president, while Russia has continued to back Maduro. “I am ready to sit at the negotiation table with the opposition for us to talk for the benefit of Venezuela, for the sake of peace and its future,” RIA quoted Maduro as saying. Maduro made the comments in an interview to Russia’s RIA news agency in Caracas released on Wednesday. Asked about the possibility of third countries mediating in the standoff, Maduro was quoted as saying: “There are several governments, organizations globally, which are demonstrating their sincere concern about what is happening in Venezuela, they have called for a dialogue.” CARACAS, January 25 -- Wednesday saw violent protests in Venezuela's capital Caracas against President Nicolas Maduro, who accused Washington of attempting to stage a coup in his country and moved to cut off diplomatic ties with the United States. Venezuelan ambassador to Syria Jose Gregorio Biomorgi Muzzatiz has compared the current events in his country with the situation in Syria in 2011, referring to the "same scenario". He noted that although the Venezuelan opposition uses such terms as democracy, it nevertheless does not recognise the legitimately elected president and has nominated an "unknown" candidate. He added that all state institutions in Venezuela are working in a routine mode and that the situation on the whole is "normal" and that the authorities have everything under under control. Muzzatiz was echoed by Chargé d'Affaires of the Venezuelan embassy in Serbia Dia Nader de El-Andari, who argued that the current crisis in Venezuela has been endorsed by the United States, with the support of the European Union, in line with the model of Libya and Syria. The Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah, in turn, said in a statement that it "strongly condemns the US intervention and is totally against a coup attempt against the legitimate government [of Venezuela] initiated by the United States". The group stressed that the decision by several nations, including the United States, to recognise opposition leader Guaido as the Venezuelan President does not make him the legitimate head of the country. Earlier, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro cut off diplomatic ties with the United States, accusing it of attempting to stage a coup in Caracas, while Washington, in turn, urged him to step down. On Wednesday, at least two people reportedly died in Wednesday's violent protests against Maduro, which came amid the opposition's support for self-proclaimed interim President Juan Guaido. Apart from the US, Guaido was recognised by a number of countries, including Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, for his part, stressed that recent events in Venezuela were a gross violation of the country's sovereignty and blamed the United States for interfering. Bahram Qassemi, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, in turn pointed out that "Iran opposes any interference into the internal affairs of Venezuela, as well as illegal and unconstitutional steps, such as an attempted coup, and supports the government and people of this country." CARACAS, January 24 -- Venezuela's crisis quickly escalated Wednesday as an opposition leader backed by the Trump administration declared himself interim president in a direct challenge to embattled socialist Nicolas Maduro, who retaliated by breaking off relations with the United States, his biggest trade partner. For the past two weeks, ever since Maduro took the oath for a second six-year term in the face of widespread international condemnation, the newly invigorated opposition had been preparing for nationwide demonstrations Wednesday coinciding with the anniversary marking the end of Venezuela's last military dictatorship in 1958. While Maduro has shown no signs of leaving, his main rival, National Assembly President Juan Guaido, upped the ante by declaring himself interim president before masses of anti-government demonstrators — the only way, he said, to rescue Venezuela from "dictatorship." Outside the capital, seven demonstrators were killed amid disturbances during protests that rocked several cities. In a seemingly coordinated action, the U.S. led a chorus of Western hemisphere nations, including Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia, that immediately recognized Guaido, with President Donald Trump calling on Maduro to resign and promising to use the "full weight" of the U.S. economic and diplomatic power to push for the restoration of Venezuela's democracy. "The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law," Trump said in a statement. The stunning move, which to some harkened back to dark episodes of heavy-handed U.S. interventions in Latin America during the Cold War, drew a strong rebuke from Maduro. He responded by swiftly cutting off diplomatic relations with the United States, the biggest importer of the OPEC nation's oil, giving American diplomats 72 hours to leave the country. "Before the people and nations of the world, and as constitutional president. .... I've decided to break diplomatic and political relations with the imperialist U.S. government," Maduro thundered while holding up a decree banning the diplomats before a crowd of red-shirted supporters gathered at the presidential palace. "Don't trust the gringos," he said, rattling off a long list of U.S.-backed military coups — Guatemala, Chile, Brazil — in decades past. "They don't have friends or loyalties. They only have interests, guts and the ambition to take Venezuela's oil, gas and gold." |
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