Venezuela set for new protests after Maduro win ratified

Venezuela set for new protests after Maduro win ratified
Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rally after the presidential election in Caracas on August 2, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Updated 03 August 2024
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Venezuela set for new protests after Maduro win ratified

Venezuela set for new protests after Maduro win ratified
  • Venezuela's election authority, which is loyal to Maduro, on Friday proclaimed him the winner with 52 percent of the vote
  • The opposition has accused the election authority of hiding the true results showing Gonzalez Urrutia as the true winner
  • Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Uruguay and the US recognized opposition Urrutia as the true president-elect

CARACAS: Venezuela braced for fresh protests Saturday, after President Nicolas Maduro’s disputed election victory was ratified — and a growing number of nations recognized his opposition rival as the true winner.
Both Maduro and the opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado and her presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, have called on their supporters to demonstrate this weekend, in the wake of Sunday’s controversial vote.
The South American country’s CNE election authority, which is loyal to Maduro, on Friday proclaimed him the winner with 52 percent of the vote and said Gonzalez Urrutia had garnered 43 percent of ballots.
But Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Uruguay recognized opposition Gonzalez Urrutia as the true president-elect, joining the United States and Peru in rejecting the official results.
For his part, the 61-year-old Maduro — who has reacted fiercely to criticism of his victory — described allegations of vote fraud as a “trap” orchestrated by Washington to justify “a coup.”
He also has threatened Machado and Gonzalez Urrutia, saying they “should be behind bars.”
Maduro has led the oil-rich, cash-poor country since 2013, presiding over a GDP drop of 80 percent that pushed more than seven million of once-wealthy Venezuela’s 30 million citizens to emigrate.
Experts blame economic mismanagement and US sanctions for the collapse.
Gonzalez Urrutia did not show up to a hearing at the Supreme Court after Maduro requested the tribunal investigate and certify the election result.
However, other opposition candidates summoned to the hearing called for a detailed vote count to be made public after Sunday’s vote, which was held amid widespread fear the vote would be rigged.
Voting records “are fundamental for transparency, they are fundamental for peace,” said Enrique Marquez, who also ran against Maduro as part of a smaller opposition group.
The opposition this week launched a website with copies of 84 percent of ballots cast, showing an easy win for Gonzalez Urrutia. The government claims these are forged.

Machado, who was barred from running herself, wrote in The Wall Street Journal that she was in hiding and “fearing for my life,” along with other opposition leaders.
She called on supporters to rally Saturday in cities across the country to “assert the truth” about the opposition’s victory.
“We have the evidence and the world already recognizes it,” Machado wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Maduro has called for daily mobilization, with “the mother of all marches to celebrate the victory of peace” on Saturday.
He accused the opposition of plotting attacks against security forces during their rallies.
The NGO Foro Penal reported 11 dead in protests Monday and Tuesday as angry Venezuelans took to the streets, saying their votes had been stolen. Machado said at least 20 people had been killed.
Authorities said more than 1,000 people were arrested in post-election protests.
That crackdown has sparked fear among opposition supporters.
“We have dead, wounded, detainees, missing people... People know it. They are afraid. They know they are going to find themselves facing armed people,” said Katiusca Camargo, an activist in the Petare slum in eastern Caracas.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday there was “overwhelming evidence” that Gonzalez Urrutia had won the election.
Blinken spoke with Machado and Gonzalez Urrutia on Friday, expressing “his concern for their safety and well-being” and congratulating Gonzalez Urrutia “for receiving the most votes,” the State Department said.
In a joint statement, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico urged an “impartial verification” of the result, also calling for Caracas to publish voting data broken down by polling stations.
Maduro’s previous reelection, in 2018, was rejected by dozens of Latin American countries as well as the United States and European Union member states.
He enjoys loyalty from the military leadership, electoral bodies, courts and other state institutions, as well as the backing of Russia, China and Cuba.
 


Bangladesh denies UN pressure in PM’s ouster last year

Bangladesh denies UN pressure in PM’s ouster last year
Updated 7 sec ago
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Bangladesh denies UN pressure in PM’s ouster last year

Bangladesh denies UN pressure in PM’s ouster last year
  • A student-led uprising ended Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year tenure last August
  • Thousands marched on her palace and forced autocratic premier into exile
DHAKA: Bangladesh’s armed forces denied on Monday that United Nations pressure played a role in the decision by top brass last year not to quash protests that ousted autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina.
A student-led uprising ended Hasina’s 15-year tenure last August, with soldiers failing to intervene as thousands marched on her palace and forced her into exile.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk told the BBC last week that his office had warned that military involvement in any crackdown could result in Bangladeshi soldiers being banned from peacekeeping missions.
Bangladesh’s army said in a statement that it had not received “any direct communication” to that effect.
“This remark... appears to misrepresent the role of the Bangladesh Army and potentially undermines its reputation, sacrifice, and professionalism,” it said.
“During the July-August 2024 protests, the Army once again stood by the people, ensuring public safety without bias or external influence.”
Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping forces globally and its operations are a lucrative source of income for the country’s soldiers.
Turk said in his comments to the BBC that he had been thanked by student leaders during his visit to Bangladesh last year.
“The students were so grateful to us for taking a stand, speaking out, and supporting them,” he said.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights sent a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh last year to investigate Hasina’s ouster.
Its report, published last month, found “reasonable grounds to believe that the top echelons” of Hasina’s government had committed “very serious” rights violations while attempting to suppress the protests that toppled her.
More than 800 people were killed during last year’s unrest.

Nigeria’s anti-graft agency recovers nearly $500 million in one year

Nigeria’s anti-graft agency recovers nearly $500 million in one year
Updated 21 min 15 sec ago
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Nigeria’s anti-graft agency recovers nearly $500 million in one year

Nigeria’s anti-graft agency recovers nearly $500 million in one year
  • Nigeria is ranked 140 out of 180 on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index

LAGOS: Nigeria’s economic crimes commission said it recovered nearly $500 million in proceeds of crime last year and secured more than 4,000 criminal convictions, its highest since the agency’s inception more than two decades ago.
Africa’s biggest energy producer, Nigeria has struggled for decades with endemic corruption, which many Nigerians say contributes to widespread poverty in the country.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which investigates and prosecutes corruption in Nigeria, said in a report on Monday that some of the recovered money was reinvested in government projects.
Nigeria is ranked 140 out of 180 on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index.
Besides cash, the EFCC said it also seized 931,052 metric tons of petroleum products, 975 real estate properties and company shares.


Russia says expelling two British ‘diplomats’ on spying charges

Russia says expelling two British ‘diplomats’ on spying charges
Updated 10 March 2025
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Russia says expelling two British ‘diplomats’ on spying charges

Russia says expelling two British ‘diplomats’ on spying charges
  • Foreign ministry has revoked their accreditations and ordered them to leave Russia within two weeks
  • The ministry also summoned an embassy representative in connection with the allegations

MOSCOW: Russia said Monday it was expelling two British “diplomats” on suspicion of carrying out espionage activities.
Announcing the expulsion of the embassy’s second secretary and husband of the first secretary, Russia’s FSB security service said “counterintelligence work had revealed an undeclared British intelligence presence under the cover of the national embassy.”
It said the two “deliberately provided false information when obtaining a permit to enter our country, thus violating Russian legislation.”
The UK did not immediately respond to the allegation.
The Russian foreign ministry has revoked their accreditations and ordered them to leave Russia within two weeks, the FSB said.
The ministry also summoned an embassy representative in connection with the allegations, it said in a post on Telegram.
Relations between Moscow and London have been strained by intelligence scandals throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin’s quarter-century in power.
The UK accused Moscow of being behind the 2006 assassination of former Russian agent and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in a London poisoning attack.
And in 2018, Britain and its allies expelled dozens of Russian embassy officials they said were spies over the attempted poisoning of former double agent, Sergei Skripal, with Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok.
Monday’s announcement came as Russia shifts blame for the Ukraine conflict away from the United States to Europe, as US President Donald Trump’s administration seeks closer ties with the Kremlin.


Floodwaters still threaten parts of Australia’s east coast as tropical storm cleanup begins

Floodwaters still threaten parts of Australia’s east coast as tropical storm cleanup begins
Updated 10 March 2025
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Floodwaters still threaten parts of Australia’s east coast as tropical storm cleanup begins

Floodwaters still threaten parts of Australia’s east coast as tropical storm cleanup begins
  • Around 200,000 homes and businesses still without power in the region on Monday afternoon
  • Workers whose livelihoods were hampered by the storm will be eligible for welfare payments

WELLINGTON: Australia’s prime minister cautioned that the fallout from a vicious tropical storm over the weekend was “far from over” as parts of two states remained inundated with perilous floodwaters on Monday, even as the initial threat from the deluge continued to recede.
One person was killed and several others injured after heavy rain lashed Australia’s east coast on Saturday, toppling trees and power lines and inundating some parts of Queensland and New South Wales with record downpours. The two states escaped the level of chaos forecast from the tropical low weather system, which was earlier expected to make landfall as the first tropical cyclone to hit south east Queensland in 51 years – before weakening as it approached.
Still, 200,000 homes and businesses were without power in the region on Monday afternoon – after the storm prompted the biggest blackout in Queensland’s history – and more than 700 schools were closed for the day.
Those living near rivers and creeks were urged to evacuate or stay indoors as water levels continued to rise in some areas – with more rain forecast triggering further warnings during the day. Disaster was declared for the city of Ipswich, west of Brisbane, where a river was expected to flood overnight. People in surrounding suburbs were ordered to leave their homes.
Meanwhile, in other towns where floodwaters began to recede a cleanup began as power was restored for tens of thousands of people. The scale of the damage was not immediately clear.
Workers whose livelihoods were hampered by the storm will be eligible for welfare payments for up to 13 weeks beginning Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Monday.
In the city of Lismore in New South Wales, two military trucks helping with the rescue efforts on Saturday rolled over, injuring 13 of the 36 personnel traveling in them. One remained in hospital on Monday with injuries that were not life-threatening, Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles said.
The single casualty of the crisis was a 61-year-old man who disappeared in a flooded river near the New South Wales town of Dorrigo, police said. His body was recovered on Saturday.
Albanese warned residents of the two stricken states not to be “complacent” as flood warnings lingered.
“If it’s flooded, forget it,” he said, referring to traveling in or entering inundated areas.
Cyclones are common in Queensland’s tropical north but are rare in the state’s temperate and densely populated southeast corner that borders New South Wales. Tropical Cyclone Alfred was last week expected to become the first cyclone since 1974 to cross the Australian coast near Queensland’s state capital of Brisbane, Australia’s third-most populous city.
But it weakened Saturday to a tropical low, defined as carrying sustained winds of less than 63 kph (39 mph).
Authorities had feared similar scenes to those eastern Australia experienced during massive floods in 2011 and in a series of 2022 events – in which more than 20 people died.


India clashes injure four in cricket win celebrations

India clashes injure four in cricket win celebrations
Updated 10 March 2025
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India clashes injure four in cricket win celebrations

India clashes injure four in cricket win celebrations
  • Clashes erupted as revelers in Indore town lit firecrackers outside a mosque
  • Clashes during cricket win celebrations are not uncommon in Hindu-majority India 

NEW DELHI: At least four people were injured in the central Indian town of Dr. Ambedkar Nagar on Sunday in clashes that erupted when revellers celebrating India’s Champions Trophy win lit firecrackers outside a mosque, officials said.
India won the Champions Trophy title on Sunday evening after beating New Zealand by four wickets in the final in Dubai, claiming its second successive global title.
The clashes in Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, earlier known as Mhow, involved stone pelting from both sides, officials said, and several cars, shops, and bikes were also vandalized and torched.
The town is located about 200 km (124 miles) from Madhya Pradesh state’s capital Bhopal.
“Some processions were being taken out in which some people lit firecrackers outside the masjid (mosque), after which there was a disagreement between both sides,” senior police officer Hitika Vasal told reporters.
Police used tear gas shells to quell the violence, local media reported.
Video footage showed deserted lanes with police personnel in riot gear, as some cars with shattered windows and others blackened as a result of being torched stood by the side.
The footage also showed glass shards on the road and shops that had been vandalized.
“The situation is currently under control,” another senior police officer, Nimish Agarwal, told reporters, adding that police patrols had been started in sensitive areas.
Hindu-majority India houses the world’s third-largest Muslim population and clashes during celebrations of cricketing victories are not uncommon.
Police in the western state of Maharashtra had to similarly use force to control crowds celebrating India’s win over arch-rival Pakistan in the same tournament last month, local media had reported.
Activists, opposition groups, and some governments have accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led federal government of discriminating against Muslims, and failing to act against those targeting them.
Modi and his government have denied the allegations.