Page 13 - Venezuela

Court allows to block Venezuelan immigrants from being sent to Guantanamo

A federal court on Sunday blocked the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan immigrants held in New Mexico to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba as part of the president's immigration crackdown. In a legal filing earlier in the day, lawyers for the men said the detainees "fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantanamo, i.e. Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang." It asked a US District Court in New Mexico for a temporary restraining order blocking their transfer, adding that the mere uncertainty the government has created surrounding the availability of legal process and counsel access is sufficient to authorize the modest injunction. During a brief hearing, Judge Kenneth J Gonzales granted the temporary order, which was opposed by the government, said Jessica Vosburgh, an attorney for the three men. "It's short term. This will get revisited and further fleshed

Trump admin to seize Venezuelan prez's 2nd plane held in Dominican Republic

The Trump administration plans to seize a second plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro 's government that is currently in the Dominican Republic. Secretary of State Marco Rubio intends to announce the seizure on Thursday during a visit to Santo Domingo, the last stop of his five nation tour of Central America, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter and a State Department document obtained by The Associated Press. Carrying out the seizure required that Rubio sign off on a foreign aid freeze waiver request to pay more than USD 230,000 in storage and maintenance fees. It also required approval by the Department of Justice. That waiver request, submitted early last week, has been approved and Rubio is expected to make the announcement at what the State Department has described publicly as only a law enforcement engagement. The plane is a Dassault Falcon 200 that has been used by Maduro and top aides, including his vice president and defense minister to ..

Trump admin ends temporary deportation protection for 350,000 Venezuelans

US President Donald Trump's administration is ending protections that shielded roughly 350,000 Venezuelans from deportation, leaving them with two months before they lose their right to work in the US. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's order affects 348,202 Venezuelans living in the US with Temporary Protected Status slated to expire in April. That's about half of the approximately 600,000 who have the protection. The remaining protections are set to expire at the end of September. The termination notice will be published Wednesday and go into effect 60 days later. It's among the latest Trump administration actions targeting the immigration system, as officials work to make good on promises of cracking down on people illegally living in the country and to carry out the largest mass deportation effort in US history. Congress created TPS in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife, giving people authorization to work in ...

Venezuela's Oppn supporters fight hope, distress after Maduro sworn in

The inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro left his opponents to grapple with with conflicting feelings of hope and disappointment on Saturday, pondering why the self-described socialist leader could not be stopped despite credible evidence that he had lost the election last year. Some described their mood after Friday's ceremony at the legislative palace in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, like an emotional hangover while others said they feel abandoned. Many expressed cautious optimism, finding a measure of comfort in the social media videos released by two opposition leaders popular former lawmaker Mara Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, the opposition's candidate in the vote who had promised to topple Maduro. In the end, it feels as if the soup got cold, college professor Nelson Perez said. We've been on the subject of not losing hope for a while. ... But then you realize it's more of the same. That realization is hard to process for millions of Venezuelans who, l

Nicols Maduro takes oath as Venezuela's President amid protests, rebuke

Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro was sworn in Friday for a new term, extending his increasingly repressive rule in the face of renewed protests and rebukes from the United States and others who believe he stole last year's vote. Venezuela's legislative palace, where he was sworn in and delivered a fiery speech, was heavily guarded by security forces who have become Maduro's main hold on power since last summer's disputed election. Crowds of people, many sporting pro-Maduro T-shirts, gathered in adjacent streets and a nearby plaza. Maduro, likening himself to a biblical David fighting Goliath, accused his opponents and their supporters in the US of trying to turn his inauguration into a world war. He said his enemies' failure to block his inauguration to a third six-year term was a great victory" for Venezuela's peace and national sovereignty. I have not been made president by the government of the United States, nor by the pro-imperialist governments of Latin America, he said, aft

Venezuela's Oppn leader defies Maduro to lead protests, claims arrest later

Venezuela opposition leader Mara Corina Machado's aides said she was detained Thursday, followed moments later by official denials of her arrest, in a confusing episode that capped a day of protests seeking to block President Nicols Maduro from clinging to power. It remained unclear what exactly happened after Machado bid farewell to hundreds of supporters, hopped on a motorcycle and raced with her security convoy down a main Caracas avenue. At 3:21 pm local time, Machado's press team said in a social media post that security forces violently intercepted her convoy. Her aides later told The Associated Press that she had been detained, and international condemnation poured in from leaders in Latin America and beyond, demanding her release. But about an hour later, a proof-of-life, 20-second video of Machado emerged online in which she says she was followed after leaving the wonderful rally and had dropped her purse. Her aides later claimed in a social media post that the video messag

Trump backs Venezuela's Oppn leader Maria Machado after detention incident

Fear of repression in Venezuela has escalated in recent days as the inauguration of Maduro's third term approaches on Friday, following last year's contested presidential election, CNN reported

Venezuelan Oppn leader Maria Machado arrested after anti-govt protest

Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was arrested Thursday when her motorcycle convoy was fired upon by security forces as it departed an anti-government protest in Caracas, according to aides. Machado emerged from months of hiding earlier Thursday to reappear in public as part of a last-ditch attempt to block President Nicols Maduro from clinging to power. Machado's press team said in a social media post that security forces violently intercepted the convoy as it was leaving eastern Caracas. There were no immediate details on her whereabouts and Maduro's government has yet to comment. They wanted us to fight each other, but Venezuela is united, we are not afraid, Machado shouted to a few hundred protesters from atop a truck in the capital moments before her arrest. The protests are taking place a day before the ruling party-controlled National Assembly is scheduled to swear in Maduro to a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost the presidential ...

Venezuela top court fines TikTok $10 mn over deadly video challenges

Venezuela's Supreme Court has issued a USD 10 million fine against TikTok for not implementing measures to prevent viral video challenges that have allegedly led to the deaths of three Venezuelan children recently. Judge Tania D'Amelio said TikTok had acted in a negligent manner and gave it eight days to pay the fine, while also ordering the video service company to open an office in Venezuela that would supervise content so that it complies with local laws. The judge did not explain how Venezuela would force TikTok, whose parent company is based in China, to pay the fine. Venezuela has blocked dozens of websites in previous years for not complying with regulations set by its telecommunications commission. TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. In November, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blamed TikTok for the death of a 12-year-old girl who allegedly died after participating in a TikTok challenge that involved taking tranquilizer

Reliance resume oil swap with Venezuela's PDVSA under US licence: Report

A supertanker carrying about 1.9 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey heavy crude departed earlier this month for India's Sikka port

Venezuela President releases 103 imprisoned since disputed July election

After Presidential election, thousands of protesters flooded the streets in cities like the capital Caracas, and the opposition released data it said showed Gonzalez won handily against Maduro

Venezuelan Opposition leaders awarded EU's freedom of thought prize

The Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought award is considered the European Union's highest human rights honour

Jindal abandons oil venture with Venezuela's crude producer PDVSA: Report

Jindal is exiting the deal under which it would have overseen one of Petroleos de Venezuela's key installations for producing and processing heavy-crude oil for export

Experts legitimise tally sheets Venezuela Oppn provided, shows Maduro lost

An independent group of election experts that observed Venezuela's July presidential election on Wednesday legitimised the vote tally sheets the opposition has offered as proof of President Nicolas Maduro's defeat, telling the Organization of American States the electronic balloting system worked and the ruling party as well as other stakeholders "know the truth". The assertions from an expert with the US-based Carter Center came during a session convened by members of the regional body to address the dispute that emerged from Venezuela's presidential election. The group was one of the two independent panels that the government invited to observe the vote on July 28, which electoral authorities claimed -- without offering any proof -- favoured Maduro. The dispute has centred on thousands of tally sheets known as actas -- printouts that resemble shopping receipts -- that have long been considered the ultimate proof of election results in Venezuela. Each of the 30,000 electronic voti

Venezuela Oppn calls on US to cancel oil firm licences to pressure Maduro

Venezuela's main opposition coalition on Monday called on the US to cancel the licenses that allow Chevron and other energy companies to operate in the South American country to pressure President Nicols Maduro to negotiate a transition from power. The appeal came from an adviser to the campaign of Edmundo Gonzlez Urrutia, who represented the Unitary Platform coalition in the July 28 election, and his main backer, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Gonzlez and Machado claim their campaign won the vote by a wide margin, contradicting the decision of national electoral authorities to declare Maduro the winner. We want them cancelled this is a lifeline to the regime, adviser Rafael de la Cruz said in reference to the licenses during a panel discussion hosted by a Washington-based think tank. We want all the oil companies to go to Venezuela. So, it's not about the companies. It's about the situation that is impoverishing the country so badly that practically the whole population ..

Venezuela arrests 6 foreigners allegedly involved in plot to kill Maduro

Three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen were arrested Saturday after Venezuelan officials accused them of coming to the South American country to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro. The arrests were announced on state television by Diosdado Cabello, the nation's powerful interior minister. Cabello said the foreign citizens were part of a CIA-led plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government and kill several members of its leadership. In the television program, Cabello showed images of rifles that he said were confiscated from some of the plotters of the alleged plan. The arrest of the American citizens included a member of the Navy, who Cabello identified as Wilbert Joseph Castaeda Gomez. Cabello said that Gomez was a navy seal who had served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Colombia. Spain's embassy in Venezuela did not reply to a request for comment on the arrests of its citizens. The US State Department late Saturday confirmed the detention of a US military member and said it

Venezuelan Oppn still hopes to unseat Maduro despite Gonzalez's exile

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado tried to reassure supporters Monday that her coalition still hopes to gain control of the presidency despite the departure into exile of their candidate Edmundo Gonzlez Urrutia. Machado's group maintains that it has evidence that Gonzlez won the July 28 presidential election by a wide margin against Venezuela's authoritarian incumbent president, Nicols Maduro, despite his claim to have won. Machado told an online meeting Monday of opposition leaders, reporters and others that her group still hopes to see Maduro leave office in January, even if for voters those hopes seem increasingly tenuous since Gonzlez's decision to flee into exile to Spain over the weekend. She said the former diplomat could fulfill the role of opposition candidate with much greater protection and security from abroad. She herself has gone into hiding in the weeks since the election, while Maduro's government has arrested more than 2,000 people and cracked down o

Oppn presidential candidate left nation for asylum in Spain: Venezuela

Former Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez has left the South American country after seeking asylum in Spain, according to a senior Venezuelan official. The surprise departure by the candidate who Venezuela's opposition and several foreign governments consider the legitimate winner of July's presidential race is a serious blow to efforts to unseat President Nicols Maduro and comes just days after the government ordered his arrest. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said in a message posted on Instagram that Gonzalez, who has not been seen since the election, had sought refuge in past days at Spain's embassy in Caracas. She said the government decided to grant Gonzlez safe passage out of the country to help restore the country's political peace and tranquility. Neither Gonzalez nor anyone from Venezuela's opposition has yet to comment. Gonzalez, a 75 year old former diplomat, was a last minute stand in when opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was

Venezuelan judge issues arrest warrant for Oppn's ex-presidential candidate

A Venezuelan judge on Monday issued an arrest warrant for the opposition's former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzlez as part of a criminal investigation into the results of a disputed election. The warrant was issued at the request of authorities who accuse Gonzlez, a former diplomat, of various crimes including conspiracy, falsifying documents and usurpation of powers. The warrant comes just over a month after election officials declared President Nicols Maduro the winner of an election that his opponents say he lost. Authorities sought the warrant after Gonzlez failed to appear three times to answer questions from prosecutors in a criminal investigation stemming from the disputed election results. Ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared Maduro the victor of the July 28 election, hours after polls closed. They did not show any detailed results to back up their claim as they had offered in previous presidential elections. The lack of transparency has drawn internation

Elon Musk vs the world: Fights the tech titan has been picking up globally

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