Venezuela’s Maduro defies calls to step down, sworn in for 3rd term
Global News
Maduro was declared the winner of July's election by both Venezuela's electoral authority and top court, though detailed tallies confirming his victory have never been published.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose nearly 12 years in office have been marked by deep economic and social crisis, was sworn in for a third term on Friday, despite a six-month-long election dispute, international calls for him to stand aside and an increase in the U.S. reward offered for his capture.
Maduro, president since 2013, was declared the winner of July’s election by both Venezuela’s electoral authority and top court, though detailed tallies confirming his victory have never been published.
Venezuela’s opposition says ballot box-level tallies show a landslide win for its former candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who is recognized as president-elect by several countries including the United States. International election observers said the vote was not democratic.
The months since the election have seen Gonzalez’s flight to Spain in September, his ally Maria Corina Machado going into hiding in Venezuela, and the detentions of high-profile opposition figures and protesters.
In the latest in a series of punitive steps, the outgoing Biden administration increased its reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Maduro on drug trafficking charges to $25 million, from a previous $15 million.
It also issued a $25 million reward for Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and a $15 million reward for Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, as well as new sanctions against eight other officials including the head of state oil company PDVSA Hector Obregon.
The U.S. indicted Maduro and others on narcotics and corruption charges, among others, in 2020. Maduro has rejected the accusations.
The U.S. move coincided with sanctions by Britain and the European Union each targeting 15 officials, including members of the National Electoral Council and the security forces, and Canadian sanctions targeting 14 current and former officials.
Prince William expressed his shock and sadness Saturday at the news of the death of his former nanny’s stepson in the New Year's truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people.
South Korean investigators again asked the country's acting president to order the presidential security service to comply with an arrest warrant for the impeached president.
South Korean investigators left the official residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after a near-six-hour standoff during which he defied their attempt to detain him.
The blowback comes after Ottawa sanctioned eight Chinese officials it accuses of "grave human rights violations" against ethnic and religious minorities.
A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention after he evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office in Seoul.
An armed man killed at least four people and wounded four others on Wednesday in the western Montenegrin city of Cetinje, police and local media said.
Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, officials said Wednesday, as the nearly 15-month conflict ground on into the new year.
Revellers across Germany traditionally ring in the new year setting off fireworks, but the latest celebrations were marred by the use of fireworks against emergency officials.
Ukraine on Wednesday halted Russian gas supplies to European customers through its pipeline network after a prewar transit deal expired at the end of last year.
Auckland became the first major city to celebrate, as thousands thronged downtown or climbed the city’s ring of volcanic peaks for a fireworks vantage point.