Rabu, 01 Mei 2019
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson sacked for leaking top-secret documents - The Sun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se9CaXhkDYE
2019-05-01 18:56:15Z
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Paris May Day protests: Police and demonstrators clash - BBC News
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French police have fired tear gas on masked protesters who joined large May Day demonstrations in Paris.
Traditionally a union-led day of action in the country, this year's event saw both the yellow vest movement and so-called "black blocks" of dark-clad and masked protesters.
Some smashed shop windows and threw projectiles at the police. Dozens of people have been arrested.
The clashes forced the head of the CGT union to temporarily flee the march.
Philippe Martinez told news outlet Franceinfo that "police charged the CGT", though other witnesses had said the "black blocks" had attacked the union march.
AFP news agency says Mr Martinez planned to return.
Police issued a statement saying the union was never targeted, but that police "have carried out their mission with determination against violent thugs".
French broadcaster BFMTV reports that the clashes forced the teachers' union FSU to leave the event.
Is this year's protest larger?
By early afternoon, France's interior ministry said more than 150,000 demonstrators had taken to the streets around the country, and at least 16,000 in the capital - a significant increase on last year's estimates.
Another estimate from media groups put the number far higher, at some 40,000 in Paris.
More than 200 arrests have been made in the capital.
Yet most demonstrators have been non-violent, and clashes with police have occurred in isolated pockets.
France's National Police tweeted a message saying it was guaranteeing the write to express opinions, and called on peaceful protesters to disassociate themselves from violent groups.
Elsewhere, one French journalist reported that while the riot police from France's CRS were subjected to insults, the firefighters of Paris were warmly applauded by passing demonstrators.
Many protesters have joined from the yellow vests movement, which has been protesting on the streets every weekend for months.
French President Emmanuel Macron has made a series of concessions to the movement which has been fuelled by the high the cost of living - most recently with a wave of tax cuts.
One demonstrator, Florence, said the concessions had not made a difference.
"We've been trying to fight, to make ourselves heard for six months and nobody cares," she told Reuters news agency.
"People don't understand the movement though it seems pretty simple: we just want to live normally."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48119183
2019-05-01 15:32:39Z
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Venezuela's opposition leader Guaidó urges 'largest march' in history - NBC News
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Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó called for the “largest march” in the country's history, as Venezuelans braced for a new round of dueling demonstrations on Wednesday.
Thousands took to the streets as demonstrators clashed with pro-government forces Tuesday, resulting in dozens of injuries, after Guaidó announced what he called the “definitive phase” of an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro.
The opposition leader, who has declared himself interim president, appeared Tuesday in a dramatic video alongside formerly detained activist Leopoldo López and a small group of armed military personnel.
On Wednesday morning, Guaidó again urged Venezuelans to show their support in public protests.
"We go on with more strength than ever, Venezuela," he said in another post on Twitter.
Following the protests Tuesday, Guaidó released a statement calling for the “largest march” in Venezuela’s history.
“Maduro does not have the backing, nor the respect of the armed forces, much less of the Venezuelan people,” he said in the statement.
In a video posted to social media Tuesday evening, he referred to Tuesday’s protests as a “historic day” for Venezuela.
“Tomorrow, all of Venezuela to the streets,” he said.
Meanwhile, a defiant Maduro in a television address Tuesday evening called the opposition puppets of the United States and downplayed the demonstrations as a "failed" coup attempt, calling for his supporters to also rally on Wednesday.
“Tomorrow, the first of May, we will have a large, millions-strong march of the working class,” Maduro said. “We have been confronting different types of aggression and attempted coups never before seen in our history.”
Guaidó has urged the military to turn against Maduro in support of the opposition's claim to the presidency. Despite the show of support for Guaidó from a few dozen groups of military personnel Tuesday morning, it remained unclear how much support he actually has. The military has largely remained loyal to Maduro throughout the political upheaval, and top security leaders appeared alongside Maduro during his address Tuesday.
Some of the clashes Tuesday were violent, with tear gas and rubber bullets used on protesters and local media showing video of what appeared to be a military vehicle running over demonstrators.
By Tuesday afternoon, 57 people had been injured by rubber bullets, and one woman was shot with a firearm twice in the stomach, according to a Venezuelan health official.
The Venezuelan defense minister said a pro-government colonel had been shot in the neck, although his condition was unclear. Venezuelan officials also said eight members of security forces were injured by "violent groups" involved in the "failed coup."
On Tuesday, some Venezuelans said they were unsure how everything was going to end but remained hopeful that change was coming.
"I hope this time it turns out, but I find it hard for me to think that today's movement is final," said César Mendoza, 31, of the El Cafetal neighborhood. "I see lack of credibility in the street, and people are tired. Right now, we have the favor of the international movement that did not exist before."
Carlos Morales, 62, of the neighborhood Los Rosales, said he believed people were "more determined to achieve a change.
"People were saying this is our last chance, and I believe it is," he said.
"Nobody knows if the majority of the military is with the opposition," he said. "We only see that they are joining in. It's the first time that I see armed military join."
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/venezuela-s-opposition-leader-guaid-urges-largest-march-history-n1000641
2019-05-01 15:27:00Z
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Venezuela on Edge on Day of Rival Maduro Protests - The New York Times
Venezuela braced for rival protests called by the government and its opponents on Wednesday, and the Trump administration renewed threats of military action, keeping tensions high a day after the opposition renewed its push to oust President Nicolás Maduro.
“Today we continue,” Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader, said on Twitter Wednesday morning. “We will keep it up with more force than ever.”
¡Buenos días! Hoy continuamos, estos son los puntos de la concentración el día de hoy en Caracas. Seguimos con más fuerza que nunca Venezuela. #VamosConTodo https://t.co/Rcp5jAo3U5
— Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) May 1, 2019
The protest against Mr. Maduro, scheduled for May 1, a national holiday for workers in Venezuela, is the latest attempt by the opposition to claim the leadership of a country suffering from a crumbling economy that has left the population lacking food and medical care.
While the opposition has received the backing of more than 50 countries, its momentum on the street has flagged in recent weeks.
The United States backed Mr. Guaidó from the start and has remained a stalwart supporter. The Trump administration would prefer a peaceful transition, said Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, but restated in an interview with the Fox Business Network Wednesday morning that “military action is possible.”
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“If that’s what’s required, that’s what the United States will do,” Mr. Pompeo said.
On Tuesday, Mr. Guaidó tried to jump-start the drive to remove Mr. Maduro from office, appearing at a military base alongside Leopoldo López, the country’s best-known political prisoner. Mr. López had apparently been freed by security forces, leading many to speculate that a rebellion against Mr. Maduro might be afoot.
But no major military defections occurred, and in the streets, forces loyal to Mr. Maduro clashed with protesters. At least 69 people were wounded on Tuesday, according to a hospital that treated them; Mr. López eventually fled to Spain’s embassy in Caracas.
On Wednesday, pro-government protesters were expected in the streets as well, raising the prospect of further violence.
Mr. Maduro has said he will not back down.
“We are over the shock and surprise, and now we will take this all on with nerves of steel,” he said in a televised address on Tuesday night.
The clashes Tuesday reverberated in Washington, where American officials said they believed top government officials had been preparing to turn on Mr. Maduro. Mr. Pompeo said that Mr. Maduro was prepared to leave the country, but that he had decided not to at the behest of Russia.
A Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told CNN that was not true. “Washington tried its best to demoralize the Venezuelan army, and now used fakes as a part of information war,” she said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/world/americas/venezuela-protests-guaido-maduro.html
2019-05-01 14:47:29Z
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Pompeo says military action in Venezuela 'possible' - CNN
"The President has been crystal clear and incredibly consistent. Military action is possible. If that's what's required, that's what the United States will do," Pompeo said on Fox Business Network. "We're trying to do everything we can to avoid violence. We've asked all the parties involved not to engage in the kind of activity. We'd prefer a peaceful transition of government there, where Maduro leaves and a new election is held. But the President has made clear, in the event that there comes a moment -- and we'll all have to make decisions about when that moment is -- and the President will have to ultimately make that decision. He is prepared to do that if that's what's required."
On Wednesday, Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said that the US military was "prepared to support the President should he require more from" them. However, the top US military commander for US forces in Central and South America suggested that he did not see a role for the armed forces in the conflict over Venezuela's disputed leadership.
"Our leadership has been clear this has to be should be primarily a democratic transition," Adm. Craig Faller said Wednesday. "We are in total support of diplomacy and we stand ready to support that effort."
While administrations officials have said that "all options are on the table" since the US first backed opposition leader Juan Guaido, they have failed to voice any concrete plans and stressed that the Venezuelan people should be in control of their future. Experts note that there are sizable challenges to a military intervention.
"While the US has never taken the military option off the table, the US doesn't have forces in the area sufficient for an invasion," said Kevin Ivers, a Latin American expert and vice president of the DCI Group. Ivers said that a US attempt to intervene militarily in Venezuela "would be far more difficult even than Iraq. The terrain, the number of Venezuelan forces, it would have been a much bloodier conflict." He noted that not even neighboring Colombia has forces on the border with Venezuela at the moment, eliminating the possibility that a regional force could act.
Ivers added that armed US intervention -- something Guaido supporters have said they do not want -- "would have meant an end to international support for Guaido, but they always left it on the table to ensure the regime knew they meant business, this was a serious effort, not just for show."
Pompeo's latest rhetoric comes as embattled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has claimed his troops have defeated a "coup" attempt amid calls by Guaido for protesters to return to the streets Wednesday.
When Guaido announced his interim government in the beginning of the year, he was backed by the US and dozens of other nations. Since then, Venezuela -- which is mired in a deep political and humanitarian crisis -- has had two men claiming to be president.
On Tuesday, Pompeo claimed to CNN's Wolf Blitzer that Maduro was preparing to leave the country for Cuba but was talked out of it by Russia. Moscow has denied the accusation.
National security adviser John Bolton said on CNN's "New Day" Wednesday morning that US national security officials would be meeting about Venezuela later in the day. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan has canceled his international travel set for Wednesday in order to more effectively coordinate with the National Security Council and the State Department on Venezuela, Shanahan's spokesperson said.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/01/politics/mike-pompeo-venezuela-military-action/index.html
2019-05-01 13:40:00Z
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Could Russia and the US come to a deal over Venezuela's Maduro? - CNBC
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro (L) speak at a bilateral meeting on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China.
Sasha Mordovets | Getty Images News | Getty Images
As unrest continues in Venezuela, some analysts are questioning how much support Russia will give beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro and if Moscow could be ready to strike a deal with the U.S. to end the Latin American country's political and humanitarian crisis.
The U.S. and Russia have traded fresh barbs over Venezuela, each accusing the other of interfering in the country as protesters took to the streets for a second day in support of opposition leader Juan Guaido.
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Maduro was prepared to leave the protest-wracked country Tuesday morning but said he had changed his mind after Russia intervened.
"They had an airplane on the tarmac. He was ready to leave this morning, as we understand it. Russians indicated he should stay," Pompeo told CNN.
Russia rebuffed that accusation, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying Wednesday that the U.S. assertion was part of an "information war," Reuters reported.
Deal discussions?
The two sides may be more open to discussing what to do about Venezuela behind closed doors. On Wednesday, during an interview on 'Fox & Friends,' U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton suggested that Pompeo could later hold a call with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. CNBC contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment Wednesday but no one was immediately available.
The U.S. and Russia have already discussed Venezuela at a meeting held in Rome in mid-March between Russia's deputy foreign minister and the U.S. special representative for Venezuela.
Some analysts think that the two heavyweight countries might be coming to some kind of deal over Maduro's potential departure.
"(There's) little doubt in my mind that the Russians and the U.S. have been talking for weeks about some kind of deal to ease Maduro out of office," Timothy Ash, a senior emerging markets strategist at Bluebay Asset Management, said in a note Wednesday.
He said several factors led his to this conclusion — firstly, that Moscow had gained leverage to negotiate with the U.S. by sending military advisers to Caracas and, secondly, that President Trump had so far not signed off on new sanctions on Russia for its alleged use of a chemical weapon following the nerve agent poisoning of former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, in the U.K. in 2018.
"I think the U.S. administration held back getting Trump to sign this as something was cooking on Venezuela. They saw sanctions as a negotiating chip with Moscow."
Ash believed that, for the Russians, the "deal" was no more sanctions, allowing Russian oil companies to retain the right to operate in Venezuela and get paid back in full for debts owed, and some deal around "spheres of influence."
Battle for influence
The international battle for influence over Venezuela's future kicked off in January when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself president. Many countries, including the U.S., endorsed that leadership bid and backed regime change in a country wracked by poverty and political unrest.
The military stayed loyal to President Nicolas Maduro, however, and Russia (as well as allies in China, Syria and Iran) backed the incumbent leader.
Russia has a vested interest in backing Maduro after it gave the country financial aid. Reuters estimates that the Russian government and state energy company Rosneft have handed Venezuela at least $17 billion in loans and credit lines since 2006. It has also provided the Venezuelan government with military equipment and it has stakes in the country's energy sector.
As such, Moscow wants to protect its assets from regime change as well as preventing the U.S. from increasing its sphere of influence.
"Russia's bottom line is to stop regime change by external intervention, but if it falls from within they'll go with the flow," Christopher Granville, managing director of EMEA and Global Political Research at TS Lombard, told CNBC Wednesday.
"If the political situation evolves internally and a new regime emerges that is strong and stable I'm sure they would pragmatically support it," he noted. "But a driving force for Russia is to stop a process of regime change by outside forces ... and the U.S. using its power to overthrow governments it doesn't like."
Whatever Russia's distaste for regime change — seen as a hangover from the collapse of the Soviet Union — more analysts have questioned how far Russia is willing to go to protect Maduro.
Eileen Gavin, senior politics analyst at risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, said that, ultimately, Russia "has bigger fish to fry" than Venezuela, but will try to protect its own interests.
"Russia has assets on the ground in Venezuela and has considerable financial interests there and it would want a seat at the table in any discussions over Venezuela's future," she told CNBC Wednesday.
"Their support for Maduro is rhetorical. I think they would be happy to let him go, but they want that seat at the table to protect their assets."
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/01/could-russia-and-the-us-strike-a-deal-over-venezuelas-maduro.html
2019-05-01 13:30:37Z
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Venezuela in crisis as Guaido calls for May Day protests: Live updates - CNN
Protesters stand off with guards in Caracas Tuesday.
One man died in Tuesday's demonstrations, which spanned across 65 cities, according to Venezuelan rights monitoring group Provea.
Two other rights groups in Venezuela -- the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict -- also reported the death.
IACHR also said that protests were held in 24 states and, in at least 12 of the states, were “strongly repressed.”
Provea also said 83 people were arrested as of 8 p.m. Tuesday, citing the monitoring group Foro Penal.
More than 70 people were injured in the clashes and were taken to Salud Chacao Medical Center in Caracas, according to the hospital's president.
https://www.cnn.com/americas/live-news/venezuela-crisis-live-may-day-protests-intl/index.html
2019-05-01 13:21:00Z
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