International
EU mission meets with Venezuela defense minister, supreme court
AFP
European Union election experts met on Wednesday with Venezuela’s defense minister and Supreme Court president, at a time when the opposition is demanding the release of a top leader accused of terrorism and treason.
The EU representatives arrived in Venezuela a week ago to study the possibility of sending a mission to observe mayoral and gubernatorial elections in November, following an invitation from President Nicolas Maduro.
“Enjoyable meeting with the European Union’s Electoral Exploratory Mission, on the eve of the next mega-elections that will take place in Venezuela,” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino tweeted.
“We reiterated our democratic calling and the fundamental role the (armed forces) play in guaranteeing peace.”
Venezuela’s armed forces are the main authority backing Maduro’s continued hold on power, despite pressure from the opposition and international sanctions.
Earlier, the EU delegation met with the Supreme Court leadership.
“Our goal is peace and respect for the will of the people,” said court president Maikel Moreno in a statement released by the body, which is dominated by Maduro loyalists.
The EU has not responded to AFP requests for comment on the meetings.
It is not known whether the arrest on Monday of opposition figure Freddy Guevara, part of an opposition group that met with the EU delegation last week, was discussed.
Guevara, a 35-year-old former student leader, posted on social media from inside his car as he was being intercepted by intelligence agents on a Caracas highway.
He is a close ally of opposition leader Juan Guaido, recognized by the United States and several other nations as Venezuela’s leader.
Guevara’s arrest came despite plans for the opposition to sit down with the government for stalled peace talks to end the country’s political crisis.
Maduro said on Monday those talks, to be held in Mexico, would only go ahead if international sanctions are lifted and he is protected from any plots to oust him.
Most European and Latin American nations, along with the United States, consider Maduro to be illegitimate after wide reports of irregularities in his 2018 election.
The EU deems 2015 legislative elections, in which the opposition took control of the legislature, to be the last “free expression by Venezuelans in an electoral process.”
The opposition lost control of the assembly last year after boycotting an election it said would be neither free nor fair.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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