U.N. agencies are calling for greater protection for Venezuelan refugees and migrants fleeing economic hardship and persecution.   Venezuelans are often in danger upon arrival in other nations.Many of the 4.6 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants across Latin America and the Caribbean face multiple risks due to COVID-19, crime and human trafficking, impoverishment and other threats.  The U.N. refugee agency says Venezuelans most at risk are those fleeing increasingly desperate conditions in their country.  Field assessments indicate approximately 500 to 700 people leave Venezuela every day. Babar Baloch, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says borders across the region remain closed, forcing refugees to use routes where they are threatened by armed groups, smugglers and traffickers.    “This exposes them to heightened risk of violence, exploitation, and trafficking having been faced with theft, extortion, violence and abuse in transit and border zones, during their journey to safety,” he said. “As conditions inside Venezuela continue to deteriorate, many arrive in Colombia weak and in a state of poor nutrition, having faced impoverishment and hardship for many months.”   The International Organization for Migration says that COVID-19 has hit Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the region particularly hard.  IOM spokeswoman, Angela Wells says the economic and social impact of the pandemic has been devastating for both the Venezuelans and the 17 countries where they are now. “The pressures due to the COVID-19 mobility restrictions and consequent socio-economic decline have been compounded by the difficulties they face in regularizing their situations in host countries and fewer opportunities to pursue regular migration pathways,” she said.  “Decreased economic opportunities have put refugees and migrants at greater risk of eviction and hunger while xenophobia and discrimination toward this population have been on the rise.”   Under the so-called Quito process, which works to help and protect Venezuelan refugees and migrants, Latin American and Caribbean countries coordinate efforts to allow them to reach countries of asylum more safely. 
…

Droves of Venezuelans blaming President Nicolás Maduro for their country’s collapse voiced their frustrations Saturday in a creative protest days after legislative elections they boycotted as fraudulent.In the so-called “people’s consultation,” U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó urged Venezuelans at home and around the world to register their ire through cellphone apps. Others visited makeshift polling stations in cities across Venezuela and in other Latin American nations, the U.S. and Europe.“Hope has been mobilized in Venezuela,” Guaidó said shortly before the results were announced. “We must underscore a heroic people who mobilized throughout the country and the world in defense of their rights.”Opposition leaders reported that nearly 6.5 million people responded to the survey. The Associated Press could not independently verify the validity of the figures, and even some opposition election experts questioned the number.The opposition’s report said more than 3.2 million participated in person within Venezuela and nearly 850,000 visited centers outside the country, while more than 2.5 million sent in their responses digitally.The survey asked whether people want to end Maduro’s rule and hold fresh presidential and legislative elections, and also seek even greater pressure from international allies to make it happen.Though the event had no legal force, opposition leaders said the survey would unify the foes of Maduro. That includes the 5 million Venezuelans who have fled the nation’s hyperinflation and lack of basic services such as reliable running water, electricity and gasoline, they said.Mirla De Lorenzo, a bank employee, visited a center in her Caracas neighborhood to participate, saying she would take any opportunity to express herself if there was any chance it could bring international attention to Venezuela’s plight and trigger an end to Maduro’s rule.“We’re definitely tired of this situation that’s brought us nothing but poverty,” she said, adding that her daughter moved to Spain and her sister migrated to Chile, among relatives who have fled the crisis.The consultation came days after Maduro’s ruling socialist party declared victory in congressional elections that Guaidó’s coalition boycotted, arguing the vote was a fraud. The United States and European Union are among nations and regional bodies that rejected the elections as undemocratic.A supporter of President Nicolas Maduro performs a wheelie on his motorbike during a rally during on the same day the opposition organized a people’s consultation, in Caracas, Venezuela, Dec. 12, 2020.Guaidó, acting as the National Assembly’s leader, proclaimed himself interim president in early 2019, arguing that Maduro was an illegitimate leader because his most popular challengers were barred from running in the presidential election the previous year.Guaidó quickly won broad support at home among energized supporters who flooded the streets as well as the backing of leaders in dozens of nations, including the U.S. The Trump administration took the lead, imposing sanctions on Maduro, dozens of his political allies and the state-run oil firm PDVSA. The U.S. Justice Department also unveiled an indictment of Maduro charging him with being a “narcoterrorist,” and offered a $15 million reward for his arrest.Nearly two years later, however, Maduro remains in power with control of the military and international allies including Iran, Russia, China, Tukey and Cuba.On Jan. 5, the term of the current opposition-dominated National Assembly ends and Maduro’s political allies take over the last governmental body not controlled by the president’s socialist party. Guaidó and his political allies vow to continue fighting.The U.S. ambassador for Venezuela, James Story, praised the opposition’s survey from Colombia’s capital, where he has worked since the U.S. and Venezuela broke diplomatic relations and the U.S. closed its embassy in Caracas.“We’re proud to see the people of Venezuela in the street voting for their right to democracy, justice, liberty,” Story tweeted. “Their voices have been heard. Democracy must return to Venezuela.”Maduro’s ruling party staged a celebration in the historic center of Caracas on Saturday to mark the victories of their National Assembly candidates, including Maduro’s wife and son. Politicians gave speeches condemning the domestic opposition and U.S. policy toward Venezuela. Salsa music played and people danced.A political talk show on state television Saturday night featured a segment mocking the referendum by showing cellphone videos said to have been recorded by people who drove by survey centers in cities across the nation.“There’s nobody, absolutely nobody,” one unidentified driver said. “Look there’s four people standing around talking nonsense.”
…

Mexico approved the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine late Friday, bringing to six the number of countries that are inoculating or plan to inoculate with shots produced by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech.Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United States have also approved the vaccine.Mexican Assistant Health Secretary and epidemiologist Hugo Lopez-Gatell called the vaccine approval “a reason for hope.” Reuters reports Mexico signed an agreement with Pfizer to acquire 34 million doses of the vaccine, with the first batch expected later this month.Mexico has recorded 1.2 million COVID-19 cases and 113,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.The vaccine’s approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Friday came as the United States topped 295,000 fatalities from COVID-19, the world’s highest death toll, according to Johns Hopkins University, which calculates the United States has had 15.8 million of the world’s more than 71 million COVID infections.Hospitalizations are at record levels in America’s most populous state, California. Los Angeles County reported its highest-ever daily number for new COVID-19 cases at more than 12,000 earlier this week. A public health official said the county is “on a very dangerous track to seeing unprecedented and catastrophic suffering and death … if we can’t stop the surge.”Meanwhile, the World Health Organization and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies signed an agreement, the Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Initiative, on Friday to strengthen the delivery of emergency medical and health services during humanitarian crises.“We are very committed to working together with WHO to provide quality emergency health services that communities desperately need in times of crisis.” said IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain.India said early Saturday that it recorded 30,000 new cases in the past 24 hours. The South Asian nation follows the U.S. in the number of COVID cases with 9.8 million infections. Brazil comes in third with more than 6 million COVID infections.
…

Brazil, which is second to the U.S. in deaths from COVID-19 and third in the world in positive cases, is approaching 180,000 deaths as it suffers through its second wave of the disease caused by the coronavirus.In the past day, more than 53,000 cases and 770 deaths have been reported, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Since the start of the pandemic, Brazil has recorded more than 6.7 million cases.Brazil, with a population of 212 million, is entering its summer, when beaches fill with weekend crowds.”The situation is likely to worsen with the summer, because people will move around more, without any control, most of the restriction measures having already been lifted,” Christovam Barcellos, a researcher at the Fiocruz institute, told AFP.The coronavirus crisis in the U.S. continued to intensify Friday, as more than 2,700 people died of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins data, down from the record toll of 3,124 set Wednesday. The country’s deaths now stand at more than 292,000, the most in the world.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Friday the emergency use of a vaccine produced by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech.An FDA advisory panel voted to recommend approval of the vaccine late Thursday.And the U.S. purchased 100 million more doses of another vaccine, one by Moderna. Friday’s agreement brings the number of Moderna doses to 200 million, enough shots for 100 million people. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots.”Securing another 100 million doses from Moderna by June 2021 further expands our supply of doses across the Operation Warp Speed portfolio of vaccines,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.With the U.S. on the verge of its inoculation program, human rights group Amnesty International’s director of economic and social justice issued a warning. Steve Cockburn told The New York Times, “Rich countries have clear human rights obligations not only to refrain from actions that could harm access to vaccines elsewhere, but also to cooperate and provide assistance to countries that need it.”The Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center said Friday night there are 70 million coronavirus infections worldwide, with nearly 1.6 million deaths.The U.S. continues to lead the world in the number of cases with more than 15.8 million infections, followed by India with almost 9.8 million and Brazil with nearly 6.8 million.
…

Supporters of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadian citizens detained by Chinese authorities since December 2018, are joining a campaign to send them “season’s greetings” as the two prepare to spend a third Christmas behind bars.Charles Parton, a former British diplomat who knew Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, in Beijing, started Charles Parton, former British career diplomat, is a senior associate fellow at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). (Photo courtesy Charles Parton)“I suddenly thought a contemporary version to that would be to send the Christmas card, but make sure that before you send it to the Chinese Embassy, that you put it online, with whatever social media you wish, under the hashtag #FreeChinaHostages, so that lots of people can see it,” he added.Kovrig and Spavor were arrested shortly after Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese state champion tech giant Huawei, was detained by Canadian authorities at the Vancouver international airport on December 1, 2018, at the request of the United States.While China has not publicly linked the cases, it is widely assumed the two were seized in retaliation and that they are being held to pressure Canada for the release of Meng, who has remained under house arrest in Vancouver as the extradition case works its way through the Canadian courts.Parton understands that the Christmas cards sent to the two Canadian citizens in care of Chinese embassies around the world probably “won’t get any further.” But “it would make the point to the local Chinese embassy how upset a lot of people are at what happened,” he said.A second point, he said, is “to bring home to a wider public, the politicians, the press, just the nature of the way the Chinese Communist Party operates, therefore, whatever policy we devise towards them must take that into account.“And thirdly, when Michael eventually does get out, or I should say, the two Michaels – I don’t know Michael Spavor, but of course his situation is the same – but when they get out, they realize a lot of people around the world cared,” Parton said.Louisa Wall, a New Zealand lawmaker, told VOA in an email interview that “many of us are watching their situation with much concern” and “want these two men and their families to know that their heartache is not in vain, nor in isolation.”Support for the two Canadians is also coming from lawmakers and citizens in other countries, including Sweden, the Czech Republic and Australia, which is going through its own trade battle with Beijing.”We have not forgotten your plight and we will not cease to long for your freedom.”Message from #IPAC 🇨🇿 co-chairs Sen. @PavelFischer and Jan Lipavský MP to Michael Korvig and Michael Spavor on the 2nd anniversary of their arrest and imprisonment in China. #FreeChinaHostageshttps://t.co/MSm6VwqWYy— Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (@ipacglobal) December 10, 2020#IPAC 🇸🇪 co-chair @IsaLann1 adds her support to the #FreeChinaHostages campaign. https://t.co/TxnebL5osH— Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (@ipacglobal) December 10, 2020Two years ago Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were arrested by Chinese authorities for “espionage.” Today on International Human Rights Day, I join people the world over as we send a message of hope and solidarity. #freechinahostagespic.twitter.com/5PtOo3xDJG— Eric Abetz (@SenatorAbetz) December 10, 2020The International Crisis Group, where Kovrig was working when he was detained, has undertaken its own solidarity initiative.Today, I walked 5k – a distance our colleague Michael Kovrig paces every day in his Chinese prison cellHe has been held there unjustly for 2 yearsHe needs to come home. #FreeMichaelKovrigpic.twitter.com/JEwlwxc1D4— Robert Malley (@Rob_Malley) December 6, 2020Our colleague Michael Kovrig has been detained by the PRC for two years today. Every day he takes 7,000 paces, ~ 5km, in his cell. This morning, I walked 5k in solidarity. He should be released immediately.#FreeMichaelKovrigIllustration by @Titwane.https://t.co/KZfNaBlz0Xpic.twitter.com/4A4VItAcQM— Matt Wheeler (@mattzwheeler) December 10, 2020Karim Lebhour, the group’s spokesperson, told VOA that he and his colleagues have been preparing scrapbooks to present to Kovrig on the day he is released. One of the books will provide a record of events that have taken place while he was jailed.Canada’s leading newspaper, The Globe and Mail, on Thursday published the addresses of the prison facilities that hold Kovrig and Spavor.Here’s how to get in contact with detained Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig https://t.co/zhb4UrMEzi— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) December 10, 2020The paper also published a report to mark the two-year anniversary of their detention, with details of their ordeal.Wei Jingsheng, a former Chinese political prisoner now living in exile, said in a phone interview that he very much likes the idea of a Christmas card campaign.Wei recalled that one day during his 18 years of jail time, a young prison guard told him, “Hey, I didn’t know you had so many friends from outside.” The guard was referring to mail arriving at the prison and the attention Wei was receiving internationally.“My spirit was greatly lifted upon hearing that,” Wei said. “Dissidents [inside China] used to be held as hostages; now foreigners are put in that same situation.”Earlier this week, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne commented on the case of the two Michaels. “We are grateful to the many countries around the world that have expressed support for Canada and for Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor,” he said.
…

Lawmakers in Argentina’s lower house on Friday passed a bill that would legalize abortion in most cases, a proposal from President Alberto Fernández in response to long-sought demands from women’s rights activists.  
The bill, which needs approval from the country’s Senate in a debate expected before the end of the year, allows for voluntary abortions to be carried out up to the 14th week of pregnancy.
The proposed law was approved in a 131-117 vote with six abstentions after a marathon debate that extended from Thursday into the early hours of Friday morning.
Demonstrators in favor of decriminalizing abortion, who had spent the night outside the congress building in Buenos Aires, erupted with joy and embraced each other as they listened to the parliamentary speaker reading the vote’s results on screens. Many of them wore face masks in the green color that has become a symbol for their movement.
Hundreds of meters (yards) away, not far from the parliament building, hundreds of opponents dressed in light blue and carrying the national flag deplored the result, with some shedding tears.
Latin America has some of the world’s most restrictive abortion laws. Mexico City, Cuba and Uruguay are among the few places in the region where women can undergo abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy regardless of the circumstances.
Currently, many women who have an abortion in Argentina, as well as people who assist them with the procedure, can face prosecution. Exemptions are only considered in cases of rape or if pregnancy poses a risk to the mother’s health.  
While the bill passed the lower house, the outlook is less clear in the country’s Senate. Two years ago, during the administration of more conservative President Mauricio Macri, the upper house voted against a similar bill to legalize abortion after it was narrowly approved by the lower house
Ahead of Thursday’s debate, the Roman Catholic Church had appealed to legislators for “a second of reflection on what respect for life means,” echoing the position of Pope Francis, an Argentine, that abortion is part of today’s “throwaway culture” that doesn’t respect the dignity of the unborn, the weak or elderly.
Before getting elected one year ago, Fernández had promised to push for making abortion voluntary and cost-free.
Several thousand women seeking abortions have died during unsafe, clandestine procedures in Argentina since 1983, and about 38,000 women are hospitalized every year because of botched procedures conducted in secret, according to the government.
…

Thousands of people took to the streets of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, Thursday to participate in a peaceful March for Life in honor of International Human Rights Day.  Protesters marched against kidnapping, murder, rape and countless human rights violations they say happen daily with impunity.  “On International Human Rights Day, we want to send a message to Jovenel Moise (the president of Haiti) that our constitution guarantees our freedom of expression, our right to demand government accountability, the right to demand our rights be safeguarded,” a protester told VOA as he explained why he decided to participate in the march.  Haiti has seen a spike in kidnappings and gang-related crimes that have terrorized citizens of all social classes living the capital.Tires burn in the middle of the street in defiance of a presidential decree which forbids such actions, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dec. 10, 2020. (Renan Toussaint/VOA)”President Jovenel Moise told us we can’t burn tires on the street — well today we showed him we are up to the challenge. We are burning tires right here in front of the national palace, and if he keeps messing with us, we’ll go burn them in front of his home,” said a protester standing near the flames.  “The burning tires represent democracy, freedom, Uncle Sam, no to dictatorship; they represent our opposition to what the president is doing,” another protester told VOA.  “We aren’t hiding behind face masks; we aren’t wearing makeup — we want to show our faces clearly — since we’ve been branded ‘terrorists’ [by the president]. And we’re waiting for those who are coming to arrest these so-called terrorists,” said a protester wearing sunglasses.Moise has been ruling by decree since January 2020 because the parliament is out of session. The terms of two-thirds of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate expired months before the pandemic hit the Caribbean nation in March.Former Senator Antonio Cheramy addresses the protesters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dec. 10, 2020. (Renan Toussaint/VOA)”He doesn’t issue decrees against the people who are raping your children, but he does issue decrees that threaten all the democratic gains we fought hard to attain in 1987. Today, we say no to kidnapping, and we will not surrender to Jovenel’s threats,” the senator told the crowd. “February 7, 2021, is coming. I applaud all Haitians who are out here today, this is a start, and we should keep protesting until life gets back to normal.”  The senator also decried the countless violations of basic human rights.  With regards to his departure date, Moise has insisted he will leave office on February 7, 2022 – five years to the day since he took power. The United Nations, Organization of American States and United States support that timeline. But the date is disputed by some Haitian citizens and opposition politicians who say Moise should step down in February 2021 regardless of whether elections have been held.  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on the Haitian government to hold elections as soon as possible. Moise responded by naming a provisional electoral council (CEP), which is currently working on organizing a vote.  Former Senator Moïse Jean Charles speaks to protesters during a demonstration in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dec. 10, 2020. (Renan Toussaint/VOA)Former Senator Moise Jean Charles, leader of the Pitit Dessalines opposition party, also joined protesters.  “We don’t have (adequate) hospitals, schools; people don’t have access to food; there are multiple human rights violations happening. We are dealing with insecurity — so we’re out here today to denounce these things,” he told the crowd. “This time we want everyone to know our aim is to overthrow this system of government, which acts with impunity while enjoying support from the (foreign) embassies.”  Senator Moise has been vocal about his opposition to foreign interference in Haiti’s internal affairs, and even organized a demonstration in front of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince in November to express his disdain.  When the protesters arrived in front of the Ministry of Justice, they were dispersed by the national police.  National policemen disperse protesters in front of the Ministry of Justice, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dec. 10, 2020. (Renan Toussaint/VOA)December 10 commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1948. The landmark document spells out the rights and freedoms all human beings are meant to enjoy.  In Haiti, protesters accuse the government of disrespecting the most basic and sacred right of all, which is the right to life.  
 
…

Doctor-assisted suicide has been legally available in Canada since 2016 for individuals whose death is deemed to be “reasonably foreseeable.” Now, a revision of the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Act making its way through Parliament would make the ultimate solution available to others with debilitating illnesses.The change was prompted by a court ruling in the mostly French-speaking province of Quebec that found it was unconstitutional to restrict euthanasia to those facing imminent death. The court said that shortcoming must be corrected by no later than December 18.The current law provides a 10-day waiting period before euthanasia can be administered to someone already near death. The proposed changes would eliminate that provision but add a 90-day waiting period before doctors can assist in the suicide of someone not already facing death.Dr. Thomas Bouchard is a Calgary, Alberta, physician who has long been opposed to Medical Assistance in Dying. Previously, he was involved with the Canadian Federation of Catholic Physicians and has signed the “MAiD to Mad Declaration,” which contends that under the proposed legislation, “Medical Assistance in Dying becomes Medically Administered Death.”Longer waitHe says the 90-day waiting period is not nearly long enough. He also says the current legislation is reckless, and he is calling for patients to be offered additional alternatives.“So, they seem to be in a rush, and there’s no need for a rush,” he said. “And I think they had a plan for more fulsome discussion with several committees and hearing from stakeholders. But … this is an absolute rush job. And it’s carelessly done. It’s poorly written.”Euthanasia has been a politically charged issue in Canada since the 1990s, when Sue Rodriguez, who was dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, took her fight for a doctor-assisted death all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. She lost in a landmark 5-4 decision that was overturned in 2016 to allow terminally ill people to seek medical assistance in ending their lives.Her close friend and one of Canada’s strongest advocates for medical assistance in dying is former Member of Parliament Svend Robinson. In February 1994, he helped Rodriguez find a doctor and was with her when she died with medical assistance. He has not disclosed the name of that doctor and did not face criminal charges.Imperfect, but a key stepHe says objections like Bouchard’s are nothing new. Robinson, who served in the House of Commons for 25 years, argues the proposed legislation may not be perfect, but it is an important step in the right direction.“Those groups have fought us every step of the way. They will continue to fight,” he said. “And I just I wish they would recognize that no one, no one is forcing any of them to make this decision.”But for them to tell people like Sue that they don’t have the right to make this decision for themselves — I just think that’s fundamentally wrong and misguided, and so that opposition will continue, but the government should move forward.”Rodriguez’s lawyer, Chris Considine, has advocated for euthanasia for nearly three decades. He does not call the new legislation reckless but agrees with Bouchard that there first needs to be a full debate in Parliament. In particular, he would like to see stronger provisions on counseling about alternatives for people who are depressed or suffering from disabilities.He said he was concerned because he wasn’t sure there were enough resources available to help people with disabilities “make alternative decisions, have alternative procedures put in place if they’re depressed, et cetera, so they don’t necessarily feel they have to take this particular route.”  He said some people with disabilities had expressed similar misgivings about the legislation.The new legislation has most recently been sent from a committee of Canada’s Senate back down to the House of Commons for further debate. But with the Quebec court’s December 18 deadline fast approaching, there is little time left to improve the bill.
…

Nearly two years after two crashes that left hundreds of people dead, the Boeing 737 Max carried a flight of passengers Wednesday. It was the first time the model has been used on a commercial flight since the March 2019 crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that killed 157 people. In October 2018, the same type of aircraft, used on Lion Air Flight 610, crashed in Indonesia killing 189 people. Wednesday’s flight, operated by Brazil’s Gol airlines, carried passengers between the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre, according to data from Flightradar24. The country decided to resume flights on the plane, which was grounded worldwide in 2019, shortly after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration gave the aircraft the go-ahead. American Airlines is expected to begin flights on the 737 Max later this month, Reuters reported. 
 
…

Deforestation has wiped out 8% of the Amazon rainforest in just 18 years, according to a study released Tuesday. The swath of land destroyed between 2000 and 2018 is the size of Spain, according to a study by Amazon Geo-Referenced Socio-Environmental Information Network (RAISG). “The Amazon is far more threatened than it was eight years ago,” RAISG said in a statement. The organization’s last map tracking deterioration of the forest was published in 2012. FILE – An employee uses heavy machinery to stack logs at the Serra Mansa logging and sawmill company, in Moraes Almeida district, Itaituba, Para state, Brazil, in the Amazon rainforest, Sept. 12, 2019.The current map, a collaboration between 10 organizations, shows 513,016 square kilometers of the rainforest have been lost since 2000. According to the report, the latest data shows a turn for the worse. While rates of deforestation declined between 2003 and 2010, logging, farming, ranching, mining and infrastructure projects in the past decade have negatively affected the Amazon.Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has encouraged development in the Amazon rainforest and loosened enforcement of environmental laws. “In 2018 alone, 31,269 square kilometers of forest were destroyed across the Amazon region, the worst annual deforestation since 2003,” the RAISG study says. The destruction of mature tropical forests is a massive hit to biodiversity and is responsible for about 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to the World Resources Institute, the research and advocacy group that oversees Global Forest Watch.  Because forests are massive sponges of carbon dioxide, reversing their loss would play an outsize role in fighting climate change.Forest Losses Increased in 2019 to Third-Largest This Century Indonesia, Columbia offer glimmers of hope in the bad news The RAISG study comes days before the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, in which 195 countries agreed to measures that would limit world production of CO2 emissions. In a controversial move, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2017. 
 
…

The World Health Organization is calling on governments around the world to ensure their citizens have resources and tools to help them give up tobacco smoking as it launches a yearlong campaign aimed at helping 100 million people quit.The campaign, Commit to Quit, is focusing on 22 countries including the United States, and it officially got under way Tuesday ahead of World No Tobacco Day 2021, in May.A WHO statement said the Commit to Quit campaign is aimed at creating “healthier environments that are conducive” for people who want to give up smoking.The WHO hopes to capitalize on users who have decided to quit since the novel coronavirus pandemic began by creating communities of peer quitters, according to the statement.FILE – Bystanders look a replica of human skeleton smoking cigarette during an awareness rally on occasion of the “World No-Tobacco Day,” in Chennai, India, May 31, 2019.Earlier this year, the WHO warned that tobacco users are at high risk of dying from COVID-19.About 780 million tobacco users say they want to quit, but just 30% have access to resources that can help them do so.Director of Health Promotion Dr. Ruediger Krech said global health authorities must take full advantage of the millions of people who want to quit. He urged governments to “invest in services to help them be successful,” and “divest from the tobacco industry and their interests.”The WHO is employing digital tools such as the Quit Challenge on Whatsapp to provide social support. Also, the WHO’s 24/7 digital health worker to help people quit tobacco is available in English and soon will add five other languages.The campaign is encouraging initiatives such as “strong tobacco cessation policies; increasing access to cessation services and raising awareness of tobacco industry tactics.” Tobacco is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes. Moreover, people living with these conditions are more vulnerable to severe COVID-19.“Smoking kills 8 million people a year, but if users need more motivation to kick the habit, the pandemic provides the right incentive,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted.
…

Washington has agreed to prolong a set of temporary migration protections that allow immigrants from six countries to live in the United States, officials said Monday. The so-called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for some citizens of El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras and Nepal was extended by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) until at least October 2021. TPS allows some foreigners whose home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event to remain in the United States and apply for work permits. The status must be renewed periodically in six- to 18-month intervals by the secretary of Homeland Security. TPS has been in the crosshairs of Republican President Donald Trump’s administration in recent months as it seeks to scale back humanitarian protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were scheduled to be expelled from the United States in early March after a wind-down period. The extension is part of an agreement between the administration and plaintiffs in related lawsuits not to terminate the protections as the lawsuits filter through the U.S. court system. Democratic President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to protect enrollees from being returned to unsafe countries. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. FILE – Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez answers questions from the Associated Press, August 13, 2019, as he leaves a meeting of the Organization of American States, in Washington.Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said the extension would cover about 44,000 of the storm-ravaged Central American country’s citizens living in the United States. He said he discussed the extension on a visit to Washington last week. “In the United States, during the meeting with the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (Chad Wolf), they told us that the TPS that was going to end in January will be extended,” Hernandez said on national television. Hondurans living in the United States have had access to TPS since the accord was brokered after Hurricane Mitch wreaked havoc on the impoverished Central American country in 1998. Guatemala has also requested extended TPS protection for its citizens.  
…

The United States said Monday that the legislative elections held in Venezuela on Sunday in which President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist political alliance is set to gain control of the National Assembly were a sham. “The United States, along with numerous other democracies around the world, condemns this charade, which failed to meet any minimum standard of credibility,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. The National Assembly is the last of the country’s branches of government where the U.S.-backed opposition held sway. FILE – Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro votes at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Caracas, Venezuela, Dec. 6, 2020.”Maduro brazenly rigged these elections in his favor through the illegal seizure of political parties’ names and ballot logos, manipulation of the process by his loyalist electoral council, violence and intimidation, and other undemocratic tactics,” the statement said. The United States is one of 50 countries that does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s leader, instead supporting National Assembly President Juan Guaido, who claimed victory in January 2019 presidential elections but has not assumed office. The European Union refused to send independent election monitors Sunday, claiming the conditions for a democratic process did not exist. Pro-Maduro candidates received 67% of votes cast, according to Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, with voter participation at just more than 30%. The opposition accused Maduro of rigging the election and called on their supporters to boycott the vote.  “The majority of Venezuela turned its back on the fraud that began months ago,”  Guaido said. The boycott did not dampen Maduro’s mood. “We have recovered the National Assembly with the majority vote of the Venezuelan people,” The Associated Press quoted the Venezuelan leader as saying in a televised address. “It’s a great victory without a doubt for democracy.” 
 
…

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s socialist party was poised to gain control of the National Assembly, the country’s last major independent institution, in legislative elections boycotted by the main opposition coalition. Official results had not yet been released by late Sunday night, but analysts say they are a near-foregone conclusion with the vote largely shunned by rival candidates and declared a sham by the U.S., European Union and several other nations. Maduro, who already has the loyalty of the courts, the military, prosecutors and other institutions, is expected to load the formerly opposition-controlled National Assembly with his supporters after the vote. “The truth cannot be hidden,” Juan Guaidó, whose opposition coalition is boycotting the vote, said in a videotaped message, noting the apparent low voter turnout. “The majority of Venezuela turned its back on the fraud that began months ago.” Despite Venezuela’s political turmoil, voting took place Sunday with no apparent problems in Caracas. A light flow of voters walked up to ballot boxes at Andres Bello School in downtown Caracas. They checked their names on a wall outside, and inside showed identification cards before registering their votes on touchscreen machines, which printed a paper ballot they dropped into a box. “I came to vote, and in less than half a second I have voted, quickly,” Caracas resident Rafael Espinoza said. “I’ll tell anyone who wants to do so that they can come down and vote in fractions of a second.” The Supreme Court this year appointed a new elections commission, including three members who have been sanctioned by the U.S. and Canada, without participation of the opposition-led Congress, as the law requires. The court also removed the leadership of three opposition parties, appointing new leaders the opposition accuses of conspiring to support Maduro. Maduro has campaigned for his party’s candidates — including his son and wife — promising to finally silence the right-wing opposition, which he accuses of inciting violent protests and inviting U.S. sanctions. “There are those who plot coups, those who ask for military intervention,” Maduro said on Saturday night in a broadcast on state television, dismissing criticism of the election. “We say: Votes yes — war no, bullets no.” The election comes amid uncertainty over the impending change of U.S. administration. Like outgoing President Donald Trump, President-elect Joe Biden has called Maduro a “dictator,” though it’s unclear what approach he’ll take toward Venezuela’s crisis. Guaidó’s opposition movement is holding its own referendum over several days immediately after the election. It will ask Venezuelans whether they want to end Maduro’s rule and hold new presidential elections. Polls indicate that neither Maduro nor Guaidó are popular among Venezuelans as the nation’s economic and political crisis deepens despite having the world’s largest oil reserves. Karol Teran, a nurse and single mother in Caracas, said she didn’t vote because it would have no impact. The election is controlled, she said. “I don’t feel like wasting my time, giving these people the opportunity, so I simply don’t vote,” she said. She was still considering whether to participate in the opposition’s referendum. More than 5 million people have fled the country in recent years, the world’s largest migration after that of war-torn Syria. The International Monetary Fund projects a 25% decline this year in Venezuela’s GDP, while hyperinflation diminishes the value of its currency, the bolivar, now worth less than a millionth of a dollar on the free market. Maduro, the hand-picked successor to the late President Hugo Chávez, won a second term in 2018. But his political adversaries and scores of nations, including the U.S., reject his legitimacy, alleging the vote was rigged and his most popular challengers were banned. Guaidó, 37, vowed to oust 58-year-old Maduro early last year — basing his claim to the interim presidency on his leadership of the National Assembly, whose term legally ends in early January under the constitution. The Trump administration and other countries have said they will continue to support Guaidó. Washington has hit Maduro and his political allies with sanctions, and the U.S. Justice Department has indicted Maduro as a “narcoterrorist,” offering a $15 million reward for his arrest. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Sunday’s election was fraudulent. International bodies like the European Union have refused to send observers to Sunday’s election. Maduro’s government invited sympathetic international observers, former Presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia and Rafael Correa of Ecuador. 
…

Venezuela’s congressional election on Sunday will almost certainly give President Nicolás Maduro control over the country’s last major independent institution, but will do little to improve his image at home and abroad. Maduro, who already has the loyalty of the courts, the military, prosecutors and other institutions, seeks to load the National Assembly with members of his United Socialist Party of Venezuela, and critics say he’s guaranteed that by rigging the system to smother the last remnants of democracy in Venezuela. An opposition coalition led by U.S.-backed politician Juan Guaidó is boycotting the vote. The European Union, the U.S. and several other nations, have already declared the vote a sham. “How’s Maduro’s fraud going?” Guaidó tweeted, showing pictures of an empty polling place. “Failed.” “I came to vote, and in less than half a second I have voted, quickly,” Caracas resident Rafael Espinoza said. “I’ll tell anyone who wants to do so that they can come down and vote in fractions of a second.” The Supreme Court this year appointed a new elections commission, including three members who have been sanctioned by the U.S. and Canada, without participation of the opposition-led Congress, as the law requires. The court also removed the leadership of three opposition parties, appointing new leaders the opposition accuses of conspiring to support Maduro. Maduro has campaigned for his party’s candidates — including his son and wife — promising to finally silence the right-wing opposition, which he accuses of inciting violent protests and inviting U.S. sanctions. “There are those who plot coups, those who ask for military intervention,” Maduro said on Saturday night in a broadcast on state television, dismissing criticism of the election. “We say: Votes yes — war no, bullets no.” Guaidó’s opposition movement is holding a referendum over several days after the election. It will ask Venezuelans whether they want to end Maduro’s rule and hold new presidential elections. It’s unclear whether either vote will draw masses of people as polls indicate that neither Maduro nor Guaidó are popular among Venezuelans at a time the nation’s economic and political crisis is deepening despite having the world’s largest oil reserves. More than 5 million people have fled the country in recent years, the world’s largest migration after that of war-torn Syria. The International Monetary Fund projects a 25% decline this year in Venezuela’s GDP, while hyperinflation diminishes the value of its currency, the bolivar, now worth less than a millionth of a dollar on the free market. Maduro, the hand-picked successor to the late President Hugo Chávez, won a second term in 2018. But his political adversaries and several nations, including the U.S., reject his legitimacy, alleging the vote was rigged and his most popular challengers were banned. Guaidó, 37, vowed to oust 58-year-old Maduro early last year — basing his claim to the interim presidency on his leadership of the National Assembly, whose term legally ends in early January under the constitution. The Trump administration led scores of nations in support of Guaidó and they have said they will continue to support him in the absence of what they consider fair elections. Washington has hit Maduro and his political allies with sanctions, and the U.S. Justice Department has indicted Maduro as a “narcoterrorist,” offering a $15 million reward for his arrest. On Saturday, the White House National Security Council said the election scheduled for Sunday was fraudulent. “This election only serves to keep Maduro in power and does nothing to build a better future for the people of Venezuela,” the council tweeted. “The U.S. will continue its unwavering demands for freedom, basic human rights, the rule of law, and truly fair elections in Venezuela.” International bodies like the European Union have refused to send observers to Sunday’s election, saying the conditions for a democratic process don’t exist. Karol Teran, a nurse and single mother on her way to work in Caracas, said she decided not to vote because it would have no impact. The election is controlled, she said. “I don’t feel like wasting my time, giving these people the opportunity, so I simply don’t vote,” she said. “We’re tired of all this. I’m tired of all of this. It’s not easy.”  
…

With the political opponents of President Nicolás Maduro boycotting Sunday’s election for the National Assembly, his socialist party is expected to dominate the vote, giving him control of the last major institution in Venezuela outside his grasp.The opposition contends the election is rigged and has called its own referendum to counter it. Both votes are playing out in the waning days of the Trump administration, which leaves office with Maduro firmly entrenched despite its efforts to bring about his departure through diplomacy and sanctions.By taking over the National Assembly, some experts say, Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela will effectively smother the last remnants of democracy in the country.”Everything indicates that he will achieve what he has always sought, which is to have total, authoritarian, hegemonic control of all the country’s institutions,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue.He expects U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who has not hesitated in calling Maduro a “dictator,” to maintain a tough position against the South American leader, and even refine the strategy further, such as taking steps to work more closely with European allies.Deepening crisisOnce an oil-producing powerhouse, Venezuela has been embroiled for years in a deepening political and economic crisis. More than 5 million people have fled the country in recent years, the world’s largest migration after war-torn Syria. The International Monetary Fund projects a 25% decline this year in Venezuela’s GDP, while hyperinflation diminishes the value of its currency, the bolivar.Maduro, the handpicked successor to the late President Hugo Chávez, won a second term in 2018. But Washington and several nations accused him of fixing the outcome by banning his most popular opponents from challenging him.FILE – Opposition leader Juan Guaido arrives at the “Venezuela raises its voice” campaign rally in the Terrazas del Avila neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Nov. 12, 2020.Opposition leader Juan Guaidó, 37, rose to head the National Assembly in early 2019, declaring presidential powers and vowing to oust Maduro, 58. The dramatic move sparked massive street demonstrations across Venezuela and won support from dozens of nations.The Trump administration took the lead by hitting Maduro with punishing sanctions, targeting the state-run oil firm PDVSA and cutting him off from billions of dollars annually. The U.S. Justice Department also indicted Maduro as a “narcoterrorist,” offering a $15 million reward for his arrest.But he remains in power with backing from Venezuela’s military and international support from nations like Iran, Russia, China and Cuba. Maduro’s domestic allies also control the supreme court, prosecutor’s office and elections commission.Maduro has campaigned for his party’s congressional candidates — including his son and wife — promising to finally silence the right-wing opposition, which he accuses of inciting violent protests.Ahead of the election, state TV has broadcast video of large campaign rallies with cheering crowds led by Maduro and his political allies, despite polls showing he is widely unpopular.’Five years of horror'”We’ve had to suffer under five years of horror, plots, conspiracies and failure,” Maduro said. “Our people are aware that it was a mistake to elect the opposition.”International bodies like the European Union have refused to send observers to Sunday’s election, saying the conditions for a democratic process don’t exist.Guaidó’s once-high approval rating has fallen since early last year as Venezuelans grow frustrated that the opposition hasn’t been able to topple Maduro and restore stability.Rejecting Sunday’s vote, the opposition will instead hold a referendum asking Venezuelans a series of questions to gauge support for ending Maduro’s rule, holding new elections and seeking international help in solving Venezuela’s crisis.FILE – Nicolas Maduro Guerra, son of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, campaigns for a spot in the National Assembly for the Dec. 6 midterm elections, in Maiquetía, Venezuela, Nov. 29, 2020.The referendum is being held over several days immediately following the congressional election. Venezuelans can register their votes digitally and in person in cities across Venezuela and abroad. Civil organizations are organizing it without any independent audit or observation.Guaidó is banned from television and radio broadcasts in Venezuela. Instead, he has appeared in public by talking with people waiting in long lines to buy gas or speaking to representatives of a teachers union. He urged them to take part in the referendum.Despite the boycott by the Guaidó-led coalition, a small number of opposition parties not associated with him have had dialogue with the government and are participating in the election. Critics say this will allow Maduro to maintain the semblance of a valid contest.’We have to keep fighting’Carlos Vecchio, Guaidó’s ambassador to Washington, said opposition leaders realize the risk of carrying out the referendum as once-fervent support fades and they face potential aggression from Maduro’s armed forces and roving groups of his supporters on motorcycles.”I can understand that frustration, but we have no alternative. We have to keep fighting for a transition,” Vecchio said. “I feel frustration as well.”He cited the lack of access to Venezuelan media and the Maduro government’s decision earlier this year to strip the main opposition parties of their leaders and replace them with its own representatives.Vecchio wouldn’t say whether his delegation in Washington has made contact with Biden’s incoming administration, saying they remain focused on keeping up support from both Republicans and Democrats.Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special representative to Venezuela, said the U.S. will continue to recognize the opposition lawmakers in the current National Assembly and Guaidó’s role as interim president, despite Sunday’s outcome. Without being re-elected, their term ends in early January.Abrams said he also expects broad international support for Venezuela’s opposition to remain firm, even as Maduro’s government tries to push them out of Venezuela’s political landscape.”They’ve done everything they can to make sure this is not a free election,” Abrams said. “We’re getting instead an election that doesn’t deserve to be called an election.”
…

The U.S. Justice Department is discussing a deal with lawyers for Huawei’s finance chief, Meng Wanzhou, that would allow her to return to China from Canada, a person familiar with the matter said.Negotiations between Meng’s lawyers and the Justice Department picked up after the U.S. presidential election, the person said, but it is still unclear what kind of deal can be struck.Meng does not think she did anything wrong and therefore is reluctant to make admissions that she does not think are true, the person said.The source said the talks did not appear to be part of a larger deal with Huawei.The Wall Street Journal first reported on the possible deal.Meng, 48, was arrested in Canada in December 2018 on a warrant from the United States. She is facing charges of bank fraud for allegedly misleading HSBC Holdings Plc about Huawei’s business dealings in Iran, causing the bank to break U.S. sanctions.Justice Department spokesman Marc Raimondi declined to comment. Huawei did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office and Canada’s Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment.
…

Peruvian police seized nearly $6 million in fake U.S. bills and arrested one person believed to be part of a known gang that specializes in counterfeiting foreign money.Police announced on Wednesday the phony bills, mostly in denominations of $10’s and $20’s, were found inside a building in Lima’s Carabayllo district. They also confiscated the printing machine allegedly used to produce the fake money.Authorities says the bogus bills were going to be sent into neighboring Ecuador and Bolivia before circulating through commercial markets worldwide.Police say Peru is known for being a haven for money counterfeiters.
…

Argentine police searched the home and office of one of Diego Maradona’s doctors on Sunday, taking away medical records as part of investigations into the death of the 60-year-old soccer star that caused a wave of grief across the country.Neurologist Leopoldo Luque told reporters after the searches that he had given investigators all of the records of his treatment of Maradona, as well as computers, hard drives and cellphones.Weeping at times, he insisted he defended his treatment of the troubled soccer star, who died Wednesday of a heart attack following a Nov. 3 brain operation.”I know what I did. I know how I did it…. I am absolutely sure that what I did the best for Diego, the best I could.”Luque said he was not Maradona’s chief physician, but part of a medical team.Court investigators have been taking declarations from Maradona’s relatives, according to a statement from the San Isidro prosecutor’s office, which is overseeing a probe into the medical attention Maradona received prior to his death, which caused an enormous outpouring of emotion across Argentina and among soccer fans worldwide.Fans stand on a roof of a house along the route of the motorcade carrying the remains of football star Diego Maradona to the Jardin de Bellavista cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 26, 2020.Tens of thousands of weeping fans lined up to file past Maradona’s coffin, which lay in state at the presidential palace, before his burial on Thursday.Maradona had suffered a series of medical problems, some due to excesses of drugs and alcohol. He was reportedly near death in 2000 and 2004.Luque said he was a difficult patient and had kicked the doctor out of his house several times.”Diego did what he wanted,” Luque said. “Diego needed help. There was no way of getting through to him.” 
…

The family of a Houston-based Citgo oil executive convicted and ordered to prison in Venezuela alongside five others appealed directly to President Nicolás Maduro on Friday for mercy.In an open letter, relatives of José Pereira, 63, wrote to Maduro that Pereira has a long list of health problems that need medical attention.They ask for Maduro to free him — and the other five — so they can return home to their families in the United States.”Our purpose for this letter is not to enter into legal tirades about the case,” the letter says. “We only want to implore to your humanitarian and compassionate side.”The letter came a day after the Thanksgiving Day verdict finding all six guilty of corruption charges. They’ve been held for three years in Venezuela.In a statement Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “The United States unequivocally condemns the wrongful convictions of the Citgo 6,” and that “these six individuals should be immediately returned to the United States.”The so-called Citgo 6 are employees of Houston-based Citgo refining company, which is owned by Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA. They had been lured to Venezuela in November 2017 for a business meeting and were arrested.In addition to Pereira, the others convicted were Gustavo Cárdenas, Jorge Toledo, brothers Jose Luis Zambrano and Alirio Zambrano, and Tomeu Vadell — all now U.S. citizens. The judge sentenced them to eight years, 10 months.They were also charged with financial crimes stemming from a never-executed proposal to refinance some $4 billion in Citgo bonds by offering a 50% stake in the company as collateral. Maduro at the time accused them of “treason.” They all pleaded innocence.Jose Pereira, a permanent U.S. resident, had been promoted to interim Citgo president shortly before the arrest. He received the longest sentence of 13 years.”We ask solemnly and respectfully that you intercede in our case,” they asked Maduro. “So we can achieve freedom for these six men and allow them to return home to their loved ones.”Relatives say the men were wrongly convicted, and the defense lawyers vowed to appeal verdicts.Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice announced the verdicts and prison sentences, but officials in Maduro’s government have not commented on the trial’s outcome.
…

El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have brought criminal charges against more than 700 members of cross-border criminal organizations, primarily the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs, in a U.S.-assisted effort, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.”The U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners in Central America are committed to continued collaboration in locating and arresting gang members and associates engaged in transnational crimes,” said U.S. Attorney General William Barr, according to the statement.The charges resulted from a one-week coordinated law enforcement action under Operation Regional Shield, a DOJ-led initiative to combat transnational organized crime that brings together authorities from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the United States.Tackling transnational human smuggling networks and gangs, including MS-13, is a priority for U.S. President Donald Trump.Prosecutors in El Salvador this week filed criminal charges against 1,152 members of organized crime groups in the country, primarily MS-13 and 18th Street gangs, the statement said.The national civil police captured 572 of the defendants on charges involving terrorism, murder, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, human trafficking and human smuggling, among others.In Guatemala, authorities executed 80 search warrants, arrested 40 individuals and served 29 arrest warrants against people already in custody, all of whom are members of the 18th Street gang and MS-13, the DOJ said. Guatemalan authorities seized drugs and a firearm, and filed charges of extortion, illicit association, conspiracy to commit murder and extortive obstruction.In Honduras, the one-week joint operation resulted in the arrest of more than 75 MS-13 and 18th Street gang members and five police officers and the execution of more than 10 search warrants.  
…

Six American oil executives held for three years in Venezuela were found guilty of corruption charges by a judge Thursday and immediately sentenced to prison, defense lawyers said, dashing hopes of a quick release that would send them home to their families in the United States.Some relatives had been bracing for the disheartening outcome, which came on the evening of Thanksgiving Day.Alirio Rafael Zambrano, brother to two of the men, said they were “undeniably innocent” and victims of “judicial terrorism.” No evidence in the case supports a guilty conviction, he said.”We, the family, are heartbroken to be separated even further from our loved ones,” Zambrano said. “We pray that the leaders of our nation step forward and continue to fight unceasingly for their freedom and human rights.”Attorney María Alejandra Poleo, who helped represent three of the men, said the case was “void of evidence.” “Of course, the defense will appeal the decision,” she said.The so-called Citgo 6 are employees of Houston-based Citgo refining company, which is owned by Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA. They had been lured to Venezuela three years ago for a business meeting and were arrested on corruption charges.Their arrest launched a purge by President Nicolás Maduro’s government of PDVSA and at a time when relations between Caracas and Washington were crumbling as Venezuela plummeted into economic and social crisis.One gets 13-year sentenceFive of the men were sentenced to prison terms of 8 years and 10 months, while one of them received a 13-year sentence. Defense attorney Jesus Loreto said the five with lesser terms could be released on parole in a couple of years.Venezuelan officials did not immediately comment.One of the men, Tomeu Vadel, has said in a letter written in a Caracas jail and provided exclusively to The Associated Press before the verdict that he had hopes for a fair trial so he could walk free with his name cleared and go home to his family in the United States.Despite his circumstances, Vadell held out hope.”During the trial, the truth has proven undeniable,” Vadell said in the four-page hand-written letter. “It proves that I am innocent.””I’m now reaching an intersection where if justice is done, I will be able to rebuild my life and try to compensate my family for all the lost moments,” he added. “The light is intense — the hope is great — give me freedom.”Videll said it was especially painful to be separated during the Thanksgiving season from his wife, three adult children and a newborn grandson he has never held.”Before living this tragedy, these celebrations were very special times for our family,” Vadell wrote, saying he embraced the traditional American holiday after moving in 1999 from Caracas to Lake Charles, Louisiana, for a job with Citgo. “Now, they bring me a lot of sadness.”It’s the first time Vadell, or any of the so-called Citgo 6, had spoken publicly since being arrested and charged with in a purported big corruption scheme. He has been held at a feared Caracas jail called El Helicoide.The others convicted are Gustavo Cárdenas, Jorge Toledo, brothers Jose Luis Zambrano and Alirio Zambrano, all now U.S. citizens. Jose Pereira, a permanent resident, received the longest sentence.All pleaded innocenceThey were also charged with embezzlement stemming from a never-executed proposal to refinance some $4 billion in Citgo bonds by offering a 50% stake in the company as collateral. Maduro at the time accused them of “treason.”They all pleaded innocence.The men were summoned to the headquarters of PDVSA for what they were told was a budget meeting on Nov. 21, 2017. A corporate jet shuttled them to Caracas and they were told they would be home for Thanksgiving. Instead, military intelligence officers swarmed into the boardroom and hauled them off to jail.Their trial started four months ago and closing arguments took place Thursday. The judge immediately announced her verdict.The proceeding played out one day a week in a downtown Caracas court. Due to the pandemic, sessions were held in front of a bank of dormant elevators in a hallway, apparently to take advantage of air flowing through open windows.News media and rights groups were denied access to the hearings. There was no response to a letter addressed to Judge Lorena Cornielles seeking permission for The Associated Press to observe.The office of Venezuela’s chief prosecutor said prior to the verdict in a statement to AP that investigators found “serious evidence” that corroborated financial crimes potentially damaging to the state-run company.”The Citgo case has developed normally during all the stages established by the Venezuelan criminal process,” the statement said.Loreto said his client appeared to have been caught up in a “geopolitical conflict” of which he was not a part. He said Vadell’s name never appeared on any of the documents prosecutors read into evidence.”There’s nothing that refers to Tomeu in any way — directly or indirectly,” the lawyer said. “This is the story of a good guy being held against his will for all the wrong reasons.”Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who has negotiated the release of other Americans held by hostile governments, traveled to Caracas in July and met with Maduro.He didn’t win their freedom, but days later two of them — Cárdenas and Toledo — were freed from jail and put in house detention. Two weeks later, the long-delayed trial began.Richardson told AP that conversations with the Venezuelan government continue despite his meeting with Maduro being “a little stormy.” He said he he believes there is an opening tied to President-elect Joe Biden and a desire by Maduro to improve relations with Washington.”I think the Venezuelans have been straight with me, but more progress needs to be made,” Richardson said before the verdict. “My hope is to have something positive by Christmas.”It is not clear what approach Biden will take toward Maduro. Trump aggressively pressed to remove Maduro through sweeping financial sanctions and the U.S. Justice Department has indicted Maduro as a “narcoterrorist,” offering a $15 million reward for his arrest.‘The light of hope’Vadell’s letter steered clear of politics. He didn’t mention Maduro or speak about his jailers, though he did express concern about the “consequences of repercussions” of speaking out.With encouragement from his family, Vadell broke his silence, taking a risk relatives said was necessary.”I believe it’s more important that the light of hope illuminates us,” Vadell wrote. “May the light of hope put an end to the sadness of my family.”The five other men did not respond to invitations AP made through their lawyers to comment.Vadell’s daughter, Cristina Vadell, said in a phone interview from Lake Charles that her father isn’t the kind of person who seeks attention. Rather, he prefers to focus on work and his family.During his 35-year career with PDVSA and Citgo, Vadell ended up running a refinery in Lake Charles and then became vice president of refining. The letter attempts to expose this side of his life, she said.”I think he was willing to take some risks and open some hearts to allow him to come home,” she said. “I think he’s still wondering ‘What happened?’ He went to a work meeting and never came home.”
…

Football fans around the world are mourning the sudden death Wednesday of Diego Maradona, one of the sport’s greatest players.  In his home country of Argentina, fans gathered to pay tribute to Maradona, who died at age 60 of a heart attack.  Edgar Maciel filed this report.Camera: Edgar Maciel.
…

Soccer superstar Diego Maradona was buried Thursday in a private ceremony attended by two dozen people — a stark contrast to earlier in the day when tens of thousands of weeping fans filed past his coffin for hours in an observance that mixed head-of-state-like honors with the chaos of a rowdy stadium.Only family members and close friends were permitted at Jardín Bella Vista cemetery for the final religious ceremony and burial of Maradona next to the graves of his parents, Dalma and Diego.Fans waving Argentine flags had gathered along roads as Maradona’s funeral car drove by under heavy security. Many tried to touch the vehicle whenever it was stopped by traffic.The earlier viewing at the Argentine presidential mansion was halted shortly before 6 p.m., 12 hours after it started, as Maradona’s family wished. The body of the Argentine icon was taken away for burial, frustrating many who were waiting to pay their respects and causing new tensions at the gates of the cemetery.Fans, some draped in the national flag, sang soccer anthems as they formed a line that stretched more than 20 blocks from the Plaza de Mayo, where Argentines gathered to celebrate the Maradona-led triumph in the 1986 World Cup.A sign set up by mourning fans reads in Spanish, “Thank You God for Everything,” as police block their access to the Jardin de Bellavista cemetery during the burial of Diego Maradona in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 26, 2020.But with the time for viewing the coffin at the presidential palace drawing short, police moved to cut off the crowd, enraging fans who hurled rocks and other objects at officers, who responded with rubber bullets.The crowd overwhelmed organizers and the violence resulted in injuries and arrests, which led Maradona’s family to end the public visitation. The casket was placed in a car that carried the former footballer’s name on a paperboard by the window.Desperate to say goodbye, Maradona’s fans climbed on the fences of the presidential mansion as if they were in a soccer stadium, while firefighters worked to clear the ground.’Diego lives in the people'”Diego is not dead, Diego lives in the people,” people chanted as the coffin was taken to a cemetery outside Buenos Aires. The motorcade, accompanied by police, was followed on a local highway by dozens of honking cars and motorcycles.Hundreds of fans blocked entry to the cemetery before the arrival of Maradona’s casket, dancing and chanting as police moved in to open a way. The crowd continued making noise after the final ceremony began.Maradona died Wednesday of a heart attack in a house outside Buenos Aires where he had been recovering from a brain operation November 3.Mourners embrace as they wait to see football star Diego Maradona lying in state outside the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 26, 2020.While the viewing bore the hallmarks of a state funeral, with Maradona’s casket laid out in the presidential palace, the atmosphere often was that of a soccer stadium — chanting, singing, pushing and the occasional whiff of alcohol.Fans wept and blew kisses as they passed the wooden coffin, some striking their chests with closed fists and shouting, “Let’s go, Diego.”It was draped with the Argentine flag and shirts bearing his famed No. 10 from the national team and the Boca Juniors club, with other jerseys tossed around it by passing admirers.Family, friends firstOpen visitation began at 6:15 a.m. after a few hours of privacy for family and close friends. The first to bid farewell were his daughters and close family members. His former wife, Claudia Villafañe, came with Maradona’s daughters Dalma and Gianinna. Later came Verónica Ojeda, also an ex-wife, with their son, Dieguito Fernando.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
Relatives and friends bury the remains of Diego Maradona while police keep fans outside the Jardin de Bellavista cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 26, 2020.In tears, Fernández also laid two handkerchiefs of the human rights organization Mother of the Plaza de Mayo, whose members wore them for years to protest the disappearance of their children under Argentina’s military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983. Maradona, an outspoken leftist who had an image of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara tattooed on one bicep, was a friend of the Madres and other rights groups.The lines started forming outside the Casa Rosada only hours after Maradona’s death was confirmed and grew to several blocks.A huge mural of Maradona’s face was painted on the tiles that cover the Plaza de Mayo, near the Casa Rosada, which was decorated with a giant black ribbon at the entrance.The first fan to visit was Nahuel de Lima, 30, using crutches to move because of a disability.”He made Argentina be recognized all over the world. Who speaks of Maradona also speaks of Argentina,” de Lima told The Associated Press. “Diego is the people. … Today the shirts, the political flags don’t matter. We came to say goodbye to a great that gave us a lot of joy.”Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 9 MB480p | 12 MB540p | 17 MB720p | 39 MB1080p | 71 MBOriginal | 187 MB Embed” />Copy Download Audio1986 march to gloryMaradona’s soccer genius, personal struggles and plain-spoken personality resonated deeply with Argentines.He led an underdog team to glory in the 1986 World Cup, winning the title after scoring two astonishing goals in a semifinal match against England, thrilling a country that felt humiliated by its loss against the British in the recent Falklands war and that was still recovering from the brutal military dictatorship.Many Argentines deeply sympathized with the struggles of a man who rose from poverty to fame and wealth and fell into abuse of drug, drink and food. He remained idolized in the soccer-mad nation as the “Pibe de Oro” or “Golden Boy.”Many of those in line to enter the Casa Rosada wore masks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they struggled to keep social distancing.Social worker Rosa Noemí Monje, 63, said she and others overseeing health protocols understood the emotion of the moment.”It is impossible to ask them to distance. We behave respectfully and offer them sanitizer and face masks,” she said. Monje also paid her last tribute to Maradona.”I told him: To victory always, Diego,” Monje said as she wept.
…