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WORLD NEWSMonday 25 May 2015
Jailed Venezuelan leader starts hunger strike, urges protest
JORGE RUEDA Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, dressed in white and was being removed from and incompetent.
Associated Press holding up a flower stem, is taken into custody by Bolivarian the military prison outside “One year and three
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) National Guards, in Caracas, Venezuela, February 18, 2014. Caracas where he was months after our call for
— Jailed opposition leader Lopez has begun a hunger strike and is calling for a mass anti- held with Lopez and trans- change, the situation has
Leopoldo Lopez has be- government protest next weekend. ferred to a public jail away gotten even worse. More
gun a hunger strike and from the capital. lines, more inflation, more
is calling for a mass anti- (AP Photo/Alejandro Cegarra) U.S. Assistant Secretary of scarcity, more crime, more
government protest next State Roberta Jacobson corruption,” he said, stand-
weekend. tion. news broke that fellow op- said on Twitter late Satur- ing before what looks like
The former Caracas area day that she was “worried” a metal door in a mostly
mayor accused authori- The video leak came after position Daniel Ceballos about Ceballos’ transfer bare white room.
ties in a video leaked to without a judicial order Lopez called for big,
news media this weekend and called on the govern- peaceful demonstrations
of killing dozens of people ment of President Nicolas next Saturday. He also an-
during 2014 protests. More Maduro to “release all po- nounced he and Cebal-
than 40 deaths on all sides litical prisoners.” los were starting a hunger
were reported in those Ceballos’ transfer comes strike to demand the re-
demonstrations. amid worsening economic lease of political prisoners
Lopez has been held in problems in Venezuela, in- and an end to govern-
a military prison for more cluding the national cur- ment repression, as well as
than a year on charges re- rency’s loss of a quarter of to a set date for legislative
lated to his role in leading its value over the last week. elections that the admin-
last year’s protests against In the video, Lopez repeat- istration has promised to
the South American coun- ed his charge that Venezu- hold sometime in Novem-
try’s socialist administra- ela’s government is corrupt ber or December.q
Guyana’s leader forms cabinet, seeks to boost energy sector
GEORGETOWN, Guyana but said late Friday he will now is trying to determine foreigners coming to Guy- Granger, a retired army
(AP) — Guyana’s new keep the immigration, nat- the commercial viability of ana have obtained citi- general was sworn in on
president has appointed ural resources and energy the find. zenship easily. May 16, ending a 23-year
27 ministers to his cabinet sectors under his control Granger, 69, said he also “We want to ensure that reign by the People’s Pro-
after his opposition coali- because they are essential appointed a former police citizenship remains a prize gressive Party.
tion won the South Ameri- to Guyana’s future. chief as special minister of that is protected by the His party has pledged to
can country’s general The announcement comes citizenship to investigate state,” he said. end racial divisions that
election. just days after Exxon Mo- allegations that govern- The new cabinet so far has long have marked politics
Retired army general Da- bil Corp. said it has found ment officials previously six more ministers than the in Guyana, a country of
vid Granger awarded sev- what it called a “signifi- sold citizenships and pass- previous one, and an ad- nearly 746,000 people who
eral ministries to the smaller cant” oil discovery off Guy- ports to foreigners. He said ditional appointment re- are mainly of Indian and
Alliance for Change party ana’s coast. The company authorities are aware that mains. African descent.q
