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WORLD NEWSFriday 8 April 2016
Venezuela orders long weekends to help power crisis
HANNAH DREIER
Associated Press
CARCAS, Venezuela (AP)
— Public employees in
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro speaks in Caracas, Venezuela. Maduro announced this
week that he would sign a decree giving state workers Fridays off for 60 days in the government’s
latest bid to ease a nationwide power crisis.
Venezuela will take long
weekends under the gov-
ernment’s latest bid to ease
a nationwide power crisis.
President Nicolas Maduro
announced this week that
he would sign a decree giv-
ing state workers Fridays off ly,” he said. “It’s just an idea in the southeastern state of
Brazils congressman said to have received $5.1M
SAO PAULO (AP) — More
than $5 million in over-
seas bank deposits ap-
parently were earmarked
for the speaker of Brazil’s
lower house of congress,
who’s leading an effort to
impeach President Dilma
Rousseff, a black market
money dealer said Thurs-
day.
Leonardo Meirelles told
the Chamber of Deputies’
Ethics Committee that he
converted $5.1 million into
for 60 days — and he urged
his compatriots to increase
other efforts to save power,
even recommending that
women use their fingers
rather than hairdryers to do
their hair.
“I always think a woman
looks better when she just
runs her fingers through her
hair and lets it dry natural-
Brazilian reals and turned
the money over to his part-
ner, Alberto Youssef, who
told him it was for Eduardo
Cunha.
Last year, Youssef turned
state’s evidence and told
lawmakers that Rousseff
and her predecessor, for-
mer President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva, knew of the
sprawling corruption kick-
back scheme that has en-
gulfed state-run oil compa-
ny Petrobras.
I have.” Bolivar. If water levels fall
Officials have been warn-
ing for weeks that the water too low, the government
level behind the nation’s
will have to shut down the
dam entirely, crippling
electricity supply.
Maduro*s socialist adminis-
tration blames the crisis on
a drought caused by the
El Nino weather phenome-
non and acts of sabotage
by its opponents.
But experts say rationing
could have been prevent-
ed had the government
invested in maintenance
and in the construction of
thermoelectric plants.
Venezuela has grappled
with blackouts for years,
including one that took
President Nicolas Maduro
by surprise as he delivered
a national address on live
television. Caracas oc-
casionally shuts down be-
cause of citywide losses of
power and some rural ar-
eas are living mostly in the
dark.
Maduro’s predecessor
(AP Photo/Fernando Llano) President Hugo Chavez
promised to solve the prob-
lem in 2010, but little has im-
largest dam has fallen to proved. Opponents of the
near its minimum operat-
ing level. Almost 70 percent socialist administration said
of the South American
country*s electricity comes the long weekend decree
from the Guri Dam, which
holds back the Caroni River would do little solve the
energy crunch. Electricity
here is virtually free, giving
Venezuelans little incentive
to conserve.
Both Rousseff and Silva company. He’s denied any
have denied knowing wrongdoing. Meirelles said
about the scheme. he received the $5.1 million
Cunha is the driving force from Julio Camargo, a con-
behind the impeachment victed former consultant to
process against Rousseff Petrobras who has been
and is second in line to suc- sentenced to more than 20
ceed her should she be years in jail for his involve-
forced to step down. ment in the corruption
The speaker is facing scheme. He was charged
money-laundering charg- with corruption and money
es in connection with laundering and has been
the scheme at Petrobras allowed to remain free
where bribes were paid to pending the outcome of
win contracts from the oil his appeal.
Caribbean Briefs
Canadian retiree
slain in Dominican
Republic robbery
SANTO DOMINGO, Domini-
can Republic (AP) — Au-
thorities in the Dominican
Republic say a Canadian
retiree has been killed in
an apparent robbery and
two local men have been
arrested as suspects. A
statement from police in
the beach town of Sosua
says Leo Frank Boulanger
was killed in an apartment
he had rented for three
month with his Dominican
girlfriend. The body of the
75-year-old from Winni-
peg was found earlier this
week. Police say the men
arrested Wednesday had
the victim’s cellphone and
other belongings and con-
fessed to killing him in the
course of robbing him and
trying to get his bank code.
The killing of Boulanger fol-
lows by two weeks that of
a German visitor to Sosua,
76-year-old Ernst-Gunter
Haun, also in a robbery.
Dominican charged
in 2012 rape, killing
of Taiwan diplomat
SANTO DOMINGO, Domini-
can Republic (AP) — Au-
thorities in the Dominican
Republic say they have
charged a man with rap-
ing, stabbing and stran-
gling a Taiwanese diplo-
mat four years ago.
Police said Tuesday that
52-year-old handyman Ju-
lio Cesar Arias was arrest-
ed in the case following a
DNA match. Authorities
said more than 80 people
underwent DNA testing as
part of the investigation.
Julia Ou was found dead
in her apartment in April
2012 in the capital of Santo
Domingo. Police said Arias
occasionally worked as a
house painter in the build-
ing where the 55-year-old
diplomat lived by herself.