Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 31 augusT 2017

Nazi eagle inflames a heated debate in Uruguay Report: Venezuela
assembly de-
mands
By LEONARDO HABERKORN ish Central Committee. video, where injured and Europe funded a multimil- probe of ‘traitors’
Associated Press The Graf Spee was a sym- dead sailors were taken lion-dollar effort to remove CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay bol of German naval might ashore. Its captain ordered the ship piece by piece — The all-powerful consti-
(AP) — A big Nazi eagle early in the war. It prowled the ship scuttled, sinking it a from the bottom of the Riv- tutional assembly passed a
with a swastika under its decree this week ordering
talons is such a divisive authorities to investigate
symbol that it has been and try Venezuelans be-
kept hidden inside a lieved responsible for sup-
sealed crate in a Uruguay- porting new U.S. economic
an navy warehouse for sanctions.
more than a decade. The The decree declares all
800-pound bronze piece those who promoted the
was part of the stern of the latest U.S. response to the
German battleship Admi- socialist government’s
ral Graf Spee that sank off handling of the country’s
the South American coun- political conflict as “traitors
try’s coast at the outset of of the patria” and directs
World War II. Controversy the chief prosecutor’s of-
has swirled around the fice to immediately initiate
eagle ever since it was re- a probe. “Those who call
covered in 2006, and now for treason leave us no op-
a battle has broken out tion but to treat them as
over its fate after the gov- enemies of their own coun-
ernment asked lawmak- try,” said Diosdado Cabel-
ers and Uruguay’s Jewish lo, a delegate and leader
community what it should of the ruling socialist party.
do with it. The move came just days
Suggestions have ranged after President Nicolas
from exhibiting or auction- In this Feb. 10, 2006 photo, workers salvage the eagle from the World War II German pocket battle- Maduro vowed to pros-
ing the Third Reich sym- ship Admiral Graf Spee, in Montevideo, Uruguay. Controversy has swirled around the eagle ever ecute for treason oppo-
since it was recovered and now a battle has broken out over its fate. Suggestions have ranged
bol to keeping it hidden from exhibiting or auctioning the Third Reich symbol, to keeping it hidden or even destroying it. nents he accused of being
or even destroying it. The (AP Photo/Marcelo Hernandez) behind the U.S. financial
debate rages as far-right sanctions. Maduro singled
demonstrations, including the South Atlantic and sank few miles from Montevideo er Plate. In February 2006, out Julio Borges, president
the one in Charlottesville, several Allied merchant to prevent it and its then a salvage team brought of Venezuela’s opposition-
Virginia, have created ships before warships from state-of-the-art technol- up the eagle. controlled congress, but
fears of a rise in neo-Na- Britain and New Zealand ogy from falling into Allied Thousands of curious peo- Borges said Tuesday that
zism. “Our concern is that tracked it down and dam- hands. Most of the crew ple gathered at a hotel in he bore no responsibility for
the eagle doesn’t gener- aged it during the “Battle was taken by ship to Bue- Montevideo where it was Venezuela’s growing eco-
ate a Nazi sanctuary in of the River Plate” that be- nos Aires in neighboring exhibited. But the exhibi- nomic peril. “The only one
Uruguay that will draw Na- gan on Dec. 13, 1939. Argentina and the captain tion lasted only a couple responsible is Maduro,”
zis from all over the region,” The damaged Graf Spee killed himself days later. of months because of con- Borges said.
said Israel Buszkaniec, pres- limped into the harbor of In 2004, private investors troversy surrounding the The sanctions announced
ident of the country’s Jew- Uruguay’s capital, Monte- from the United States and symbol.q last week prohibit Ameri-

can financial institutions
Puerto Ricans protest, decry austerity measures from providing new money
to the government or the
state oil company, PDVSA.
By DANICA COTO rupt,” read one poster held cials say is running out of billion public debt. They also ban trading in
Associated Press up by 70-year-old Eva Fe- money and furloughs that Joining the protest were two bonds that the gov-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico liciano, a retired govern- are supposed to go into ef- dozens of workers from ernment recently issued
(AP) — Hundreds of Puerto ment worker who said she fect on Friday. the island’s public power to circumvent its increas-
Ricans took to the streets sometimes cannot afford Puerto Ricans have joined company who launched ing isolation from Western
of the island’s capital on to buy the groceries she the governor in rejecting a 24-hour strike that forced financial markets.
Wednesday to protest aus- and her husband need. the board’s demands. the agency to temporar- In addition, the sanctions
terity measures as anger Protesters shielded them- “The measures that are be- ily close its offices. Among restrict the Venezuelan
builds over an unrelenting selves from a blazing sun ing approved affect every- them was 39-year-old oil giant’s U.S. subsidiary,
economic crisis that has hit as meteorologists warned one in Puerto Rico,” said Christian Garcia, who said Citgo, from sending divi-
the working class especially of a heat index that could Luis Pedraza, leader of a his family has cut back on dends back to Venezuela
hard. reach 110 degrees. The union that represents some TV, internet and grocery — moves that Maduro has
Protesters clutched posters crowd converged at the 20,000 workers in the public shopping amid the crisis. said will be damaging to
decrying austerity mea- offices of a federal con- and private sector. Nearby, several retired po- this nation’s beleaguered
sures including new taxes, trol board created by U.S. He warned that if people lice officers held up posters economy.
increases in utility bills and Congress last year to over- don’t protest, they will be demanding the govern- U.S. officials contend the
looming furloughs and cuts see Puerto Rico’s finances. hit with additional mea- ment pay their pensions in sanctions were crafted
to a public pension system The board earlier this week sures to generate more full. Currently, police offi- to avoid causing harm
facing nearly $50 billion in sued Gov. Ricardo Ros- money for bondholders cers and teachers in Puerto to ordinary Venezuelans
liabilities. sello for refusing to imple- demanding payment amid Rico do not receive Social and punish a government
“They’re taking advantage ment measures including a multimillion-dollar defaults Security and depend solely that U.S. President Don-
of us poor workers. We did 10 percent cut to a public as Puerto Rico tries to re- on the crumbling public ald Trump now brands a
not steal. We are not cor- pension system that offi- structure a portion of its $74 pension system.q dictatorship.q