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WORLD NEWS Friday 20 November 2020

U.S. has 1st ambassador in decade to Venezuela amid tensions

By SCOTT SMITH mats in a "virtual" embassy
Associated Press in Bogota.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) Despite the challenge of
— Washington has its first working from outside Vene-
ambassador for Venezuela zuela, Story holds a weekly
in a decade despite the 30-minute Facebook Live
U.S. having no diplomats at chat attempting to main-
its Caracas embassy amid tain ties with millions of Ven-
a breakdown in relations. ezuelans at home or those
James Story's nomination who have fled the crisis-rid-
as ambassador was con- dled nation. In a freewheel-
firmed Wednesday by a ing approach, he answers
U.S. Senate voice vote. questions in fluent Spanish
The South Carolina native from Venezuelans and the
takes the job that he will few U.S. citizens still in the
carry out from the capital country, addressing the
of neighboring Colombia latest intrigue and turmoil
as Venezuela endures a bubbling in Venezuela and
historic economic and po- the U.S. He occasionally
litical crisis. breaks into English with a
Story, 50, will likely play a In this Jan. 24, 2019 file photo, the U.S flag flies outside the U.S. embassy in Caracas, Venezuela. South Carolina accent.
key role helping guide U.S. Associated Press He is not shy about calling
policy on Venezuela during out Maduro and his gov-
the transition of President- from power, opening Ven- sition leader Juan Guaidó ministration offered a $15 ernment for what critics call
elect Joe Biden. Relations ezuela to U.S. competitors as the country's legitimate million bounty for Maduro's his growing authoritarian
have had a long, rocky like China, Russia and Iran, leader. arrest after a U.S. court in- rule and corrupt practices
past that include President while making life harder on The U.S. leads a coalition dicted him on drug charg- blamed for destroying the
Donald Trump's administra- millions of residents of the of dozens of nations that es. nation's once thriving oil
tion winning an indictment South American nation. rejected Maduro following Story, a career diplomat sector that's left the nation
against Venezuelan Nico- The U.S. and Venezuela his election in 2018 to a sec- nominated by Trump in in ruins.
las Maduro as an alleged haven't exchanged am- ond term in a vote widely May, has been serving "Look, this is not a true de-
narcoterrorist. bassadors since 2010, when considered fraudulent be- as the embassy's charge mocracy," Story said in an
Biden's win has sparked relations first started to fray cause the most popular d'affairs, the diplomat who online chat earlier this year,
debate among those who under the late President opposition leaders were heads a mission in the ab- later railing against high-
back Trump's hard-line ap- Hugo Chávez. The two na- banned from running. sence of an ambassador. ranking Venezuelan offi-
proach of isolating Maduro tions totally broke diplo- The U.S. has since heavily His foreign service career cials whose families live lav-
and others who say it is time matic ties last year, each sanctioned Maduro, his in- has taken him to Mexico, ishly in Spain and Panama
for a new course. The critics withdrawing its diplomats ner circle and the state-run Brazil, Mozambique and Af- while most Venezuelans
say heavy sanctions have shortly after Washington oil firm, attempting to iso- ghanistan. Today, he leads are in poverty. "Yes, they're
failed to remove Maduro backed Venezuelan oppo- late them. The Trump ad- a skeleton crew of diplo- cheating all of you."q

Congo announces end to its 11th deadly Ebola outbreak

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE and The outbreak in western Ebola but also to prevent
CARLEY PETESCH Congo emerged shortly the spread of coronavirus
Associated Press before eastern Congo which is raging in the coun-
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — marked an official end try."
Congo has declared an on June 25 to the second This is the fifth outbreak in
end to its 11th Ebola out- deadliest Ebola outbreak Equateur province, he said,
break, this one in western in history, which killed 2,280 adding that epidemic sur-
Equateur province, nearly people over nearly two veillance must be strength-
six months after cases were years. The two strains were ened in the region. Equa-
reported and amid the rise not related, officials said. teur province was also the
of COVID-19 in the Central "This 11th Ebola virus epi- site of the country's ninth
African nation. This is the first demic has had the partic- Ebola outbreak, which was
time Congo is Ebola-free in ularity of spreading much overcome in a little over
about two and a half years. more to river and lake three months in 2018 and
Congo's minister of health, health zones," the health had half as many cases re-
Dr. Eteni Longondo, along minister said Wednesday. ported, WHO said.
with the World Health Or- "This constituted a major lo- WHO commended the re-
ganization made the of- gistical challenge in terms sponse to this outbreak. In this file photo dated Friday, Aug. 10, 2018, Dr. Tedros Adhanom
ficial declaration Wednes- of the implementation of re- "Overcoming one of the Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, speaks to a health
day with no new cases sponse activities in a health world's most dangerous official at a newly established Ebola response center in Beni,
recorded in more than 48 system already weakened pathogens in remote and Democratic Republic of Congo.
days. by previous epidemics and hard to access communi- Associated Press
More than 55 deaths were by a weak involvement of ties demonstrates what is at super-cold tempera- pertise we've built in one
recorded, 119 confirmed the community." possible when science and tures will be helpful when disease is transferable to
cases and 75 recoveries Longondo called on the solidarity come together," bringing a COVID-19 vac- another and underlines the
since the declaration of population to remain vigi- said WHO Africa chief Mat- cine to Africa," she added. importance of investing
the outbreak on June 1, lant and continue to ob- shidiso Moeti. "Tackling Ebola in parallel in emergency prepared-
according to the WHO and serve hygiene measures "The technology used to with COVID-19 hasn't been ness and building local
the health ministry. "to avoid the resurgence of keep the Ebola vaccine easy, but much of the ex- capacity."q