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WORLD NEWS Thursday 5 april 2018

U.S. senator visits Venezuela

amid talks over jailed Utah man

By SCOTT SMITH and JOSH- weapons charges. R-Utah, also spoke to Mad-
UA GOODMAN The rare visit comes as uro by phone to press for
Associated Press the Trump administra- Holt's release, according
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) tion weighs an embargo to a Venezuelan official
— A powerful U.S. sena- on Venezuela's oil ship- with knowledge of the con-
tor traveled to Venezuela ments on top of sanctions versation but who was not
on Wednesday as pres- it already has imposed on authorized to discuss it pub- In this Feb. 13, 2018 file photo, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., speaks to
sure mounted on President dozens of top officials, in- licly. Hatch's office refused reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Nicolas Maduro to hand cluding Maduro himself, to comment on the Sena- Associated Press
over a Utah man jailed in for what the U.S. considers tor's efforts to secure Holt's
the turbulent South Ameri- Venezuela's slide into a dic- release but said they are his wife, Thamara Caleno land.
can country for nearly two tatorship. unrelated to Durbin's travel Candelo, to be politically The Associated Press first re-
years. "The Venezuelan people plans. motivated. ported behind-the-scenes
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois continue to suffer im- Holt, 25, travelled to Vene- Maduro is expected to win dialogue to win Holt's free-
was to meet with members mensely under the Mad- zuela in June 2016 to marry a second term as president dom. Caleb McCarry, a
of the government and op- uro regime's repressive a fellow Mormon he met in a May 20 election that top Republican congressio-
position, a spokesman for actions," Durbin recently online practicing his Span- the U.S. and Venezuela's nal staffer who has known
his office said. He didn't tweeted, supporting sanc- ish. The couple was ar- largest opposition parties Maduro for 15 years, trav-
provide further details. tions while condemning rested during a police raid have rejected as being elled to Caracas in Febru-
The Senate's No. 2 Demo- Maduro's "criminal regime on the housing complex rigged in Maduro's favor, ary to meet with the Ven-
crat is also expected to and its complete disregard where she had lived. leaving the South Ameri- ezuelan leader and First
meet with Maduro to dis- for democracy." Venezuelan authorities al- can leader few if any allies Lady Cilia Flores to press for
cuss the imprisonment of Durbin's visit follows weeks leged Holt was stockpiling in Washington from either Holt's release.
Joshua Holt, who is being of backchannel talks over "weapons of war." political party. That dialogue prompted
held in a Caracas prison Holt between representa- U.S. officials have repeat- Durbin played a key role a visit to Washington by
along with several top gov- tives of the two countries in edly demanded Holt's re- in Cuba's 2014 release of a trusted ally of Maduro,
ernment opponents await- both Caracas and Wash- lease on humanitarian American Alan Gross, who Gov. Rafael Lacava of
ing a trial on what the U.S. ington. grounds, considering the was held in prison for five Carabobo state, to discuss
has called trumped-up Last week, Sen. Orrin Hatch, charges against him and years on the communist is- Holt with lawmakers.q

Sierra Leone declares opposition leader the new president

By CLARENCE ROY-MA- date Samura Kamara, who people after neither the
CAULAY, received 48.19 percent of ruling All Peoples Congress
Associated Press the votes. party candidate nor Bio
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone The election commission's won the March 7 first round
(AP) — Sierra Leone's elec- chairman, Mohamed election outright. The Sierra
tion commission declared N'Fah Alie Conteh, said Bio Leone Peoples Party has
main opposition candidate would be sworn in later. not held the presidency
Julius Maada Bio as the More than 2.5 million peo- since 2007.
West African nation's new ple, or 81 percent of eligi- The runoff vote had been
president Wednesday, giv- ble registered voters, cast set for March 27 but was
ing the opposition party its ballots in the runoff, he said. delayed after a ruling party
first presidency in 10 years. Any registered voter has member filed a court chal-
Bio won Saturday's runoff seven days to petition to lenge alleging irregularities
vote with 51.81 percent of the Supreme Court against in the first round and a tem-
In this Saturday March 31, 2018, file photo, Julius Maada Bio, valid votes cast, the Na- the results. porary injunction was is-
right, presidential candidate for the main opposition Sierra Le- tional Electoral Commis- This was Bio's second bid for sued, stalling preparations.
one People's Party, gestures outside before casting his ballots sion said. The former mili- the presidency. He lost in The high court lifted the in-
during the runoff presidential elections, outside a polling station tary leader running for the 2012. junction last week, allowing
in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone Peoples Party Tensions rose in the West the second round to take
Associated Press
beat ruling party candi- African nation of 7 million place Saturday.q