Page 12 - aruba-today-20190824

A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 24 auguSt 2019

Venezuela opposition leader vows to shun early election

By FABIOLA SANCHEZ chance at resolving the
SCOTT SMITH crisis. But the U.S. unveiled
Associated Press a new round of harsh sanc-
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) tions this month, which
— Venezuelan opposition prompted Maduro to pull
leader Juan Guaidó said out.
Friday that opponents of As the political and eco-
President Nicolás Maduro nomic crisis deepens, an
won’t participate in any estimated 4 million Venezu-
early legislative elections elans have fled the coun-
he calls amid a protracted try since 2015 seeking relief
power struggle. from instability and shortag-
Guaidó said in an interview es of food and medicine.
with The Associated Press Opponents view moving
that it would be a “farce” up the vote as a way to
to participate in any elec- take control of the last ma-
tion with the Maduro gov- jor institution not held by
ernment still in control of the ruling party, accusing
the country. the government of rigging
The man recognized by the the election system.
U.S. as Venezuela’s rightful “That’s not an election,”
leader also said he plans Guaidó said. “It’s a new
to keep the title of acting bunker for them in an at-
president even after his tempt to justify all the bad
one-year term as leader Venezuela’s National Assembly President and self proclaimed interim President Juan Guaido things they’ve done politi-
of the National Assembly speaks during a interview with the Associated Press in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. cally in the past.”
ends in the new year. Associated Press Guaidó, however, says he
“We are very clear that — the most important op- tional Assembly earlier this backing from the Venezu- remains upbeat for the
we’re going to continue position-dominated institu- year. He quickly won rec- elan military and interna- possibility of change, and
until the point that elec- tion in the country — could ognition from more than tional allies such as Cuba, believes Maduro’s gov-
tions in Venezuela are in re- be held in January or ear- 50 foreign governments, Russia, China and Turkey. ernment will soon return
ality free,” he said, adding lier. The legislature’s five- led by the Trump adminis- The late President Hugo to negotiations hosted by
that there are signs Madu- year term is set to end in tration. They consider the Chavez’s hand-picked suc- Norway, because it has no
ro’s government is weaken- December 2020 and elec- socialist leader’s election cessor often calls Guaidó other options.
ing as it resorts to torturing tions are traditionally held last year a fraud in large a puppet of a U.S. govern- He reiterated that “all strat-
opponents while growing in the last month of its term. part because leading op- ment bent on stealing Ven- egies are necessary” for
isolated from its people Elections will be held “soon,” position parties and candi- ezuela’s vast oil resources. change and said the op-
and the international com- Cabello said. “Sooner than dates were banned from Many saw negotiations position was “absolutely
munity. people think.” running. They argued that hosted by Norway on the informed” of contacts be-
Socialist party chief Diosda- Guaido, 36, launched a the presidency should fall Caribbean island of Barba- tween the U.S. and Maduro
do Cabello, a key Maduro campaign to overthrow to the head of congress. dos between the Maduro government recently re-
ally, has said that elections Maduro upon being However, Maduro refuses government and its oppo- ported by The Associated
for the National Assembly named head of the Na- to budge from power with sition as Venezuela’s best Press .q

Mexico sees jungle lakes evaporate amid lower rainfall

By MARK STEVENSON decades by avoiding the drought. Since the jungle
Associated Press slash-and-burn agriculture lakes are fed by groundwa-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Some and cattle ranching. ter flows, not rivers, the situ-
of the mystical blue-green Some of the older Lacan- ation may take some time
lakes of the Lacandon dones remember that to recover.But it is not just
jungle in southern Mexico the Metzabok lake (the Metzabok lake that has suf-
are drying up this year, the name means “The god of fered. Adrián Méndez Bar-
result of what experts say thunder” in the Maya lan- rera, a biologist who serves
is an extended drought guage) had dried up once are regional director for
and rising temperatures in ago, in the 1950s. Mexico’s National Commis-
the region. The Metzabok But experts worry that such sion for Protected Nature
lake, which normally cov- episodes will become more Areas, said he knowns of six
ers 220 acres (89 hectares), frequent as rainfall declines lagoons outside the nature
dried up completely this In this photo provided by Mexico’s National Commission for and peak temperatures reserve that have dried up.
Protected Nature Areas, the diminishing waters of the Metzabok
month, leaving cracked Lagoon are seen amidst its drying lake bed, in the Lacandon rise in the area, located just “Rainfall over the last four
mud where the translucent jungle of Chiapas State in southern Mexico, in the first half of a few dozen miles from the years has been down by
waters normally reflect the August, 2019. Guatemalan border. about 30%,” Méndez Bar-
surrounding jungle and Associated Press Mexico’s National Water rera said. “On the other
Lacandon Indians travel by ism, fish and water from the the dried-up lake to those Commission lists most of the hand, we have seen aver-
canoe. lake and 20 other jungle la- nearby that still have water. Lacandon jungle as being age maximum tempera-
About 350 Lacandones, goons nearby for their live- The area is part of a nature in a “moderate drought” tures rise from 30 degrees
an indigenous group that lihood. In recent days they preserve known as Naha- situation, but some areas to 34 degrees (86 to 93
still uses traditional dress of worked with biologists to Metzabok, and the Lacan- whose waters normally Fahrenheit). These two fac-
long hair and white cotton capture and transfer croc- dones have preserved feed the lagoons are list- tors have a combined ef-
tunics, depend on tour- odiles, fish and turtles from the surrounding jungle for ed as “severe to extreme” fect.” q