Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 24 July 2019

Venezuelan blackout eases in some areas; opposition rallies

By SCOTT SMITH “We have to win,” he said.
CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA In addition to congress
Associated Press deputies, several hundred
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) other people attended
— Venezuela’s opposition the event, a far smaller
on Tuesday sought to har- crowd than the throngs
ness anger over a massive that poured into the streets
blackout that deepened in January when Guaidó
hardship nationwide, but a declared he was interim
relatively modest turnout at president and that Mad-
a Caracas demonstration uro’s 2018 re-election was
highlighted the weariness a sham. Some activists
of Venezuelans who de- said the turnout was low
spair of an imminent solu- because public transport
tion to their plight. wasn’t available, though
Lights came back on in opposition demonstrations
parts of the capital and in Caracas have diminished
other areas of Venezuela in size over several months.
overnight following a near- Guaidó tweeted about
ly nine-hour outage that the nationwide blackout,
the government blamed blaming it on the incom-
on an “electromagnetic petence of a government
attack” against the power People protest a day after a massive blackout as they gather for a rally called by opposition that claims to espouse the
grid, without providing any leader and self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaido, in Caracas, Venezuela, socialist principles of Madu-
evidence. Government Tuesday, July 23, 2019. ro’s late predecessor, Hugo
opponents say years of mis- Associated Press Chávez.
management and corrup- were familiar, even though racaibo resident, said she try to keep pressure on the “For Venezuelans, it’s not
tion were to blame. Caracas has been mostly was tired of a government government of President an option to get used to
Electricity supply remained spared the debilitating that makes “excuses” and Nicolás Maduro, who has this tragedy,” he said.
unstable in many regions. power cuts that persisted in an opposition continually defied U.S.-led efforts to The Venezuelan govern-
The blackout knocked out other parts of the country seeking support from Vene- oust him. Opposition leader ment blamed sabotage,
communications and the after nationwide outages zuela’s exhausted citizens. Juan Guaidó appeared in echoing allegations that
Caracas metro on Mon- in March. The latest black- “We need solutions, not front of bunting in the col- the United States was be-
day, forcing commuters to out didn’t make much dif- promises,” Arámbula said. ors of the Venezuelan flag hind nearly a week of
walk home or hustle for a ference to people with “Not having light makes — red, blue and yellow — blackouts in March that
spot on packed buses. The scarce power in Maraca- me sick.” and said, as he often has in were allegedly aimed at
metro remained out of op- ibo, Venezuela’s second- In Caracas, the opposition- the past, that the govern- forcing out Maduro. U.S. of-
eration Tuesday. largest city. led congress held a ses- ment he calls a “dictator- ficials have scoffed at the
The scenes in the capital Maritza Arámbula, a Ma- sion in a main square to ship” is crumbling. suggestion.q
Cellphones sought in Puerto Rico as political crisis deepens

By DÁNICA COTO posed in a photo. The par- including pension cuts and
Associated Press ticipants also talked about school closings. Many are
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) politics and government also resentful over Puerto
— A Puerto Rico judge is- contracts. Rico’s slow recovery from
sued search warrants for The island’s main opposition Maria, which devastated
the cellphones of govern- party and others have ac- the island nearly two years
ment officials involved in a cused chat participants of ago and led to thousands
crude and offensive online legal and ethical violations, of deaths.
chat whose leak has set off including intervening in As the search warrants were
a political crisis that threat- public policy matters when being approved, a small
ens to bring down the U.S. they were not authorized group of protesters clashed
territory’s governor. to do so, and called on with police overnight, and
Kelvin Carrasco, a spokes- authorities to investigate. a tear gas canister set a
man for the island’s Justice Those who said they turned car on fire in the old colo-
Department, said Tuesday over their cellphones as re- nial section of Puerto Rico’s
that the warrants were ap- Demonstrators affected by tear gas thrown by the police run quested by justice officials capital where the gover-
proved overnight and is- during clashes in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, July 22, 2019. last week include Chief of nor’s mansion is situated.
sued to those who had yet Associated Press Staff Ricardo Llerandi; a The protests have escalat-
to turn over their phones. the crisis around Gov. Ri- in an obscenity-laden chat former legal adviser to the ed to a point where many
He did not identify the of- cardo Rosselló. with top advisers and at governor, Alfonso Orona; wonder how Rosselló will
ficials and would not com- For the past week and a least one lobbyist. and former Public Affairs be able to govern. Rosselló
ment further. half, protesters have taken The group insulted wom- Secretary Ramón Rosario. dug his heels in late Mon-
While he didn’t say what to the streets in Puerto Ri- en and mocked constitu- The leaked chat has inten- day, telling Fox News that
was under investigation, co’s biggest wave of dem- ents, including victims of sified long-smoldering an- he has already apologized
the warrants raise the pos- onstrations in at least 15 Hurricane Maria. Rosselló ger over government cor- and made amends follow-
sibility that some of the 12 years, demanding the gov- called a female politician ruption and mismanage- ing the leak of the chat. But
men in the chat, including ernor step down in a crisis a “whore,” referred to an- ment that many blame for many Puerto Ricans vowed
former and current govern- set off by the release of an other as a “daughter of a a 13-year recession and a to keep protesting until he
ment officials, could face 889-page transcript show- bitch,” and made fun of an severe debt crisis that has steps down, no matter how
legal trouble, deepening ing Rosselló participating obese man with whom he led to austerity measures, long it takes.q