VOA News - 210713

 

VOA NEWS

July 13, 2021

00:04 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is VOA News. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton. Venezuelan prosecutors on Monday said they charged opposition politician Freddy Guevara with terrorism and treason, among other allegations, after the country's intelligence service arrested him from his car on a Caracas [加拉加斯(委内瑞拉首都)] highway. In a statement, the chief prosecutor's office said it had sought an arrest warrant for Guevara due to [his quote] his alleged, quote, "ties with extremist groups and paramilitary(准军事部队)(paramilitaries) associated with the Colombian government." Guevara is a close ally of opposition leader Juan Guaidó, whom the United States recognizes as Venezuela's legitimate president. Guaidó said unidentified [m...] armed men threatened him with arrest earlier on Monday as he left his apartment in an effort to assist Guevara. A representative at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Julie Chung wrote on Twitter, quote, "We strongly condemn the arrest of Venezuelan Congressman Freddy Guevara and threats against Interim President Juan Guaidó in Venezuela." She urged the international community to join in condemning the acts and called for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela. These incidents took place as the government of President Nicholás Maduro and opposition movement headed by Guaidó prepare for negotiations planned for next month aimed at resolving the political crisis. In an appearance on state television Monday, Maduro said the opposition should renounce(宣布放弃) violent tactics ahead of the talks. Without naming Guevara or Guaidó, he said he had proof that some actors were plotting coups and that prosecutors acted on the basis of that proof. Maduro also said the United States and the European Union should lift sanctions [on the Vene...] on Venezuela before the negotiations begin. More on that and all the stories we're covering is available at our website voanews.com. This is VOA News. 02:16  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. health officials after meeting with vaccine maker Pfizer reiterated on Monday that Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need to get a booster shot for COVID-19, this according to a spokesperson for the [humans] Health and Human Services Department. Pfizer said last week it planned to ask U.S. regulators to authorize a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine based on evidence of greater risk of infection six months after inoculation and the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. 02:50  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. President Joe Biden is calling on Haiti's political leaders to come together for the good of their country. Biden said Monday during a White House meeting that the people of Haiti, quote, "deserve peace and security." The president told reporters he is closely following developments in the Caribbean nation since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated last Wednesday. Moïse was shot to death in his home in Port-au-Prince in the early morning hours of July 7th. His wife Martine Moïse was seriously wounded in the attack. She [is] has been taken to Miami, Florida, for treatment. The White House says it has responded to Haiti's quest for help in the investigation by sending a team of officials from several U.S. agencies, including the National Security Council and the State Department. They arrived in Haiti on Sunday. A spokeswoman for the National Security Council told VOA that the delegation has reviewed the security of critical infrastructure and met with the Haitian National Police who are leading the investigation. Three Haitian Americans have been arrested in action with the assassination plot and the FBI has told VOA in an emailed statement that it "is currently engaging with the U.S. Embassy in Haiti" to determine how best to support the investigation effort. 04:15  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At least 35 people have died in a fire in a COVID ward of a hospital in the southern a Iraqi city of [naza...] Nasiriya on Monday. A spokesman for local health authorities told the French news agency that five people have been wounded, including two in critical condition. He said there are fears that more people are trapped inside the burning building and that the search for victims continues. This is Iraq's second fire in a COVID ward this year. In April, a fire at a Baghdad COVID-19 hospital killed 82 people and injured 110. That fire was sparked by the explosion of a couple of oxygen tanks. Iraq's health minister resigned after the April fire. 04:59  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And the United States has called out genocide and atrocities happening in six countries as part of a State Department report highlighting the U.S. government's response to such atrocities. The countries in the report are Myanmar, China, Ethiopia, Iraq, Syria and South Sudan. That report was released today. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton. This is VOA News. 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