Politics

US carries out successful THAAD missile defence test after reported North Korea threat

US carries out successful THAAD missile defence test after reported North Korea threat

The US Missile Defense Agency successfully conducted a test of the THAAD weapon system on 30 July, shooting down a medium-range missile launched by a US Air Force C-17 aircraft over the Pacific Ocean. The test was a result of North Korea announcing on 29 July, that it had carried out a similar test of a long-range ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland. Jul 31, 2017
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lambasts Donald Trump, calls for state of emergency

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lambasts Donald Trump, calls for state of emergency

President Nicolas Maduro lambasted President Donald Trump on Sunday (30 July) as elections were held in Venezuela. He criticised Washington for calling a vote on a constituent assembly with powers to change the constitution a sham. The Trump administration called the election a step toward dictatorship and Washington has touted another round of sanctions against Caracas to drum up pressure. But a defiant Maduro spoke to the nation, stating that he does not care what Trump thinks of the election. The Venezuelan opposition has criticised the vote which it sees as a means to cement Maduros power in the divided OPEC nation, which is reeling from food shortages, a flailing economy and rampant crime. One of Maduro;s fiercest critics comes from within the ranks of his Socialist Party, dissident state prosecutor Luisa Ortega. She has criticised Maduro for heavy-handed tactics against protesters and criticised the vote for a constituent assembly, fearing its ramifications for democracy. Speaking after the vote, Maduro called on the new assembly to consider restructuring of Ortegas Attorney General department and to declare a state of emergency over the country, where more than 120 people have been killed.A host of other nations such as Argentina, Colombia and Spain have also declared they will not recognise the results of Venezuelas constituent assembly election. Jul 31, 2017
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lambasts Donald Trump, calls for state of emergency

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lambasts Donald Trump, calls for state of emergency

President Nicolas Maduro lambasted President Donald Trump on Sunday (30 July) as elections were held in Venezuela. He criticised Washington for calling a vote on a constituent assembly with powers to change the constitution a sham. The Trump administration called the election a step toward dictatorship and Washington has touted another round of sanctions against Caracas to drum up pressure. But a defiant Maduro spoke to the nation, stating that he does not care what Trump thinks of the election. The Venezuelan opposition has criticised the vote which it sees as a means to cement Maduros power in the divided OPEC nation, which is reeling from food shortages, a flailing economy and rampant crime. One of Maduro;s fiercest critics comes from within the ranks of his Socialist Party, dissident state prosecutor Luisa Ortega. She has criticised Maduro for heavy-handed tactics against protesters and criticised the vote for a constituent assembly, fearing its ramifications for democracy. Speaking after the vote, Maduro called on the new assembly to consider restructuring of Ortegas Attorney General department and to declare a state of emergency over the country, where more than 120 people have been killed.A host of other nations such as Argentina, Colombia and Spain have also declared they will not recognise the results of Venezuelas constituent assembly election. Jul 31, 2017
Huge explosion injures Venezuelan police officers during protest

Huge explosion injures Venezuelan police officers during protest

An explosion injured a group of police officers during a protest in Caracas as Venezuelans trickled to the polls to elect a constitutional super-body that unpopular leftist President Nicolas Maduro vowed would begin a new era of combat in the crisis-stricken nation.Maduro, widely disliked for overseeing an economic collapse during four years in office, has pressed ahead with the vote to create the all-powerful assembly despite the threat of further U.S. sanctions and months of opposition protests in which more than 115 people have been killed. Opposition parties are boycotting what they call a rigged election.Authorities confirmed three deaths over the weekend, including the killing of a candidate to the assembly during a robbery. Opposition lawmakers said the toll was much higher. Jul 31, 2017
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