Skimm

Caracas metro station closed ahead of anti-government protest

More than a dozen metro stations in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, have been reported to be closed ahead of an anti-government protest. According to Caracas metro 18 stations had been closed while 20 bus routes suspended for “safety” reasons. There was a political ban of 15 years imposed on opposition leader Henrique Capriles which thousands protested against last Saturday. President Nicolas Maduro said the opposition was “trying to set the country alight”. President Maduro called on his supporters to set up plans to defend the peace because according to him, Venezuela won’t be set alight by “ these brazen right-wing extremists” as he refers to them. In the meantime, Opposition groups are calling on their supporters to organize protests in other cities in Venezuela under the banner “no more dictatorship”.
Reportedly, nine people had been arrested for allegedly causing damage to the Supreme Court building during protests on Saturday according to the Venezuelan prosecutor’s office. It seems as though more protests are and will continue to erupt as a result of Capriles’ ban.

Venezuela’s Maduro pelted by protesters leaving a rally

There has been massive protest against Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro where he has been pelted objects. According to social media the objects thrown included stones and eggs. According to BBC news, President Maduro is said to be under increasing pressure as Venezuela’s economy collapses and his opponents accuse him of creating a dictatorship. So far, it has been reported that there have been five days of violent protest against President Maduro this month alone. This violence led to the deaths of two young men in the last week. Members of the opposition are also calling for a date to be set for postponed regional elections. The news media was reportedly in the middle of broadcasting when things went left and quickly cut away.

Brazil judge targets dozens of politicians for ‘corruption’

Dozens of politicians will undergo investigation over allegations of involvement in a huge bribery scandal. It was reported that former officials from Brazil-based construction giant Odebrecht provided the names. The list apparently includes about a third of President Michel Temer’s cabinet and Rio de Janeiro’s mayor during the Olympics. The firm paid out the abound of $1bn (£800m) in bribes to which they have admitted to.
This is not looking good for the Brazilian Social Democratic Party which is the main opposition party to to the Workers’ Party. As reported by the BBC news, Having all these high-profile mainstream politicians under fire, the release of the list is said to be of profit to those who call themselves outsiders.

Articles

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39580977 1

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39552927 2

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39574355 3