ABC News Online: Venezuela security agents seize opposition leaders from homes in night-time raids
Footage has emerged of Venezuelan security officials seizing two opposition leaders from their homes in overnight raids, after they urged protests against a new legislative superbody widely denounced as anti-democratic.
Leopoldo Lopez and Antonio Ledezma were both under house arrest, the former for his role in leading street protests against President Nicolas Maduro in 2014 and the latter on charges of plotting a coup.
"12:27 in the morning: the moment when the dictatorship kidnaps Leopoldo at my house," Mr Lopez's wife Lilian Tintori wrote on Twitter.
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MIDDLE EAST
Exclusive: Iran Revolutionary Guards find new route to arm Yemen rebels.
US-backed Syria force advances in south of IS bastion Raqa.
9,000 Syrians, including jihadists, cross from Lebanon to Syria in ceasefire deal.
Palestinian negotiator criticises US silence on settlements.
Iran accuses United States of breaching nuclear deal.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia take their feud to the airwaves, internet.
Main coup trial begins in Turkey against nearly 500 suspects.
Jordan MPs vote to scrap rape law loophole.
ASIA
North Korea 'will be handled,' Trump declares.
Trump weighs sanctions against China to pressure Beijing to halt North Korea threat.
Japan protests China's activity in disputed East China Sea gas field.
China's Xi Jinping asserts territorial integrity amid regional tensions. Xi shores up power with demand for army obedience and foreign respect.
China criticizes British freedom of navigation mission plans.
China's internet crackdown reaches new level of restriction.
Afghan Taliban: Qatar plays major role in peace talks.
Pakistan elects Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as interim prime minister. Pakistan lawmakers pick Abbasi to replace ousted PM Sharif.
AFRICA
Uganda says 12 killed in Somalia Shabaab attack.
DRC police arrest over 100 in anti-Kabila protests.
China opens first overseas base in Africa: media.
Rights groups protest killing of Kenya election official. Kenya leader ‘deeply shocked’ at election official’s killing.
Years of growth have not muted Kenya's unemployment, particularly for the young.
Libya constitutional committee pushes for a vote on draft.
Malawi's former president says "innocent" of graft, will return home.
EUROPE
Eurozone economic growth gathering pace.
Pence pledges support for Georgia, condemns Russian moves.
Security expert warns NATO against adding members.
Germany calls for EU countermeasures against US following Russian sanctions.
Germany sees record number of people with immigrant background.
Sweden scrambles to tighten data security as scandal claims two ministers.
Amnesty, Snowden decry new Russian internet restrictions.
Deadly gunfight breaks out at Moscow court hearing case of murderous Russian gang. Four dead after gun battle in suburban Moscow courtroom.
Spanish court backs extradition of Russian programmer to US.
Passengers facing four-hour security queues at some European airports.
AMERICAS
Venezuela arrests two opposition leaders in growing crackdown. Venezuela opposition leaders taken from homes, say relatives.
US hits Venezuelan 'dictator' Nicolas Maduro with sanctions after 'sham election'. enezuelan leader defiant as US imposes sanctions on him.
Trump 'dictated' son's statement on Russian lawyer meeting.
President Donald Trump says he won’t stay off social media.
Brazil prepares to vote on removing second president in a year.
Peruvian ex-president asks appeals court to free him from jail.
Panama Canal wins $193 million arbitration over payments.
TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR
'It was as close to a major attack as we have ever come': Terror suspects accused of plot to blow up an airplane were 'fairly well along' in their plan when police swooped - as Etihad confirms it is helping Australian investigators.
Hezbollah to Trump: ‘We fight terrorism while the U.S. supports it’.
Snap joins rivals Facebook and YouTube to fight terrorism.
ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS
Apple doubles down on China as rivals pull ahead.
Oil markets escape Venezuela sanctions for now.
Key drug sales push Pfizer profit up 50 percent.
Security expert warns NATO against adding new members." Mr. O'Hanlon is somewhat wise here. It is encouraging to see that there are still some pockets of somewhat sanity left in what passes for US leadership these days.
ReplyDeleteThe operative words here are "somewhat sanity." The proposals are only a baby step in the right direction. For example, as part of the agreement to end Cold War 1, NATO was not supposed to be expanded to Russia's borders. As such, announcing there will be no new members and following through with it is simply a necessary step to getting negotiations started. While there is debate on whether this agreement actually existed, there would have been no reason for NATO to expand and after some heated rhetoric the Reagan Administration needed to be allowed to save some face. Hence the agreement is not in writing.
also, if the neutral zone is established, Mr. O'Hanlon worries about Russia violating it. The biggest problems here are some of these countries, Poland, Georgia, and Ukraine right now are bat sh!t crazy and the US is currently led by a number of crazies. As such, this is the biggest risk here, not Russia. While there would be ample reason not to trust Vladimir Putin the former KGB man, he has not indicated any reason to not be trusted. Whereas the US government does not exactly have a good track record.
Also, while we cannot stop any of these nations from joining the EU if they want to, we should not be neutral on this. The EU is hardly an "ally" of the US and much closer to an enemy. As such, we should do what we can to discourage any of the nations from joining the EU.
Finally, Mr. O'Hanlon is worried about Russian leadership "bragging" and drones on about Russian leadership needing to "save face." He gets this flat wrong. It is the US who needs to save face. The US foolishly expanded NATO beyond its ability to properly be responsible for all in violation of a carefully negotiated agreement that ended Cold War 1 and for no good reason. Now the US has foolishly suggested moving forward with additional sanctions on Russia after funding endless color revolutions in support of government hostile to Russia fomenting a new Cold War that we don't have the resources to prosecute effectively and we don't need.
As to the sanctions, if European nations are forced to choose between the US and Russia, they will choose Russia. I've already explained why. Essentially the US is going to be unable and unwilling to have much an impact on European affairs for an extended period of time assuming the country continues to exist at all. In contrast, Russia has been there for centuries, will be there for the foreseeable future, and is a major energy exporter.
If we can end Cold War 2 and putting the brakes on NATO expansion is a suggested policy that has huge upside potential and no costs to America is a good place to start, Mr. Putin and the Russian leadership may take all the victory laps they like and they may brag as much as they wish to. Now if the US can "save face" in all of this, all the better. While not the perfect analysis by Mr. O'Hanlon, it does represent a baby step in the right direction. Do we still have time for baby steps? I hooe so.