What Happened Last Week In Venezuela? 🌀 Devastation in the Andean states due to the rains
Thousands of families affected by rains in the Andean states, el Pollo Carvajal pleads guilty of narcoterrorism and the public universities are losing more autonomy.
Politics
Machado supports Landau's criticism of the Inter-American System
Venezuelan opposition leader MarÃa Corina Machado supported the statements of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who denounced the loss of credibility of the Inter-American System and questioned the role of the Organization of American States in the face of the political crises in Venezuela and Haiti. Machado stated in a message on her Twitter account that Landau spoke with "unusual clarity" about the erosion of the system's credibility and the "urgent need to return to the principles" that motivated its creation. During his address to the OAS General Assembly, Landau warned that the United States could reconsider its continued membership in international organizations, including the OAS, due to what he described as its inability to respond to the situation in several countries on the continent. "The OAS must act, or the United States will act on its own," he stated.
Hugo Carvajal pleads guilty to drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges in the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Hugo Carvajal, the former director of Venezuelan military intelligence known as "El Pollo Carvajal," pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to import cocaine and narcoterrorism. Carvajal faces a possible life sentence, and his sentencing will be handed down on October 29. According to prosecutors, he and other senior officials led the Cartel of the Suns, which collaborated with the FARC to ship cocaine to the United States. Carvajal led Venezuelan military intelligence from 2004 to 2011 during Hugo Chávez's administration and from 2013 to 2014 under Nicolás Maduro.
The United States clarifies TPS protection for Venezuelans who requested an extension before February
Adelys Ferro, director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, a diaspora organization, reported that Venezuelans who applied for an extension of their work permits under Temporary Protected Status before February 5 retain legal protection, even if the official notification of receipt arrived after that date. Ferro explained that the Department of Homeland Security updated the information on its website to clarify concerns among applicants who feared losing their status due to administrative delays.
The U.S. intensifies deportations of Venezuelans on direct flights to Caracas
Despite an intensification of sanctions, the United States government continues to deport Venezuelans to Caracas, not only through Conviasa's transfers from Honduras, but also through two direct weekly flights operated by ICE Air, the transportation division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Culture and society
Tropical wave leaves thousands affected in Mérida and other Andean states
Heavy rains wreaked havoc on Andean communities and the Andean foothills, devastating numerous villages in the páramo. In several areas, landslides and flooding rivers destroyed roads, homes, and crops.
Nicolás Maduro reported that tropical wave number 9, which passed between June 24 and 25, caused damage in the state of Mérida, isolating more than 8,000 families. According to an official report, 25 bridges were affected, 16 of them completely destroyed. Producers in the area warned of the risk of losing their vegetable and garden crops due to the lack of transportation. The rains impacted twelve municipalities and destroyed part of trunk road 007, which connects Mérida with El VigÃa and the southern area of the lake: important agricultural hubs.
Vice President Delcy RodrÃguez reported that assistance has been provided to more than 3,730 families in eight municipalities of Barinas. In Táchira, Governor Freddy Bernal reported damage in Fernández Feo, San Cristóbal, and JunÃn, where 240 homes were damaged. In Apure, more than 640 indigenous families were assisted, while in Trujillo, 55 homes were damaged, 28 of them completely destroyed.
Caritas Venezuela, the Roman Catholic humanitarian organization, is requesting supplies for affected families. These are its collection centers.
Sonia Sgambatti, a pioneering jurist in the defense of Venezuelan women's rights, has passed away.
Venezuelan jurist Sonia Sgambatti has passed away. She served as a minister and magistrate during the democratic period and, in 1980, promoted the elimination of the "extenuating circumstance of uxoricide," a legal provision that allowed men who murdered their wives to have their sentences reduced. She also worked on reforming the Civil Code to achieve parity in the separation of assets.
Gustavo Dudamel will conduct the Simón BolÃvar Symphony Orchestra alongside Coldplay at Wembley
Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel announced that he will conduct the Simón BolÃvar Symphony Orchestra in the British band Coldplay's concerts at Wembley Stadium in London between August and September as part of their Music of the Spheres tour. Dudamel thanked Chris Martin on social media for the invitation to open the shows, expressing his pride in sharing the stage with the group. The orchestra's performances are scheduled for August 22, 23, 26, 27, 30 and 31, and September 3, 4, 7 and 8.
Universities lose autonomy in admissions after CNU decision
The National Council of Universities approved an agreement reserving all public university spots for the National Admission Test (OPSU) and eliminating internal admissions mechanisms; a decision that reduces the autonomy of autonomous public universities. The rector of the Central University of Venezuela, VÃctor Rago, rejected the measure, stating that it ignores valuable experiences promoting university equity.
Recommendations
Bartering alligators for food: In the plains, biologists and conservationists deliver food to indigenous communities in exchange for Orinoco caiman hatchlings (Crocodylus intermedius) in an attempt to save a critically endangered species. Although more than 11,000 specimens have been released since 1990, fewer than 100 reproductive females survive on the banks of the Orinoco and its tributaries. Hunting for meat and eggs, amid rising food insecurity in Venezuela, remains the main obstacle to their recovery. An article from Crónica Uno.