Venezuelan capital quiet, streets empty after US strike
A lingering smell of explosives hung over Venezuela’s capital Caracas on Saturday as shocked residents took stock after an early-morning US strike that ousted strongman Nicolas Maduro.While a few hundred Maduro supporters gathered to clamor for his freedom, the streets were otherwise eerily quiet.”I felt the explosions lift me out of bed. In that instant I thought: ‘My God, the day has come,’ and I cried,” Maria Eugenia Escobar, a 58-year-old resident of the city of six million people, told AFP. The strikes started around 2:00 am local time, with dozens of detonations that some people at first mistook for fireworks.Windows rattled from the shockwaves and residents rushed out onto terraces and balconies as military aircraft zoomed overhead.”It was horrible, we felt the planes flying over our house,” said a resident of the Coche neighborhood, near the city’s largest military complex, which was targeted in the raid.Residents saw columns of smoke rising from several parts of the city, which was soon cloaked in a fog-like haze.Witnesses spoke of bombings in La Guaira, Caracas’s airport and port, in Maracay to the west, and in Higuerote to the east. – ‘Absurd! -In the aftermath, Venezuelans soon learned their long-ruling leader Maduro was out.US special forces seized Maduro and took him to face trial in New York.A few hundred supporters gathered in Caracas to demand news of their leader’s fate.”Long live Nicolas Maduro,” echoed a rally cry from a hastily erected stage with speakers blaring revolutionary music.”Long live!” responded the crowd.Katia Briceno, a 54-year-old university professor, came out to protest against what she described as US “barbarism.””How is it that a foreign government comes into the country and removes the president? It’s absurd!” she told AFP.Apart from the protesters, there were few Venezuelans out, and just occasional cars on the usually bustling streets.Those who did venture out did so under the watchful eye of black-clad agents patrolling the center with long guns.Many stores were closed after the attack, while queues formed at others that were letting people in a few at a time.Damage from the explosions was mostly limited to military installations, where vehicles stood riddled by bullets, others smouldering and charred.Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez accused the US forces of attacking civilian areas with missiles and rockets fired from combat helicopters.President Donald Trump said no US soldiers died in Saturday’s strikes, but the toll on the Venezuelan side remained unknown.For residents of Caracas, the future is uncertain.Trump said he was “not afraid of boots on the ground” and mooted the possibility of a “much bigger” second wave of strikes if necessary.He also said the United States will “run” Venezuela until a political transition occurs.Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado insists Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, whom the opposition says won elections in July 2024 in which Maduro claimed victory, “must immediately assume his constitutional mandate” as president.Trump appeared to scotch any expectation that Machado herself might emerge as Venezuela’s new leader. She does not have “support or respect” there, he said.Trump indicated he could instead work with Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, saying “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”Neighboring Colombia was reinforcing its border with Venezuela, using tanks and armed soldiers who normally fight guerrillas to secure the frontier.Colombian security forces deployed at the main border crossings on the orders of leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has clashed with Trump over his months-long military buildup in the region.Petro’s government has warned of a potential humanitarian crisis with migrants pouring over the border from Venezuela.However, on the Simon Bolivar bridge in Villa del Rosaria, the main crossing point, the number of people walking across on Saturday was far below normal.
S. Korean president heads to China, hoping to sidestep Taiwan tensions
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung left for China on Sunday, eager to boost economic ties with Seoul’s largest trading partner while keeping a lid on potentially explosive issues such as Taiwan.Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his four-day trip comes less than a week after China carried out massive military drills around Taiwan, the self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory.The exercise, featuring missiles, fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels, drew a chorus of international condemnation that Seoul has notably declined to join.Lee, accompanied by a delegation of business and tech leaders, hopes to expand economic cooperation in meetings with President Xi Jinping and other top officials.And he hopes to possibly harness China’s clout over North Korea to support his bid to improve ties with Pyongyang.Hours before Lee departed for Beijing, Seoul’s military said the North had fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan — its first test of the year.Seoul has for decades trodden a fine line between China, its top trading partner, and the United States, its chief defence guarantor.But Kang Jun-young, a professor at Seoul’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said Beijing was now seeking to draw South Korea away from Washington’s sphere of influence.”China views South Korea as the weakest link at a time when trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan is strengthening,” he told AFP.Lee has deftly stayed on the sidelines since a nasty spat erupted between Beijing and Tokyo late last year, triggered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.”Taking sides only worsens tensions,” he told journalists last month.And he has long dodged questions about whether Seoul would intervene in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, which Beijing has not ruled out using force to seize.Lee said in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Friday that he “clearly affirms” that “respecting the ‘one-China’ principle and maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia, including in the Taiwan Strait, are very important”.- Trade, AI and K-pop -On economic ties, Lee has called for South Korea and China to work towards “more horizontal and mutually beneficial” trade.He is bringing with him a large delegation of executives from some of South Korea’s biggest and best-known firms including Samsung — one of the world’s top memory chip makers which produces crucial components for the booming AI industry.Hyundai Motor Group’s executive chair, Chung Eui-sun, is also part of the delegation alongside figures from the entertainment and gaming industries.A summit with Xi is planned for Monday, followed by trade talks with top officials including Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday, according to top South Korean adviser Wi Sung-lac.Lee will then travel to the financial hub of Shanghai, home to a substantial South Korean business community, where he will attend a startup summit and visit the former headquarters of the Korean government-in-exile during Japanese rule.Xi and Lee last met in November on the sidelines of a regional summit in Gyeongju in South Korea — a meeting Seoul framed at the time as a reset following years of tense relations.The South Korean president plans to pitch a potential role for China in his efforts to rekindle frayed ties with the North, which is heavily dependent on Beijing as a trading partner.Officials also hope the meetings will lead to China easing an unofficial ban on imports of South Korean pop culture, in place for almost a decade.”China’s official position is that there is no such thing as a ban on Korean content, but from our perspective the situation looks somewhat different,” said Wi, the presidential adviser.
Maduro incarcéré aux Etats-Unis, qui entendent “diriger” la transition au Venezuela
Le président vénézuélien déchu, Nicolas Maduro, a été incarcéré samedi à New York après sa capture par les Etats-Unis, qui ont annoncé leur intention de “diriger” la transition au Venezuela et d’exploiter ses vastes réserves de pétrole.Des images de l’AFP ont montré le dirigeant vénézuélien sortant d’un avion sous escorte dans un aéroport du nord de New York, puis son arrivée à Manhattan par hélicoptère.La Maison Blanche a par la suite diffusé une vidéo de M. Maduro, menotté et en sandales, escorté par des agents dans les locaux de la Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), l’agence fédérale antidrogue.”Bonsoir, bonne année”, entend-on déclarer le président vénézuélien, qui a ensuite été conduit dans une prison fédérale du quartier de Brooklyn.Nicolas Maduro doit comparaître à une date indéterminée devant un juge de New York, pour répondre notamment de “narcoterrorisme” et importation de cocaïne aux Etats-Unis.Nicolas Maduro, 63 ans, et son épouse Cilia Flores, 69 ans, ont été capturés dans la nuit par les forces américaines après des frappes sur Caracas et ses environs, et des mois de pression militaire des Etats-Unis en mer des Caraïbes.Malgré la réussite de l’opération, un pari risqué pour Donald Trump, l’avenir immédiat du pays de 30 millions d’habitants reste incertain.”Nous allons diriger le pays jusqu’à ce que nous puissions procéder à une transition sûre, appropriée et judicieuse”, a dit le président américain lors d’une conférence de presse en Floride.Il n’a cependant pas précisé comment les Etats-Unis allaient procéder. Et dans les rues de Caracas, aucun signe d’une présence militaire américaine n’était visible, a constaté l’AFP.M. Trump a déclaré qu’il autoriserait les compagnies pétrolières américaines à se rendre au Venezuela pour exploiter les réserves de brut du pays, ajoutant que les Etats-Unis étaient prêts à lancer “une seconde attaque plus importante” si besoin.A ses côtés, le chef d’état-major américain, le général Dan Caine, a donné quelques détails sur l’opération militaire baptisée “Absolute Resolve” (Détermination absolue).L’opération “discrète, précise et menée pendant les heures d’obscurité maximale du 2 janvier, est le point culminant de mois de préparation et d’entraînement”, a déclaré le général Caine. Elle a mobilisé plus de 150 avions et le dirigeant vénézuélien et son épouse se sont rendus “sans résister”, a-t-il précisé. – “Unique président” -Les Etats-Unis ont affirmé qu’aucun Américain n’avait été tué lors de l’opération, dont le bilan humain côté vénézuélien reste incertain.Donald Trump a affirmé au New York Post que “beaucoup de Cubains (avaient) perdu la vie” car “ils protégeaient Maduro”, tout en disant ne pas connaître le nombre exact de morts.Selon les médias américains, M. Maduro s’appuyait sur des conseillers envoyés par le gouvernement communiste de La Havane, également sanctionné par Washington et proche allié de Caracas.En conférence de presse, Donald Trump a assuré que la vice-présidente vénézuélienne Delcy Rodriguez avait dit au secrétaire d’Etat américain Marco Rubio être prête à coopérer avec les Etats-Unis.La Cour suprême du Venezuela a confié samedi l’intérim du pouvoir à Mme Rodriguez après avoir constaté “l’enlèvement du président constitutionnel” au cours d’une “agression militaire étrangère”.Mais la Cour n’a pas déclaré M. Maduro définitivement absent, ce qui aurait déclenché une élection présidentielle anticipée sous 30 jours.Nicolas Maduro est “l’unique président du pays”, avait auparavant déclaré Mme Rodriguez, en exigeant sa “libération immédiate”. Sans préciser comment Washington envisageait la suite, Donald Trump a d’ores et déjà disqualifié la cheffe de l’opposition et prix Nobel de la paix, Maria Corina Machado.”Je pense qu’il lui serait très difficile d’être à la tête du pays. Elle ne bénéficie ni du soutien ni du respect au sein de son pays”, a-t-il lancé. “L’heure de la liberté est arrivée”, avait réagi l’opposante après l’annonce de la capture du président vénézuélien, estimant que le candidat de l’opposition à la présidentielle de 2024, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, en exil en Espagne, devait “assumer immédiatement” la présidence.Le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU se réunira lundi matin à la demande du Venezuela.- “Rentrer chez nous” -A Caracas, les rues étaient pratiquement désertes samedi, et les rideaux métalliques des magasins sont restés baissés.Quelque 500 partisans de M. Maduro se sont rassemblés non loin du Palais présidentiel de Miraflores, à Caracas. “Comment se fait-il qu’un gouvernement étranger vienne s’ingérer dans le pays et en expulse le président ? (…) C’est la force du caïd de quartier”, a déploré Katia Briceño, une professeure d’université de 54 ans.A l’inverse, des milliers de Vénézuéliens exilés, sur les huit millions qui ont fui leur pays en proie à une crise politique et économique sans fin, se sont rassemblés dans plusieurs villes du monde pour célébrer la chute de Nicolas Maduro.”Enfin nous allons avoir un pays libre. Enfin nous allons pouvoir rentrer chez nous”, a dit à l’AFP Yurimar Rojas, vendeur ambulant à Santiago du Chili.
Stuck in Afghanistan, Pakistanis want border to finally reopen
Nearly three months since border clashes prompted the closure of land crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, university students, merchants and families are left hanging with no way of getting back.”We miss our parents and relatives,” said Shah Faisal, 25, who studies medicine in an Afghan university and was hoping to visit his family back in Pakistan during winter break.But the border has been shut since October 12, leaving many like him with no viable option of making it home.Flights are prohibitively expensive, and smuggling routes come at too great a risk.A student representative said there were around 500 to 600 Pakistanis at universities in one Afghan province alone, Nangarhar, who were looking for a way back.Shah Fahad Amjad, 22, who attends medical school in the provincial capital Jalalabad, called on “both countries to open the road” and let students visit their families.As the border closure drags on, some are also concerned about their visa status or financial situation.The crisis has caused problems “for us, who are students in Afghanistan, but also for Afghans who are students in Pakistan”, said 23-year-old Barkat Ullah Wazir, who studies in Jalalabad.The colonial-era border between the South Asian neighbours stretches more than 2,600 kilometres (1,600 miles) across mountainous terrain.Known as the Durand Line, it is normally a conduit between the Pakistanis and Afghans who live near it and share deep cultural, economic and even family ties.It also divides Pashtun communities who live on either side — the ethnic group from which the Taliban, which returned to power in Kabul in 2021, draws much of its support.- ‘We are displaced’ -The border has remained largely closed since the October clashes that killed more than 70 people, with the exception of Afghan refugees and migrants Pakistan has expelled.Islamabad accused Kabul of harbouring militant groups that launch attacks on Pakistani soil, allegations that the Afghan Taliban denies.Mediation efforts have failed to produce a lasting agreement, and both sides have warned fighting could still resume.Pakistani shopkeeper Ehsanullah Himmat, 21, had travelled to the southern Afghan city of Kandahar with his family to attend a relative’s wedding, but “now we cannot go back to our home”, he said.”Fighting broke out, the road was closed,” he told AFP, turning the planned two-day trip into a lengthy ordeal with no end in sight.”We cannot go via smuggling routes, and other routes exist but they are very long and cost a lot of money” that the family cannot afford, he said.Now “it is cold, it’s winter, and we are displaced with our children”, Himmat said.Relatives in Afghanistan have hosted the family, but he said he felt a sense of “embarrassment” for overstaying their welcome.- ‘Standstill’ -Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that nearly 1,200 people had approached its embassy in Kabul requesting assistance to return home, including 549 students.Just over 300 people had flown back by the end of December, according to the ministry.Neither government has given any clear signal about when or under what conditions the border could reopen.At the Spin Boldak crossing point, the road leading into Pakistan is blocked.Truck driver Khan Muhammad, 39, has been there for weeks on end, unable to work or return to his city of Quetta, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the border.”In these two-and-a-half months I haven’t loaded even a single kilo of cargo. Work has come to a standstill,” he said.”All our livelihoods depend on this gate,” he said, hoping the border would reopen soon.When it does, “everyone will be able to return to their homes”, he said.
La Corée du Nord tire plusieurs missiles balistiques présumés
La Corée du Nord a tiré dimanche plusieurs missiles balistiques présumés selon Séoul, son premier lancement de l’année au lendemain de la capture du président vénézuélien par les Etats-Unis.”Notre armée a détecté plusieurs projectiles, qui sont présumés être des missiles balistiques, lancés vers la mer de l’Est depuis les environs de Pyongyang aux alentours de …
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