CARACAS: The latest developments in Venezuela’s political crisis have dealt a severe blow to President Nicolas Maduro — severe, but not fatal, for one key reason: the military still backs him.
The National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela pointedly reiterated their loyalty to Maduro on Thursday, a day after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself the country’s acting president.
In a statement read out to the press by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, the military top brass called the leftist leader the “legitimate president” and Guaido’s move a “coup.”
Following Padrino’s lead, eight other top generals declared their “absolute loyalty and subordination” to Maduro, live on state television.
Guaido, the 35-year-old speaker of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled legislature, was “inaugurated” as acting president Wednesday before thousands of demonstrators, declaring that Maduro’s re-election in a widely-condemned vote was illegitimate.
The United States and a string of Latin American countries quickly backed Guaido.
But his move did little to change the calculus of power on the ground. Maduro, who has presided over a spiraling political and economic crisis, still controls both the army and the Supreme Court.
Guaido has offered an amnesty to soldiers who break ranks with Maduro, in an effort to win over potential defectors, including both officers and rank-and-file troops who may be weary of cracking down on their own people.
He may stand a chance of getting a critical mass of soldiers to break ranks, some experts say.
“When you take the kind of step that he’s taken, you have to know what kind of support you have, especially within the military,” political scientist Luis Salamanca told AFP.
But it will not be easy to break the military monolith.
“Maduro relies on the military, and they rely on him, to enrich themselves and avoid facing trial if the regime ultimately falls,” said Salamanca.
Chavez's legacy
Doubling down on one of the strategies of his late mentor, the leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez, Maduro has given the military vast power.
Chavez gave 25 percent of the posts in the executive branch to the military. Under Maduro, that figure rose to as high as 44 percent — though it has recently fallen again, to 26 percent, according to the watchdog group Control Ciudadano.
“Being a minister isn’t the source of wealth it once was,” said the group’s director, Rocio San Miguel, adding that generals today would rather get rich presiding over things like subsidized food imports — which are rife with corruption, amid a devastating crisis that has left supermarket shelves practically bare.
Still, nine of Maduro’s 32 ministers are from the military, which also controls powerful institutions including state oil company PDVSA and the intelligence services. The list also includes a TV network, a bank, an auto manufacturer, and a mining, oil and gas company.
The more unpopular Maduro gets, the more the military’s power grows, according to many analysts.
The president has called the army the “backbone” of the country. He also relies heavily on the National Guard and the country’s 1.6 million civilian militia members.
Anti-Maduro plots
But as even the defense minister admits, the “devil” has crept into Venezuela’s barracks — his word for anti-Maduro plots.
On Monday, 27 soldiers stole a cache of weapons and staged a brief mutiny before being arrested at the Caracas barracks where they were entrenched.
Two generals are also among those jailed for an alleged assassination attempt on August 4, when a pair of drones exploded near Maduro at a military procession.
Last year, another 180 troops were arrested on conspiracy charges, according to San Miguel. Many of them were tortured, says Human Rights Watch.
The New York Times reported in September that US officials had met with Venezuelan military officers about a coup plot that was ultimately aborted.
Maduro’s claims the United States has a $120-million fund for “buying” Venezuelan officers.
And there are signs of cracks in what was once the security forces’ steadfast loyalty. More than 4,300 National Guards members deserted in 2018, according to San Miguel.
Most military top brass are torn between “following Maduro at the risk of going down with him” and “saving their own skins,” said Salamanca.
Venezuelan military: the muscle behind Maduro
Venezuelan military: the muscle behind Maduro
- The National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela pointedly reiterated their loyalty to Maduro on Thursda
- Doubling down on the strategies of his leftist mentor Hugo Chavez, Maduro has given the military vast power
Ukraine seeks surge in domestic arms production as US diverts Swiss order for Patriots to Kyiv
“What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia’s territory,” Zelensky said
KYIV: A new Ukrainian government approved Thursday will race to expand domestic arms production to meet half the country’s weapons needs within six months as it tries to push back Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, Switzerland said Thursday that the US Defense Department had informed it that Washington is diverting a Swiss order for Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, which badly needs to improve its response to increasingly heavy Russian aerial attacks.
The Swiss Defense Ministry, which in 2022 ordered five Patriot systems, said Thursday it has been informed by the US Defense Department that it will “reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine.”
Delivery to Switzerland of the systems, worth billions of dollars, was scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2028. But the Swiss government said Washington informed it of the delay on Wednesday, adding that it was unclear how many systems would be affected.
Domestic defense manufacturing already accounts for almost 40 percent of weapons used by the Ukrainian military, according to Zelensky. As uncertainty grows about how many more weapons shipments Western countries can provide — and how quickly — Ukraine is keen to increase its output and widen its strikes on Russian soil.
“What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia’s territory — back to where the war was brought from,” Zelensky said late Wednesday in his nightly video address.
“We must reach the level of 50 percent Ukrainian-made weapons within the first six months of the new government’s work by expanding our domestic production.”
The need to adequately arm Ukraine’s military is pressing as Russia looks to drive forward its summer offensive and pounds Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles.
Meanwhile, it remained unclear when promises of US-made weapons, especially Patriot missile systems crucial for stretched Ukrainian air defenses, might reach Ukraine. US President Donald Trump agreed to send the weaponry, but it will be paid for by European countries.
NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, told the Associated Press Thursday that “preparations are underway” for weapons transfers to Ukraine and that NATO is working “very closely” with Germany to transfer Patriot systems.
Grynkewich said at a military event in Wiesbaden, Germany, that he had been ordered to “move (the weapons) out as quickly as possible.” He said the number of weapons being transferred is classified.
“We’re already in preparation phase for the first tranche of capability to start moving with respect to Patriots,” he said.
An expert working group under NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe will discuss concrete planning “very quickly but also with corresponding caution,” German Defense Ministry spokesperson Mitko Müller said Wednesday.
He said details were still being worked out.
“Regarding the systems that we are talking about, I can’t confirm that anything is currently on the way. I’m not aware of that,” he said.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said in Washington on Monday that the alliance is coordinating the military support with funding from allies in Europe and Canada. He said there were commitments from Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada “with more expected to follow.”
Ukraine has also developed its own long-range drones, which it uses to strike deep inside Russia.
Russian air defenses shot down 122 Ukrainian drones overnight, the country’s defense ministry said Thursday. The wave of drones caused flights to be grounded at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg, although most of the drones were reportedly destroyed over the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk.
Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine with 64 Shahed and decoy drones overnight, killing at least one person, the Ukrainian air force reported. The assault centered on the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said.
In other developments:
Russia on Thursday sent to Ukraine 1,000 bodies, including some of the country’s fallen soldiers, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.
At the same time, Russia received the bodies of 19 soldiers, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said.
The exchange was part of a deal reached at direct peace talks last May and June that produced few other agreements between the sides.
In Bangladeshi slums, women lead climate action to escape poverty
- Red Crescent-supported Women’s Squad was established in Barisal’s slums in 2018
- 23-member team leads hygiene and health efforts, negotiations with authorities, NGOs
DHAKA: Growing up in a poor, densely populated neighborhood of a southern Bangladeshi city, Josna Begum has for most of her life lived in conditions where even access to clean water was rare.
As climate change-related heatwaves and floods took an increasing toll in recent years, she joined a women’s community project in 2018 and soon rose to lead it — helping make Hatkhola, the slum area where she lives in Barisal city, a safer and healthier place — and support other women in escaping poverty.
“My locality is one of the most underprivileged areas of Barisal city. Here, people are mostly unaware of their rights and responsibilities,” Josna told Arab News.
“Women didn’t have a voice. We had no chance to share our opinions at home, in the community, or in any official space. We wanted to unite so we could solve our issues ourselves.”
A mother of three, Josna, 44, has been volunteering with the Women’s Squad — an all-women team established by the Bangladesh Red Crescent and British Red Cross in slum areas of Barisal. She currently serves as the team’s leader in the Hatkhola locality.
“We build awareness about climate change impacts like untimely heavy rain, drought, heatwaves, repeated cyclones, floods. We encourage people to plant more trees to help reduce the effects of climate change. We also make people aware of the importance of keeping the canals clean so they can hold enough water during heavy rainfall,” she said.
“We work to keep the environment clean where we live. To motivate the community, all 23 members of our women’s squad do the drainage cleaning tasks ourselves. We raise awareness about the effects of waterlogging, which causes diseases like dengue, malaria.”
Josna initially faced objections from her husband, a daily-wage worker, but this changed when he saw the effects of her work.
The Women’s Squad has managed to obtain a submersible water pump from the Red Crescent, and convinced local authorities to repair five tube wells, securing clean water for over 700 families, who did not have access before.
They have also persuaded local officials to repair a 106-meter-long drainage system, helping prevent waterlogging during the rain season, and are now focused on improving sanitation in the neighborhood that until recently had no proper bathrooms or toilets.
“Now, seeing my success, all family members are happy and encouraging me to keep going,” Josna said.
“With support from the Red Crescent Society, we secured two bathrooms, and just weeks ago, we coordinated the construction of another toilet with the help of a local NGO. This new facility is fully equipped, including features to accommodate people with disabilities.”
To uplift the community, the women also help households plant trees and grow vegetables on whatever small plots of land they have. With support from NGOs, they organize vocational training for those interested in learning to drive, sew, perform basic electrical work, or service mobile phones.
Moly Begum, another member of the Women’s Squad, who leads the team in Barisal’s Stadium Colony area, is proud of the effect their engagement has in changing not only the quality of life, but also the social standing of women.
“I didn’t have any recognition in the family and society. Nobody listened to my words. I thought, if I could get engaged with some social work, people would know me in the community, and I would be able to serve them,” she said.
“My area is an underprivileged poor area. There are many distressed women in my community. Violence against women and children was very common here ... That’s why I got involved with the Women’s Squad.”
Over the past seven years, much of what she hoped to achieve has materialized or borne fruit, as her team members went door-to-door with their advocacy and helped organize various forms of support from NGOs and local authorities.
They have been intervening in incidents of domestic violence or child marriage, as they also tried to make sure more children in the marginalized community would get access to education, while women gain some financial independence.
“The members of the Women’s Squad approached every house in the community. We encouraged the guardians to send their children to school. We convinced them that every child is equal, whether a boy or a girl,” Moly told Arab News.
“Women are now engaged in small-scale income-generating activities. Many in my community are now running tea stalls, clothing shops, selling pickles, cakes. All these things happened due to our Women’s Squad’s work.”
Environmentalists urge policy reform as toxic waste rises in Philippines
- Country’s waste management system ‘cannot cope’ with rising production, consumption, Greenpeace warns
- Number of illegal dumps surged by 84% in 2024, posing health risks to local communities
MANILA: Philippine environmental groups are calling for immediate policy reform after official data showed that the country’s annual hazardous waste levels increased to more than 269,000 metric tonnes annually, fueling concern over public health threats.
The Philippines’ toxic waste generation increased by 13 percent last year from about 238,000 metric tonnes in 2023, with oil comprising about one-third of the total, according to data published by the Philippine Statistics Authority last week.
Though it is one of the lowest volumes recorded based on figures compiled since 2015, the latest data set showed that the Philippines is producing hazardous waste at a faster rate compared to the development of waste management infrastructure.
Despite the number of trash processing facilities and sanitary landfills increasing in 2024 by about 8.7 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively, the number of reported illegal dumps rose by 84 percent in the same year.
“It’s still alarming because the infrastructure can’t catch up,” Jashaf Shamir Lorenzo, head of policy development and research at BAN Toxics, told Arab News on Thursday.
The rising number of illegal dumps concerns observers as the sites usually involve open burning or the burying of hazardous waste underground.
“There is a big health and environmental impact here for everyone … all of these harmful chemicals that could lead to various health issues like neurodevelopmental issues, cancer … (they) increase the risk of communities around them getting these diseases,” Lorenzo said.
“I think (the sites are) also a reflection of the number of wastes that we are really generating that other cities can’t handle. But also, it calls for the need for the government to pay attention to the protection of these communities.”
While the Philippine government has made efforts over the years to improve waste management in the country, environmentalists like Lorenzo say there is still room for improvement.
This includes preventing the illegal waste trade, as the Philippines has been a major destination for such exports over the years, including shipments of toxic chemical waste intended for dumping.
“A lot of the waste coming into the country, historically, has been hazardous waste traded by other countries into us. I think the government should really push for policies that limit hazardous waste coming in,” Lorenzo said.
He is also urging the government to “look at other solutions on waste reduction,” including by installing reuse and refill systems across the country.
The increasing volume of waste in the Philippines is “not surprising,” said Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Marian Ledesma, who is also pushing for policies focused on reducing waste.
“Downstream approaches like waste management simply cannot cope with increasing patterns of production and consumption … the government must enact policies that reduce or prevent waste from the start,” she said.
This includes banning the commercial use of harmful chemical groups in products, phasing out single-use products and packaging like plastics, and regulating hazardous chemicals.
“While the country is taking steps toward better and sustainable waste management, it can improve on upstream measures that prevent or reduce waste generation,” Ledesma said.
“Upstream approaches like cutting production and phase-outs or bans are necessary, have clear benefits for communities and are more cost-effective in the long term.”
Ukraine’s new PM: a deal-maker as head of wartime government
- “It is a great honor for me to lead the Government of Ukraine today,” Svyrydenko said
- She led fraught negotiations around a minerals and investment agreement with the US
KYIV: Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s new prime minister, represents a generation of young Ukrainian politicians who have steered their country through the turmoil of war.
The 39-year-old, who was appointed economy minister just months before the Kremlin launched its full-scale assault in February 2022, shot to international prominence this year when she championed a vital economic accord between Kyiv and Washington.
“It is a great honor for me to lead the Government of Ukraine today,” Svyrydenko said on social media, adding that “war leaves no room for delay. We must act swiftly and decisively.”
Svyrydenko led fraught negotiations around a minerals and investment agreement with the United States that nearly derailed ties between Kyiv and its most important military ally.
The deal was central to a disastrous televised spat between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in February 2025.
Not long after, Svyrydenko traveled to Washington to finalize an agreement that many Ukrainians hoped would placate Trump by giving him a sellable victory and ensure more critical US support for Kyiv.
“She was the key and the only person leading these negotiations. She managed to prevent them from unraveling,” said Tymofiy Mylovanov, a former economy minister who worked with Svyrydenko.
She earned the respect of US partners during the negotiations, according to several analysts, including Mylovanov, who described Svyrydenko as preferring a level-headed, non-confrontational approach in politics.
Svyrydenko is also viewed as loyal to the powerful head of Zelensky’s office, Andriy Yermak, with some seeing her nomination as another attempt from the presidency to consolidate power.
She is taking the helm at a precarious moment, in a country exhausted by more than three years of war and dependent on its foreign allies for survival.
The role of prime minister does not typically include a say on military strategy or frontline operations, where Zelensky and his military chiefs call the shots.
Yet Svyrydenko is central to a young generation of Ukrainian leaders, like Zelensky, who have guided the country through the Russian invasion and contrast starkly with the Soviet-styled elites that dominate in Russia.
She was not yet 30 when the Kremlin helped foment a violent overthrow of authorities in eastern Ukraine, as popular protests demanded that Kyiv pursue closer integration with Europe.
And her native region of Chernigiv, which borders Russia and its war ally Belarus, was briefly occupied at the start of the invasion launched in February 2022.
Despite being ravaged and facing a potentially crippling recession, she kept Ukraine’s economy afloat during the war, including by pushing for some businesses to have exemptions from key staff being mobilized into the armed forces.
Keeping businesses going will be “her legacy as the wartime economy minister,” Andy Hunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, told AFP.
“Svyrydenko is emblematic of the Ukrainian people’s resilience,” then-US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo wrote of her in Time Magazine in 2023.
Svyrydenko, who mostly avoids the press, moved through the ranks of government quickly after graduating with honors from the National University of Trade and Economics and a brief spell in the private sector.
She held a variety of posts in her native Chernigiv region before being appointed by presidential decree as deputy head of the president’s office in 2020.
Less than a year later, she became deputy prime minister and economy minister.
Svyrydenko has said that civil service was a part of her life since childhood, as both her parents worked in government.
“I saw how they devoted themselves to serving the community, how their hometown and its improvement were their core values,” she recently told Ukrainian media.
Man jailed in UK after releasing rats outside mosque
- Edmund Fowler caught on CCTV committing offense 4 times
- Mosque manager: Community members ‘scared of further harassment’
LONDON: A man has been jailed in the UK after being filmed dumping wild rats outside a mosque in the city of Sheffield, The Independent reported on Thursday.
Edmund Fowler, 66, was caught on film unloading the rodents from the back of his car outside Sheffield Grand Mosque. Footage showed the rats running through the mosque’s fence into the grounds of the building.
Fowler did this a further three times between May and June before being charged. He pleaded guilty to four counts of racially aggravated harassment at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court, which sentenced him to 18 months in jail and banned him from going near a mosque for a further 18 months upon release.
The mosque’s manager said in a statement that community members “are scared of further harassment and are now too scared to come to the mosque.”
