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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaVenezuelan opposition denounces ‘intimidation’ attemptsPublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, EPAImage caption, María Corina Machado urged her followers to unite in the face of intimidationBy Vanessa BuschschlüterBBC NewsVenezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has denounced what she says are attempts by the government to intimidate her and her supporters.She said two campaign co-ordinators had been “abducted” and party offices had been vandalised.The incidents come just months after the government agreed to a deal laying the groundwork for free and fair elections to be held in 2024.Ms Machado said Tuesday’s incidents violated that deal. Under the agreement, which was reached in Barbados in October last year, the government of President Nicolás Maduro committed to allowing international observers to monitor the presidential poll, which is scheduled for a yet-to-be-determined date in the second half of 2024.The 2018 election, which saw President Maduro win a second term in office, was widely dismissed as neither free nor fair. As part of the Barbados deal, his government also promised to guarantee that all candidates would be able to freely and safely move throughout the country.In return, the United States, which backed the Barbados talks, eased some of the sanctions it had imposed on Venezuela’s oil sector.However, just three months after the agreement was struck, tension between the opposition and the government is again on the rise. Image source, ReutersImage caption, Nicolás Maduro told backers that he would “continue governing this country with the support of the Venezuelan people”On Monday, Venezuela’s Attorney-General Tarek William Saab, a close ally of President Maduro, announced that 32 people had been arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate the president and Venezuela’s defence minister, Vladimir Padrino.Mr Saab also said that arrest warrants had been issued for another 14 suspects, among them human rights activist Tamara Sujú and journalist Sebastiana Barráez, who both live outside of Venezuela and have been highly critical of the government.Tension also seems to be on the rise again with the United States, with Mr Padrino claiming that the alleged plot to kill him and the president had the backing of the CIA and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).The US state department said on Tuesday it was “deeply concerned” by Monday’s arrests. “Actions that run counter to the spirit and the letter of the Barbados Agreement will have consequences,” state department spokesman Matthew Miller warned.Meanwhile, rival groups of supporters took to the streets of the capital Caracas on Tuesday.Image source, EPAImage caption, Supporters of the government gathered for a rally – one held up a doll of Mr Maduro’s mentor and predecessor, Hugo ChávezPresident Maduro appeared to goad his followers when he told them, invoking independence hero Simon Bolívar: “If the fascists ever hurt me (…), I leave it to you to do what you have to do to restore justice and peace in Venezuela. Activate the Bolivarian fury!”Graffiti appeared later on the pavement in front of María Corina Machado’s campaign headquarters reading “Bolivarian fury”. The whereabouts of two of her campaign co-ordinators are unknown after video showed men seizing them and taking them away in unmarked cars. Ms Machado asked for help from the international community, telling them that “we must put a stop to this madness because this is what the Bolivarian fury means: aggression, disappearances, persecution”.The 56-year-old politician overwhelmingly won an opposition primary held in October despite being banned from running for office. She has appealed against the ban, which she has always maintained was unfair and designed to keep the opposition down. Mr Maduro has not yet announced whether he will stand for re-election or if his party will put forward a different candidate. Related TopicsNicolás MaduroVenezuelaMore on this storyVenezuela accuses opposition members of treasonPublished7 December 2023Venezuelan opposition unites behind María Corina MachadoPublished23 October 2023US eases Venezuela oil sanctions after election dealPublished19 October 2023Top StoriesLive. 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[ad_1] A number of opposition activists have been detained and party offices have been vandalised.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaRussian jet crashes carrying Ukrainian PoWs – MoscowPublished21 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Russian TelegramImage caption, The plane was seen going down near the village of Yablonovo in Belgorod regionBy Laura Gozzi & Paul KirbyBBC NewsA Russian Ilyushin-76 military transport plane has crashed in the southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.Russia’s ministry of defence said 65 captured Ukrainian military were on the plane heading to Belgorod region for a prisoner exchange.None of the details surrounding those on board can be independently verified. Ria Novosti news agency said another nine people were on the plane, including six crew.Ukraine’s general staff, quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda website, said the plane was transporting missiles for Russia’s S-300 air defence systems. It made no mention of prisoners of war.Video shared on social media showed a plane going down followed by an explosion and a fireball near the village of Yablonovo, 70km (44 miles) to the north-east of the city of Belgorod, at around 11:00 local time (08:00 GMT).The regional governor in Russia’s Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the plane crashed in a field near a residential area and that everyone on board had died. Some Ukrainian media suggested initially that the Il-76 may have been downed by Ukrainian forces, but those reports were later deleted.Ukraine’s general staff told BBC Ukrainian that it did not have accurate information about the situation and that it was investigating the circumstances. The Ukrainian government body in charge of prisoners of war warned that Russia was “actively carrying out special information operations against Ukraine, which are aimed at destabilising Ukrainian society”.Andrei Kartapolov, the chairman of Russia’s parliamentary defence committee, claimed later that there had been a second plane in the air transporting 80 Ukrainian prisoners, although that plane had then changed course.”There can now be no talk of any other [prisoner] exchanges,” Mr Kartapolov told Russian TV.Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin was aware of the crash but refused to go in to details.A nationwide air raid alert was briefly in place across Ukraine shortly after news of the Il-76 crash emerged. Belgorod, which is located approximately 25 miles (40km) north of the border with Ukraine, has suffered dozens of casualties from air strikes and drones since the war in Ukraine began. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaUS strikes Iran-backed militia in IraqPublished10 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, ReutersImage caption, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said he and US President Joe Biden “will not hesitate to take necessary action” to defend American interestsThe US says its forces have carried out strikes in Iraq on three facilities used by Iran-backed militia.The “proportionate” strikes targeted “Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups”, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.He said the precision strikes were “in direct response” to attacks against US and coalition allies in Iraq and Syria.But a senior Iraqi official said they were a “flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty”.Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qassem al-Aaraji added that the US strikes did not help bring calm. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, he said that “the US should pile on pressure for a halt to the Israeli offensive in Gaza rather than targeting and bombing the bases of an Iraqi national body”.He was referring to the alliance of Iran-backed former paramilitary groups, Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation force), which is now integrated in the regular armed forces.Last week, a number of US military personnel were injured in a missile attack on an airbase in western Iraq.US officials said they were “undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries”.Understanding a week of missile strikes across the Middle EastThe US military’s Central Command (CentCom) said at the time that an Iran-backed militia targeted the Al Asad airbase, which hosts American troops, with ballistic missiles and rockets.A group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for that attack. The group emerged in late 2023 and is comprised of several Iran-affiliated armed groups operating in Iraq. It has claimed other attacks against US forces in recent weeks.In a statement, Mr Austin praised the “professionalism” of US military personnel in planning and conducting the latest strikes in Iraq as part of efforts “to further dismantle and degrade ISIS [the Islamic State group].”Mr Austin stressed that he and US President Joe Biden “will not hesitate to take necessary action” to defend American interests. “We do not seek to escalate conflict in the region. We are fully prepared to take further measures to protect our people and our facilities. We call on these groups and their Iranian sponsors to immediately cease these attacks,” he said.In a separate statement, CentCom said the strikes were carried out at 00:15 local time (21:15 GMT Tuesday) in response to the attack – among others – on Al Asad airbase in western Iraq on 20 January.”These strikes targeted [Kataib Hezbollah] headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities,” CentCom said.The US military provided no details on where the targeted militia facilities were located in Iraq.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Missiles and rockets were fired at the Al Asad airbase last SaturdaySaturday’s attack on Al Asad airbase followed a US drone strike in Baghdad earlier this month in which a pro-Iran militia leader was killed. US troops in Iraq and Syria have been attacked dozens of times by Iran-aligned militants since the Israel-Gaza war started in October.The US military and its allies – including the UK – have also intervened to stop Houthi missile attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.Washington and London have carried out strikes against the Houthis – an Iran-backed rebel group controlling much of western Yemen.On Wednesday, CentCom said US forces had conducted another round of strikes against two Houthi anti-ship missiles “that were aimed into the southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch”.”US forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region. US forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missiles in self-defence,” CentCom added.Red Sea ‘scary’ for ships’ crews, says captainThe Iranian military has carried out a number of missile strikes over the last week against targets in Syria, Iraq and Pakistan.Last Saturday, Iran accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike in the Syrian capital Damascus, which killed five senior members of Iran’s security forces.Related TopicsMiddle EastIsrael-Gaza warYemenIranHouthis US Armed ForcesIraqUnited StatesSyriaMore on this storyUS personnel injured in missile attack on Iraq basePublished3 days agoUS condemns Iran for ‘reckless’ strikes on IraqPublished16 JanuaryIran’s sudden strikes show just how perilous region has becomePublished4 days agoTracking Houthi attacks in the Red SeaPublished4 days agoTop StoriesLive. 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