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A demonstrator wearing a Venezuelan flag adds to a burning barricade in the Altamira neighbourhood of Caracas (Image: Rodrigo Abd/AP/PA).
INVESTIGATORS IN VENEZUELA are examining the case of a young man who was allegedly “raped with a gun” after being detained in the capital of Carabobo, Valentia.
At least eight people have been killed, 137 wounded and more than 100 detained in the protests shaking the country, officials said today, confirming a jump in the death toll.
Four of the victims died in Caracas, three from gunshot wounds during a massive anti-government student and opposition protest on February 12 that led to clashes between protesters, security forces and illegal pro-government Chavista militias, Attorney General Luisa Ortega said.
“There are a total of 137 people injured and eight deaths,” she said on her radio show, noting that some of the deaths took place during incidents parallel to the protests.
Among the injured, 100 are civilians and the rest are from the security forces.
Relatives and friends carry the coffin of Genesis Carmona (Image: Rodrigo Abd/AP/PA).
In the north-central state of Carabobo, a young beauty queen was shot in the head during opposition protests and a prosecutor died after crashing his car while trying to evade a roadblock set up by protesters.
Ortega also said a student was run over in the northeastern state of Sucre while protesting against the government, while a worker was shot from a building in north-central Lara while clearing debris from a street.
(Image: Rodrigo Abd/AP/PA)
She said the deaths and other violence is being investigated and that there were currently 104 detainees, including 80 who were due to face prosecutors today and another 24 in custody.
The government today threatened to cut off gasoline supplies to areas hit by opposition protests that have spiraled into the biggest challenge to Nicolas Maduro since he became president last year.
“We will be obliged to suspend the supply of fuel to areas under fascist siege in order to preserve the security of all,” Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez warned on Twitter, in the latest move to squelch more than two weeks of growing anti-government demonstrations.
Ramirez, who also heads the state oil company, provided no precise details on when or where gasoline supplies could be withheld.
But such a measure would add another hardship for residents already struggling with shortages of basic necessities, soaring inflation and rampant crime — grievances at the root of the escalating protests.
- © AFP 2014 with additional reporting by Michelle Hennessy.
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Once care home residents and frontline healthcare workers are vaccinated we should not put up with any more restrictions on our freedoms and livelihoods. The vulnerable can continue to isolate until they are vaccinated – surely that makes more sense than all of us doing it and having hundreds of thousands on the PUP
@Newto2016: Most vulnerable people don’t have the ability to lock themselves away from the outside world. In a lot of cases, they live with other people and/or they are cared for by other people. If the virus is widespread in the community, then those people will pick it up and bring it to them. Saying “go isolate until this is over and it’ll be grand” isn’t realistic and it shows a complete lack of understanding.
@Newto2016: Anyone thinking these restrictions will be suddenly lifted is deluded. NEPHET now have too much control over our freedoms and the next thing will be, level 3 until everybody is vaccinated and you won’t be able to fly in or out of the Country without a vaccine.. No entry to concerts, football matches without a vaccine. I’d say every flu season from now on masks will be mandatory and social distancing in place. The Government and media have People so afraid they’ll accept anything from now on
@David Garland: hopefully masks become the norm in winter, they have done a great job with covid and the flu, can’t wait to take the vaccine and no I’m not a sheep.
@Daniel Roche: Each to their own but I won’t be wearing one once the vaccine is out.. Life has to return to normal and masks etc should be personal choice as should any vaccine. From the very start we were told to wear masks to protect the vulnerable, when they’re vaccinated all restrictions should be lifted. End of Story
@Newto2016: you complain about the restrictions on your freedom but suggest that the vulnerable would be locked away, double standards much?
@David Garland: ya each to there own, I rather care about the great people of our country and the greater good,happy Christmas to you.
@David Garland: Aren’t you lucky not to be a vulnerable person, hopefully next time we have a pandemic and you might at that stage be classed as a vulnerable person you’re happy to isolate yourself so people can have their “freedom”.
@Niamh Brady: What are you on about? I said when the vulnerable are vaccinated all restrictions should be lifted.. That’s what should happen..
@Daniel Roche: Where was your mask previous flu seasons. Don’t get on your high horse saying you care about the great People of our Country because you’ll wear a mask every winter from now on. Good Man yourself. Suppose you want a clap for that
Hopefully people follow restrictions and Govt enforce them, so we minimise amount of lockdowns until vunerable vaccinated.
@Eoin McLove: hopefully too, we stay away from numbers like Sweden (70 dead every day).
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That would really slow down roll out
@Eoin McLove: Amazed at how easily some Irish people rolled over and allowed their government to strip them of their rights and freedoms, first for three weeks, now for 15 months. Baaaaaaaa.
@Eoin McLove: They’ve already indicated we’ll be in level 5 until the nursing homes are vaccinated anyway. They’ve not said it directly but the dates marry up. Leo said possibly end of Feb for lifting level 5 and the HSE have said they’ll have the nursing homes vaccinated by the end of Feb.
We’ll see how they handle the remaining vulnerable in society after that I suppose
@Boyd Gray: you’d think if Govt brought in masks faster and enforced restrictions, we’d have avoided some of the lockdowns alright.
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Which country’s approach would you recommend?
@Eoin McLove: That very edgy guy would recommend two countries ; U.S.A & America
@JedBartlett:
We the citizens are the biggest contributers to the health of the vulnerable but for the sake of a bit of turkey and pointless Xmas tat from China the heart ache continues.
@Liam Meade: I presume you spent yesterday alone in your bedroom so?
@Eoin McLove: Why Sweden? They have one of the lower death rates recently of 5.2 per 100,000 in the last 14 days. Higher than here but nowhere near as bad as Czechia, Poland, Italy etc etc. In fact most countries have a higher death rate than Sweden.
@Boyd Gray: ooh we got a free spirit man of the land here,no one will tell him what to do. mman,your are so cool..
@Boyd Gray: what a hero
@Boyd Gray: you’ve been to the Troll school
@Boyd Gray:
What way would you have handled it ?
@Eoin McLove: You really are nothing but a poisonous t*roll hiding behind a fake name.
The goverment has lost the people through sheer mismanagement, theres a reason why the WHO said lockdowns should be used as a last resort, because people get complacent and worn out by them, we’ve just headed into our 3rd lockdown in 9 months, people won’t listen anymore, politicians and NPHET have bottled it, lockdowns arent a solution anymore because people dont abide by them simple as, the more they lockdown in the future the less and less people are going to comply.
Let’s hope so.
Election in September 2021 can follow so we can judge this government’s performance.
Better get more than 10K vaccines and soon!
@J Flood: true. With double shots thats 5,000 people. Not gonna go far….
Look at the graph for Covid deaths since March
Look up the number of Covid ICU admissions since March
Oh, is Mickey retiring?
Well I hope they will include carers at home looking after disabled Children and Adults. After all our Children are mixing with others and health care staff at day service. If carers end up sick it’s going to cost the Country a lot of money to look after the Children and Adults they care for. So M. Martin think on.
Just like he promised Chez
have your say