Venezuela says eight killed after ‘mercenaries’ attacked coast

Venezuelan officials on Sunday said they foiled an early morning attempt by armed “mercenaries” to invade the country in a beach landing using speedboats.

They said eight of the raiders were killed and two arrested.

The boats came from neighbouring Colombia and were trying to enter Venezuela along its northern coast, 32 kilometres from the capital Caracas, Nestor Reverol, the Interior Minister, told state television on Sunday.

“The plan was to commit terrorist acts in the country, assassinate leaders of the revolutionary government and add to the spiral of violence while generating chaos and confusion in the population and attempt a new coup d’etat,” Mr Reverol said.

Diosdado Cabello, president of the Constituent Assembly that oversees government bodies, said a large cache of weapons and some vehicles were seized by security forces.

Officials said they also found Peruvian documents, satellite phones, uniforms and helmets adorned with the US flag.

Colombia and the US have repeatedly denied Venezuelan accusations that they were backing military plots against the socialist government.

The opposition led by the head of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, said the attack appeared to be staged.

Mr Guaido’s office said the official version was “riddled with inconsistencies, doubts and contradictions”.

It said the event could have been staged to sully the opposition or to cover up extrajudicial killings by state forces.

Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said that some of the seized weapons were used in the failed uprising led by Mr Guaido last year.

Mr Padrino said the army remained loyal to President Nicolas Maduro and would launch patrols along the coast after the incident.

“This was an evident aggression prepared by US imperialism, without a doubt in Colombian territory,” he said on state television. “New arrests are not ruled out.”

Mr Maduro, whose rule was deemed illegitimate by almost 60 nations who call his re-election in 2018 fraudulent, has resisted many attempts to remove him from power.

A year ago, Mr Guaido rallied some troops behind him to try to force Mr Maduro from power, although it quickly failed when some key players backed out at the last moment.

The US has backed Mr Guaido and has led the campaign to remove Mr Maduro.

The US has increased pressure in recent weeks by indicting the socialist leader as a narco-trafficker and offering a $15 million (Dh55m) reward for his arrest.

It has also has increased heavy sanctions, cutting off Venezuela’s oil sector.

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LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK

Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
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Profile

Company: Libra Project

Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware

Launch year: 2017

Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time

Sector: Renewable energy

Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

Recent winners

2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)

2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)

2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)

2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)

2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)

2014 Lia Saad (UAE)

2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)

2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)

2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

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Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

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New UK refugee system

A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds