Search

Venezuelan government leaders have ratcheted up their attacks on their opponents as foreign countries decry a lack of transparency over Sunday’s disputed presidential election. Tuesday’s attacks came a day after President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner by a National Electoral Council that is loyal to him and the ruling party. They included calls for the arrests of opposition candidate Edmundo González, whose supporters say won by a landslide. The Carter Center said a technical mission it sent to Venezuela was unable to verify the results of the election and blamed officials for a “complete lack of transparency” in declaring Maduro the winner.

An Israeli military court is holding a hearing for nine soldiers detained for questioning over alleged abuse of a Palestinian at a shadowy facility where Israel has held prisoners from Gaza during the war. A defense lawyer for some of the soldiers says the investigation is over alleged sexual abuse. The probe has stoked tensions between the military command and hard-line nationalists in the government who advocate an even harsher hand in Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. Tuesday's hearing, in which judges are expected to rule on extending the detention, could bring new protests by supporters of the soldiers.

Anti-government activists across Venezuela are toppling giant statues of Hugo Chávez to express their anger over the alleged stealing of elections by the late president’s handpicked successor, Nicolás Maduro. A video provided to AP shows one such monument being torn down in the seaside city of La Guaira. A protester told AP that the statue was then dragged by motorcycles across the plaza before being set on fire. This isn’t the first time monuments honoring El Comandante have been attacked. But the simultaneous nature and high number of attacks underscores the depth of anger many Venezuelans feel after Maduro was declared winner in Sunday’s presidential election. The opposition says its candidate more than doubled the incumbent’s vote count.

Bangladesh is observing a day of mourning in memory of more than 200 people killed in recent weeks during violence that evolved from student protests over a quota system that reserved 30% of government jobs for war veterans. Government officials wore black badges on Tuesday and ordered all places of worship to hold prayers for the dead. Media reports say about 10,000 people have been arrested over the past two weeks. Rights groups have called for an end to arbitrary arrests, and critics accused the government of using excessive force to tamp down the violence. The government has defended its position, saying that the arrests were being made on specific charges.

The Taliban say they no longer recognize Afghanistan's diplomatic missions set up by the former, Western-backed government and that they will not honor passports, visas and other documents issued by diplomats associated with the previous administration. It’s the latest attempt by the Taliban to seize control of diplomatic missions. Some Afghans abroad say this is unfair and impractical. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Tuesday said documents issued by missions in London, Berlin, Belgium, Bonn, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Norway are no longer accepted. It says people there will need to approach embassies and consulates controlled by the Taliban government instead.

As thousands of people demonstrate across Venezuela, opposition candidate Edmundo González has announced that his campaign has the proof it needs to show he won the country’s disputed election whose victory electoral authorities handed to President Nicolás Maduro. González and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters they have obtained more than 70% of tally sheets from Sunday’s election, and they show González with more than double Maduro’s votes. Both called on people, some of whom protested in the hours after Maduro was declared winner, to remain calm and invited them to gather peacefully at 11 a.m. Tuesday to celebrate the results.