English हिन्दी
Connect with us

Latest world news

Venezuela: Nicolas Maduro re-elected as President

Published

on

Venezuela: Nicholas Maduro re-elected as President

Opposition demand re-poll, US, EU deny recognition

In another set-back to US in its backyard, Nicolas Maduro has been re-elected for a second six year term as Venezuela’s president. US government has already said it will not recognize outcome of the Venezuelan presidential election. Opposition has also rejected the election result as “illegitimate” and demanded a repeat vote be held later this year.

According to the results announced by Tibisay Lucena, president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), President Maduro obtained 5.8 million votes while his main opponent, Henri Falcon, got a total of 1.8 million votes.  A total of 8.6 million Venezuelans voted, putting turnout at 46.01 percent, much lower than 2013 presidential elections when over 80 percent voters turned to the polling stations.

During the previous elections, polling stations were kept open beyond its closing time at 6 pm. “as long as there are people in line to cast their vote”.

Read More: Trump Expands Travel Ban to North Korea, Venezuela And Chad

Maduro, the political heir to the late leftist President Hugo Chavez, hailed his win as a victory against “imperialism,” but his main rival refused to recognize the results, alleging irregularities.

Maduro, 55, while thanking his supporters amidst fireworks on Sunday night, said, “This was a historic day!.. the day of a beautiful victory. They underestimated me. Never before has a presidential candidate taken 68 percent of the popular vote. We are the force of history turned into a permanent popular victory.”

His supporters gathered outside his Miraflores presidential palace in downtown Caracas, celebrating with fireworks.

Maduro further said, “The whole of Venezuela has triumphed! Democracy has triumphed! Peace has triumphed! Constitutionality has triumphed [These were] elections that were constitutional, legitimate and legal,” he said. “We have a president of the people! A working president!”

The country’s main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable had boycotted the election, while the two opposition leaders, Henrique Capriles and Leopoldo Lopez, were barred from contesting the elections.

Read More: Trump Faces Latin American States after Threats to Venezuela

Maduro’s main rival, Henri Falcon has called for a new vote, alleging the election was marred by irregularities and lacked legitimacy. “We do not recognize this electoral process as valid,” he told local media. “There must be new elections in Venezuela.”

According to reports, the ballots were recorded electronically, making the voting quick and easy. The presence of government troops around polling stations also ensured the safety of voters. Some 150 international observers from 30 countries and international organizations were present in the Venezuela to monitor the whole election process.

Maduro also called on his political rivals to join him for negotiations about the future of the country. He said “permanent dialog” is needed with the entire opposition so that Venezuela could set aside political disputes.Venezuela: Nicholas Maduro re-elected as President

Several of Venezuela’s Latin American neighbors as well as the European Union also joined voices with Maduro’s rival and said they would not recognize the results of the election. They alleged that the conditions did not exist for the election to be free and fair.

Read More: Venezuelan Supreme Court faces helicopter “terrorist attack”

However, former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who is in Venezuela as an international observer, said he has no “doubt about the voting process.”

“It is an advanced automatic voting system. I come here to keep peace, coordinate and promote dialogue so as to improve the democratic mechanism here. What I need to do here is to see whether people can cast their ballots at their own discretion. Now we all see how people vote, don’t we?” he added.

Washington has already imposed sanctions against Venezuela and blamed its allies in the region and elsewhere for the country’s acute economic crisis. On Saturday, the US ramped up pressure on Caracas by imposing new sanctions against the government’s top officials.

However, Maduro’s government said the US was using new sanctions to sabotage the election. It called Washington’s move as part of “a systematic campaign of aggression” by President Donald Trump’s administration and said they had no legal base.

Presidential elections were held on 20 May. Earlier it was scheduled to be held in December this year. Some western analysts have described the poll as a show election.

Several Venezuelan NGOs have expressed their concern over the alleged irregularities of the electoral schedule, including lack of Constituent Assembly’s competences to summon the elections, impeding participation of opposition political parties and the lack of time for standard electoral functions.

India News

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns amid affair scandal, Colette Kress takes over

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has resigned amid an affair-related controversy. The company’s CFO, Colette Kress, will serve as interim CEO while the board looks for a permanent successor.

Published

on

colette kress

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has resigned from his position, marking a major leadership change at the world’s leading artificial intelligence chipmaker. The company’s board has appointed Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO while it begins the process of finding a permanent successor.

The development comes amid controversy surrounding reports of Huang’s alleged extramarital relationships, including one involving a Chinese businesswoman suspected by US authorities of having links to espionage activities.

Huang’s departure comes after more than three decades at the helm of Nvidia, the company he co-founded in 1993. His leadership helped transform the business from a graphics chip manufacturer into a dominant supplier of processors powering the global artificial intelligence industry.

Colette Kress appointed interim Nvidia CEO

Following Huang’s resignation, Nvidia’s board appointed Colette Kress as interim chief executive officer.

Kress, who has served as Nvidia’s executive vice president and CFO since September 2013, will continue to hold the finance portfolio alongside her interim leadership responsibilities until a permanent successor is appointed.

Before joining Nvidia, she spent nearly 25 years working in finance roles at major technology companies, including Cisco and Microsoft.

The board has said it will consider both internal and external candidates as part of its search for a permanent CEO.

Nvidia has also appointed Harvey C. Jones as the company’s first-ever chairman of the board.

Affair controversy surrounding Jensen Huang

Huang’s resignation follows a series of reports about alleged extramarital relationships that have raised questions about his position at the company.

One of the controversies involves Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom US intelligence agencies reportedly suspect of involvement in facilitating shipments of Nvidia chips to Chinese companies.

Another report alleged that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare, who reportedly worked under him.

Huang had earlier acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in a message to Nvidia employees, taking responsibility for his actions and apologising to his family and colleagues.

The company’s board had also initiated an independent investigation into whether Huang had been targeted as part of a foreign intelligence operation.

Jensen Huang’s departure marks a major change for Nvidia

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 alongside Curtis Priem and Chris Malachowsky. Under his leadership, the company evolved from a graphics processing unit manufacturer primarily associated with gaming into a central player in the global AI industry.

Nvidia’s processors have become critical to companies developing and operating artificial intelligence systems, making the company one of the most influential businesses in the technology sector.

His departure also comes at a crucial time for Nvidia, with investors closely watching the company’s leadership transition and its ability to maintain its position in the rapidly expanding AI market.

Continue Reading

Latest world news

India, Canada discuss trade pact to boost bilateral commerce

India and Canada discussed advancing negotiations on a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement aimed at expanding trade, investment and market access between the two countries.

Published

on

India canada trade pacts

India and Canada discussed advancing negotiations on a proposed trade agreement as the two countries seek to strengthen their economic and commercial ties.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met Canada’s Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu, who is leading a Canadian delegation to India. The discussions focused on advancing negotiations for the proposed India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

The proposed pact is aimed at creating greater market access and opening up new opportunities for trade and investment between the two countries.

India-Canada CEPA talks

Both sides discussed the importance of a balanced and mutually beneficial agreement that can make use of the complementary strengths of the two economies.

The discussions also focused on deepening commercial engagement and creating new opportunities for businesses in both countries.

Goyal said the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to taking the India-Canada economic partnership to a higher level, with CEPA serving as a catalyst for deeper commercial engagement.

India and Canada are working towards concluding the CEPA negotiations by the end of 2026.

India-Canada trade

The proposed CEPA is aimed at improving market access and creating opportunities across sectors while strengthening the broader economic relationship between India and Canada.

The agreement is expected to provide greater opportunities for businesses in both countries and support deeper trade and investment ties.

Continue Reading

Latest world news

White House put on temporary lockdown after car crashes into signpost

The White House was temporarily placed under lockdown after a car crashed into a signpost near Lafayette Square in Washington, DC. The driver was detained after a confrontation with security personnel.

Published

on

The White House was placed under a temporary lockdown on Monday after a car crashed into a signpost at Lafayette Square near the presidential residence in Washington, DC.

The incident triggered a security response in the area, with the US Secret Service directing members of the White House press corps to move indoors and remain there temporarily.

Driver detained after confrontation with security personnel

The driver was detained following a confrontation with Secret Service officers and National Guard personnel, according to reports.

Video footage showed a silver sedan on the paved area at the northern end of Lafayette Square after striking a signpost. Smoke was also seen coming from the vehicle.

Authorities had not immediately disclosed the driver’s identity or established what led to the crash.

White House security restrictions imposed

The security response prompted temporary restrictions around the White House. The incident occurred at Lafayette Square, which is directly across Pennsylvania Avenue from the presidential complex.

At around 10 am local time, Secret Service personnel instructed White House journalists to move indoors while security personnel dealt with the incident.

The White House was under the security restriction while President Donald Trump was at the premises, according to reports.

Motive behind crash remains unclear

It was not immediately known whether the crash was accidental or deliberate. Authorities had also not immediately confirmed whether anyone was injured.

The circumstances surrounding the incident, including the driver’s identity and possible motive, remained under investigation.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com