International

Abkhesian opponents take the seat of the Parliament of the region

Abkhazian opponents protesting against an agreement with Moscow that allows Russian companies to invest in Abkhazia, today took the seat of Parliament of that Georgian separatist region recognized by Russia as an independent state.

Police officers and other security services who were inside the Legislature were forced to leave the building, the official Russian agency TASS reported from Sujumi, the Abhazian capital.

The incidents, which have left at least eight injured according to the authorities, occurred after the Legislature canceled its session today in which the ratification of the agreement with Russia was scheduled, signed on October 30, and refused, as the opposition demanded, to remove the bill from the agenda.

In September it was reported that Russia had suspended its huge subsidies to Abkhazia, so opponents denounced that the investment agreement with Moscow was the product of pressures.

Incidents since Monday

Last week the Abkhazian opposition created a committee against the ratification of the agreement with Russia, considering it harmful to regional economic sovereignty.

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On Monday, the Abjaz Police arrested five opposition activists protesting against the agreement with Russia next to the headquarters of the Abjazian Parliament, whose independence was recognized by the Kremlin in 2008 after the war with Georgia for the control of the also separatist South Ossetia.

According to the Abhasian attorney general, Adgur Agrba, opponents and relatives of the detainees tried to break into the headquarters of the State Security Service in order to free them, but they were rejected by the police.

The next day the opponents blocked three bridges next to Sujumi, the Abchazian capital, and managed to release the detainees

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.