A high-ranking Venezuelan general called on the armed forces to rebel against President Nicolás Maduro and to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim chief. Huge crowds rallied against the head of state, adding pressure on Maduro to step down.
The military’s support is crucial for the embattled Maduro, who is extremely unpopular largely due to an unprecedented economic crisis that has prompted an exodus of millions. But Maduro claims he is the victim of a coup directed by the United States.
The general’s defection came as tens of thousands of opposition supporters, many sporting clothes in the yellow, blue, and red colors of the Venezuelan flag, turned out at rallies nationwide to protest against Maduro and show support for Guaido.
Russia Threatens to Build New Missiles After Trump Pulls Out of Nuclear Treaty
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country would start developing new missiles as he announced Russia’s suspension of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty on Feb. 2.The United States announced on Feb. 1 that it was suspending its pact obligations due to Russia repeatedly violating the treaty. The pact was signed in 1987 during the Cold War.
The pact prohibited both nations from possessing short- and mid-range and ground-launched missiles.
President Donald Trump said in a statement issued by the White House, “We cannot be the only country in the world unilaterally bound by this treaty, or any other. The United States has fully adhered to the INF Treaty for more than 30 years, but we will not remain constrained by its terms while Russia misrepresents its actions.”
Egypt Unveils Tomb With 50 Mummies
Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered an ancient burial site containing 50 mummies dating back to the Ptolemaic era in Minya, south of Cairo, the Ministry of Antiquities said on Saturday, Feb. 2.The mummies, 12 of which were of children, were discovered inside four, nine-meter-deep burial chambers in the Tuna El-Gebel archaeological site.
Some of the mummies were found wrapped in linen, while others were placed in stone and wooden coffins or sarcophagi.
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