Vale says $4 bn in assets frozen over Brazil dam disaster

Yahoo – AFP, 28 March 2019

Vale has been struggling to deal with the aftermath of the January 25 deadly dam
collapse that spewed millions of tons of mining waste across the countryside

Brazilian authorities have frozen more than $4 billion dollars' worth of assets belonging to Vale over a deadly dam collapse, the mining giant said Wednesday, as it reported a 24.6 percent increase in full-year net profit.

Vale has been struggling to deal with the aftermath of the January 25 rupture in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais that spewed millions of tons of mining waste across the countryside and forced the suspension of some of its operations.

As the official death toll from the disaster rose to 212 with another 93 missing, Vale said local judicial and government authorities had frozen more than 16 billion reais (more than $4 billion) of its assets to cover the potential cost of compensation, wages and other expenses relating to the disaster.

It was too early to estimate the total cost of the dam break, Vale said in a statement, noting the "preliminary stage of the various claims and contingencies."

For 2018, the world's top iron ore producer said net profit rose 24.6 percent to $6.86 billion on a strong fourth-quarter performance. Its full-year operating revenue reached $36.58 billion, up 7.7 percent from the previous year.

Vale president Fabio Schvartsman and three executives temporarily stepped down in early March after prosecutors recommended their dismissal over the crisis.

More than two months after the disaster, environmental activists say poisonous sludge from the dam has reached the Sao Francisco River -- Brazil´s second longest -- hundreds of kilometers (miles) downstream.

The disaster was the second involving Vale in three years in the mineral-rich region. So far, Vale says, its water quality analysis shows toxicity levels near the dam are "below the legal limits for mining tailings" and are "not harmful to health."

And its technicians predict that material from the dam would "not reach the Sao Francisco," Vale said Friday.

'Can't be called water': Brazil marks two months since dam disaster

Yahoo – AFP, March 23, 2019

Researchers collect dead fish from a retention membrane installed at the
Paraopeba River, Brazil, to try to retain mud, after the collapse of a dam (AFP Photo/
DOUGLAS MAGNO)

Juatuba (Brazil) (AFP) - Brazilian fisherman Jose Geraldo dos Santos uses a long pole to push his boat down the reddish-brown Paraopeba River, taking care not to splash himself with water he says is toxic.

Two months after an upstream tailings dam owned by mining giant Vale burst, spewing millions of tons of minerals-laced sludge across the countryside, the 67-year-old says the river is too polluted for fishing or even for his animals to drink.

So contaminated is the tributary to the Sao Francisco River -- the second longest in Brazil -- says dos Santos, that he has been advised to not even "step in the mud."

"The researchers who came here said it will take eight to 10 years (for the river to recover)," says dos Santos, who lives about 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the village of Brumadinho in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, which was engulfed by the waste unleashed by the January 25 dam rupture.

Emergency crews continue the slow process of picking through the mud looking for bodies -- at least 210 people were killed and 96 are missing.

In the meantime, Vale, government agencies and environmental groups are still assessing the impact of one of Brazil's worst industrial disasters on water quality downstream.

Researchers collect dead fish from a retention membrane installed at the Paraopeba 

River, Brazil, to try to retain mud, after the collapse of a dam (AFP Photo/DOUGLAS 

MAGNO)

Some of the findings differ dramatically.

"It's so dense and thick that it cannot be called water," says Malu Ribeiro of SOS Mata Atlantica Foundation in a video released by the non-government organization to highlight the damage to the Paraopeba.

Before the dam collapsed the water was "crystal clear, full of fish," says Ribeiro.

"I've never seen that color."

'Serious pollutants'

The disaster was the second involving Vale in three years in the mineral-rich region. The company has tried to contain the contamination by installing barriers to stop poisonous material reaching the Sao Francisco, hundreds of kilometers downstream.

So far, Vale says, its water quality analysis shows toxicity levels near the dam are "below the legal limits for mining tailings" and are "not harmful to health."

And its technicians predict that sludge from the dam would "not reach the Sao Francisco," Vale said in a statement Friday.

But SOS Mata Atlantica's latest data show high levels of toxic waste are already present in the key waterway and that the source is the dam at Brumadinho.

Various samples taken from the upper reaches earlier this month show concentrations of copper, iron, manganese and chromium that exceed the maximum limits allowed by Brazilian law.

So contaminated is the tributary to the Sao Francisco River says fisherman Jose 

Geraldo dos Santos, that he has been advised to not even "step in the mud" (AFP Photo/

DOUGLAS MAGNO)

"These are serious pollutants," says Romilda Roncatti of SOS Mata Atlantica.

But Brazilian authorities say the tailings have not spread more than one kilometer downstream and blames the increased turbidity on heavy rain.

"It's normal at this time of year to find high levels of some elements like iron or manganese -- these two elements always have higher concentrations during floods," says Eduardo Viglio of the Geological Survey of Brazil, which is tasked with collecting data on minerals and water resources in the country.

The government agency's own testing shows oxygen and acidity readings are also "normal," he adds.

That is cold comfort for dos Santos, who says increased pollution in the Paraopeba has deprived him of an income from fishing.

"The people who handle water treatment have said we can't use the water," he says.

"This place is no use to me."

Related Article:

Brazilian ndigenous community threatened in aftermath of dam burst

Plastic microparticles threaten unique Galapagos fauna

Yahoo – AFP, Rodrigo BUENDÍA, March 22, 2019

Iguanas are among the unique creatures inhabiting the Galapagos Islands
whose existence is threatened by plastic waste (AFP Photo/RODRIGO BUENDIA)

Galapagos (Ecuador) (AFP) - Armed only with gloves and large sacks, park rangers and volunteers are battling the scourge of plastic waste blighting the idyllic Galapagos Islands and their unique creatures.

Tons of plastic waste wash up on the shores of the Galapagos islands where microparticles end up in the stomachs of species found only in the Pacific archipelago 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) west of mainland Ecuador.

Those microparticles, often from waste discarded in big cities from other countries and even continents, are perhaps one of the greatest threats to the iguanas, tortoises, birds and fish of the Galapagos.

The tiny plastic pieces become part of the food chain "that we may later feed on," biologist Jennifer Suarez, a marine ecosystems expert with the Galapagos National Parks (PNG), told AFP.

Sun rays and the ocean's saltwater break down bottles, bags, lids, containers and fishing nets.

Factfile on marine iguanas in the Galapagos (AFP Photo/Adrian Leung/

John Saeki)

Yet while those objects may appear solid to the naked eye, when battered against rocks or by the force of waves, microparticles splinter off, which are subsequently ingested by animals.

Every year, and despite the punishing heat and sun, expeditionary groups arrive at Galapagos beaches to survey the damage caused by man.

Sex toys, shoes, lighters, pens and tin cans are amongst the waste found in areas used by animals, including some in danger of extinction.

In uninhabited zones such as Punta Albemarle, in the far north of Isabela Island, where AFP joined a team of cleaners, waste from far and wide was discovered.

"More than 90 percent of the waste gathered doesn't come from Galapagos activities, but rather from South America, Central America and even a great deal of waste with Asian branding," said PNG director Jorge Carrion.

With a population of around 25,000, the archipelago, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has tightened its rules regarding plastics use in recent years.

A volunteer shows a green tea label collected on Isabela Island in the 

Galapagos archipelago (AFP Photo/RODRIGO BUENDIA)

'Chinese brands'

Most of the plastic waste washing up on the Galapagos shores are bottles of Peruvian, Colombian or Panamanian products, and containers with Chinese branding.

That waste "probably comes from the fishing fleets from Asia just outside the Galapagos' exclusive economic area," said Carrion, speaking from the PNG dock in Puerto Ayora, the capital of Santa Cruz Island.

Since 1996, local fishermen have been cleaning the remotest islands and for the last three years, they've been keeping a register.

"This lets us identify the origin of waste on unpopulated coasts," said Suarez.

"Over the last two years of monitoring, we've noticed that the largest number of brands are Peruvian and Chinese."

While currently there is no such legislation, the hope is that this register can be used in the future to make compensation claims against those responsible for environmental harm.

A cormorant sits on her nest surrounded by garbage on the shore of Isabela 

Island in the Galapagos archipelago (AFP Photo/RODRIGO BUENDIA)

Already in 2019, eight tons of waste has been collected, compared to 24 in the whole of 2018 and just under 6.5 tons the year before.

Park rangers also keep a register, but theirs is of the animals affected by the waste, such as the cormorant that builds its nests using used diapers and plastic bags, or the body of a booby found buried in a pile of rubbish.

'Appeal to consciences'

Another shocking discovery is plastic bags that have been bitten by sea turtles that mistake them for jellyfish, an important part of their diet.

"We have indiscriminately thrown so much waste into the sea that it has turned up at coasts where there are no people, but already there is garbage," Sharlyn Zuniga told AFP.

The 24-year-old clean-up volunteer said she came across pristine beaches with fine white sand, but spoilt by rubbish.

Since the start of the year, eight tons of garbage has been collected by volunteers 

on the Galapagos Islands (AFP Photo/Rodrigo BUENDIA)

"What I saw was very hard (to take). We're used to seeing the best part of the Galapagos in pictures and postcards," she said.

Large bags of plastic waste collected on the archipelago are sent to mainland Ecuador to be incinerated.

"We're getting rid of the waste that accumulates in these places, to avoid it breaking down and turning into microparticles," said Suarez.

Over time Carrion hopes less and less waste will be collected but 2019 is expected to turn up as much as 2018.

"We need to go beyond just collecting waste. We need to appeal to consciences on a global level, so people stop throwing waste into the sea," said Carrion.

Cubans use new found social media heft to challenge leaders

Yahoo – AFP, Moises AVILA, March 19, 2019

Cubans like this woman pictured in Havana on March 17, 2019, have seen an
explosion of mobile internet usage (AFP Photo/YAMIL LAGE)

Havana (AFP) - Cubans are using new found social media muscle to challenge their leaders in ways hitherto unseen on the communist-run island.

Using Twitter to snipe at once-untouchable ministers over government failures is catching on in a country whose leadership once demanded, and got, total unity.

"This confluence of people entering the social networks -- with the leaders within reach of their keyboards and being able to tell them what they think -- has changed the dynamics of Cuban society," says Cuban Twitter influencer Camilo Condis.

It's all down to an explosion of mobile internet users since Cuba became one of the last countries in the world to roll out a 3G mobile internet service in December.

It suddenly put the internet within reach of anyone with a mobile phone.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on his election in April that dragging Cuba into the modern online age was a top priority.

Cubans are increasingly using Twitter to snipe at once-untouchable ministers 

over government failures (AFP Photo/YAMIL LAGE)

Analysts say he is now experiencing the other side of the coin -- rolling criticism of his government.

Social media muscle

Cuban citizens first saw the power of social media in January as they picked up the pieces after a powerful tornado devastated large parts of Havana.

Residents mobilized on WhatsApp to help thousands of disaster victims, for once without waiting for the state to react.

"Nobody knew each other before but we contacted each other through the social networks," says 29-year-old Aida Duarte, who coordinated donations of food and material.

"We started to get out there and we created a WhatsApp group to get organized."

The strength and efficiency of the public reaction took the authorities by surprise in a country where the state has sole authority to coordinate labor.

Cuban citizens first saw the power of social media after a powerful tornado devastated 

large parts of Havana in January 2019 (AFP Photo/ADALBERTO ROQUE)

"The social networks put a bit of pressure" on the state, Duarte says.

"I think that this civil society was already there, but it did not have the means to organize and communicate. Now it gets the message out there thanks to mobile internet," says Condis.

Diaz-Canel, 58, became the first Cuban leader to use Twitter when he opened an account in August. He made his embattled Socialist counterpart in Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and Bolivian ally Evo Morales, his first follows.

The president instructed his government ministers to make themselves more visible on the social networks. They did, but increasingly, Cuba's 11 million people can tweet back, often with a bit of bite to boot.

Cubans' embrace of the internet has led to sharper criticism of the socialist government as many social media users challenge ministers over day to day problems.

Cubans' embrace of the internet has led to sharper criticism of the socialist government 

as many social media users challenge government ministers over day to day problems 

(AFP Photo/YAMIL LAGE)

One user slammed Canel-Diaz for still riding the wave of Fidel Castro's revolution -- talk of 1959 simply won't do in modern Cuba, was his message. Another thanked him for steering the country towards a "prosperous socialism".

Before the roll-out of 3G technology in December -- opening up the online world to the country's 5.3 million smartphone users -- the internet was available to the general public only via wifi hotspots, payable by the hour.

Small-business owner Condis has built a following in Cuba by constantly questioning ministers and authorities on everyday problems facing Cubans.

"I'm pretty critical but I do it with respect and a modicum of common sense," says Condis, who claims several ministers -- including Communications Minister Jorge Luis Perdomo -- have blocked him on Twitter.

A source close to the government acknowledged that ministers still have a lot to learn about communicating on the social networks.

President Miguel Diaz Canel has made dragging Cuba into the modern online 

age a top priority (AFP Photo/YAMIL LAGE)

'The new Cuba'

Cuba has been long accustomed to political unanimity -- more than 97 percent voted for the current constitution in 1976, 99 percent in a later referendum.

However, Cuba's embrace of social media is now shaping a different kind of civil society, one more inclined to express itself.

Last year, new restrictions on the emerging small business sector sparked an outcry on social media, and were later modified.

"Now people have the opportunity to send a tweet to a minister or the president," said political scientist Carlos Alzugaray, "and they've managed to force the government to rectify its policies."

"That's the new Cuba. But it's not counter-revolutionary. The majority of the Cuban population want things to improve," he added.

Internet usage by region, 1990-2016, according to World Bank. (AFP Photo/

Simon MALFATTO)

Cubans are not considering overthrowing the government, Alzugaray says, but are enthusiastically taking the opportunity to speak out if they think the government isn't doing its job.

"There's a civil society there that the government does not recognize as such, but it's there regardless," he told AFP.

"It's a challenge for the Cuban state apparatus which has never been confronted by that."

Venezuela's Guaido starts domestic tour to stir support

Yahoo – AFP, Alexander MARTINEZ, March 16, 2019

Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido,
shown on March 14, 2019, has been pushing against Maduro for nearly two months
(AFP Photo/Yuri CORTEZ)

Valencia (Venezuela) (AFP) - Venezuela's self-proclaimed interim leader Juan Guaido began a tour of his country Saturday aimed at sparking a citizen's movement to pry President Nicolas Maduro from power.

As Guaido, 35, kicked off his "operation freedom" in the northern city of Valencia, the pro-Maduro military staged the latest in a series of exercises.

The drill focused on defending hydroelectric infrastructure from attack -- a reaction to a weeklong national blackout that Maduro blamed on US "sabotage" but experts said was more likely the result of years of neglect.

Guaido, the head of the opposition-ruled National Assembly whose claim to be caretaker president is recognized by the US, Canada and much of Latin America and Europe, vowed he would "very soon" take up office in Miraflores, the presidential palace.

He has been pushing for nearly two months against Maduro after declaring himself acting president during street rallies by tens of thousands, following Maduro's swearing in for a second term despite elections widely dismissed as a sham.

A supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds an image of late 

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, during a demonstration in Caracas on

March 16, 2019 (AFP Photo/RONALDO SCHEMIDT)

"We are going to reclaim what belongs to the people," Guaido told thousands of supporters on Saturday.

Maduro, he said, "believes that a thieving gang or a palace makes him president. It's only the support of our people that makes someone president of a nation and he doesn't have that. And not much longer will he be in that palace."

Guaido offered no timeline for the mobilization across Venezuela, which he said will culminate with a march on the presidential palace in Caracas.

Accompanying him on his tour are opposition lawmakers tasked with creating citizen assemblies -- "freedom cells" -- across the country. The opposition said that, by Saturday, around 50 had already been set up in half of Venezuela's 23 states.

"Whatever happens, we must be united, mobilized in the streets," Guaido said, adding that he has not ruled out asking the National Assembly to activate a constitutional clause allowing foreign military intervention -- though such a move "depended on others."

An anti-Maduro demonstrator (R) argues with a protester against any US led intervention

 in Venezuela, in front of the White House in Washington on March 16, 2019 (AFP Photo/

Eric BARADAT)

US ratchets up sanctions

That was taken as a reference to US military action, which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly refused to rule out, even though there is no sign such an operation is being mounted and US allies in Latin America oppose the idea.

On Saturday, pro-Maduro demonstrators gathered in front of Trump's White House in Washington to protest any US-led intervention in Venezuela, while anti-Maduro protesters held their own rally nearby.

Washington has so far concentrated on ratcheting up sanctions on Venezuela. That has made an already dire economic situation in the country worse, while increasing pressure on Maduro.

On April 28, a US embargo on Venezuelan oil exports will go into effect, dealing a heavy blow to Venezuela's diminished finances, as America accounts for half of the oil exported.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (C), meeting with military commanders 

at the presidential palace (AFP Photo/HO)

A major barrier to Guaido's plan to wrest control of the country is the military, which has so far remained loyal to Maduro, who has put generals in charge of lucrative civilian agencies and institutions.

Guaido has offered amnesties to soldiers who abandon Maduro.

As has become common when the opposition holds an event, pro-Maduro crowds surged into the streets of central Caracas.

On Saturday, they cried "victory" to Maduro's claim that he had beaten back a "cybernetic" attack by the US on the electricity grid. Although the government insisted power had been restored to all of Venezuela, some western regions reported outages.

Maduro on Friday announced the creation of a special military unit to protect electricity facilities and other "strategic services."

"Every minute of peace Venezuela has is a victory for the revolution and a defeat for the North American empire (the US) that really wants to see us killing each other here," one pro-Maduro demonstrator, Hermes Flores, told AFP.

For him, Guaido is "a flame that will go out."

Cave of relics found under Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza

Yahoo – AFP, 5 March 2019

Archaeologists have discovered a cave filled with hundreds of artifacts beneath
the ruins of the Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico

Archaeologists have discovered a cave filled with hundreds of artifacts beneath the ruins of the Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico, the lead researcher on the project said Monday, calling the find "incredible."

The massive cave is a "scientific treasure," Mexican archaeologist Guillermo de Anda told a news conference.

He said it could help scientists better understand the origins, lives and beliefs of the residents of Chichen Itza, a stunning city of stone in the Yucatan peninsula that was founded sometime around 750 AD.

The cave was found about two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Temple of Kukulcan, the giant stepped pyramid that dominates the center of Chichen Itza.

It sits about 24 meters (80 feet) underground, and contains multiple chambers connected by narrow passages -- often so narrow that researchers had to crawl or drag themselves through them, De Anda said.

His team has explored about 460 meters of the cave so far, and does not know how far it stretches, he added.

The relics found include seven incense burners shaped like the Mayan rain god Chaac, which researchers believe were offerings meant to bring rain.

De Anda said locals had actually discovered the cave more than 50 years ago.

But the archaeologist sent to explore the site at the time by the National Institute of Anthropology and History decided for unknown reasons to seal the entrance with stones, and filed only a brief report.

De Anda had seen the report, but did not give it much thought -- until he happened upon the entrance to the cave last year while exploring another site nearby.

"What we found there was incredible, and completely untouched," he said.

The residents of Chichen Itza probably considered the cave "the bowels of the gods," he added.

His team believes the largest incense burners date from around 700 to 1000 AD.

The indigenous Mayas who inhabit the area today warned his team that a venomous coral snake guarded the site.

And researchers did in fact find just such a specimen, which blocked their access to the cave for four days, De Anda said.

At locals' behest, they performed a six-hour purification ritual before entering the cave.

De Anda's team plans to continue exploring the cave. Rather than remove the artifacts they find, they will study them on site, he said.

VIDEO: "The entrance into the cave is very difficult, you have to do it crawling, chest to ground or, at best case, on all fours. What we found there was incredible, and completely untouched." pic.twitter.com/TUEX7GxGa1

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 5 maart 2019

Related Articles:

“THE FUNDAMENTAL FRACTAL”, Arkansas, US, Jun 11, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

“… I want to talk about the fractals of time for a moment. It's difficult if you were not here in the conference to go to the next step. However, it's important to know what was said, because we have spoken of these very things in the past. Our words didn't include fractals, but we spoke of a patterning and a system and the timing involved in what's happening.

The teacher, Gregg, has done his research well, and has proposed that the ripples of time come back upon themselves.* They present themselves in a way that would allow you to predict and calculate when they might occur again. They come in such a fashion that they reinforce one another and perhaps might be even stronger than when they occurred before. You even clearly see that the math of the fractals show you are at the end of a cycle, the one we have told you about. He's right, and you are.

The Mayans told you the same thing, and the others who had calendars much like the Maya long count said the same thing. The Aztecs and the Toltecs had a similar calendar. The prophecy was everywhere! So here's the big question: What keeps you from repeating the old history now? It comes upon you yet again and the fractals are there and the history is clear. The patterns are there, and they are the same ones over and over. Why won't you repeat them? Why won't you go to the final war and terminate humanity yet again? I'm going to fill it in esoterically for you right now.

Dear ones, there is a fractal that I'm going to call the fundamental. This fractal was not necessarily discussed yesterday, but I'm sure the teacher Gregg knows it. Sometimes when you're dealing with the discussion of patterning and repetition, you have that which would seem to be invisible, because it's not perceivable within your normal Human consciousness. The fundamental beginning fractal of time is the one that the others build upon. It's the start, the fundamental wave, and I will show it to you. Everything resonated to the fundamental in multiples. I will even give you some numbers to consider.

The fundamental fractal of your earth time is the precession of the equinoxes of the planet. All the ripples of potentials are built from it. This precession is caused by a physical wobble of the planet, which takes 25,630 years. That's how long it takes for one cycle, or wobble, to return to the start. Because it is so long, it can vary up to 1%, but not much more. The 25,630 years is the measurement of the wobble of the planet.

If you take the Mayan calendar long count, then exactly five Mayan calendars would fit into the 25,630-year wobble. The long count as described by the Maya is 5,125 years.* This also happens to be the length of time that your former unknown civilizations that we spoke of lasted before they would annihilate one another. It all starts to make sense. The fundamental fractal, dear ones, is the key to why this current cycle is different. It's because you're sitting on the end and beginning - the center point of the precession of the equinoxes. It's the first one in modern humanity. Time simply isn't just coming around again like it did before. This is the center. This is the prediction of the ancients and the Mayans, and that's why the old calendar stops now, and starts again with another long count.

This fundamental center, the precession of the equinoxes, gives an energy that none of the cycles within it did before. There is an allowance in this center fractal cycle for you to shift it and change it. The proof of this are the wildcards you see all around you. You already have started! The fall of the Soviet Union is a good example of a wild card. It's a shift of Human nature to begin a harmonious process of putting things together, instead of tearing them apart. This is especially profound when you see it done with the nations of the planet who used to be enemies for centuries. That's different! That's new! It's not going to repeat the way it did in the past.  …”

"2013 - A Difficult Year" – July 14, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… All this is to say that some of you are losing friends in death, and it seems out of sync in this new promised energy. I know who's here, who is listening and reading, and it would seem inappropriate that you would lose a friend or loved one at this point in time. Now, there are some in the room who have recently lost those they've loved, and it has seemed especially hurtful since these dear ones didn't seem "ready to go" just yet. In my partner's case, he lost a team member in the Kryon work, and I can remember in the moments when he found out, he was mad at me. He said to me, "It's unfair, not correct, and inappropriate! This man was a Lightworker doing good things. We needed him! He was a healer. Others needed him. He seemed to have so many years left, and now he's gone." Two weeks ago, my partner lost still another friend. He is not alone, for many around him including those in the room are experiencing the same thing.

For some, it's the year of loss. So I want to give you some explanations. I wish to tell you clearly what we see now that we couldn't tell you before. There is a great unspoken future that is starting to build itself right now. It's a future we couldn't tell you about because you hadn't arrived at the place where the shift potential was this strong. Now you are there, in 2013. You've passed the midpoint marker of the precession of the equinoxes, and it truly was a demarcation point that the indigenous saw as well. It's a time fractal, but they didn't call it that. However, it was so clear to them that in their spiritual way, they built their calendars and prophecies around it. Now we can tell you about it, and there begins some planning on the other side involving all of you.

There are old souls who had to leave, seemingly before their time, so that they could arrive on my side of the veil right now. They needed to refresh themselves and come back quickly, literally within the year as newborns on the planet. This is so they would be elders when it was your time to go to the next life. They would then be the ones already there who would begin to teach you what you will need to know. They are the advanced team for peace on Earth.

So, now you see where this is going. They had to leave and come back quickly. They had to align themselves in the right places, expecting where you will be next, dear one. Dear old soul, they needed to be the catalyst for you to awaken next time and do the work that you've chosen to do. So when you incarnate into your next expression, they'll be there and they will find themselves synchronistically as your teachers and the ones who will impress you the most and who you will listen to. Some of them may actually be related to you in the same way they are to you this time, or close to it, and you'll recognize them.. ….”

US sanctions six Venezuelan security officials over blocking aid

Yahoo – AFP, 1 March 2019

A demonstrator throws stones at Venezuelan National Guard troops on the border
with Brazil at Pacaraima, Roraima state, on February 24, 2019

The United States imposed sanctions Friday on six Venezuelan security officials for obstructing aid that Washington had tried to force in as part of its effort to support the country's opposition leader against President Nicolas Maduro.

"We are sanctioning members of Maduro's security forces in response to the reprehensible violence, tragic deaths, and unconscionable torching of food and medicine destined for sick and starving Venezuelans," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The six include Major General Richard Jesus Lopez Vargas, the commander of the Venezuelan National Guard, and Jesus Maria Mantilla Oliveros, commander of a unit tasked by Maduro with reinforcing security on the Brazilian border, the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions freeze any assets in the United States by the six security officials as well as US financial dealings with them.

The United States, backed by Colombia and Brazil, last weekend tried to push badly needed aid into the crisis-torn country in coordination with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom Washington has recognized as interim president.

Troops with Venezuela's Bolivarian National Guard were out in force on the border 

with Colombia to prevent foreign aid to come into the country

Venezuelan forces blocked the operation, fearing it was a precursor to an invasion as President Donald Trump has not ruled out the use of force to depose Maduro.

Four people were killed in the ensuing melee and Guaido was stuck outside Venezuela, although he has vowed to return.

"The United States strongly supports the efforts of Interim President Juan Guaido, and Treasury will continue to target Maduro loyalists prolonging the suffering of the victims of this man-made humanitarian crisis," Mnuchin said.

Russia and China on Thursday vetoed a US and European-backed resolution at the United Nations that would have called for new presidential elections in Venezuela and unimpeded deliveries of humanitarian aid.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, receiving Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez in Moscow on Friday, said that Russia was stepping up shipments of wheat into Venezuela and was considering more shipments of medical supplies after sending 7.5 tonnes worth.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a rally as the US increases its 

efforts to bolster his opposition rival, Juan Guaido

"We are very closely cooperating and coordinating all our steps in the international arena," Lavrov said.

"This has acquired special significance now that Venezuela is facing a frontal attack and unabashed interference in its domestic affairs," he said.

Guaido has said that 300,000 people could die without an influx of aid into Venezuela, where Maduro's leftist government presides over a crumbling economy in a crisis that according to the United Nations has caused 2.7 million people to flee since 2015.

The Trump administration has rejected Maduro's appeals for direct talks, saying there is nothing to negotiate so long as he stays in power.