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Venezuela elections: What you need to know
What in the World
Aug 1, 2024

Thousands of Venezuelans have been protesting after President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory in the country's disputed election. The opposition says the results were fraudulent.

There are reports of at least 11 deaths in protest-related violence, with lots more people injured.

Our South America correspondent, Ione Wells, explains why the results are disputed and what protesters in Caracas have been saying.

BBC Mundo’s Jorge Perez gives us the background on Venezuela, including who Hugo Chávez was and why the country is in such economic turmoil, despite having the biggest proven oil reserves in the world.

Also, young Venezuelans tell us about their hopes for their futures.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Shiler Mahmoudi Editor: Julia Ross-Roy

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But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Rosanna La Falce


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Venezuela elections: What you need to know

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