VENEZUELANS CAST BALLOTS IN OPPOSITION VOTE

CARACAS: Venezuelans go to the polls Sunday in a vote organized by the opposition aimed at gauging public support for Maduro’s plan to rewrite the constitution, against a backdrop of worsening political violence. With authorities refusing to greenlight a vote presented as an act of civil disobedience and supporters of President Nicolas Maduro boycotting it, voters seemed set to reject the president’s controversial scheme. The symbolic “plebiscite” comes two weeks ahead of a Maduro- backed vote to elect a citizens’ body that would revise the constitution. The opposition has told its supporters to stay away. The cross- purpose initiatives have given rise to international worries -- voiced by the Catholic Church and the head of the UN, Antonio Guterres -- that the chances of bringing both sides together for dialogue has become more remote. That, in turn, is stoking fears of more protests and running street battles with police, which have been persistent for the past three and a half months. Nearly 100 people have died in the unrest since the beginning of April. While Maduro is deeply unpopular -- with 80 percent of Venezuelans criticizing his rule, according to the Datanalisis survey firm -- he enjoys backing from some, mostly poor, parts of the population and, most importantly, from the military.

14 KILLED IN ECUADOR BUS ACCIDENT

QUITO: Fourteen people were killed and 30 injured, one of them seriously, when a bus drove off the highway in central Ecuador, flipped and caught fire, authorities said Saturday. The accident took place around 10 p. m. ( 0300 GMT) Friday on the highway between the capital Quito and Andean city of La Mana, police Colonel Cristian Barreiro said in a video released by the Ecu911 emergency service. National Transit Agency chief Pablo Calle ordered the suspension of the vehicle’s operator, saying the bus had not been properly inspected and “never should have been on Ecuadoran roads.” Survivors were rushed to hospitals in Quito and Santo Domingo province, while authorities said they were working to identify the fatalities.

8 DEAD IN SENEGAL FOOTBALL STADIUM CRUSH

DAKAR: Eight people were killed during Senegal’s football league cup final in Dakar on Saturday, the sports minister said, as a wall collapsed onto clashing supporters triggering a panicked stampede. Sports minister Matar Ba said a young girl was among the dead, while around 60 injured fans had been taken to health facilities in Dakar. He vowed “strong measures so that such an event will never be repeated in Senegal.” A mass deployment of firefighters and ambulances remained at the scene late Saturday. An AFP journalist who attended the match described a stadium full to bursting with people for the long- awaited clash between local teams US Ouakam and Stade de Mbour. At 2- 1 during extra time, US Ouakam supporters began throwing stones at Stade de Mbour fans, causing spectators to begin vacating their seats in a rush, the journalist said. Part of a wall supporting bleachers seating fans from both sides then collapsed, while police had begun firing tear gas and panic spread in the stadium leading to a crush.