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Treasury Yields Edge Higher With Long-Term Debt Out of Favor

Joseph Yammin, leading the National Democratic Congress (NDC) initiative Operation Recover All Looted Assets , has intercepted what he claims to be government-supplied fertilizers hidden at the residence of Eric Kwaku Kusi, the Adansi North District Chief Executive (DCE) in Fomena, Ashanti Region. Kusi confirmed that the fertilizers were brought to his house by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Fomena, Andrew Asiamah, who also serves as the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament. According to Kusi, Asiamah explained that the fertilizers, which were delivered just days before the 2024 elections, had arrived too late for campaign purposes. Asiamah reportedly asked Kusi to temporarily store them until after the elections, with plans to distribute them to farmers afterward. Osman Nabali, the NDC’s Ashanti Regional Youth Organizer, stated that intelligence led to the interception of over 10,000 bags of fertilizers last week in properties in Sokoban and Danyame residential areas. Nabali condemned the hoarding of the fertilizers, which were intended by the outgoing government to assist farmers and reduce food production costs. In a phone interview on December 23, Asiamah confirmed ownership of the fertilizers but declined to provide further details regarding the circumstances. Nabali, however, raised concerns about the legitimacy of the storage location, questioning whether the house belonged to Asiamah or another individual associated with him. The fertilizers, purchased by the government to aid agricultural production, were found days before the elections. Nabali accused those involved in hoarding the supplies of intending to sell them at inflated prices, thereby undermining the incoming administration’s agricultural policies. He criticized the move as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the new government by depriving farmers of much-needed resources. “This undermines the efforts to support our farmers and ensure affordable food for Ghanaians,” Nabali said. “Instead of helping farmers, individuals are prioritizing personal gain.” He called for immediate investigations and swift action from authorities, urging the incoming administration to hold those responsible accountable and safeguard public resources. Nabali emphasized that such actions not only harm the agricultural sector but also go against the national interest.

Syria latest: Syrians celebrate in the streets as Russian media says Assad has arrived in MoscowNone

Thomas uses big drives and putts to hold lead in BahamasVikings, Eagles win and move nearer to clinching playoff spots

ATLANTA — The Lakers’ four-game road trip, which ended with a disheartening overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday , lasted eight days if you count the days they flew out of and back to Los Angeles on the front and back ends of the trip. But considering they were in Southern California for just a few days after their Nov. 26 road loss to the Phoenix Suns and Nov. 27 road win over the San Antonio Spurs – flying back to L.A. Thanksgiving ahead of their Nov. 29 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder before flying to Salt Lake City the afternoon of Nov. 30 – the trip felt longer. “It was a two-week road trip, let’s be honest,” coach JJ Redick said Friday night. “It was a two-week road trip.” And the nature of how the last two weeks have gone for the Lakers added to their road weariness. The loss to the Hawks was their third straight defeat, including their losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat by a combined 70 points, and their seventh loss in nine games going back to the Nov. 21 home loss to the Orlando Magic , the start of another three-game losing streak. While Friday’s loss continued their losing streak, they played with significantly more energy and effort compared to their losses earlier in the week. “Based off the last couple games that we played, Minnesota and Miami, it’s a good bounce back for us,” Anthony Davis said. “Just some of the defensive communication we messed up a little bit [on Friday night]. As far as the carryover, it was better.” When asked what it’ll take for the Lakers, who won their first three games of the season and were 10-4 before their recent skid, to get back over the hump, LeBron James pointed to the players the team has been without. Austin Reaves missed the entire road trip because of a bruised left pelvis suffered Nov. 29 against the Thunder. “With Austin, the movement piece and the thrust, his ability to get in the paint, his ability to, for the most part, make quick decisions,” Redick said. “In some ways, he’s like a connector for our offense, but he’s also a scorer and a playmaker. So you can have connectors that aren’t necessarily players that can do what Austin does in terms of creating offense. He does both. And also, he’s highly competitive and he brings that juice every night.” Backup center Jaxson Hayes has been sidelined 12 of the last 13 games because of right ankle injuries, and isn’t expected to be reevaluated until this upcoming week. Christian Wood (offseason left knee surgery) and Jarred Vanderbilt (offseason feet surgery recovery) have yet to play this season. The Lakers announced that Vanderbilt is expected to return in early January . Wood’s status isn’t as clear. “I don’t know as far as what will get us over the hump,” James said. “We just gotta just not drown. Don’t drown and we’ll be all right.” Or as Davis put it: “There’s no cavalry. No one [feels] sorry for us. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Just gotta continue to put our head down and grind and work.” The Lakers will host the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at Crytpo.com Arena. After that, they’ll get a rare four-day break off of games before playing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in Minneapolis. “That break, if you call it a break, for three, four days, we have to use that for our minds, for our bodies, for clean up,” Redick said. “It’ll be a good opportunity for us.” TRAIL BLAZERS AT LAKERS When : 6:30 p.m. Sunday Where : Crypto.com Arena TV/radio : Spectrum SportsNet/710 AM

Sebastian Zapeta Charged With Murder of Woman Set on Fire on NYC Subway

For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter , with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. They are believed to be the two richest contracts in pro sports history. The way it's going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn't seem out of the question. But several factors are working against it — at least in the near future. There's reason to believe the megadeals for Ohtani and Soto are unicorns in the baseball world. Both players are uniquely talented, surely, but both also had unusual circumstances propelling their value into the stratosphere. Ohtani is the greatest two-way player in baseball history, capable of improving any team on both sides of the ball. He's also the rare baseball player who has true international appeal . His every move ( like his unexpected marriage announcement ) is followed closely in his native Japan, adding another 125 million potential fans who buy merchandise, watch him play and help fill the Dodgers' coffers. Then there's Soto — a four-time All-Star and on-base machine who won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The X-factor for him is he became a free agent at the prime age of 26, which is extremely hard to do under current MLB rules. Players have to be in the big leagues for six years before testing free agency. The precocious Soto debuted at 19 with the Nats, making him part of a rare group of players who reached the highest level of professional baseball as a teenager. That accelerated his free agency timeline. It's rare for players to debut that young, and rarer still for them to develop into stars and test the open market the first chance they get. Two recent examples are Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, who both reached free agency in 2019. Machado signed a free-agent record $300 million contract with San Diego, and Harper overtook him days later with a $330 million contract to join the Phillies. Most players debut in the big leagues from ages 22 to 26, which means free agency comes in their late 20s or early 30s. A typical example is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is one of this generation's great players but didn't hit the market until he was 30. Judge played three seasons of college baseball for Fresno State before getting drafted by the Yankees in 2013 at age 21 — already two years older than Soto was when he made his MLB debut. It took a few years for the budding superstar to reach the majors, and he was 25 when he had his breakout season in 2018, smashing 52 homers to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors. By the time he reached free agency after the 2022 season, he had already passed age 30. It's a major factor that led to him signing a $360 million, nine-year deal with the Yankees, which seems downright reasonable these days after the Ohtani and Soto deals. Two major trends are colliding that will make it harder for guys like Soto to hit free agency in their mid 20s. First, MLB teams have been more likely in recent years to take college players early in the draft, betting on more experienced talents. Just 10 high school players were drafted among the top 30 picks in the 2024 draft . Second, teams are more eager to lock up young, premium talent on long-term deals very early in their careers, well before they hit free agency. Sometimes before they even reach the majors. Since Soto, just two players have debuted in MLB before their 20th birthday — Elvis Luciano and Junior Caminero. Luciano hasn't been back to the majors since his 2019 cup of coffee. Caminero is now 21 and has only played in 50 big league games. Among those that debuted at 20: Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a $340 million, 14-year deal with San Diego in 2021, years before reaching the open market. Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio got an $82 million, eight-year deal before even reaching the big leagues. Young stars Corbin Carroll ($111 million, eight years with Arizona), Bobby Witt Jr. ($288 million, 11 years with Kansas City) and Julio Rodriguez ($209.3 million, 12 years with Seattle) also got massive guarantees early in their 20s to forgo an early free agency. The exception and wild card: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a 26-year-old free agent next offseason. Guerrero hasn't been as consistent in his young career as Soto, but a standout 2025 season could position him to threaten Soto's deal. More likely is that the player to pass Soto isn't in the majors yet — and might not even be in pro baseball. When 25-year-old Alex Rodriguez signed his record $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in 2001, it took over a decade for another player to match that total, when Albert Pujols got $240 million over 10 years from the Angels in 2012. For many players, passing up life-changing money in their early or mid 20s is too enticing, even if it means that they might not maximize their value on the free agent market later in their careers. Soto was determined to test the market. He famously turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to stay with the Washington Nationals in 2022, betting that he could make even more as a free agent. Not many players would turn down that kind of cash. Then again, that's what makes Soto so unique. And it's also why his $765 million deal could be the industry standard for some time. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

JOHNSON CONTROLS ANNOUNCES QUARTERLY DIVIDENDThis year's PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted included a new trailer for EVE Frontier , CCP Games' upcoming survival-focused spinoff to the long-running EVE Online. The new space sim is promising an oppressive atmosphere, more granular combat, and punishing survival elements, all built on a blockchain-based framework that actually, as difficult as it is to believe, seems to add to the experience⁠—just don't call it a "blockchain game," its developers insist. Blockchain is involved, sure, but it's more about the fact that it is distributed and not centralized. With all the hoopla around AI, it's easy to forget that just a scant two years ago, NFTs and crypto were an unstoppable, overheated leviathan threatening to remake gaming with new forms of microtransactions and promises of an interoperable Fortnite-ification of all games. Those buzzwords have firmly landed on the "what's not" list since right alongside the metaverse, but EVE Online studio CCP Games is still working on a blockchain-based game (notably, there are no NFTs in sight). After seeing what the EVE Frontier team is working on and hearing the developers' vision for the game, I was persuaded that this sister game actually justifies its use of the tech. The most compelling argument I heard from CCP, and something that distinguishes EVE Frontier from every half-baked MMO project I saw at the height of crypto-mania, is that the blockchain stuff is meant to be in service to the game Frontier is trying to be and not the other way around. "When we were building EVE Online, we decided to build it on top of a database. Our choice of a database was hotly contested⁠—at least in this community of people making MMO-like games," said CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson. "And never did we really position the game, 'Eve Online: The First Database Game!' And we're not really looking to do that with EVE Frontier either. It is not really a blockchain game, no more than EVE is a database game. "We're just being very explicit about it because it is a hot topic, and we don't want to hide it away. Blockchain is involved, sure, but it's more about the fact that it is distributed and not centralized." The top line is that CCP is using blockchain to make EVE Frontier moddable on the client side without compromising the basic integrity of the MMO. "Using blockchain technology also lets us open up this universe to a layer where other players will be able to modify and co-create this universe with us," said CCP chief blockchain engineer Cheryl Ang. The primary point of contact for this modability will be "Smart Assemblies," valuable space stations that will serve sort of like a survival game home base, but with added complexity. "You can think of it kind of like modding on a traditional game," explained EVE Frontier product manager Scott McCabe. "You can play the original game as it came. You can then start getting truly independent third party mods. And finally you can actually build your own, if you set up all the development environments and really get into the nitty gritty." The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. McCabe was quick to clarify that you don't need to be an experienced coder to enjoy EVE Frontier or its mods. Just like how a vanguard of modders will spearhead a community of thousands or even millions on the Nexus or ModDB, McCabe and Ang hope to see sharing and trading of mods and coding expertise among Frontier's community. Some players programmed a Smart Assembly to automatically host king of the hill-style PvP tournaments, dispensing rewards to the victors. Others turned Smart Assemblies into vendors and even simple NPC questgivers. McCabe and Ang explained that the blockchain underpins something CCP calls "digital physics"—immutable rules in EVE Frontier that will limit what modders can create, ensuring that they can transform the game, but never "break" it. McCabe explained to me that you won't be able to cheat with Smart Assemblies, for example⁠—no infinite ammo and fuel, or cranking up your speed and damage beyond the impossible. What CCP's proposing with Eve Frontier⁠—client-side modding of a live multiplayer game without compromising the basic integrity of the experience⁠—doesn't sound like anything I've seen before in a game. I don't know how feasible it would have been to build it using tech with less controversy, name recognition, and investor interest than blockchain, but McCabe intimated that part of the motivation was to use blockchain's decentralization to eventually defer EVE Frontier's governance entirely to its players instead of CCP, and even ensure the game's continued operation in the event of CCP's dissolution. A move that impressed me on that front is CCP's plan to make the Carbon engine⁠—which powers both EVE Online and EVE Frontier⁠—open source. I find that to be more evidence of EVE Frontier being a genuine game design experiment rather than a belated passenger on the crypto hype train, though in-game transactions⁠—including the purchase of new ships⁠—will be done with a crypto wallet set up in character creation rather than EVE Online's ISK in-game currency. Some of what has already been done in EVE Frontier's playtests call to mind EVE Online's long and legendary history of emergent shenanigans. Some players programmed a Smart Assembly to automatically host king of the hill-style PvP tournaments, dispensing rewards to the victors. Others turned Smart Assemblies into vendors and even simple NPC questgivers for other players. Since players have to build and maintain their own warp gates in the sparsely-populated Frontier, CCP observed players weaponizing warp gate control against enemy factions. Scary Space The combat and exploration of EVE Frontier are similar to EVE Online at first glance. You control a single ship from a zoomed out, overhead⁠—at least as much as you can be "overhead" in space⁠—perspective, as opposed to the first-person cockpit of Elite Dangerous or third-person rear view in something like Starfield. "The action's a little bit faster, more decisions that you have to make in the heat of the moment with imperfect information, and that will lead to some emergent gameplay," McCabe said of EVE Frontier's moment-to-moment combat. The new game will introduce line of sight and cover, meaning that stealth, surprise, and positioning will be critical in a way they never were in the original EVE. "You might not know what's behind the next rock, you might not know who is waiting for you, or perhaps how many reinforcements they have when you're setting your trap," explained McCabe, and that tension will only be heightened by EVE Frontier's more limited resources compared to EVE Online, where the loss of a ship can already be a devastating financial proposition⁠—McCabe suggested that these complications resulted in an experience that "bordered on survival horror." McCabe also hopes this will make EVE Frontier feel like a larger, more dangerous universe, reminding me of the way the beginning of a game of Civilization can feel so vast, threatening, and full of infinite potential, versus a Civ late game fully explored and settled map, represented by EVE Online. "You can't just perpetually fly around forever without eventually running out of energy. You will need to stop and do something. That makes the universe feel substantially bigger than infinite free travel." EVE Frontier sounds like a fascinating, unique space sim that makes a genuinely worthwhile use of crypto-derived technology I had basically written off. If nothing else, CCP's extensive experience with operating a digital economy that long preceded crypto commands a certain benefit of the doubt, as does its commitment to the project well after the gold rush already ended. If you're interested in EVE Frontier, you can go to the game's official website to purchase a founder's pack and participate in ongoing playtests.

Vikings, Eagles win and move nearer to clinching playoff spotsSeveral times following New England’s 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said he wanted to review the game film before making a final assessment of his team’s performance. He did, and on Monday he said the overarching feeling he was left with was one of pride. Going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the NFL is commendable. Mayo also remains confident this group has even more room for growth over its final two games this season. “To be frank, I don’t believe in good losses,” Mayo said. “I think there’s a lot to learn from the game. Look, we’re headed in the right direction, but it’s all about consistency, and we have to do that on a down-after-down, a game-after-game basis to be successful in this league.” What is also clear is that despite their 3-12 record, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye wants people to know that he and his teammates believe in their coach. No matter what conversations might be going on outside the Patriots locker room regarding shortcomings by the coaching staff, or Mayo’s job status. “We’ve got his back, and he’s coached us hard. He wants to win. We all want to win. We’re all frustrated,” Maye said. “We’re just plays away, and it’s basically me turning the ball over. I think it’s just a testament to these guys that keep fighting. We keep fighting. Shoot, we’re not going to make the playoffs; we’re out of the race, and these guys are coming in, frustrated when we don’t score. ... So, I think we’re building something good, building something that feels right here, and I’m proud to be a Patriot.” RELATED COVERAGE The Darnold-Jefferson connection is thriving for the surging Vikings Garrett’s comments about his future add wrinkle to Browns’ worst season since 0-16 in 2017 Giants’ 10th straight loss showed once again that they need a young QB What’s working The Patriots entered the week scoring only 7.5 points per game in the first half this season, which ranked 29th in the NFL. The offense woke up with 14 points in the first half on Sunday, notching multiple offensive touchdowns in the first half for the first time in 2024. What needs help Stopping the run has been an issue for New England’s defense for most of the season and it was on display against the Bills. With Buffalo trailing 14-0 in the second quarter, running back James Cook sliced through the interior of the Patriots defense and broke free for a 46-yard TD run. It was a big chunk of Buffalo’s 172 yards on the ground for the game. Stock up CB Jonathan Jones. He was tasked with being the primary defender on Buffalo’s top receiver Khalil Shakir for most of the game. The veteran held his own, helping limit the Bills’ leader in catches and receiving yards to only two catches for 22 yards on six targets. Jones also forced a fumble by Shakir in the fourth quarter, though Shakir was able to recover it. Stock down Marte Mapu. The linebacker started at safety with Jabrill Peppers sidelined with a hamstring injury. Mapu was strong for most of the game and had a chance to set up the Patriots offense in the second quarter when he snagged his second career interception, picking off Josh Allen’s pass in the end zone. But Mapu decided to run the ball out of the end zone and was tackled on the New England 1-yard line. The poor starting field position eventually led to a punt and the Patriots couldn’t add to their 14-7 lead. Injuries The Patriots didn’t announce any injuries during the game. But along with Peppers, cornerback Marcus Jones also sat out with a hip injury. Key number 2-6 — The Patriots’ record in one-score games this season. Four of those have been by three or fewer points. Next steps The Patriots host the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Woman injured while resisting snatching in PklThe man who ended Nadal's career helps the Netherlands beat Germany to reach the Davis Cup final

TORONTO - RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had 31 points and seven rebounds as the Raptors stunned the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-105 on Thursday for Toronto’s first consecutive wins of the season. Scottie Barnes, wearing protective goggles with red frames, returned to the Raptors (4-12) lineup for the first time since he fractured his right orbital bone on Oct. 28. Barnes finished with 17 points, six assists, and three rebounds in 27 minutes of play. Jakob Poeltl had a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards and Montreal’s Chris Boucher came off the bench for 22 points. Anthony Edwards scored 26 points, including 11 in the third quarter, to keep Minnesota (8-7) in the game. Julius Randle had 23 points and nine rebounds, while Jaden McDaniels scored 22 points and also pulled down seven boards. Barnes was injured in the fourth quarter of Toronto’s 127-125 overtime loss to the Nuggets when he caught an errant elbow from Denver centre Nikola Jokic. Barnes was expected to be out at least three weeks with the injury but came back slightly ahead of schedule. Rookie combo guard Ja’kobe Walter (sprained right shoulder) was also made available for the Raptors. He did not play in the game, however. Toronto wore its new City Edition jerseys for the first time. The black jerseys feature a bright red Raptor in the midst of a between-the-legs jam, like Vince Carter’s iconic move from the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Takeaways Minnesota: Edwards got off to an uncharacteristically slow start to the game, scoring only five points in the first half and quickly getting up to four personal fouls. Despite being so close to foulling out of the game, Edwards became more aggressive and helped the Timberwolves take a lead in the third quarter. Toronto: Although Barnes is unquestionably the best player on the Raptors, his re-integration into the lineup wasn’t seamless with Toronto’s offence looking disjointed for long stretches with 17 turnovers. Poeltl’s usage dropped significantly with Barnes once again becoming the focal point of the offence. Key moment Boucher’s dunk with 6:38 left in the game sparked a 17-4 Raptors run that erased a two-point deficit and gave Toronto a 105-96 lead with 2:31 on the clock. Gradey Dick’s defensive rebound and lob to Barrett for a crowd-pleasing dunk put an exclamation mark on that run, with the 19,296 fans at Scotiabank Arena rising to their feet as Barrett flexed and shouted. Minnesota called a timeout to try and kill Toronto’s momentum after the highlight-reel play. Key stat Toronto shot an excellent 51.4 per cent on field goals, but didn’t get up as many attempts as the Timberwolves, who outscored the Raptors despite shooting 41.3 per cent from the floor. Up next The Raptors travel to Cleveland to take on the NBA-best Cavaliers. Minnesota continues its Eastern Conference road trip with a stop in Boston against the NBA champion Celtics. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

In the heart of Caracas, the residence of the Argentine ambassador has turned into a makeshift sanctuary for a group of Venezuelan opposition leaders who have been under siege since they sought refuge there earlier this year. This once-thriving diplomatic compound, now deserted of its usual personnel, has become the home of five political asylum seekers who have been trapped inside for over nine months. S Those opponents, who work for María Corina Machado’s opposition, state that Venezuelan authorities constantly follow them around and exert psychological pressure against them. Struggle Of Opposition Members In Exile For nearly a year now, the residence of the Argentine embassy has seen little activity beyond the hum of a small diesel generator used twice daily to charge phones. The familiar sounds of diplomatic discourse or festive holiday cheer are replaced by an eerie silence, as the few inhabitants of this mansion remain confined in a self-imposed exile. The opposition members living behind these walls—Omar González, the campaign manager Magalli Meda, and other prominent members of Machado’s movement among them—describe their situation as a psychological and physical ordeal. “The pressure from the government has been escalating,” said González in a recent virtual press conference. “We are under constant surveillance, and nobody can visit us without prior authorization... the psychological toll is tremendous.” Since March 2024, the last bastion of protection had been the Argentine embassy, where the group has been since they left Venezuela. Following President Nicolás Maduro’s disputed July presidential elections victory, Argentina was among the first nations to grant asylum to Machado’s team. Still, Venezuelan authorities have increasingly tightened the noose on the residence, creating a more hostile environment for the members of the opposition seeking refuge. Struggle For Survival The opposition’s stance remains unwavering despite the mounting pressure. Following the controversial July election results, which opposition figures like Edmundo González argued were rigged, a significant number of opposition supporters have faced persecution. González’s claim, supported by voting receipts, suggested that the election was fraudulent, but the government continued to uphold Maduro’s victory. With no legal recourse inside Venezuela, opposition leaders like González have fled the country, seeking international recognition of their efforts. Most disturbingly, the security forces have cordoned off the residence and erected numerous checkpoints outside; they have even occupied neighboring buildings. Drones incessantly fly overhead, and surveillance snipers have even been reported. On 13 December 2024, Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States posted a photo on social media which showed what looked like an occupied sniper post, supposedly looking in at the Embassy compound. Amid these increasing tensions, the Venezuelan government has accused the opposition members of terrorism and treason for their involvement in the anti-regime efforts. However, the asylum seekers insist on their innocence, arguing that their only “crime” is fighting for a free Venezuela. The Cost Of Detention Life inside the embassy has grown increasingly hard. The residents speak of their isolation and the lack of basic necessities, including steady electricity and running water. The Argentine flag no longer flies above the residence—replaced by Brazil’s green and gold banner after Brazilian diplomats took over the building’s custody following Argentina’s expulsion. The feeling of being trapped has not diminished because of the absence of diplomatic staff. For months now, Venezuelan authorities have been cutting off electricity to the building, so members of the opposition have relied on a small generator to supply their power. “Power is our biggest problem,” said Magalli Meda, campaign manager. “We can’t even go to the toilet when the generator’s off. We are completely isolated.” The building has a small water tank, but the system requires electricity to pump through the building. Art is for Meda, a product designer by profession, one that has helped her keep herself sane. She expresses through painting to let the feelings out. Most of her recent pieces are characterized by animals in distress as represented by a pig for slaughter or a small fish locked in a bowl inscribed “horizon” with. “This embassy turned prison,” Meda noted. Despite the desperate situation, opposition members keep working for a free Venezuela, keep in touch with international organizations, and support imprisoned activists. But the threat of arrest is always over their heads. Several have voiced concerns about how much longer they can stay in the embassy under the increasing pressure of the Venezuelan government. ALSO READ | Find Out What’s Open And Closed This Christmas Eve, Christmas Day 2024Cox Enterprises Nearing One-Third of its Ambitious Goal to Empower 34 Million People to Live More Prosperous Lives by 2034