Dragon Boat Festival brings communities together in Canada, Brazil

Communities in Canada and Brazil came alive with Dragon Boat Festival celebrations, featuring vibrant cultural activities and exhilarating races that connected locals with cherished traditions.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday to commemorate ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.). Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the festival falls on May 31 this year.

During the festival, people engage in various activities such as dragon boat races and eating zongzi -- sticky rice dumplings wrapped in broad bamboo leaves.

On Saturday, a dragon boat race took place in Vancouver, Canada. Despite heavy rain and low temperatures, 125 teams from diverse regions and age groups participated in the competition.

"Well, the weather could be better obviously. But no, I'm excited for today's events. This is a great sport. It's good exercise and it's a great team building," said a contestant.

In addition to the dragon boat races, various cultural and entertainment activities to showcase traditional Chinese culture were also organized, giving local people an opportunity to learn more about the festival.

"When we were waiting under the tent, we saw the drummers and the [dancing] lion went by, so that was very exciting," said a contestant.

"They (zongzi) remind me of traditional Mexican cuisine, like tamales. I feel they are similarly wrapped in the leaf and then it's [kind of] similar." said another contestant.

On the same day, Sao Paulo in Brazil also hosted two thrilling dragon boat races, drawing a large crowd of spectators.

"Although I've been rowing for a long time, I have never seen any boat like a dragon boat. I am truly drawn to it. Even before it hits the water, the dragon boat is stunning," said Alexandra, a contestant.

Dragon Boat Festival brings communities together in Canada, Brazil

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation