Massive protest held in Cuba to condemn US military operation in Venezuela

Tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday in Havana, the capital of Cuba, to denounce the U.S. military actions against Venezuela and voice support for their Latin American brother in defending its sovereignty.

Cuba responded strongly and promptly after the United States launched large-scale strikes on Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, in the early hours of Saturday and took its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, out of the country.

In a social media post, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned what he described as the "criminal attack," demanding an urgent response from the international community.

Just a few hours after the strikes, tens of thousands of protesters held a massive rally at the Anti-Imperialist Platform in front of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, expressing strong condemnation of the U.S. President Donald Trump's administration for blatant use of force.

Miguel Diaz-Canel and other senior officials also attended the demonstration. In his speech to the gathering, the president described the U.S. action as "state terrorism," and urged the immediate release of Maduro and his wife.

He pointed out that the true intention of the United States is to seize Venezuela's oil, land and natural resources

Cuba and Venezuela have long maintained close relations, and the two sides have frequent interactions across political, social and other fields. Saturday's attack has sparked strong indignation among the Cuban people.

"We firmly condemn this attack and we Cubans are ready to resolutely defend our country and sovereignty, while also fully supporting brother countries like Venezuela," said Iliana Ortega, a protester.

"Maduro is the legitimate president elected by the Venezuelan people. Therefore, the U.S. government, especially the U.S. President, has no right to carry out such a large-scale military operation in Venezuela," said Jose Cedeno, another protester.

China Media Group (CMG), the country's flagship broadcaster, has released a short video promoting its annual Spring Festival Gala, which will be broadcast live around the world on the evening of February 16.

Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday for Chinese people, and watching the Spring Festival Gala on television is a cherished part of the celebrations in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.

Since its first broadcast in 1983, the gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program on the planet. Just over a year ago, the Spring Festival itself was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.