Two Venezuelan soldiers on Saturday recounted the harrowing moment when U.S.forces attacked Fort Tiuna in Venezuela's capital of Caracas.
In a large-scale U.S. military operation against Venezuela early Saturday morning, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and flown to New York.
Francisco Machillanda, a Venezuelan soldier, recalled fighting back when a U.S. helicopter attempted to land at their military base.
"They attacked us when they wanted to land in our unit. We weren't going to allow it. We joined forces to make them leave because they couldn't land there. If they landed in our unit, they would take it over, and we couldn't allow that. We defended our unit because we knew they wanted to land there. When the helicopter was coming down, we had to take action because otherwise they would have taken our unit. We are free people and we will do everything to defend our homeland," said the soldier. "I heard the explosion. I heard a whistle, just a whistle, then suddenly I couldn't hear anything. We felt the impact. When I got up, everything was already in ruins, everything was destroyed, everything, the boxes, everything," said another soldier in a local hospital.
A family member of an injured military officer told reporters about her horrible experience living near the military base.
"At approximately 02:00 in the morning, I heard loud explosions in Simon Bolivar, Los Chinos. The explosion woke me up and I looked at the window facing the mountains. I held my dad's hand tightly because he was next to me, and when I turned to the window I saw the mountains full of fire. I heard the helicopters flying overhead and the sound of explosions one after another," said the resident.
"I also looked out and they were running out terrified, and on my floor, the floor where I live, you could hear everyone shouting, 'Run, run, run.' I called some friends and they evacuated immediately. At approximately 09:30 in the morning, they informed us of the order for immediate evacuations for all civilians," she added.
Venezuelan soldiers recount US attack on Fort Tiuna
Venezuelan soldiers recount US attack on Fort Tiuna
Venezuelan soldiers recount US attack on Fort Tiuna
The Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum in south China's Guangdong Province has received over four million visitors since opening on May 1 last year.
In addition to gaining astounding popularity, the museum has been selected as one of the "World's Most Beautiful Museums" by UNESCO.
One morning during the first anniversary period of its opening, the museum was already packed with student groups and family visitors as early as 10:00.
To the delight of the hundreds of children attending on that day, the museum is filled with highly interactive exhibits that are as fun as they are educational. In the AI ping-pong robot zone, visitors play matches against a robot, which adjusts its difficulty level in real time according to human opponent's skill, precisely matching ball speed and strength.
"I tried seven or eight exhibits. My favorite is the ping-pong. The experience showed me how powerful science can be, and the ping-pong robot made me realize that machines can be so amazing," said Mo Jiquan, a young student from Guangdong's Zhongshan City.
In the "Smart Industry" hall, a group of students from Singapore learned to race model cars controlled by brainwaves.
By pressing foreheads against an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal collection device and concentrating, the students used the power of their minds to propel the cars forward.
"Science fiction has become reality. These things are different from what we learn at school. For example, these brainwave-control devices, we have never seen anything like them. So I think it's a new and very meaningful experience," said Chen Mengfanglin, a student from Singapore.
Among the museum's 950 innovative exhibits, such as brain-computer interfaces, simulated space capsules, dexterous hands, 80 percent offer deep interactive experiences.
More importantly, these exhibits are dynamically updated as industrial technologies evolve.
"I think this place is very futuristic and fun. This is my second time here. I feel that there are more exhibits, and the technology has advanced," said Wu Zining, a Shenzhen student.
According to the museum, visitor numbers remain steady on weekdays, surge significantly during holidays, and overseas visitors have seen a notable increase since the beginning of this year.
"Our museum receives between 2,000 and 5,000 visitors on weekdays. On holidays, we get around 30,000 visitors per day. Since the beginning of this year, the number of overseas visitors has also risen significantly," Zhang Haitian, director of the Exchange and Cooperation Center of the museum.
Unlike traditional science museums that simply display items alongside written explanations, the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum has pioneered an approach that combines innovation, public outreach, and education into one seamless experience.
Over the past year, it has collected 39 technology transfer projects, held 10 "deep science and technology" project matchmaking events, and brought research institutes, leading enterprises, investors, and the public together, creating a new ecosystem linking government, enterprises, research institutes, and the museum.
"On the basis of the original basic functions of a science and technology museum, we have taken a bolder step forward. We have extensive links with sci-tech innovation companies, so a steady stream of new technologies, achievements, products and ideas flow into the museum. We also have close interactions with science fiction and cultural heritage sectors, integrating science and technology with culture and art. Through flexible cooperation with various industries, this approach has opened up unlimited possibilities for the entire science and technology museum," said Zheng Yongchun, head of the museum.
Interactive sci-tech museum in south China hosts 4 million visitors in first year
