All posts tagged: Venezuelas

Venezuela’s Machado vows another run for presidency and eyes return from exile before end of 2026

Venezuela’s Machado vows another run for presidency and eyes return from exile before end of 2026

Published by Sam Flores

Venezuela’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado announced Saturday that she plans to run for president again and intends to return to her home country before the end of 2026. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Machado’s remarks, made while meeting in Panama with several fellow Venezuelan opposition leaders, come more than four months after the stunning White House decision to sideline her and instead work with a Venezuelan ruling party loyalist following the U.S. military’s capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro. Machado has been in exile since December, when she emerged from 11 months in hiding somewhere in Venezuela and traveled to Norway where she was honored with the Nobel Prize. She told reporters in Panama City that she and the other gathered opposition leaders remain committed to a democratic transition “through free and fair presidential elections, where all Venezuelans inside and outside the country vote.” Still, it is unclear when Venezuela will hold a presidential election. U.S. President Donald Trump and senior administration officials …

Macaws run out of space in Venezuela’s capital : NPR

Macaws run out of space in Venezuela’s capital : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

A pair of blue and gold macaws visit Mabel Carnago’s apartment in Caracas. Manuel Rueda/NPR hide caption toggle caption Manuel Rueda/NPR CARACAS, Venezuela – Every day as the sun comes down, about a dozen blue and gold macaws fly up to Karem Guevara’s apartment. The comical birds perch on a window sill, squawk loudly, and stretch their necks, as Guevara feeds them sunflower seeds and sliced bananas. “These birds are like part of my family” says Guevara, a small business owner who has been feeding macaws for the past five years from the comfort of her living room. She says that sometimes the macaws bring their chicks over, a sign that they trust their human friend. “It fills my heart with joy” Guevara said. Blue and gold macaws are not native to Caracas. But over the past two decades their numbers in Venezuela’s capital have skyrocketed, with hundreds of these birds now flying freely across the city, and dazzling locals with their colorful feathers and peculiar calls. The birds have become a symbol of Caracas and formed a special …

U.S. lifts sanctions on Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez : NPR

U.S. lifts sanctions on Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez, right, speaks next to the World Baseball Classic trophy a day after her team’s victory over the United States in the championship match, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Ariana Cubillos/AP hide caption toggle caption Ariana Cubillos/AP WASHINGTON — The U.S. on Wednesday lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to an Office of Foreign Assets Control entry on the Treasury Department website. The newly announced sanctions relief is the latest U.S. recognition of Rodríguez as a legitimate authority in Venezuela ever since the U.S. military captured her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife on Jan. 3 in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. The pair have since been taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges and both have pleaded not guilty. The move allows Rodríguez to more freely work with U.S. companies and investors. Without explicitly mentioning the sanctions targeting her, Rodríguez, in a statement, expressed hope for U.S.-Venezuela relations. “We value President Donald Trump’s decision as a step toward normalizing and strengthening …

US removes sanctions on Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez | US-Venezuela Tensions News

US removes sanctions on Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez | US-Venezuela Tensions News

Published by Sam Flores

US has exerted growing influence over the Venezuelan government after abducting former President Nicolas Maduro. Published On 1 Apr 20261 Apr 2026 The United States has lifted sanctions against Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez, following its abduction and imprisonment of her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro. The US Department of the Treasury website was updated on Wednesday to show that Rodriguez had been removed from the Specially Designated Nationals List. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The move was seen as yet another sign of tightening relations between Rodriguez and US President Donald Trump, who has sought to exert control over Venezuela’s politics since Maduro’s removal. Rodriguez hailed Wednesday’s decision with a post calling for more sanctions against Venezuelan entities and individuals to be nixed. “President Trump’s decision is a significant step in the right direction to normalize and strengthen relations between our countries,” she wrote. “We trust that this progress and determination will ultimately lead to the lifting of the additional active sanctions on our country.” Rodriguez had been sanctioned under the Office of …

Venezuela’s Maduro set to appear in US court months after abduction | News

Venezuela’s Maduro set to appear in US court months after abduction | News

Published by Sam Flores

The Venezuelan leader, who is accused of plotting to traffic cocaine, denies all charges as part of an imperialist plot. Published On 26 Mar 202626 Mar 2026 Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is set to return to a New York courtroom as he seeks to have his drug trafficking indictment dismissed. Thursday marks the first time that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will be in court since a January arraignment at which he protested his abduction by United States military forces and pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, remain jailed at a detention centre in Brooklyn. Neither has requested bail. Judge Alvin Hellerstein has yet to set a trial date, though that could potentially be announced at the hearing. Maduro, who has led Venezuela since 2013, was abducted in Caracas by US special forces on January 3. His lawyer contends that Washington is violating the deposed leader’s constitutional rights by blocking Venezuelan government funds from being used to pay …

Venezuela’s Gas Potential Could Overshadow Its Famous Oil Reserves

Venezuela’s Gas Potential Could Overshadow Its Famous Oil Reserves

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Felicity Bradstock via OilPrice.com, While attention is often on Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, many experts believe that exploiting its natural gas fields, which were previously neglected, presents a more immediate opportunity for economic success. Developing Venezuela’s gas industry will likely require an energy partnership with neighboring Trinidad and Tobago, as the island nation possesses the necessary infrastructure for processing and exporting the fuel that Venezuela lacks. Major international companies like Shell and BP are pursuing key Venezuelan gas projects, such as the Dragon and Cocuina fields, a move facilitated by greater leniency on U.S. sanctions. Following the United States intervention in Venezuela on 3rd January, which brought an end to President Nicolás Maduro’s 13-year dictatorship, all eyes have been on the South American country’s oil industry. Once one of the world’s biggest oil producers, output has waned in recent years. However, with U.S. President Trump setting his sights on Venezuelan crude, many are speculating just how quickly its resources can be tapped. While the focus is on Venezuela’s potential as an oil power, others think that …

Trump and Venezuela’s Rodriguez exchange praise amid oil partnership

Trump and Venezuela’s Rodriguez exchange praise amid oil partnership

Published by Sam Flores

Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez speaks alongside US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum after their meeting at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 4, 2026. FEDERICO PARRA / AFP Delcy Rodriguez’s compliance with US demands has drawn lavish praise from Donald Trump, who had once threatened Venezuela with violence. Writing on his Truth Social account on Wednesday, March 4, he said the interim president was “doing a great job and working with US Representatives very well.” “The Oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both Countries is a very nice thing to see,” he wrote. Rodriguez, for her part, thanked Trump on Telegram for his administration’s “kind willingness to work together for the benefit of the people of the United States and Venezuela.” On Tuesday, Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA announced the signing of new oil contracts with the United States. Since January, PDVSA has already shipped more than 80 million barrels of crude to the United States, according to Trump. The new supply deals come amidst fears of …

More than 200 inmates launch hunger strike to seek benefits under Venezuela’s new amnesty law

More than 200 inmates launch hunger strike to seek benefits under Venezuela’s new amnesty law

Published by Sam Flores

Vigil demanding the release of political prisoners outside Place Rodeo I prison, on the outskirts of Guatire, Venezuela, February 22, 2026. MARYORIN MENDEZ/AFP Two hundred Venezuelan inmates began a hunger strike on Sunday, February 22, to protest their detention conditions and to demand inclusion under the amnesty law passed three days earlier by the National Assembly. The protest started at the Rodeo I penitentiary center, about 40 kilometers to the East of Caracas. “Most of the inmates held here are not covered by the amnesty law,” Shakira Ibarreto, the daughter of a police officer arrested in 2024, told the press. In front of the gates of Rodeo I, as at all prisons in the country, families have been waiting for days for the release of their loved ones. As the political transition following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US special forces on January 3 has progressed slowly, the issue of political prisoners has continued to dominate public debate. According to the non-governmental organization Foro Penal, 464 prisoners have been released since the …

A fragile freedom for Venezuela’s released political prisoners | Human Rights News

A fragile freedom for Venezuela’s released political prisoners | Human Rights News

Published by Sam Flores

A ‘revolving door’ for prisoners? For Armas, the joy of his homecoming has been dulled by the fear of continued persecution. The trouble largely began after he served as an organiser for Venezuela’s opposition during the contested 2024 presidential election. Protesters had denounced the vote as rigged after Maduro’s government failed to provide the official results of the election. The opposition, meanwhile, published evidence suggesting its candidate had won by a considerable margin. That prompted a sweeping government crackdown on dissenters. In December 2024, Armas was arrested. He said he was taken to a house where he was blindfolded, tied to a chair for days and suffocated with a plastic bag. Later, he shared a dingy cell with dozens of other prisoners – and rats. Once he was transferred to El Helicoide, his friends and family had no contact with him for 10 months. His release, however, has not meant freedom. The day he stepped out of prison, he celebrated by joining a motorcycle parade with Juan Pablo Guanipa, a prominent politician who had also …

Spain Urges EU to Lift Sanctions on Venezuela’s Interim President After Amnesty Bill

Spain Urges EU to Lift Sanctions on Venezuela’s Interim President After Amnesty Bill

Published by Sam Flores

MADRID, Feb 20 (Reuters) – Spain’s foreign minister urged ⁠the ⁠European Union on Friday ⁠to lift its sanctions on Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy ​Rodriguez, after lawmakers in the South American country approved a limited amnesty bill for ‌certain prisoners. Rodriguez, who took power ‌last month after the U.S. ouster of President Nicolas Maduro, has ⁠bowed to ⁠Trump administration demands on oil sales and released hundreds of ​people who human rights groups class as political prisoners, as part of a normalisation of relations between the countries. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the EU ​should “send a signal that (Venezuela) is heading down the right path in this ⁠new ⁠phase”. “Sanctions are never an ⁠end in ​themselves. They are a means to achieve ends so that this broad, peaceful ​and democratic dialogue ⁠can take place,” Albares told reporters in Barcelona. Later on Friday, EU Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni declined to directly address Madrid’s proposal, saying: “We do stand ready to use every tool at our disposal in our toolbox to ⁠support a transition towards …