Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela frees several opposition members as prisoner releases continue

Under mounting pressure from the US to free political prisoners, rights group Foro Penal said some 35 political prisoners were released on Sunday and that it was verifying additional cases

From sonar to AI, acoustics is emerging as a decisive weapon of war

If US action in Venezuela and the Ukraine war are anything to go by, acoustics will not merely support military power in future wars - it will shape it

US used secret weapon to disable Venezuelan equipment in Maduro raid: Trump

President Donald Trump said the US used a secret weapon he called "The Discombobulator" to disable Venezuelan equipment when the US captured Nicolas Maduro. Trump also renewed his threat to conduct military strikes on land against drug cartels, including in Mexico. Trump made the comments in an interview Friday with the New York Post. The Republican president was commenting on reports that the US had a pulsed energy weapon and said, "The Discombobulator. I'm not allowed to talk about it." He said the weapon made Venezuelan equipment "not work." "They never got their rockets off. They had Russian and Chinese rockets, and they never got one off," Trump said in the interview. "We came in, they pressed buttons and nothing worked. They were all set for us." Trump had previously said when describing the raid on Maduro's compound that the US had turned off "almost all of the lights in Caracas," but he didn't detail how they accomplished that. The president also indicated the US will con

US hits suspected drug-smuggling vessel in Pacific, first since Maduro raid

The US military said Friday that it has carried out a deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the first known attack since the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month. US Southern Command said on social media that the boat was "engaged in narco-trafficking operations" and that the strike killed two people and left one survivor. It said it notified the Coast Guard to launch search and rescue operations for that person. A video accompanying the post announcing the latest strike shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames. The US military has focused lately on seizing sanctioned oil tankers with connections to Venezuela since the Trump administration launched an audacious raid to capture Maduro and bring him to New York to face drug trafficking charges. With the latest military action, there have been 36 known strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats in South American waters since ..

US to get 50 mn barrels of oil worth $5.2 billion from Venezuela: Trump

After Maduro's capture, Trump had made it clear that Washington would "run" Venezuela during a transition and needs "total access... to the oil and to other things in their country"

Venezuela's acting president urges oil reforms to woo foreign investment

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodrguez used her first state of the union message on Thursday to advocate for opening the crucial state-run oil industry to more foreign investment following the Trump administration's pledge to seize control of Venezuelan crude sales. For the first time, Rodrguez laid out a vision for Venezuela's new political reality one that challenges her government's most deeply rooted beliefs less than two weeks after the United States captured and toppled former President Nicols Maduro. Under pressure from the US to cooperate with its plans for reshaping Venezuela's sanctioned oil industry, she declared that a new policy is being formed in Venezuela and urged the nation's diplomats to tell foreign investors about it. The Trump administration has said it plans to control future oil revenue to ensure it benefits the Venezuelan people. Rodrguez on Thursday painted a picture of money from the oil sales flowing into the national budget to bolster crisis-stricke

'Don't play games' with Trump: US warns Cuba's leaders after Venezuela raid

The Special Forces raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas earlier this month should make Havana take US threats seriously, Jeremy Lewin, a State Department official said

Venezuela seeks closer ties with US while condemning Maduro's fall

One of the first major tests of the Trump-Rodríguez alliance will focus on the oil riches of Venezuela, home to the one of the world's largest proven reserves of the key global commodity

America's new Age of Empire and the costs of unchecked intervention

Trump's hardline moves in Venezuela ignite fears of a new American imperialism, shaking global stability, the rule of law, and trust in US leadership

Venezuela frees significant number of prisoners as gesture to 'seek peace'

Venezuela is releasing a significant number of citizens and foreigners from its prisons in a decision that the head of the country's legislature described Thursday as a gesture to seek peace less than a week after former President Nicols Maduro was captured by US forces to face federal drug-trafficking charges in New York. Jorge Rodrguez, brother of acting President Delcy Rodrguez and head of the National Assembly, did not specify who they would be releasing or how many people would be released. But he said the release of prisoners is happening right now. The Spanish government announced Thursday the release of five Spanish citizens in Caracas. While the embassy is coordinating their return to Spain, officials have not yet specified a departure date. The Penal Forum, a human rights organisation in Venezuela, said that as of December 29, 2025, there were 863 people detained in Venezuela for political reasons. In a post on X, director of the forum, Alfredo Romero, said the liberations

US excluded spy chief Tulsi Gabbard from Maduro plan over her past views

The move to cut Gabbard out of the meetings was so well-known that some White House aides joked that the acronym of her title, DNI, stood for 'Do Not Invite'

Venezuela holds funeral in Caracas for soldiers killed in US operation

Venezuela's military held a funeral in the capital Wednesday for some of the dozens of soldiers killed during the US operation that captured then-President Nicols Maduro. Music from a military orchestra echoed over the cemetery as family members and soldiers marched behind a row of caskets. Men carried the wooden caskets cloaked in the Venezuelan flag past rows of uniformed officers. Thank you for letting them embrace a military career, a military commander, Rafael Murillo, said to families surrounding him at the cemetery on the city's south side. The men were honored with a gun salute as the caskets were lowered into the ground and their loved ones wailed. Armed National Guard members patrolled parts of the cemetery for hours before and during the ceremony that followed an emotional wake. The funeral came a day after acting President Delcy Rodrguez declared a seven-day mourning period for the fallen officers. Venezuela's military has said at least 24 Venezuelan officers were kill

Trump opens new front against China with brazen arrest of Nicolás Maduro

Codified in the White House's National Security Strategy released last month, the plan asserts a unilateral US right to deny rival powers the ability to own or control "strategically vital assets

Operation Absolute Resolve: Inside the night the US captured Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro

A covert mission months in the making. A city plunged into darkness. And a stunning overnight operation that ended with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in US custody.

What's happening in Venezuela after Nicolas Maduro's capture by US forces?

Venezuela is tense after US forces captured Nicolas Maduro; journalists were detained, emergency rules imposed, and Washington has announced plans linked to Venezuelan oil

'He tried to imitate my dance': Trump mocks Maduro after Venezuela raid

In a speech to Republican members of Congress at the Kennedy Centre, Trump described Maduro as a 'violent guy' who had 'killed millions of people'

US to receive 30-50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, says Trump

Trump says Venezuela's interim authorities will hand over 30-50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the US at market price, with proceeds controlled by him, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro

How a trader made $410,000 betting on US capture of Nicolás Maduro

An unidentified trader made over $400,000 by betting on Nicolás Maduro's removal shortly before the US announced its action

Venezuela needs $183 bn till 2040 to boost crude oil output to 3 mbpd

Venezuela produces only about 0.8 per cent of global crude output despite holding 18 per cent of the world's oil reserves, reflecting years of underinvestment and infrastructure constraints