Nicolas Maduro

Tanker seizure just the start of Trump's pressure campaign on Venezuela

The seizure spooked oil markets and comes after President Donald Trump ordered a massive US military build-up in the region that has raised fears of outright conflict

US has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, says Trump

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela amid mounting tensions with the government of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. It is the Trump administration's latest push to increase pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the United States. "We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela -- a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually," Trump told reporters at the White House. Trump said "other things are happening," but did not offer additional details, saying he would speak more about it later. The seizure was carried led by the US Coast Guard led effort and supported by the Navy, according to a US official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A day earlier, the US military flew a pair of fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela in what appeared to be the closest that warplanes had come to the South American country's

Venezuelan opposition leader Machado to miss Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will miss the ceremony to award her the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Wednesday, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute said. Machado last appeared in public 11 months ago. Nobel Institute director Kristian Berg Harpviken told public broadcaster NRK the Venezuelan opposition leader was not in the Norwegian capital on the day of the ceremony, and her daughter will accept the prize on Machado's behalf. We confirm that she will not attend the Nobel ceremony, but we are optimistic about her presence on the rest of the day's agenda, said Machado's spokesperson, Claudia Macero. She did not give information on Machado's current location. Prominent Latin American figures planned to attend Wednesday's ceremony in a signal of solidarity with Machado, including Argentine President Javier Milei, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino and Paraguayan President Santiago Pena. Machado has been living in hiding and h

Trump downplays Venezuelan airspace warning as US mulls new steps

The US is enacting a widening campaign in the Caribbean, one that began with fatal strikes on boats in international waters and continued when the US deployed additional Navy ships

Venezuela mobilises troops, militia amid US military buildup in Caribbean

President Nicolás Maduro positioned forces along the Caribbean coast and called up civilian militias as tensions rise over Washington's escalating operations in the region

Venezuela shuts embassy in Norway after Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by an independent committee appointed by Norway's parliament, which is not related to the Executive's foreign affairs policy

Nobel winner vilified by Maduro vows to continue her fight for Venezuela

Machado's prize is unlikely to help improve the circumstances for her supporters and opposition leaders, whose ranks have thinned under a brutal crackdown that's sent many to jail or into exile

Maduro vows to declare 'republic in arms' if US forces attack Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro on Monday said he would constitutionally declare a republic in arms if the South American country were attacked by forces that the United States government has deployed to the Caribbean. His comments during a news conference come as the US government this week is set to boost its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels. The US has not signalled any planned land incursion by the thousands of personnel being deployed. Still, Maduro's government has responded by deploying troops along its coast and border with neighbouring Colombia, as well as by urging Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia. In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defence of Venezuela, Maduro said of the deployment, which he characterised as an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat. The US Navy now has two Aegis guided-missile ...

US poised to order more companies to cease operations in Venezuela

Stopping the companies from working in Venezuela will be a blow to the nation's beleaguered economy, putting pressure on Maduro as Trump pushes for a deal over democratic reforms

Venezuela President releases 103 imprisoned since disputed July election

After Presidential election, thousands of protesters flooded the streets in cities like the capital Caracas, and the opposition released data it said showed Gonzalez won handily against Maduro

Experts legitimise tally sheets Venezuela Oppn provided, shows Maduro lost

An independent group of election experts that observed Venezuela's July presidential election on Wednesday legitimised the vote tally sheets the opposition has offered as proof of President Nicolas Maduro's defeat, telling the Organization of American States the electronic balloting system worked and the ruling party as well as other stakeholders "know the truth". The assertions from an expert with the US-based Carter Center came during a session convened by members of the regional body to address the dispute that emerged from Venezuela's presidential election. The group was one of the two independent panels that the government invited to observe the vote on July 28, which electoral authorities claimed -- without offering any proof -- favoured Maduro. The dispute has centred on thousands of tally sheets known as actas -- printouts that resemble shopping receipts -- that have long been considered the ultimate proof of election results in Venezuela. Each of the 30,000 electronic voti

Venezuela's Oppn ex-candidate says forced to sign letter that admits defeat

Venezuela's former opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, on Wednesday said he was coerced into signing a letter effectively recognising his defeat in July's presidential election, which electoral authorities claim was won by President Nicolas Maduro. The revelation of the letter is the latest strain to the country's political crisis, which was exacerbated by the disputed election results and Gonzalez's recent departure for exile in Spain. Gonzalez and the Unitary Platform coalition he represented on July 28 claim they defeated Maduro by a wide margin. The document states it was meant to be confidential, but Jorge Rodriguez, head of the National Assembly and Maduro's chief negotiator, presented it during a nationally televised press conference hours after a local news outlet published parts of it. The letter shows Gonzalez as the sender and is addressed to Rodriguez, who signed it as recipient. Rodriguez told reporters Gonzalez signed the letter of his own volition. Gonzalez, ...

Venezuela Oppn calls on US to cancel oil firm licences to pressure Maduro

Venezuela's main opposition coalition on Monday called on the US to cancel the licenses that allow Chevron and other energy companies to operate in the South American country to pressure President Nicols Maduro to negotiate a transition from power. The appeal came from an adviser to the campaign of Edmundo Gonzlez Urrutia, who represented the Unitary Platform coalition in the July 28 election, and his main backer, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Gonzlez and Machado claim their campaign won the vote by a wide margin, contradicting the decision of national electoral authorities to declare Maduro the winner. We want them cancelled this is a lifeline to the regime, adviser Rafael de la Cruz said in reference to the licenses during a panel discussion hosted by a Washington-based think tank. We want all the oil companies to go to Venezuela. So, it's not about the companies. It's about the situation that is impoverishing the country so badly that practically the whole population ..

Venezuelan Oppn still hopes to unseat Maduro despite Gonzalez's exile

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado tried to reassure supporters Monday that her coalition still hopes to gain control of the presidency despite the departure into exile of their candidate Edmundo Gonzlez Urrutia. Machado's group maintains that it has evidence that Gonzlez won the July 28 presidential election by a wide margin against Venezuela's authoritarian incumbent president, Nicols Maduro, despite his claim to have won. Machado told an online meeting Monday of opposition leaders, reporters and others that her group still hopes to see Maduro leave office in January, even if for voters those hopes seem increasingly tenuous since Gonzlez's decision to flee into exile to Spain over the weekend. She said the former diplomat could fulfill the role of opposition candidate with much greater protection and security from abroad. She herself has gone into hiding in the weeks since the election, while Maduro's government has arrested more than 2,000 people and cracked down o

Elon Musk vs the world: Fights the tech titan has been picking up globally

Maduro to Zelensky: Here are all the world leaders Elon Musk has clashed with

White House walks back Biden comment on renewed Venezuelan election

Responding to Biden's remarks later Thursday, Maduro said he "completely and absolutely rejects that the US government intends to become the electoral authority of Venezuela or any other place

Venezuela Prez Maduro suspends X for 10 days after exchange with Elon Musk

President Nicolas Maduro said he has ordered a 10-day block on access to X in Venezuela, accusing the owner Elon Musk of using the social network to promote hatred after the country's disputed presidential election. Associated Press journalists in Caracas found that by Thursday night posts had stopped loading on X on two private telephone services and state-owned Movilnet. Elon Musk is the owner of X and has violated all the rules of the social network itself, said Maduro in a speech following a march by pro-government groups. Maduro alleged Musk has incited hatred. Maduro also accused the social network of being used by his opponents to create political unrest. Venezuela's president said he had signed a resolution with the proposal made by CONATEL, the National Telecommunications Commission, which has decided to remove the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, from circulation in Venezuela for 10 days so that they can present their documents. Maduro did not provide more ...

Nicolas Maduro accuses Venezuela opposition of planning armed attack

The US has said it's clear the opposition won the most votes, a position shared by several countries

Venezuela election dispute traps travellers trying to leave country

The lack of options is stranding Venezuelans who live abroad but returned to vote in the July 28 election

Biden, Lula press Venezuela to publish election tallies to end crisis

In Venezuela, protesters took to streets, waving flags and demanding President Nicolas Maduro acknowledge he lost Sunday's election to an opposition that claimed it clinched a landslide victory