Venezuela

Trump calls Venezuela oil deal 'greatest ever', but US firms raise concerns

President Donald Trump has hailed the US-Venezuela oil accord as a major opportunity, but American oil executives fear the arrangement could sideline them from lucrative projects

Nicolas Maduro, wife seek to end drug charges over head-of-state immunity

Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife asked a judge on Wednesday to dismiss the drug trafficking indictment against them on the grounds that they have immunity as the leader and first lady of a foreign country. In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, lawyers for Maduro said a judge was required by law to reject the indictment because it cannot be brought against a foreign leader. "No American court has ever presided over the criminal trial of a foreign leader who was recognised by their own country as the sitting head of state at the time the charges were brought," the lawyers wrote. "That is not an accident of history. It reflects a rule older than the common law: heads of state are exempt from the criminal process of any national court but their own." Maduro and his wife are scheduled to go on trial on drug trafficking charges next June 1. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein has set oral arguments for November 17 on motions to dismiss the indictment. Maduro, 63, and

Trump says Venezuela 'not ready yet' for elections after Maduro ouster

US President Donald Trump said Venezuela needs more time before holding elections after the capture of Nicolas Maduro, while praising acting President Delcy Rodríguez for doing a "very good job"

US oil giant Chevron confirms it will expand operations in Venezuela

Oil giant Chevron is confirming that it will expand its operations in Venezuela, just days after President Donald Trump announced an ambitious deal to develop the nation's oil reserves and give the Pentagon a stake in the profits. Chevron said Wednesday that it has been assigned additional acreage in the Orinoco Belt, where the company has an established position. Joint venture plans include investing more than USD 7 billion over the next five years, more than doubling production to approximately 6,00,000 barrels a day compared to 2026. "Chevron's history in Venezuela spans more than a century, and our expanded position reflects our confidence in the country's deep resource potential and its ability to compete for investment within our portfolio for decades," CEO Mike Wirth said in a prepared statement. "With improved terms and additional acreage, we are strengthening a portfolio that we believe can deliver attractive low-cost oil growth, support energy supply and create ...

Venezuela oil output to more than double in next few years: US energy chief

Venezuelan oil production peaked ​above 3 million barrels per day in the late ​1990s but plummeted after that on a lack of investment, mismanagement and US sanctions

US plans to get board veto, right of first refusal in Venezuela oil deal

The White House said the US will have first rights to buy 80% of the oil produced by a private operator in Venezuela and veto power over board appointments

ONGC to spend ₹1 trillion on deepwater exploration, drill 87 wells

State-run explorer plans to drill 87 deep and ultra-deepwater wells over five years as it seeks to arrest declining domestic crude oil and natural gas production

US govt to take 35% stake in Venezuelan mogul Betancourt's oil venture

The US also plans to secure preferential rights to purchase 20% ‌of the company's production ​at cost

Trump announces 'biggest oil deal in world history' with Venezuela

The landmark agreement with Venezuela will give the US majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves

US set to take control of major portion of Venezuelan's oil wealth

The plan represents an unparalleled modern-day intervention into another country's economy, harkening back to British government control of Iran's oilfields

Venezuela weighs exit from Opec as US discusses stake in oil fields

Venezuela was one of the five oil producers that founded Opec in 1960 and is widely considered the most influential country in the group's creation

Trump admin in talks with Venezuela to take major stake in oil fields

The Venezuela talks follow the January seizure of strongman Nicolás Maduro by US forces and the installation of more amenable leadership in Caracas

US Treasury pressures Harry Sargeant to divest from Venezuela oil venture

Sargeant served as a vital back channel between Washington and Caracas during years of deep hostility, accumulating outsized influence on both sides

Venezuelans watch fresh government-opposition talks with cautious optimism

Venezuelans are watching the start of a round of US-backed talks between the ruling party and the opposition on Saturday with cautious optimism after several previous negotiations failed to bring reconciliation. The latest talks follow the January capture of then-President Nicolas Maduro by US forces, and will focus on strengthening democracy and restoring rights after nearly three decades of socialist rule. The talks will be led by members of Venezuela's overwhelmingly pro-government National Assembly and a group of former opposition lawmakers who previously attempted to oust Maduro. US officials say they will have a facilitating role. "I hope these people (the government) finally understand that we won't move forward with the usual arbitrary actions; they must respect agreements," said Soraida Martinez, a 58-year-old homemaker. "Both sides need to make concessions for the good of the country." Saturday's meeting comes nearly seven weeks after a gathering in Caracas between Nation

Venezuela quake death toll tops 5K, many missing as relief efforts continue

More than three weeks after twin earthquakes devastated parts of Venezuela, the death toll has climbed to 5,069 as rescue efforts give way to humanitarian relief and reconstruction

Death toll in Venezuela earthquake climbs to 4,333, over 16,700 injured

Authorities said more than 6,400 people have been rescued alive since the twin earthquakes struck on June 24, with recovery efforts continuing across the worst-hit states

Venezuela earthquake death toll rises to 3,535 as rescue efforts continue

Nearly 17,000 people have been injured, 6,500 rescued and 18,000 displaced, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said on Telegram

Why earthquakes of similar magnitude can have very different outcomes

Venezuela and Japan were both rocked by powerful earthquakes on June 24, but why did one suffer widespread destruction while the other escaped with limited damage?

Venezuelans cling to hope as US rebuffs criticisms of govt quake response

Black smoke from fires in flattened buildings and the smell of decomposing bodies spread across ruins Thursday, eight days after Venezuela's devastating earthquakes, while rescue teams pulled on a thread of hope that they might still find survivors trapped beneath the rubble. As officials carried body bags and stacked caskets in the port city of Catia La Mar, joy briefly broke through the pervading misery that has blanketed Venezuela's northern La Guaira on Thursday morning when rescue teams pulled a 43-year-old man out of the rubble he was buried under for nearly eight days. Rescuers from across the Americas had worked for about 100 hours to pull Hernan Alberto Gil Flores from the collapsed shopping mall under which he was buried. Trapped in an air pocket, he'd survived on the water and sustenance rescuers passed him through the rubble. He was pulled out of the ruins on a stretcher and was carried to an ambulance as throngs of people cheered in a rare moment of victory. Thousands

Venezuela turns to private sector to fill state void in earthquake relief

Private businesses are rushing to fill the void from the government's earthquake response, with construction, engineering and other firms deploying heavy machinery, supplies, food across the country