Page 18 - Venezuela

Venezuela releases 7 Americans as US frees 2 prisoners of prez's relatives

Venezuela on Saturday freed seven Americans imprisoned in the South American country in exchange for the release of two nephews of President Nicholas Maduro's wife who had been jailed for years by the United States on drug smuggling convictions, a senior U.S. official said. The swap of the Americans, including five oil executives held for nearly five years, is the largest trade of detained citizens ever carried out by the Biden administration. We are relieved and gratified to be welcoming back to their families today seven Americans who had been wrongfully detained for too long in Venezuela, said Joshua Geltzer, the deputy homeland security adviser. It amounts to a rare gesture of goodwill by Maduro as the socialist leader looks to rebuild relations with the U.S. after vanquishing most of his domestic opponents. The deal follows months of back channel diplomacy by Washington's top hostage negotiator and other U.S. officials secretive talks with a major oil producer that took on ...

US court awards $73 million to family of deceased Venezuelan opponent

A federal judge in Miami has awarded USD 73 million in damages to the family of a prominent opponent of Venezuela's socialist government who died while in custody in what he described as a murder for hire carried out by a criminal enterprise led by President Nicolas Maduro. Fernando Alban was arrested in 2018 upon arrival to the international airport in Caracas from New York, where he was part of a delegation that had denounced Maduro's government on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. He died three days later in what authorities initially described as a suicide jump from the 10th floor of a building belonging to Venezuela's intelligence services. Alban's death provoked international outrage and condemnation from the US. Last year, his widow and two children sued Maduro and several high-ranking members of his government for carrying out the kidnapping, torture and murder of the one-time Caracas councilman. The family accused the men of belonging to the Cartel of t

US migration from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua soars to 56,000 in August

The number of Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans taken into custody at the US border with Mexico soared in August as migrants from Mexico and traditional sending countries were stopped less frequently, authorities said Monday. US authorities stopped migrants from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua about 56,000 times last month, up from 49,826 times in July and 23,141 times in August 2021, according to administration officials. At the same time, fewer migrants were stopped from Mexico and the Central American Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras for a third straight month. Overall, migrants were stopped about 203,000 times. They were stopped 1,99,976 times on the US border with Mexico in July and 2,13,593 times in August 2021. The growing numbers from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, are the latest sign of rapidly changing migration flows as US authorities wrestle with unusually large influxes. While no single reason can be pinpointed, it is extremely ...

Venezuela rearrests brother of former oil czar Ramirez in corruption probe

Venezuela has thrown back in prison the brother of the country's former oil czar as part of an ongoing investigation into a multi-billion dollar embezzlement scheme at the state-run oil company. Fidel Ramirez was arrested last Wednesday after failing to appear in court as required by the terms of his bail, Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab said in a brief interview Sunday with The Associated Press. Ramirez was originally arrested in early 2018 for his alleged involvement in a decade-old scheme to siphon to a bank account in the tiny European country of Andorra USD 2 billion from state-run oil giant PDVSA. At the time of the alleged crimes, PDVSA was under the direction of his brother, former Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez, a harsh critic of the socialist government he once served. Specifically, Fidel Ramirez is accused of amassing 250,000 euros at an account at Banca Privada d'Andorra, or BPA, stemming from allegedly fraudulent medical services he billed PDVSA through tw

Venezuela will be guarantor in Colombian peace talks: President Maduro

Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro on Tuesday said his government will act as a guarantor in peace talks between Colombia's government and the National Liberation Army rebel group that are slated to begin later this year. Maduro said on national television that he had accepted a request by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to take on the diplomatic role, adding that his socialist government was interested in fomenting peace, security and stability in Colombia and throughout the continent. Previous peace talks between the Colombian government and rebel groups have included the participation of guarantor nations that have acted as observers of the negotiations and supported both sides with logistics. Venezuela was a guarantor nation in a previous round of negotiations between Colombia and the National Liberation Army, or ELN, that began in 2016. But the Colombian government asked the Maduro administration to step down from that role in 2018, as political tensions increased between the

Venezuelan prez Nicolas Maduro says border with Colombia to reopen Sep 26

"I am very happy to announce that as of #26Sep we will jointly open the borders between Venezuela and Colombia," Maduro posted on Twitter on Friday

Will join Russia oil cap coalition when alternative supply is ensured: Govt

India has said it will consider backing the price cap on Russian crude oil proposed by the US only when it will be assured of supplies from Venezuela and Iran

Venezuela's armed forces make largest marijuana bust of 2.8 MT in a decade

The armed forces of Venezuela announced on Monday what they characerised as the largest marijuana bust of the last 10 years in the South American country. Members of the armed forces on Saturday intercepted a vessel carrying more than 3.1 US tons (2.8 metric tons) of marijuana, almost 18 pounds (8 kg) of cocaine and extra outboard boat motors off Venezuela's Caribbean coast, said Gen. Domingo Hernndez, general commander of the Operational Strategic Command of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces. He added that the vessel had departed Colombia and was en route to the island of Martinique. Twelve men travelling on the boat were arrested. Hernndez said all are Venezuelans and were working for the Colombia-based Cartel of the Guajira. Nearly 6,293 pounds (2,857 kilos) of marijuana were seized from the boat, which lacked identification and had seven extra motors as well as 33 large storage containers with fuel and a satellite phone. The arrests and seizure were part of special operatio

Colombia, Venezuela re-establish full diplomatic ties after 3 years

Colombia's new leftist President Gustavo Petro and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro had announced they would restore diplomatic relations earlier in the month

Russian oil firm shuffles Venezuela assets as sanctions bite: Report

A Russian oil company used to provide a workaround to U.S. oil trading sanctions on Venezuela is scrabbling to avoid another set of sanctions, documents show

India hopes for oil from Iran, Venezuela; higher OPEC output to cool prices

It will also evaluate the Russian offer to sell crude oil at discounted prices after considering aspects such as insurance and freight required to move the fuel from the non-traditional supplier

Pariahs no more? US reaches out to oil states as global fuel prices rise

Three checkered oil regimes that President Joe Biden and past US leaders have spectacularly snubbed Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran are now targets of US outreach

Russia won't rule out military deployment to Cuba, Venezuela

The negotiations in Geneva and Wednesday's NATO-Russia meeting in Vienna failed to narrow the gap on Moscow's security demands amid a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine

Venezuela surpasses 1 million barrels of crude produced per day

State-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela exceeded one million barrels of crude produced per day at the end of 2021, double what it recorded a year ago, the country's Oil Minister announced

Venezuela President Maduro brands EU electoral observers 'spies'

Local and regional elections enjoyed better conditions than during previous voting, the EU mission said on Tuesday

Thousands of Venezuelan musicians set world's largest orchestra record

Thousands of Venezuelan musicians, most of them children and adolescents, have earned the title of the world's largest orchestra. The record was set by 8,573 musicians. Guinness World Records in a video released Saturday announced that the musicians, all connected to the country's network of youth orchestras, earned the designation with a performance a week earlier of Tchaikovsky's Slavonic March". The musicians, ranging in age from 12 to 77, attempted the record during a patriotic concert at a military academy in the capital of Caracas. To set the record, more than 8,097 had to be tallied playing at the same time during a five-minute period of Tchaikovsky's piece. The network of orchestras known as El Sistema, or The System, assembled some 12,000 musicians for the concert. The repertoire included Venezuela by Pablo Herrero and Jose Luis Armenteros, the South American country's national anthem and Pedro Gutierrez's Alma Llanera, which Venezuelans consider their unofficial anthem.

Swiss banks faulted over violating money laundering with Venezuela clients

Switzerland's financial markets watchdog on Thursday said it has reprimanded and set restrictions on two Swiss banks for violating their obligation to fight money laundering in connection with clients in Venezuela, notably with links to state-run oil giant PDVSA. Banca Zarattini & Co. SA and CBH Compagnie Bancaire Helvetique SA were found to have breached their duties to put in place adequate risk-management policy, which represented a serious infringement of supervisory law, the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Agency, FINMA, said in a statement. FINMA said it was in contact with more than 30 Swiss banks over alleged cases of corruption with regard to Venezuela, and in particular PDVSA. It ultimately opened enforcement proceedings the highest level of scrutiny possible at the authority and wrongdoing was found at five banks including Julius Baer and Credit Suisse. The authority said the announcement Thursday ends all enforcement proceedings against banks with regard to ...

Helicopter carrying Colombia's prez, senior officials attacked, all safe

Colombian President Ivn Duque said a helicopter carrying him and several senior officials came under fire in southern Catatumbo region, in a rare instance of a direct attack on a presidential aircraft

Roberto Firmino out and Paquet in for Brazil's Copa America opener

Brazil is starting Lucas Paquet up front instead of the experienced Roberto Firmino against Venezuela in their Copa America opener on Sunday, coach Tite said.

Venezuelan oil, masked as Malaysian, rushes into China before fuel tax

China has over the past 12 months bought an estimated $3.5 billion worth of Venezuelan oil relabelled as Malaysian fuel