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Relief had been granted after president Nicolás Maduro promised to hold free and fair elections this yearThe Biden administration has reimposed crushing oil sanctions on Venezuela, admonishing the president Nicolás Maduro’s attempts to consolidate his rule just six months after the US eased restrictions in a bid to support now fading hopes for a democratic opening in the Opec nation.A senior US official, discussing...

Tareck El Aissami latest in purge of politicians, human rights advocates and critics by government of Nicolás MaduroVenezuela’s former oil minister Tareck El Aissami – once one of President Nicolás Maduro’s closest allies – has been arrested for allegedly participating in an international scheme that syphoned off hundreds of millions of dollars from the country’s state oil company.The charges against El Aissami are part...

Detention of influencer Oscar Alejandro Pérez at Caracas airport en route to southern national park raises free speech concerns A popular Venezuelan YouTuber has been arrested in Caracas on terrorism charges as President Nicolás Maduro’s government steps up its crackdown on free speech ahead of upcoming elections.Oscar Alejandro Pérez was detained in the capital’s main airport on Sunday by police on accusations of terrorism,...

Former PM’s meeting with President Maduro, in capacity as hedge fund consultant, is under further scrutinyLabour is demanding answers over what the party said was “potentially serious impropriety” by Boris Johnson after it emerged that the former prime minister met the Venezuelan president in his role as a consultant for a hedge fund.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said in a letter to...

Corina Yoris will now take on Nicolás Maduro in presidential election in July after Maria Corina Machado stepped asideVenezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has named her replacement to take on President Nicolás Maduro in the country’s presidential election in July, after the arrest of two of Machado’s close aides.The naming of Corina Yoris, 80, as the opposition’s candidate comes after Venezuela’s attorney general...

Maria Corina Machado’s campaign manager and eight others accused of involvement in a violent anti-government conspiracyVenezuela’s top prosecutor has announced arrest warrants for the presidential campaign manager of the prominent opposition figure María Corina Machado and eight other of her staffers, accusing them of involvement in a violent anti-government conspiracy.The attorney general, Tarek William Saab, said in a nationally televised news conference on Wednesday...

Former PM apparently met autocratic leader Nicolás Maduro over concerns he may supply weapons to RussiaBoris Johnson flew to Venezuela in February for unofficial talks with its autocratic leader, Nicolás Maduro, according to reports.The former prime minister spoke to the Venezuelan president about the war in Ukraine, amid concerns that the socialist republic could supply weapons or military support to Russia, according to the...

Benefits for Latin American host nations could be greater still if access to jobs for migrants were increased, research showsAn exodus of nearly 8 million Venezuelan migrants who have fled poverty and political turmoil is boosting the economies of other countries across South America, two studies published by leading international financial institutions have found.The foreign workforce will lift the economies of their main host...

Fears Maduro government is trying to shut down scrutiny after lawyer is arrested and UN human rights office shut downHuman rights groups are calling for the Venezuelan government to halt a crackdown on civil society after it jailed a prominent lawyer and then banished a UN human rights office from Caracas for criticising her arrest.The arrest of the 57-year-old lawyer and military expert Rocío...

Foreign minister claims local office of UN high commissioner for human rights supported impunity for coup plottersVenezuela’s government has ordered the local UN office on human rights to suspend operations, giving its staff 72 hours to leave, after accusing the office of promoting opposition to the South American country.The foreign affairs minister, Yván Gil, announced the decision at a news conference in Caracas on...

Aerial evidence follows months of President Nicolás Maduro ramping up claim to Essequibo regionVenezuela is expanding military bases near its border with Guyana and deploying forces to the jungle frontier as President Nicolás Maduro ramps up his threats to annex the country’s oil-rich neighbour, satellite images have revealed.Maduro pledged at mediation talks in December not to take military action against his neighbour but images...

President of ExxonMobil Guyana confirms plan to drill two new wells off Atlantic coast as territorial dispute simmersExxonMobil has insisted it will explore for oil in a region bitterly contested by Guyana and Venezuela, despite the dangers that the move is likely to escalate tensions between the two South American neighbors.Relations between the two countries have reached an all-time low in recent months following...