In a conversation that even surprised regional allies, Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Nicolás Maduro held their first phone call of the year. The Brazilian president expressed his concern over the US military presence in the Caribbean and made clear his willingness to facilitate a “political way out amid increasing pressures from Donald Trump.”
Russia and Belarus are doubling down on their support for the Venezuelan leader amid increasing signs that he might seek refuge abroad, as Washington deploys forces to the Caribbean and Donald Trump warns that Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered.”
In its latest report, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) showed that Venezuela’s crude oil production fell by 2.8% to 934,000 barrels per day in November, according to “secondary sources.”
Donald Trump confirmed that US forces confiscated a “large oil tanker” off the coast of Venezuela. The operation, initially revealed by Bloomberg, represents a significant escalation in the bilateral conflict and threatens to further complicate Venezuelan crude exports, at a time of increasing military pressure and sanctions. The incident coincides with the day María Corina Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize.
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony was marked by the absence of the laureate,María Corina Machado, whose daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, read the acceptance speech on her behalf. The reading took place hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that Machado had left Venezuela for Curaçao by boat, in an operation that—according to U.S. officials cited by the outlet—was organized to ensure her safety. The Bloomberg agency added that it involved internal collaboration from officials linked to the administration of Nicolás Maduro.
Cardinal Baltazar Porras, who was the Archbishop of Mérida and later of Caracas, denounced that officials prevented him from travelling…
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that the Venezuelan economy will end the year 6.9% above 2024 levels, while inflation could reach 500%.
In a time of growing hemispheric tension, Qatar expressed its readiness to intervene as a mediator between the United States and Venezuela if requested, while Brazil warned of the risk that any U.S. military intervention could lead to a prolonged conflict in South America. Simultaneously, Türkiye and Venezuela agreed to reestablish the Turkish Airlines air route, suspended after the U.S. warning regarding Venezuelan airspace.
Various opposition actors and human rights defenders lamented the event through social networks, in addition to questioning the conditions of…
The IACHR and UN Experts Point to Human Rights Violations in U.S. Operations, While Congress Members Promote Resolutions to Prevent…
