On August 8, a Venezuelan court authorized the extradition of Leonid Zakamaldin, a blogger and activist originally from Chelyabinsk, Russia, who is accused in his home country of treason and incitement to extremism. His defense team, which announced it will appeal the decision, has also begun procedures to request political asylum in Venezuela.
The state of economic emergency began this April. Photo: Social media. Guacamaya, August 11, 2025. The Venezuelan government announced this…
The Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Mame Mandiaye Niang, met this Thursday in The Hague with Venezuela’s Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as part of the follow-up on open cases related to the situation in the South American country. While the Prosecutor’s Office reaffirmed its intention to advance investigations into possible crimes under its jurisdiction, Caracas reiterated its willingness to cooperate and denounced the lethal impact of international sanctions.
The Sectoral Vice President of Politics, Citizen Security, and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, announced this Thursday the dismantling of an alleged plan to detonate explosives in downtown Caracas. According to authorities, the operation was carried out last Sunday and led to the capture of 15 individuals, including one citizen detained in Colombia.
On the anniversary of the 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia, marking 17 years since the brief but decisive war that transformed the geopolitics of the Caucasus, it is worth revising Venezuela’s role in this scenario. Since 2008, Caracas has maintained a clear stance aligned with Moscow, recognizing the independence of the republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and providing political support to Russia amid its tensions with the West.
In its Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2025, ECLAC warns that the region is going through a phase of lower dynamism following the rebound seen at the beginning of 2024. Regional GDP growth will decline from 2.3% in 2024 to 2.2% this year, confirming a decade of low growth with an average expansion of just 1.2% between 2016 and 2025—even lower than that recorded in the 1980s.
In a coordinated move against the trade of sanctioned crude, Malaysia has imposed strict regulations on illegal oil transfers in its waters, while Panama has closed its doors to high-risk, aging vessels. Although pressure on the so-called “shadow fleet” is increasing, historical experience shows that such measures often face structural limitations and the constant reinvention of evasion networks.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+), headed by Saudi Arabia and Russia, approved a new crude production increase of 547,000 barrels per day (bpd) this Sunday, effective September. With this move, the coalition finalizes the reversal of the voluntary cuts of 2.2 million barrels per day (mbd) implemented in 2023, completing the process in half the time initially planned.
The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) determined that there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that Prosecutor Karim Khan was involved in a conflict of interest in the investigation into crimes against humanity in Venezuela, due to family and professional ties with a lawyer who has represented the government of Nicolás Maduro. Khan has three weeks to formally recuse himself, in accordance with Rule 35 of the Court’s Regulations.
The crisis in the Red Sea has taken a new turn. Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced the expansion of their naval blockade against Israel, declaring that they will attack any vessel with commercial ties to Israeli ports, regardless of its flag or destination. This decision, made after the breakdown of peace talks in Doha, increases the risk to maritime traffic along a route that handles approximately one trillion dollars in goods annually.
