12 h. ago Welsh health board issues update after student nurses left livid

Nursing students at Swansea University were left facing "unemployment, uncertainty and fear"

Society

16 h. ago US military forces seize fifth tanker in effort to control Venezuelan oil

Pre-dawn assault on the Olina oil tanker was carried out by US marines and navy sailors in the Caribbean near TrinidadUS politics live – latest updatesThe US early on Friday boarded another oil tanker, the US military said, as part of efforts to target sanctions-busting vessels traveling to and from Venezuela.US forces were seen in video footage that officials posted online landing on the ship’s deck as the vessel named Olina was seized in the Caribbean near Trinidad. It is the fifth interdiction of such ships in recent weeks, separately from the series of previous US operations since the start of the fall to strike suspected drug boats off the coast of Venezuela. Continue reading...

Events

17 h. ago ‘A more convenient dictatorship’: fear and uncertainty in Venezuela after fall of Maduro

US capture of president gave many Venezuelans hope, but a week on, an even more draconian atmosphere pervades the South American countryUS politics live – latest updatesFreddy Guevara will never forget the 34 excruciating days he spent inside Venezuela’s most notorious political prison after being snatched by masked men from President Nicolás Maduro’s intelligence agency.The black hood, the interrogations, the stress positions, the salsa music his captors blasted at him in an attempt to make him crack. Continue reading...

Politics

2 d. ago Oil prices fall after Trump says Venezuela will send up to 50m barrels to US

Deal would give US president power to sell up to $3bn-worth of crude stranded in tankers and storage facilitiesBusiness live – latest updatesGlobal oil prices have fallen by more than 1% after Donald Trump said Venezuela would hand over 30m to 50m barrels of the country’s blockaded crude to the US.The deal would give the US president the power to sell up to $3bn (£2.2bn) worth of Venezuelan crude stranded in tankers and storage facilities into an already oversupplied global market. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Cubans fear Trump will 'bomb city and kill people' as Havana 'could fall like Venezuela'

Civilians in Cuba are terrified that Trump could carry out attacks on Havana and kill their people, with some fearing that the island could be 'the next Venezuela'

Events

4 d. ago From grudging respect to unease: Russia weighs up fall of Maduro

Reaction to effectiveness of US operation contrasts with loss of key ally for Putin, whose priority remains Ukraine Europe live – latest updatesA surprise raid on the capital in the dead of night, ending with the capture of the country’s leader. By the following day, the invading power announces it will rule the nation for an indefinite period.That was how Vladimir Putin envisaged his full-scale invasion of Ukraine playing out in February 2022. Instead, it was Donald Trump who pulled it off in Venezuela, in an operation condemned by many as illegal, whisking away the Kremlin’s historic ally Nicolás Maduro, who now faces trial in New York. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Gold and defence stocks rise after Trump's Venezuela strikes

Gold and defence stocks are rising this morning after the surprise capture of the Venezuelan president over the weekend.

Politics

3 w. ago The chaotic life of an immigration lawyer in Trump’s America: ‘Some days you break down in tears’

The Guardian followed immigration attorney Milli Atkinson as she pivoted from case to case – and tried to keep herself sane. This is what her typical day looks likeIt’s been a chaotic year in San Francisco immigration court. At least 88 asylum seekers have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at their court hearings. More than half of the immigration judges have been fired. A climate of fear and uncertainty pervades.At the center of it all, immigration attorney Milli Atkinson has been holding things together. She leads the San Francisco Bar Association’s Attorney of the Day program, which provides people from all over Northern California with free legal advice when they show up to immigration court. She also leads San Francisco’s Rapid Response Network, finding legal representation for anyone in the city arrested by ICE. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago US wargames played out scenarios for Maduro’s fall. None of them ended well for Venezuela

Venezuelan politicians battling to end Maduro’s rule reject claims his downfall would thrust their country into maelstrom of bloodshed and retributionNicolás Maduro is chased out of office by a massive popular revolt but the Venezuelan military takes to the streets, turning its guns on the civilians who have brought him down.A palace coup sends Venezuela’s authoritarian leader into exile, sparking a bloody power struggle between members of his disintegrating regime. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Venezuela oil exports reportedly fall sharply after US seizure of tanker

The seizure of the Skipper on Wednesday marked the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019Venezuelan oil exports have reportedly fallen sharply since the US seized a tanker this week and imposed fresh sanctions on shipping companies and vessels doing business with Caracas, according to shipping data, documents and maritime sources.The US seizure of the Skipper tanker off Venezuela’s coast on Wednesday was the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 and marked a sharp escalation in rising tensions between the Trump administration and the government of Nicolás Maduro. Continue reading...

Events