9 h. ago Before Maduro’s capture in Venezuela, US spoke with minister who is his loyal ally

Trump administration officials had been in discussions with Venezuela’s hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello months before the US operation to seize the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, and have been in communication with him since then, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The officials warned Cabello, 62, against using the security services or militant ruling-party supporters overseen by him to target the country’s opposition, four sources said. That security...

Politics

3 d. ago Win or lose, Trump’s fossil fuel gamble crowns China the clean

Win or lose, Trump’s fossil fuel gamble crowns China the clean-energy king  Reuters

Politics

4 d. ago Why China may not act in Iran even though it has ‘more to lose’ than in Venezuela

China has “more to lose” compared with Venezuela if Iran’s rulers should fall, according to diplomatic observers, but it is expected to avoid direct intervention. The country is facing a wave of anti-government protests fuelled by economic hardship in which hundreds, if not thousands, of protesters are thought to have been killed. US President Donald Trump has said he was looking at “some very strong options” and this week announced a new set of tariffs targeting countries that maintained...

Politics

4 d. ago Why China may not act in Iran even if it has ‘more to lose’ than in Venezuela

Why China may not act in Iran even if it has ‘more to lose’ than in Venezuela  South China Morning Post

Politics

4 d. ago China to Cut VAT Rebates on Lithium Batteries: Who Wins & Who Loses?

China to Cut VAT Rebates on Lithium Batteries: Who Wins & Who Loses?  Yahoo Finance

Politics

5 d. ago China’s fight against corruption is a battle we can’t afford to lose, Xi says

China’s fight against corruption is a battle we can’t afford to lose, Xi says  South China Morning Post

Events

6 d. ago Could China execute a special forces operation like the US precision Maduro abduction?

The extreme precision of the US in its Venezuelan operation shows why nations must be able to execute a complex special surgical strike, according to analysts who said China had long pursued the capability but had yet to master it. In a complex joint endeavour integrating its air force, navy, intelligence agencies and space and cyber units, the US military’s elite Delta Force special mission unit completed its precision raid in Caracas – from infiltration to exfiltration – in less than three...

Politics

8 d. ago Argentina repays US emergency loan, boosting Trump’s economic strategy in Latin America

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Friday that Argentina has fully repaid an emergency currency loan that generated “tens of millions” in profit for American taxpayers while stabilising a key regional ally. In a social media post, Bessent praised Argentinian President Javier Milei’s economic reforms and said the successful intervention demonstrated that US President Donald Trump’s “Peace Through Economic Strength” policy was at work in Latin America. Argentina faced a severe...

Economics

8 d. ago Venezuela’s Oil, China’s Money: Is Beijing the Real Loser After Maduro's Capture?

Venezuela’s Oil, China’s Money: Is Beijing the Real Loser After Maduro's Capture?  Asianet Newsable

Politics

9 d. ago Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

The US removal of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro from power has reverberated far beyond Latin America. In Pyongyang, where regime survival is the paramount concern and every US action is scrutinised for hostile intent, the deposing of a sitting head of state sends an unmistakable message: dialogue with Washington is a dangerous gamble, and only nuclear weapons guarantee survival. The Venezuela operation may have killed the prospects for meaningful US-North Korea diplomacy in 2026 before they even...

Events

9 d. ago Macron slams US for ‘breaking free’ from global rules after Maduro raid, Greenland threat

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that the United States was “breaking free from international rules”, and “gradually turning away” from some of its allies. Macron delivered his annual speech to French ambassadors at the Elysee Palace as European powers are scrambling to come up with a coordinated response to US assertive foreign policy in the western hemisphere following Washington’s capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro and Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland. “The...

Politics

9 d. ago Why US move against Maduro unlikely to drive China from Latin America

The US decision to raid Venezuela, detain its President Nicolas Maduro and bring him to the United States, ostensibly on drug trafficking charges, will have serious downstream effects, but of what variety? US President Donald Trump has already sent ominous warnings to other Latin American countries whose leaders oppose all or parts of his agenda – from Colombia to Cuba to Mexico – and threatened Maduro’s successor with similar, or worse, treatment if she does not cooperate. Does this suggest...

Politics

1 week ago AI deepfakes flood social media after dramatic US raid on Maduro

From AI deepfakes to recycled, outdated images, a surge of visual misinformation has inundated social media platforms after US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a stunning raid on his Caracas home. Collectively racking up millions of views, the fake or misleading posts underscore a new digital reality in which hyperrealistic misinformation competes for attention with – and often drowns out – authentic images and videos following major news events. Soon after Maduro’s capture,...

Events

1 week ago US intervention shifts Venezuelan oil control, China loses ground

US intervention shifts Venezuelan oil control, China loses ground  Anadolu Ajansı

Politics

1 week ago Japan nuclear agency worker loses phone with confidential data in China

Japan nuclear agency worker loses phone with confidential data in China  BBC

Events

1 week ago Venezuela’s Maduro copied my dance – but Melania hates it, Trump says

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Nicolas Maduro of imitating his dancing, among other crimes, as he celebrated the capture of the Venezuelan leader in a freewheeling speech to Republican lawmakers. Trump’s comments come after a New York Times report that Maduro’s regular public dancing in defiance of US threats convinced White House officials that it was time to act. “He gets up there and he tries to imitate my dance a little bit,” Trump told lawmakers at the Kennedy Centre in...

Politics

1 week ago China loses key regional ally and oil source in Maduro’s ouster

China loses key regional ally and oil source in Maduro’s ouster  Washington Times

Politics

1 week ago Chinese firm owner in Venezuela warns of spillover after Maduro’s abduction

Eight years after leaving Venezuela, David Hou, a native of southern China’s Guangdong province, returned last year, pleased to find what he described as an improved economic environment. That optimism is now shrouded in uncertainty after the United States abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on allegations of narcoterrorism and possessing “destructive devices” – charges he has firmly rejected. While the full impact has yet to be felt, the situation is “making people anxious and very...

Events

1 week ago Capture of Maduro by US means Russia, Iran and China lose key ally

Capture of Maduro by US means Russia, Iran and China lose key ally  France 24

Politics

1 week ago BBC journalists reportedly told to avoid saying US ‘kidnapped’ Venezuelan leader Maduro

BBC journalists have reportedly been instructed not to describe America’s abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as a “kidnapping”, according to a British newspaper columnist. The editorial instruction was unveiled by Owen Jones on Monday, a commentator with more than a million followers on a social media platform. Jones said a memo from BBC management had been passed to him. According to an image Jones uploaded with his post, the guidelines told BBC’s journalists to use “captured” when...

Politics