10 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

11 h. ago How US actions in Venezuela and beyond could spell opportunity for China

America’s military action in Venezuela and President Donald Trump’s talk of owning Greenland are stoking concerns that the United States is dismantling the rules-based global order. But this could also be a diplomatic opening for China as it tries to portray itself, in contrast, as a more responsible and stabilising power. Analysts said while this aligned with Beijing’s push to strengthen ties with its neighbours – a strategic move as its rivalry with Washington has intensified – concrete...

Politics

49 h. ago Trump’s Moves on Venezuela and Greenland Follow the Same Strategy, Says Chinese Scholar

Trump’s Moves on Venezuela and Greenland Follow the Same Strategy, Says Chinese Scholar  The China-Global South Project

Politics

51 h. ago Venezuela’s Machado says she ‘presented’ her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday even as he has questioned her credibility to take over her country after the US ousted leader Nicolas Maduro. The Nobel Institute has said Machado could not give her prize to Trump, an honour that he has coveted. Even if it the gesture proves to be purely symbolic, it was extraordinary given that Trump has effectively sidelined Machado, who has...

Politics

54 h. ago Washington completes first sale of Venezuelan oil in US$500 million deal, says US official

The United States has finalised a sale of Venezuelan oil – the first since Washington took control of the sector following the toppling of Nicolas Maduro, a US official told Agence France-Presse on Thursday. According to the official, who did not identify the buyer, the deal is worth US$500 million, and additional sales could take place in the coming days or weeks. “President Trump brokered a historic energy deal with Venezuela, immediately following the arrest of narcoterrorist Nicolas Maduro,...

Economics

59 h. ago US seizes sixth sanctioned tanker as it tightens grip on Venezuela’s oil

US forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader US effort to take control of the South American country’s oil. The US Coast Guard boarded the tanker, named Veronica, early Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media. The ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of US President Donald Trump’s “established quarantine of...

Events

3 d. ago Trump prevails in US Senate showdown over Venezuela war powers

US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign to unify his party behind his takeover of Venezuela succeeded Wednesday when all but three Senate Republicans voted to block a resolution opposing further military action in the country. US Vice-President J.D. Vance broke a tie vote in order to stop the resolution. The 51-50 vote followed fiery phone calls from Trump to Republican defectors who last week voted to advance the resolution. Trump’s success in flipping votes effectively ends one of the...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump praises Venezuela’s ‘terrific’ interim president after call

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had held a “long call” with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez, the first known contact between the two leaders since the ousting of Nicolas Maduro. “We just had a great conversation today, and she’s a terrific person,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He later said on social media that he and Rodriguez had discussed “many topics”, including oil, minerals, trade and national security. “We are making tremendous progress,” Trump...

Politics

3 d. ago China’s Rare Earth ‘Monopoly’ — and Why Markets Will Break It

China’s Rare Earth ‘Monopoly’ — and Why Markets Will Break It  The Daily Economy

Politics

3 d. ago Trump's playbook on Greenland, Venezuela, and Iran is about taking on China, analysts say

Trump's playbook on Greenland, Venezuela, and Iran is about taking on China, analysts say  CNBC

Politics

3 d. ago China's 2025 rare earth exports hit highest since at least 2014 despite restrictions

China's 2025 rare earth exports hit highest since at least 2014 despite restrictions  Reuters

Events

4 d. ago China slams ‘illegal’ US decision to impose tariffs on states engaging with Iran

China slams ‘illegal’ US decision to impose tariffs on states engaging with Iran  thecradle.co

Events

4 d. ago Harvard Study Says China's Rare Earth Restrictions Drive Innovation Abroad

Harvard Study Says China's Rare Earth Restrictions Drive Innovation Abroad  NDTV

Transport

4 d. ago What are the implications of China’s latest rare earth export restrictions on Japan?

What are the implications of China’s latest rare earth export restrictions on Japan?  Benchmark Source

Politics

4 d. ago Bessent, allies discuss diversifying rare earth supply chains away from China

Bessent, allies discuss diversifying rare earth supply chains away from China  Seeking Alpha

Politics

4 d. ago China’s position on maintaining stability, security of critical mineral supply chains unchanged: FM on G7 Finance Ministers' request to reduce China rare earth dependence

China’s position on maintaining stability, security of critical mineral supply chains unchanged: FM on G7 Finance Ministers' request to reduce China rare earth dependence  Global Times

Politics

4 d. ago Congress slams BJP over China meet as Beijing stakes claim on J&K's Shaksgam Valley

Congress slams BJP over China meet as Beijing stakes claim on J&K's Shaksgam Valley  India Today

Politics

5 d. ago Trump sets meeting with Machado as Venezuela frees more prisoners

Washington announced Monday that Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado will meet US President Donald Trump this week as pressure grew on the interim leadership in Caracas to speed up the release of political prisoners. Machado has been sidelined by Washington since US forces seized long-term authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3 and the Trump administration announced it would be “running” Venezuela. Disregarding Machado and her understudy Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Trump...

Events

5 d. ago 2 supertankers sailing to pick up Venezuelan oil for China make U

Two China-flagged supertankers that were sailing to Venezuela to pick up debt-paying crude cargoes amid the US oil embargo on the Opec country have made U-turns and are now heading back to Asia, LSEG shipping data showed on Monday. Following the US announcement last week of a US$2 billion deal to export up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil stuck in storage, US President Donald Trump said China would not be deprived of Venezuela’s crude. But the Asian country, the first market of the...

Events

5 d. ago Cuba’s Diaz say ‘no conversations’ with US after Trump threats amid Venezuela tensions

Cuba’s leader said on Monday there were “no conversations” with the United States, after US President Donald Trump urged the communist-ruled island to “make a deal” or pay the price. “There are no conversations with the US government except for technical contacts in the area of migration,” Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote on social media after Trump said the nations were in talks following the US military toppling of Havana’s leftist ally Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela. Díaz-Canel wrote that for “relations...

Events