US reimposes oil sanctions on Venezuela as hopes for a fair presidential election fades
The Biden administration has reimposed crushing oil sanctions on Venezuela in a rebuke to President Nicolas Maduroโs attempts to consolidate his rule just six months after the U.S. eased restrictions in a bid to support now fading hopes for a democratic opening in the OPEC nation.
Venezuela closes its embassy in Ecuador to protest the police raid on the Mexican Embassy there
Venezuelan President Nicolรกs Maduro has ordered the closure of his countryโs embassy and consulates in Ecuador in solidarity with Mexico in its protest over a raid by Ecuadorian authorities on the Mexican embassy in Quito.
Venezuelans living abroad want to vote for president this year but can't meet absentee requirements
More than half of the estimated 7.7 million Venezuelans who have left their homeland during the complex crisis that has marked Nicolรกs Maduroโs 11-year presidency are estimated to be registered to vote in Venezuela.
As election nears, Venezuelan government keeps arresting opponents allegedly tied to criminal plots
As Venezuelaโs government would have it, President Nicolas Maduro and members of his inner circle have been the target of several conspiracies since last year that could have left them injured or worse.
From US jail, Venezuelan general who defied Maduro awaits potentially lengthy sentence
A formidable opponent of Venezuelan President Nicolรกs Maduro who twice tried to mount coups against the socialist leader spoke to The Associated Press as a Manhattan federal judge is deciding whether to punish him with a long prison sentence.
Venezuela bribery witness gets light sentence in wake of Biden's pardoning of Maduro ally
A Venezuelan businessman who helped hide almost $17 million in bribe payments by an ally of President Nicolas Maduro was sentenced to six months in prison Friday by a federal judge who expressed frustration that his cooperation with law enforcement was undone by President Joe Bidenโs recent pardon of a top U.S. criminal target.
Venezuela orders UN human rights office to close, accusing it of anti-government activity
Venezuelaโs government has ordered the local U.N. office on human rights to suspend its operations and has given its staff 72 hours to leave the country, accusing it of promoting opposition to the South American country.
US considering more measures against Venezuelan President Maduro after pulling some sanctions relief
The U.S. is considering additional measures against Venezuelan President Nicolรกs Maduroโs government after the South American countryโs highest court blocked the presidential candidacy of an opposition leader.
Venezuela will hold military exercises off its shores as a British warship heads to Guyana
President Nicolรกs Maduro has ordered Venezuelaโs armed forces to conduct defensive exercises in the Eastern Caribbean after the United Kingdom announced it would send a warship to Guyanaโs territorial waters during a border dispute between the South American neighbors.
US, Venezuela swap prisoners: Maduro ally for 10 Americans, plus fugitive contractor 'Fat Leonard'
The United States has freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolรกs Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the return of a fugitive defense contractor.
Guyana's president says his country is preparing to defend itself from Venezuela over disputed area
Guyana's president has told The Associated Press that his country is taking every necessary step to protect itself from Venezuela, which has ordered its state-owned companies to explore and exploit oil and minerals in Guyanaโs vast Essequibo region that it considers its own.
Maduro orders the 'immediate' exploitation of oil, gas and mines in Guyana's Essequibo
Venezuelan President Nicolรกs Maduro is asking the countryโs state-owned companies to โimmediatelyโ begin to explore and exploit the oil, gas and mines in Guyanaโs Essequibo region, a territory larger than Greece and rich in oil and minerals that Venezuela claims as its own.
American arrested in Venezuela just days after Biden administration eases oil sanctions
A California manโs family is pleading for his release after they say he was wrongfully arrested in Venezuela and held for ransom just days after President Joe Biden eased crippling oil sanctions on the socialist-run government.
Venezuela and opposition reach deal on electoral conditions. They plan to sign Tuesday in Barbados
Venezuelaโs government and opposition have reached an agreement on new electoral conditions that once signed Tuesday in Barbados will trigger relief from the U.S. government on energy sanctions it imposed on President Nicolรกs Maduroโs government.
Costa Rica-US immigration agreement aims to manage region's flows
Costa Rica and the U.S. government have agreed to open potential legal pathways to the United States for some of the Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants among the 240,000 asylum seekers already awaiting asylum in the Central American country.
Mexican judge orders five held on homicide in migrant fire
A Mexican judge ordered that three Mexican immigration officials, a private security guard and a Venezuelan migrant be held for investigation in connection with a fire last week at an immigration detention center in northern Mexico that killed 40 migrants.
Venezuela oil czar in surprise resignation amid graft probes
The man responsible for running Venezuelaโs oil industry โ the one that pays for virtually everything in the troubled country, from subsidized food to ridiculously cheap gas โ has quit amid investigations into alleged corruption among public officials.
Maduro's newest foe: an in-home caregiver who fled Venezuela
Like many of the 7 million Venezuelans whoโve abandoned their homeland in recent years, when Dinorah Figuera left behind her family and medical career in 2018 she was forced to accept meals from charities and hop from one low-cost shared apartment to another when she arrived in Spain.
Migrants near US border face cold wait for key asylum ruling
Hundreds of migrants are gathered in unusually frigid cold temperatures along the Mexican-U.S. border near El Paso, Texas, awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether and when to lift pandemic-era restrictions that prevent many from seeking asylum.
Venezuela's Maduro to fully open border with Colombia
Venezuelan President Nicolรกs Maduro has announced his intention to fully open the border crossings with Colombia starting Jan. 1, a measure repeatedly postponed following the restoration of diplomatic and commercial ties between the South American neighbors.
Bribery trial tests US cases against Venezuela kleptocrats
A former Venezuelan treasurer and nurse to the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is contesting criminal charges in the U.S. Claudia Diaz is charged with money laundering, accused of taking at least $4.2 million in bribes and gifts in exchange for green lighting lucrative currency transactions.
Venezuela's gov, opponents resume talks; US eases sanction
Venezuelaโs government and its opposition have agreed to create a U.N.-managed fund to finance health, food and education programs for the poor, while the Biden administration eased some oil sanctions on the country in an effort to boost the newly restarted talks between the sides.
Venezuelans halted in Panama by US policy change return home
With dashed dreams and empty hands, hundreds of Venezuelan migrants are stranded in Panamaโs capital looking for a way home after surviving the crossing of the Darien Gap only to find that a United States policy change had closed the border to them.
Venezuela swaps 7 jailed Americans for Maduro relatives
Venezuelaโs government has freed seven Americans imprisoned in the South American country in exchange for the release of two nephews of President Nicolรกs Maduroโs wife who had been jailed for years by the United States on drug smuggling convictions.
US court awards $73 million for Venezuelan opponent's death
A federal judge in Miami has awarded $73 million in damages to the family of a prominent opponent of Venezuelaโs socialist government who died while in custody in what he described as a โmurder for hireโ carried out by a criminal enterprise led by President Nicolรกs Maduro.
Biden sidelines Venezuela's pro-democracy leader from summit
A little more than two years ago, Juan Guaidรณ was showered with bipartisan applause when President Donald Trump during his State of the Union speech praised the Venezuelan opposition leader as a โvery brave manโ who carries on his shoulders the democratic hopes of an entire nation.
Biden scrambles to avoid Americas Summit flop in Los Angeles
When leaders gather this week in Los Angeles at the Summit of the Americas, the focus is likely to veer from policy issues like migration, climate change and inflation and instead shift to something Hollywood thrives on: the drama of the red carpet.
American freed from Venezuela says his โnightmareโ has ended
An American oil executive freed from custody in Venezuela says that even as he celebrates with his family the end of a long โnightmare,โ heโs praying for the release of five colleagues who are still imprisoned and โdeserve the same blessings.โ.
Alleged Maduro co-conspirator says CIA knew about coup plans
A retired Venezuelan army general says U.S. officials at the highest levels of the CIA and other federal agencies were aware of his efforts to oust Nicolรกs Maduro โ a role he says should immediately debunk criminal charges that he worked alongside the socialist leader to flood the U.S. with cocaine.
EU reports improvements, old tactics in Venezuela election
Monitors from the European Union say Venezuelaโs regional elections last weekend happened under better conditions compared to the country's elections in recent years but were marred by the use of public funds to benefit pro-government candidates.
Saab Story: Maduro ally to appear in court on graft charges
A businessman who prosecutors say was the main conduit for massive corruption by Nicolas Maduroโs inner circle is to make an initial court appearance in Miami federal court after an extradition that has further strained relations between the U.S. and Venezuelaโs socialist government.