Page 3 - Venezuela

Iron lady versus autocrat: Venezuela faces existential vote for president

The election, held on the birthday of the movement's founder, Hugo Chávez, pits Chávez's successor, President Nicolás Maduro, against the previously little-known Edmundo González, a former diplomat

Venezuela's presidential election could lead to a seismic shift in politics

Venezuelans are voting Sunday in a presidential election whose outcome will either lead to a seismic shift in politics or extend by six more years the policies that caused the world's worst peacetime economic collapse. Whether it is President Nicols Maduro who is chosen, or his main opponent, retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzlez, the election will have ripple effects throughout the Americas. Government opponents and supporters alike have signalled their interest in joining the exodus of 7.7 million Venezuelans who have already left their homes for opportunities abroad should Maduro win another term. Polls opened at 6 am, but voters started lining up at some voting centres across the country much earlier, sharing water, coffee and snacks for several hours. Alejandro Sulbarn nagged the first spot at his voting centre by getting in line at 5 pm Saturday. He said he stood outside an elementary school in a hillside suburb of the capital, Caracas, for the future of the country. We are all he

Official presidential campaign ends in Venezuela ahead of Sunday voting

Venezuela's government and opposition closed the official presidential campaign season Thursday with demonstrations that drew thousands of people to the streets of the capital. The events three days before the highly anticipated election on Sunday encapsulated the massive disparities between the top contenders, including their resources. President Nicols Maduro, who is seeking a third term, appeared before supporters on a massive stage set up on one of the city's main roads and rallied attendees with musical intermissions and dances throughout his speech. He told the crowd, part of it transported to Caracas on state-owned buses, his opponents are promoters of violence and described himself as a man of peace. Who of the 10 candidates guarantees peace and stability? Maduro asked the crowd. Yet it was he who in recent days spoke of a possible post-election bloodbath. Meanwhile, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzlez Urrutia, who is representing the Unitary Platform coalition, and opposition

Irrespective of who wins election, Venezuela faces natural gas problem

The South American country's output fell to 4 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) this year from almost 8 bcfd in 2016, data from consultancy Gas Energy Latin America shows

RIL gets US nod to resume crude imports from Venezuela despite sanctions

India's largest privately owned refiner plans to start purchasing Venezuelan crude soon, said the people, who asked not to be named as the information is not public

Maduro seeks Venezuela military's support ahead of consequential vote

At a crossroads not far from a gas station overgrown with weeds, young men and women in faded green fatigues stop vehicles returning from a rally for opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, ask passengers for their identifications, and inspect their cars, trucks and motorcycles. Such checkpoints have proliferated across the country's vast tropical plains, forested highlands and beach fronts in the run-up to Sunday's presidential election, aiming to intimidate and occasionally detain government critics. They often involve a request for a ride, bananas or collaboration Venezuela's euphemism for a small bribe. But the power play frequently falls flat. When their superiors slip away from the scorching sun, the grunts betray their displeasure with Maduro and openness to a new commander in chief. Did the lady arrive? Were there a lot people? one giddy soldier asks about opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. We wanted to watch, but there is no Wi-Fi here, whispers another. S

After Cuba, Russian ships dock in Venezuela for 'show the flag' exercises

Two Russian naval ships docked Tuesday in the Venezuelan port of La Guaira after exercises in the Atlantic Ocean that Moscow said were to show the flag in remote, important regions, and an initial stopover in Cuba. The frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the oil tanker Akademik Pashin are part of Russia's Northern Fleet, which since May 17 has been carrying out tasks that include guaranteeing the Russian naval presence in remote areas of the oceans, Russian news agency Tass cited Russia's Ministry of Defence as saying. The stopover was to last several days and highlight the close ties between Moscow and Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro's government. Like his predecessor, the late President Hugo Chvez, Maduro has forged a close relationship with Russia. The visit comes before Maduro seeks reelection in July 28 elections. Venezuelan authorities have not reported the arrival of the Russian vessels, which could barely be seen from afar docked at La Guaira, but Associated Press journalists s

Reliance renews bid for US licence to import Venezuelan oil: Report

French oil producer Maurel & Prom separately on Monday said the US on Friday granted it a licence to conduct oil and gas operations in Venezuela for the next two years

US reimposes oil sanctions on Venezuela amid no fair presidential polls

The Biden administration on Wednesday reimposed crushing oil sanctions on Venezuela, admonishing President Nicols Maduro's 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. A senior U.S. official, discussing the decision with reporters, said any U.S. company investing in Venezuela would have 45 days to wind down operations to avoid adding uncertainty to global energy markets. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. policy deliberations. In October, the U.S. granted Maduro's government relief from sanctions on its state-run oil, gas and mining sectors after it agreed to work with members of the opposition to hold a free and competitive presidential election this year. While Maduro went on to schedule an election for July and invite international observers to monitor voting, his inner circle has used the ruling party's total control over Venezuela

Ships in Iran, Venezuela shadow trade supplied Russian oil to India

Supplies of Russian oil to India are arriving on vessels that were earlier used to ply crude oil produced by Iran and Venezuela, both of which have been under US sanctions for years

Russia, Venezuela flows stay strong as cheaper crude evades US curbs

India may receive 4 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, the cheapest among all crude sources, in April, lower from 4.78 million barrels in March

Venezuela electoral outcry: Oppn coalition registers provisional candidate

Venezuela's main opposition coalition said Tuesday afternoon that the country's government allowed them to register a provisional candidate for the upcoming presidential election, amid a wave of criticisms after opposition leaders said they were blocked from registering their candidate of choice the night before. The coalition, the Unitary Democratic Platform, said they temporarily enlisted former diplomat Edmundo Gonzlez Urrutia as their candidate as a way to "preserve the exercise of the political rights that correspond to our political organisation" until they are able to register another candidate. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the coalition said it was not allowed to access the registration system, but was later granted an extension. It is the latest in a chaotic electoral process surrounding Venezuela's July 28 election as the government of President Nicols Maduro has cracked down on the opposition despite promises to pave the way to democratic elections in exchange for ...

Venezuela's main oppn coalition unable to register presidential candidate

The main Venezuelan opposition coalition said early Tuesday that electoral authorities didn't let it register its presidential candidate as the deadline ended, in what it called the latest violation to the citizens' right to vote for change in the South American country. The candidate, Corina Yoris, could not be registered by midnight Monday, which was the time limit for registering for the election set for July 28, said Omar Barboza, representative of the US-backed Unitary Platform coalition. On a video posted on the Unitary Platform X account, Barboza said this was a violation of the right of the majority of Venezuelans who want to vote for change, and he demanded the registry be reopened. Yoris, an 80-year-old unknown newcomer, was named Friday the substitute to opposition leader Mara Corina Machado, who faces a government ban on her running for office. Hours before the opposition coalition couldn't register Yoris, President Nicols Maduro got the support of thousands as he made

Jindal Steel & Power takes on ops at Venezuela's largest iron-ore mill

Jindal officials are carrying out inspections at iron-ore plants of CVG Ferrominera Orinoco, according to two people familiar with the process, who asked not to be named as information isn't public

Venezuela govt keeps arresting opponents allegedly tied to criminal plots

As Venezuela's 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. Few details have been released about the alleged plots. But the government has cited them in the arrests of more than 30 people since January including a prominent human rights attorney and staffers of the leading opposition presidential candidate. Local and international nongovernment groups, the United Nations and foreign governments have described the crackdown as a pretext to stifle political opposition ahead of the July 28 president election in which Maduro, in power since 2013, will seek a new six-year term. The latest arrests took place on Wednesday shortly before the country's top prosecutor announced arrest warrants for nine people working with Machado's campaign whom he accused of participating in one plot. Oscar Murillo, general coordinator for the Venezuelan human rights

Venezuela ruling party makes Maduro its candidate in upcoming prez election

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday became his party's official nominee for July's highly anticipated presidential election, which would allow him to stroll into a third consecutive term with no real competition on the horizon. Not unusual to Venezuela, the election has been plagued with controversy since Maduro's main opponent, Mara Corina Machado who swept an opposition coalition's primary election with more than 90 per cent of votes was disqualified by Venezuelan authorities to hold public office for 15 years. Maduro accepted the nomination as the ruling United Socialist Party's candidate for the July 28 presidential election during a party gathering in Caracas, saying he has the support of the people. According to the party, its decision was backed by over 4 million members who chose their candidate last week. A man alone would not be here. I am here for the people," Maduro said. Here, the candidate is not Maduro. Here, the candidate is the people. Maduro became .

Venezuela sets prez election for July 28 as Oppn candidate remains barred

Venezuela's highly anticipated presidential election will take place July 28 the birthday of the country's late fiery leader Hugo Chvez officials announced Tuesday, plowing ahead with a tight campaign season that deepens doubts over the participation of the opposition's leading candidate as well as of international observers. President Nicols Maduro is widely expected to run for reelection. His government initially negotiated details of the election with a faction of the opposition backed by the United States government, but differences between the sides have grown over the past two months. The date announced by National Electoral Council President Elvis Amoroso did, however, meet at least one opposition demand that the election be held in the second half of the year. When that broad timeframe was agreed upon by Maduro and his adversaries in October, the intervening months were meant to allow campaigns to mobilize, officials to update voter rolls, and international electoral ...

India's oil imports hit record high in Jan on Red Sea delays, shows data

India's oil imports hit 5.24 million barrels per day (bpd) in January, up 17% from December and 3.5% higher than in the corresponding month a year earlier, according to the data

Illegal border crossings from Mexico plunge after record-high December

Arrests for illegal crossings on the US border with Mexico fell by half in January from record highs in December to the third lowest month of Joe Biden's presidency, authorities said on Tuesday. The sharp drop is welcome news for the White House, even if it proves temporary, as immigration becomes one of the biggest issues in this year's presidential election, with exit polls showing it is the top concern among many Republican voters in early primaries. House Republicans are waging a campaign to impeach US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his oversight of the border. Seasonal declines and heightened enforcement by the US and its allies led to the sharp decline, said Troy Miller, acting commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection. US authorities have repeatedly praised Mexico for a crackdown launched in late December. Border Patrol arrests totalled 124,220 in January, down 50 per cent from 249,735 in December, the highest monthly tally on record. Arrests of ...

ONGC in talks to restart Libya operations, expand in Venezuela: Report

ONGC is also in talks to increase production in Venezuela, Rawat told reporters on the sidelines of India Energy Week event in Goa