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Maduro pleads not guilty, Rodriguez sworn in
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has pleaded not guilty to United States narcotics charges as his Vice President was sworn in as interim head of the nation. Maduro made his not guilty plea in a federal court in Manhattan, New York, alongside his lawyer Barry Pollack, a Washington-based attorney, who represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and negotiated his release from custody. "I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," Maduro, began to say through an interpreter, before being cut off by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. His wife, who was also abducted by U.S. forces in the Trump administration military-led raid over the weekend, pleaded not guilty as well, and their next court date is set for 17 March . Meanwhile, Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim President of Venezuela. Rodriguez, who served as a labor lawyer before stepping into the realm of politics, addressed Venezuela’s National Assembly as she came to take her oath. “I come with pain over the kidnapping of two heroes who are being held hostage: President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” she said. “I swear to work tirelessly to guarantee the peac
Americas
U.S. seizes control of Venezuela after capturing President
United States forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and took control of the oil-rich South American nation on Saturday after launching a large-scale military strike. The seizure of Maduro, who was flown to the United States with his wife Cilia Flores to face criminal charges, followed months of pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. It was condemned by many nations and raised questions about the legality of the operation. Trump said on Saturday he was putting Venezuela under temporary American control in the wake of the operation, which included strikes on the capital Caracas. "We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," he was quoted as saying during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. "We can't take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn't have the interests of Venezuelans in mind." At least seven explosions were heard at about 2am on Saturday while witnesses reported seeing smoke at two key military installations in Caracas. U.S. authorities said the attack was part of a law enforcement operation to apprehend Maduro on charges including terrorism, drugs and weapons offences. The United States had cons
Americas
Trump: US 'hit all the boats' in latest Venezuela strike
United States President Donald Trump has confirmed a strike on a Venezuelan dock, saying they had “hit all the boats”. He said that the boats in question were being used to load drugs, but it is not yet clear what the target of the strike was or who it was carried it out. Trump declined to confirm if the CIA had carried out the attack, but he has previously authorised them to carry out covert operations in Venezuela as his campaign against President Nicolas Maduro has increased. “I don't want to say that,” he told the press. "I know exactly who it was, but I don't want to say who it was." This marks the first time that the U.S. has carried out land operations in Venezuela, after recent sea strikes. “We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area,” Trump said to press. “It's the implementation area. That's where they implement, and that is no longer around.”
Americas
Trump to keep seized Venezuelan oil, unveils warships
United States President Donald Trump said on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) that the United States will keep crude oil and tankers seized near Venezuela, as he steps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro and signals a tougher U.S. stance in the Caribbean. “We’re going to keep it,” Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, after unveiling a new class of battleships, named after himself. “Maybe we’ll sell it, maybe we’ll keep it, maybe we’ll use it in the strategic reserve,” Trump said of the seized oil. “We’re keeping the ships also.” Trump has ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela as part of an escalating campaign against the Maduro government. The U.S. seized a large tanker on 10 December carrying more than one million barrels of oil, according to energy consulting firm Kpler. A second vessel was intercepted over the weekend, and Trump confirmed that U.S. authorities are pursuing a third tanker. “It’s moving along. We’ll end up getting it,” Trump said of the tanker. “It came from the wrong location. It came out of Venezuela, and it was sanctioned.” Asked whether his ultimate aim was to remove Maduro from power, Trump said “it would be smart” for the Venezuelan president to ste
Americas
US pursuing third oil tanker near Venezuela in a week
The United States is pursuing its third oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela in less than a week. “The United States Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,” a U.S. official told Reuters. “It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.” The official did not give a specific location for the operation or the name of the vessel being pursued. Director of the White House’s National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, said the first two oil tankers seized were operating on the black market and providing oil to countries under sanctions. “And so I don’t think that people need to be worried here in the U.S. that the prices are going to go up because of these seizures of these ships,” Hassett said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. “There’s just a couple of them, and they were black market ships.” However, an oil trader told Reuters that the seizures could lead to slightly higher oil prices when Asian trading resumes on Monday. “We might see prices increasing modestly at the opening, considering market participants could see this as an escalation with more Venezuelan barrels at risk as the tanker was not on a U.S.

World

Americas

Maduro pleads not guilty, Rodriguez sworn in

U.S. seizes control of Venezuela after capturing President

Trump: US 'hit all the boats' in latest Venezuela strike

Trump to keep seized Venezuelan oil, unveils warships

US pursuing third oil tanker near Venezuela in a week

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