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Meanwhile, Laura Dogu was appointed as chargé d’affaires of the Venezuela Affairs Unit.

On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly rejected a Democratic-led resolution barring President Donald Trump from further using military force in Venezuela without explicit congressional authorization.

Two Republicans joined all 213 Democrats in voting for the resolution, resulting in a 215-215 tie, which is enough to defeat it.

Venezuela: Minister Cabello Urges National Unity and Loyalty to Acting President Rodríguez During Chavista Demonstration

“This is crazy. We can’t be asleep at the switch — no oversight, no hearing, no votes, just blind obedience to the executive. That’s not the way this place is supposed to run,” House Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern, who led the resolution, said on the House floor.

Republicans dismissed the measure as unnecessary, saying the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela. The Senate earlier this month rejected a comparable war powers measure after two Republican senators reversed course under pressure from the White House.

The U.S. military launched an attack on Venezuela and kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores on Jan. 3. This illegal operation left at least 100 dead, among whom where 32 Cuban officers.

On Thursday, Trump administration appointed diplomat Laura Dogu as chargé d’affaires of the Venezuela Affairs Unit, which is based at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia. This unit is responsible for managing relations with Venezuela since the suspension of embassy operations in Caracas in 2019.

Laura Dogu, who is a foreign policy advisor to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, has served as ambassador to Honduras and Nicaragua. She has also held diplomatic posts in Turkey, Egypt, and El Salvador.

(Telesur)

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From Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond via This RSS Feed.

By Al Mayadeen  –  Jan 24, 2026

The Trump administration is weighing a full oil blockade on Cuba to trigger political change, with backing from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reports say.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a full oil import blockade on Cuba as part of efforts to pressure for a change in government in the country, according to a report by Politico on Friday.

Citing three sources familiar with the matter, the report said that the proposal is being promoted by hardline critics of the Cuban government within the Trump administration and has the support of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

No final decision has been made, but the measure could be part of a range of options presented to President Donald Trump to pressure the Cuban government to step down, the sources added.

The move, if implemented, would mark a significant escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against the country.

US escalates regime change efforts in Cuba after Maduro abduction: WSJ
Emboldened by its military operation in Venezuela, the Trump administration is now seeking to engineer regime change in Cuba by the end of 2026, targeting insiders within the Cuban government who may be willing to collaborate, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

Citing unnamed US officials, the WSJ report says that Washington believes Cuba’s economy is on the verge of collapse, due to long-standing shortages, power outages, and the loss of subsidized oil from Venezuela.

‘The Yankee Empire Is in Irreversible Decline’: Cubans Respond to Trump’s Threats

The kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of Cuban citizens, has reportedly emboldened US policymakers to pursue a similar operation in Havana.

“I strongly suggest they make a deal. BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” Trump threatened in a January 11 post, announcing a halt to oil and financial support for Cuba.

Militarized strategy, economic pressure
Although no official military action has been announced, the US sees the Venezuela operation as a model, and Trump’s inner circle reportedly views the overthrow of Cuba’s government as a top priority.

Senior US officials are pressuring Cuba through sanctions, targeting its overseas medical missions, and threatening oil cut-offs, with intelligence assessments predicting that Cuba could run out of fuel within weeks. The goal is to paralyze the economy and trigger internal collapse or elite defection.

“Cuba’s rulers are incompetent Marxists… they have destroyed their country,” a White House official claimed, in a statement that echoes the long-standing US hostility toward Cuban sovereignty.

(Al Mayadeen – English)

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From Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond via This RSS Feed.

A pro-Palestine student activist, Momodou Taal, has alleged he was detained for six hours by UK police at Heathrow Airport under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, in what he described as an attempt to intimidate and silence dissent.

In a statement shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Taal said three officers were waiting for him as soon as he disembarked, marking the fourth time he had returned to the UK since leaving the United States.

Vox Ummah Exclusive Interview: Political Prisoner Malik Muhammad on Palestine Action, Islam, and Anti-Imperialism

He said officers told him the detention was about “keeping the UK safe”, a justification he described as “absurd”.

During the six-hour detention, Taal said he was questioned about his childhood, religious background, mosque attendance, friendships and political views.

He added that his phone and laptop were confiscated, his DNA taken, and that he was informed detainees under Schedule 7 have no right to remain silent.

The activist linked the incident to what he described as months of targeted repression following his participation in pro-Palestine protests in the United States, including alleged harassment by immigration authorities and disciplinary action by Cornell University.

He also suggested possible intelligence-sharing between UK and US authorities, saying the episode formed part of a broader effort to suppress pro-Palestinian activism.

“This was not about safety. It was about silencing dissent. And it will not work,” he said.

Taal, 31, is a citizen of the United Kingdom and The Gambia.

UK authorities have not commented on the incident.

(Gambiana)

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From Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond via This RSS Feed.

China announced an $80 million emergency aid package and 60,000 tons of rice for Cuba, addressing the island’s economic and energy crisis exacerbated by the U.S. blockade.

Beijing approved a new round of assistance for Havana, including $80 million in emergency financial aid for electrical equipment and 60,000 tons of rice.

Chinese Ambassador Hua Xin announced the support on January, 20 during a meeting with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, emphasizing the aid responds to Cuba’s economic and energy challenges exacerbated by the blockade imposed by the U.S.

Why Nicaragua Is Not Washington’s Next War – Yet

Ambassador Hua Xin conveyed that the decision stemmed from direct instructions from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“This assistance responds to the economic situation and the state of the national electro-energetic system that Cuba faces today due to the blockade”, Hua Xin stated, detailing his recent discussions with high-ranking Cuban officials, including the ministers of Foreign Trade and Energy and Mines, to identify cooperation priorities.

X Post:

🇨🇺| Recibió el Presidente @DiazCanelB al embajador de #China, Hua Xin.

El diplomático informó sobre la entrega a la Isla de una asistencia financiera emergente valorada en 80 millones de dólares y un donativo de 60 000 toneladas de arroz.

📎| https://t.co/c6Ttc1xkVe pic.twitter.com/L7AV61kgte

— Presidencia Cuba 🇨🇺 (@PresidenciaCuba) January 20, 2026

Text reads:

Received by the President @DiazCanelB China’s ambassador, Hua Xin. The diplomat reported on the delivery to the island of an emerging financial assistance valued at 80 million dollars and a donation of 60,000 tons of rice.”

Energy Cooperation Adjustments
Beyond immediate aid, China disclosed modifications to previous energy cooperation projects. Adjustments were made to the 200 MW solar energy donation and the delivery of 5,000 photovoltaic solar panel modules intended for isolated homes.

The ambassador explained that “it has been determined, in agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, to designate an executing company.”

President Diaz-Canel expressed gratitude for China’s solidarity, highlighting the advanced state of bilateral ties, particularly the ongoing development of the Fourth Phase of the digital transformation program with Chinese backing.

(Telesur) by Laura V. Mor

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Several weeks after the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro by US forces, Donald Trump announced plans to “market” Venezuelan crude oil through US oil corporations such as Vitol, Trafigura, and Chevron.

He promises the return of ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips to Venezuela, talks about “confiscating” 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil in storage, and proposes a scheme in which the United States would control Venezuela’s oil exports. The question is inevitable: is this viable or simply another fantasy of Trumpian rhetoric?

To answer these questions, Diario Red spoke with Einstein Millán Arcia, a petroleum engineer who graduated from the Universidad de Oriente of Venezuela (1979), got a master’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Oklahoma (1990), and has served as manager and advisor to the Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA, YPFB-Bolivia, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), and PEMEX (Mexico), as well as other oil companies.

As a PDVSA employee, he was part of the team that brought the oil company back on its feet after the 2002 sabotage against the company, led by former executives at odds with Hugo Chávez, and later of the PDVSA Gas Anaco team. Thanks to this experience, he knows the ins and outs of the Venezuelan oil industry and the risks that PDVSA faces in this new political moment in the country.

In his opinion, the possibility of Venezuela handing over all its oil to the United States would be like the Venezuelan government itself “plunging a sword of Damocles into its own back.” Something that is unviable and unrealistic.

In your opinion, how does what happened on January 3—the kidnapping of Maduro and all the announcements now circulating about the US government or its trading companies marketing Venezuelan crude—affect Venezuelan oil?

There is talk of the return of some companies whose assets were nationalized, or of the 50 million barrels of oil that would be delivered to the United States, according to Trump.

You know what the prevailing rhetoric in the United States is like these days: mostly fantasy with just a small grain of truth. So much so that the US Attorney’s Office appointed by Trump himself declared that the story of the Cartel de los Soles is false, and the charge [of drug trafficking against President Maduro] was discredited.

The idea that the US will confiscate Venezuelan oil production and commercialization, do business, and then keep the money to convert it all into US products for export to Venezuela is also false.

The case is as follows: if Venezuela falls into a situation like that, it becomes insolvent. How does it pay salaries? How does it maintain the institutions? How does it sustain the nation’s internal system? Under what parameter will it survive as a country?

The official statements issued by the acting president [Delcy Rodríguez] and by Petróleos de Venezuela also contradict Trump’s rhetoric, as they assert that business with the United States will be conducted just as with any other entity, such as Chevron or any other multinational corporation. That is the official position that has been maintained so far.

Trump claims that the United States will be the sole marketer of Venezuelan oil. At the same time, Washington blocks and confiscates vessels of the “ghost fleet” that were transporting Venezuelan crude to China at steep discounts through intermediaries. In light of this scenario, several questions arise. Is it possible for two marketing mechanisms to coexist in the medium and long term? On the one hand, a portion of Venezuelan production operating under the scheme proposed by Trump, where sales are deposited into accounts from which Venezuela can purchase goods, and on the other, continued flows to China and Russia via shadow fleets. Or, instead, will the United States monopolize the marketing of Venezuelan oil?

That is what Trump aspires to, but it is unfeasible, since it would leave a country without funds, adrift, and unable to sustain itself socially, economically, or politically. It would not be sustainable. It would be like the government itself plunging a sword of Damocles into its own back.

That is unviable, unrealistic, even comical if you will—something that makes you laugh: that a government, even an acting government, would accept such terms. That is why the issue is not what Trump proposes; it is what suits Venezuela. That is the government’s firm position.

It is one thing for Venezuela to sell crude oil to US corporations, and another for it to deliver the crude to the US government. PDVSA and Venezuela must be open to negotiating with anyone on terms set by law and in Venezuela’s best interest.

In regard to foreign currencies, PDVSA relies on limited revenue sources, such as Chevron, for example, and some spot sales. However, most of the revenue comes from cryptocurrencies and other arrangements with countries such as China, which receives 85% of Venezuela’s oil exports.

Other inflows, through Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries, come in exchange for raw materials, which provide Venezuela with constant liquidity. That sustains and enables the Venezuelan state to prosper, especially when you consider that Venezuela’s oil production increased in 2025 to over one million barrels per day and will close 2026 at around 1.2 million barrels per day—perhaps even higher if you factor in the 60,000 to 70,000 barrels per day of condensate that are not reported to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Sure, but what Trump is saying now—according to the Wall Street Journal and Reuters—is that he wants to put trading firms like Vitol, Trafigura, or Chevron in charge of selling Venezuelan crude around the world, a kind of indirect export control. Beyond political will, in operational terms, would that new format of oil viceroyalty proposed by Trump be viable?

It is not about what Trump proposes, I repeat. The important thing is whatever suits Venezuela. That is the [Venezuelan] government’s firm position.

Now, Venezuela has always traded some of its crude oil with Glencore and third parties, such as independent Swiss brokers, for example, as well as Malaysian and Abu Dhabi brokers. There is nothing new there. But handing over Venezuela’s entire oil resource exclusively to a foreign government is not viable. It makes the country unviable. That is what it is all about. It is like shooting yourself in the foot.

Now, regarding the possible lifting of sanctions: Trump is lifting the same measures he imposed in 2019 and 2020, including the ban on the sale of Venezuelan oil. He also met at the White House with oil companies such as Repsol, Eni, and Chevron, the very ones that received licenses during the Biden administration.

What impact could resuming that agenda of opening up and bringing back foreign companies have, given that PDVSA has ceded equity stakes in oil projects because sanctions have left it in a complicated financial situation?

These companies have always negotiated with Venezuela on good terms: Repsol, Eni, Maurel & Prom, Shell, Exxon itself, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Total. That means the State could reserve the right to award assets whenever it is deemed expedient to achieve a rapid increase in production and deliver a greater return to our nation. That is the government’s position, and it is the position of Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

Now, it is the terms that you have to know how to negotiate. Because, for example, it is impossible for conditions like those prevailing in Guyana to exist, where companies like Exxon Mobil pay 2% royalties and have capital recovery of up to 75% of gross sales revenue.

The negotiations must respect the established law regarding royalties, taxes, and profits. Now, that does not mean it cannot be renegotiated.

What you need to understand is that there is a huge difference between a production cost of $30 per barrel for a company like Exxon on an asset with a limited production window, such as those in Guyana, which last less than 10 or 15 years, and assets like Venezuela, where production costs can be as low as $10 to 15 per barrel and last for more than 20 years, because these assets hold remaining reserves of medium, light, and condensate crude oil exceeding 30 billion barrels in Venezuela, not counting the 270 billion barrels of heavy and extra-heavy crude.

In addition, there are 200 trillion cubic feet of gas, which, converted into crude oil equivalent, represent a monumental productive capacity.

This magnitude of resources guarantees that, sooner or later, all these corporations will establish themselves in Venezuela, since there is no other country in the region, apart from Canada, with sufficient reserves to sustain operations over such a long time frame.

There is talk of the possibility that oil companies such as ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, whose assets were nationalized in Venezuela under Hugo Chávez’s government, may return.

These companies had rejected the new terms of the Hydrocarbons Law, which stipulated that PDVSA must hold a majority stake, leading to nationalization and multimillion-dollar claims against the Venezuelan state.

Trump has even suggested that they first invest in the country, and then they will see how the money they are claiming for the nationalizations is “returned” to them.

First, for them to return, there needs to be stability in relations between the two governments. That is not ready yet. Now, with ExxonMobil, there is no debt, since that was declared in an international court. Yes, there is a misunderstanding, but no debt, since the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes did not rule in Exxon’s favor. That lawsuit reached a settlement in which Venezuela emerged as the winning party.

Now, the lawsuit by ConocoPhillips is still pending resolution. The lawsuit is still ongoing.

It is necessary to delve into a bit of history. Between 1914 and 1920, Shell and Exxon arrived in Venezuela through their predecessor companies. Shell was only just beginning its international expansion, while Exxon consolidated its global corporate structure precisely thanks to its Venezuelan operations.

In fact, the first mass exports of both companies came from Venezuela, which catapulted them into transnational corporations.

These companies obtained disproportionate profits by taking advantage of the rudimentary Venezuelan accounting system and the lack of international oversight.

In practice, they extracted discretionary volumes of oil and reported figures at their convenience, especially during the world wars when controls were virtually nonexistent.

In this context, the 1976 nationalization was the product of a transparent and legally impeccable process, accepted by both parties.

The companies received cash compensation of over $1.5 billion at the time, as well as favorable export agreements and service contracts that accounted for 1.7% of Venezuelan exports.

Therefore, they lack any legal basis to claim additional compensation for that nationalization, and their track record in the country is far from exemplary.

Venezuela National Assembly Approves Hydrocarbons Law Reform in First Discussion

And what about the price that PDVSA will ultimately receive for its sales? Because until now, due to the embargo and sanctions, anyone trading and buying Venezuelan oil received a discount of between 1o and 20 dollars.

Global oil markets are governed by three factors: quality differentials, discounts, and risk premiums. The differential is based on crude oil quality, while the risk premium determines the applicable discounts.

There is a fundamental distinction in our exports: Orinoco Belt crude oil in its unrefined state and Merey, which is refined crude oil. Merey has a lower sulfur content than Iraq’s Basra Light and Saudi Medium crude. Although there is talk of “Venezuelan acidic crude,” our Merey is less acidic than Saudi medium and Basra light. This is why it is priced the way it is.

It is important to clarify a key technical point: the crude oil from the Orinoco Belt is not bitumen; it is petroleum. It flows naturally from the wells under initial conditions. Its API gravity reaches as high as 17 degrees in some blocks of the Belt, although other blocks range from 6 to 7 degrees API, and most exceed 10 degrees API.

Before the sanctions and the 2008-2009 Oil Sovereignty Plan, Venezuela maintained a diversified crude oil portfolio. The Orinoco Belt produced between 300,000 and 400,000 barrels per day, while the rest came from light, medium, and condensate. This production of light, medium, and condensate crude oil covered the country’s diluent needs.

Imports were targeted for specific processes: just 17,000 to 18,000 barrels per day. Production costs before 2008 were less than $6 or $7 per barrel. Before 2006, they were below $4 per barrel. All of this is officially documented.

When the Orinoco Belt’s production was massively incorporated, and PDVSA reoriented its activity from traditional light, medium, and condensate crude fields toward heavy and extra-heavy crudes, the production of condensate, light, and medium crude slowed while that of heavy and extra-heavy crude accelerated.

This reduction in light, medium, and condensate crude eliminated the diluent available to upgrade the Orinoco Belt crude and convert it into Merey. PDVSA had to import diluents, which directly impacted production costs.

Moreover, this cost increase put our flagship crude at a disadvantage, and it began to be exported en masse compared to other grades. Previously, varieties such as Tía Juana Light and Mesa were exported. Later, exports were concentrated solely on Merey.

All of this affected profits, since thinner had to be imported. Imports reached 200,000 barrels per day in 2025. Currently, it stands at 180,000 barrels per day, ten times more than it was until 2007-2008. This factor drove production costs from $4-6 to $14-18, and finally to $36 per barrel. Now they have stabilized between $27 and $33.

At the same time, the country’s risk premium rose due to sanctions and political instability. Buyers, especially those in the spot market, demand discounts to assume the risk, which reduces profit margins for Venezuelan crude.

The result is a mix of decisions made during Rafael Ramírez’s tenure as president of PDVSA under the Chávez government, plus the sanctions imposed by the US in collaboration with Venezuelan opposition sectors.

It is a political conspiracy combined with a strategy from the North to facilitate unconventional situations, such as those in the Essequibo, Brazil’s pre-salt summit, and Argentina’s Vaca Muerta.

The numbers prove it. The United States exceeds $50-60 per barrel in production costs, Guyana is at $30, Argentina is $40-45, Brazil is $49-50, Colombia is $45-50, and Trinidad and Mexico have similar figures as Colombia.

No one could compete with Venezuela before 2007, when our costs were one-tenth of theirs. This entire situation was woven from the start to enable these major developments.

Now that the United States has reached its peak production, thanks to fracking, and is entering a decline, it has become a priority for it to secure its energy by appropriating resources from other countries without negotiating, as required under the global economic order.

[Author’s note: API gravity (American Petroleum Institute gravity) is a scale that measures the density of crude oil relative to water. It is the most widely used international standard for classifying oil quality. The higher the API gravity, the lighter and less dense the crude; the lower the API gravity, the heavier and denser the crude.]

(Diario Red) by Bruno Sgarzini

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/SF

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By Misión Verdad  –  Jan 23, 2026

On Thursday, January 22, the National Assembly of Venezuela approved in its first discussion the Partial Reform Bill of the Organic Law of Hydrocarbons. The initiative stems from the explicit recognition that the current legal framework (enacted in 2006, but previously promulgated under an enabling law) reflects a new financial and geopolitical reality.

Deputy Orlando Camacho, president of the Standing Committee on Energy and Oil, who presented the bill, made it clear that the central focus of the reform is the formal incorporation of economic models developed under the Constitutional Anti-Blockade Law. The aim is to adapt the Venezuelan oil industry to global market operations under unilateral sanctions and financial restrictions.

In this way, Venezuela will reformulate its hydrocarbon administration law to reflect realities that did not exist 20 years ago, when the current law came into effect, such as the high costs of oil production and the energy transition process that generates competition between fossil fuels and emerging renewable energy sources.

Contractual schemes
One of the core elements of the reform is the incorporation of contractual schemes in which the operating company, whether Venezuelan or foreign, assumes full responsibility for managing the project at its own risk and cost.

Under this model, the State does not incur any direct debt or financial obligations, and the operators’ remuneration is determined through a percentage share of the audited volumes.

This approach makes it possible to develop projects in currently undeveloped or underexplored fields, commonly referred to as “green fields,” which require intensive capital and technology investments, without compromising Venezuela’s fiscal stability.

The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, pointed out that Productive Participation Contracts (PPCs) constitute the key to increasing oil production in a context of blockades and sanctions.

The agreement modality adapts to the current reality, as the 2006 law did not address the existence of threats and situations like the illegal coercive blockade of Venezuela’s hydrocarbons sector by the US.

In the period prior to the US sanctions regime, access to external or domestic financing was relatively straightforward. Today, reality demands mechanisms to attract investment to greenfield projects, whose development requires significantly larger sums, by mitigating risks to the Venezuelan State and PDVSA.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez explained that oil has no economic value while it remains underground; it is only when it is extracted that it becomes a matter of public policy.

In this sense, PPCs seek to simultaneously ensure investment protection and capital profitability.

The reform bill reaffirms the Venezuelan State’s majority shareholding in joint ventures, as enshrined in the previous law. The proposal neither eliminates nor replaces the existing model, but instead expands and diversifies it.

It proposes a more flexible business architecture that allows for different types of relationships in primary activities. It maintains the Venezuelan State’s majority ownership while enabling operational schemes that facilitate crude oil marketing in the context of unilateral coercive measures, as has occurred in recent experiences with the US oil company Chevron.

The reform is, in essence, the same constitutional format of joint ventures, but adapted to the real constraints of the current geopolitical environment.

The reform thus creates a more robust contractual framework in which the private sector assumes the risk, financing, and operation, without financially compromising the State.

Maintaining legal guarantees
Another central pillar of the reform is strengthening legal guarantees for investment in the hydrocarbons sector. While legal certainty has historically been a principle guaranteed in the Venezuelan legal system, the impact of the sanctions regime and hostile diplomacy toward Venezuela severely limited the state oil company PDVSA’s ability to defend itself in international forums, affecting the effective execution of numerous transactions.

The reform aims to create a more robust legal framework that would allow projects to be implemented even under adverse external conditions.

A particularly relevant aspect is the express inclusion of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, such as mediation and independent arbitration. Without automatically ceding jurisdiction to foreign bodies, the Venezuelan State recognizes the need for technical and expeditious means to resolve trade disputes. This reduces the perception of legal risk and improves project bankability, while preserving sovereignty by maintaining Venezuelan courts as the primary option.

That is, in the event of disputes between PDVSA and its partners that cannot be resolved amicably, they will still be resolved in Venezuelan courts, as provided for under current law.

This is important from a business perspective, as it strengthens dispute resolution mechanisms through negotiated settlements. Some foreign corporations would opt for these mechanisms rather than bringing disputes to Venezuelan courts, which would improve investor confidence.

Venezuela will remain owner of the deposits
According to the reform proposal, ownership of the deposits remains intact in the hands of Venezuela, and no compensation is paid for the reverted assets. From a petroleum business perspective, this scheme is highly attractive in fiscally constrained scenarios, while also constituting one of the most robust formulas for sovereign protection of the natural resource.

Similarly, the project more clearly organizes the oil sector’s operational ecosystem, as it involves direct execution by the State and by mixed-capital companies, reaffirming Venezuelan majority ownership in contracts signed with private companies domiciled in Venezuela.

This preserves Venezuela’s strategic control over primary activity, but significantly expands private participation mechanisms, granting greater operational flexibility without altering the constitutional principle of public control.

The current project does not seek to denaturalize the Venezuelan oil model, but rather to perfect it in response to extraordinary circumstances.

Venezuela’s Strategic Oil Reorientation: Defying the Blockade, Securing Sovereignty

Geopolitical perspective
This reform recognizes the obstacles to developing the oil sector amid the persistence of the sanctions regime, the need for substantial investment in fields that have not yet been developed, and the structural resizing of hydrocarbon production levels.

On the issue of illegal sanctions and their long-standing impact, the reform seeks to incorporate administrative models established in the Anti-Blockade Law, which will now be part of ordinary Venezuelan law. This incorporation will provide predictable rules to attract capital without diluting public ownership of hydrocarbons or the State’s guiding role in the value chain.

One of the main expected outcomes is an increase in the flow of oil investment into Venezuela, which will facilitate a substantial rise in crude oil production. The law also promotes the development of the country’s gas capabilities by creating the essential conditions for the development of liquefaction projects, thereby transforming natural gas reserves for commercialization.

According to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), by 2050, the world will consume about 123 million barrels of oil per day. This figure is considerably higher than the current demand.

OPEC has projected that the investment required in oil activities to reach this crude oil supply level by 2050 will be $8.2 trillion.

At the same time, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has reported that 80% of the world’s existing oil fields have already reached their peak production and are in decline.

These data suggest that, given the size of its reserves, Venezuela is destined to receive large investments to develop its hydrocarbons sector.

The reform of the relevant law appears to fall within these objective conditions, adapting the national legal framework to attract new investments in line with the realities of the current context.

(Misión Verdad)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/SF

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Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez reported that 626 people who had been in prison for their involvement in political violence have been released to date. She noted that far-right sectors have failed to grasp the moment and persist in manipulating the figures through lies.

On Friday, January 23, during the launch meeting of the Coexistence and Peace Program, Rodríguez announced that next Monday, she will hold a telephone call with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Völker Turk, to request that his office verify the lists of released prisoners. “Enough of lies that have led us to extreme consequences, enough of lying to our people on social media, enough of these algorithms that try to spread fear, terrorism, and death,” she stated. “There must be accountability in the practice of politics. Therefore, yesterday, I called for the reinstitutionalization of the political process.”

She also urged members of the Coexistence and Peace Program to work to isolate the “anti-political right-wing sectors.” “We are fed up with these extremists and fascists who only seek to harm our people,” she said. “Our work must be very arduous through education and culture.”

She added that another key aspect of this program is to eradicate social, political, and economic expressions that incite hatred, as “actions and expressions filled with intolerance have compromised national independence and sovereignty by kneeling and offering our country and its riches.” Thus, she urged the promotion of peace and coexistence programs in all sectors of Venezuela.

Call for dialogue
Rodríguez called on the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, in his capacity as president of the Council of Sovereignty and Peace, to convene a meeting with all political sectors of the country, both supporters and opponents, and to call for a genuine political dialogue with concrete and immediate results. “It must be a Venezuelan dialogue in which external dictates will not be imposed. Not from Washington, Bogotá, or Madrid. No. It will be a national dialog for the common good of Venezuela,” she said.

Call for review of the justice system
The acting president also called for “opening the floodgates for reflection on Venezuela’s justice system.” She invited all sectors—academics and non-academics, communes and communal councils, justices of the peace, and the neighborhood movement—to consider a justice model that “does not penalize poverty. This is an urgent request.”

Venezuela Sets March 8 for First National Consultation of 2026 Amid 37% Revenue Growth

100-day plan
At the launch of the Coexistence and Peace Program, the acting president asked its members to develop a 100-day plan to consolidate social stability and harmony. To that end, they have to create a detailed document on political, economic, and social violence and hatred. “It is necessary to conduct a survey to determine where we are starting from and to identify where social justice stands,” she said.

She underscored that the country is facing an unprecedented aggression, with unilateral, illicit coercive measures that have inflicted significant social wounds on the country.

During the event, Rodríguez announced the composition of the groups constituting the Coexistence and Peace Program:

• Coordination: Ernesto Villegas (General Coordinator) and Ana María Sanjuán (Executive Secretary).
• Executive Cabinet: Nuramy Gutiérrez (Health), Ángel Prado (Communes), and Larry Devoe (Human Rights).
• Academic and Political Sector: Michael Penfold (IESA), Francisco Garcés (UCV), Génesis Garvett (National Assembly Deputy), and Indira Urbaneja (Analyst).
• Private and Social Sector: Ricardo Cusanno (Fedecámaras), Gerson Gómez (Ridery), Lanking González (Neighborhood Movement), Gustavo Canchica (Justice for Peace), and Miqueas Figueroa (Tiuna Fort).

(Últimas Noticias) by Odry Farnetano

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

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In a post on the social network X, he highlighted the formation of Cuban identity and nationality as part of a “rich mix of cultures, traditions, and religions” that is the fruit of “centuries of history, constant exchange, solidarity, and brotherhood between Africa and Cuba.” “We Cubans feel part of the African continent and children of Africa,” the head of Cuban diplomacy stated. World Day of African and Afro-descendant Culture, celebrated every year on January 24, pays tribute to the numerous and vibrant cultures of the African continent and the African diasporas around the world, thus reinforcing UNESCO’s mandate to promote respect for cultural diversity and human creativity across the globe.

This valuable source of world heritage promotes the culture of the continent and its descendants, crucial aspects for sustainable development, mutual respect, dialogue, and peace.

jdt/oda/bbb

The post Cuba celebrates World Day of African and Afro-descendant culture first appeared on Prensa Latina.

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This initiative seeks to build, within the first 100 days, “a national plan aimed at consolidating the country’s safety in all its dimensions,” the president said at its launch, attended by ministers, representatives from the academic, political, private, and social sectors.

The interim president called for progress, based on diverse perspectives, “towards a common destiny: a comprehensive peace that encompasses the political, social, and economic spheres.”

In the video accompanying her message, Rodriguez emphasized that they launched a program in which a diverse and pluralistic group of Venezuelans shared many ideas.

The program will be coordinated by Minister of Culture Ernesto Villegas, with Professor Ana Maria San Juan serving as executive secretary. Peace, she emphasized, also depends on economic peace, and highlighted that they heard “very interesting proposals from entrepreneurs and businesspeople to add to a bank of ideas and projects to help build this Plan.”

As part of the political process the country is experiencing, Rodriguez also announced the release of 626 people deprived of their liberty, something that some are manipulating.

As part of the “We Want Them Back” campaign, last night from the Courtyard of Honor of the Military Academies at Fort Tiuna, in Caracas, led by Rodriguez, thousands of drones illuminated the sky with images of Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, demanding the release of the presidential couple.

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This article originally appeared in the January 24, 2026 edition of Sin Embargo.

Mexico City. Magnate Ricardo Salinas Pliego failed to pay 51 billion pesos in tax debts owed to the Tax Administration Service (SAT) yesterday. After the deadline for a discount of up to 39 percent, as stipulated by law, expired, his assets, bank accounts, and companies’ property can now be seized.

Two sources confirmed to SinEmbargo that as of last night, Grupo Salinas was holding working sessions with SAT authorities to try to negotiate the payment of the debt, but that there are no signs that it has been finalized.

The tycoon has also not commented on the matter on his social media, where he has limited himself to sharing images of his trip to the Caribbean.

Grupo Salinas has faced a debt of more than 74 billion for 16 years, since it refused to settle it through a dilatory legal strategy that, in November, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) put an end to.

Yesterday, the SAT, the federal government’s tax collection agency, reported that the five-day period it granted to Grupo Salinas to express its decision to pay the 51 billion pesos and be able to access a discount of up to 39 percent, as established by the Federal Tax Code, had expired.

The head of the institution, Antonio Martínez Dagnino, reported that Grupo Salinas received the payment notification on Friday and at that moment the five business days began, which ended yesterday, Friday the 23rd. “The Federal Tax Code establishes that from the moment that notification takes effect, which was last week, there are five days, which would be this week,” said the official at the morning press conference of President Claudia Sheinbaum, on Monday the 19th.

Yesterday, without mentioning the deadline for him to pay his debt, Salinas Pliego posted a photograph on his social media accounts in which he poses armed with an antique revolver and a navy blue cap with the initials MACC of his Anti-Crime and Corruption Movement, which advocates for “life, property and liberty”, as he announced last year.

“We will continue the cultural battle for a better Mexico!!! Let the #TabascoCartel stop destroying the country and robbing us with impunity, don’t let them,” he wrote.

And on Thursday, the president of Grupo Salinas attended the 30th anniversary celebration of the entertainment program Ventaneando on TV Azteca, where he said that his journey “has not been easy.” He asserted that government officials “strike hard at working people” and give very little in return. He added that he loves taking vacations in Miami, but wouldn’t want to be in that country in “exile,” emphasizing that “this is what’s at stake.”

• 

  News Briefs

  Salinas Pliego Did Not Pay Tax Debt, Still Negotiating

  January 24, 2026January 24, 2026

  A five-day grace period which would allow the ultra-right winger a 39% discount on his nearly $3 billion USD tax debt has passed.

• 

  Analysis

  Berdegué, Agribusiness Hatchet Man

  January 24, 2026January 24, 2026

  With a crippling national farmers strike only one bad meeting away, the government’s disregard for Mexico’s agricultural crisis has a surprising face: its Secretary of Agriculture.

• 

  News Briefs

  Mexico City Investigating Ultra-right Mayors in Connection with “Gen-Z” Shock Groups

  January 23, 2026January 23, 2026

  Two investigations were launched in Cuauhtémoc & Miguel Hidalgo following accusations against Alessandra Rojo de la Vega & Mauricio Tabe Echartea related to the half-geriatric, half-lumpen march in November.

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Before a massive mobilization and people’s gathering, thousands of voices in Caracas, braving the rain, demanded the return to Venezuela of President Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, 21 days after their abduction by U.S. military forces.

An entire nation, convened by the PSUV to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the civic-military rebellion of January 23, 1958, gathered early in the morning at two points in the east and west of the city to converge on O’Leary Square, near Miraflores Palace, the seat of government.

Cabello stated in his speech that on January 23, the Venezuelan people were accustomed to marching to commemorate the “last betrayal of the people,” when the business, political, and religious elites, along with imperialism, conspired to commit treason.

He explained that they then fell into the hands of those who believed they owned Venezuela until Commander Hugo Chavez arrived and began to speak of the “vile betrayal to which the people were subjected,” and how these groups took advantage of the people’s movement.

Today, he affirmed, the people know that there will be no more betrayal and “we are all fully committed to the same Bolivarian and Chavez’s project,” and we are in the streets “not to remember the last betrayal, but to celebrate our absolute loyalty to our brother President Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.”

The political leader called for unity and steadfastness, asserting that January 3 was “a hard blow of sadness, anger, pain, and frustration,” but nothing and no one will stop this people, he added.

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This article by Alberto Vizcarra Osuna originally appeared in the January 22, 2026 edition of Aristegui. The views expressed in this article are the authors’* own and do not necessarily reflect those ofMexico Solidarity Mediaor theMexico Solidarity Project.*

Once you hear the pronouncements of Julio Berdegué, the Secretary of Agriculture, there’s no doubt who put him in President Claudia Sheinbaum’s cabinet. His rhetoric paints him in black and white as a pawn of the large grain importers and agribusiness corporations that are steadily taking over entire swathes of the national food market.

This was evident in discussions with the coordination of the National Front for the Rescue of the Mexican Countryside (FNRCM), held last Thursday, January 15, and Friday, January 16, at the SADER headquarters in Mexico City. The FNRCM’s central argument is that, in the context of the USMCA renegotiation, the Mexican government must decide to remove staple grains from this trade agreement, given that it has been demonstrated that its design, since the signing of NAFTA, was conceived as a tool to further entrench Mexico’s food dependency, handing the national market over to increasing imports of agricultural products from the United States.

In these discussions, Secretary Berdegué, with a dogmatic air, immediately drew a line in the sand: there would be no modifications to economic policy, arguing that removing basic grains from the USMCA would entail changes the government was unwilling to make. When faced with the producers’ complaints and the documentation showing how these policies are draining domestic producers of capital and threatening to force them out of business, Berdegué remained phlegmatic, like an executioner unwilling to be moved by the victims’ emotions. He presumes to speak the truth when he admits to being a tool of an economic policy that doesn’t understand domestic producers, but rather destined them to disappear.

Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture openly admits that the condition for maintaining the privileged position of the elite that controls the food market and agricultural exports is that Mexico not establish policies to protect domestic production of staple grains and their producers.

Every minister in a republic should be a statesman, concerned with the general welfare; even more so the one entrusted with the responsibility for national food production. This official’s personality falls far short of that ideal. He sees himself as a bureaucrat, a mere implementer of established policies, regardless of the consequences. Consequently, he submits to the regulations that keep his ministry’s budget stagnant, a budget that has not increased in the last ten years; on the contrary, it has decreased in relative terms.

The only time the Secretary loses his composure and loses his temper is when he’s challenged to rein in the agribusiness corporations and the large grain importers. That’s when he shows his true colors and presents them as untouchable, angrily declaring, “We have to respect the rules of the USMCA.”

Last October, amidst the white corn harvest in the Bajío region and the drop in corn prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s futures markets, President Sheinbaum stated that something had to be done to prevent the prices of our staple grains from remaining subject to “the fluctuations of international markets.” Since that statement, the President has not addressed this issue, which she considers contrary to the national interest.

Pressure from the US government, which goes so far as to threaten military incursions into the national territory, and the subservient personalities like Berdegué—along with others within the cabinet—have paralyzed the President and distanced her from decisions that could reverse the economic crisis and the accelerated dismantling suffered by the Mexican countryside.

All smiles with USDA’s Brooke Rollins, responsible for US dumping of subsidized crops into Mexico.

The Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) openly admits that the condition for maintaining the privileged position of the elite that controls the food market and agricultural exports is that Mexico not establish policies to protect domestic production of staple grains and their producers. For this reason, he opposes the demand that these grains be removed from the USMCA trade agreement. The logic is simple and fatal: we will hand over the national food market to agribusiness corporations.

Like any dogmatic man, this official is blind to the consequences and threatens producers with the specter of disaster if staple grains are excluded from the USMCA. He wants to frighten thousands of producers already living in economic hell with the prospect of disaster, unable to sell nearly four million tons of corn, beans, and sorghum from past harvests, in addition to the even larger volumes currently planted for the fall-winter cycle, which are also without a price or a market, as futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange continue to decline.

Berdegué’s beliefs and fears will deepen the disaster they claim to be preventing. Handing over the food market to favor agribusiness corporations is rooted in the same economic policy criteria that led the country to the 1994 debt crisis, by adjusting the national economy to the conditions imposed by investment funds and their rating agencies, which invariably recommend fiscal austerity to ensure the repayment of a public debt that grows the more it is amortized.

We are now on the verge of a new payment crisis, a result of fiscal adjustments, which will unleash social unrest. Domestic producers, along with transporters, are emerging as the natural leaders of a social mobilization with acts of resistance that go beyond mere demands, proposing alternative solutions.

There’s no need to worry too much about this bureaucrat claiming that the economic policy aligned with the USMCA is unchangeable. Reality is adept at dismantling dogmas. We should be concerned about the alternatives, so that this doesn’t lead to a disaster even worse than the current one.

• 

  News Briefs

  Salinas Pliego Did Not Pay Tax Debt, Still Negotiating

  January 24, 2026January 24, 2026

  A five-day grace period which would allow the ultra-right winger a 39% discount on his nearly $3 billion USD tax debt has passed.

• 

  Analysis

  Berdegué, Agribusiness Hatchet Man

  January 24, 2026January 24, 2026

  With a crippling national farmers strike only one bad meeting away, the government’s disregard for Mexico’s agricultural crisis has a surprising face: its Secretary of Agriculture.

• 

  News Briefs

  Mexico City Investigating Ultra-right Mayors in Connection with “Gen-Z” Shock Groups

  January 23, 2026January 23, 2026

  Two investigations were launched in Cuauhtémoc & Miguel Hidalgo following accusations against Alessandra Rojo de la Vega & Mauricio Tabe Echartea related to the half-geriatric, half-lumpen march in November.

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According to the Front, crude oil production between January and December 2025 reached 127.4 million barrels, an average of 349,167 barrels per day, representing an 8.5 percent drop compared to the previous year.

At the same time, the group expressed that domestic production of refined products decreased, and to meet domestic demand, the country imported 74.3 million barrels of fuel, a 16.8 percent year-on-year increase, which, according to the Front, deepens its external dependence.

The group also questioned the sharp contraction in public investment in the sector, with a budget execution of $485.4 million, a 72.97 percent drop compared to 2024.

They also criticized the dismissal of 1,379 workers, which represented a 13.7 percent reduction in the payroll.

Furthermore, the organization raised legal questions about contracts signed by OCP Ecuador S.A., the company in charge of the Heavy Crude Oil Pipeline, which was transferred to state ownership on December 1, 2024.

The organization called on authorities and the public to scrutinize the management of the country’s energy resources and warned that, if this trend continues, the damage to the oil industry could be irreversible.

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For several years, AES Andes, a subsidiary of the US-based multinational AES Corporation, had presented a plan to produce green hydrogen and ammonia in the Atacama Desert.

The process stalled in 2024 when it entered the Environmental Impact Assessment System, and since then it has accumulated a series of objections, both within and outside the country, because the plant would have been built just a few kilometers from the town of Taltal.

The problem is that Paranal Observatory, home to some of the world’s leading ground-based telescopes, including the Very Large Telescope (VLT), one of the most powerful and operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), is located there.

Furthermore, the Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction there, will be the largest ever made and, according to scientists, will provide unprecedented images of the universe to better understand its history and evolution.

Atacama is famous in the world of astronomical research because, in addition to its altitude, it has some of the most pristine skies, with virtually no atmospheric gases and perfectly dark nights for observation.

The AES Andes project, known as INNA, would have a serious negative impact on these conditions for several reasons.

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“We reiterate Cuba’s commitment to free, universal, and inclusive education, and to the respect, promotion, and protection of this fundamental human right for the development of humanity,” Rodriguez stated on his Twitter account.

“It is unacceptable that even today, 244 million young people worldwide are out of school and 617 million children and adolescents cannot read or have basic math skills,” added the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Cuban diplomat also emphasized the need to strengthen this right as a means to promote a culture of peace, understanding, and non-discrimination.

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Ideas Multimedios, the Cuban News Agency, Radio Sancti Spiritus, the satirical newspaper Palante, and Radio Cumanayagua, from Cienfuegos province, received the award at UPEC headquarters.

The award recognizes efforts aimed at developing and implementing innovative solutions in editorial practices.

Named after Juan Antonio Borrego, the former director of the Escambray publishing house, the prize was awarded by a jury chaired by Dr. Ana Teresa Badia, a journalist with Radio Rebelde.

According to Badia, participation in this year’s competition was massive, and most of the entrants showed a commitment to proposing solutions to the diverse challenges of journalistic work.

In the awards ceremony, Radio Sancti Spiritus received the distinction for the Centennial of the birth of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, awarded by the Institute of Information and Social Communication, and Ideas Multimedios was honored with the prize created for the occasion for its multimedia section, “The Century of Fidel.”

Likewise, the Faculty of Communication of the University of Havana awarded the Escambray publishing house in Sancti Spiritus for its scientific approach to management, which coincided with the same category of the Juan Antonio Borrego Award.

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The president, a member of the Workers’ Party, asserted that the electoral process leading up to the October elections will be decisive in defining Brazil’s political course and confronting disinformation.

Lula reviewed the economic and social advances of his current term, such as the reduction in unemployment, the growth of exports and investment, the increase in the minimum wage, and the recovery of strategic sectors.

“We have the lowest unemployment in Brazil’s history and the largest number of workers and economic activities,” he stressed.

In this context, he called for greater political participation from social movements and celebrated the MST’s support for its own candidates.

According to the president, the movement should be proud of what it produces and occupy decision-making positions to guarantee the continuity of working-class rights.

Before Lula’s speech, the Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Farming, Paulo Teixeira, announced that promised land for lan reform would be delivered in April, benefiting thousands of landless families.

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The Caribbean nation was represented by Ambassador Juan Marsan and First Secretary Maiky Diaz, who also attended the inauguration of a thematic exhibition along with Indranil Sen, Minister of State for Information and Culture of West Bengal, according to diplomatic sources.

In the production, a musical adaptation of Charles Perrault’s tale staged by Carlos Alberto Cremata, director of La Colmenita, the songs of the famous English group are “a key element of the entertaining plot,” Cremata explained to the press.

He also highlighted the use of distinctly Cuban language and rhythms.

The Kolkata International Children’s Film Festival will run until January 29, 2026, during which 180 films from 32 countries are scheduled to be screened. jdt/oda/lrd

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Schroder affirmed that the supply of affordable Russian energy and the use of German technology in its extraction would make the process more environmentally friendly.

Slandering this is simply absurd. On the contrary, we need such forms of cooperation with Russia, the former Social Democratic leader underscored to the said newspaper.

The former chancellor also rejected the image of Russia “as an eternal enemy,” highlighting its rich culture and historical ties with Germany.

Local analysts in energy geopolitics point out that, despite the current official stance, the debate on the future relationship with Moscow remains open in Germany, given its past dependence.

Schroder’s call revives the discussion about the economic cost of breaking with Moscow and the possible paths to future political normalization in Europe.

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“Of course, we are following them, and we hope for productive results. We start from the principle stated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that there should be no losing side in the peace process,” the news agency stated.

Experts in local international politics believe that Turkiye’s stance shows its role as an active mediator and its strategic interest in negotiated stability in the Black Sea region.

The talks, which include Russia, the United States, and Ukraine, started this Friday in Abu Dhabi with the formation of a trilateral working group on security.

On the Ukrainian side, the meeting was attended by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, Presidential Administration chief Kyrylo Budanov, lawmaker David Arakhamia, and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya.

Chief of the General Staff, Andrii Hnatov, and Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, will join the delegation on Saturday.

High-ranking officials from the Defense Ministry and Admiral Igor Kostiukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, will be present on the Russian side.

The United States is represented by White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and entrepreneur Jared Kushner, and Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum.

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Xi underscored in his letter the traditional ties between the two countries and noted that Beijing and Kampala have maintained, in the last few years, firm mutual support on issues related to their core interests and key concerns.

The Chinese head of State highlighted the fruitful results of practical cooperation in multiple sectors and effective coordination on international and regional issues.

He affirmed that Museveni is an “old friend of the Chinese people” for his long-standing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations.

Xi expressed his willingness to work with the Ugandan president to strengthen political trust and perpetuate the historic friendship between the two nations.

He underscored the importance of fully implementing the agreements reached at the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in Beijing.

China and Uganda established diplomatic relations in 1962 and boosted their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024, within the framework of growing South-South cooperation.

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The meeting was attended by the Presidential Advisor for Investment Promotion, Trade and International Cooperation, Laureano Ortega, and officials from the Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (MIFIC).

The exchange focused on establishing a joint agenda to develop cooperation in various sectors of common interest.

During the meeting, Ortega welcomed the South African Vice Minister and his delegation, while also conveying the warm and fraternal greetings of Nicaragua’s Co-Presidents, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, to the people and Government of South Africa, to President Cyril Ramaphosa, and to Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola.

Ortega highlighted the similarities between the two nations, emphasizing that South Africa and Nicaragua are multicultural and multiethnic, with ample potential to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in various areas.

For his part, Deputy Minister Botes noted the importance of expressing his nation’s high regard for Nicaragua and stressed the interest in deepening bilateral and multilateral relations between Pretoria, Managua, and the Central American region.

The official specified that cooperation and trade opportunities are concentrated in six sectors prioritized by his government, including agriculture and agribusiness, mining, mineral processing and transformation, industrialization, services, manufacturing, and textiles.

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The 2026 Book Fair will also be dedicated to two renowned literary figures: Writer Marilyn Bobes and Jose Bell Lara.

Bobes is two-time winner of Casa de las Americas Prize, and Bell Lara is a PhD in Philosophical Sciences and Master in Caribbean Social Development, and professor emeritus at the University of Havana.

In a press conference, the president of the Cuban Book Institute (ICL), Juan Rodriguez, highlighted the significance of dedicating the major 2026 event to Russia, a friendly and brotherly country from a political and cultural standpoint, and to the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, in the year of his centennial.

The largest literary festival in Cuba will celebrate his example, his memory, and his legacy, which also includes this fair and all that he did for Cuban books and writers, added the head of the ICL.

Talking to the press, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Cuba, Viktor Koronelli, emphasized the honor it represents for his country to participate “in this prestigious fair, one of the most important cultural events in all of Latin America.”

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These demands include the need to continue building Parliament as a truly supreme organ of state power, representing the will and aspirations of the people and boosting democracy and the socialist Rule of law, Thanh Man indicated.

The Vietnamese parliamentarian emphasized that the Legislature must transform all guidelines emanating from the successful and historic party forum into a comprehensive, unified, viable, and stable legal system.

He emphasized, “The National Assembly clearly defines that the quality and progress in institutionalizing the Resolution of the 14th National Congress is the most important indicator for assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of its activities in the coming period.” After describing the party conclave as a political milestone of special strategic importance that marks the beginning of a new stage in national development, the parliamentary leader pointed out that it affirmed the objective of achieving rapid and sustainable national development.

The article deems it essential to carry out thorough preparations in all aspects to organize the elections for lawmakers successfully to the 16th National Assembly and representatives to the People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term.

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In a message posted on her Telegram account, the president stated that this decision shows the confidence of the Party and the heroic Vietnamese people in his leadership.

Furthermore, on behalf of the people and government of Venezuela, Rodriguez reiterated the desire to “continue deepening the bonds of friendship, solidarity, and cooperation with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”

“United in the defense of sovereignty, the self-determination of peoples, and the construction of a multicentric and multipolar international order,” she affirmed. To Lam was unanimously re-elected by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, as reported at the closing session of the CPV’s 14th National Congress.

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