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During the second day of commemoration for the 32 combatants killed in Venezuela, the head of State stressed that the US aggression confirms the predatory nature of imperialism.

“The Cuban people are not anti-imperialist by default; imperialism made us anti-imperialist,” the president stated before the Anti-Imperialist Tribune.

“But not only Cuba, the world will become increasingly anti-imperialist as a result of this act against all international norms,” he said.

Diaz-Canel emphasized the historical relationship between unity and victory: “All the victories of the Cuban people are associated with the strength of unity.

Every time the patriotic forces were divided, we lost. Every time they united, we triumphed.” The president warned that the nation’s enemies are aware of this dynamic and “are betting on breaking that unity.”

He noted that their current threats are reminiscent of those made by almost every American administration controlled by so-called war hawks.

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An Italian Foreign Ministry statement points out that in the phone call, Al Busaidi briefed Tajani on the results of his recent visit to Tehran, where he met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as part of Omani mediation efforts to reduce tensions between Iran and the United States.

The Italian minister expressed his gratitude for the role played by Oman in the current situation and expressed his hope that the mediation efforts of that Arab country could lead to de-escalation and open new channels of dialogue, including the nuclear issue, for the benefit of regional security and stability.

Regarding this issue, Tajani met last in Rome with the Italian Ambassador to Tehran, the heads of diplomatic missions in the region, and representatives from the Italian Defense Ministry and intelligence agencies.

During the meeting, the minister emphasized the need to ensure constant monitoring of the evolving regional security situation and highlighted the protection of Italian citizens in Iran as a top priority, while also reiterating his call for them to leave the country.

The meeting also addressed the situation of about 900 members of the Italian Armed Forces deployed in the region, including roughly 500 in Iraq and 400 in Kuwait, and precautionary measures were put in place to protect these military personnel.

The protests in Iran started on December 28 in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, resulting in several injuries and deaths, while Iranian authorities insist they are being instigated from abroad, particularly by the United States and Israel.

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The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, and arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, condemned the January 3 US military attack in Venezuela. The expert warned that the incursion into Venezuelan territory and the lethal attacks on boats in international waters, which constitute an “excessive and unlawful use of lethal force,” could give rise to international criminal liability.

The US military attack on Venezuela “may constitute an international crime of aggression attributable to individual political and military leaders involved,” he added, according to a United Nations press release on Thursday, January 15.

Tidball-Binz underscored that the unprovoked use of armed force on the sovereign territory of another State is a breach of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter. “Deaths resulting from such an act of aggression are arbitrary by definition,” the rapporteur stated.

According to the expert, the incursion by US forces into Venezuelan territory on January 3—which resulted in 108 deaths and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores—has no legal basis under international law.

The rapporteur also repudiated the normalization of violent US tactics, both in Venezuela and in maritime operations in the so-called “war on narco-terrorism.” He expressed grave concern about the US forces not only destroying vessels and killing the crews while intercepting them, but also killing survivors at sea.

He underscored that public statements by US officials promoting a “shoot-to-kill” posture violate international legal limits. ““International law does not allow States to kill on the basis of labels, perceptions of how someone appears, or allegations of wrongdoing,” he stated. “Whether at sea, abroad, or at home, the use of lethal force must be strictly limited by the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality and precaution, and may be used only as a last resort to protect life.”

Tidball-Binz also referred to institutional violence within the United States, highlighting the situation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and demanded a thorough investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman on January 7 by US federal immigration agents.

From Noriega to Maduro: The Long US History of Kidnapping Foreign Leaders

Demand for accountability
The rapporteur called on the US government to urgently review relevant laws, policies, rules of engagement, operational directives and oversight mechanisms governing the use of lethal force domestically and extraterritorially. He also demanded transparent and independent investigations under the Minnesota Protocol to ensure that victims’ families have access to justice and redress.

The expert emphasized that the right to life is “non-negotiable” and that no State may kill based on perceptions of appearance or political labels, reaffirming that the prohibition of arbitrary deprivation of life is absolute and universal.

(Telesur)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/DZ

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Cuba paid tribute to the 32 combatants who gave their lives carrying out institutional duties during the US armed invasion of Venezuela on January 3, which ended with the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

Thousands of Cubans gathered in the streets of the capital, Havana in the early hours of Thursday, January 15, to honor the martyrs. The public tribute will continue through Friday, January 16, Cuban authorities reported. The plane carrying the heroes’ remains from Caracas to the Cuban capital arrived early morning on Thursday.

🇨🇺| El General de Ejército, Raúl Castro Ruz, y el Presidente @DiazCanelB, encabezaron el sentido tributo que se ofreció a los 32 combatientes cubanos caídos en el vil ataque de Estados Unidos a #Venezuela.

Al amanecer, sus restos llegaron a la Patria.#HonorYGloria pic.twitter.com/oOvXMLRXvF

— Presidencia Cuba 🇨🇺 (@PresidenciaCuba) January 15, 2026

The solemn reception took place at José Martí International Airport in Havana. President Miguel Díaz-Canel and General Raúl Castro Ruz presided over the ceremony.

The ceremonial speech was delivered by Interior Minister Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, who stated that the combatants “fell far from their home, but they did not fall from their duty.”

ALBA-TCP Reaffirms Unwavering Support for Cuba, Denounces Aggression Against Its Sovereignty

He added that Venezuela was not a distant homeland for the fallen, but a space where the independence heroes of the two nations, José Martí and Simón Bolívar, and the historical leaders Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro are intertwined. “They fell in combat and ascended forever into history,” the minister emphasized, adding that the fallen comrades were honored “with the pride of knowing that they fought to the last bullet and gave their lives in fulfillment of the mission entrusted to them.”

The remains of the martyrs were transferred to the headquarters of the Cuban Ministry of the Armed Forces, accompanied by Cubans who gathered along Rancho Boyeros Avenue to pay tribute to them.

(Diario VEA)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/DZ

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The agreement, signed by the director of the Syrian Ports and Customs Authority, Qutaiba Ahmed Badawi, and representatives of the Turkish company, envisions the construction of a modern shipyard in the port of Tartus, with the goal of meeting the highest international technical standards and positioning Syria as an emerging player in the regional maritime industry.

The project will be executed under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, whereby the company will assume the construction, equipping, operation, and management of the shipyard, in addition to carrying out shipbuilding, repair, and maintenance work.

As agreed, the investment period will be 30 years from the signing of the contract. Kuzey Star Shipyard has committed to investing a minimum of $190 million over the first five years to equip docks, warehouses, and operational facilities, without incurring any financial obligations for the Syrian side.

The agreement includes a 20% discount on construction, repair, and maintenance services for vessels belonging to the Syrian state, in support of the development of the national naval fleet.

Authorities highlighted the social and economic impact of the project, which is expected to create approximately 1,700 direct and 3,500 indirect jobs.

Furthermore, at least 95% of the workforce will be Syrian, with an emphasis on training and the transfer of technical and technological expertise.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun noted that this collaboration between States should not undermine regional peace and stability.

Guo remembered that Japanese militarism invaded the Philippines during World War II and perpetrated crimes against its population and allied forces, as well as assassinating Chinese diplomatic officials.

The spokesperson underscored that this history must be remembered and such crimes must not be repeated, while noting that Southeast Asian countries and the international community have consistently criticized Tokyo’s security policies.

He pointed out that Japan is not showing restraint and, on the contrary, is building up its armament and exporting lethal weapons, which, he said, reveals attempts at remilitarization.

Guo stated that peace-loving countries must firmly oppose the resurgence of Japanese militarism and safeguard regional stability.

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The clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the 33rd Front have so far killed at least 166 people and injured more than 60, according to figures released by the Unified Command Post in the region monitoring the situation.

Just a few hours after the fighting began, President Gustavo Petro suspended negotiations between the Government and the ELN.

The president wrote on his X profile, “What the ELN has committed in Catatumbo are war crimes. The talks with that group are suspended; the ELN has no desire for peace.”

Dozens of residents in Catatumbo, in Norte de Santander department, abandoned their homes to escape the conflict and traveled to Cucuta, where they were housed in hotels or temporary shelters. Others chose to cross the border into Venezuela, while hundreds of families remained trapped in the crossfire.

The Army then announced that it would conduct a phased military operation to address the situation of insecurity.

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The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, inaugurated the meeting, which is being attended by the Panel of Facilitators, comprised of former heads of State, the Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Dussey, heads of the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, among other partners.

Youssouf reaffirmed Africa’s unwavering commitment to ending the crisis in eastern DRC and praised the leadership of head of State Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé for accepting the mandate to serve as mediator for the continental organization, in accordance with the values ​​of Pan-Africanism.

Despite numerous mediation initiatives, violence persists in Goma, Bukavu, and Uvira, causing thousands of deaths and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

In this context, he emphasized that African-led efforts must now take priority, giving concrete meaning to the principle of “African solutions to African problems.”

He underscored the need for a proactive and inclusive framework that fosters dialogue between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, engages neighboring countries, addresses the root causes of the conflict, and safeguards Congolese sovereignty.

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Through her Telegram account, the president remembered that she presented the project to the National Assembly (parliament), in her 2026 State of the Nation Address, incorporating “the successful business management models of the Anti-Blockade Law.” Rodriguez reported that all foreign currency entering the country “through energy cooperation” will be allocated to two sovereign funds: one for social protection and worker welfare, and another for infrastructure and services that promote economic and social development.

She emphasized that these funds must be managed without bureaucracy and indifference and presented to the country through a public technological platform.

She explained in her speech the previous day that the first fund would contribute to improving workers’ income and that the foreign currency would “go directly to hospitals, schools, food programs, and housing.”

The official also instructed the creation of the Sovereign Infrastructure and Services Fund for Economic and Social Development, whose foreign currency would be allocated to water, electricity, and road infrastructure.

She further requested the creation of a technological platform to ensure transparency in the use of these resources and to “eliminate bureaucracy and corruption.”

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In a joint statement, the special rapporteurs expressed their concern about the attack perpetrated on January 3 against the South American country, which included the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

They also stated that “any unilateral decision by the United States to temporarily place Venezuela under its control would violate international law and human rights, including self-determination.”

Latin America is a zone of peace. The obligation to resolve conflicts peacefully must be respected.

We express our willingness to provide technical support and to engage in constructive dialogue with all relevant actors, they added.

They also reiterated that the future of Venezuela must be decided solely by its people.

For his part, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, considered the excessive and unlawful use of force by Washington, both extraterritorially and domestically, in police operations, especially those related to immigration control, to be alarming.

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According to an official statement, Xi noted that the meeting held in October in the South Korean city of Gyeongju opened a new stage of improvement in bilateral relations.

The Chinese president underscored that both sides must act with historical responsibility and before their people to boost a new strategic partnership and steer relations toward healthy and sustainable development.

Carney, in turn, thanked the Chinese authorities for their hospitality and emphasized that the strategic partnership has created opportunities for the people of both nations.

The Canadian prime minister stated that both sides can, based on cooperation, build a new strategic partnership in accordance with the current global situation.

Carney is paying an official visit to China until January 17, amid the process of gradually improving bilateral ties initiated last year.

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The gathering, which precedes the March of the Fighting People, is led by President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Rebel Army Commander Jose Ramón Machado, and other high-ranking officials of the Communist Party of Cuba and the Cuban government.

The day before, numerous gestures and expressions of popular support marked the arrival of the remains of the internationalist fighters, who died during the U.S. attack against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The leader of the Cuban Revolution, Raul Castro, and President Diaz-Canel paid the first posthumous tribute to the combatants and led the final honor guard.

A procession carried the urns from the airport terminal to the headquarters of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) along Rancho Boyeros Avenue, accompanied by thousands of people who, along the route, paid heartfelt tribute to the fallen.

A steady stream of people, whose numbers did not diminish despite the inclement weather, arrived at the designated area at MINFAR to pay their respects and honors to the mortal remains of the combatants, in recognition of their lives and sacrifice.

Tribute ceremonies are scheduled for Friday morning in all provincial capitals across the country.

Later in the afternoon, the remains will be interred in the Pantheon of the Fallen in Defense in their respective localities, while posthumous acts of recognition will be held in all municipalities.

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This rendezvous with history, this return to that site, a fundamental stronghold of the Salvadoran guerrilla group, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), confirms that this was a “strategic territory and a site of resistance” for the Salvadoran people.

Places such as Perquin, where the commemoration will be held this Saturday, a center of operations and historical memory, are now the heart of the Peace Route, a symbol of struggle and reconciliation.

The Chapultepec Peace Accords are not forgotten for being signed in 1992 at the historic Chapultepec Castle in Mexico, and remain a point of contention between those who seek to forget and those who strive to erase their significance from the popular imagination and from history.

Few forget that the Truth Commission’s report “From Madness to Hope: The Twelve-Year War in El Salvador” was published on March 15, 1993.

This report documented the events that Salvadorans faced in a power struggle, where the United States provided money and weapons for the massacres.

The death toll and disappearances reached more than 75,000, and a silent witness is the Monument to Memory and Truth, a wall bearing about 30,000 names of war victims, located in Cuscatlan Park in San Salvador.

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Addressing the 48th Graduation Ceremony of Cadets at “Leonel Rugama” Police Science University of the National Police last, Ortega highlighted the historic support of the international community at the United Nations against the blockade that Washington has maintained against Havana for more than six decades.

The president stated, “In every vote, almost all countries voted to lift the US blockade. Who voted against it? The delegate from the United States, the delegate from Israel, two or three countries at most.”

The head of State conveyed in another release Nicaragua’s support to acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, and demanded the return of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were kidnapped by US military personnel and taken to the United States on January 3.

He added that President Maduro wanted peace, “but what has become clear is that the United States is interested in the oil. The president has stated it clearly, specifying the thousands of barrels of oil that nation intends to take from the Venezuelan people.”

Ortega expressed gratitude to all nations in the world and in the United States itself that have mobilized in the last few days against those aggressions and in favor of peace.

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At the headquarters of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), Raul also paid tribute to each of the 32 Cubans who died on January 3, when US military forces conducted an operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Interior Minister Lazaro Alvarez Casas and FAR Minister Alvaro Lopez also participated in the solemn ceremony along with Raul Castro and Diaz-Canel.

The remains of the 32 soldiers arrived in Havana, where the people paid tribute to them at the FAR headquarters.

The combatants received posthumous military promotions as a fitting and well-deserved tribute to their heroism, the Cuban Government informed.

As part of the public tribute, Havana residents gather at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune, in front of the US mission in Havana, on Friday to express their homage in a March of the Combatant People.

Simultaneous ceremonies are held in all provincial capitals this Friday.Those heroes will be buried in the Fallen for the Defense pantheons of their respective towns.

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Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has delivered a message of unity and dignity during the presentation of her Annual Message to the Nation. In her speech, she detailed the political, economic, social, and administrative achievements of President Nicolás Maduro’s administration throughout 2025, reiterating that he remains the leader of Venezuela and Chavismo.

“There is a stain on our relations, because they have crossed the red line,” the Chavista leader stated this Thursday, January 15. “They attacked, assaulted, killed, invaded, and kidnapped President Maduro and our first lady. It is a stain on the relations between the US and Venezuela, and we swore to our heroes and heroines that we were going to resolve it diplomatically, face to face, as Bolívar taught us.” She reported that she had discussed the content of this message with President Maduro just hours before he was kidnapped by the US empire.

Speaking from the Federal Legislative Palace, headquarters of the National Assembly, Rodríguez pointed out that while the aggression of January 3 is unprecedented, the contradictions that led to the attack are historical. She explained that the Monroe Doctrine seeks imperialist territorial expansion, while the Liberator Simón Bolívar advocated for freedom from colonialism and imperialism.

The constitutional ceremony began with the acting president calling for a minute of applause in honor of those killed in the January 3 military attack—the operation in which President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were kidnapped by the US regime.

During her speech, noted by analysts in particular for its brevity and gravitas, Rodríguez called for political dialogue and an end to “anti-political practices” which, in her view, had removedd into a competition to determine “who could grovel the most.”

“The people are waiting for tolerance and respect,” she stated.

Economic growth
Rodríguez announced the creation of two sovereign wealth funds derived from oil revenues. The first is earmarked for social protection to improve workers’ income, education, and healthcare, while the second will fund infrastructure and public services. She further called for the creation of a technological platform for the effective management of both funds, in order to ensure transparency and prevent corruption.

The acting president also presented a draft Organic Law for the Protection of Socioeconomic Rights, explaining that the law will protect consumers and guarantee the quality of goods and services. She highlighted 19 quarters of sustained growth—almost five years’ worth—and an 8.5% increase in the country’s GDP in 2025.

Venezuela’s 2021-2025 GDP growth, with sectorial 2025 desegregated growth. Source: BCV.

She reported to the assembly that over the course of the past year, Venezuela did not import fuel, and that Venezuelan oil workers achieved a production of 1.2 million barrels of oil per day (bpd).

“Thanks to the CPP model, an investment of nearly US$900 million was achieved in the hydrocarbon sector in 2025,” she added.

Oil sub-products production comparison between 2021 and 2025 in million of barrels per day.

Rodríguez introduced a draft reform to the hydrocarbons law, in order to incorporate production models from the Anti-Blockade Law. The move is intended to ensure investment flows are incorporated into new or unexploited fields where infrastructure does not yet exist. Additionally, she announced a draft Organic Law for the Expediting of Procedures.

“I have asked the legal teams to implement the anti-blockade model,” she said, “which will allow us to deactivate any existing regulation when a procedure is preventing investment or hindering citizens.”

Achievements in security and public services
Rodríguez highlighted the consolidation of “direct democracy” through the national people’s power model, noting that more than US$280 million was invested in 35,000 communal projects, executed through the autonomy of communes and communal councils.

On the issue of internal security, Rodríguez announced that Venezuela had reached a figure of three homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. She compared this to Ecuador’s rate of 70 homicides per 100,000 and the regional average of 16, emphasizing that it demonstrates “the commitment of the Bolivarian Government to the security of the people.”

Recovered electricity capacity in MW and overall energy production in Venezuela, compared between 2024 and 2025.

Regarding public services and social metrics:

• Energy: 5,000 megawatts were added to the National Electric System (SEN), more than doubling the 2024 power levels.
• Water: A 110% growth was recorded in water services.
• Infrastructure: Asphalt paving increased by 70%, using materials from Lake Guanoco.
• Health: Maternal and infant mortality rates decreased significantly.
• Employment: The administration recorded growth in formal employment as the economy continues recovery.

Delivery of asphalt in Venezuela, 2024-2025 comparison.

Evolution of formal work vs. informal work in Venezuela over several years.

Evolution of maternal and newborn mortality rate in Venezuela between 2022 and 2025.

International relations
“Venezuela has every right to maintain relations with China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba,” Rodríguez reaffirmed, noting that the agenda of energy between Venezuela and the US is not new. “We are not reinventing the wheel; we continue to shape our energy cooperation with the US and other countries.”

Rodríguez also addressed the possibility of traveling to the US in her current capacity. “If one day I have to go to Washington as acting president, I will do it standing, walking, not crawling,” she stated firmly. “I will do it with the tricolor flag. It will be standing, never crawling or dragging myself. That is what holds true to the Venezuelan people standing tall.”

Machado-Trump meeting fiasco
Analysts note that Rodríguez’s speech served as a rebuttal to the low-profile and unproductive meeting between far-right politician María Corina Machado and US ruler Donald Trump on the same day.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in a press conference that Trump’s assessment of Machado as a figure to lead a transition in Venezuela has not changed after the meeting. Leavitt also confirmed that Trump evaluated Machado’s profile based on current socio-political realities and believes the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient cannot govern the nation, as she lacks internal support and respect.

Venezuelan far-right politician María Corina Machado exits from the White House’s back door after meeting President Donald Trump in Washington, Thursday, January 15, 2026. Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP.

“The president’s assessment is based on the reality on the ground,” Leavitt confirmed. “His opinion has not changed so far.”

This reality clashes with mainstream media reports and statements from some European politicians, claiming Machado remains the primary option for an alleged transition in Venezuela. It also contradicts “creative interpretations” by far-right activists who suggested Trump’s initial assessment only referred to a lack of Machado’s military support.

Machado’s arrival at the White House on Thursday was widely reported as a fiasco of protocol. She was not received by any US officials, entered through a regular entrance, and the visit lacked an official photo with Trump or any formal farewell protocol.

The far-right Venezuelan politician later confirmed that she gifted the Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump.

Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff

OT/JRE/AU

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This article by Karla Mora originally appeared in the January 15, 2026 edition of El Sol de México.

César Cravioto, head of the Mexico City Government Secretariat, reported that within the framework of the Cabinet Against Dispossession program, which has been operating since April 2025 due to the growing number of cases, has achieved the restitution of 94 properties to their rightful owners, another 10 have been seized, and, as a result of monitoring the cases, six people have been arrested.

During the Mexico City Security Report, the official stated that there were 4,071 neighborhood assistance requests, of which 399 files were opened for the investigation of cases of dispossession, and of these, in 290 there were actions by the secretariat, although he did not specify what they were.

“I want to mention in this program that we are also adjusting some procedures of the program against dispossession. We had just one inter-institutional meeting last Tuesday, and we will have another one next Tuesday, to fine-tune this program and ensure it has the best results in 2026,” he said.

He acknowledged the work done by agencies such as the Legal Counsel, the Judiciary, the Public Registry of Property, among others, as it is an interdisciplinary task.

The Citizen’s Assistance Desk Against Property Dispossession, primarily of homes, operates on Tuesdays in the Zócalo. In this way, residents of Mexico City who have been affected by this crime, who are at risk, or who have been threatened, can receive help and advice every Tuesday at this location.

• 

  News Briefs

  Mexico City Landgrabs: 94 Properties Recovered, Six People Arrested

  January 15, 2026January 15, 2026

  Mexico City has been plagued with high-profile night raids by criminal gangs, sometimes accompanied by police, invading and capturing properties throughout the capital.

• 

  News Briefs

  Dual American Mexican Citizen Dies Under ICE Custody in Private Prison

  January 15, 2026January 15, 2026

  The unidentified man is the fifth person to die in ICE custody since the beginning of this year.

• 

  Mañanera

  People’s Mañanera January 15

  January 15, 2026

  President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on gringo chicken invasion, USMCA renegotiations and electoral reform.

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Mexico’s Consulate General in Atlanta has released a press statement on the death of a dual Mexican-American in ICE Custody. The unidentified man died in ICE custody today at the Robert A Deyton Detention Facility in Lovejoy, Georgia.

The detention facility is privately owned and operated by the Geo Group, one of the largest prison corporations in the world. Geo Group was facing significant financial difficulties when the US Department of Justice announced in August of 2016 that it was phasing out the use of private prisons, but made a shrewd political bet on Donald Trump’s campaign, support it through significant SuperPAC donations. The bet paid off in 2017 when Donald Trump awarded the contract for the first of his (many) immigration detention centers.

Shirsho Dasgupta wrote in a 2025 article in the Miami Herald that “few companies have made a bigger killing from the administration’s turbocharged efforts to detain and deport undocumented migrants” than GEO Group, which operates around 24 detention sites across the United States.

Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry say they are “addressing the case promptly and maintaining direct contact with the authorities responsible for the investigation in order to learn the results,” and the Consulate General “has established communication with the family of the Mexican national in order to provide the necessary consular assistance.”

The Consulate General also requested clarification on the circumstances surrounding his death and will eb monitoring the investiation to ensure it is conduct promptly and transparently.

The unidentified man is the fifth person to die in ICE custody since the beginning of this year.

• 

  News Briefs

  Dual American Mexican Citizen Dies Under ICE Custody in Private Prison

  January 15, 2026January 15, 2026

  The unidentified man is the fifth person to die in ICE custody since the beginning of this year.

• 

  Mañanera

  People’s Mañanera January 15

  January 15, 2026

  President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on gringo chicken invasion, USMCA renegotiations and electoral reform.

• 

  News Briefs

  Mexican Farmers & Agriculture Secretariat Dialogue Resumes Today

  January 15, 2026January 15, 2026

  Mexican agriculture remains in crisis: 10 million tons of grain can’t be sold, the government is not meeting agreements while US dumping destroys the market & even limits access to credit to help farms last another season.

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Caracas, January 15, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced a “partial reform” of the country’s hydrocarbon legislation during the annual “Memoria y Cuenta” speech before the National Assembly on Thursday.

Rodríguez justified the reform with the need to attract investment for Venezuela’s oil industry.

“We have brought a draft of a bill that aims to incorporate the productive models of the Anti-Blockade Law into the Hydrocarbon Law,” she told deputies. “The new investments will be directed to areas where there was no prior investment or no infrastructure.”

The Acting President went on to vow that the government would prioritize social spending and infrastructure works with energy revenues, though she did not offer further details. The legislative project will now be discussed by the National Assembly before being brought up for a vote.

The 2001 Hydrocarbon Law was one of the major early projects in former President Hugo Chávez’s tenure. The legislation reasserted the Venezuelan state’s sovereignty over the oil industry, significantly raising royalties and taxes and mandating that state oil company PDVSA retain majority stakes in joint ventures. The law was a catalyst for the failed 2002 US-backed coup against Chávez.

Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly (2017-2020) approved the Anti-Blockade Law in 2020 in an effort to skirt US-led economic sanctions. The bill spurred the creation of several business models favoring private investors, including concession-type deals in the oil industry whereby private partners collect a majority of the crude produced.

The oil reform announcement comes amid repeated claims by Washington to take control of Venezuelan crude dealings. Since the January 3 US military strikes and kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration has vowed to administer the OPEC member’s oil sales for an “indefinite” period.

On Wednesday, senior Trump officials unveiled the first sales worth US $500 million, with the funds deposited in accounts controlled by the US government. Multiple outlets reported that the main account holding the proceeds is located in Qatar.

One US official described Qatar as a “neutral location where money can flow freely with US approval and without risk of seizure.” On January 9, the White House issued an executive order to shield Venezuelan oil revenues administered by Washington from creditors looking to collect on debts owed by Venezuela.

Democrat politicians quoted by Semafor raised questions about the deal’s transparency and lack of accountability. For its part, the Trump administration has courted oil companies about investing in Venezuela, claiming that they will only “deal” with Washington rather than Venezuelan authorities.

The scope of US control over Venezuelan oil sales, as well as the mechanisms to return proceeds to Caracas, remains unclear, however. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced upcoming sanctions withdrawals or waivers to facilitate transactions.

Commodities traders Vitol and Trafigura have reportedly begun moving a combined 4.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude to storage hubs in the Caribbean after receiving licenses from the US Treasury Department.

Economics outlet Bitácora Económica reported on Thursday, citing “unofficial sources,” that the Venezuelan Central Bank (BCV) had an account opened in the Qatar National Bank (QNB) where oil proceeds were deposited. According to the same report, the BCV will receive a license to five Venezuelan private banks that will offer US $330 million through foreign currency exchange tables. Healthcare and infrastructure imports will reportedly be given priority. US officials have claimed that only imports from US manufacturers will be allowed.

Venezuela’s Central Bank has been under US Treasury sanctions since 2019. Similarly, Washington has levied wide-reaching unilateral coercive measures against the oil industry, including financial sanctions, an export embargo, and secondary sanctions.

With its military operation and moves to wrest control of Venezuela’s oil sector, the Trump administration has also broadcast its intention to clamp down on bilateral Venezuelan deals with geopolitical rivals such as China. The US Navy has imposed a naval blockade and seized multiple tankers since December in an effort to strong-arm Caracas.

Washington’s unilateral actions saw two Chinese-flagged supertankers turn back amid trips to load Venezuelan oil. In recent years, China has been the main destination for Venezuelan crude and fuel oil exports, with shipments partly used to offset debt from longstanding oil-for-loan deals.

According to Bloomberg, Beijing has sought assurances from Venezuelan and US officials over its loans to the Caribbean nation. The Chinese government reiterated its condemnation of the January 3 US attacks and pledged to “take all necessary measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests in Venezuela.”

The post Acting President Rodríguez Announces Oil Reform as US Reports Venezuelan Crude Sales appeared first on Venezuelanalysis.

From Venezuelanalysis via This RSS Feed.

Venezuela’s oil industry has long been a site of struggle—between national sovereignty and foreign control, between social development and extraction for profit.

In a wide-ranging conversation with theAnalysis.News, Venezuelanalysis founder and contributing editor Gregory Wilpert situates today’s crisis in that longer history, from the Chávez government’s effort to reclaim PDVSA for Venezuelans to the current US strategy of tying sanctions relief to oil exports.

As Washington pushes Caracas to increase production and redirect crude away from China, Wilpert examines whether interim leadership in Venezuela is navigating an impossible economic bind—or whether the country’s oil and sovereignty are once again being bargained under coercion.

The post Trump–Rodríguez Oil Talks Test Venezuela’s Sovereignty appeared first on Venezuelanalysis.

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By Dmitri Kovalevich – Jan 13, 2026

Ukraine has effectively become a laboratory model for the Western powers to test scenarios for the survival and preservation of the current imperialist system.

On January 1, Ukraine entered what threatens to be another year of pointless and self-destructive war. At the year’s outset, the unelected, governing regime in Kiev has a much-depleted armed forces, a disabled energy system no longer capable of reliably powering the West’s proxy war against Russia, and warnings that continued Western military and financial aid may have reached its limits.

Many Ukrainians have entered the new year in darkness, with the country’s electricity network suffering heavy damage because of its role as a weapon of war. Images of New Year celebrations in Moscow, in Ukraine’s former oblasts of Donetsk and Lugansk (Donbass region) and in Crimea, contrast sharply with the deserted streets of Ukrainian cities, where there is often no one to clear falling snow or to remove the trash accumulating in the streets.

Mass celebrations and fireworks are banned in Ukraine, and nighttime curfews are in effect. Visiting local supermarkets is now done primarily by women, as the appearance of civilian men on the streets draws military conscription enforcers and their violent methods of seizing suspected conscription evaders. Recruiters have even been known to forcibly abduct people seeking help at local hospitals. In fact, there are no deferrals or legal reasons to avoid compulsory service on the front lines… apart from the time-worn and common practice in Ukraine of paying bribes.

Military recruiters have become the “main enemies” of the population of western Ukraine, according to a January report by Germany’s Deutsche Welle state broadcaster, as reported by the Strana.ua online news outlet in Ukraine on January 4. “People are so afraid of conscription that they are ready to kill an employee of the recruitment office,” one of the recruiters told reporters for DW.

And, in fact, deaths are happening regularly, on both sides of conscription. Recruiters can end up killing those being conscripted due to harsh detention conditions. Physically stronger men sometimes kill or injure recruiters as the latter attempt to carry out their work. This localized form of civil war has been going on in Ukraine for almost four years and continues unabated, intensifying especially during holiday periods. The results of such confrontations have been a reduction in the numbers of military recruiters and of potential soldiers taken captive.

(Wikipedia publishes a page in Ukraine documenting clashes between military recruiters and citizens, but only up until February 2025. Thereafter, cases about the killings of citizens by recruiters are not documented. Typically, recruiters and military commanders deny killings or injuries, saying a given victim “suddenly died” or “killed himself”. Despite the news censorship, some cases do manage to appear in news reports: ‘Recruiter beats to death a male conscript in Kiev’, July 18, 2025, and Soldier beats to death a man at a shopping center in Sumy, Jan 2, 2025.)

Workhouses for the survival of capitalism
A scheme for evading conscription through de facto slavery (so-called labor shelters) is gaining momentum in Ukraine. Men who evade conscription or desert from the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine find precarious employment at private companies, effectively ending up in conditions of forced labor. Such schemes are operating at agricultural enterprises, gasoline service stations, in warehouses, and anywhere else in the economy where possible. People work for a pittance while owners find ways to ‘resolve issues’ with military registration and enlistment offices and avoid inspections. In return, businesses get loyal and obedient workers never even leave the premises. Formally, this is not slavery, but it is a form of restricted freedom, in exchange for food and accommodation at the workplace.

One Odessa resident who deserted from the Ukrainian Armed Forces told Strana, “I work as a watchman during the night and a security guard during the day. I live in a utility room in the center of the workplace and eat in the kitchen. From my salary of 15,000 hryvnia (US$300 equivalent per month), my boss deducts 5,000 ($100) for housing and 5,000 ($100) for food. I am staying indoors and am not going outside until the war is over.”

Agricultural enterprises pay even less in their ‘labor shelters’. According to Strana, farmers are employing men working for pennies in exchange for protection from the military recruiters and (at a price) housing and food.

The spread of this practice is reminiscent of the notorious workhouses in England and Ireland during the rise of the Industrial Revolution, where capitalism (to later transform into imperialism) arose on the back of the ruthless exploitation of wage laborers toiling in inhumane conditions. As we can see, when the capitalist system in today’s world becomes threatened, it resorts to the methods borrowed from preceding centuries.

Post-2014 Ukraine has created ideal conditions for ‘labor shelters’ to arise. Borders are closed to men of military age. Raids of neighbourhoods and workplaces by military recruiters take place daily (as may airstrikes and drone strikes by the Russian military). Ukraine has effectively become a laboratory model for the Western powers to test scenarios for the survival and preservation of the current imperialist system. Such scenarios, they hope, can be extended to the populations of their home countries, under pretexts of ‘threats’ emanating from Russia, China, Iran, or (name your other country).

Depletion and degradation of the Ukrainian army
Military analyst and retired Ukrainian officer Oleg Starikov observed at the end of December 2025 that the Kiev regime “has missed all opportunities to end the war and avoid defeat,” according to Politnavigator on December 26. According to him, the war in Ukraine will continue into 2026 because the global war party in the West has, for now, succeeded in quelling domestic challenges to its war policies.

Starikov also predicts, on January 2, that the Russian Armed Forces could take the city of Zaporizhzhia (the fifth largest in Ukraine) by April 2026. He says Russia has completely seized the strategic initiative in the war, while Ukraine has switched to strategic defense, hoping to be saved by the use of “walls of drones.” He notes that the Russian Armed Forces are responding successfully to drones and other battlefield innovations using tactics to infiltrate small infantry groups beyond existing lines of defense and attack vulnerable areas in Ukraine’s rear.

Since the beginning of 2026, Ukrainian military personnel and analysts have unanimously complained about the shortage of personnel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). They have lamented the losses of territories taking place (to which the AFU General Staff responds with denials).

Ukrainian Armed Forces officers complained to a recent news report by CNN about the growing vulnerability of their frontlines. The main problems, in their opinion, are the lack of infantry and the late arrivals of reserves. The use of drones does not compensate for the shortage of personnel, especially in urban combat conditions. All this, they say, points to a systemic crisis in the defense.

Strana news outlet writes on January 2, “In general, the situation around the town of Gulyaipol (pre-war population of 13,000), as reported by CNN, reflects a systemic problem of the Ukraine Armed Forces: long, defensive front lines, shortages of personnel, and the need to make tough choices about which areas to hold and where to risk breakthroughs.”

In such conditions, explains political scientist Vladimir Fesenko (someone close to the Office of the President of Ukraine), Ukraine will inevitably resort to increased conscription, saying there is allegedly no such drastic step. In his opinion, under the current circumstances, Kiev is faced with the need to increase its troop numbers, and this decision is dictated not by political preferences but by the objective realities on the frontlines. A report on Telegram cites him as saying, “Despite the unpopularity of such measures, the strengthening of conscription is required in order to maintain Ukraine’s military defense capabilities This argument legitimizes the concept being implemented by Bankova [seat of the governing regime in Kiev] that everyone is now eligible for conscription, be they disabled or a father of many children, and 18 years of age and older.”

Sergey Rakhmanin, a member of the military defense committee of the Verkhovna Rada (national legislature), acknowledges that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are slowly deteriorating but believes that collapse is still a long way off. He defines the degradation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a process of gradual decline and weakening, manifested, in particular, in the deterioration of the command system and the weakening of discipline. All this leads to a decrease in defense capability and, consequently, to a weakening of the overall quality of the armed forces. In his opinion, if the process of degradation is not stopped, it could lead to collapse, i.e., the loss of the troop command system.

The Ukrainian publication Zerkalo Nedeli writes on December 30 that Kiev is losing territory “15 times faster than before,” while Russia is creating more and more “hot spots”.

In this regard, Ukraina.ruasserts that the essence of the current situation is not in figures and numbers. “The front line does not fall like dominoes; it slowly loses stability as it is simultaneously pressured in several places. Each section requires reserves, equipment, and management, constantly without pause… Therefore, losses that are ‘15 times faster’ is not an analysis but a cry of alarm. The very fact of its appearance is indicative. Within Ukraine, it is becoming increasingly clear that the war is no longer a struggle for kilometers; it is a test of states as systems. The main risk for Kyiv is that the modes of attrition are ceasing to be just a temporal phase and instead becoming the new norm,” the publication writes.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian opposition Telegram channel ‘Resident’ notes that the front continues to crumble, despite cheerful statements issued by Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky. In 2025, Ukraine lost about 6,300 square kilometers of territory—more than in 2024. “Given that Zelensky has no intention of stepping down, Ukrainians face a bleak future of endless war, cold and darkness in their homes, and, of course, poverty. This is against a backdrop of luxury being enjoyed by a small circle of people close to Office of the President, namely, those who profit from the war and the suffering of citizens.”

The situation in the rear is becoming an additional risk factor for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Military observer Konstantin Mashovets points to a trend: “In the tactical rear of our units and formations operating in Donbas, an alarming trend continues to be observed. The local population is assisting and cooperating massively with the enemy.”

Mashovets says that Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups and assault groups are finding shelter and refuge rather easily among local populations. According to him, this phenomenon is widespread in Kupyansk and Pokrovsk (cities in the Kharkov and Donetsk regions). This alone speaks volumes about who the region’s population considers to be occupiers and who it considers to be liberators.

Russia Signals Readiness for Political Settlement in Ukraine

How to become part of the imperialist system
Throughout the years of war, the Ukrainian elite has remained firmly convinced that if it bets on the West, it cannot lose. Without this conviction, the worldview and value system of the majority of the economic elite and government officials would collapse. Thus do denial of reality and denial of obvious trends become military/political options and decisions.

As for the masses of Ukrainian people, constant promises, repeated every month, are used by the regime in Kiev to quell misgivings and outright opposition. Regime leaders and military spokespeople tell the population that if it just endures a little longer, miracles will happen. As former advisor to the office of the President of Ukraine, Oleksiy Arestovych, said in early January, this is like begging a person facing the amputation of an arm or a leg to take comfort just a little longer until Russia collapses or some new US administration boosts the flow of money and arms.

Ukrainian economist Oleksiy Kushch says that the era of the ‘Washington Consensus’ of the 1980s and 1990s is over and the world is moving on. However, according to him, Ukraine is still desperately trying to jump on the last carriage of a train to nowhere that has long since lost its relevance. This poses a huge danger to every Ukrainian who remains on board the ‘train’ Ukraine and to the state itself.

US invasion of Venezuela through the prism of the Ukrainian conflict
The Ukrainian authorities’ utterly servile reaction to the US invasion of sovereign Venezuela and kidnapping of its president and first lady should be viewed in the same light. Since 2022, Zelensky and his ministers have been shouting about violations of international law and ‘Russian invasion’ at all international forums. But in January 2026, they came out against Venezuela, on the side of the US mission (invasion) to kidnap Venezuela’s president.

Zelensky has called President Nicolas Maduro a “dictator” while hinting that the US could carry out a similar operation against the president of Russia. At the same time, Zelensky himself is taking a big risk, as Trump has previously demanded elections in Ukraine and called Zelensky a dictator. “A dictator without elections, Zelensky must act quickly, otherwise he will have no country left,” Trump said one year ago.

The last national election in Ukraine for the presidency and legislature took place in 2019. That electoral mandate expired nearly two years ago now.

Legislator Alexander Dubinsky writes that the capture of Venezuelan President Maduro is a very threatening scenario for Zelensky, because Zelensky fears that US actions in Venezuela could be emulated by the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

Ukrainian nationalists, on the one hand, say they are pleased that a possible change of government in Venezuela will cause oil prices to plummet, undermining the Russian government budget. Nationalist volunteer fighter Maria Barabash points out that Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world (though production lags far behind its potential due to years of Western sanctions). Venezuela’s entry into world markets at bargain prices, should its fossil fuel resources be seized by the United States as threatened, could seriously weaken the Russian economy.

Commenting on the strikes against Caracas, economist Alexei Kushch writes that if oil is seized in Venezuela and Iran, the US will be able to create a system in which China will become highly dependent on Washington for strategic energy resources.

On the other hand, Israeli-Ukrainian blogger Yigal Levin (an Israeli who supports the neo-Nazis in Ukraine) admits that if Venezuela resists to the end a seizure of its natural resources, a protracted war may result. The US will avoid a ground operation and instead put up a blockade of the country. In his opinion, this will be a negative development for Ukraine, as the blockade will lead to a reduction in oil exports from Venezuela and will drive up world prices.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, following the lead of its European sponsors, has long condemned the Maduro-led government in Venezuela, thereby effectively justifying the invasion that came on January 3, 2026.

Maksym Buzhansky, a member of Zelensky’s party, is convinced that the Ukrainian Foreign Minister’s enthusiastic support for the American attack on Venezuela will play into the hands of the Russian government, rather than benefit Ukraine and its relations with the US. In addition, he says, it will complicate Kiev’s frequent appeals to ‘international law’. He also believes that the reactions of the Foreign Ministry will hopelessly destroy relations with the countries of the Global South, “whose support we have been seeking, unsuccessfully, for so long.” In essence, he acknowledges that Zelensky and all of his emotional outbursts on the world stage since 2022 have failed to mislead the countries of the Global South into supporting the Kiev regime and the West’s proxy war that was quietly waged beginning in 2014 and then burst into full view in February 2022.

Odessa anarchist Vyacheslav Azarov believes that, in connection with the US invasion of Venezuela, Washington aims to keep the Kremlin preoccupied with the crisis in Ukraine so as to limit Russia’s capacities to assist its friends and allies in times of great need. In his opinion, there is every reason for the White House to continue such a course.

In other words, the proxy war being waged in Ukraine by the NATO countries will continue for the time being, no matter how much Trump and Zelensky talk about peace and no matter how many distracting and empty peace plans they draw up. As now-kidnapped President Maduro stated presciently back in 2024, “There is no doubt that Russia will put an end to the surge of neo-Nazism in Ukraine. Sooner or later, peace will prevail in Ukraine and Russia.”

(Al Mayadeen – English)

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

By Francisco Dominguez – Jan 14, 2026

Francisco Dominguez considers Trump’s war on Venezuela as tentative prelude to US recolonisation of Latin America by military force

It finally happened though in an unexpected way. On January 3 2026 Trump ordered US military special forces to launch a deadly assault against Venezuela which involved 150 military aircraft and helicopters (taking off from 20 different bases across the hemisphere) that bombed Caracas, Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.

The attacks led to substantial loss of life and destruction of buildings and infrastructure with at least 40 civilians killed, many while in their sleep.

US forces surrounded the premises where President Nicolas Maduro was located, met fierce resistance from the presidential bodyguard, US forces killed all 40 of them including 32 Cubans internationalists and violently kidnapped the president and his wife, Cilia Flores — both of whom sustained significant injuries — who were flown to the helicopter carrier USS Iwo Jima and then on to New York.

In New York, the US Deptament of Justice (DoJ) indicted them with utterly trumped-up charges (pun intended) of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism, fallacy confirmed by the DoJ itself dropping the claim that the Cartel de los Soles/Cartel of the Suns, that President Maduro was falsely alleged to have run, is a criminal organisation that actually exists.

This has been the toxic allegation, repeated ad nauseum over months and months by the world corporate media.

At his first appearance at the NY court President Maduro stated: “I am the president of Venezuela, and I consider myself a prisoner of war. I was kidnapped in my home in Caracas. I am innocent, not guilty. I am a decent man, and I’m still president of my country.”

With this act the Trump administration has perpetrated the most brazen violation of international law by trampling upon every one of its principles with the illegal deployment of a highly intimidating war fleet in the Caribbean Sea and then ordering a vicious military assault against a sovereign nation, bombing its cities, killing indiscriminately its citizens and abducting the president and his wife.

The National Assembly following a rule by Venezuela’s Supreme Court on January 6 2026 has sworn in Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez as interim president. Rodriguez stated she will stay in charge until the legitimate president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro was safely returned together with his wife.

Rodriguez’s assumption of the presidency was strongly and unequivocally supported by Venezuela’s armed forces and all key state institutions.

She described what was being done to Venezuela and the brutal abduction of the nation’s president as “barbaric” and added that Washington’s actions showed that “the masks have slipped,” that the true objective of the assault was to dismantle Venezuela’s political independence and reimpose colonial-style rule,” reiterating that: “No external agent governs Venezuela.”

Trump claims he is now running Venezuela and has threatened Rodriguez, that non-compliance with US dictat on her part will have severe consequences. He has threatened a second military strike if [the interim government] do not “behave.”

US State Secretary Marco Rubio has spoken about US control of Venezuela in terminology of a “colonial master.”

The international community is in shock by the brazenness of Trump’s attack following three month-long naval blockade. This clearly raises an ominous spectre: with the US war fleet still deployed in the Caribbean Sea, the US can apply a similar treatment to just about any country in the Western hemisphere.

Parliamentarians in Britain, highly concerned with such appalling behaviour by the Trump administration and particularly by the linguistic acrobatics in support of the utterly illegal and brutal attack displayed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Cabinet, have tabled an early day motion, which is worth quoting at length since it poignantly captures what the US attack on Venezuela means.

“This House condemns in the strongest terms the military aggression ordered by Donald Trump against Venezuela on Saturday January 3, which involved widespread aerial bombardment, loss of life and the kidnapping of Venezuela’s president; notes that this action constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter, including the prohibition on the use of force and the principle of non-intervention in the affairs of sovereign states; believes that, whatever justification is offered, this military aggression is aimed primarily at securing control over Venezuela’s oil resources, the largest proven reserves in the world; further notes that this attack forms part of a wider attempt by the United States to reassert colonial-style domination over Latin America, as set out in recent US National Security Strategy and reinforced by subsequent statements from the US State Department; also notes with deep concern threats made by President Trump of further military attacks against Venezuela if the interim President does not comply with US demands, and further notes with concern similar threats against Colombia, Mexico and Cuba; calls for the immediate cessation of all illegal US military action against Venezuela and the safe return of Nicolas Maduro; strongly opposes the position adopted by the Prime Minister in response to this attack; and calls on the UK government to unequivocally condemn this unjustified act of aggression against Venezuela, to uphold the United Nations Charter and international law, and not to abandon these core principles in order to appease President Trump.”

Starmer has refused to condemn the US gross violation of international law and has been widely criticised by all parties including his own. Emily Thornberry, Labour chair of the foreign affairs select committee, referring to the US attack on Venezuela, said: “We should call what it is: a breach of internationalist law.”

Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East said: “It was the Prime Minister that decided to disregard the United Nations charter when it came to Trump’s bombing, killing, and [the] kidnapping of a head of state. I think it speaks volumes that the Prime Minister has chosen not to come to this house to explain his decision.”

Actually, Britain has a long history of being actively complicit in the US destabilisation of Venezuela.

The very fact that the US decided to just use a single “surgical” strike shows a reluctance to “go all the way to a regime change war” and risk direct confrontation with the hundred of thousands organised in popular militias.

A full-scale invasion would most likely have created a quagmire. Furthermore, there has been no fracture in the political or military leadership and no signs of confrontation from Venezuela’s extreme right-wing opposition following the US attack.

Trump himself said Maria Corina Machado enjoys neither the required support nor respect in the country.

The assumption of the presidency by Rodriguez helps dispel uncertainties and establishes a road map to preserve the constitutional order.

Venezuela Responds to US Travel Advisory (+President Maduro’s Message)

She has a tough job ahead of her. Venezuelan journalist and intellectual, Miguel Perez Pirela, accurately summarised her historic and strategic role at this difficult juncture: “On the one hand, she must guarantee the country remains peaceful, secure economic stability and the normal functioning of the state after the bombardment and, on the other hand, must carry out complex negotiations with Maduro and his wife’s kidnappers to bring them back to the homeland in the midst of all kind of threats and blackmail.”

On January 8 2026 Rodriguez held a meeting with the Great Patriotic Pole Simon Bolivar (GPP — Venezuela’s ruling coalition) at which she demanded monolithic unity to ensure the continuity of the revolution and the unwavering commitment to bring back “President Maduro and his wife, the preservation of national peace, and the absolute defense of the Republic’s governability and sovereignty.”

The standard mainstream media narrative about Venezuela — which is being accepted uncritically by sections of the left — is that the nation is in state of decay, submerged in chaos and economic collapse, a depiction which is far from the truth and, crucially, ignores how US sanctions wrecked the huge progress made by the Bolivarian Revolution.

Previous to the US war fleet deployment, and the January 3 military assault Venezuela, was undergoing a robust economic recovery. In 2025 the economy grew by about 7 to 9 per cent (highest in the region). Its oil industry was steadily recovering, producing over one million barrels of oil a day (third in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico), resources that had made Venezuela over 90 per cent self-sufficient in food.

Close to five million new houses have been built, inflation was down to single digits from 1.5 million per cent in 2018 to 1,4 per cent in March 2022; through the Clap (Local Committees for Supply and Production) programme millions were guaranteed subsidised food packages.

In 2024 the national budget for 2025 devoted 78 per cent to social expenditure.

These gains were possible because of the transformation carried out by president Hugo Chavez since 1999 which, among many other things, involved a drastic reduction of poverty and extreme poverty, massive expansion of free education at every level, free health care to over 20 million Venezuelans, setting up PetroCaribe to supply cheap oil under generous credit conditions to more than 13 Caribbean countries, and Operation Miracle — a programme that surgically restored, free of charge, the eyesight of over four million people from the whole of Latin America.

In essence, programmes that restored the dignity of the poor, the working class, black people, women, indigenous communities, peasants and everybody else.

No wonder thousands upon thousands of people are filling Venezuela’s streets in the last few days to protest against the brutal attack by the US.

The people are venting their outrage at the cold-blooded killing of their compatriots and demanding the safe return of their president and his wife and are organising the resistance in anticipation of a second attack.

Maduro’s wife Flores is also held in high esteem because she was Hugo Chavez defence lawyer after the February 4 1992 failed insurrection which led to his imprisonment and trial.

The extreme right that supported US aggression is nowhere to be seen in Venezuela. They know that if the US turned them into a colony, they will lose all the substantial social and political gains they have made in 26 years of the Bolivarian process.

The mobilisations in Venezuela had huge equivalents worldwide with mass pickets, marches, and demonstrations in every major city in the world strongly condemning US blatant aggression.

Millions are sick of US bullying and aggression, consciously or unconsciously, identify with the Bolivarian Revolution’s aims for a better world that began in 1999.

Furthermore, the solid and consistent internationalist stance of Bolivarian Venezuela in solidarity and support with the struggles of the global South makes it a beacon of sovereignty, dignity and anti-imperialism.

The Bolivarian Revolution has shown that a better world can be built and so it remains a beacon of inspiration to millions and millions worldwide, especially in the global South.

Say No to US war on Venezuela. Support VSC emergency statement, support the immediate and unconditional release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores and demand the UK Prime Minister condemns the US gross violation of international law.

Venceremos/We Shall Prevail.

(Morning Star)

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

Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert Frank. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

Productive Investment, Employment, and Sovereignty

Pilgrim’s announced a US$1.3 billion investment between 2026 and 2030, which will generate over 4,000 direct jobs and 16,000 indirect jobs, increasing national chicken production, reducing imports, and strengthening food sovereignty. This was coupled with General Motors’ announcement of a US$1 billion investment, within a record investment portfolio totaling US$293 billion, reflecting confidence in Mexico.

USMCA Protects Jobs and Exports

Minister of Finance Marcelo Ebrard reported that 85% of companies exporting to the United States are already operating under the provisions of the USMCA, allowing for tariff discounts and protecting industry, especially the automotive sector. In 2025, auto exports fell only 3%, less than expected, despite tariffs.

USMCA Review based on Dialogue, Firmness, and Sovereignty

The trade agreement review is progressing well, with weekly meetings and a closing date of July 1. The goal is to strengthen what works well, ensure fair treatment, and defend jobs. Mexico is the main trading partner of the U.S., a relationship sustained by dialogue, firmness, and sovereignty.

Electoral Reform: More Participation, No Authoritarianism

President Claudia Sheinbaum explained that the electoral reform, which could be send to Congress in the first week of February, will strengthen participatory democracy, guarantee minority representation, and expand public consultations, without affecting the autonomy of the National Electoral Institute (INE). She noted that there are no arguments, and there will not be any, to accuse the government of authoritarianism. The reform responds to the 4T’s democratic conviction, with more people deciding, less excessive spending, and clear rules with transparent information provided to the country.

• 

  Mañanera

  People’s Mañanera January 15

  January 15, 2026

  President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on gringo chicken invasion, USMCA renegotiations and electoral reform.

• 

  News Briefs

  Mexican Farmers & Agriculture Secretariat Dialogue Resumes Today

  January 15, 2026January 15, 2026

  Mexican agriculture remains in crisis: 10 million tons of grain can’t be sold, the government is not meeting agreements while US dumping destroys the market & even limits access to credit to help farms last another season.

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  Labor | News Briefs

  Mexican Unions To Rally for 40 Hour Workweek… With Two Days of Rest

  January 15, 2026January 15, 2026

  In the face of President Sheinbaum’s roundly criticized workweek reform proposal, considered excessively flexible & accommodating to capital & the danger to workers from USMCA renegotiations Mexican labour isn’t standing still.

The post People’s Mañanera January 15 appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.

This article by Alexia Villaseñor and Jessica Xantomila originally appeared in the January 15, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Mexico. The National Front for the Rescue and Defense of the Mexican Countryside will meet this afternoon with authorities from the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) to learn about the progress of the agreements reached last December, including the marketing of food products.

At a press conference, grain producers from Sinaloa, Sonora, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, among others, indicated that dialogue with federal authorities is resuming today after the pause for the holiday season and the removal of highway blockades that lasted several days in different states of the country.

Baltazar Valdez, a producer from the state of Sinaloa, pointed out that there is a serious profitability problem in the countryside, in all activities, “not just agriculture, but also livestock and fishing.”

Therefore, he mentioned that among the points they will address is the issue of grain exports under the USMCA, as this increases imports and puts them at a disadvantage. Currently, there are “10 million tons of grain in the country that cannot be sold” because warehouses and collection centers are full of crops from the previous growing season.

At a press conference, grain producers from Sinaloa, Sonora, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, and Tlaxcala. Photo: Alexia Villaseñor

They will also demand guaranteed prices for corn, beans, wheat, and other foods, as well as loans for crops, since, they believe, financing has been cut off due to the lack of profitability in agriculture.

As a result of the various road blockades last year, 50 investigation files were opened, involving producers and transporters. Therefore, they emphasized that they will include this situation at the dialogue table so that a solution can be found, “our causes are just and that is why we block, we are not criminals.”

Alberto Santiago, a producer from Zacatecas, mentioned that today they will set short, medium, and long-term goals, “because we have to be responsible and we know that there are problems that won’t be solved overnight.”

However, despite being “in a truce” with the authorities to avoid blockades, they have set the remainder of this month as the deadline for significant progress on their demands, otherwise they will not rule out resuming road protests.

• 

  Mañanera

  People’s Mañanera January 15

  January 15, 2026

  President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on gringo chicken invasion, USMCA renegotiations and electoral reform.

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  News Briefs

  Mexican Farmers & Agriculture Secretariat Dialogue Resumes Today

  January 15, 2026January 15, 2026

  Mexican agriculture remains in crisis: 10 million tons of grain can’t be sold, the government is not meeting agreements while US dumping destroys the market & even limits access to credit to help farms last another season.

• 

  Labor | News Briefs

  Mexican Unions To Rally for 40 Hour Workweek… With Two Days of Rest

  January 15, 2026January 15, 2026

  In the face of President Sheinbaum’s roundly criticized workweek reform proposal, considered excessively flexible & accommodating to capital & the danger to workers from USMCA renegotiations Mexican labour isn’t standing still.

The post Mexican Farmers & Agriculture Secretariat Dialogue Resumes Today appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

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In an analysis published on his X account, the former Ecuadorian leader asserted that Trump and his team knew they would not be able to subdue Caracas with the blockade and that this was beginning to cost them dearly.

“In addition to the operational cost of maintaining a fleet off the Venezuelan coast, US transnational oil companies—among their main financiers—were losing very lucrative business in the South American country,” Correa commented.

In his opinion, the White House chief “had to do something to save face” and that is why he decided to kidnap (Nicolas) Maduro as a “final solution.”

He added that following the US attack on Venezuelan territory in the early hours of January 3, there has been “no regime change or anything of the sort” in the Bolivarian nation.

Correa asserted that what they are really after are business deals for their transnational oil companies, even though Venezuela has always sought foreign investment, but it was the US blockade itself that prevented it.

The former president also considered that Washington is trying to reduce the price of oil in the lead-up to the midterm elections and, additionally, “demonstrate its power to the world and make it clear that they can do whatever they want.”

arc/avr

The post Rafael Correa: Outrage against Venezuela seeks to save oil deals first appeared on Prensa Latina.

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