Nicolas Maduro | DD News

January 6, 2026 10:16 AM

Maduro pleads not guilty to drug charges, saying he was ‘kidnapped’

Toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty on Monday to narcotics charges after President Donald Trump's stunning capture of him rattled world leaders and left officials in Caracas scrambling to regroup. "I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," Maduro, 63, said through an interpreter, before being cut off by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan federal court. Maduro's wife Cilia Flores also pleaded not guilty. Th...

January 6, 2026 12:13 PM

Global oil markets show muted reaction to Venezuela political upheaval

Two days after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise operation in Caracas, global energy markets opened to cautious trading, with oil prices showing only modest movement despite the geopolitical shock. Futures briefly firmed in Asian trade on Monday, but analysts said the muted reaction reflected Venezuela’s sharply diminished output, now below one million barrels per day, and a market already weighed down by surplus supply and weak demand. The developments co...

January 5, 2026 10:20 AM

Venezuela’s Maduro to appear in US court, Trump says further strikes possible

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was due to appear in a U.S. court on Monday after his weekend capture by American forces, with U.S. President Donald Trump leaving open the possibility of another incursion if the United States doesn't get its way with Venezuela's interim government. Trump told reporters on Sunday that he could order another strike if Venezuela does not cooperate with U.S. efforts to open up its oil industry and stop drug trafficking. He also threatened military actio...

January 5, 2026 11:57 AM

Maduro’s capture delivers blow to Tehran as Iranian protesters take to streets

The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, after a series of airstrikes under Operation Absolute Resolve. The development is a setback for Iran, which is facing its own internal unrest. The timing of Maduro's fall could not be more precarious for Tehran. Protests across Iran began in late December after the rial plunged to record lows, triggering demonstrations that have spread to at least 17 of Iran's 31 provinces. The unrest has already claimed lives, w...

January 4, 2026 5:36 PM

Trump says US will run Venezuela after Maduro seized

Venezuela's toppled leader Nicolas Maduro was in a New York detention center on Sunday awaiting drug charges after President Donald Trump ordered an audacious raid to capture him, saying the U.S. would take control of the oil-producing nation. The image of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed en route to the U.S. has stunned Venezuelans and was Washington's most controversial intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago. Maduro, who wished his captors a ...

January 4, 2026 2:40 PM

India calls developments in Venezuela a ‘matter of concern’, urges peaceful dialogue

India on Sunday expressed deep concern over the recent developments in Venezuela and called upon all parties to peacefully resolve issues through dialogue, stressing the importance of regional peace and stability. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it is closely monitoring developments in the South American nation. “Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation. India reaffirms its support to the well-...

January 4, 2026 12:40 PM

Maduro is out but his top allies still hold power in Venezuela

The U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro - praised by President Donald Trump as stunning and powerful - leaves behind uncertainty about who is running the oil-rich country. Trump said on Saturday that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, part of the powerful cabal at the top of the country's government, had been sworn in after Maduro's arrest and that she had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, leading to speculation that she would take the reins. Under Venezuela's constitu...

January 4, 2026 12:48 PM

Venezuelan oil industry: World’s largest reserves, decaying infrastructure

Following are key facts about the oil industry of Venezuela, whose President Nicolas Maduro was captured by U.S. forces on Saturday, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. RESERVES Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves but its crude output remains at a fraction of capacity due to mismanagement, lack of investment and sanctions, official data shows. Venezuela holds about 17% of global reserves or 303 billion barrels, ahead of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)...

January 4, 2026 12:48 PM

Was the US capture of Venezuela’s president legal?

The U.S. captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in a military operation early on Saturday morning, culminating a months-long pressure campaign by President Donald Trump's administration that drew condemnation from some international leaders. Maduro was on a warship bound for New York to face criminal charges, according to U.S. officials. Below is a look at the legality of the U.S. action. WHAT HAPPENED? On Saturday, U.S. forces attacked Venezuela and seized Maduro, who has been widely...

January 4, 2026 12:49 PM

No quick wins in tapping Venezuela’s oil reserves

Venezuela is unlikely to see any meaningful boost to crude output for years even if U.S. oil majors do invest the billions of dollars in the country that President Donald Trump promised just hours following Nicolás Maduro's capture by U.S. forces. The South American country may have the world's largest estimated oil reserves, but output has plummeted over the past decades amid mismanagement and a lack of investment from foreign firms after Venezuela nationalized oil operations in the 2000s tha...