Venezuela Has Had Enough Of US Orders

Venezuela Has Had ‘Enough’ of US Orders VENEZUELA Venezuela Venezuelan officials said they are tired of taking orders from Washington, amid mounting pressure from the US administration to loosen state controls on the oil industry, the Independent reported Monday. “Enough already of Washington’s orders over politicians in Venezuela,” said Acting President Delcy Rodríguez during a Sunday speech to address oil workers in Puerto La Cruz. “Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and internal conflicts. Enough of foreign powers.” Her comments came weeks after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid, an operation that plunged the country into political uncertainty and prompted President Donald Trump to initially say the United States was “going to run” Venezuela. Trump later backed Rodríguez to assume office as interim leader. Rodríguez said Caracas would address disputes “face to face” with Washington and insisted the government was focused on guaranteeing “peace and stability,” Xinhua reported Sunday. She also called for talks with Venezuela’s opposition to reach “agreements” on the country’s political future, saying there must be “no political or partisan differences when it comes to peace in Venezuela,” added the Independent. Despite the rhetoric, Maduro loyalists have expressed concern after Venezuela’s legislature last week began debating a measure that would loosen state control of the oil sector, the first such move since the late president Hugo Chávez nationalized parts of the industry in 2007. The proposed legislation would allow private companies to operate oil fields independently, collect cash revenues and use international arbitration for disputes. The shift appears aimed at easing US pressure and attracting foreign investment, according to the Wall Street Journal. This follows a confirmation by the Trump administration earlier this month of the first sale of Venezuelan oil, raising $500 million. The proceeds are being sequestered in Qatar – rather than US or Venezuelan banks – an arrangement intended to prevent creditors from accessing the funds while allowing money to begin flowing back to Venezuela, CNN noted. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the proceeds would fund government operations, security and food provisions, with Venezuelan banks already advertising cash availability. Meanwhile, the political thaw has coincided with the release of detainees. On Sunday, the non-governmental organization Foro Penal confirmed the release of 104 political prisoners, adding to earlier releases, and bringing the government’s total to 626 freed since December, according to France 24. Opposition groups and rights organizations have welcomed the releases but criticized their slow pace, even as Rodríguez’s government says a “large number” of remaining prisoners will be freed.

Bolivia: Strikes Escalate After Government and Union Fair to reach Agreement

Strikes in Bolivia to Escalate after Government and Union Fail to Reach an Agreement BOLIVIA Bolivia Negotiations between Bolivia’s government and organized labor collapsed over the weekend, intensifying a two-week standoff over fuel subsidy cuts as unions warned of a “national revolution,” MercoPress reported. On Friday, talks between the administration of President Rodrigo Paz and the Bolivian Workers’ Union (COB) broke down after both sides accused each other of inflexibility over Supreme Decree 5503, which ended fuel subsidies and triggered major price hikes. Union leaders abandoned calls for limited roadblocks and said the country faced escalating unrest, with more than 50 blockades reported nationwide. COB Executive Secretary Mario Argollo said the government had refused to repeal what he called an unconstitutional decree that threatened workers’ rights. He accused the administration of betraying rural and labor voters and likened the measure to Bolivia’s 1985 Supreme Decree 21060, which ushered in sweeping neoliberal reforms. The government rejected that account, countering that COB made a U-turn on provisions previously agreed, including minimum wage increases and bonuses included in the decree. Officials claimed union leaders returned to talks with an “unacceptable” ultimatum to completely repeal the decree. They have asked the COB to submit objections in writing to avoid further “misinterpretations.” Paz and his officials have stressed that the subsidy cuts are necessary to restore public finances and correct fiscal distortions. Deputy Minister of Autonomies Andrea Barrientos said the government plans to amend 35 articles of the decree to add procedural clarifications, including constitutional safeguards and social oversight, but without restoring subsidies. The weekslong strikes have caused economic losses of up to $100 million a day, according to the government, citing disruptions to industry, commerce and transport. Meanwhile, the decree has also escalated a political confrontation between Paz and Vice President Edmand Lara, ... [Message clipped] View entire message

Venezuela: The Leadership Changes but Nothing Else

In Venezuela, the Leadership Changes But Little Else Does VENEZUELA Venezuela In the hours after the US removal of leader Nicolás Maduro, some Venezuelans allowed themselves to hope. A few laughed and cheered. Others cried in relief. Some even popped the champagne they were saving for a very special occasion. But a day later, that joy and relief were replaced by fear, dread and uncertainty as the country’s new leader escalated a crackdown on dissent. “It feels like it did after the presidential elections in 2024,” María, 55, told the Washington Post, referring to the vote that Maduro allegedly stole from the opposition. “We won, but we also lost.” On Jan. 3, the US attacked Venezuela and seized Maduro and his wife, transporting them to stand trial in the US for drug trafficking and other charges. Soon after, US President Donald Trump said Washington would “run” the country. But on the ground in the days since, there is little evidence of that, say Venezuelans. Instead, all the players of the old Maduro regime are still running the country. “There is no change at all,” Francys Machucas, a banking adviser in Caracas, told the Wall Street Journal. “We are going to remain in the same situation because it’s the same people.” What did change after the Jan. 5 swearing in of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president was the intensity of a long-running crackdown on free expression and dissent. Venezuelans say her administration has unleashed police and pro-government paramilitary units known as “colectivos” on the population. For the past week, these units have set up checkpoints and roamed the streets, looking for supporters of the US action and opponents of the regime. They have been doing so under a new decree, imposed immediately after Maduro’s ouster, which ordered police to arrest anyone “involved in promoting or supporting the armed attack by the United States of America.” The decree suspended the right to protest and authorized broad restrictions on movement and assembly. The government also detained more than a dozen journalists last week. Venezuelans say now, the atmosphere is tense and full of fear, with people afraid even to speak over the phone. “We’re all tapped,” one Venezuelan resident told El País. “It’s very difficult. You say something and they arrest you.” Venezuela is on pause now, said the Spanish newspaper. It described Venezuelans as “Afraid to go out into the street, to speak out, to run out of food, (to get) bombed again.” Maduro supporters, meanwhile, are furious, taking to the streets daily to protest since the president’s ouster. Rosa Contreras, a 57-year-old, says she felt “humiliated” by the US action but was determined to show her support for the former leader by attending a rally calling for Maduro’s release, especially after she saw an image of him waving after arriving in the US. “He had an attitude that sent us a message: If I’m standing here, you have to stand here, stand tall and keep going,” she told the BBC. Meanwhile, there has been no mention of elections by either Trump or the Venezuelan government, although the country’s constitution mandates that a vote must take place within 30 days of the presidency being permanently vacated, the Associated Press noted. Still, Rodríguez maintains that the rightful president of Venezuela is Maduro. At the same time, there has been little mention of the opposition or its leader, Nobel Laureate María Corina Machado, taking over as the country’s president, with Trump insisting that she “doesn’t have the support” within Venezuela, the Hill noted. Machado is the country’s most popular politician. In contrast, Machado praised the US action and told Fox News that “It’s a huge step toward a democratic transition.” The opposition leader, who was in hiding in Venezuela for nearly a year but escaped the country last month, is expected to meet with Trump next week after offering to “share” her Nobel Prize with him. Phil Gunson of the International Crisis Group told NPR that the current government will fight to the death to prevent a democratic transition. “The biggest threat is an outbreak of democracy,” he said. “This is kryptonite for these people. Democracy will see them thrown out.” Along with the political uncertainty, Venezuelans also wondered what would happen economically if the US took over the country’s oil production as Trump has promised to do. For the past decade, Venezuelans have endured hyperinflation in the triple digits, shortages of food and medicine and the collapse of public services. About one-quarter of the population has fled the country. The economy has collapsed, say analysts, likening it to countries that have been through a war. Alexandra Arismendi, who works in a mobile phone shop at the Sambil mall in one of Caracas’s busiest shopping districts, told Al Jazeera she was frustrated with the most recent spikes in the cost of daily essentials. “Prices are high,” she said. “A carton of eggs is selling for $10, which is beyond normal.” Still, some Venezuelans have hope that things will change after the fall of Maduro, and that they will be able to speak freely and choose their own leaders in free elections. “I can’t deny that the future makes me anxious,” Daniel, a gardener who lives just outside of the capital, Caracas, told NBC News. “But I do trust that change can happen from now on.”

US Intervention In Venezuela Sparks Concern Among Allies And Rivals

US Intervention in Venezuela Sparks Alarm, Among Allies and Rivals VENEZUELA Venezuela The United States’ move to remove Venezuela’s president and “run” the country until a “proper transition” takes place sparked mix reactions in Latin America over the weekend, with some celebrating the ouster and others fearing for the stability of the region, NPR reported. Early Saturday, the US military carried out airstrikes in Caracas and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple was taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima and later flown to New York, where they are expected to face federal charges, including drug trafficking, ties to narco-gangs designated as terrorist organizations, and weapons offenses, CBS News added. Following the capture, US President Donald Trump said Washington would govern Venezuela for the foreseeable future, without providing details on how or for how long. He added that the US would take control of Venezuela’s oil industry and said American energy companies would move into the country. Trump also claimed Maduro’s removal would allow hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who fled to the US to return home. Meanwhile, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim leader shortly after Maduro’s removal. While the US has claimed the interim president will do “whatever the US asks,” Rodriguez has publicly condemned the military operation and said Maduro is the “only president.” She rejected notions that Venezuela would become “a colony of an empire,” with officials describing the attack as an attempt to steal the country’s resources, according to the BBC. But on Sunday, Rodriguez said she hopes to have a “balanced and respectful” relationship with the US “based on sovereign equality and non-interference,” CBS added. At the same time, Trump dismissed placing opposition leader and Nobel Laureate María Corina Machado as the country’s next leader, insisting that she “doesn’t have the support” within Venezuela, the Hill noted. Still, analysts said questions remain over US governance in the aftermath of the president’s removal, as Maduro’s allies retain significant influence. Saturday’s operation marked the culmination of a long-running dispute between the Trump administration and Maduro’s regime, which has faced international criticism over human rights abuses, disputed elections, and economic mismanagement. Trump has accused Maduro’s administration of fueling migration to the US and facilitating drug trafficking, including fentanyl and cocaine – claims Caracas denies. Those tensions prompted earlier US strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Analysts said the operation represents Washington’s first openly acknowledged military strike against a South American government, reviving memories of US interventions in the region during the 20th century. The move sparked concern across Latin America, particularly among leftist governments that have been critical of Washington, including Cuba and Colombia, who worry that they may be next, the Washington Post reported. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel described the strikes as “state terrorism,” while his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro called them an “assault on sovereignty.” Petro and Trump have also traded barbs in the past over the US operations in the Caribbean. Brazilian and Mexican officials also criticized the US actions. Meanwhile, Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei – an ally of Trump – hailed the operation, writing “freedom moves forward” and “long live freedom” on social media. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa also welcomed Maduro’s arrest, as did Bolivia’s new leadership. Venezuela’s allies, Russia, China, and Iran, condemned the action and called for Maduro’s release. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he was deeply concerned that “the rules of international law have not been respected.” European allies offered more cautious reactions. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said his government would “shed no tears” over Maduro’s arrest, while Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that, despite Madrid’s refusal to recognize Maduro’s legitimacy, the US operation “violates international law and pushes the region toward uncertainty.”

President Maduro and His Wife Were Arrested By US Authorities And Removed To Face US Justice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8QYuG8Qb44

Argentina's Shale Boom Propels It Past Colombia In Oil Output

Argentina’s Shale Boom Propels It Past Colombia in Oil Output By Matthew Smith, 13 hours ago Argentina, in a surprise development, overtook Colombia to become South America’s fourth-largest oil producer. The country is undergoing a once-in-a-generation unconventional hydrocarbon boom, which began with Buenos Aires nationalizing integrated energy major YPF in 2012. Since then, Argentina’s oil and natural gas output has kept soaring higher, regularly hitting new monthly highs as volumes of shale oil and gas production grow. It is Argentina’s national oil company, YPF, which is at the forefront of the boom with it responsible for this strong production growth. For November 2025, Argentina’s crude oil production, despite falling from the October 2025 record of 849,646 barrels per day to 844,386 barrels per day, was still an impressive 12.5% higher than a year earlier. This was the first month out of the last six where output did not rise to a new record high. Rapidly growing shale oil production in the Vaca Muerta shale, Spanish for Dead Cow, is driving Argentina’s stunning production growth. For November 2025, shale oil output hit a new monthly record of 578,461 barrels per day, a 30.68% year over year increase, which saw it responsible for 68.51% Argentina’s total production. Natural gas production, however, continues to decline. Output dropped 7% year over year to 4.2 billion cubic feet per day, the lowest level since December 2023. This represents a sharp drop from the record 5.7 billion cubic feet per day pumped for July 2025. It is rising shale gas output from the Vaca Muerta which is responsible for the solid growth of Argentina’s natural gas production over the last five years. For November 2025, shale gas production fell 1% year over year to 2.7 billion cubic feet daily, which despite being significantly less than the record 3.8 billion cubic feet per day reported for July 2025, still comprised 65% of Argentina’s total gas production. Since July 2025, a combination of well maintenance, reduced drilling activity due to weaker spot prices, and a lack of infrastructure, notably storage and pipeline facilities, which is impacting takeaway capacity, are weighing on output. Indeed, the lack of pipeline and other transportation infrastructure has long been viewed as a key constraint with the potential to impact production in the Vaca Muerta. Although the increasingly prolific shale formation and Argentina’s national oil company YPF will be responsible for further production growth. The 8.6-million-acre Vaca Muerta is a massive shale formation, roughly the size of Switzerland, located in the Neuquén Basin in northern Patagonia. It is among the world’s largest unconventional hydrocarbon resources and is frequently compared to the prolific Eagle Ford and Permian shales. The Vaca Muerta is estimated to contain 16 billion barrels of light tight oil and 308 trillion cubic feet of tight gas, making it the world’s fourth-largest unconventional oil and second-largest unconventional gas reserve. According to analysts, characteristics such as superior shale thickness, greater quantities of biological material, higher reservoir pressures, and increased well productivity make the Vaca Muerta superior to major U.S. shale plays. After a decade of development, the Vaca Muerta is responsible for 69% of Argentina’s oil production and 65% of the country's natural gas output. With less than a tenth of the formation under development, there is tremendous production growth ahead. By the end of the decade, Argentina’s crude oil output is expected to hit at least 1 million barrels per day, with some analysts forecasting 1.5 million barrels per day by 2030. This is a massive increase over the 787,395 barrels per day lifted for the first 11 months of 2025. Natural gas output is expected to surpass 6 billion cubic feet per day by 2030, driven by the Vaca Muerta’s rising shale gas production. It is national oil company YPF and its unconventional hydrocarbon acreage in the Vaca Muerta that will be responsible for most of the expansion of Argentina’s hydrocarbon output. The integrated energy major, which was nationalized by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in April 2012, holds the most acreage in the Vaca Muerta, controlling 2.9 million gross acres. YPF, after being the first energy company to start developing conventional energy assets in the Vaca Muerta, is the largest shale oil and gas producer in the formation. This first-mover status is delivering a tremendous windfall for the energy company. During November 2025, YPF lifted 397,420 barrels of crude oil and 936 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. This amounts to 47% and 22% respectively of Argentina’s total oil and gas production respectively, making the national oil company the country’s largest hydrocarbon producer. For the same period, YPF lifted 315,937 barrels of shale oil and 725,716 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. This represents 79.5% and 77.5%, respectively, of the energy company’s oil and natural gas production for November 2025. YPF is focused on developing the Vaca Muerta with plans to become a pure shale oil and gas producer. The company plans to achieve this by divesting higher-cost mature conventional oilfields while investing tremendous sums of capital to develop its Vaca Muerta acreage. Between 2025 and 2030, YPF plans to invest $36 billion with annual capital expenditure peaking at $6.8 billion during 2029. This will give YPF’s reserves and production a solid lift. By the end of 2024, the energy company held just over 1 billion barrels of proven reserves, of which 78% or 854 million barrels are unconventional oil located in the Vaca Muerta. YPF’s shale acreage is proving to be particularly profitable. For the third quarter of 2025, Argentina’s national oil company reported low lifting costs averaging $8.80 per barrel, with the company only spending $4.60 per barrel to lift oil from its Vaca Muerta acreage. Those numbers underscore just how profitable YPF’s upstream shale oil operations are, even in the current difficult operating environment impacted by weaker oil prices. CEO Horacio Marín believes YPF can sustain profitable operations even if prices drop to $40 or $45 per barrel. In an interview with Infobae, he stated: “We made ourselves resilient at less than $40 a barrel, and at $45 we can develop all of Vaca Muerta.” It will be YPF which will be responsible for Argentina’s unconventional oil and gas production soaring higher. Forecasts vary, but analysts believe the country will be lifting 1 million to 1.5 million barrels per day by 2030, while natural gas output is expected to exceed 6 billion cubic feet per day. This will deliver a generous economic windfall for Argentina with the country emerging as a net energy exporter during 2024, a year when the economically crisis-riven country reported its largest energy surplus in nearly two decades. By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Sweden's Vattenfall Seeks State Funding for New Nuclear Reactors Why Christmas Is Still a Diesel Stress Test for Energy Markets Wind Power’s Lost Year May Be Setting Up a Reset in 2026 12

Bolivia: Fuel Subsidy Cuts Spark Protests In Bolivia

Fuel Subsidy Cuts Spark Protests in Bolivia Bolivia Bolivia saw nationwide protests this week as unions launched a general strike against President Rodrigo Paz’s decision to scrap long-standing fuel subsidies, a move the government claims is necessary to stabilize an economy facing severe dollar shortages and its worst crisis in four decades, MercoPress reported Tuesday. On Monday, thousands of miners, coca growers, and labor activists took to the streets on the first day of the strike, with demonstrations and roadblocks disrupting activity in La Paz, El Alto, and other major cities. Police sealed off access to central government buildings in La Paz, while highways were blocked in six of the country’s nine regions, according to Bolivia’s highway administration agency. The protests, called by the Bolivian Workers’ Union (COB), focused on Decree 5503, issued last week by Paz, who took office in November. The decree ended fuel subsidies that had been in place for more than 20 years under previous left-wing governments and had kept gasoline prices at about $0.53 per liter. Under the new rules, prices rose to around $1 per liter. Paz defended his decision, saying Bolivia was spending about $10 million a day “on a subsidy that benefits smugglers,” who have been reselling fuel domestically and abroad. The government has argued that fuel imports – which cost up to $3 billion a year – have drained foreign currency reserves and worsened economic turmoil after the decline of natural gas exports. Officials noted that eliminating the subsidies will ease dollar shortages and help companies import goods and capital. Business groups have backed the measures, while some trade unions have also accepted the changes. Bus drivers stayed away from the strike after the government offered duty-free imports of auto parts, while Paz also mandated a 20 percent increase in the minimum wage, the Associated Press added. Other unions – particularly those aligned with former leftist President Evo Morales – rejected the cuts and leaders accused the government of favoring business interests. Analyst Carlos Cordero told AP that the strike aimed to “show its strength” ahead of next year’s municipal and regional elections. However, he noted that Monday’s turnout was low, suggesting that the union has been weakened and many sectors of the government believe the cuts were “necessary.” Despite limited participation from some unions, COB leaders vowed to remain on the streets until the subsidy cuts are reversed.