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The ousting of Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela’s president puts to the test his “Chavista” factions that have governed the oil-rich nation for 27 years.What happens to the so-called “club of five” powerful leftist figures, now that two of its most important members — Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores — have been captured and sent to the United States to face trial?- ‘Club of five’ -Anointed by his mentor Hugo Chavez before the latter’s death in 2013, Maduro kept a tight grip on power until his capture by US forces on Saturday.Maduro ruled alongside Flores and three other powerful figures: former vice president Delcy Rodriguez — now Venezuela’s interim leader — her brother Jorge, and their rival: hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.”It’s like a club of five,” a diplomatic source in Caracas told AFP under the condition of anonymity.”They can speak, they have a voice in the government, but Maduro was the one who kept the balance. Now that he’s gone, who knows?”– Maduro and ‘Super Cilita’ –The image of Maduro handcuffed and blindfolded as US forces transported him to New York to face trial made headlines around the world.During months in the crosshairs of US President Donald Trump, who accused him of being a drug trafficker, the 63-year-old former bus driver deflected pressure by dancing to techno music at near-daily rallies, always broadcast live, as he chanted the mantra “No war, yes peace!” — in English.Frequently underestimated, Maduro managed to eliminate internal resistance and keep the opposition at bay.Murals, songs and films celebrated him, as did the animated cartoon “Super Moustache,” in which he appeared as a superhero, fighting imperialism alongside “Super Cilita,” who is based on Flores. Toy figurines of both characters were also produced.The military swore absolute loyalty to him, led by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez.Though defiant at first and calling for Maduro’s return, Venezuela’s interim leader Rodriguez called for a “balanced and respectful relationship” between the South American country and the United States on Sunday.”The top level of government has survival as its absolute priority,” Antulio Rosales, political scientist and professor at York University in Canada, told AFP.– The Rodriguez siblings –Rodriguez controlled the economy and the oil industry as vice president while her brother Jorge is the speaker of parliament.They are known for their incendiary rhetoric, often mixing belligerence, irony and insults against the “enemies of the fatherland.”But behind the scenes, they are skilled political operators.Jorge Rodriguez was the chief negotiator with the opposition and the United States, and his sister represented Maduro in various international forums.Experts also attribute purges within government to them, such as one that sent Tareck El Aissami, a powerful oil minister until 2023, to prison.Rodriguez took over his post shortly afterwards.– The feared policeman –Diosdado Cabello meanwhile is widely feared in Venezuela. Under his ministry, some 2,400 people were detained during protests that followed Maduro’s disputed re-election in 2024, in a move that cowed the opposition.Cabello is seen as representing the most radical wing of “Chavismo,” and some see him at odds with the pragmatism of the Rodriguez pair, though both sides have denied this.Cabello acted as president for a few hours when Chavez was overthrown for two days in 2002.He accompanied Chavez in a failed coup attempt in 1992. Today he is number two in the Socialist Party behind Maduro.The US courts have now named Cabello among those wanted for trial alongside Maduro.They have offered $25 million for his capture.Having kept a low profile in the hours after Maduro’s capture, he appeared by Rodriguez’s side at her first cabinet meeting as acting president on Sunday.

President Donald Trump’s claim that the United States is “in charge” of Venezuela will be underscored Monday when the oil-rich nation’s deposed leader is hauled before a New York court, while his successor offers to cooperate.Leftist strongman Nicolas Maduro, 63, faces narcotrafficking charges along with his wife, who was also seized and taken out of Caracas in the shock US assault Saturday, which involved commandos, bombing by jet planes, and a massive naval force off Venezuela’s coast.The UN Security Council will hold an emergency session on Monday at Venezuela’s request. This will provide a platform for international concern over US intentions in the country of around 30 million people.Trump is unlikely fazed, as his plan to dominate Venezuela and its vast oil reserves unfolds.”We’re in charge,” Trump announced late Sunday.In a potential win for Washington, Maduro’s successor and interim leader Delcy Rodriguez dropped her initial fiery rhetoric, issuing a statement late Sunday offering to work with Trump.”We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation,” the former vice president said.This was hours after Trump threatened that she’d pay a “very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” if she didn’t bend to US wishes.When asked what he needs from Rodriguez, Trump said: “We need total access. We need access to the oil and other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.”While there are no known US forces left inside Venezuela, a huge naval presence, including an aircraft carrier, remains off the coast.The Trump administration says it retains powerful economic leverage by blockading oil tankers from Venezuela. Trump has also threatened additional military attacks if needed.- No regime change -But what happens next in Venezuela, after a combined quarter century of hard-left rule by Maduro and his late socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez, remains unclear.The Democratic Party leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, told ABC News that Americans were left “scratching their heads in wonderment and in fear.”The White House indicated Sunday that it does not want regime change — just Maduro gone and a pliant new government, even if it is filled with his former associates.Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed on Sunday that Washington is not looking for radical overhaul or even a return to democracy any time soon.Rather than seek to topple the entire Maduro government, “we’re going to make an assessment on the basis of what they do,” he told CBS News.The US position leaves the Venezuelan opposition — which the Trump administration says was robbed of victory by Maduro in recent elections — out in the cold.Leading opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia said the US intervention was “important” but “not enough” without the release of political prisoners and acknowledgement that he won the 2024 election.- Breaching international law? -Countries such as China, Russia and Iran, which have longstanding ties with Maduro’s government, were quick to condemn the operation. Some US allies, including the EU, expressed alarm.China called for Maduro to be “immediately released” in a condemnation of the US operation, which its foreign ministry said was a “clear violation of international law.”Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whose country neighbors Venezuela, called the US action an “assault on the sovereignty” of Latin America, which would lead to a humanitarian crisis.Italy and Israel, whose leaders strongly back Trump, were more supportive.burs-sms/sla/ane

President Donald Trump doubled down Sunday on his claim that Greenland should become part of the United States, despite calls by Denmark’s prime minister to stop “threatening” the territory.Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the Arctic.While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump reiterated the goal. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said in response to a reporter’s question.”We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months… let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”Over the weekend, the Danish prime minister called on Washington to stop “threatening its historical ally”.”I have to say this very clearly to the United States: it is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement. She also noted that Denmark, “and thus Greenland”, was a NATO member protected by the agreement’s security guarantees.-‘Disrespectful’ -Trump rattled European leaders by attacking Caracas and grabbing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now being detained in New York.Trump has said the United States will now “run” Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves.Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for mineral-rich Greenland, Trump said it was up to others to decide.”They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know,” Trump was quoted as saying.He added: “But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”Hours later, former aide Katie Miller, the wife of Trump’s most influential adviser, drew ire by posting an image of Greenland in the colours of the US flag, captioning it “SOON”.Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called Miller’s post “disrespectful”.”Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law — not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights,” he wrote on X.But he also said “there is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts”.- Allies? -Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Trump’s policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda.Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, offered a pointed “friendly reminder” in response to Katie Miller’s post that his country has “significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts” and worked together with Washington on that.”We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” Soerensen wrote.Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.She later worked as communications director for then-vice president Mike Pence and also acted as his press secretary.

Timothee Chalamet’s Oscars campaign earned a major boost Sunday as he scooped the best actor prize for “Marty Supreme” at the Critics Choice Awards, the first major gala of this year’s Hollywood awards season.He defeated rival Leonardo DiCaprio, whose raucous political thriller “One Battle After Another” took the night’s top prize for best picture, as well as best director and best adapted screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson.In “Marty Supreme,” Chalamet plays a 1950s table tennis champion consumed by grand ambitions.Loosely based on a true story, and benefiting from the Franco-American actor’s unique viral campaign, the film directed by Josh Safdie (“Uncut Gems”) has become an unlikely global hit.”Josh, you made a story about a flawed man with a relatable dream,” said Chalamet.”And you didn’t preach to the audience about what’s right and wrong, and I think we should all be telling stories like that, so thank you for this dream.”The movie is loosely based on the life of table tennis star Marty Reisman, a man driven by the belief that he can achieve fame and fortune through a sport little known in the United States.Chalamet — the “Dune” superstar and two-time Oscar nominee who recently portrayed Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” — rigorously trained in table tennis for the role.The 30-year-old has in the past made no secret of his ambitions to win multiple Academy Awards, and will now be the frontrunner for the ceremony on March 15.- Oscars momentum -The awards bestowed by North America’s largest critics’ group could give movie campaigns much-needed extra momentum as Oscars voting nears.This year, it took the coveted first weekend of awards season usually occupied by the Golden Globes, which will take place in Beverly Hills next weekend.Jessie Buckley won best actress for her tragic role as the wife of William Shakespeare in period drama “Hamnet.”Jacob Elordi won best supporting actor for his portrayal of the Monster in “Frankenstein,” which also won three technical awards, while Amy Madigan won supporting actress for a villainous turn in horror flick “Weapons.”Netflix’s global mega-hit musical “KPop Demon Hunters” won best animated feature and best song.”Sinners,” a period horror film also seen as a major contender for many of this season’s top prizes, had to settle for best original screenplay, young actor, score, and casting and ensemble.Among the television prizes, hospital saga “The Pitt” won best drama, Hollywood satire “The Studio” won best comedy, and teen murder drama “Adolescence” won best limited series.Best talk show winner Jimmy Kimmel joked about his spat with US President Donald Trump last year, which saw the late-night host briefly taken off the air. “Thank you, Mr President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day,” said Kimmel.”A FIFA Peace Prize would have been better but this is nice too,” Kimmel joked.In the show’s opening monologue, host Chelsea Handler paid tribute to the late Rob Reiner, “the nicest guy in Hollywood.”The beloved “When Harry Met Sally” director and his wife Michele were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home last month. “Anyone who ever spent time with Rob Reiner knows that the minute that you met him, he felt like an old friend,” she said, to emotional applause from the gathered A-listers and critics. 

Asian stocks rose Monday on the back of a fresh rally in tech firms and oil fluctuated as investors weighed the impact of the US ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.While the South American leader’s removal added to geopolitical risk on global markets, traders chose to focus on the long-running artificial intelligence boom and hopes for more US interest rate cuts.The first full week of business for 2026 will also see the release of key jobs data that could play a role in the Federal Reserve’s decision-making on borrowing costs.Investors will also be on the lookout for an idea about who US President Donald Trump chooses to take the helm at the central bank when Jerome Powell steps down in May.In early trade, Asian stocks were up across the board, led by markets with heavy tech presence.Tokyo surged 2.8 percent thanks to tech investor SoftBank’s four percent gains and chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron’s five percent advance.The Kospi in Seoul gained more than two percent, with SK Hynix up more than three percent and Samsung Electronics soaring 4.6 percent.Taipei was 2.5 percent up as chip titan TSMC rocketed more than five percent.Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Wellington and Manila were also well up.The gains suggest investors were brushing off worries that valuations in the tech sector have become stretched and warnings about the timing and size of returns on huge AI investments.”This move now stands as the strongest start to a year for Asian equities since 2012, coming on the heels of a global market that just delivered its best annual return since 2017,” wrote Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.Still, Kyle Rodda at Capital.com warned: “Valuations remain around levels exceeded only by the Dot.com bubble, while allocation to equities are at elevated levels at the same time allocation to cash is on the low side.”Most simply put, the markets probably need to see more evidence of resilient US growth, continued disinflation and therefore US rate cuts, strong corporate earnings, and the pay-offs from artificial intelligence to keep on rising.”Safe-haven investment gold was up more than one percent at about $4,400 per ounce.Oil shifted between gains and losses after US forces attacked Venezuela early Saturday, bombing military targets and spiriting away Maduro and his wife to face federal charges in New York.Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, and more Venezuelan crude in the market could exacerbate oversupply concerns and add to recent pressure on prices.Trump said the United States will now “run” Venezuela and send US companies to fix its dilapidated oil infrastructure.But analysts say that alongside other major questions about the South American country’s future, substantially lifting its oil production will not be easy, quick or cheap.After years of under-investment and sanctions, Venezuela pumps around one million barrels per day, down from around 3.5 million in 1999.”Any recovery in production would require substantial investment given the crumbling infrastructure resulting from years of mismanagement and underinvestment,” UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo told AFP.Investing today also holds little appeal as oil prices are weighed down by a supply glut, and fell last year.- Key figures at around 0230 GMT – Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.8 percent at 51,759.10 (break)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 26,428.49Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 4,004.99West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $57.28 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $60.79 per barrelEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1696 from $1.1720 on FridayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3437 from $1.3460 Dollar/yen: UP at 157.06 yen from 156.85 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.05 pence from 87.07 penceNew York – Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 48,382.39 points (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 9,951.14 (close)

President Donald Trump insisted Sunday the United States is “in charge” of Venezuela after the seizure of Nicolas Maduro, but was also dealing with the new leadership in Caracas.Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said at the same time that she was ready to work together with the Trump administration, asking the US leader for a balanced, respectful relationship.Trump has faced searching questions over his repeated assertions that Washington is now running Venezuela following the US military operation that spirited away Maduro and his wife before dawn Saturday.The deposed Maduro is due to appear in a New York court Monday to face federal narcotrafficking charges.”We’re dealing with the people who just got sworn in. Don’t ask me who’s in charge because I’ll give you an answer and it’ll be very controversial,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One when asked if he had spoken to Rodriguez.Pressed on what he meant, Trump said: “It means we’re in charge.”The Trump administration says it is willing to work with the remainder of Maduro’s government as long as Washington’s goals, particularly opening access to US investment in Venezuela’s enormous crude oil reserves, are met.Asked whether the operation was about oil or regime change, Trump replied: “It’s about peace on earth.”- ‘It’s a broken country’ -The US president said elections in Venezuela would have to wait. “We’re going to run it, fix it, we’ll have elections at the right time, but the main thing you have to fix is it’s a broken country,” he said.As he struck his triumphant tone, Trump also had harsh words for other US adversaries, saying Colombia’s leader was “not going to be doing it very long,” Communist-ruled Cuba was “ready to fall” and that Iran’s leadership will be “hit hard” if protesters are killed.Trump had earlier threatened that Rodriguez would pay a “big price” if she does not cooperate with the United States.Venezuelan opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, in an Instagram post Sunday from exile in Spain, said Maduro’s capture was “an important step, but not enough” to return the crisis-hit nation to normal.Gonzalez Urrutia called for the results of the 2024 election — which he claims to have won — to be upheld and for all political prisoners to be freed to ensure a “democratic transition.”Venezuelans braced for the political aftermath of the stunning raid, in which US commandos swooped in on helicopters, backed by fighter jets and naval forces, to capture Maduro. Residents queued up to buy food in grocery stores, and the masked and heavily armed police visible the previous day were gone, AFP correspondents said.Some 2,000 Maduro supporters — including rifle-wielding men on motorcycles — rallied Sunday in Caracas, however, with crowds shouting and waving red, blue and yellow Venezuelan flags.The Venezuelan military announced it recognized Rodriguez — previously Maduro’s vice president — as acting president, and urged calm.Venezuelan hospitals have refused to divulge the number of people killed or injured in the attacks. A doctors’ group told AFP around 70 people were killed and 90 injured. A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, put the death toll at at least 15.But Havana said 32 Cubans died in the US raid. Trump said “a lot” of Maduro’s Cuban security detail were killed.- Who will run Venezuela? -Despite the success of the initial US operation, questions mounted over Trump’s Venezuela strategy.Trump said Saturday the United States will “run” the South American country of about 30 million people.But Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed Sunday that Washington is not seeking complete regime change or elections.The United States is fighting drug traffickers, “not a war against Venezuela,” Rubio told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”However, he said a large US naval presence would remain in the Caribbean to enforce a blockade of Venezuelan oil exports for “tremendous leverage.”With questions swirling on Capitol Hill, an administration official told AFP that Rubio will discuss Venezuela in meetings with lawmakers Monday.Trump has made clear Washington intends to call the shots in Venezuela, with a focus on securing access to the world’s largest proven oil reserves.Maduro, a self-described socialist, led Venezuela with an iron fist for more than a decade through a series of elections widely considered rigged. He came to power after the death of his charismatic mentor, Hugo Chavez.As news of Maduro’s capture rippled out, exiled Venezuelans waved flags and celebrated in plazas from Madrid to Santiago. About eight million Venezuelans have fled the grinding poverty and political suppression of their homeland.burs-dk/mlm

President Donald Trump doubled down Sunday on his claim that Greenland should become part of the United States, despite calls by Denmark’s prime minister to stop “threatening” the territory.Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the Arctic.While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump reiterated the goal.”We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said. Over the weekend, Katie Miller, the wife of Trump’s most influential aide, posted an image of the flag of Greenland in the colours of the US flag, captioning it “SOON”.Denmark and the European Union have responded with ire to Trump’s Greenland agenda.”I have to say this very clearly to the United States: it is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday.She called on Washington to stop “threatening its historical ally”.European leaders were rattled by Trump sending his military to attack Caracas and grab Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now being detained in New York.Trump has said the United States will now “run” Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves.He says Greenland, which is rich in critical minerals vital for the tech industry, is needed for US national security. Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for Greenland, Trump said that it was up to others to decide, according to the magazine Sunday.”They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know,” Trump was quoted as saying. He added: “But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.”Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called Miller’s flag post “disrespectful”.”Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law — not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights,” he wrote on X.But he also said that “there is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts”.- Allies? -Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Trump’s policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda.Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, offered a pointed “friendly reminder” in response to Katie Miller’s post that his country — a NATO member — has “significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts” and worked together with Washington on that.”We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” Soerensen wrote.Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.She later worked as communications director for then-vice president Mike Pence and also acted as his press secretary.

Denmark called on the United States to stop “threatening” Greenland Sunday as President Donald Trump told US media he “absolutely” needed the territory, a day after Washington seized the leader of Venezuela.Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly made clear he wants to become an annexed part of the United States.Those fears were underscored by Trump’s comments to The Atlantic magazine and a social media post by the wife of his most influential aide showing Greenland in the colours of the US flag.”I have to say this very clearly to the United States: it is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement late Sunday.She called on Washington to stop “threatening its historical ally”.The United States’s European allies were rattled by Trump sending in his military on Saturday to attack Caracas and grab Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now being held in New York.Trump has said the United States will now “run” Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves.In Greenland’s case, Trump has claimed that making the Danish territory part of the United States would serve US national security interests, given its strategic location on the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in key critical minerals used in high-tech sectors.Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for Greenland, Trump said that it was up to others to decide, according to the magazine Sunday.”They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know,” Trump was quoted as saying. He added: “But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.”Late Saturday, Katie Miller — wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller — posted the contentious image of the Danish autonomous territory in the colours of the US flag on her X feed.Her post had a single word above it: “SOON”. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the post “disrespectful”.”Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law — not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights,” he stated on X.But he also said that “there is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts”.- Allies? -Denmark’s ambassador to the US, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, reacted earlier on Sunday with his own post saying “we expect full respect for the territorial integrity” of Denmark, above a link to Katie Miller’s image.Moves edging towards that goal by his government — including his appointment of an envoy to the Danish territory — have drawn the ire of both Copenhagen and the European Union.Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Trump’s policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda.Denmark’s ambassador gave a pointed “friendly reminder” in response to Katie Miller’s post that his country — a NATO member — has “significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts” and worked together with the US on that.”We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” Soerensen wrote.Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.She later worked as communications director for then vice president Mike Pence and also acted as his press secretary.

President Donald Trump threatened Sunday that Venezuela’s new leader will pay a “big price” if she does not cooperate with the United States, after US forces seized and jailed her former boss Nicolas Maduro.If interim president Delcy Rodriguez “doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump told The Atlantic in a telephone interview.US forces attacked Caracas before dawn Saturday, bombing military targets and spiriting away Maduro and his wife to face federal narcotrafficking charges in New York. The deposed leader is due to appear in a Manhattan court on Monday.The Trump administration says it is willing to work with the remainder of Maduro’s government as long as Washington’s goals, particularly opening access to US investment in Venezuela’s enormous crude oil reserves, are met.Opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, in an Instagram post Sunday from exile in Spain, said the capture of Maduro was “an important step, but not enough” to return the crisis-hit nation to normal.Gonzalez Urrutia called for the results of the 2024 election — which he claims to have won — to be upheld and for all political prisoners to be freed to ensure a “democratic transition.”Venezuelans braced for the political aftermath of the stunning raid, in which US commandos swooped in on helicopters, backed by fighter jets and naval forces, to capture Maduro. Residents queued up to buy food in grocery stores, and the masked and heavily armed police visible the previous day were gone, AFP correspondents said.Some 2,000 Maduro supporters — including rifle-wielding men on motorcycles — rallied Sunday in Caracas, however, with crowds shouting and waving red, blue and yellow Venezuelan flags.The Venezuelan military announced it recognized Rodriguez — previously Maduro’s vice president — as acting president, and urged calm.No Venezuela death toll has been announced, but Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said a “large part” of Maduro’s security team were killed “in cold blood,” as well as military personnel and civilians.- Who will run Venezuela? -Despite the success of the initial US operation, questions mounted over Trump’s strategy.The Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, told ABC News that Americans were left “scratching their heads in wonderment and in fear.”Trump said Saturday the United States will “run” Venezuela, a South American country of about 30 million people.And he told The Atlantic that “rebuilding there and regime change — anything you want to call it — is better than what you have right now.”But Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed Sunday that Washington is not seeking complete regime change or elections, but rather, “we’re going to make an assessment on the basis of what they do,” he told CBS News.The United States is fighting drug traffickers, “not a war against Venezuela,” Rubio told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”However, he said a large US naval presence would remain in the Caribbean to enforce a blockade of Venezuelan oil exports for “tremendous leverage.”Trump has made clear Washington intends to call the shots in Venezuela, with a focus on securing access to the world’s largest proven oil reserves.”We’re going to run the country” until a transition can be made, he said Saturday, also insisting that military “boots on the ground” remained a possibility.In her first remarks since the US attack, Rodriguez struck a defiant note, saying Maduro was the country’s sole legitimate leader and that “we’re ready to defend our natural resources.”- ‘Good night’ -Handcuffed and in sandals, Maduro was escorted by federal agents through a Manhattan US Drug Enforcement Administration facility late Saturday, a video posted by the White House showed.”Good night, happy new year,” the 63-year-old leftist was heard saying in English.Earlier, he was photographed aboard a US naval ship blindfolded and handcuffed, with noise-canceling ear protectors.Maduro, a self-described socialist, led Venezuela with an iron fist for more than a decade through a series of elections widely considered rigged. He came to power after the death of his charismatic mentor, Hugo Chavez.As news of Maduro’s capture rippled out, exiled Venezuelans waved flags and celebrated in plazas from Madrid to Santiago. About eight million Venezuelans have fled the grinding poverty and political suppression of their homeland.burs-sms/mlm

Colombian left-wing guerrillas operating on the border with Venezuela vowed Sunday to resist Washington’s “imperial plans” following the US ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.The powerful National Liberation Army (ELN), which controls cocaine trafficking routes along Colombia’s border with Venezuela, called on “all patriots” to “confront the imperial plans against Venezuela and the peoples of the Global South.” Security experts say the ELN also has rear bases within Venezuela that were tolerated by Maduro.Dissident members of the defunct FARC rebel army, who vie with the ELN for control of drug-producing regions near Venezuela, also vowed resistance to Trump.Writing on X, they said they were prepared to spend their “last drop of blood fighting the US empire.”Saturday’s attack on Venezuela to snatch Maduro and whisk him to New York to face drugs and weapons charges has created fears in Colombia that it could be a future target for US strikes.Trump on Saturday warned that his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro — with whom he has sparred in recent months — should “watch his ass.””He’s making cocaine and they’re sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his ass,” Trump told reporters.Petro described Washington’s attack on Venezuela as an “assault on the sovereignty” of Latin America.He sent troop reinforcements to the Venezuelan border.Colombia also activated an alert for possible attacks by armed groups operating on either side of the border.