MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Miami ruling links Maduro to "hostage diplomacy," orders $314 million in damages]]> Judge Darrin P. Gayles issued a default judgment on Tuesday against Nicolás Maduro, Saab, five other Venezuelan officials, and the so-called Cartel of the Suns A federal judge in Miami ordered $314 million in damages to be paid to three US citizens who were imprisoned in Venezuela, where they said they were tortured by intelligence services before being freed in a 2023 exchange with Washington for Colombian businessman Alex Saab.

]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2026 22:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[US-backed talks between Venezuela's two parliaments to begin August 1]]> The talks will bring together the National Assembly elected in 2015, with an opposition majority and headed by Figuera, and the 2026 Assembly, controlled by Chavismo and led by Jorge Rodríguez The two legislative bodies vying for legitimacy in Venezuela will begin a joint working agenda on August 1, promoted by the United States, with the stated aim of moving toward a democratic reinstitutionalization of the country, more than six months after the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro.

]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2026 22:07:00 GMT <![CDATA[Trump says US is investigating whether Iran stores drones in Cuba]]> “If they do have that, and they might very well have that, we'll take care of it in short order. We're not going to allow that to happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office US President Donald Trump said on Monday that his government is investigating whether Iran is storing drones in Cuba and warned that Washington would act if their presence on the island is confirmed, though he framed the matter as a hypothesis that has not been verified.

]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:24:00 GMT <![CDATA[Venezuela names its envoy to Washington as foreign minister in cabinet reshuffle]]> Plasencia, 53, is a career diplomat with more than three decades in Venezuela's foreign service Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has appointed diplomat Félix Plasencia to head a new Ministry of Foreign Relations and Trade, merging the diplomatic and foreign trade portfolios. Plasencia had until now served as Venezuela's chief of mission in the United States, and replaces Yvan Gil, foreign minister since 2023, who moves to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:06:00 GMT <![CDATA[Trump threatens Iran with '1,000 missiles' over alleged assassination plot]]> The message came after reports that Israel shared intelligence with Washington about an alleged new Iranian plan to kill Trump US President Donald Trump warned that "1,000 missiles" are armed and aimed at Iran, ready to strike the country should Tehran attempt to assassinate him, in a message posted on his social network that raises tension with the Islamic Republic amid an already ongoing military escalation.

]]> Sat, 11 Jul 2026 07:19:00 GMT <![CDATA[Four held in Ecuador over migrant-smuggling network to the United States]]> Ecuador has stepped up cooperation with US agencies on security and migration control in recent months Ecuador's police arrested four people, including a serving officer and a former immigration-control official, accused of belonging to an alleged network dedicated to smuggling migrants to the United States, the institution said. The arrests were made in simultaneous operations in the provinces of Pichincha, Tungurahua, Carchi and Santa Elena.

]]> Sat, 11 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[US launches fresh strikes on Iran after Trump declares ceasefire over]]> The escalation is the most serious since the two countries signed a memorandum last month to end their war United States forces launched new strikes on Wednesday against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump declared the provisional ceasefire with Tehran "over." US Central Command confirmed the operation and said it aimed to degrade Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation through the waterway, which carries close to a fifth of the world's oil.

]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 21:20:00 GMT <![CDATA[Venezuela quake death toll reaches 3,685 as economists urge lifting of US sanctions]]> A worker paints the graves of unidentified victims of the June 24 earthquake. Photo: Miguel Medina / AFP The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24 rose to at least 3,685, after another 150 fatalities were added to Monday's count, according to official figures. The number of injured held at 16,740 and that of people rescued at 6,462, while those who lost their homes rose to 17,907. Authorities present the data as provisional.

]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:10:00 GMT <![CDATA[Denmark says Greenland 'not for sale' after Trump renews call for US control]]> Trump also suggested he could remove all US soldiers from Europe Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reaffirmed on Wednesday that Greenland is "not for sale" and that her country is ready to defend "every inch" of its territory, after US President Donald Trump insisted that the Arctic territory should be under the control of the United States rather than Denmark.

]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:05:00 GMT <![CDATA[Flávio Bolsonaro urges Washington to delay Brazil tariffs until after October vote]]> In his remarks, Bolsonaro argued that imposing the tariff now would hand a political victory to the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the leading right-wing presidential hopeful, asked Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday to postpone until after the October elections a 25% tariff that the United States is considering imposing on Brazilian goods. He made the request during a public hearing before the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in Washington.

]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:10:00 GMT