The United States has escalated its standoff with Venezuela, deploying three naval destroyers to the Caribbean in what Washington calls a renewed push against drug cartels. Officials say the mission aims to disrupt narcotics flows into American cities, but the move also underscores the White House’s refusal to recognise Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president.
Relations between the two nations have long been strained, but under Donald Trump they reached a new level of confrontation. His administration imposed sweeping sanctions, backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó, and accused Maduro of running what U.S. prosecutors described as a “narco-terrorist” network. Federal indictments and asset seizures followed, while Caracas responded with accusations of imperial aggression and calls for resistance.
The latest deployment deepens this cycle of hostility. While U.S. forces present the operation as counter-narcotics, Venezuela has mobilised its militias and insists foreign troops will never dictate its future. For Washington, the move signals both resolve and reach, but for Caracas it reinforces the narrative of sovereignty under siege.
In this edition of NewsHour, Guy Shone examines the history of U.S.–Venezuela relations, the political stakes of the naval presence, and what might lie ahead for one of the hemisphere’s most fraught rivalries.
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Argentina’s economic activity fell by 0.3% in November 2025 compared with the same month a year earlier, marking the country’s first monthly contraction of the year, the national statistics agency INDEC said on Wednesday.
Kazakhstan has yet to receive results from two foreign laboratories examining evidence linked to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft near Aktau, delaying the publication of the final investigation report, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow could pay $1 billion from Russian assets frozen abroad to secure permanent membership in Donald Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’.
At least eight Nigerian soldiers were killed and around 50 wounded after Islamist Boko Haram fighters attacked a military position in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, security sources said on Wednesday.
More than 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 96 in western Michigan on Monday (19 January), forcing the highway to shut in both directions amid severe winter weather.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose a 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes after France declined to join his proposed Board of Peace on Gaza initiative.
Syrian government troops tightened their grip across a swathe of northern and eastern territory on Monday after it was abruptly abandoned by Kurdish forces in a dramatic shift that has consolidated President Ahmed al-Sharaa's rule.
Several locally-developed instant messaging applications were reportedly restored in Iran on Tuesday (20 January), partially easing communications restrictions imposed after recent unrest.
There was a common theme in speeches at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday (20 January). China’s Vice-Premier, He Lifeng, warned that "tariffs and trade wars have no winners," while France's Emmanuel Macron, labelled "endless accumulation of new tariffs" from the U.S. "fundamentally unacceptable."
Here are the latest stories from AnewZ’s Africa News programme, focusing on political and security developments across the African continent.
Here are the latest stories from AnewZ’s Africa News programme, focusing on political and security developments across the African continent.
The following story summaries are from AnewZ’s Africa News programme, focusing on political and security developments across Africa and beyond.
In today’s Prime Time, we covered the following conversations: Azerbaijan has shipped petroleum products to Armenia by rail for the first time in decades, marking a significant step toward economic cooperation and regional integration in the South Caucasus.
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