Venezuela

Chevron to expand Venezuela oil operations with US$7 billion plan

2 Sep 2026 - 9:38PM

Trump puts pressure on squeezed US oil refiners to ease pump prices

2 Sep 2026 - 7:37AM

US-China relations

China demands rights guarantee as US firm secures 100-year Venezuelan oil deal

Call follows news that Caracas authorities have granted concessions covering 17 oilfields with proven reserves of about 65 billion barrels.

1 Sep 2026 - 8:30PM

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves. Photo: AP

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump to meet US oil executives as Iran war keeps fuel prices high

White House pushes for increased refining capacity after announcing huge US stake in Venezuela oil.

1 Sep 2026 - 11:43AM

Brazil’s China borrowing, Colombia quake aid: 7 Latin America relations reads

From corruption allegations to US sanctions and Trump allegations, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in August 2026.

31 Aug 2026 - 10:00PM

Donald Trump

‘The oil is ours’: furore grows as Venezuela defends deal with Trump

The agreement, which critics call an abdication of sovereignty, risks becoming a political liability for interim leader Rodriguez.

30 Aug 2026 - 3:40PM

An oil tanker sails off the coast of Maracaibo, Venezuela, on Saturday. Photo: EPA

US-Venezuela conflict

Trump says US to take control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuela oil reserves

The US president faces mounting pressure to address high petrol prices as Iran war hits a six-month milestone with no conclusion in sight.

29 Aug 2026 - 2:35PM

US targets China’s telecoms grip in Venezuela with new sanctions carve-out

Move could test Huawei and ZTE’s long-standing foothold as Washington extends its China reach from oil to another strategic sector.

25 Aug 2026 - 6:17AMvideocam

Rodriguez’s Castro tribute tests Venezuela’s balancing act between US and China

Beijing retains commercial interests in Venezuela even as analysts see Washington curbing its political and strategic influence.

17 Aug 2026 - 10:33PMvideocam

Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s tribute to late Cuban leader Fidel Castro drew an angry response from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo: AP

Israel

Israel and Venezuela renew consular ties after 17 years of no diplomacy

Move comes after Israel sent aid to Venezuela following recent earthquakes. Venezuela broke ties with Israel after the start of the Gaza war.

12 Aug 2026 - 2:43AM

A Venezuelan flag waves as people search for bodies in Caraballeda, La Guaira, after earthquakes in June. Israel sent aid to Venezuela following the earthquakes. Photo: Reuters

Rights groups sue the Trump administration over ICC sanctions

Lawsuit says Trump’s executive order targeting the International Criminal Court for investigating Israeli crimes in Palestine is ‘illegal’.

12 Aug 2026 - 1:31AM

Nicolas Maduro

In message from US jail, Maduro weighs in on Venezuela transition talks

Ex-president calls for ‘reconciliation’ ahead of US-backed meetings between the interim government and opposition.

3 Aug 2026 - 10:23AM

Crime

Colombia bombing near police station wounds 14 ahead of president’s inauguration

Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez blamed the National Liberation Army rebel group for the attack and offered a US$64,000 reward for information.

2 Aug 2026 - 6:08AM

Police officers stand outside a building damaged after a truck packed with explosives detonated next to a police station in Cucuta, Colombia on Saturday. Photo: Photo: Reuters

As I see it | Despite immense power, the US delivers neither butter nor bullets

While Americans know they can’t get the welfare benefits they need, their leaders must realise their military can’t give them world domination.

31 Jul 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

US Army soldiers cross a floating bridge on the Imjin River during a joint river-crossing exercise with South Korea as a part of the Freedom Shield military exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 20, 2025. Photo: AP

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil turns to China trade deal after Trump tariffs, as years of resistance end

Xi and Lula agree to fast track Mercosur trade talks, endorsing a deal Brasilia fought to bury when Uruguay first proposed it.

28 Jul 2026 - 5:13AMvideocam

Venezuela opposition leader says won’t take part in US-backed talks

Refusal by Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia deals a blow to Washington-backed efforts for political reconciliation.

27 Jul 2026 - 11:05AM

Cuba

Raul Castro absent as Cuba marks revolutionary anniversary

For the first time in over 30 years, the 95-year-old ex-president skips the July 26 rally.

27 Jul 2026 - 11:34AM

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and other officials on Sunday. Photo: EPA

US-Venezuela conflict

Venezuela’s Maduro and wife back in US court, as judge sets 2027 trial date

Defence lawyers to seek dismissal of the drug-trafficking charges for the former president, claiming immunity.

23 Jul 2026 - 11:07AM

Americas and the Caribbean

27 dead, 83 missing after passenger ferry capsizes off Guyana

Initial signs indicate that the ship flipped over after being hit by a big wave, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said.

21 Jul 2026 - 7:34AM

Strong quake off Mexican coast rattles Guatemala and El Salvador

The tremor recalled the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, though there were no immediate reports of deaths or major damage.

18 Jul 2026 - 2:37AM

People react after evacuating the Biblioteca Nacional in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Friday. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

Trump intel pick to play ‘helpful’ role in agreeing economic strategy with China

Jay Clayton says US can still work together ‘on the world stage economically’ with Beijing despite the geopolitical challenges they face.

16 Jul 2026 - 5:08AMvideocam

Jay Clayton testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on his nomination to be the Director of National Intelligence in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Earthquakes

Quake-hit Venezuela faces looming health threats as survivors crowd shelters

Poor shelter conditions, lack of clean water and sanitation could leave many thousands vulnerable, PAHO says.

10 Jul 2026 - 12:56PM

Cuba

More hardship in fuel-starved Cuba, hit by third nationwide blackout this year

Cuba’s president slams Washington’s ‘strangulation’ of communist island as grid collapse leaves 9.6 million without power.

7 Jul 2026 - 1:07PM

Earthquakes

Venezuela quakes survivor shares ordeal after 8 days buried alive

Security guard recalls surviving darkness, aftershocks and walls shifting before his miraculous rescue from a collapsed building.

6 Jul 2026 - 3:40PMvideocam

Hernan Gil, who survived for nearly eight days beneath the rubble. Photo: AFP

Venezuela leader vows ‘no social unrest’ as quakes toll passes 3,300

Delcy Rodriguez defends emergency response amid growing public anger and UN estimates of up to 50,000 missing.

6 Jul 2026 - 11:36AMvideocam

Rescuers search the rubble of a collapsed building on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Venezuela quake death toll rises to nearly 3,000

Tens of thousands remain missing, but international rescue efforts have started winding down.

5 Jul 2026 - 4:58AMvideocam