Relief had been granted after president Nicolás Maduro promised to hold free and fair elections this year

The Biden administration has reimposed crushing oil sanctions on Venezuela, admonishing the president Nicolás Maduro ’s attempts to consolidate his rule just six months after the US eased restrictions in a bid to support now fading hopes for a democratic opening in the Opec nation.

A senior US official, discussing the decision with reporters, said any US company investing in Venezuela would have 45 days to wind down operations to avoid adding uncertainty to global energy markets. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss US policy deliberations.

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Detention of influencer Oscar Alejandro Pérez at Caracas airport en route to southern national park raises free speech concerns

A popular Venezuelan YouTuber has been arrested in Caracas on terrorism charges as President Nicolás Maduro’s government steps up its crackdown on free speech ahead of upcoming elections.

Oscar Alejandro Pérez was detained in the capital’s main airport on Sunday by police on accusations of terrorism, his family said.

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Economic crisis has driven Warao communities from their traditional life in lush forest to a Brazilian slum

• Photographs by Nicola Zolin

At 4pm, the sound of sirens is fading. On the pavement, a teenage girl – her eyes darting back and forth to monitor police presence – starts smoking crack. She is across the street from “Hotel 583”, a makeshift shelter in a dangerous part of downtown Manaus , the capital of Amazonas in Brazil.

On the second floor of the building, in the Cidade de Deus slum, 20 of the 27 Warao people who live here cram into a sweltering room measuring about 20 sq metres. Some sleep on the floor, while the more fortunate are in hammocks. The children’s stomachs are swollen, the effect of parasites, and their skin is covered in rashes.

Warao people are crowded into a makeshift building in the Cidade de Deus slum

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Former PM’s meeting with President Maduro, in capacity as hedge fund consultant, is under further scrutiny

Labour is demanding answers over what the party said was “potentially serious impropriety” by Boris Johnson after it emerged that the former prime minister met the Venezuelan president in his role as a consultant for a hedge fund.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow Cabinet Office minister said there were concerns that Johnson may have breached the ministerial code in a letter to Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister and Cabinet Office minister.

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Nations respond to strongman Nicolás Maduro blocking María Corina Machado and now Corina Yoris from running against him

A chorus of Latin American nations, including Brazil and Colombia, have voiced concern over the deteriorating political situation in Venezuela after the opposition politician best-positioned to challenge its strongman leader, Nicolás Maduro, in July’s presidential election was prevented from registering for the vote.

Corina Yoris, an 80-year-old philosopher, was little-known outside academic circles until last Friday, when she was catapulted onto the frontline of Venezuela’s long-running political crisis by being named as the substitute for María Corina Machado , a prominent opposition figure who had been banned from running in the election.

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Corina Yoris will now take on Nicolás Maduro in presidential election in July after Maria Corina Machado stepped aside

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has named her replacement to take on President Nicolás Maduro in the country’s presidential election in July, after the arrest of two of Machado’s close aides.

The naming of Corina Yoris, 80, as the opposition’s candidate comes after Venezuela ’s attorney general announced the detention of two of Machado’s closest allies earlier this week and also said arrest warrants had been issued for seven other people, including rumoured Machado replacement, Magalli Meda.

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Maria Corina Machado’s campaign manager and eight others accused of involvement in a violent anti-government conspiracy

Venezuela’s top prosecutor has announced arrests warrants for the presidential campaign manager of the prominent opposition figure María Corina Machado and eight other of her staffers, accusing them of involvement in a violent anti-government conspiracy.

The attorney general, Tarek William Saab, said in a nationally televised news conference on Wednesday that campaign manager Magalli Meda and the others were accused of being part of a “destabilizing” plot that included demonstrations, a media campaign and plans to attack military barracks.

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Ex-UK PM was required to seek permission for paid role with Merlyn Advisors, for whom he spoke to Venezuela president

Boris Johnson did not seek permission from the post-ministerial jobs watchdog before taking a role as a consultant to a hedge fund, on whose behalf he met the Venezuelan president.

As a former minister, Johnson is required to seek the advice of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) for two years from September 2022, when he left office. The committee’s advice typically comes with restrictions on lobbying and contact with the UK government. It was writing to Johnson on the matter, a source said.

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Former PM apparently met autocratic leader Nicolás Maduro over concerns he may supply weapons to Russia

Boris Johnson flew to Venezuela in February for unofficial talks with its autocratic leader, Nicolás Maduro, according to reports.

The former prime minister spoke to the Venezuelan president about the war in Ukraine, amid concerns that the socialist republic could supply weapons or military support to Russia, according to the Sunday Times.

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