Venezuelan opposition leader Machado briefly detained after Caracas protest

NEWS WIRES

9 January 2025 at 1:59 pm·1-min read

Venezuelan opposition leader Machado briefly detained after Caracas protest

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was on Thursday briefly arrested after joining anti-government protests in the capital Caracas, according to her aides. Machado shouted "Venezuela is united" to a crowd desperate to block the swearing-in of President Nicholas Maduro for a third six-year term after a July election that many believe was stolen.

Venezuela pro-democracy figurehead Maria Corina Machado was briefly detained by security forces Thursday after emerging from months of hiding to lead a protest in Caracas, defiantly promising after her release that her country "will be FREE!"

The 57-year-old engineer-turned-dissident appeared from among a throng of thousands of opposition supporters in the capital, climbing atop a pickup truck amid a massive police deployment.

The protests were aimed at veteran leader Nicolas Maduro, due to be sworn in for a third six-year term on Friday despite a disputed election.

He wishes to extend a quarter century of repressive military-backed rule that began with his larger-than-life mentor Hugo Chavez.

"We are not afraid!" Machado told the rapt crowd, which turned out in smaller numbers than expected amid widespread fears of another bloody government crackdown.

"From today we are in a new phase. Venezuela is free," she insisted, before donning a dark jacket, an ink-black helmet and jumping on the back of a motorbike that spirted her away.

"She's crazy," he said.

The Independent
This is reportedly why Michelle Obama is skipping Trump’s inauguration
It was confirmed this week that former first lady would not attend the president-elect’s inauguration but her office did not give any further explanation
INSIDER
China has been stockpiling a key US crop before Trump takes office
President-elect Donald Trump has threatened tariffs of 60% against all Chinese goods, igniting fears of retaliatory tariffs from China.
The Daily Beast
Trump Didn’t Bother Telling Mel Gibson About His New Job
Mel Gibson is just as surprised as you are. The controversial Hollywood star apparently found out about his new diplomatic posting at the same time as the rest of the world when President-elect Donald Trump announced he would be appointing actors Sylvester Stallone, Jon Voight and Gibson as his “special ambassadors” to Hollywood. In true Trump fashion, he said the new roles were part of his effort to the American film industry “bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”
HuffPost UK
West Refuses To 'Recognise 1 Truth' About Russia Which Means Europe Has 'No Chance' Against Putin
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a dire warning to his allies today.
Evening Standard
Nato jets scrambled as Russia launches massive aerial strike on Ukraine
Putin’s air force pounded critical infrastructure facilities close to the Polish border
AFP News
US trade envoy finds China's shipbuilding policies warrant 'urgent action'
The US Trade Representative said Thursday that its probe into China's practices in the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors found that Beijing's undermining of fair competition warranted "urgent action.""Beijing's targeted dominance of these sectors undermines fair, market-oriented competition, increases economic security risks, and is the greatest barrier to revitalization of US industries," USTR Katherine Tai said in a statement.
Associated Press
Israel supplied Iran with centrifuge platforms containing explosives, top official acknowledges
Israel supplied Iran with centrifuge platforms containing explosives for its nuclear enrichment program, a top Iranian official has acknowledged for the first time, underscoring the sophistication of sabotage programs targeting the Islamic Republic. The comments by Mohammad Javad Zarif, a former foreign minister who serves as vice president for strategic affairs for reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, appear aimed at explaining to the country’s disaffected public the challenges Iran's government faces under crushing Western sanctions over the program. The comments also acknowledged details previously reported in Israel about a 2021 attack on Iran's underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility.
INSIDER
The cost of the Los Angeles wildfires' damage could be at least $250 billion. Here's who pays the bills.
With high property values, catastrophic damage, and lost economic activity, the Los Angeles wildfires could cost up to $275 billion. Here's who pays.
Twentytwo13
From corridors of power to prison cell, Najib Razak continues to hog the limelight in Malaysian politics
The fact that Datuk Seri Najib Razak remains a talking point today, despite his incarceration, is something many had not envisioned or even imagined. Not when he became the first Malaysian prime minister to be convicted in a court of law and to be sent to jail.
Reuters
Taiwan carries out first execution in five years, upsetting EU, rights groups
Taiwan carried out its first execution in five years late on Thursday, upsetting both rights groups and the European Union which called on the government to maintain its de facto moratorium on the death penalty. Despite Taiwan's reputation as Asia's most liberal democracy, the death penalty remains broadly popular according to opinion polls, though in recent years it has only rarely been carried out and violent crime is relatively low. In September, Taiwan's constitutional court ruled that the death penalty is constitutional but only for the most serious crimes with the most rigorous legal scrutiny, after considering a petition brought by 37 people who were then on death row.
INSIDER
TikTok CEO set to join other tech moguls at Trump's inauguration
TikTok may be banned in the US on January 19, a day before the inauguration, if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, doesn't sell the app.
Malay Mail
MP performance, not pay, is what requires scrutiny
JANUARY 16 — When MP pay is discussed, regular Malaysians go mental. Four hundred ringgit to show up at Dewan Rakyat on...
The Independent
Israel and Hamas agree historic Gaza ceasefire deal after 15 months of war
Phased truce will bring the release of dozens of hostages still held by Hamas inside the besieged territory
The Telegraph
Disarmed, forced into ‘hibernation’ or the rise of a new insurgency: Hamas faces uncertain future
As crowds of Palestinians on Wednesday night cheered in Gaza’s shattered streets at the arrival of a long-awaited ceasefire deal, a car carrying veiled militants joined the celebrations.
AFP News
Sri Lanka signs landmark $3.7 bn deal with Chinese state oil giant
Sri Lanka has secured its biggest-ever foreign investment after signing a deal with Chinese state-run oil giant Sinopec, officials said on Thursday."During President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s four-day state visit to China, Sri Lanka marked a significant milestone by securing the largest foreign direct investment to date," it said.
The Independent
South Korean president sits silently through 10 hours of questioning
Yoon Suk Yeol ‘simply refused to speak’
INSIDER
Here are the names of the 6 new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers that are poised to lead the US Navy until 2100
Two new aircraft carriers are being named after Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, continuing the Navy convention of naming them after US presidents.
Reuters
China probes US chip subsidies over 'harm' to Chinese mature node chipmakers
BEIJING (Reuters) -China will launch an investigation into U.S. government subsidies to its semiconductor sector over alleged harm caused to Chinese mature node chipmakers, the commerce ministry said on Thursday. Unlike the cutting-edge chips that power artificial intelligence models, mature node chips are cheaper, easier to manufacture, and used for less complex tasks, including home appliances and communications systems. The investigation is the latest salvo in Beijing's policy of retaliating against Washington's ever-broadening scope of restrictions targeting China's semiconductor industry, which the Biden administration has alleged could go on to dominate global supply chains and help the Chinese military become technologically superior to its U.S. counterpart.
Reuters
Trump's US Treasury pick Bessent says dollar must remain world's reserve currency
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Scott Bessent, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's choice to head the Treasury Department, on Wednesday vowed to ensure that the dollar remains the world's reserve currency as he laid out a vision for a "new economic golden age". Bessent, who faces questioning before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, said in prepared testimony that the new Trump administration must prioritize productive investment that grows the economy over "wasteful spending that drives inflation." "We must secure supply chains that are vulnerable to strategic competitors, and we must carefully deploy sanctions as part of a whole-of-government approach to address our national security requirements," Bessent said in the remarks.
Malay Mail
What is Malaysia’s biggest risks as we go into 2025? WEF study says economic downturn top of list
The Global Risks Report 2025 highlights economic downturn as Malaysia’s top risk, alongside concerns over labour shor...

Latest stories