CARACAS, Jan 2, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela Thursday announced the release of 88 people jailed for protesting President Nicolas Maduro's claim to have won July 2024 elections. Twenty-eight people were killed in the unrest and around 2,400 people, including dozens of minors, were arrested as the authorities cracked down. This is the second such gesture in a week by the embattled Maduro administration, which is in US President Donald Trump's crosshairs. Colombian President Gustavo Petro claimed that the strikes targeted a suspected cocaine-making factory in the port city of Maracaibo. Venezuela accuses the United States of trying to oust the leftist Maduro in order to get its hands on the country's oil wealth.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha January 02, 2026 08:53 UTC