The Cardon oil refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, Dec. 30, 2021. The United States on Wednesday seized an oil tanker in the North Atlantic that had evaded its effort to crack down on Venezuela’s energy exports, U.S. officials said. (Adriana Loureiro Fernández/The New York Times) By NICHOLAS NEHAMAS, ERIC SCHMITT, JULIAN E. BARNES and CHRISTIAAN TRIEBERT The United States on Wednesday seized an oil tanker in the North Atlantic that had evaded its effort to crack down on Venezu

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, in Kyiv, on Feb. 15, 2024. The Ukrainian leader is reshuffling his cabinet as a corruption scandal reshapes the political landscape at a pivotal point in peace negotiations. (Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times) By CONSTANT MÉHEUT For several weeks, with peace talks at a critical moment, Ukraine faced a power vacuum. It had no energy minister amid rolling blackouts caused by Russian strikes. No justice ministe

A woman is pumping gas at a gas station on the day the price of gas officially gone up for the first time.since 2019, in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 13, 2025. Officials said that leaders were in survival mode amid anti-government protests and the prospect of again coming into the cross hairs of Israel and the United States. (Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times) By FARNAZ FASSIHI Iran’s government has in recent years weathered wave upon wave of nationwide protests challenging its rul

An apartment struck by a rocket during the U.S. military action in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Alejandro Cegarra/The New York Times) By SIMON ROMERO, ISAYEN HERRERA and MARÍA VICTORIA FERMÍN As the death toll climbs from the U.S. military raid to capture Nicolás Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s new leader, faces an immense challenge. As she tries to solidify control over her government, she must also field the demands of President Donald Trump. Much of

By YAN ZHUANG President Donald Trump suggested earlier this week that the United States could take action against other countries after its attack on Venezuela. He threatened Colombia and its president, described Cuba as “ready to fall” and reasserted his desire to take control of Greenland. Trump has been facing questions about his plans for Venezuela since a U.S. raid in Caracas captured the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and brought him to New York City to face feder

Nicolás Maduro, the ousted president of Venezuela, and his wife, Cilia Flores, are escorted off a helicopter en route to the federal courthouse in Manhattan on Monday morning, Jan. 5, 2026. They faced charges of drug trafficking and other crimes, two days after they were captured in a U.S. military raid in Caracas. (Vincent Alban/The New York Times) By JONAH E. BROMWICH, BENJAMIN WEISER, MAIA COLEMAN and HURUBIE MEKO Two days after being ripped from a compound in Caracas, Ven

A woman cries during a rally in support of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after his capture by U.S. forces in Caracas, on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. While Maduro’s government has had its supporters, many other Venezuelans have wanted Maduro out, but they worry that the United States has no plan for a peaceful transition of power and that the South American nation could descend into chaos. (The New York Times) By MARIA ABI-HABIB and FRANCES ROBLES Like many Venezuelans, José

People gather in the heavily Venezuelan city of Doral, Fla., west of Miami, to cheer the news of the capture by U.S. forces of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. President Donald Trump opened a new chapter in American nation building as he declared that the U.S. had toppled Venezuela’s leader and would “run” the country for an indefinite period. (Scott McIntyre/The New York Times) By DAVID E. SANGER and TYLER PAGER President Donald Trump’s declar

Takashi Tomitori, an amateur diver who is also an auto mechanic, at work on the island of Yonaguni, Japan, on Dec. 11, 2025. Tomitori says he is worried about stationing missiles on the island. (Ko Sasaki/The New York Times) By Javier C. Hernández and Hisako Ueno As a lifelong resident of Yonaguni, a remote island that is Japan’s westernmost point, Himeyo Ukemasu remembers the distant days when life was measured by the bright stars, the tides and the ripening of mulberry tree

An undated image from the Library of Congress of Cipriano Castro, center, who was known as the “Lion of the Andes” and ruled Venezuela from 1899 to 1908, with his cabinet in Caracas, Venezuela. (Library of Congress via The New York Times) By Simon Romero A blockade aimed at ravaging Venezuela’s economy. A fiery Venezuelan leader known for his unusual dance moves at times of distress. A U.S. government seeking to assert military supremacy in Latin America. Yes, these descripti