
Rival demonstrations in Caracas as Venezuelan opposition leaders speak out
CNN
Rival groups gathered in Venezuela’s capital Caracas on the eve of President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration for a third term on Friday, with opposition leader Maria Corina Machado making a rare public appearance.
Rival groups of demonstrators have gathered in Venezuela’s capital Caracas, on the eve of President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration for a third term on Friday. In several parts of Caracas on Thursday, crowds of opposition supporters slowly swelled with people waving flags and calling for libertad (freedom). Supporters were also seen holding “Gonzalez Presidente” signs and blowing vuvuzelas. Meanwhile in Venezuela’s largest barrio Petare, Maduro supporters also assembled in what they call a “march for peace and joy.” Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado made a rare public appearance to join one of the protest groups, Reuters video showed. “I am here,” she posted on X, along with a video of herself at the protest, wearing jeans and the colors of the Venezuelan flag. Machado had not been seen in months, since Maduro’s government cracked down on Venezeulan opposition figures and their supporters following the summer’s contested presidential election.

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.

Authorities in Colombia are dealing with increasingly sophisticated criminals, who use advanced tech to produce and conceal the drugs they hope to export around the world. But police and the military are fighting back, using AI to flag suspicious passengers, cargo and mail - alongside more conventional air and sea patrols. CNN’s Isa Soares gets an inside look at Bogotá’s war on drugs.

As lawmakers demand answers over reports that the US military carried out a follow-up strike that killed survivors during an attacked on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a career Navy SEAL who has spent most of his 30 years of military experience in special operations will be responsible for providing them.










