Venezuela

Crude oil prices jumped following US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would impose 25% tariffs on Venezuela’s oil buyers. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures at NYNEX rose 11% and the Brent futures at ICE were up 6.7% since their lows on 5 March.

The development comes shortly after Trump envoy Richard Grenell met the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

The visit by the envoy came as a shock to many Venezuelans who hoped that Trump would continue the “maximum pressure” campaign he pursued against Maduro during his first term.

US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, and he plans to send his troops to help support immigration agents and restrict access to refugees and asylum seekers.

Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado defies Maduro to lead protests that ended with her brief arrest.

Both president Nicolás Maduro and opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is currently in hiding, have urged their supporters to take to the streets on Friday.