World
Venezuela could be a fill-in for Russian oil, but critics fear aiding another strongman.
President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela signaled on Monday a willingness to extend his nation’s oil manufacturing if Russian provides are shut out of the worldwide market, as he described a gathering with American officers over the weekend as “respectful, cordial, very diplomatic.”
Venezuela, a Russian ally whose oil business is beneath American sanctions, has emerged as a potential substitute for a number of the crude provides that might be banned as america will increase its effort to punish the Russian economic system. American officers are reportedly easing the sanctions to permit Venezuelan oil again onto world markets and tackle quickly rising crude costs.
However such efforts face a number of obstacles. Some members of Congress have been sharply essential of any effort to rekindle ties with Venezuela, saying that efforts to isolate President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia mustn’t increase different authoritarian leaders.
“The White Home supplied to desert these looking for freedom from Venezuela in change for an insignificant quantity of oil,” Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, stated in a tweet.
Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, a Democrat, stated in an announcement that resuming oil commerce with Venezuela “dangers perpetuating a humanitarian disaster that has destabilized Latin America and the Caribbean for a whole era.” He known as Mr. Maduro “a most cancers to our hemisphere and we must always not breathe new life into his reign of torture and homicide.”
The US has accused Mr. Maduro of electoral fraud, and the Trump administration tried to oust him whereas recognizing the opposition chief, Juan Guaidó, because the nation’s president in 2019. The US imposed sanctions on Venezuelan oil to starve Mr. Maduro’s authorities of money.
Apart from the political whiplash of resuming oil commerce with Venezuela to confront what america sees as a extra fast problem in Russia, there are sensible issues to ramping up manufacturing as nicely. Venezuelan oil fields have lengthy suffered from mismanagement, and a few business analysts say it might be sluggish to extend provide.
“While you’ve had a chronic interval of underinvestment, you’ll be able to’t simply flip a change and produce it again in a single day,” stated Saul Kavonic, an power business analyst for Credit score Suisse.
The potential reduce to world provide from sanctions on Russia would additionally require trying far past Venezuela to make up the shortfall, he added.
“Actually all choices are going to should be on the desk by way of sources of different provide,” Mr. Kavonic stated. “Nobody supply — whether or not that’s Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iran, the U.S. — goes to give you the option in itself to return wherever near changing the totality of Russian provide if all Russian exports had been to be topic to sanctions.”
The strikes came a day after heavy bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs and as heavy ground fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants continues in southern Lebanon, with Israeli troops pushing further into the country.
At least 11 people were killed and dozens more injured after Israeli airstrikes devastated parts of central Beirut on Saturday – with diplomats scrambling to broker a ceasefire in the country.
The strike destroyed an eight-story building, leaving a crater in the ground, and was the fourth on the Lebanese capital in less than a week.
Lebanon’s civil defence said the death toll was provisional as emergency responders were still digging through the rubble looking for survivors.
A separate drone strike in the southern port city of Tyre killed one person and injured another, according to the country’s National News Agency.
Israel’s military did not issue a warning for residents to evacuate prior to the strikes in central Beirut and would not comment on those strikes or on the one in Tyre.
The news comes as heavy ground fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants continues in southern Lebanon, with Israeli troops pushing farther from the border.
US envoy Amos Hochstein travelled to the region this week in an attempt to broker a ceasefire deal to end the more than 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into full-on war over the last two months.
More than 3,500 people have been killed and over 15,000 wounded by Israeli bombardment in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry. 1.2 million people, or a quarter of the Lebanese population, were reportedly displaced by the fighting.
On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by rockets, drones and missiles in northern Israel and in fighting in Lebanon.
The world’s most expensive house is located in London, England.
Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the king, is widely considered the most expensive house in the world, valued at around $4.9 billion.
Buckingham Palace is far from a traditional house with 775 rooms and 50,000 people visiting each year for receptions, dinners, state banquets and other events, according to the royal family website.
Buckingham Palace is considered the most expensive house in the world. (Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images I Fox Photos/Getty Images)
ROYAL FAMILY SPOUSES: KATE MIDDLETON, MEGHAN MARKLE, OTHER CURRENT SPOUSES OF ROYAL FAMILY MEMBERS
This, of course, is outside the half million tourists who visit the destination each year. In 2023-2024, about 530,000 tourists visited Buckingham Palace, according to Statista.
In addition to viewing the breathtaking palace, visitors often watch the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony.
For those who want a look inside Buckingham Palace, guests can view the state rooms in the summer as well as on select dates in the winter and spring when small guided tours are available, according to the Royal Collection Trust website.
The Changing of the Guard ceremony is one many tourists observe while visiting Buckingham Palace. (Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images)
OWNER OF WORLD’S LARGEST CAR COLLECTION HAS OVER 7,000 VEHICLES IN HIS POSSESSION
Since 1837, Buckingham Palace has been the official London residence of the United Kingdom’s sovereigns, according to the royal family website.
Among the 775 rooms located in Buckingham Palace are 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 bedrooms for staff, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms, according to the royal family website.
The royal palace is full of breathtaking places, including the White Drawing Room, the Throne Room, the Ballroom and the 47-meter Picture Gallery filled with historical art.
The royal family waves to the public from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during events. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
SET SAIL ON WORLD’S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP, WHICH CAN ACCOMMODATE OVER 7,000 GUESTS PER VOYAGE
The Grand Staircase and 39-acre Palace Garden are other highlights.
The balcony of the royal palace is where generations of royals have stepped out for public appearances.
Another home ranked as one of the most expensive is Antilia in Mumbai, India.
Antilia holds the Guinness World Record for the “most expensive private house in the world.”
The mansion is estimated to be worth between $1 billion and $2 billion, according to Architectural Digest India.
It is owned by business magnate Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries.
The most expensive private residence is Antilia in Mubai, India, which is owned by Mukesh Ambani. (Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The 400,000-square-foot residence is 570 feet tall.
The 27 stories of Antilia include numerous swimming pools, a spa and a theater, according to Guinness World Records.
The property also includes 168 parking spaces and three helipads.
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