Entertainment
US issues sanctions on family members and associates of Venezuela’s Maduro
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on family members and associates of Nicolas Maduro and his wife, as Washington ratchets up pressure on the Venezuelan president.
The US Treasury Department, in a statement, said it had imposed sanctions on seven people it said were tied to Maduro and his wife. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused them of “propping up Nicolas Maduro’s rogue narcostate.”
“We will not allow Venezuela to continue flooding our nation with deadly drugs,” Bessent said.
“Maduro and his criminal accomplices threaten our hemisphere’s peace and stability. The Trump administration will continue targeting the networks that prop up his illegitimate dictatorship.”
Venezuela’s information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Maduro and his government have vehemently denied links to crime and say that the US is seeking to oust him to take control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
In recent months, the administration of US President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up pressure on Maduro, executing a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean.
It has carried out strikes against suspected drug vessels in the region, seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, and declared a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Trump has also repeatedly said that strikes on land in Venezuela are coming soon.
Friday’s action sanctioned relatives of Carlos Erik Malpica Flores, the nephew of Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores. The US says Malpica Flores was involved in a corruption plot at state oil company PDVSA. He was sanctioned by Washington last week.
His mother – the sister of Maduro’s wife – as well as his father, sister, wife and daughter were hit with sanctions on Friday.
The Treasury on Friday also extended a general license protecting Venezuela-owned refiner Citgo Petroleum from creditors through February 3 that was set to expire on December 20. It was a far shorter extension than the last one the Treasury issued in June, which had a six-month duration.
Washington has protected the Houston-based company from creditors in recent years, even amid a court-organised auction of shares in its parent company, PDV Holding. The license temporarily bans transactions with a Venezuela-issued bond collateralised with Citgo equity.
A US judge in November authorised the sale of shares in the parent of Citgo Petroleum to an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management, following his approval of a $5.9 billion bid from the company in a court-organised auction to pay Venezuela-linked creditors.
The sale order, which is pending Treasury Department approval, was the last major legal step to wrap a two-year auction aimed at paying up to 15 creditors for debt defaults and expropriations.
Entertainment
Backstreet Boys AJ McLean shows support to Britney Spears after DUI arrest
AJ McLean is a friend Britney Spears can lean on during her tough time amid ongoing legal woes after her DUI arrest.
The Backstreet Boys member, 48, spoke in support of Spears during the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026, as he revealed that they are also neighbours.
“We see each other every so often,” McLean said, adding, “live in the same neighborhood in the same area.”
The singer, who was nominated for the favourite onscreen category at the awards, noted that he “always just give[s] her a hug and check[s] on her” whenever he runs into the pop icon, in conversation with Page Six.
The Everybody hitmaker also added that he wishes “her the best,” without mentioning the arrest. When asked if he has spoken to her recently, he told the outlet that he hasn’t.
This comes after Spears was arrested in Ventura County, California earlier this month after she as caught swerving and speeding allegedly under the influence.
She was later released in the morning and her manager Cade Hudson released an official statement saying her actions were “inexcusable.”
While the Toxic songstress has not addressed the situation herself, an insider spilled that she is devastated and scared beyond measure for what the consequences would be.
Entertainment
Britney Spears turns a new page after recent legal trauma
Britney Spears is right now trying really hard to get her life back on track after her recent shocking DUI arrest earlier this month.
The singer, 44, stayed away from alcohol for more than three weeks and is now regularly attending AA meetings in Los Angeles.
According to a source, Britney has been very open during these sessions, “Britney has been very open and honest in her AA meetings, she has said she loves pouring her heart out as she knows that is the best way to heal and feel better,” the insider shared.
They also added that she is being careful and focused on things which matters, saying: “The only thing she has indulged in is fancy coffee drinks. She is being super careful because she wants to be there for her kids.”
Britney is said to be spending time with her two sons more now, Sean Preston and Jayden James, who have been close to her in recent weeks.
Their presence, however, meant a lot to the music icon as she works through this phase.
The Toxic singer’s arrest happened on March 3 and she is expected to appear in court on May 4.
Britney’s team already said that she wants to take the right steps and move forward in a better way.
Entertainment
How Khloé Kardashian, Lamar Odom marriage affected his ex Liza Morales
Liza Morales, Lamar Odom’s high school sweetheart, finally spoke out about the moment she found out that her ex got married to the reality star Khloé Kardashian.
“It was shocking. I couldn’t escape it,” Morales told PEOPLE.
She opened up just days before Netflix releases Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom, a documentary about the basketball star’s life, fame, struggles and relationships.
A big part of the film looks back on his early romance with Morales.
The couple met in high school and Odom proposed to her when they were just 20 and they delayed marriage but went on to have three children together.
But tragedy happened in 2006 when their six-month-old son Jayden died from sudden terrifying syndrome.
The loss, however, left a heavy effect on their relationship and slowly, they went their separate ways.
The fashion designer went on to add that she was blindsided when Odom’s relationship with Khloé Kardashian became public in 2009.
“It was a text message and then a phone call from Lamar, ‘By the way, I’m getting married,’” she recalled.
“Then it was everywhere. It wasn’t just that he got married—it was how it happened. It was rushed, and it hurt.”
Still, Morales shared that she and Odom have reached to a better place now. “It took years. I had to work on myself and heal.”
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