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Trump says Venezuela will be ‘turning over’ up to 50m barrels of oil to US
Kayla Epsteinand
Osmond Chia
Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump has said Venezuela “will be turning over” up to 50m barrels of oil to the US, after a surprise military operation that removed President Nicolás Maduro from power.
The oil will be sold at its market price, Trump posted on social media, adding that the money would be controlled by himself and used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the US.
His comments come after he said the US oil industry would be “up and running” in Venezuela within 18 months and that he expected huge investments to pour into the country.
Analysts previously told the BBC it could take tens of billions of dollars, and potentially a decade, to restore Venezuela’s former output.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday: “I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America.
“This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!”
His comment came a day after Delcy Rodríguez, formerly Venezuela’s vice-president, was sworn in as its interim president. Maduro has been brought to the US to face drug-trafficking and weapons charges.
On Monday the US president told NBC News: “Having a Venezuela that’s an oil producer is good for the United States because it keeps the price of oil down.”
Representatives from major US petroleum companies planned to meet the Trump administration this week, the BBC’s US partner CBS reported.
Analysts who previously spoke to the BBC were sceptical that Trump’s plans would have a major impact on the global supply – and therefore price – of oil.
They suggested that firms would look for reassurance that a stable government was in place, and even when they did invest, their projects would not deliver for years.
Trump has argued in recent days that American oil companies can fix Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.
The country has an estimated 303bn barrels – the world’s largest proven reserve – but its oil production has been in decline since the early 2000s.
The Trump administration sees significant potential for its own energy prospects in Venezuela’s reserves.
Increasing the country’s production of oil would be expensive for US firms.
Venezuelan oil is also heavy and more difficult to refine. There is only one US firm, Chevron, currently operating in the country.
Asked for comment about Trump’s plans for US oil production in Venezuela, Chevron spokesman Bill Turenne said the company “remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets”.
“We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations,” Turenne added.
ConocoPhillips, a major US oil company that no longer has a presence in Venezuela, “is monitoring developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability”, said spokesman Dennis Nuss.
“It would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments,” Nuss said.
A third company, Exxon, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While justifying the seizure of Maduro from Caracas, Trump also claimed that Venezuela “unilaterally seized and stole American oil”.
Vice-President JD Vance echoed those claims on X after Maduro was taken, writing that “Venezuela expropriated American oil property and until recently used that stolen property to get rich and fund their narcoterrorist activities”.
The reality is more complex.
US oil companies have a long history in Venezuela, extracting oil under licence agreements.
Venezuela nationalised its oil industry in 1976 and in 2007, President Hugo Chavez exerted more state control over the remaining foreign-owned assets of US oil firms operating in the country.
In 2019, a World Bank tribunal ordered Venezuela to pay $8.7 billion to ConocoPhillips in compensation for this 2007 move.
That sum has not been paid by Venezuela, so at least one US oil company has outstanding compensation which is owed to it.
But BBC Verify’s Ben Chu said the claim Venezuela has “stolen” American oil is too simplistic, as experts said the oil itself was never actually owned by anyone except Venezuela.
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Top stocks to buy today: Stock recommendations for April 17, 2026 – check list – The Times of India
Stock market recommendations: Reliance Industries, and Varun Beverages are the top stock recommendations by Bajaj Broking Research for April 17, 2026.Reliance IndustriesBuy in the range of ₹ 1330.00-1350.00
Reliance Industries stock has undergone a corrective phase over the past three months and is currently consolidating near a crucial support zone of ₹1270–₹1300. This technical setup offers a favorable risk-reward profile, positioning the stock for a potential bullish reversal and the next leg of uptrend.This ₹1270–₹1300 range serves as a crucial support area, reinforced by the convergence of multiple technical factors: (a) 61.8% retracement of the previous April 2025-January 2026 up move (1115-1611) (b) 200 weeks EMA placed around 1292, which has historically acted as strong demand area for the stockThe ongoing corrective phase appears to be nearing exhaustion, with price action indicating the potential for a fresh bullish reversal. We anticipate the stock to resume its uptrend and head towards ₹ 1474 levels in the coming quarters being the high of February 2026 and the 61.8% retracement of the recent decline of the last 3 months ₹ 1611-1290.Varun BeveragesBuy in the range of 455-465
The share price of Varun Beverages has generated a breakout above the falling channel containing last 3 months decline signaling strength and offers fresh entry opportunity.The stock has also formed a higher high and higher low signaling resumption of up move after recent corrective decline.We expect the stock to head higher towards 503 levels in the coming weeks being the 80% retracement of the previous decline from 534 to 381.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
Experts say Mythos potentially has an unprecedented ability to identify and exploit cybersecurity weaknesses.
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Anthropic’s new AI model exposes fresh risks, flaws for cybersecurity, IT services – The Times of India
New Delhi: A powerful new AI model is forcing govts, banks, and technology firms to rethink the rules of cybersecurity – and in India, the stakes may be even higher.Claude Mythos, developed by Anthropic, has demonstrated the ability to autonomously detect and exploit software vulnerabilities, including flaws that have persisted for decades. Early tests revealed that the model could identify long-standing weaknesses and simulate complex, multi-step cyberattacks, prompting the company to restrict its wider release. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei highlighted the shift, noting that AI systems are now capable of finding vulnerabilities “that humans have missed”, a signal of how quickly the cybersecurity landscape is changing.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly convened a meeting with top bank executives – including leaders from JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, BoA, and Morgan Stanley – to assess the risks posed by such advanced AI systems.That concern is not theoretical. According to Jaydeep Singh, GM for India at Kaspersky, the emergence of such systems represents a turning point not just for security professionals, but for everyday users. “We have been closely monitoring how AI is reshaping the threat landscape, and Claude Mythos represents a moment that every user, not just the cybersecurity industry, needs to understand,” Singh said.The dual-use nature of AI is at the heart of the concern. The same capability that strengthens defences can just as easily be weaponised. “The same capability that finds a 27-year-old vulnerability in hardened infrastructure is the capability that, in the wrong hands, turns every unpatched system into an open door,” Singh added.Cybersecurity firm Check Point Software Technologies echoed the warning. Sundar Balasubramanian, MD, India and South Asia, for Check Point, says, AI is “dramatically lowering the barrier to entry for cyber attackers,” enabling even less-skilled actors to identify and exploit vulnerabilities. He added that defensive tools can be repurposed offensively, compressing the traditional gap between attackers and defenders. Jayant Saran, partner, Deloitte India, described this as a “changed reality,” where organisations must prepare for risks that were previously invisible. He called AI a “double-edged sword…that cannot be reversed,” highlighting an accelerating race between those securing systems and those attempting to break them.In India, the risks are amplified by scale. From UPI to banking and govt platforms, millions depend on digital infrastructure – much of it built on legacy systems. These systems are often slower to patch, harder to monitor, and lack continuous threat intelligence, creating what Saran called an “asymmetric risk exposure.” Singh pointed out that this gap is especially critical in India, where legacy infrastructure serves hundreds of millions.Beyond cybersecurity, ripple effects could reach financial markets. Analysts say models like Mythos could automate parts of software development, testing, and security – core functions of IT services industry. While disruption may be gradual, labour-intensive outsourcing models could face pressure, while firms embracing AI may benefit.
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