A large crowd gathered near the Miraflores Palace in downtown Caracas on Sunday, voicing strong support for Venezuela's government and demanding the return of President Nicolas Maduro.
The protest comes in direct response to a series of U.S. military attacks early Saturday morning, which resulted in the capture and removal of President Maduro from the country.
The demonstrators, coming from various social sectors and affiliations, rallied in response to recent political developments. This demonstration came a day after the Supreme Court ordered that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez would assume the duties of head of state in an acting capacity during President Maduro's absence.
Protesters carried banners and chanted slogans, expressing unwavering loyalty to President Maduro and denouncing what they called his unjust removal.
"Today I am here in support of President Maduro and his wife, protesting against that unjust kidnapping. We respect the sovereign decisions of all governments, and we demand that same respect in return. I want to emphasize that President Trump must rectify his attitude toward us," said Judith Figueroa, a demonstrator.
"Why are we here? We are here to support our president, who was unjustly kidnapped by the empire. We are showing the world that we are here to defend him. Beyond weapons, we have our hearts - the spirit, the desire, and the will to recover our president," said Julio Sanchez, another demonstrator.
Venezuelans rally in Caracas demanding Maduro's return
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
