Protesters take to streets of Caracas demanding release of Maduro

Protesters took to the streets of the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Wednesday as they called for their national sovereignty to be respected and demanded that the U.S. government release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

U.S. military forces carried out a series of attacks and bombings in Caracas and other parts of Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday and forcibly seized President Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, before putting them in custody in New York.

The move has shocked the international community and raised serious concerns worldwide, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying that his administration would now "run" Venezuela and not ruling out launching a second round of military operations on an even larger scale.

Crowds of protesters gathered in Caracas on Wednesday to chant slogans with many holding signs reading "Release Maduro," urging the U.S. to return Venezuela's president. Many also demanded that Venezuela's sovereignty never again be trampled upon by any foreign forces.

"We are here. The Venezuelan people have mobilized. Grassroots people are demonstrating Venezuela's unity through their actions. We have only one demand -- the immediate release of our President Maduro. The U.S. imperialism has carried out a despicable kidnapping and military invasion, severely violating national sovereignty. We will continue to maintain unity and keep taking actions, showing the world through our sustained mobilization that Venezuela is living in peace, and it is the U.S. imperialism that is destroying this peace," said Luis Ramos, one of the protesters. Venezuela said on Wednesday that the U.S. attack had left 100 dead, with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello saying Maduro and his wife both suffered injuries during the raid.

Speaking on a state television program, Cabello paid tribute to President Maduro and his wife, as well as those who died in the U.S. military operation.

He also condemned the U.S. military attack on the South American nation as inhuman, barbaric and despicable for harming a large number of innocent people, and said it was a truth that could not be concealed.

Protesters take to streets of Caracas demanding release of Maduro

The Chinese naval hospital ship, Silk Road Ark, carried out a medical rescue drill in Atlantic waters during its Mission Harmony 2025, testing its capability to provide medical support during long-distance deployments.

The drill marked the vessel's first overseas medical-support exercise in unfamiliar waters in 2026, designed to simulate real-world emergency response scenarios far from home ports.

It brought together the hospital ship, a sea-based medical facility and shipborne helicopters in a coordinated rescue operation.

The exercise was conducted against a simulated backdrop of a commercial vessel in distress on the high seas with multiple casualties. After receiving the emergency signals, a shipborne helicopter immediately took off under an aerial evacuation plan, transferring simulated injured personnel to the triage area for rapid assessment and emergency treatment.

As part of the exercise, medical teams practiced a time-sensitive rescue approach, combining casualty transfer, triage and treatment to ensure prompt and accurate assessment of injuries under operational conditions.

"We followed the principle of providing treatment while transferring and carrying out triage and rescuing, ensuring that casualties are correctly assessed at the earliest time possible. If a patient is in a critical condition, we must carry out necessary emergency treatment in the triage area. Once vital signs are relatively stable, the patient is then transferred to an appropriate treatment unit," said Jiang Yingbo, a member of the Mission Harmony 2025.

Severely injured patients were transferred to intensive care units for further observation and treatment after surgery. A medical expert group then conducted timely consultations to formulate targeted treatment plans.

Under complex sea conditions in distant waters, the drill covered multiple training modules including maritime evacuation, triage, emergency treatment and surgery, strengthening the military medical ship's integrated emergency medical response, and enhancing the navy's far-sea medical support capability, according to the authorities.

Chinese navy hospital ship drills medical rescue in Atlantic waters