Two weeks after a major U.S. military strike on Venezuela and the and the illegal capture of President Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan government has begun to implement a series of recovery and post-conflict initiatives.
On Saturday, Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez ordered the immediate start of repair work on buildings damaged during the attack.
Post-conflict cleanup and restoration efforts are now steadily advancing across Caracas. The Fuerte Tiuna military base was one of the areas most severely damaged in the U.S. airstrikes, with over 463 apartments sustaining damage. Rodriguez said that most of the aid needed for housing repairs has already been secured.
She also announced the launch of several special community programs. These initiatives include special care activities and psychological support services for children in affected communities. The government also plans to implement food supply deployments, set up open-air markets, establish mobile supply points, and provide comprehensive assistance, including medical and health services.
Meanwhile, legal experts and representatives from social organizations across Venezuela have voiced strong condemnation against the U.S. actions during a legal conference held on Friday.
They demanded that the United States respect international law and Venezuelan sovereignty by immediately releasing President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were forcibly removed from the country.
"What we are demanding from Venezuela is that international law must be respected and saved, because once we fall into a state of disorder, what follows is war. We have already seen peace being trampled upon. The sovereignty of a country, officially declared a 'territory of peace' by the international community, has been violated. This has never happened before," said Indhriana Parada Rodriguez, a Venezuelan legal professional.
"We firmly demand the release of President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were forcibly taken from their homeland in violation of all basic norms of international law," said Silio Sanchez, vice rector of territorial development of the Bolivarian University of Venezuela.
Call for Maduro's release continues as Venezuela moves to deal with aftermath of U.S. military strike
One month into the island-wide special customs operations, the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) in south China has seen a sharp rise in global tourist traffic and duty-free purchases, official figures showed on Sunday.
According to Haikou Customs, from Dec 18, 2025 to Jan 17, 2026, the duty-free sales supervised by customs reached 4.86 billion yuan (about 693.5 million U.S. dollars), up 46.8 percent year-on-year, and the number of shoppers rose 30.2 percent year-on-year to 745,000, showing sustained strong consumption vitality.
Data from the Haikou Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station shows that during the past month, Hainan ports inspected 186,000 foreign travelers entering and exiting the island province, up 46 percent year on year.
To accommodate the rising passenger traffic, border inspection authorities have comprehensively upgraded both software and hardware facilities to ensure efficient clearance processes and high-quality service.
"We are going to be staying there for a couple of nights, enjoying the beach and everything. No transfers, just straight [to Hainan]. It gives us a lot more time to look around here," said Mark, a U.S. tourist.
"We Thai nationals also get visa-free entry here for tourism purposes (with no need to transfer flights), which saves time and is very convenient. The police officers always try their best to assist us tourists," said a Thai tourist.
For many visitors, duty-free shopping has become an indispensable part of their itineraries. Especially since the launch of island-wide special customs operations, duty-free shopping has been exceptionally booming, highlighting the strong vitality and huge potential of Hainan as an international tourism and consumption center.
To better meet the diverse needs of tourists, Hainan's duty-free policy ushered in a new round of adjustments on Nov. 1, 2025. The categories of duty-free goods increased from 45 to 47, and the beneficiary range was expanded to include outbound travelers, attracting more international tourists to duty-free shopping.
"[The malls] are big, the pleasant prices, very modern, a lot of brands, and almost everything that I need," said Deanna, a Russian tourist.
In addition, the new duty-free policy has significantly lowered the purchase threshold for local residents. Under the policy, local residents with a departure record can purchase up to 15 "pick-up" items at any time throughout the year, which has also stimulated the shopping enthusiasm.
"This has led to the gradual expansion of duty-free shopping from an exclusive privilege for travelers to becoming a part of Hainan's local life. Meanwhile, the number of international visitors continues to grow steadily, significantly broadening the customer base," said Wang Ren'an, manager of the operations department of Haikou International Duty-Free City Shopping Complex under China Duty Free Group.
China on Dec 18 last year launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan FTP, the largest free trade port globally by geographical area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanded zero-tariff coverage and more business-friendly measures.
Duty-free shopping booms in Hainan amid int'l visitor surge
