Photos show miners in El Callao, Venezuela, where gold has become an important source of income

EL CALLAO, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela sits atop the world’s largest oil reserves, but the collapse of the oil industry has turned gold into an important source of income. Since 2016, when former President Nicolás Maduro established the Orinoco Mining Arc, a mining development zone, gold mining in Bolívar state has expanded into an unregulated frontier.

There, armed groups and criminal networks — often operating with the complicity of state security forces — exert control over a sector the U.N. and advocacy groups link to systemic human rights abuses, labor violations and environmental devastation.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Cows are herded through the gold mining town of El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A worker operates machinery to crush rock at a mill in the gold mining area of El Callao, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Miners play dominos after working in the gold mining town of El Callao, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Gold miners wash their motorbike in a creek in El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A man sucks on a water hose to fill bottles with gasoline to sell in the gold mining region of El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A miner descends into a gold mine pit in El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Vendors weigh and trade gold at gold-buying shops in El Callao, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A miner carries a hose to a pit at a gold mine in El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A vendor buys gold at a gold buying shop in El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A miner sets up a pump to remove water from a pit at a gold mining site in El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Miner Gerson Flores works inside an undground a gold mine pit in El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A miner burns a gold-mercury amalgam to evaporate mercury and isolate gold at a gold mining site El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Marcovich Gonzalez loads rocks and soil into a machine that crushes it at a mill that processes material from nearby pits to extract gold in El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A man pans for gold in a pond next to a mill where rock and sediment are crushed and processed to extract gold in El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Women lower a miner into a gold mine pit in El Callao, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 15, 2026--

Esslinger today announced its public-media debut in Germany and the official online launch of its Vexel Series on Esslingerlife.de, starting February 15. Built for programmers and heavy computer users, Esslinger positions the height-adjustable sit-stand desk not as a piece of furniture, but as a modular ergonomic workstation system—where the desk is the platform and the accessory ecosystem is the core solution.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260213611548/en/

Long-session strain rarely comes from one item. It accumulates across the workstation: monitor height, input posture, lighting glare, standing comfort, and cable clutter interact as a system. Esslinger’s approach is to make ergonomics practical in real setups through a coordinated set of ergonomic desk accessories that can be upgraded step by step.

Core Ergonomic Accessory Set (Ecosystem-first):

Additional everyday items include a mouse pad and power strip.

To keep multi-device workstations clean and maintainable, every Vexel desk includes integrated cable management as standard. The high-capacity enclosure is designed to fit at least 5 power outlets—truly enabling multi-device connectivity, uses ventilation openings to prevent heat build-up under multi-device loads, and features a dual pull-pin drop-down mechanism for full access and quick maintenance. Internal cable control helps secure excess cable length, and the system remains stable across the full sit–stand height range—avoiding unintended opening or cable drag during adjustment.

“ Esslinger rethinks the height-adjustable desk—not as furniture, but as an ergonomic workstation system designed for programmers,” said Werner Claassen, Founder. “Our goal is to reduce daily friction in long-session work by combining a stable platform with an ecosystem of accessories that work together.”

Availability & Pricing

Available exclusively via Esslingerlife.de for Germany and Austria from February 15, 2026. Platform desk pricing starts at €670 (cable management included). Desk + core accessory bundle starts at €750.

Esslinger Debuts in Germany: Vexel Sit-Stand Desk Series as a Platform for a Modular Ergonomic Workstation Ecosystem