Global News Podcast - Delcy Rodriguez sworn in as Venezuela's new president

Episode Date: January 6, 2026

Delcy Rodriguez is sworn in as Venezuela's new president at a special ceremony in the capital, Caracas. Meanwhile, her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty on drugs charges in court in New York. Also: the US tech company Nvidia introduces a new AI technology - that the chip designer says will help self-driving cars reason more like humans; the South African justice system is in crisis with many trials taking years to get to court; and a former school teacher is unmasked after posing as a senior naval officer at national days of mourning. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.Get in touch: [e-mail]

This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Will Chalk and in the early hours of Tuesday the 6th of January, these are our main stories. Venezuela's new president is sworn in, while the old president, who insists he is still in charge, sits in jail in New York. We investigate the court case crisis in South Africa where thousands of trials are being left in limbo. And how close are we to a world where AI does all? all of our driving for us. Also in this podcast.

We had an imposter, somebody wearing a rear admiral's uniform and medals. One of the medals, nobody has ever been able to wear that medal. It hasn't been presented to anybody as yet. How a fake admiral fell on his own sort. So Venezuela officially has a new president, The former Vice President Delci Rodriguez has been sworn in as leader in the capital Caracas. Except thousands of miles away in a court in New York, Nicholas Maduro, the man spirited out of the country on Saturday morning by US Special Forces,

had insisted he was still president as he pled not guilty to drugs charges. So by any reckoning, what life is going to look like in Venezuela after the removal of its erstwhile leader is yet to become clear. And to confuse matters more, the US State Department, It's been posting images of Donald Trump online with the caption, This is Our Hemisphere, the Western Hemisphere. A lot to unpick. Let's start with the country's new interim leader.

Ivan Briscoe works for the International Crisis Group and has met Delcy Rodriguez three times. She is a trained lawyer. She's very professional. She's technocratically skilled. She has been deeply involved in the economic liberalisation. of the country over the last few years but she's also a hardline ideologue. So contrary

to the impression which some media outlets have been giving that she's a moderate. I have more of the impression that she's someone who holds the independence of Venezuela and the values of the Chevista movement very dearly and

someone who will have been personally affected by the arrest and capture of President Maduro. Well as she was sworn into office, Delci Rodriguez said she was pained by what had happened to her predecessor. She described him as a hero. She took her oath in front of the National Assembly in Caracas. Our correspondent, Will Grant, has been following developments from the Venezuela-Columbia border.

He told me the ceremony was obviously under unique circumstances. I don't think she ever would have imagined this would be the way that she would take over from Nicholas Maduro or if he was ever going to stand to one side, had the Americans not removed him from power. But this is how she became Venezuela's first woman president. Only the third person to govern Venezuela since the turn of the century, not including a very short-lived coup in April 2002. So unique circumstances, but these are unique circumstances.

After the United States, whisked Mr. Maduro and his wife from Venezuelan soil. been in a court in New York today, facing drug trafficking charges there. And as that was happening, Delisid Rodriguez was sworn in. Venezuelans, as it were, were watching the two things simultaneously, hoping, I think, for some kind of indication from Delci Rodriguez of where she plans to take the Bolivar and revolution, if she plans to make overtures to Washington and so on. They got none of that today, because it was very simple swearing-in ceremony, but they will be very, very anxious to hear more, to hear some clarity about what comes next. Yeah, as part of the ceremony, she made some promises, though, to the people of Venezuela.

Yeah, I mean, the ones that I saw were pretty generic about, you know, maintaining sovereignty and so on. What I thought was interesting were those references, obviously, to Mr. Maduro, the one you've mentioned calling him a hero, saying that Venezuela has, as she put it, two heroes held hostage by the United States of America. This could be seen simply as pushing back against Washington because that is her role. That she has to say, I'm paying to be doing this. I'm obviously honoured, but ultimately I shouldn't be here because what happened to my predecessor was illegitimate, illegal and a violation of our national sovereignty. In truth, what may go on behind the scenes is what she called extending an agenda of cooperation.

And I think that's where things lie at the moment. we really need to still see what that would entail if it is the sort of compliance that Donald Trump, the Trump administration, expect from her, having threatened more military action unless they get what they want. That was Will Grant, as Will was saying, by the time Delsey Rodriguez had taken her chair in Caracas, in New York, her predecessor, Nicholas Maduro, had made his first appearance in court in charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, which he denies. Across town, the UN was holding an emergency meeting about his seizure. Our North America editor Sarah Smith sent this report. Wearing handcuffs, dressed in prison clothes and surrounded by heavily armed guards,

Nicholas Maduro began the journey from the prison in Brooklyn, where he's being held to his first U.S. court appearance. TV cameras followed every step of the elaborate security operation. The images illustrating the deposed president's humiliation. Maduro, seemingly walking with a limp, and his wife Celia Flores, were then put on board a helicopter bound for Manhattan. After arriving at a waterfront heliport, they were escorted towards an armored vehicle. Historic scenes, the Trump administration say, show a law enforcement action,

while others see an illegal foreign military operation. Finally, the motorcade arrived at the courthouse around 7.40 in the morning. Outside, some demonstrators celebrated Maduro's capture. Others, angry about President Trump's claim that he will run Venezuela and control its oil. Maduro and his wife both pled not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. Ms. Flores had a bandage on her forehead and what looked like bruising on her face. Inside the courtroom, Nicholas Maduro was asked only to enter a plea. But speaking in Spanish, he insisted that he is still the president of his country,

complained that he had been kidnapped by the United States and described himself as a prisoner of war. Maduro was returned to prison after his brief court appearance, and this is just the start of a legal process that could last for years. Across town at the United Nations, an emergency security council meeting discussed Venezuela. American allies made clear their reservations that the US has breached international law

and may have set a dangerous precedent. Friends of the Maduro regime, like Russia and China, went even further. We cannot allow the United States to proclaim itself as some kind of a supreme judge, which alone bears the right to invade any country, to label culprits, to hand down and to enforce punishments, irrespective of notions of international law. We urge the US to heed the overwhelming voice of the international community, abide by international law, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter

and cease infringing upon the sovereignty and security of other countries. President Trump's envoy to the UN said the US was entirely justified in its actions. There is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country. This was a law enforcement operation in furtherance of lawful indictments that have existed for decades. So is Nicholas Maduro simply a wanted criminal who was legally arrested by the United States, or an example of the lengths President Trump will go to to assert his will in what he views

as America's backyard? Sarah Smith, with that report. And for more on that Venezuela story, you can go on our YouTube. Search for BBC News, click on the logo, then choose podcasts and global news podcast. There is a new story available every weekday. Now, the biggest speed bump for self-driving cars has always been safety concerns. And now the US tech company, Nvidia, has introduced a new artificial intelligence technology that the chip designer says will help self-driving cars reason more like humans. In a presentation in Las Vegas, Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, said the autonomous vehicles will be able to safely navigate city chaos and predict hazards.

Alpha Mayo does something that's really special. Not only does it take sensor input and activates steering wheel, brakes and acceleration, it also reasons about what action is about to take. It tells you what action is going to take, the reason by which it came about that action, and then, of course, the trajectory. Well, for more on how this will work, here is our tech, correspondent Lily Jamali. Invidia boss Jensen Wong told an audience at the annual Consumer Electronics Trade Show in Las Vegas that its Alpa Mayo AI system will enable autonomous cars to

handle complex places and situations. The system will be the centerpiece of a new driverless vehicle called the Mercedes-Benz CLA, which Wong said was being manufactured in partnership with the German automaker. Invitya says the vehicle will be available to customers first in the US, then Europe and Asia this year. It could challenge companies including Elon Musk's Tesla. Tesla started testing a robotaxy service in Austin, Texas last year, but it lags behind the frontrunner Waymo. Nvidia is planning a robotaxy service of its own

with an unnamed partner by next year. Our tech correspondent, Lily Jamali. The story now of a British man who's been fined the equivalent of almost $1,000 after being caught out posing as a senior naval officer at National Days of Morning, when in fact he was nothing of the sore. The former history teacher Jonathan Carly appeared alongside VIPs as a highly decorated rear admiral on at least four occasions.

As Stephanie Prentice reports. Two high-ranking military officers standing in front of a war memorial in Wales, laying a wreath to pay their respects in front of crowds of mourners. As they execute a right turn to leave, the man at the front appears to have less precise footwork than the other. That man was Jonathan Carly standing proudly, in full uniform, and wearing an impressive array of medals. Local politician Janet Finch Saunders was there and the 12 medals caught her eye, including one for high-level gallantry. It was pointed out to me that we had an important. somebody wearing a rear admiral's uniform and medals. Medals that actually, one of the medals,

nobody has ever been able to wear that medal. It hasn't been presented to anybody as yet. So I made it my purpose to go and speak with the gentleman in particular who dismissed me as having met me before. And I know, Jollywell, I've never met this gentleman before. When she checked the event's records, she found that nobody of that. Rank had been due to attend. Janet wasn't alone. At the same event, veteran Terry Stewart spotted a man pushing his way to the front

just before a minute's silence began. The rear admiral pushed his way through, stood with the dignitaries, and I just remember asking the people around me, is this the same guy that was here last year? Yes. Does anybody here know who he is? No. and I said, I'm going to have to fall out of this parade

and I'm going to have to challenge him. Terry was right. The man had been there a year earlier where Tony Mottram, a photographer for the local council, was taken aback by an officer who turned up with a large sword. I thought, why has he got a sword on? Oh, crikey, who is this? Who is this guy? He obviously was very good at it, I think.

I did spot it also with our parade marsh as well. and we did have words about his dress and his manner is the way he was acting. I mean, he didn't even parade. It just appeared, sort of, hang on, you should be on a parade to go to the cenotaph. The extent of the fake Admiral's appearances is unclear. But video footage from another Remembrance Service in 2019

shows him brandishing a sword and giving a two-minute speech. As I say, it's a remarkable commemoration. Jonathan Carly was arrested a few days after the ceremony in Wales, telling police officers, I've been expecting you. He cited a desire for a sense of belonging and affirmation as his motive, and later pleaded guilty to the offence of wearing a military uniform without permission. Stephanie Prentice. Still to come in this podcast. Kay Beauty did not emerge overnight. it developed over 20 years alongside the rise of K culture.

How K beauty became a billion-dollar business. This is the Global News podcast. Hundreds of holiday makers are stranded on the island of Sikotra off the coast of Yemen due to the recent flare-up of violence on the mainland. Sikotra is famed for its extraordinary landscape and its unique flora and fauna. Our global affairs reporter Sebastian Usher told my colleague Alex Ritson more about the tourists. This is an island, which is part of Yemen, but it's a long way off the coast of Yemen. It's about 350 kilometres from Yemen in the Indian Ocean. It hasn't been affected

that much by the war, as you can understand, being so remote. It was sort of taken over by a group called the Southern Transitional Council, they are separatists in the south, and they're backed by the UAE, and the flights which come, and there are very few of them, three a week, maximum, coming from Abu Dhabi in the UAE, show the control essentially that the UAE has there. This island is well and truly off the regular tourist trail, and yet it really is a fascinating place. It's an extraordinary place, it's extraordinary, its landscape,

is a kind of otherworldly landscape, great crags, white sands, and the flora and fauna, some of it, I think a third of it is unique to the island. The symbol of the island, something which of anybody knows anything about it, will have seen, is this extraordinary-looking tree called the Dragon's Blood Tree because of a resin that comes out of it is crimson. It's the colour of blood. So it's a great draw for that reason.

It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So how are these tourists going to get back to the outside world? Well, they're going to have to wait until flights start again. I mean, this brings us to what's been happening in the south of Yemen over the past few weeks. I mean, when people think of Yemen, they think about the Houthi rebels, they think about the attacks that they've carried out in support of the Palestinians, Hamas, targeting Israel, and the attacks that have been against them from Israel, from the US, the UK. etc. But down in the south, there's been a separate conflict going on to some extent.

The internationally recognised government, the Saudi-supported government, is nominally based in Aden, the big port down there. But it hasn't had full control, really, of the whole of the south of Yemen. And just in the past few weeks, the separatist movement, which is in control of the island of Socotra, the southern transitional council, it took over two of the main provinces down in the south. So that raised the threat of a new conflict within the wider conflict erupting in Yemen. Our global affairs reporter Sebastian Usher speaking to Alex Ritson.

Let's move on to South Africa and its justice system, which is in crisis, with many trials taking years to get to court. An official watchdog believes the backlog could involve some 40,000 cases, but experts believe the real figure is far higher. prominent case involving the murder of the country's football captain remains unresolved after more than a decade. Our correspondent, Pimza Falani, has this report. South Africa's Senzo Mejewa was a beloved footballer and a star player. His career cut short by criminals. The football captain was killed while visiting his musician girlfriend

in Fosleris, south of Johannesburg. At the time, the high-profilever murder case dominated headlines. Extensive state resources were directed at cracking the case. Police even offered a $23,000 reward for information, but 10 years on the case is still yet to be resolved. As the court please is my lord,

my lord will recall. The trial in the Pretoria High Court has been plagued by troubles, including changes in judges and legal teams and accusations of botched investigations by the police. We're at the Pretoria High Court where Senzo Meijiwa's murder trial is finally underway. It's taken several

years to get to this point, but it's one small example of just how slowly justice turns here. South Africa's judges and magistrates are grossly overstretched, facing a backlog of cases going into the tens of thousands. This leaves families in limbo. Jason Pistorius knows the pain of court delays all too well and says each postponement feels like losing his mother, Charlene, all over again. She died in hospital after being set on fire. Two years on, the suspect is yet to stand trial. Court records show a string of postponements

from missing reports and incomplete investigations to unavailable judges and administrative delays. I asked Jason about the impact of losing his mother at a young age. It's emotional, but not only for me as I'm the provider now for my siblings. financially it's taking a strain because I'm the one that must be the provider now for more than one person which varying from my grandmother to my small child

because my mother used to help them out as well and what about healing for the family and those who mourn Charlene no healing can be done without putting something to rest we aren't certain what's going to happen now so I'm too scared to think about it even so the clarity of the case needs to be shown to us

Activists and organizations working to help victims of crime navigate the country's broken system say the courts and government are failing the people. It's something head of court administration, Laki Muhalaba admits is a problem, but says reforms are imminent. These include hiring more magistrates and judges, as well as advocating for a change in working hours to turn things around. On a daily basis, there is a woman in the majority who are provided with, with orders for maintenance for the support of their children.

There are criminals who are convicted for their crimes by the courts. But despite the progress that we've made in this regard to serve the members of the public, we still do acknowledge, and that is a fact that there are matters, which could have been processed much quicker within the criminal justice system. But hope may not be enough. In a country with alarming levels of violent crime and too few prostitutions for those affected experts, this is leading to a loss of confidence in South Africa's legal system

and a growing sense that their justice has been denied. Pumza Falani in South Africa. One of the world's biggest football clubs, the English Premier League team Manchester United, has sacked its manager again. The Portuguese national Ruben Amarim was in charge for just over a year. I think even the most ardent Manchester United fan would admit

they are a shadow of the team that won basically everything under their former manager Alex Ferguson and he retired more than a decade ago. Since then, a succession of underperforming men have managed the team. Our sports editor Dan Rowan has more on this latest failure. Ruben Amram was meant to be the coach to finally restore Manchester United to former glories. But 14 months after arriving at Old Trafford, he's become the latest to be shown the exit. In a statement, the club said that with United 6th in the Premier League, its leadership had reluctantly made the decision that it was the right time to make a change.

But there had also been tensions with United's hierarchy. And after the draw with Leeds United, Amarim suggested his authority was being undermined in an outburst that now looks to have cost him his job. I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach, and that is clear. It had all seemed very different when United invested heavily in Amarim after he had enjoyed success in Portugal. But such faith was not rewarded. First season, United finished 15th, their lowest ever position in the Premier League,

and although the final of the Europa League offered redemption, it was lost to Tottenham-Hotspur. 200 million pounds was then spent on new players in the summer, but a League Cup defeat to lowly League Two-side Grimsby in August, one of the worst results in United's history was a stark reality check. There was also scrutiny of Amarim's team formation, the coach's lack of flexibility, leading to a disagreement this weekend with United's Director of Football, Jason Wilcox, that ultimately proved crucial. Here's what United fans made of the dismissal. I think it's been coming. I was here for the Wolves game, and it was shocking.

I didn't want to see anyone go. I think you've got to stick with people and give me a bit of time, but at the same time, it's not being great, has it? Since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson 13 years ago, United have had 10 managers, with tens of millions of pounds spent hiring and firing. The club's former midfielder Darren Fletcher is now taking interim charge, but with Amarim's permanent replacement, and likely to be appointed until the summer, United is still no closer to rediscovering the success of their past.

Our sports editor Dan Rowan. BB cream, pimple patches, snail mucin. If, unlike me, you know what those things mean, you are probably already aware of the global obsession around Korean skin care and makeup known as K-Beauty. South Korea has surpassed the US to become the world's second largest cosmetics exporter after France. So what's powering this trend for glass skin?

Our Asia business correspondent, Surinjana Tuari, has been finding out. Search for Korean skin care on any social media platform and you'll find tens of thousands of videos, posts and reviews. By moisturising, you're helping the skin cells to rapidly repair themselves. Beauty influencer Leah Yu has more than a million followers on YouTube and regularly posts about K Beauty. She explains why it's so popular. South Korean technology in terms of the formulation, the texture, the overall experience of the product in skincare has really, really been optimized for social media. Last year, South Korean companies sold $10 billion worth of beauty products to customers around the world. And products are so popular globally, they're now stocked in global retailers like Sephora, boots and Walmart.

In the heart of Seoul, K beauty is absolutely everywhere. I'm standing in one of South Korea's most popular retailers. It sells everything to do with K Beauty from makeup to skin care and men's skin care. And it's estimated that around 30,000 businesses are making these types of products. I've just entered the factory where products from brand like Lanij and Cozarex are being bottled and packaged up. There are rows and rows of production lines, fully automated with just a few workers supervising. One of the roles is dedicated to La Naysia's water sleeping mask.

One unit is sold every 13 seconds somewhere in the world. That's helped propel its parent company, Amore Pacific, to become South Korea's biggest beauty brand. Here's CEO, Sang-Wan Kim. K-beauty did not emerge overnight. It developed over 20 years alongside the rise of K-culture. And we believe it's not a trend, but a mainstream movement that will last for a long time. An elaborate ecosystem in South Korea keeps costs down

and means companies can launch products quickly, going from concept to shelf in under six months, something that can take Western brands years. Kira and Marcus are both tourists from the US who are trying out skin procedures at this Seoul clinic. I think it's almost like a tourist detour. now, you know, you almost kind of have to try it once you come. Here, it's like really cheap and kind of everybody does it.

This month, the South Korean government officially recognised K-Beauty as a strategic national asset. It's promised policies to help manufacturing and boost exports. A vote of confidence in the industry and an investment to make sure its global glow-up continues to Brighton. Sirenjana Tuari. And that's all from us for now. will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you'd like to comment on this podcast or the topics we've covered, you can send us an email. The address is Global Podcast at BBC.co.uk.

You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global NewsPod. This edition was mixed by Hannah Montgomery and the producer was Guy Pitt. The editor is Karen Martin and I'm Will Chalk. Until next time, goodbye. Thank you.