15/02/2026

theSun on Sunday FEB 15, 2026

WORLD 8

Scrap social media vetting for tourists, Trump urged

US waives Venezuela oil sanctions

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s administration has authorised five major oil companies to operate in Venezuela. The Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) on Friday granted general licences to BP, Chevron, Eni, Repsol and Shell “authorising transactions related to oil or gas sector operations in Venezuela”, with certain conditions. The two-page general licence issued by Ofac requires any payments in oil and gas royalties go to accounts designated by the Treasury Department, which is consistent with Trump administration statements that Washington will manage assets in custody for the benefit of Venezuela. Trump and top appointees like Energy Secretary Chris Wright have been blunt in characterising Washington as a party controlling Venezuela’s oil resources for the foreseeable future. A second Ofac licence issued on Friday permits companies to negotiate for potential contracts “for certain investment in Venezuela”. However, the US agency will continue to bar participation by several countries, including China, Iran and Russia. “These general licences invite American and other aligned companies to play a constructive role in supporting economic recovery and responsible investment,” said a Trump administration media note that characterised the Ofac move as part of Trump’s commitment to “rapidly” reopen the oil industry. “The United States is committed to restoring Venezuela’s prosperity, safety, and security for the benefit of both the American and Venezuelan people.” Separately, the State

WASHINGTON: Two senators urged the Trump administration to abandon a proposal to require millions of foreign visitors to provide social media handles used over the past five years. The proposed policy from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would require travellers from countries in the visa waiver programme to submit social media data. “By requiring ߑ travellers to disclose their personal social media information, CBP will force people who simply want to visit family in the United States, Travel group warns of potential losses

countries, mostly in Europe, to visit the US for up to 90 days without a visa. They must complete an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation form, which under the change would require social media handles. The US is considering requiring all email addresses used over the last 10 years ߑ and names, birth dates, residences and birthplaces of parents, siblings, children and spouses. The US State Department in December said it was requiring all H-1B applicants and their dependents to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public” for the department to review social media posts by applicants. – Reuters Colombia using drones to spray drug fields with toxic chemical BOGOTA: Colombia has resumed spraying drug fields with a toxic chemical using drones, the US embassy in Bogota said on Friday, after a meeting between the two nations’ leaders eased tensions. In 2015, it suspended aerial spraying of glyphosate, which has been linked to cancer in humans, over concerns about its negative health impact. President Donald Trump and President Gustavo Petro met last week at the White House to smooth diplomatic tensions. They pledged to resume military cooperation between Washington and Bogota, and to jointly combat rebels and drug cartels. Colombia announced in December that it would resume the spraying of drug crops under growing pressure from the Trump administration, which is demanding a tougher anti-drug policy in the world’s top cocaine producer. “Colombia has launched drone eradication of coca crops” with support from the US, Washington’s mission in Bogota wrote on social media. “This technology could be game-changing, lower coca cultivation, more security in Colombia, less deadly drugs reaching American streets and more lives saved.” The Colombian Justice Ministry presented the drug crop eradication policy in December. It said drones would fly 1.5m above coca fields and carry out “controlled” spraying to prevent the chemical from affecting communities. – AFP

effect” on visits to the United States. “If we get this policy wrong, millions of travellers could take their business and the billions of dollars ߑ they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker,” the US Travel Association said. Applicants for immigrant and non-immigrant visas have been required to share that information since 2019. Washington has taken steps to tighten vetting of foreigners, stemming from a Trump executive order issued in January 2025 calling for visitors to the US to be “vetted ߑ and screened to the maximum degree”. The visa waiver programme allows travellers from 42

conduct business with US companies or attend events such as the upcoming World Cup to submit to sweeping digital surveillance,” said Democrats Ed Markey and Ron Wyden. “No doubt many Americans would be outraged if countries such as Britain, ߑ France or Australia imposed a similar policy on American tourists.” The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment. In December, the department said the proposal could take effect as early as this month. A group representing the US travel and tourism industry warned on Friday that the proposal could have a “chilling

Department announced on Friday that it has sent more than six tonnes of medical supplies to Venezuela to help stabilise the country. – AFP Gaza radio station aims to be voice of the people

DANCING IN THE STREETS ... Revellers from a samba school performing during the Carnival parade at Anhembi Sambadrome in Sao Paulo. – REUTERSPIC

infrastructure, compounding the challenges in reviving the territory’s local media landscape. “The electricity problem is one of the most serious,” said Shereen. “We have solar power, but sometimes it doesn’t work well, so we have to rely on an external generator.” The station’s launch is funded by the European Union and overseen by Filastiniyat, an organisation that supports Palestinian women journalists, and the media centre at the An-Najah National University in Nablus, West Bank.

“It was a challenge for us and a story of resilience.” Sylvia said the station would focus on social issues and the humanitarian situation, which remains grave despite a ceasefire since October. “The radio station’s goal is to be the voice of the people in the Gaza Strip and to express their problems and suffering,” said Shereen Khalifa, part of the broadcasting team. Many still live in tents with little or no sanitation. The war also decimated Gaza’s communications and electricity

The station is planning to broadcast for two hours per day from Gaza and longer from Nablus. It is available on FM and online. Shereen said stable internet access had been one of the biggest obstacles in setting up the station, but added that it was now able to broadcast uninterrupted. “Under the siege, it is natural that modern equipment necessary for radio broadcasting cannot enter, so we have made the most of what is available.” – AFP

DEIR EL-BALAH: From a small studio in the central city of Deir el Balah, Sylvia Hassan’s voice echoes across the Gaza Strip, broadcast on one of the Palestinian territory’s first radio stations to hit the airwaves after two years of war. Sylvia, a radio host on fledgling station Here Gaza , delivers her broadcast from a well-lit room, as members of the technical team check levels and mix backing tracks on a sound deck. “This radio station was a dream we worked to achieve for many months and sometimes without sleep,” she said.