A freshly planted Guyanese flag flaps on the summit of a table-top mountain rising from thick forests in a remote region near the Venezuelan border.

Recently discovered oil is transforming Guyana's fortunes. But neighbouring Venezuela has suddenly rekindled old claims of territorial ownership. Official Venezuelan maps now incorporate the disputed Essequibo region that covers two-thirds of Guyana, and Venezuelan oil companies have been ordered to start extraction.

A non-binding referendum in Venezuela has shown overwhelming support for the government's claims to Essequibo, a large swathe of land controlled by neighbouring Guyana. The land dispute between the two countries is over a century old, but heated up back in 2015 with the discovery of oil fields off the coast of Essequibo.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said that Sunday's referendum in Venezuela over the status of the disputed region of Essequibo was "absolutely not" the success proclaimed by the Maduro regime. According to electoral authorities, 95 percent of voters approved of Venezuela's claim to the large swath of neighbouring Guyana, but turnout was around 50 percent.

In a meeting in Barbados, Venezuelan leaders and opposition figures agreed to hold the elections in the second half of the next year. International parties including the EU and US have expressed support for this move.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Venezuela's former opposition leader Juan Guaido. The prosecutor's office said it would ask for interpol's help in his apprehension.

Maria Corina Machado was set to run for the president of Venezuela against Nicolas Maduro in 2024. Officials said the ban was triggered by her support for US sanctions and Maduro's rival Juan Guaido.

For the first time in nine years, leaders from the regional bloc formerly known as the Union of South American Nations have convened this week in Brazil. The gathering of these 11 countries has demonstrated a renewed spirit of cooperation. A notable highlight is Brazilian President Lula da Silva's meeting with Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro, a significant move, as diplomatic relations were severed under Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

Once considered by many as the de facto leader of Venezuela, Juan Guaido was accused by Colombian authorities of entering the country illegally.