Venezuelan opposition leader Machado has returned to her homeland

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela after nearly a year abroad, receiving a warm welcome from supporters. Her return may complicate relations with the U.S. administration, which has previously supported her. Machado plans to meet with earthquake victims and political prisoners' families. She secretly left Venezuela last December to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo and had attempted to return multiple times since then. Meanwhile, former Czech President Miloš Zeman dismissed protests over concession fee cancellations as hysteria. In sports, Czech tennis player Kateřina Siniaková won her sixth WTA title in Osaka. The Dakar Rally will not take place in Saudi Arabia due to security concerns, with organizers seeking an alternative location.