Trump says ‘don’t read anything into it’ when asked about declaring Venezuela’s airspace closed
President Donald Trump defended calling Venezuela’s airspace closed, saying the country is sending criminals into the U.S., but told reporters not to “read anything into it” when asked whether the warning suggested an imminent strike. While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Venezuela is “not a very friendly country” and claimed it has sent criminals, gang members and drug traffickers into the U.S. On Saturday, Trump told airlines, pilots, drug dealers and human traffickers to “consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” When asked Sunday if the warning meant an airstrike is imminent, Trump said: “Don’t read anything into it.” WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO REPORTS OF TRUMP PREPARING TO HIT MILITARY TARGETS INSIDE VENEZUELA Trump also confirmed a report from the New York Times that he spoke on the phone with President Nicolás Maduro, though he offered no details about the conversation. “I wouldn’t say it went well or badly,” he said. “It was a phone call.” The president’s comments come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela over Venezuela’s failure to stop drug traffickers from sending narcotics into the U.S. TRUMP’S STRIKE ON CARTEL VESSEL OFF VENEZUELA SENDS WARNING TO MADURO: ‘NO SANCTUARY’ Since September, the Trump administration has conducted over 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters and beefed up its military presence in the Caribbean as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the flow of drugs into the U.S. The strikes have brought the total number of suspected narco-terrorists eliminated to over 82, with three survivors. But as the U.S. continues to bolster forces in the waters off Venezuela, Maduro has called for peace but also remained defiant against what he called “imperialist aggression.” U.S. WARSHIPS TO PATROL INTERNATIONAL WATERS AROUND VENEZUELA AS TRUMP VOWS TO STOP CARTELS Maduro delivered an address in Caracas last week while brandishing a sword and warning supporters to prepare for confrontation, saying the U.S. will “very soon” begin stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers on land. He appeared at a mass rally in the capital holding the sword of Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century independence leader regarded as the liberator of much of South America. Maduro told supporters the country was facing a decisive moment. The Associated Press reported that he said, “For anyone, whether civilian, politician, military, or police – Let no one make excuses. Failure is not an option. The homeland demands it! Our greatest effort and sacrifice. And with (Simón) Bolívar, I come to say that if the homeland demands it, the homeland will have our lives, if necessary,” he declared while raising Bolívar’s sword. Maduro framed the situation as a struggle against what he described as external threats, urging Venezuelans to mobilize against any foreign aggression. Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow as Ukraine peace talks gain momentum
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, will travel to Moscow on Monday, a U.S. official tells Fox News. The trip comes as peace talks between Ukraine and Russia show signs of progress, with the White House pushing a peace plan to end the nearly four-year-long war. On Sunday, Witkoff — a central figure in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior advisor Jared Kushner in Florida to meet with Ukrainian negotiators. Rubio described the meeting as “very productive.” In a statement, Rubio said that the end goal is “not just the end of the war.” STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS UKRAINE READY TO ACCEPT 30-DAY CEASEFIRE DEAL: ‘BALL IS NOW IN RUSSIA’S COURT’ “Obviously, that’s essential and fundamental. We want to see the end of the killing and the death and the suffering, and I’m sure the Ukrainian side, I know they do as well,” Rubio said. “They want peace. But it’s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.” Last week, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow could reject the White House’s peace deal framework if it does not uphold the “spirit and letter” of what President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to at the Alaska summit in August. TRUMP: WE’RE GOING STRAIGHT TO RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE DEAL, ‘NOT A MERE CEASEFIRE’ He warned that if the terms of the “key understandings” are “extinguished” then the situation would become “fundamentally different.” Despite Lavrov’s comments, Putin showed interest in Trump’s plans to end the war on Thursday, calling the drafted plans a starting point. “We need to sit down and discuss this seriously,” Putin told reporters, according to The Associated Press. Trump’s plan as “a set of issues put forward for discussion” rather than a draft agreement. “Every word matters,” Putin added. Fox News Digital’s Sarah Tobianski, Kyle Schmidbauer and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
Trump makes 11th-hour plea for Matt Van Epps over Aftyn Behn, whom he claims ‘hates Christianity’
President Donald Trump called on Tennesseans to vote for Matt Van Epps, the Republican nominee in the special election for the Volunteer State’s 7th Congressional District, in a Truth Social post on Sunday. Just two days ahead of the election on Dec. 2, Trump urged “all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE.” The president claimed that Van Epps’ Democratic opponent, state Rep. Aftyn Behn, “hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music.” “She said all of these things precisely, and without question — IT’S ON TAPE!” Trump claimed. “Do not take this Race for granted.” MARK GREEN RESIGNS FROM CONGRESS, FURTHER SHRINKING HOUSE GOP MAJORITY “The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had, Matt Van Epps!” Trump concluded that Van Epps has his “Complete and Total Endorsement” and “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Van Epps, a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard and a former Army helicopter pilot, was formally endorsed by Trump earlier this year and called his support “an incredible honor.” TENNESSEE GOVERNOR BACKS MILITARY VETERAN JUST DAYS BEFORE CROWDED PRIMARY ELECTION Trump’s post comes as Behn draws national attention for her past comments, ranging from anti-police rhetoric to her dislike of country music and Nashville’s drinking culture. The Democrat was also once a frequent advocate for cutting police funding, even suggesting that the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department should be defunded. Last week, Behn was asked to clarify her previous remarks during an episode of MS NOW’s “The Weekend.” “In 2020, you made some tweets that have since been deleted that were very critical of police… 2020 was obviously a very fraught year. Do you still stand by those comments? And if not, is there anything you want to clarify?” host Catherine Rampell asked. “I’m not going to engage in cable news talking points, but what I will say is that, you know, our communities need solutions,” Behn responded. “We need local people deciding, solving local problems with local solutions. And that’s not the overreach of a federal government or state government of which we are dealing with in Nashville and our cities across the state of Tennessee.” Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser, Alec Schemmel and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
Sen Cory Booker marries fiancé Alexis Lewis in intimate DC ceremony
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., announced that he married his fiancé Alexis Lewis on Saturday, sharing photos of himself and his newlywed wife on social media. Booker and Lewis wed in a private ceremony in Washington, D.C., less than three months after announcing their engagement on Instagram. On Sunday, Booker posted that they were “overflowing with gratitude,” writing: “We said ‘I do’ in two places that shaped us—Cory’s beloved Newark and Alexis’s hometown of Washington, D.C.—first at the courthouse, then with our families. Hearts full and so grateful.” The couple married in an interfaith ceremony — Booker is Christian, and Lewis is Jewish — at an undisclosed venue, The New York Times reported. The couple had legally wed Monday at the federal courthouse in Newark with only their parents present. KEANU REEVES’ GIRLFRIEND SETS RECORD STRAIGHT ON WEDDING RUMORS WITH KISSING PHOTO The couple told the Times they met through a mutual friend known for matchmaking in May 2024. Their blind date in Washington lasted more than five hours. When Booker asked for a second date the next night, Lewis said she had to catch a flight for a work trip to Newark. Booker persuaded her to delay her flight so they could meet again in Newark, where he was also headed. Booker later described that second date as “even more magical,” saying they ate at a tapas restaurant before he showed her places in the city that shaped his life. The night ended with their first kiss outside the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. MICHELLE OBAMA CITES ‘QUITE THE JOURNEY’ WITH BARACK OBAMA IN ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE Lewis is a director of investments at Brasa Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm, and previously worked for former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. She holds a bachelor’s degree from NYU and an MBA from Cornell. “My girlfriends and I say, ‘Change your flight, change your life,’ because it’s exactly what happened,” Lewis told the outlet. “After so many years on my own, I’m not entirely sure I believed I would get married. But now, we’ve found each other at this stage of our lives, after epic personal journeys. And that deserves celebration.”
Ahead of ICE ops, New Orleans police leader lambasted for comments about enforcement of immigration law
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick made waves earlier this week when she stated illegal immigration by foreign nationals in the U.S. is a “civil issue” and that therefore her agency will not enforce certain immigration laws — but would respond when ensuring public safety and that those involved in a federal operation are “not going to get hurt.” Kirkpatrick made the remarks at a press conference marking the end of a 15-year consent decree between the city and federal government, after then-Mayor Mitch Landrieu invited the Obama Justice Department to probe the agency for alleged “pattern or practice” of civil rights-related misconduct. During press questions, Kirkpatrick responded to one reporter by saying that to “be in the country undocumented is (a) civil issue.” “We will not enforce civil law, and so our support is to make sure they’re not going to get hurt and our community is not in danger,” Kirkpatrick said. ICE READIES SWAMP SWEEP: MISSISSIPPI PLEDGES TO AID, NOT BLOCK, FEDERAL CRACKDOWN “Am I expecting them to come?” she said. “Yes, I’m expecting them to come. But can I tell you they’re coming Friday? No, I can’t tell you that.” “If they call for help because they say they’re going to be hurt. We are going to be there in order to help anyone in danger. We are not enforcing — because we can’t.” Kirkpatrick’s comments swiftly went viral on social media, with critics — largely from the right — lambasting her for claiming her agency cannot enforce certain immigration laws. DENVER MAYOR SAYS HE’S PREPARED TO GO TO JAIL OVER OPPOSITION TO TRUMP DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Commentator Chaya Raichik, better known as “LibsOfTikTok,” also responded to the superintendent’s comments. “Anne Kirkpatrick… says that illegally invading the U.S. is a ‘civil issue’ and her police force ‘will not enforce the law.’” “Illegally invading the country is a crime. This is who is in charge of the police.” NOEM, IN ILLINOIS, CALLS OUT GOV. PRITZKER, CHICAGO’S MAYOR OVER THEIR HANDLING OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “This is Law Enforcement 101. Every American knows this,” conservative commentator David Harris Jr. tweeted separately. Florida journalist Eric Daugherty responded to a clip of Kirkpatrick, writing: “False. It is a crime.” “How can you be the leader of a major police force and not know this? Arrest and deport. No exceptions,” Daugherty said. CHICAGO POLICE ORDERED NOT TO RESPOND AFTER CAR-RAMMING ATTACK ON FEDERAL AGENTS: SOURCES Louisiana Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill commented below Daugherty’s message, saying that she spoke directly to Kirkpatrick about her comments. “It is a state crime to obstruct ICE and federal immigration enforcement. Law enforcement should enforce the law,” Murrill said. In response to Murrill, several other critics reamed Kirkpatrick for being in charge of the New Orleans Police Department the night a man mowed down revelers ahead of the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, suggesting there were preventative measures on Bourbon Street, including installation of bollards and hardened temporary infrastructure, that were missed. JONATHAN TURLEY: WHY BLUE STATES’ NEW ANTI-ICE LAWS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL VIRTUE SIGNALING Other critics cited 8 U.S. Code 1325, which criminalizes “improper entry by (an) alien.” That section describes how it is a criminal act to elude immigration inspection, provide false documentation or enter the U.S. illegally outside a port of entry. Kirkpatrick’s reference to civil law referenced the fact there is a section in the code under the Immigration & Naturalization Act that says being unlawfully present in the U.S. for a visa overstay or other infraction is indeed civil, not criminal. “Inadmissible aliens,” as described in law, also can face civil removal proceedings under 8 USC 1227 and 8 USC 1182. DHS LAUNCHING MASSIVE IMMIGRATION OPERATION IN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI: ‘SWAMP SWEEP’ In a separate statement, Murrill said she fully expects “all law enforcement and local officials will not obstruct federal authorities and will enforce state law to protect people and property.” “I support ICE operations that ensure violent criminals are removed and ensure legal immigration policies are respected and followed,” she added. Fox News Digital reached out to the New Orleans Police Department for comment. An official who picked up the phone indicated they would seek out the proper official to pass along any comment, but the inquiry was not returned.
Trump freezes Afghan visas after DC shooting — as he quietly eyes land strikes in Venezuela
The Trump administration is taking an even firmer stance on immigration in the wake of a fatal shooting near the White House Wednesday, which took the life of one National Guard member and injured another. Additionally, the White House signaled it may ramp up its operations targeting alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean, following months of strikes against vessels accused of trafficking drugs into the U.S. Here’s what happened this week. The Trump administration is moving to impose more limitations on migrants attempting to enter the U.S., after an Afghan national was identified as the suspect in Wednesday’s deadly shooting. Law enforcement officials identified the shooting suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, which aimed to facilitate resettling Afghan refugees in the U.S. The Department of State has paused all U.S. visas for individuals traveling on Afghan passports, the State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted to X Friday. VANCE’S PAST WARNINGS REIGNITE AFTER AFGHAN NATIONAL NAMED AS SUSPECT IN DC GUARD SHOOTING U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died Thursday due to injuries stemming from Wednesday’s shooting. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition as of Friday, per U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. As a result of the shooting, Trump said in a social media post Thursday that he would permanently pause migration from “all Third World Countries.” LIBERAL COMMENTATORS BLAME TRUMP FOR NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING Likewise, the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said Thursday that in accordance with orders from Trump, he has “directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” The White House did not provide additional information regarding which countries would be impacted, and referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s social media post. Trump also signaled that his administration would start conducting land operations as it ramps up its operations targeting alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean. LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONDING AFTER 2 NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS SHOT NEAR WHITE HOUSE Since September, the Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters, and has beefed up its military presence in the Caribbean as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U.S. “You probably noticed that now people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” Trump said Thursday. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding whether the White House was considering land strikes or deploying U.S. troops within Venezuela. However, Trump has previously refused to rule out dispatching U.S. ground troops into Venezuela. The New York Times reported Friday that Trump spoke with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in the past week. Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Israel attacks on Syria: What happened, who did Israel claim it was after?
On Friday, Israel killed at least 13 people, including two children, in the Damascus countryside town of Beit Jinn. The latest air raids came after locals tried to repel an Israeli military incursion into Beit Jinn, leading to clashes. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Israel claimed it was going after members of the Jamaa al-Islamiya, Lebanon’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. However, rubbishing the Israeli claim, the group said it was not active outside Lebanon. Here’s everything you need to know about the attack in Beit Jinn and the context behind it. What happened? The Israeli army’s 55th Reserve Brigade raided Beit Jinn in the early hours of Friday morning, ostensibly to take three Syrians who live there, claiming they were members of Jamaa al-Islamiya and that they posed a “danger to Israel”. However, the incursion did not go to plan. Locals resisted, and six Israeli soldiers were wounded in the resulting clashes, three of them seriously, according to the Israeli army. Israel then sent in its warplanes. “We were asleep when we were woken up at three in the morning by gunfire,” Iyad Daher, a wounded resident, told the AFP news agency from al-Mouwasat Hospital in Damascus. “We went outside to see what was happening and saw the Israeli army in the village, soldiers and tanks,” Daher said. “Then they withdrew, the air force came – and the shells started falling.” This was the deadliest of Israel’s more than 1,000 strikes on Syria since the fall of the Assad regime Why were Israeli forces in Syria? This was not the first time Israel raided Syrian territory. Advertisement Israeli officials and government-aligned media say Israel can no longer respect its enemies’ borders or allow “hostile” groups along its borders after the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and Israel has sought to use force in other countries to create buffer zones around itself, in the Gaza Strip, Syria and Lebanon. Since the fall of the Assad regime last December, Israel has launched frequent air raids across Syria and ground incursions in its south. It set up numerous checkpoints in Syria and detained and disappeared Syrian citizens from Syrian territory, holding them illegally in Israel. It invaded the buffer zone that separated the two countries since they signed the 1974 disengagement agreement, setting up outposts around Jabal al-Sheikh (Mount Hermon in English). The new Syrian government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, said it would abide by the 1974 agreement. Israel occupied the Syrian Golan Heights in 1967. A demilitarised zone was later established, but when President Bashar al-Assad was ousted, and his army was in shambles, Israel invaded to take outposts on Syrian-controlled land. What did the Syrian government say? That the attack is a war crime. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement, condemning “the criminal attack carried out by an Israeli occupation army patrol in Beit Jinn. The occupation forces’ targeting of the town of Beit Jinn with brutal and deliberate shelling, following their failed incursion, constitutes a full-fledged war crime.” What is Israel claiming? Israel’s public broadcaster said the operation was an “arrest raid” targeting Jamaa al-Islamiya members. An Israeli army spokesperson said three people linked to the group were “arrested”. Israel claims the group is operating in southern Syria to “recruit terrorists” and plays a role in what it calls the “northern front” – Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid reported from Syria that Israel has yet to offer any proof of the claim that the people it was after were involved with the group. What is Jamaa al-Islamiya? The group is the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. It was founded in 1956 and has a stable presence in Lebanon, though it has never been as popular as some of its regional counterparts. It has one member of parliament and was historically aligned with the Future Movement, founded by former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. However, the group moved closer to Iran and Hezbollah politically in recent years. Its armed wing, the Fajr Forces, took part in some operations against Israel in 2023-24. Advertisement After Israel’s claims that it was involved in southern Syria, the group released a statement on Friday stating that it was “surprised” Israeli media had involved it in what happened in Beit Jinn. Denouncing the attack, it said it conducts “no activities outside Lebanon”. The group added that it has abided by and committed to the ceasefire agreement from November 2024 between Lebanon and Israel. Has Israel claimed it was attacking this group before? Yes. In March 2024, Israel attacked al-Habbariyeh in southern Lebanon, killing seven emergency relief volunteers. It claimed the attack targeted a member of the group, calling him a “significant terrorist”. However, the alleged target was never named, the director of the Lebanese Emergency and Relief Corps’ Ambulance Association told Al Jazeera. Adblock test (Why?)
Is US President Donald Trump preparing to strike Venezuela?
United States President Donald Trump declared on Saturday that Venezuelan airspace had been “closed”, without offering any further details, spiking tensions between Washington and Caracas amid months of military build-up in the Caribbean. Venezuela has accused the US of a “colonialist threat” in Latin America, as millions of people in the country remain on edge. President Nicolas Maduro had earlier warned that Washington was fabricating claims as a pretext to justify military intervention in Venezuela. Venezuela has been conducting regular drills over the past few weeks and has announced a large-scale mobilisation in preparation for any possible attack. The Trump administration has deployed massive naval assets in the Southern Caribbean since launching a series of strikes on alleged drug boats in early September. Washington has not provided any proof that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking. At least 83 people have been killed in those attacks. Ramping up pressure on Maduro last week, Washington designated what is known among Venezuelans as the Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns in English, as a “foreign terrorist organization”. The Trump administration says it is targeting Venezuela as part of a push to combat drug trafficking. However, political analysts and human rights observers warn Washington against laying the groundwork to unlawfully remove Maduro from power. So, will Trump strike Venezuela after announcing the closure of Venezuelan airspace? Can the US military action be legally justified? And what is driving Trump’s hostile policy against Maduro? Will the US go to war against Venezuela? Since returning to power in January, Trump has ramped up rhetoric against Maduro, blaming Caracas for drug trafficking and the flow of immigrants from Venezuela. Advertisement Within a few weeks into his second term, Trump nixed Venezuelan oil concessions granted by his predecessor, Joe Biden, imposed 25 percent tariffs on countries buying oil from Venezuela, and doubled the reward for the arrest of Maduro to $50m, designating him a “global terrorist leader”. In recent weeks, Trump confirmed that he has authorised the CIA to carry out secret operations in Venezuela, as his administration deployed the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford, other warships, thousands of troops, and F-35 stealth jets to the Caribbean. Last Thursday, Trump said land strikes inside the country could come imminently. Amid heightened military tensions, Trump reportedly spoke with Maduro last week, as per reporting by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, before sanctions against Cartel de los Soles came into effect. On November 25, Trump, on board Air Force One, was asked by reporters if he planned on speaking with Maduro. “I might talk to him. We’ll see. But we’re discussing that with the different staffs. We might talk,” Trump told reporters. When asked why Trump wants to talk to a leader of the designated “foreign terrorist organization”, he took the moral high ground. “If we can save lives, we can do things the easy way, that’s fine. And if we have to do it the hard way, that’s fine, too,” he replied. Can the US military action be legally justified? Critics of the Trump administration have argued that the administration’s military actions violate the US Constitution in addition to international laws. Rights observers and legal scholars have said the deadly boat strikes amount to “extrajudicial killing” and violation of human rights. A report in The Washington Post says that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the military to kill all the passengers on board a boat suspected of carrying drugs. Hegseth has rejected allegations, calling the report “fake news”. The “fabricated and inflammatory” report, he said, was aimed at “discrediting our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland”. The defence secretary has said the strikes in the Caribbean are “lawful”. Meanwhile, the US Congress on Saturday ordered an inquiry into the incident. “At this point, I would call them extrajudicial killings,” Republican Senator Rand Paul told Fox News Sunday in October. Bruce Fein, a US constitutional expert, concurred with Paul. “Trump is acting extra-constitutionally and committing murder,” said Fein, who served as associate deputy attorney general under Republican President Ronald Reagan. Advertisement “Only Congress can authorise the offensive use of the military,” said Fein, adding that Trump’s executive orders in this matter do not have a legal standing. “The victims are engaged in warfare against the United States, except in Trump’s fantasyland – a page from George Orwell’s 1984.” By designating the Cartel de los Soles, which now Washington equates with the Venezuelan state, as a “foreign terrorist organization”, the Trump administration is posing that this is no longer a war between two nations that requires congressional declaration, but a counterterrorism operation against a non-state actor. Cartel de los Soles emerged in the 1990s when Venezuelan generals and senior officers were investigated for drug trafficking and related crimes. In Venezuela, it is not a cartel, but rather a common reference to military officers and officials involved in corruption and other illegal activities. Maduro delivers a speech while holding the Venezuelan independence hero Simon Bolivar’s ‘Sword of Peru’ during a military ceremony in Caracas on November 25, 2025 [Federico Parra/AFP] How has the Venezuelan president responded? Caracas has denounced Trump’s announcement that effectively closed the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Trump’s statement sought “to affect the sovereignty of [Venezuelan] airspace, constituting yet another extravagant, illegal and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people”. Meanwhile, Maduro, whose win in July’s election was not recognised by Washington, has called for peace, rejecting war, and advocated for harmony as he continues to appear frequently on state television broadcasts. In a mix of Spanish and English, Maduro declared, “No war … Yes peace, forever.” On November 15, Maduro invoked singer John Lennon’s peace anthem “Imagine” during a rally of supporters. “Do everything for peace, as John Lennon used to say. Imagine all the people,” he said. Two days later, condemning the use of force or military threats, Maduro said, “Dialogue, call, yes.
Pope Leo insists on two-state solution to resolve Israel-Palestine conflict
The pontiff is set to meet Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and deliver a speech to authorities and diplomats later today. Pope Leo XIV has reiterated the Vatican’s insistence on a two-state resolution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying it’s the “only solution” that can guarantee justice for both sides. Leo made the comments as he flew from Turkiye to Lebanon on Sunday for the second and final leg of his maiden international voyage as pope. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list On the flight, the pontiff was asked by reporters about his private talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan upon his arrival in Ankara, and whether they discussed the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Leo confirmed they had and said Turkiye has an “important role to play” to end both conflicts. On Gaza, he repeated the Holy See’s longstanding position supporting a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. The creation of a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza has long been seen internationally as the only way to resolve the decades-long conflict. “We know that in this moment, Israel doesn’t accept this solution, but we see it as the only one that can offer a solution to the conflict that they are living in,” said Leo. “We are also friends with Israel, and we try with both sides to be a mediating voice that can help bring them closer to a solution with justice for all.” The pope has avoided any direct mention of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza while in Turkiye. There was no immediate response from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has long asserted that creating a Palestinian state would reward the Palestinian group Hamas and eventually lead to an even larger Hamas-run state on Israel’s borders. Advertisement Earlier this month, Netanyahu said Israel’s opposition to a Palestinian state has “not changed one bit” and isn’t threatened by external or internal pressure. “I do not need affirmations, tweets or lectures from anyone,” he said. ‘Glimmer of hope’ The American pontiff landed in Beirut and is now set to meet Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, the Arab world’s only Christian head of state, and deliver a speech to authorities and diplomats at the presidential palace later in the afternoon. “Many people are meeting him on the side of the road towards the presidential palace and he’s expected to meet Lebanese officials. He’ll also hold a huge mass in the centre of Beirut, and then visit several cities across the country,” reported Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem from the scene. About 30 percent of the population of Lebanon is Christian, while the vast majority are Muslim, roughly half of whom belong to the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam. Travelling abroad has become a major part of the modern papacy, with popes seeking to meet local Catholics, spread the faith, and conduct international diplomacy. People gather to welcome Pope Leo XIV as he arrives in Lebanon [Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters] ‘For the sake of peace’ Lebanon’s diverse communities have also welcomed the papal trip with leading Druze cleric Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna saying Lebanon “needs the glimmer of hope represented by this visit”. Reinforcements from the Lebanese army and internal security forces were deployed to the airport before Leo’s arrival. His convoy will pass through Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area where Hezbollah holds sway and where the terrain was battered in last year’s Israeli air strikes. Hezbollah’s Imam al-Mahdi Scouts are to hold a welcoming ceremony by the roadside as the convoy passes. Leo’s schedule includes a prayer at the site of a 2020 explosion at the Beirut port that killed 200 people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage. He will also lead an outdoor mass on the Beirut waterfront and visit a psychiatric hospital, one of the few mental health facilities in Lebanon, where healthcare workers and residents are eagerly anticipating his arrival. Leo will not travel to the south, the target of Israeli attacks. Despite a United States-brokered ceasefire in November 2024, Israel continues to launch near-daily air strikes on southern Lebanon. The pope “is coming to bless us and for the sake of peace”, said Farah Saadeh, a Beirut resident. “We have to wait and see what will happen after he leaves, and we hope nothing is going to happen after his departure,” Saadeh said. Advertisement Before Leo’s arrival, Hezbollah urged the pope to express his “rejection of injustice and aggression” that the country is being subjected to, a reference to the Israeli attacks. Adblock test (Why?)
NHRC’s BIG direction against unsafe sleeper buses, orders states to remove…
This move comes after recent fatal bus fires, including one in Rajasthan that killed 20 people, highlighting concerns over passenger safety.