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Maria Corina Machado: Venezuela’s Nobel Peace laureate in hiding

Maria Corina Machado: Venezuela’s Nobel Peace laureate in hiding

Venezuela’s opposition leader on life in hiding, and her movement’s fight for transition and change. Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader and now Nobel Peace Prize laureate, speaks from hiding about the cost of resistance and the hope driving millions demanding democracy. Barred from elections and under threat of arrest, she discusses the country’s deepening crisis, where nearly eight million Venezuelans have fled, and the challenge of confronting a system that has survived sanctions, protests, and global isolation. In this in-depth interview, Machado reflects on her fight for democracy. Published On 17 Oct 202517 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)

US carries out new drug boat strike in Caribbean, as admiral resigns

US carries out new drug boat strike in Caribbean, as admiral resigns

The United States military has reportedly carried out a strike on another alleged drug smuggling vessel, as the admiral overseeing the Trump administration’s controversial campaign in the Caribbean announced his shock departure. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the strike on Thursday. The official said that, in what appeared to be a first, there were also survivors among the crew. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The official did not offer additional details about the incident, which has not been previously reported. The Pentagon and US President Donald Trump are yet to publicly confirm the attack. Prior to this latest strike, the US had carried out five attacks on alleged drug smuggling vessels in the Caribbean since early September, killing at least 27 people. The strikes have drawn the condemnation of legal experts, rights groups and Democratic lawmakers, who criticise their extrajudicial nature and question whether they adhere to US and international law. The Trump administration argues the strikes are legitimate as the US is already engaged in a war with “narco-terrorist” groups from Venezuela, and drug traffickers are unlawful combatants who must be met with military force. Venezuela has repeatedly condemned the strikes, most recently on Thursday when Caracas’s ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, called on the UN Security Council to investigate what he called the “series of assassinations”. In his speech, Moncada described an attack on a small boat in the Caribbean on Tuesday – the most recent to be confirmed by President Trump – as a “new set of extrajudicial executions”. Advertisement Six people were killed in that attack, including reportedly two fishermen from Trinidad and Tobago, whom Moncada referenced in his speech. “There is a killer prowling the Caribbean,” Moncada said, holding up local newspaper The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, which featured a story detailing the lives of the two men. Only a couple of miles separate Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, with the ongoing military strikes spooking fishermen in the Caribbean island dual-nation. “People from different countries … are suffering the effects of these massacres,” he added. “There is no justification at all … They are fabricating a war.” Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is yet to comment. Following Washington’s first strike on a vessel on September 3, she said, “I have no sympathy for traffickers; the US military should kill them all violently”. The strikes come against the backdrop of an unprecedented US military buildup in the Caribbean, as President Trump escalates a standoff with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Since late August, the US has deployed guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and about 6,500 troops to the region with the stated goal of combating drug trafficking. Trump has also floated the idea of conducting land strikes against Venezuelan cartels, while he authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside the country on Wednesday. Caracas has accused Washington of attempting to overthrow Maduro – whom the US accuses of leading a narco-empire and has offered a $50m reward for – to instigate regime change in the nominally socialist South American country. Speaking in a televised address following Trump’s authorisation of ground operations in Venezuela, Maduro spoke directly to the US public as he declared “no to CIA-orchestrated coups d’etat”. “No to regime change, which reminds us so much of the endless, failed wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and so on,” he said. On behalf of the Department of War, we extend our deepest gratitude to Admiral Alvin Holsey for his more than 37 years of distinguished service to our nation as he plans to retire at year’s end. A native of Fort Valley, Georgia, Admiral Holsey has exemplified the highest… — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 16, 2025 Also on Thursday, the US admiral overseeing the strikes in the Caribbean announced he will retire just a year into his tenure. Admiral Alvin Holsey, the head of US Southern Command that is responsible for forces operating in Central and South America, did not provide an explanation for his departure, which comes two years ahead of schedule. Advertisement “Effective 12 December 2025 I will retire from the US Navy,” Holsey said in a statement posted on Southern Command’s X account. “It’s been an honor to serve our nation, the American people and support and defend the Constitution for over 37 years,” he added. In a post on X, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth praised Holsey’s career and said the admiral “demonstrated unwavering commitment to mission, people, and nation”. “His tenure as Military Deputy Commander and now Commander of United States Southern Command reflects a legacy of operational excellence and strategic vision,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)

Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans barred from Europa League game in UK

Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans barred from Europa League game in UK

Safety advisers in Birmingham City and UK police said Israeli team fans should not attend match due to ‘risks to public safety’. Fans of the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv have been barred from attending a Europa League game against Aston Villa in the United Kingdom next month because of security concerns, the English club said. Birmingham City’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches at Villa Park, where the game is to be played – informed Aston Villa that Maccabi Tel Aviv away fans will not be permitted to attend. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Aston Villa confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the “club has been informed that no away fans may attend the UEFA Europa League match with Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, November 6, following an instruction from the Safety Advisory Group”. “Police have advised the SAG that they have public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night,” the club said. Aston Villa can confirm the club has been informed that no away fans may attend the UEFA Europa League match with Maccabi Tel Aviv. — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 16, 2025 West Midlands Police said they had classified the match as high risk based on “current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”. “Based on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety,” the police force said. Last year’s clashes in Amsterdam between pro-Palestinian supporters and Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv led to dozens of arrests and five people imprisoned. WMP supports Safety Advisory Group decision regarding Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv football match. Click for our statement 👉 https://t.co/NMLkntX08n pic.twitter.com/GgxeYvc7Xm — West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) October 16, 2025 Advertisement While accusations of anti-Semitic attacks quickly circulated following the clashes in Amsterdam on November 6 and 7, reports soon emerged of Israeli fans provoking the violence and of rampaging through the Dutch capital, assaulting residents, destroying symbols of Palestinian solidarity and chanting racist and genocidal slogans against Palestinians and Arabs. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, and the London-based Jewish Leadership Council have all criticised the ban. Starmer said in a post on social media that the ban was “the wrong decision”. “The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation,” he said. This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.https://t.co/8aBeqE4qbA — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 16, 2025 Israel’s Foreign Minister Saar described the ban as a “shameful decision” and called on authorities in the UK to “reverse this coward decision”. Shameful decision! I call on the UK authorities to reverse this coward decision! https://t.co/K5h32VpYa6 — Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) October 16, 2025 The Jewish Leadership Council said it was “perverse that away fans should be banned from a football match because West Midlands Police can’t guarantee their safety”. “Aston Villa should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors,” the organisation added in a statement. The move to ban away fans from the fixture in Birmingham comes amid growing calls to ban Israeli football teams from international competition over Israel’s genocide in Gaza. “We collected and verified extensive evidence of this systematic instrumentalisation of football culture in genocide,” Ashish Prashar, a campaign director at Game Over Israel, which has been pushing to ban Israel from FIFA and UEFA, told Al Jazeera. “This report integrates findings – from stadium racism, to assaults in Europe, to soldiers turning genocide into football propaganda – and demonstrates why Israel’s place in global sport is indefensible.” More than 30 legal experts wrote earlier this month to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, saying that banning Israel from competitions was “imperative”, citing a report by United Nations investigators that confirmed Israel is carrying out a genocide against Palestinians. Advertisement The signatories highlighted the damage that Israel is inflicting on the sport and athletes in Gaza. “These acts have decimated an entire generation of athletes, eroding the fabric of Palestinian sport,” the experts said. “The failure of the Israel Football Association (IFA) to challenge these violations implicates it in this system of oppression, rendering its participation in UEFA competitions untenable,” they said. “UEFA must not be complicit in sports-washing such flagrant breaches of international law, including but not limited to the act of genocide,” they added. Adblock test (Why?)

Mamdani clashes with rivals in fiery debate less than three weeks before NYC chooses next mayor

Mamdani clashes with rivals in fiery debate less than three weeks before NYC chooses next mayor

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The three men running to be the next mayor of New York City, the largest city in the United States, clashed on multiple occasions on the debate stage Thursday night on issues ranging from the war in Gaza to public safety to housing costs.   Public safety was discussed throughout the debate, with Mamdani’s past disparaging comments about police and his calls to defund the New York City Police Department taking center stage.  “He believes in defunding the police, disarming the police, disbanding the police,” Cuomo said. “That’s who he is.” Mamdani attempted to distance himself from his past tweets, pointing out that they were from 2020.  HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU MISSED FROM ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S FIRST FOX NEWS INTERVIEW All three candidates discussed their plans to address the housing crisis in New York City with Mamdani’s plan to “freeze the rent” drawing sharp criticism from Cuomo and Sliwa. “Freeze the rent only postpones the rent,” Cuomo said about Mamdani’s plan, making the case that many of Mamdani’s opponents have made that rent freezes would do more harm than good to housing stock.  Mamdani attempted to distance himself from his past support of legislation to decriminalize prostitution and faced criticism from both his opponents on that subject. Mamdani’s past statements on Israel were another flashpoint during the debate. At one point, Mamdani said, “of course” he supports calling on Hamas to disarm, despite dodging questions on that subject the previous day in an interview with Fox News Channel. “I have denounced Hamas time and time again and it will never be enough,” Mamdani said.  Republican Curtis Sliwa told Mamdani, “Jews don’t trust that you’ll be there for them when they are victims of anti-Semitic attacks.” Experience was also brought up several times in the debate, focused on Mamdani and Cuomo making the case that they were the candidate with the right resume to lead the city going forward. “This is not a job for a first timer,” Cuomo said of Mamdani, adding, “he’s literally never had a job.” “Thank God I’m not a professional politician because they have helped create this crime crisis in the city that we face,” Sliwa said, criticizing both of his opponents’ records.  Mamdani shot back with a line directly at Cuomo on the experience issue. “What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity,” Mamdani said to Cuomo. “What you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience.” With under three weeks until Election Day, Mamdani holds a double-digit lead in the race for the nation’s most populous city, but Cuomo is narrowing the gap, according to the latest public polling. The tightening contest underscores how Cuomo’s independent bid continues to draw support from disaffected Democrats following embattled Mayor Eric Adams’ withdrawal from the race. ‘ABSOLUTELY A COMMUNIST’: MAMDANI DODGES LABEL, BUT HIS RECORD AND EXPERT SAY OTHERWISE  Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from the New York City borough of Queens who shocked the political world in June with his convincing win over Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination, stands at 46% support among likely voters in the most recent survey in the race, from Quinnipiac University. Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid multiple scandals and who is running as an independent candidate in the general election after losing the primary, had 33% support in the survey, which was conducted Oct. 3–7. Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee in the Democratic-dominated city, stood at 15% in the poll. Quinnipiac’s survey was the only major poll in the field entirely after Adams, a Democrat who was running for re-election as an independent, dropped out of the race.  In Quinnipiac University’s previous poll, conducted in early September, Mamdani held a 22-point 45%-23% lead over Cuomo, with Sliwa at 15% and Adams at 12%. Despite Mamdani’s lead in the race for Gracie Mansion, the democratic socialist has struggled to secure endorsements from national party leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mamdani did recently secure an endorsement from Gov. Kathy Hochul, who joined Mamdani on the campaign trail this week, but has since refused to return the favor. “It’s a decision that should be made after this general election,” Mamdai said when asked if the candidates are supporting Hochul for re-election.