Belgium asks US not to destroy millions in contraceptives bound for Africa
The Trump administration has confirmed it plans to destroy the already purchased supplies, preventing their distribution. Published On 5 Sep 20255 Sep 2025 Belgium has called on the administration of United States President Donald Trump to abandon a plan to destroy a massive stockpile of contraceptives for women as part of its rollback on foreign aid. In an interview on Friday, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said the stockpile was mostly bound for sub-Saharan Africa. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The Trump administration confirmed last month that it planned to destroy the supplies, which are unexpired and had been purchased by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under former President Joe Biden. “We continue through diplomatic channels to vigorously advocate against such waste,” Prevot told the Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency. The stockpile is estimated to be worth about $10m. It includes implants and intrauterine devices, long cornerstones for the humanitarian community’s birth control drives. Prevot said a portion of the supplies had already been moved from their original warehouse and were being kept in poor storage conditions. The Belgian diplomat also doused reports that suggested the contraceptives had been sent to France for incineration. “Whether here at the US Embassy or directly in Washington, we have intervened to say, ‘OK, you are changing your policy. We regret it, but please at least allow what has already been purchased to reach the appropriate recipients,’” he said. For its part, Flanders, the self-governing, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium, told the Reuters news agency that the contraceptives are currently being stored in a warehouse in Geel, a municipality in the province of Antwerp. Advertisement Even if the supplies were sent to another country, they could not be incinerated without a “formal derogation” from the region’s ban on destroying medical waste, the Flemish spokesperson explained. “To date, we have not received any such request,” the spokesperson said, adding the Flemish government was open to engaging with US authorities on the matter. The Trump administration has overseen a massive overhaul of US foreign aid since taking office in January. That has included dismantling USAID and cleaving billions of dollars in humanitarian funding. As a result of the US aid cuts, humanitarian organisations and United Nations officials have warned of shortages in critical supplies used to address hunger, staunch disease and prevent unwanted pregnancies. Earlier this week, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from allowing $4.9bn in congressionally approved aid funding to expire without being spent. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,289
Here are the key events on day 1,289 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Published On 5 Sep 20255 Sep 2025 Here is how things stand on Friday, September 5: Fighting Russian drones killed three people – two men and a woman – and injured three others in the village of Khotimlia in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. A Russian missile strike on a Danish-sponsored humanitarian demining mission near the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv has killed two people, according to Governor Viacheslav Chaus. Another three were wounded in the attack, which Chaus said had purposely targeted the team from the Danish Refugee Council. All victims were Ukrainian. Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed it destroyed a launch site for long-range drones with an Iskander missile strike in the same attack in the Chernihiv region. Russian troops have taken control of the village of Novoselivka in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russian Defence Ministry said. Ukraine wants to see improved performance by interceptor drones to counter Russian aerial attacks more effectively, top Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrskii said. Coalition of the Willing Twenty-six nations have pledged to provide post-war security guarantees to Ukraine, which will include an international force on land and sea and in the air, French President Emmanuel Macron said after the “coalition of the willing” group met for a Paris summit of Kyiv’s allies to discuss those guarantees. “The day the conflict stops, the security guarantees will be deployed,” Macron told a news conference at the Elysee Palace, standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Macron initially said 26 nations – which he did not name – would deploy to Ukraine. But he later said some countries would provide guarantees while remaining outside Ukraine, for example, by helping to train and equip Kyiv’s forces. Zelenskyy said after the meeting that “we are working out which countries will take part in which security component”. He added that “26 countries agreed to provide security guarantees. Today, for the first time in a long time, this is the first such serious, very specific substance”. Germany is ready to step up funding for and training of Ukrainian forces, but will decide on further military commitments, including deploying troops to Ukraine, only after broader conditions are clarified, a government spokesperson said. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and France’s President Emmanuel Macron speak before their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, on September 3, 2025 [AFP] Ukraine must become a steel porcupine, indigestible for present and future aggressors, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after the meeting. Macron also said he, fellow European leaders and Zelenskyy held a call with United States President Donald Trump after the summit, and US contributions to the guarantees would be finalised in the coming days. Macron said there is “no doubt” about Washington’s willingness to take part in the security guarantees offered to Ukraine, adding that the relevant planning work needed to be finalised with Washington. On that call, Trump told European leaders that Europe must stop buying Russian oil that he said is helping Moscow fund its war against Ukraine, a White House official said, striking a combative tone amid slow diplomatic progress to end the fighting. “The president also emphasised that European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts,” the official said. Advertisement Sanctions The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on 11 more individuals and entities affiliated with the Russian state, targeting those involved in what it said were Moscow’s attempts to forcibly deport and indoctrinate Ukraine’s children. Former president and current deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, said Russia would take more Ukrainian territory and go after British property after London said it had spent about $1.3bn raised from frozen Russian assets on weapons for Ukraine. Russia has expelled an Estonian diplomat in a reciprocal move, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. In mid-August, Estonia expelled a Russian diplomat over alleged sanctions violations and other offences against the state. Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft has secured an additional deal on the supply of 2.5 million metric tonnes of oil to China via Kazakhstan, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev as saying. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their visit to Beijing, China, on September 3, 2025 [KCNA via Reuters] Regional security North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would “fully support” Russia’s army as a “fraternal duty”, and Russian President Vladimir Putin called the two countries’ ties “special”, North Korean state media KCNA reported. Putin also reportedly sent Kim a congratulatory message for North Korea’s foundation day. “Your combat force’s heroic involvement in liberating the Kursk territories from the invaders is a distinct symbol of friendship and mutual aid between Russia and North Korea”, Putin’s message read, according to KCNA. “I am confident that we will continue to work together to consolidate the comprehensive strategic partnership between our two countries,” Putin said. Adblock test (Why?)
Indonesia in chaos: Five Indonesians give views on why and how to fix it
Demonstrations have gripped Indonesia since late August when anger at a faltering economy erupted into full-blown violence following reports that politicians received a $3,000 housing allowance on top of their salaries – a perk equal to between 10 and 20 times Indonesia’s monthly minimum wage. It was not the first time that Indonesians have taken to the streets this year. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list In February and March, students turned out to protest against a range of unpopular government policies, including cuts to the national budget and a proposed new law expanding the role of the military in political affairs. As the latest wave of protests continues to wash over Indonesia, including on the islands of Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan, Al Jazeera spoke to five Indonesians* about the issues that ignited the demonstrations and what needs to change in their country of more than 283 million people. A protester throws a rock at riot police officers during a protest against lavish allowances given to parliament members, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 28, 2025 [Achmad Ibrahim/AP Photo] Death of a food delivery driver Anger peaked in late August when a motorcycle delivery driver, 21-year-old Affan Kurniawan, was run over and killed by a police vehicle during protests in the capital Jakarta. Kurniawan was reportedly not taking part in demonstrations, but trying to fulfil a food delivery order at the time of his death. Several police officers are now being investigated over his death, and one has already been fired from his position. Advertisement Indonesia’s ubiquitous food delivery drivers are widely seen as a symbol of Indonesia’s lack of good employment opportunities and an ever-present reminder of the country’s poorly paid “gig-economy”, where workers are often economically exploited and socially marginalised. Imran, a food delivery driver from Langkat in North Sumatra, told Al Jazeera that “inequality” was the root cause of the mass protests that have shaken the country. “Including economic inequality, educational inequality, health inequality and unequal public services,” Imran told Al Jazeera. Protesters clash with police outside the parliament building in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, on August 30, 2025 [Made Nagi/EPA] Despite the economic hardships facing everyday people, the country’s House of Representatives still went ahead and asked for a housing allowance of 50 million Indonesian rupiah per month, equal to some $3,000, Imran said. “They are not concerned about our fate. They should be present to resolve the problems facing the community, not fan the flames. These protests arose from the community’s poor economic conditions,” Imran said. “We hope the government will quickly find a solution to address these issues so that people will no longer take to the streets to demand their rights,” he said. “We are part of a community that longs for peace. If our rights are fulfilled, there will be no more masses taking to the streets. We want clean and transparent bureaucracy,” he added. Local news outlet Jakarta Globe reported on Friday that the housing allowance has been scrapped as a result of the demonstrations, and that the House of Representatives had also decided on Thursday against raising the salaries of lawmakers and imposed a ban on their “non-essential overseas trips”. Economic woes Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who has been in power since October, promised on taking office to raise economic growth to 8 percent within the next five years. But, the president has struggled to balance the books, in part due to his free lunch programme for millions of schoolchildren, which is costing the government a reported $10bn per year. To make up for the budget shortfall, blamed in part on the free food initiative, Prabowo’s government slashed state expenditures by $18bn, with the deepest cuts felt in education, public works and healthcare. A prominent Indonesian political analyst* told Al Jazeera that many people feel “disgusted” by the cuts to government spending, and now that Prabowo has been in power for a year, they have a good idea of “how he actually governs”, compared with promises made during his election campaign. Advertisement “Prabowo promoted himself as an economic reformer, but the emperor has no clothes,” the analyst said. Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto speaking about recent violent protests during a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 31, 2025 [Handout/Laily Rachev/EPA] Not all is lost yet, however, for the president. “He still has an opportunity to defuse this. The government still has a lot of room to manoeuvre to repair the damage and make concessions,” the analyst said. “A lot of it has to do with damage control as the protests are targeted against the elite and the establishment in general,” he said, adding the president could build goodwill with the public by holding people to account for corruption and excessive force in dealing with protesters. “He should fire a couple of people and arrest a few people and put them on trial. That would be the best way to save his presidency,” the analyst said. Right to protest Following the death of delivery driver Kurniawan, anger surged, and protesters ransacked the homes of parliamentarians and Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. Demonstrators were also blamed for setting fire to a regional government national assembly building in Makassar in Sulawesi, where three people were reported killed. As police deployed water cannon and tear gas to disperse crowds in cities across the country, including on university campuses, Prabowo told the country’s security forces to get tough on protests that showed signs of “treason and terrorism”. Afifah, a women’s rights activist based in Jakarta, said there have been demonstrations since the start of the year, and not just in the past few weeks, due to “a real frustration about economic issues in Indonesia”. People were also “worried about the military expanding its authority over civilians, access to the job market and widespread poverty,” she said. In the face of the demonstrations, authorities used tear gas, which suppressed the people’s “right to protest” peacefully in Indonesia, Afifah said.
Kim, Xi hail bond as North Korea says it will protect China’s interests
Goodwill messages continued this week’s unprecedented public display of diplomatic unity between Beijing, Pyongyang and Moscow. Published On 5 Sep 20255 Sep 2025 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Chinese President Xi Jinping that North Korea will support China in protecting its sovereignty, territory and development interests, as the pair met just a day after an unprecedented show of unity with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing. The bilateral meeting between Xi and Kim on Thursday came as Russia also hailed North Korea’s role supporting its war in Ukraine, continuing the public display of close relations between Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow after their meeting at Wednesday’s huge military parade in China’s capital to mark 80 years since the end of World War II. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list In an article published on Friday by North Korea’s state-run outlet, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim was quoted as saying, “No matter how the international situation changes, the feeling of friendship cannot change” between Pyongyang and Beijing. “The DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] will as ever invariably support and encourage the stand and efforts of the Communist Party of China and the government of the People’s Republic of China to defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests of the state,” Kim said after meeting with Xi, according to KCNA. Xi also reportedly told Kim that China and North Korea are “good neighbours, good friends and good comrades” that share one destiny, and he was willing to “defend, consolidate and develop” the countries’ relations, KCNA said. KCNA also confirmed that Kim departed Beijing on Thursday, concluding his first trip outside of North Korea since meeting with Putin in Russia in 2023. Advertisement Top-ranking Chinese Communist Party officials – including Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi – attended a send-off ceremony for Kim, according to KCNA. During Wednesday’s military parade in Beijing – in which the People’s Liberation Army displayed its latest generation of stealth fighters, tanks and ballistic missiles amid a highly choreographed cast of thousands – Xi hailed China’s victory 80 years ago over “Japanese aggression” in the “world anti-fascist war”. Putin and Kim were among some 26 mostly non-Western world leaders in attendance, with the pair meeting with Xi for two and a half hours on the event’s sidelines in an unprecedented display of unity. The trio discussed “long-term” cooperation plans, according to KCNA. Putin and Kim also met prior to the parade, with both leaders praising the deepening military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang. Seemingly rattled by the meeting, United States President Donald Trump addressed Xi in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.” A Kremlin aide dismissed Trump’s remarks, saying “no one even had this in their thoughts”. Following the meeting, Putin also sent Kim a congratulatory message for North Korea’s foundation day, in which he hailed Pyongyang’s support for Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. “Your combat force’s heroic involvement in liberating the Kursk territories from the invaders is a distinct symbol of friendship and mutual aid between Russia and North Korea,” Putin’s message read, according to KCNA. “I am confident that we will continue to work together to consolidate the comprehensive strategic partnership between our two countries,” Putin added. North Korea has controversially sent thousands of soldiers to fight in Kursk – a Russian region briefly occupied by Ukraine – and also provided artillery ammunition and missiles to support Moscow in its war against Kyiv. During their meeting in Beijing, Kim also reportedly told Putin his country would “fully support” Russia’s army as a “fraternal duty”, KCNA previously reported. Adblock test (Why?)
Watch UK police arrest Palestine Action supporter for planning protest
NewsFeed UK police were recorded arresting a Palestine Action supporter for allegedly taking part in a Zoom meeting to plan a protest against the government’s designation of the group as a “terrorist” organisation. Published On 3 Sep 20253 Sep 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
US appeals court blocks Trump use of Alien Enemies Act in deportation drive
A federal appeals court has ruled that the administration of United States President Donald Trump illegally invoked a wartime law to deport Venezuelans as part of its immigration crackdown. Late on Tuesday, a majority on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expedite deportations without due process. The decision was remarkable on several fronts. It was the first time a federal appellate court had weighed Trump’s use of the 18th-century law, but it was also a strong rebuke to Trump’s mass deportation campaign from a court with a reputation for leaning conservative. Writing for the majority on the three-person bench, Judge Leslie Southwick rejected Trump’s claim that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua represented an invasion into the US. “We conclude that the findings do not support that an invasion or a predatory incursion has occurred,” Southwick wrote. “We therefore conclude that petitioners are likely to prove that the AEA [Alien Enemies Act] was improperly invoked.” The Alien Enemies Act has the power to give the government wide-ranging powers to detain and deport citizens of “hostile” foreign nations, but only in times of war or during an “invasion or predatory incursion”. Before Trump, the law had only been used three times — and exclusively during war. But Trump officials have used the law to justify the rapid deportation of Venezuelan migrants, on the basis that they constitute a criminal “invasion” across the border. Southwick, who was appointed by Republican President George W Bush, rejected that argument. Advertisement “There is no finding that this mass immigration was an armed, organized force or forces,” Southwick wrote. The panel is the highest federal court to so far rule on Trump’s attempts to use the law for deportations. The case is expected to eventually make its way to the US Supreme Court. Tuesday’s ruling, however, was limited in scope: It only applies to states under the appeals court’s jurisdiction — Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi — though it could be cited as a precedent in other appeals court circuits. Trump first invoked the Alien Enemies Act on March 15, publishing an executive order that accused the Tren de Aragua gang of “perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion” into the US. That same day, his administration flew two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT), a maximum-security prison notorious for human rights abuses. That came despite a lower judge’s order blocking his use of the law while the flights were under way. Trump officials accused the Venezuelan migrants on those flights of being Tren de Aragua members, though their lawyers point out that many of them had no criminal records. To meet the standards for using the Alien Enemies Act, the Trump administration has repeatedly claimed that Tren de Aragua is controlled by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a longtime rival of the Republican leader. Trump has accused Maduro of masterminding a “narco-terrorism enterprise” in a coordinated effort to destabilise the US. But a declassified US intelligence memo has contradicted this claim, saying there is no evidence that Maduro coordinated with Tren de Aragua. On Tuesday, the US announced it had attacked a boat carrying 11 alleged Tren de Aragua members in international waters in the Caribbean, killing all on board. Trump claimed they were “narcoterrorists”. Cases related to Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act have twice reached the US Supreme Court, which has not yet addressed the underlying validity of the Trump administration’s actions. In April, the Supreme Court ruled that deportations under the act could proceed, but that immigrants should have “reasonable time” to contest their removals. It also decided that such challenges should be brought in the federal districts where the deportees are being held, as opposed to courts elsewhere in the country. In a second ruling, also in April, the Supreme Court blocked the deportations of a group of Venezuelan men in northern Texas. Advertisement Then, in May, the Supreme Court extended the block, faulting the Trump administration for attempting to swiftly remove detainees just one day after providing them with deportation notices. “Notice roughly 24 hours before removal, devoid of information about how to exercise due process rights to contest that removal, surely does not pass muster,” the majority opinion said. The case was ultimately sent back to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In a statement after Tuesday’s decision, Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), called the ruling a “critically important decision reining in the administration’s view that it can simply declare an emergency without any oversight by the courts”. The ACLU represented the Venezuelan men in the case. But there was one judge who dissented from Tuesday’s decision on the Fifth Circuit Court: Andrew Oldham, a Trump appointee. Oldham argued that deportations under the Alien Enemies Act were “matters of political judgment” and that the president has the right to determine whether the appropriate conditions were met. “From the dawn of our nation until President Trump took office a second time, courts have never second-guessed the President’s invocation of that Act,” Oldham wrote. Adblock test (Why?)
Campbell’s sees tariff hit in year ahead as economic uncertainty looms
The maker of the Goldfish snack also plans to stop using artificial dyes by the second half of its 2026 fiscal year. Published On 3 Sep 20253 Sep 2025 Campbell’s Co expects sales to fall in the coming year as tariff-driven economic uncertainty weighs on the food maker. In its fourth quarter earnings report released Wednesday, the New Jersey-based company said its sales will likely remain flat or decline by as much as 2 percent in the coming year. Campbell’s, which is best known for its canned soup products, said that it expects that tariffs will account for about 4 percent of the cost of goods for the 2026 fiscal year which started August 4. The company says it plans to mitigate the cost with some price increases and other cost-saving measures as inflation weighs on how much consumers spend. “Consumers continue to be increasingly deliberate in their food choices,“ CEO Mick Beekhuizen said. The latest consumer price index report reflecting the month of July, and which came out in mid-August, showed that prices overall for food at home increased by 2.2 percent compared over the same period a year ago. “The company faces a dynamic operating and regulatory environment resulting in substantial input cost pressures, primarily driven by tariffs, which, despite significant mitigation efforts, reduce its earnings outlook for the upcoming fiscal year,” Beekhuizen said. Campbell expects annual adjusted profit per share to fall up to 18 percent to between $2.40 and $2.55, including tariffs, and below the estimates of $2.63, according to data compiled by LSEG. Food brands like Campbells and its competitors use steel in their cans, which has been subject to steep tariffs. The Can Manufacturers Institute warned earlier this year that tariffs would put a strain on food producers, especially as domestic manufacturing of the steel used in cans has fallen by 75 percent over the last eight years. “Domestic can makers and canned food producers now import nearly 80 percent of tin mill steel from trade allies,” Robert Budway, president of the Can Manufacturers Institute, said at the time. Advertisement Campbell’s Co reported net sales increased in the fourth quarter by 1 percent to $2.3bn. Prices also increased by 2 percent for the quarter, which offset a 4 percent decline in volume. Food dye cuts The maker of the Goldfish snack also plans to stop using synthetic food dyes in its products by the second half of the 2026 fiscal year. The company plans to replace them with more natural alternatives like annatto, an orange-red food condiment made from the seeds of the achiote tree, and purple carrot juice in Lance crackers and V8 Splash. It joins industry peers, including PepsiCo, Kraft-Heinz and Nestle, in replacing synthetic food dyes with natural ones in response to Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative and shifting consumer preferences. On Wall Street, the company’s stock surged on the news, and as of 11:30am in New York (15:30 GMT), it was up by 4.6 percent. Adblock test (Why?)
How did US strike on Venezuelan boat come about? What it means
President Donald Trump has released a video showing a United States military strike on a boat in the Caribbean that he says was smuggling drugs out of Venezuela for the Tren de Aragua gang, stoking fears of a possible clash between the Venezuelan and US militaries. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said 11 people were killed on Tuesday. He wrote: “No US Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” The strike, apparently carried out in international waters, marks an escalation in tensions between the Trump administration and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom Trump has repeatedly accused of assisting international drug gangs. The incident is the first known attack the US has made against alleged smugglers since the Trump administration began increasing its military presence in the Caribbean last month to counter drug cartels designated as “narcoterrorist organisations”. What happened? The Trump administration dispatched warships to the southern Caribbean in August in a bid, it said, to counter threats to US national security posed by criminal organisations operating in the region. The New York Times reported that Trump had signed a secret directive ordering the Pentagon to use military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that the US considers “terrorist organisations”. On Thursday, the Reuters news agency reported that seven US warships and one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine were headed for the Caribbean. More than 4,500 sailors and Marines are on board the vessels. Advertisement Then on Tuesday, Trump announced the strike on the Venezuelan boat he said was transporting drugs. (Al Jazeera) What is Tren de Aragua and why does Trump link it to Maduro? Trump identified the people on board the Venezuelan boat as “narcoterrorists” who were “at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States”. The Tren de Aragua is one of Venezuela’s most notorious criminal organisations with operations spreading across Latin America. Originating in the early 2000s among prison inmates in the state of Aragua, the gang initially controlled contraband and extortion networks inside jails before expanding outwards. Today, it runs a diversified criminal empire spanning drug trafficking, human smuggling, extortion, illegal mining and contract killings. The group is especially active along migration routes, exploiting vulnerable refugees and migrants through kidnapping, forced labour and sex trafficking. The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed there is a direct link between groups like Tren de Aragua and Venezuela’s government. According to Trump, Maduro controls the gang as part of a “narcoterrorism” ploy to destabilise the US. On August 7, the US Departments of State and Justice doubled their reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro to $50m, accusing him of being “one of the largest narcotraffickers in the world”. For his part, Maduro denies any connection to the group. At least two reports from the US intelligence community also contradict the Trump administration’s claim. In May, a declassified National Intelligence Council report found that Maduro’s government “probably does not have a policy of cooperating with” Tren de Aragua. The report also said Maduro is “not directing” the gang’s operations in the US although it did concede that Venezuela offers a “permissive environment” that allows Tren de Aragua to operate. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said at a news conference on September 1, 2025, in Caracas that his government has been targeted by eight military ships and 1,200 missiles, calling it the greatest threat to Venezuela for 100 years [Jesus Vargas/Getty Images] What does the US strike mean for Venezuela-US relations? The US deployment piqued concerns over spiralling tensions with Venezuela after Maduro urged millions of Venezuelans in August to join nationalist “militias” to defend Venezuela in response to Washington’s aggressive new antidrug operations in the Caribbean. In the run-up to the US strike on the Venezuelan boat this week, Maduro said on August 25: “No empire will touch the sacred soil of Venezuela.” Advertisement The Venezuelan president has long accused the US government of interfering in his country’s politics on behalf of the political opposition. In last week’s remarks, he also accused Trump of “seeking a regime change through military threat”. Trump, meanwhile, has adopted the same “maximum pressure” campaign that defined his foreign policy towards Venezuela during his first term. It included heightened sanctions on the Latin American country. In spite of this, the US energy group Chevron returned to Venezuela in July after a three-month hiatus after Trump’s decision in February to rescind a US Treasury licence that allowed the oil giant to export crude from Venezuela despite US sanctions. Trump revoked the existing licence, which was issued during President Joe Biden’s administration in 2022, over what he saw as a “failure” by Maduro to implement electoral reforms and accept Venezuelans deported from the US, forcing Chevron to pause operations and wind down its activities. But after intense lobbying, Chevron was granted a new restricted licence by the Department of the Treasury to export Venezuelan crude. That decision was considered to amount to an easing of sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector. While the precise licence conditions remain unknown, experts said the agreement will bring benefits to Venezuela’s debt-strapped economy as Chevron is expected to send 200,000 barrels of oil per day from Venezuela to international markets. Christopher Sabatini, senior research fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, said the Trump administration is facing “competing objectives” in Venezuela. Sabatini told Al Jazeera that the Treasury’s recent move to reinstate Chevron’s (albeit restricted) licence “is a recognition, in part, of the failure of past sanctions” insofar as they ceded control of Venezuelan oil assets from Chevron to “governments opposed to US interests, … China, Russia and Iran”. He added that “by mobilising this fleet [in the Caribbean], the administration is also trying to scare Maduro into potential regime change.” The upshot, Sabatini said, is that Trump’s two-pronged policy approach “risks causing an unintended conflict with Venezuela”. How are
Israel accused of using drones to drop incendiary bombs in Gaza
NewsFeed Israeli forces reportedly used quadcopter drones to drop incendiary bombs on ambulances parked outside a clinic in Gaza City, causing a fire. The use of incendiary weapons is prohibited in civilian-populated areas under international humanitarian law. Published On 3 Sep 20253 Sep 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
What China unveiled at its military parade
NewsFeed China showcased a new generation of weapons at a military parade in Bejing, including ‘robot wolves’, unmanned submarines and aircraft, and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Al Jazeera’s Alex Gatopoulos looks at how these all fit into Beijing’s push to build a world-class military. Published On 3 Sep 20253 Sep 2025 Adblock test (Why?)