conflict

Two killed in series of Russian attacks on Ukraine

conflict

Maduro's fall tests Venezuela's ruling 'club'

BY JAVIER TOVAR

  • Experts also attribute purges within government to them, such as one that sent Tareck El Aissami, a powerful oil minister until 2023, to prison.
  • The ousting of Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's president puts to the test his "Chavista" factions that have governed the oil-rich nation for 27 years.
  • Experts also attribute purges within government to them, such as one that sent Tareck El Aissami, a powerful oil minister until 2023, to prison.
The ousting of Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's president puts to the test his "Chavista" factions that have governed the oil-rich nation for 27 years.
What happens to the so-called "club of five" powerful leftist figures, now that two of its most important members -- Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores -- have been captured and sent to the United States to face trial?

'Club of five' 

Anointed by his mentor Hugo Chavez before the latter's death in 2013, Maduro kept a tight grip on power until his capture by US forces on Saturday.
Maduro ruled alongside Flores and three other powerful figures: former vice president Delcy Rodriguez -- now Venezuela's interim leader -- her brother Jorge, and their rival: hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
"It's like a club of five," a diplomatic source in Caracas told AFP under the condition of anonymity.
"They can speak, they have a voice in the government, but Maduro was the one who kept the balance. Now that he's gone, who knows?"
– Maduro and 'Super Cilita' –
The image of Maduro handcuffed and blindfolded as US forces transported him to New York to face trial made headlines around the world.
During months in the crosshairs of US President Donald Trump, who accused him of being a drug trafficker, the 63-year-old former bus driver deflected pressure by dancing to techno music at near-daily rallies, always broadcast live, as he chanted the mantra "No war, yes peace!" -- in English.
Frequently underestimated, Maduro managed to eliminate internal resistance and keep the opposition at bay.
Murals, songs and films celebrated him, as did the animated cartoon "Super Moustache," in which he appeared as a superhero, fighting imperialism alongside "Super Cilita," who is based on Flores. 
Toy figurines of both characters were also produced.
The military swore absolute loyalty to him, led by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez.
Though defiant at first and calling for Maduro's return, Venezuela's interim leader Rodriguez called for a "balanced and respectful relationship" between the South American country and the United States on Sunday.
"The top level of government has survival as its absolute priority," Antulio Rosales, political scientist and professor at York University in Canada, told AFP.
– The Rodriguez siblings –
Rodriguez controlled the economy and the oil industry as vice president while her brother Jorge is the speaker of parliament.
They are known for their incendiary rhetoric, often mixing belligerence, irony and insults against the "enemies of the fatherland."
But behind the scenes, they are skilled political operators.
Jorge Rodriguez was the chief negotiator with the opposition and the United States, and his sister represented Maduro in various international forums.
Experts also attribute purges within government to them, such as one that sent Tareck El Aissami, a powerful oil minister until 2023, to prison.
Rodriguez took over his post shortly afterwards.
– The feared policeman –
Diosdado Cabello meanwhile is widely feared in Venezuela. Under his ministry, some 2,400 people were detained during protests that followed Maduro's disputed re-election in 2024, in a move that cowed the opposition.
Cabello is seen as representing the most radical wing of "Chavismo," and some see him at odds with the pragmatism of the Rodriguez pair, though both sides have denied this.
Cabello acted as president for a few hours when Chavez was overthrown for two days in 2002.
He accompanied Chavez in a failed coup attempt in 1992. Today he is number two in the Socialist Party behind Maduro.
The US courts have now named Cabello among those wanted for trial alongside Maduro.
They have offered $25 million for his capture.
Having kept a low profile in the hours after Maduro's capture, he appeared by Rodriguez's side at her first cabinet meeting as acting president on Sunday.
jt/pgf/rlp/cb/sla/ane/cms

conflict

Trump declares US 'in charge' of Venezuela and Maduro goes to court

BY RAPHAEL HERMANO WITH ANDREA TOSTA AND PATRICK FORT IN CARACAS

  • "We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation," the former vice president said.
  • President Donald Trump's claim that the United States is "in charge" of Venezuela will be underscored Monday when the oil-rich nation's deposed leader is hauled before a New York court, while his successor offers to cooperate.
  • "We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation," the former vice president said.
President Donald Trump's claim that the United States is "in charge" of Venezuela will be underscored Monday when the oil-rich nation's deposed leader is hauled before a New York court, while his successor offers to cooperate.
Leftist strongman Nicolas Maduro, 63, faces narcotrafficking charges along with his wife, who was also seized and taken out of Caracas in the shock US assault Saturday, which involved commandos, bombing by jet planes, and a massive naval force off Venezuela's coast.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency session on Monday at Venezuela's request. This will provide a platform for international concern over US intentions in the country of around 30 million people.
Trump is unlikely fazed, as his plan to dominate Venezuela and its vast oil reserves unfolds.
"We're in charge," Trump announced late Sunday.
In a potential win for Washington, Maduro's successor and interim leader Delcy Rodriguez dropped her initial fiery rhetoric, issuing a statement late Sunday offering to work with Trump.
"We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation," the former vice president said.
This was hours after Trump threatened that she'd pay a "very big price, probably bigger than Maduro," if she didn't bend to US wishes.
When asked what he needs from Rodriguez, Trump said: "We need total access. We need access to the oil and other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country."
While there are no known US forces left inside Venezuela, a huge naval presence, including an aircraft carrier, remains off the coast.
The Trump administration says it retains powerful economic leverage by blockading oil tankers from Venezuela. Trump has also threatened additional military attacks if needed.

No regime change

But what happens next in Venezuela, after a combined quarter century of hard-left rule by Maduro and his late socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez, remains unclear.
The Democratic Party leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, told ABC News that Americans were left "scratching their heads in wonderment and in fear."
The White House indicated Sunday that it does not want regime change -- just Maduro gone and a pliant new government, even if it is filled with his former associates.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed on Sunday that Washington is not looking for radical overhaul or even a return to democracy any time soon.
Rather than seek to topple the entire Maduro government, "we're going to make an assessment on the basis of what they do," he told CBS News.
The US position leaves the Venezuelan opposition -- which the Trump administration says was robbed of victory by Maduro in recent elections -- out in the cold.
Leading opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia said the US intervention was "important" but "not enough" without the release of political prisoners and acknowledgement that he won the 2024 election.

Breaching international law?

Countries such as China, Russia and Iran, which have longstanding ties with Maduro's government, were quick to condemn the operation. Some US allies, including the EU, expressed alarm.
China called for Maduro to be "immediately released" in a condemnation of the US operation, which its foreign ministry said was a "clear violation of international law."
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whose country neighbors Venezuela, called the US action an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America, which would lead to a humanitarian crisis.
Italy and Israel, whose leaders strongly back Trump, were more supportive.
burs-sms/sla/ane

children

UK starts ban on junk food ads on daytime TV and online

  • "By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods," health minister Ashley Dalton said in a statement.
  • New regulations come into force Monday in Britain banning daytime TV and online adverts for so-called junk foods, in what the government calls a "world-leading action" to tackle childhood obesity.
  • "By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods," health minister Ashley Dalton said in a statement.
New regulations come into force Monday in Britain banning daytime TV and online adverts for so-called junk foods, in what the government calls a "world-leading action" to tackle childhood obesity.
The ban -- targeting ads for products high in fat, salt or sugar -- is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children's diets each year, according to the health ministry. 
Impacting ads airing before the 9:00pm watershed and anytime online, it will reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000 and deliver around £2 billion ($2.7 bln) in health benefits, the ministry added.
The implementation of the measure -- first announced in December 2024 -- follows other recent steps, including an extended sugar tax on pre-packaged items like milkshakes, ready-to-go coffees and sweetened yoghurt drinks.
Local authorities have also been given the power to stop fast food shops setting up outside schools.
The government argues evidence shows advertising influences what and when children eat, shaping preferences from a young age and increasing the risk of obesity and related illnesses. 
It notes 22 percent of children starting primary schooling in England -- typically aged around five -- are overweight or obese, rising to more than a third by the time they progress to secondary schools aged 11. 
Tooth decay is the leading cause of UK hospital admissions for young children, typically aged five to nine, according to officials.
"By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods," health minister Ashley Dalton said in a statement.
He added the move was part of a strategy to make the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) focus on preventing as well as treating sickness, "so people can lead healthier lives".
Katharine Jenner, executive director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said it was "a welcome and long-awaited step towards better protecting children from unhealthy food and drink advertising that can harm their health and wellbeing". 
The charity Diabetes UK also welcomed the ads ban, with its chief executive, Colette Marshall, noting that type 2 diabetes is on the rise in young people.
"Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and the condition can lead to more severe consequences in young people -- leaving them at risk of serious complications like kidney failure and heart disease," she added.
jj/jh

conflict

Two killed in series of Russian attacks on Ukraine

  • Russia has also accused Kyiv of firing drones at a hotel and cafe in the Moscow-held part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region early Thursday, killing what it said were 28 people celebrating the New Year.
  • Russia bombarded Ukraine early Monday, killing two people in the Kyiv region, authorities said on the eve of a diplomatic summit in France.
  • Russia has also accused Kyiv of firing drones at a hotel and cafe in the Moscow-held part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region early Thursday, killing what it said were 28 people celebrating the New Year.
Russia bombarded Ukraine early Monday, killing two people in the Kyiv region, authorities said on the eve of a diplomatic summit in France.
A countrywide siren was issued just after midnight, while Ukraine's military said air defences were operating in several places. 
In the capital, a private medical facility caught fire as a result of the Russian strikes, killing one person and wounding three others, the State Emergency Service of Kyiv said. It released images of rescuers removing people on stretchers from a gutted building. 
Another pre-dawn attack on the neighbouring city of Fastiv killed one man in his 70s, according to Kyiv regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk. 
The strikes caused power outages in the area, with backup systems activated to maintain water and heating supplies, the official said, as temperatures dropped to -8C.
The attacks came on the eve of a meeting of European leaders in Paris as they seek a breakthrough on a peace plan Kyiv says is "90 percent" ready.
To lay the groundwork, security advisers from 15 countries, including Britain, France and Germany as well as representatives from NATO and the European Union, gathered in Kyiv over the weekend.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff joined the talks virtually, a Ukrainian official told AFP, though the United States' large-scale military attack on Venezuela earlier in the day overshadowed proceedings.
Another preparatory meeting, between chiefs of staff, is scheduled for Monday.
Diplomatic efforts to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II have gained pace in recent weeks, though both Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds over the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement.
Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine, is pushing for full control of the country's eastern Donbas region as part of a deal.
But Kyiv has warned that ceding ground will embolden Moscow and said it will not sign a peace deal that fails to deter Russia from invading again.

Trump refutes strike on Putin home

Bombarded daily and losing ground, Ukraine has responded with its own drone attacks launched towards Russian territory, targeting in particular energy infrastructure that funds the war effort. 
Russia's defence ministry said it has downed Ukrainian drones targeting the Moscow region every day of 2026, and claims to have shot several hundred -- an unusually high number -- over the weekend. 
The Kremlin published a video of a downed drone it said Ukraine had launched at the home of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod region, adding that the property was not damaged and the leader was elsewhere at the time.
Kyiv refuted the allegation, and its European allies expressed scepticism. 
Asked about it on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that "something" had happened near Putin's residence, but after reviewing the evidence, American officials did not believe it had been targeted by Ukraine. 
"I don't believe that strike happened," Trump said in response to a reporter's question aboard Air Force One.
Russia has also accused Kyiv of firing drones at a hotel and cafe in the Moscow-held part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region early Thursday, killing what it said were 28 people celebrating the New Year. Ukraine says it was a military gathering.
Moscow accuses Kyiv of being insincere in its peace efforts, while Ukraine says Russia is trying to scupper the diplomatic momentum to end the conflict. 
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a "special military operation" to prevent the expansion of NATO.
Russia made bigger advances on the battlefield last year than any other year since it launched its invasion, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War.
bur-lb/cms

diplomacy

South Korea's Lee to meet Xi with trade, Pyongyang on the agenda

  • Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his meeting with Xi comes a day after the nuclear-armed North fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.
  • South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet Monday with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, with closer economic ties as well as the recalcitrant North on the agenda.
  • Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his meeting with Xi comes a day after the nuclear-armed North fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet Monday with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, with closer economic ties as well as the recalcitrant North on the agenda.
Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his meeting with Xi comes a day after the nuclear-armed North fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.
The pair will meet for an opening ceremony and a summit before the signing of an agreement and a state banquet, Seoul has said.
The South Korean leader, accompanied by a delegation of business and tech leaders, hopes to secure pledges to expand economic cooperation with his country's largest trading partner.
He has called for South Korea and China to work towards "more horizontal and mutually beneficial" trade.
On Monday Lee met with top executives from both South Korean and Chinese firms at Beijing's opulent Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Seoul's Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korea and China "have helped each other grow through interconnected industrial supply chains and led the global economy", he told them.
Among the Chinese firms represented were battery giant CATL as well as phone maker ZTE and tech giant Tencent, Yonhap said.
On the South Korean side, Lee is accompanied by Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group's executive chair Chung Eui-sun, among others.
Lee also hopes to possibly harness China's clout over North Korea to support his bid to improve ties with Pyongyang.
"China is a very important cooperative partner in moving toward peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula," Lee said during a meeting with Korean residents in Beijing on Sunday, according to Yonhap.

Pyongyang tensions

Hours before Xi and Lee were due to meet, Pyongyang declared that it had launched two hypersonic missiles and that its nuclear forces were ready for "actual war".
Xi and Lee last met in November on the sidelines of the APEC summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju -- a meeting Seoul framed as a reset of ties after years of tension.
Seoul has for decades trodden a fine line between China, its top trading partner, and the United States, its chief defence guarantor.
And Lee's trip comes less than a week after China carried out massive military drills around Taiwan, the self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory.
The exercise, featuring missiles, fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels, drew a chorus of international condemnation that Seoul has notably declined to join.
Lee also deftly stayed on the sidelines since a nasty spat erupted between Beijing and Tokyo late last year, triggered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's suggestion that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.
In an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Friday, Lee said he "clearly affirms" that "respecting the 'one-China' principle and maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia, including in the Taiwan Strait, are very important".
bur-oho/je/mtp

Greenland

Trump renews push to annex Greenland

  • Over the weekend, the Danish prime minister called on Washington to stop "threatening its historical ally".
  • President Donald Trump doubled down Sunday on his claim that Greenland should become part of the United States, despite calls by Denmark's prime minister to stop "threatening" the territory.
  • Over the weekend, the Danish prime minister called on Washington to stop "threatening its historical ally".
President Donald Trump doubled down Sunday on his claim that Greenland should become part of the United States, despite calls by Denmark's prime minister to stop "threatening" the territory.
Washington's military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the Arctic.
While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump reiterated the goal. 
"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," he said in response to a reporter's question.
"We'll worry about Greenland in about two months... let's talk about Greenland in 20 days."
Over the weekend, the Danish prime minister called on Washington to stop "threatening its historical ally".
"I have to say this very clearly to the United States: it is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement. 
She also noted that Denmark, "and thus Greenland", was a NATO member protected by the agreement's security guarantees.

'Disrespectful'

Trump rattled European leaders by attacking Caracas and grabbing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now being detained in New York.
Trump has said the United States will now "run" Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves.
Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for mineral-rich Greenland, Trump said it was up to others to decide.
"They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don't know," Trump was quoted as saying.
He added: "But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence."
Hours later, former aide Katie Miller, the wife of Trump's most influential adviser, drew ire by posting an image of Greenland in the colours of the US flag, captioning it "SOON".
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called Miller's post "disrespectful".
"Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law -- not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights," he wrote on X.
But he also said "there is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts".

Allies?

Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Trump's policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda.
Denmark's ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, offered
a pointed "friendly reminder" in response to Katie Miller's post that his country has "significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts" and worked together with Washington on that.
"We are close allies and should continue to work together as such," Soerensen wrote.
Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.
She later worked as communications director for then-vice president Mike Pence and also acted as his press secretary.
ef/jh/lb/mtp

demographics

'Not about condoms': Chinese shrug off contraceptive tax

BY ISABEL KUA

  • A 19-year-old student surnamed Du told AFP in Beijing she felt the impact of more expensive contraceptives would be limited. 
  • China has made condoms and other contraceptives more expensive as it tries to boost birth rates, but residents in Beijing and analysts say the measure will have little impact.
  • A 19-year-old student surnamed Du told AFP in Beijing she felt the impact of more expensive contraceptives would be limited. 
China has made condoms and other contraceptives more expensive as it tries to boost birth rates, but residents in Beijing and analysts say the measure will have little impact.
Consumers must now pay a 13 percent value-added tax for contraception including condoms, after Beijing removed exemptions on the products from January 1. 
Childcare and marriage brokerage services are exempt.
The government has sought to boost China's flagging birth rate, concerned about the rapidly ageing and shrinking population, as well as record low marriage rates.
But young people in Beijing told AFP that taxing contraceptives will not address the root issues they say are stopping people from having children. 
"The immense pressure on young people in China today -- from employment to daily life -- has absolutely nothing to do with condoms," a resident in her thirties, who wanted to be known only as Jessica, told AFP.
Jessica said there was a notable class divide in Chinese society and many people felt their future was too uncertain to start a family. 
"The rich are too rich, and the poor remain poor... (and people) lack confidence in their future, so they may be unwilling to have children."
Xu Wanting, 33, who read about the new tax online, said she did not believe it would directly increase birth rates.
"Those who truly need to buy these products will still buy them, because these are family planning products," Xu told AFP outside a shopping mall.
"They (condoms) are not solely for contraception, but also concern women's reproductive health."

Concrete obstacles

China's population has declined for three straight years, and could fall from 1.4 billion today to 633 million by 2100, according to United Nations predictions.
China's leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have pledged to address the country's demographic problems.
They vowed at a key economic policy meeting in December to "advocate positive views on marriage and childbearing, and strive to stabilise the number of new births" in 2026, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
But the contraceptives tax is trivial compared to the true cost of raising a child in China, one of the world's most expensive countries for child-rearing, said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.
"Young couples deciding whether to have children are not calculating whether they can afford extra dollars for contraception -- they are asking whether they can afford to raise a child at all in an environment of economic uncertainty," Wu told AFP. 
They face concrete obstacles in China, Wu added, such as a weak job market, "prohibitive" housing costs, a stressful work culture and workplace discrimination against women.
A 19-year-old student surnamed Du told AFP in Beijing she felt the impact of more expensive contraceptives would be limited. 
To really boost births, small companies have to guarantee benefits like marriage and maternity leave first, Du said.
Otherwise, it may be hard to convince couples to have children.
"Young people today... worry about whether they can shoulder the responsibilities of being parents," she said.
isk/dhw/cms

Venezuela

North Korea tests hypersonic missiles, says nuclear forces ready for war

  • On Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying the test showed "the readiness of the DPRK's nuclear forces", referring to North Korea by its official name.
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the firing of "cutting-edge" hypersonic missiles to ready Pyongyang's nuclear forces for war, state media reported Monday, saying "geopolitical crisis" made the test even more urgent in a clear nod to this weekend's US attack on Venezuela.
  • On Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying the test showed "the readiness of the DPRK's nuclear forces", referring to North Korea by its official name.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the firing of "cutting-edge" hypersonic missiles to ready Pyongyang's nuclear forces for war, state media reported Monday, saying "geopolitical crisis" made the test even more urgent in a clear nod to this weekend's US attack on Venezuela.
Seoul and Tokyo said Sunday they had detected the launch from near Pyongyang of two ballistic missiles -- the country's first test of the year just hours before South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung headed to Beijing for a summit.
Lee has said he hopes to use his visit to harness China's clout over North Korea to improve Seoul's ties with Pyongyang.
On Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying the test showed "the readiness of the DPRK's nuclear forces", referring to North Korea by its official name.
"Important achievements have been recently made in putting our nuclear forces on a practical basis and preparing them for an actual war," Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.
Pyongyang's activity, he said, was "aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a high-developed basis".
Photos shared by state media showed Kim puffing on a cigarette accompanied by top officials as a missile soars into the early morning sky.
"Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events," Kim was quoted as saying, a clear reference to Washington's weekend capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The operation represents a nightmare scenario for North Korea's leadership, which has long feared a so-called "decapitation strike" of that kind and accused Washington of seeking to remove it from power.
Pyongyang condemned it Sunday as a "serious encroachment of sovereignty" that "clearly confirms once again the rogue and brutal nature of the US".

'War deterrent'

Pyongyang has for decades justified its nuclear and missile programmes as a deterrent against alleged regime change efforts by Washington.
Sunday's launch "can be interpreted as a message signalling that Pyongyang possesses a war deterrent and nuclear capabilities, unlike Venezuela," Hong Min, an analyst at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.
He pointed to state media reports Sunday that Kim had visited a facility involved in making tactical guided weapons.
This, he said, "demonstrated a capability to launch more precise strikes than existing multiple rocket launchers from various platforms, including air and ground".
North Korea's new weapon system using hypersonic missiles was first tested in October.
Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.
They have been deployed to deadly effect last year on cities in Ukraine by Russia, with whom North Korea has deepened ties in recent years, and by Iran against Israel.
ksb-oho/tc

rights

New clashes in Iran as protests enter second week: rights groups

BY STUART WILLIAMS

  • The Iran Human Rights NGO, also based in Norway, gave an identical toll of four dead, as well as 30 wounded, after "security forces attacked the protests" in Malekshahi.
  • New deadly clashes between protesters and security forces erupted in Iran, rights groups and local media said Sunday, as demonstrations first sparked by anger over the rising cost of living entered a second week. 
  • The Iran Human Rights NGO, also based in Norway, gave an identical toll of four dead, as well as 30 wounded, after "security forces attacked the protests" in Malekshahi.
New deadly clashes between protesters and security forces erupted in Iran, rights groups and local media said Sunday, as demonstrations first sparked by anger over the rising cost of living entered a second week. 
At least 12 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed since the protests kicked off with a shopkeepers' strike in Tehran on December 28, according to a toll based on official reports.
Overnight, protests featuring slogans criticising the Islamic republic's clerical authorities were reported in Tehran, Shiraz in the south, and in areas of western Iran where the movement has been concentrated, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) monitor.
The demonstrations are the most significant in Iran since a 2022-2023 movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women.
The latest protests have been concentrated in parts of the west with large populations of the Kurdish and Lor minorities, and have yet to reach the scale of the 2022-2023 movement, let alone the mass street demonstrations that followed disputed 2009 presidential elections.
But they do present a new challenge for supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- 86, and in power since 1989 -- coming on the heels of a 12-day war with Israel in June that saw nuclear infrastructure damaged and key members of the security elite killed.
With the government under pressure to show a response to the economic pain, spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told state TV on Sunday that citizens would receive a monthly allowance equivalent to $7 for the next four months.
President Donald Trump warned Sunday that Iran would get "hit very hard" by the United States if more protesters die.
"We're watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One -- a day after the American operation to capture Tehran's ally Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Deadly clashes

The protests have taken place in 23 out of Iran's 31 provinces and affected, to varying degrees, at least 40 different cities, most of them small and medium-sized, according to an AFP tally based on official announcements and media reports.
The Norway-based Hengaw rights group said that Revolutionary Guards opened fire on protesters in the Malekshahi county of the western Ilam province on Saturday, killing four members of Iran's Kurdish minority.
The group said it was checking reports that two other people had been killed, adding dozens more were wounded. It also accused the authorities of raiding the main hospital in the city of Ilam to seize the bodies of the protesters.
The Iran Human Rights NGO, also based in Norway, gave an identical toll of four dead, as well as 30 wounded, after "security forces attacked the protests" in Malekshahi.
It said funerals for the dead took place on Sunday with mourners chanting slogans against the government and Khamenei.
Both organisations posted footage of what appeared to be bloodied corpses on the ground, in videos verified by AFP.
Iranian media said a member of the security forces was killed in a clash with "rioters" who attempted to storm a police office, with "two assailants" killed.
In Tehran, sporadic demonstrations on Saturday night were reported in districts in the east, west and south, the Fars news agency said.

Hundreds detained

On Sunday, the vast majority of shops were open in the capital, although the streets appeared less crowded than usual, with riot police and security forces deployed at major intersections, AFP observed. 
Images verified by AFP showed Iranian security forces using tear gas to disperse a group of protesters who gathered in central Tehran during the day on Sunday.
HRANA said that over the last week at least 582 people have been arrested. 
Hengaw said almost all of those killed were from ethnic minorities, chiefly Kurds and Lors.
Abroad, several hundred people took part in two separate rallies in Paris on Sunday to support the protesters, following similar actions in London a day earlier, AFP correspondents said.
sjw/lb/tc

conflict

Trump insists US 'in charge' in Venezuela

BY DANNY KEMP WITH ANDREA TOSTA AND PATRICK FORT IN CARACAS

  • Trump had earlier threatened that Rodriguez would pay a "big price" if she does not cooperate with the United States.
  • President Donald Trump insisted Sunday the United States is "in charge" of Venezuela after the seizure of Nicolas Maduro, but was also dealing with the new leadership in Caracas.
  • Trump had earlier threatened that Rodriguez would pay a "big price" if she does not cooperate with the United States.
President Donald Trump insisted Sunday the United States is "in charge" of Venezuela after the seizure of Nicolas Maduro, but was also dealing with the new leadership in Caracas.
Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said at the same time that she was ready to work together with the Trump administration, asking the US leader for a balanced, respectful relationship.
Trump has faced searching questions over his repeated assertions that Washington is now running Venezuela following the US military operation that spirited away Maduro and his wife before dawn Saturday.
The deposed Maduro is due to appear in a New York court Monday to face federal narcotrafficking charges.
"We're dealing with the people who just got sworn in. Don't ask me who's in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial," Trump told reporters on Air Force One when asked if he had spoken to Rodriguez.
Pressed on what he meant, Trump said: "It means we're in charge."
The Trump administration says it is willing to work with the remainder of Maduro's government as long as Washington's goals, particularly opening access to US investment in Venezuela's enormous crude oil reserves, are met.
Asked whether the operation was about oil or regime change, Trump replied: "It's about peace on earth."

'It's a broken country'

The US president said elections in Venezuela would have to wait. "We're going to run it, fix it, we'll have elections at the right time, but the main thing you have to fix is it's a broken country," he said.
As he struck his triumphant tone, Trump also had harsh words for other US adversaries, saying Colombia's leader was "not going to be doing it very long," Communist-ruled Cuba was "ready to fall" and that Iran's leadership will be "hit hard" if protesters are killed.
Trump had earlier threatened that Rodriguez would pay a "big price" if she does not cooperate with the United States.
Venezuelan opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, in an Instagram post Sunday from exile in Spain, said Maduro's capture was "an important step, but not enough" to return the crisis-hit nation to normal.
Gonzalez Urrutia called for the results of the 2024 election -- which he claims to have won -- to be upheld and for all political prisoners to be freed to ensure a "democratic transition."
Venezuelans braced for the political aftermath of the stunning raid, in which US commandos swooped in on helicopters, backed by fighter jets and naval forces, to capture Maduro. 
Residents queued up to buy food in grocery stores, and the masked and heavily armed police visible the previous day were gone, AFP correspondents said.
Some 2,000 Maduro supporters -- including rifle-wielding men on motorcycles -- rallied Sunday in Caracas, however, with crowds shouting and waving red, blue and yellow Venezuelan flags.
The Venezuelan military announced it recognized Rodriguez -- previously Maduro's vice president -- as acting president, and urged calm.
Venezuelan hospitals have refused to divulge the number of people killed or injured in the attacks. 
A doctors' group told AFP around 70 people were killed and 90 injured. A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, put the death toll at at least 15.
But Havana said 32 Cubans died in the US raid. Trump said "a lot" of Maduro's Cuban security detail were killed.

Who will run Venezuela?

Despite the success of the initial US operation, questions mounted over Trump's Venezuela strategy.
Trump said Saturday the United States will "run" the South American country of about 30 million people.
But Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed Sunday that Washington is not seeking complete regime change or elections.
The United States is fighting drug traffickers, "not a war against Venezuela," Rubio told NBC's "Meet the Press."
However, he said a large US naval presence would remain in the Caribbean to enforce a blockade of Venezuelan oil exports for "tremendous leverage."
With questions swirling on Capitol Hill, an administration official told AFP that Rubio will discuss Venezuela in meetings with lawmakers Monday.
Trump has made clear Washington intends to call the shots in Venezuela, with a focus on securing access to the world's largest proven oil reserves.
Maduro, a self-described socialist, led Venezuela with an iron fist for more than a decade through a series of elections widely considered rigged. He came to power after the death of his charismatic mentor, Hugo Chavez.
As news of Maduro's capture rippled out, exiled Venezuelans waved flags and celebrated in plazas from Madrid to Santiago. 
About eight million Venezuelans have fled the grinding poverty and political suppression of their homeland.
burs-dk/mlm

conflict

'Free our president', Maduro supporters demand at rally

  • The demonstrators in Caracas echoed speculation that Maduro had been betrayed by a member of his inner circle, smoothing the path for US special forces to swoop in and capture him at the country's biggest military base.
  • Around 2,000 supporters of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro demonstrated Sunday in Caracas to demand that he and his wife, who were nabbed by US forces and taken to a New York jail, be released.
  • The demonstrators in Caracas echoed speculation that Maduro had been betrayed by a member of his inner circle, smoothing the path for US special forces to swoop in and capture him at the country's biggest military base.
Around 2,000 supporters of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro demonstrated Sunday in Caracas to demand that he and his wife, who were nabbed by US forces and taken to a New York jail, be released.
A group of pro-Maduro paramilitaries and bikers accompanied the demonstrators, who waved red, blue and yellow Venezuelan flags.
"Free our president," read a placard held by a man with a red flannel shirt which bore the image of Maduro's predecessor and mentor, late socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez.
"Venezuela is no-one's colony," another placard read, a swipe at US President Donald Trump's announcement Saturday that Washington would "run" Venezuela during an unspecified transitional period.
On Monday, Maduro is due in court in New York to face charges of "narcoterrorism" tied to alleged cocaine trafficking into the United States.
"The narcotrafficker and terrorist is Trump," Nairda Itriago, 56, told AFP angrily, accusing US forces, who carried out airstrikes to neuter Venezuela's defenses while Maduro was being captured, of killing "innocent people."
Venezuelan hospitals have refused to divulge the number of people killed or injured in the pre-dawn strikes.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said a "large part" of Maduro's security team were killed "in cold blood," as well as military personnel and civilians, but gave no figures.
A doctors' group told AFP around 70 people were killed and 90 injured.
The demonstrators in Caracas echoed speculation that Maduro had been betrayed by a member of his inner circle, smoothing the path for US special forces to swoop in and capture him at the country's biggest military base.
"How is it possible...that the air defenses didn't work?" a 69-year-old accountant who gave his name as Papa Juancho said.
"Nicolas Maduro was removed by traitors, because with the amount of security he had this should never have happened," he said.
Maduro's son Nicolas Maduro Guerra also voiced suspicion about the presence of spies in his father's entourage in an audio message shared on social media on Sunday.
"History will tell who the traitors were," he said.
afc/jt/cb/sla

kidnapping

Over 30 killed, several kidnapped in Nigeria

BY TONYE BAKARE

  • "Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, some persons were also kidnapped," Wasiu Abiodun, Niger state police spokesman said.
  • Armed gangs killed more than 30 people and kidnapped others in a raid in Nigeria in the same state where hundreds of schoolchildren were abducted late last year, police said Sunday.
  • "Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, some persons were also kidnapped," Wasiu Abiodun, Niger state police spokesman said.
Armed gangs killed more than 30 people and kidnapped others in a raid in Nigeria in the same state where hundreds of schoolchildren were abducted late last year, police said Sunday.
The gangs swept into Kasuwan Daji village, in the Kabe district of the western Niger State on Saturday and set a market ablaze, before looting shops for food, they said.
"Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, some persons were also kidnapped," Wasiu Abiodun, Niger state police spokesman said.
President Bola Tinubu's office said the attackers may have been "terrorists" fleeing from parts of northwestern Nigeria following Christmas Day airstrikes by the United States that targeted militants linked to the Islamic State group.
The attackers "will be caught and brought to justice", along with any who helped them, Tinubu vowed in a statement relayed by his media adviser Bayo Onanuga.
Images viewed by AFP showed some of those killed in the raid had their hands tied behind their backs. 
Gangs -- known in Nigeria as "bandits" -- frequently carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and loot villages in parts of Nigeria.
Niger state has been one of the hardest hit in recent months.
In November, armed gangs seized more than 250 students and staff from a Catholic school in the state.
Authorities announced their release in two batches weeks later, without saying whether a ransom was paid.
The latest attack took place less than 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Papiri village where the students and teachers were snatched from their school. 
The local church for the area put the death toll from Saturday's raid at more than 40, higher than the figure given by police.  
"Reports indicate the bandits operated for hours with no security presence," the Catholic Church in Kontagora said on its Facebook page.

Multiple security threats

Information Minister Mohammed Idris said that when the market was struck, "the bullets" did not "choose victims based on religion".
"Those killed and those abducted -- were traders, farmers, parents, schoolchildren from both Muslim and Christian backgrounds," he said in a statement.
Nigeria's security forces are stretched thin by challenges in different parts of the country. 
Africa's most populous country faces multiple conflicts -- linked to a long-running jihadist insurgency, bandits, farmer-herder violence or southeastern separatists -- that have killed both Christians and Muslims.
On Christmas Eve, a suspected suicide bomber killed at least five people in an attack on a mosque in northeastern Borno state.
Washington has in recent months criticised the country's failure to rein in the violence that US President Donald Trump insists amounts to "persecution" of Christians -- a framing long used by the religious right in America.
Despite the Nigerian government and independent analysts rejecting the accusations, the US launched its surprise Christmas day airstrikes on militants linked to the Islamic State group.
Abuja later said it approved the hits.
Tinubu in December vowed a national security revamp and has ramped up defence spending in the 2026 budget. In early December, he replaced his defence minister, naming a former top military commander to the role.
tba-sn/cc

Venezuela

North Korea tests hypersonic missiles, says nuclear forces ready for war

  • On Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying the test showed "the readiness of the DPRK's nuclear forces", referring to North Korea by its official name.
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of "cutting-edge" hypersonic missiles to ready Pyongyang's nuclear forces for war, state media said Monday.
  • On Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying the test showed "the readiness of the DPRK's nuclear forces", referring to North Korea by its official name.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of "cutting-edge" hypersonic missiles to ready Pyongyang's nuclear forces for war, state media said Monday.
Pyongyang said Sunday's test was made all the more necessary by "recent geopolitical crisis" -- a clear nod to this weekend's events in North Korea's socialist ally Venezuela.
Seoul and Tokyo said Sunday they had detected the launch from near Pyongyang of two ballistic missiles.
It was the country's first test of the year and came just hours before South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung headed to Beijing for a summit.
Lee has said he hopes to use the visit to harness China's clout over North Korea to improve Seoul's ties with Pyongyang.
On Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying the test showed "the readiness of the DPRK's nuclear forces", referring to North Korea by its official name.
"Important achievements have been recently made in putting our nuclear forces on a practical basis and preparing them for an actual war," Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.
Pyongyang's activity, he said, was "aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a high-developed basis".
"Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events," he said, a clear reference to Washington's weekend capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The operation represents a nightmare scenario for North Korea's leadership, which has long feared a so-called "decapitation strike" of that kind and accused Washington of seeking to remove it from power.
Pyongyang has for decades justified its nuclear and missile programmes as a deterrent against alleged regime change efforts by Washington.
North Korea's new weapon system using hypersonic missiles was first tested in October.
Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.
They have been deployed to deadly effect this year on cities in Ukraine by Russia, with whom North Korea has deepened ties in recent years, and by Iran against Israel.
ksb-oho/tc

diplomacy

South Korea's Lee to meet Xi with trade, Pyongyang on the agenda

  • Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his meeting with Xi on Monday came a day after the nuclear-armed regime in Pyongyang fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.
  • South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet Monday with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, with closer economic ties as well as the recalcitrant North on the agenda.
  • Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his meeting with Xi on Monday came a day after the nuclear-armed regime in Pyongyang fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet Monday with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, with closer economic ties as well as the recalcitrant North on the agenda.
Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his meeting with Xi on Monday came a day after the nuclear-armed regime in Pyongyang fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.
The pair will meet for an opening ceremony and a summit before the signing of an agreement and a state banquet, Seoul has said.
The South Korean leader, accompanied by a delegation of business and tech leaders, hopes to secure pledges to expand economic cooperation with his country's largest trading partner.
He has previously called for South Korea and China to work towards "more horizontal and mutually beneficial" trade.
And he hopes to possibly harness China's clout over North Korea to support his bid to improve ties with Pyongyang.
"China is a very important cooperative partner in moving toward peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula," Lee said during a meeting with Korean residents in Beijing on Sunday, according to Yonhap news agency.
Xi and Lee last met in November on the sidelines of the APEC summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju -- a meeting Seoul framed as a reset of ties after years of tension.
Seoul has for decades trodden a fine line between China, its top trading partner, and the United States, its chief defence guarantor.
And Lee's trip comes less than a week after China carried out massive military drills around Taiwan, the self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory.
The exercise, featuring missiles, fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels, drew a chorus of international condemnation that Seoul has notably declined to join.
Lee also deftly stayed on the sidelines since a nasty spat erupted between Beijing and Tokyo late last year, triggered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's suggestion that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.
In an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Friday, he said that he "clearly affirms" that "respecting the 'one-China' principle and maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia, including in the Taiwan Strait, are very important".
bur-oho/tc

Global Edition

Swiss grieve as all fire victims identified -- half of them under 18

BY ROBIN MILLARD

  • After days of agonising uncertainty for loved ones, local police on Sunday finished identifying the fire's 40 fatalities.
  • All 40 people who perished in a New Year's fire at a Swiss ski resort bar were identified Sunday, with half of them under the age of 18.
  • After days of agonising uncertainty for loved ones, local police on Sunday finished identifying the fire's 40 fatalities.
All 40 people who perished in a New Year's fire at a Swiss ski resort bar were identified Sunday, with half of them under the age of 18.
A heavy pall of grief hung over Crans-Montana as more than a thousand mourners walked in silence through the resort to remember those killed and injured in the tragic blaze at the Le Constellation bar.
After days of agonising uncertainty for loved ones, local police on Sunday finished identifying the fire's 40 fatalities. Their ages ranged from 39 to two who were aged just 14.
Police said the victims included 21 Swiss nationals, nine French nationals including one Franco-Swiss and one triple national of France, Israel and Britain, six Italians including one Italian-Emirati, one Belgian woman, one Portuguese woman, one Romanian man and one Turkish man.
The bar's owners are under criminal investigation.
A mass dedicated to the victims was held at a small chapel some 300 metres down the road from the gutted bar, outside which well-wishers have left an abundance of flowers, candles and messages of sympathy.
Jean-Marie Lovey, the Bishop of Sion in southwest Switzerland, told the packed chapel it was "unbearable for so many families to remain in the darkness of suffering and death", his voice breaking.
"Many of the victims were apprentices, high school students, and university students," said Pastor Gilles Cavin, representing the Protestant Reformed Church of Switzerland.
"In the face of the unspeakable, in the face of the brutality of death and suffering, we refuse to look away. We are here to express our compassion, our solidarity."
In the square outside, several hundred people stood in temperatures as low as -9C, following the service on a giant screen.

Applause for drained rescuers

After the mass, sympathisers slowly and silently walked together towards Le Constellation and the makeshift memorial outside.
A wave of applause suddenly broke out from the back of the crowd, which parted as rescuers and emergency service workers walked through, many of whom were visibly overcome with the spontaneous outpouring of gratitude.
Gina, from a neighbouring village, told AFP she attended out of solidarity and joined in the applause.
"Their task must have been dreadful. They were devastated. Now, they're scarred for life; that's clear," she said.
By the flowers and candles, the crowd joined in singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".
"When we were listening to the singing it just brings a wave of emotion," Beverley, 58, a British national who lives near Lausanne told AFP.
"It must be so, so difficult for the families who are still waiting. It must be very painful for them." 
A church minister had to walk away, having broken down in tears.
"It's too hard. Too much suffering," he said, his voice fading.

Fire spread rapidly

Regarding the likely cause of the fire, authorities have pointed the finger at sparklers attached to champagne bottles igniting soundproofing foam on the ceiling.
"Initial witness statements describe a fire that spread rapidly, generating a large amount of smoke and intense heat," the Wallis cantonal public prosecutor's office said in a statement Sunday.
French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti owned and managed Le Constellation, which was crammed with young partygoers when the blaze began in a packed basement at around 1:30 am on Thursday.
A criminal investigation has been opened against the pair. They are charged with manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
Wallis prosecutors said the investigation was continuing "in order to determine any other potential criminal liability and the exact circumstances of this fire".
Video footage which has emerged from the tragedy shows young people desperately trying to flee the scene, some breaking windows to try to force their way out.
Switzerland has declared a national day of mourning for January 9, with all church bells poised to toll at 2:00 pm (1300 GMT). A moment of silence is also planned. 
During his address at St Peter's Square in Rome, Pope Leo XIV voiced his "closeness to those who are grieving" the disaster.
"I assure you of my prayers for the young people who died, for the injured, and for their families," he said.
rjm-burs/cc/st

conflict

Colombian guerrillas vow to confront US 'imperialism'

  • The powerful National Liberation Army (ELN), which controls cocaine trafficking routes along Colombia's border with Venezuela, called on "all patriots" to "confront the imperial plans against Venezuela and the peoples of the Global South." 
  • Colombian left-wing guerrillas operating on the border with Venezuela vowed Sunday to resist Washington's "imperial plans" following the US ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
  • The powerful National Liberation Army (ELN), which controls cocaine trafficking routes along Colombia's border with Venezuela, called on "all patriots" to "confront the imperial plans against Venezuela and the peoples of the Global South." 
Colombian left-wing guerrillas operating on the border with Venezuela vowed Sunday to resist Washington's "imperial plans" following the US ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
The powerful National Liberation Army (ELN), which controls cocaine trafficking routes along Colombia's border with Venezuela, called on "all patriots" to "confront the imperial plans against Venezuela and the peoples of the Global South." 
Security experts say the ELN also has rear bases within Venezuela that were tolerated by Maduro.
Dissident members of the defunct FARC rebel army, who vie with the ELN for control of drug-producing regions near Venezuela, also vowed resistance to Trump.
Writing on X, they said they were prepared to spend their "last drop of blood fighting the US empire."
Saturday's attack on Venezuela to snatch Maduro and whisk him to New York to face drugs and weapons charges has created fears in Colombia that it could be a future target for US strikes.
Trump on Saturday warned that his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro -- with whom he has sparred in recent months -- should "watch his ass."
"He's making cocaine and they're sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his ass," Trump told reporters.
Petro described Washington's attack on Venezuela as an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America.
He sent troop reinforcements to the Venezuelan border.
Colombia also activated an alert for possible attacks by armed groups operating on either side of the border.
pld/das/cb/ksb

conflict

Alarm and applause after US topples Maduro

BY STUART WILLIAMS

  • - Italy - In a rare expression of support for the US operation by a major European country, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- a Trump ally -- argued the US military action in Venezuela was "legitimate" and "defensive".
  • America's military assault of Caracas to grab Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro unsettled many US allies, but also impressed some who are supportive of Donald Trump.
  • - Italy - In a rare expression of support for the US operation by a major European country, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- a Trump ally -- argued the US military action in Venezuela was "legitimate" and "defensive".
America's military assault of Caracas to grab Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro unsettled many US allies, but also impressed some who are supportive of Donald Trump.
Trump said that the United States would "run" Venezuela and tap its huge oil reserves. Maduro and his wife were flown to New York City, where they face drug-trafficking and weapons charges.
Countries such as China, Russia, and Iran, which have longstanding ties with Maduro's government, were quick to condemn the operation. But the alarm was also shared by US allies including the EU. 
However Italy and Israel, whose leaders strongly back Trump, were more supportive.
Here are the main reactions:

China

China called for Maduro to be "immediately released" in a condemnation of the US operation, which the foreign ministry said was a "clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter".

Russia

Russia demanded the US leadership "reconsider its position and release the legally elected president of the sovereign country and his wife".

North Korea

North Korea's foreign ministry denounced the United States' capture of Maduro as a "serious encroachment of sovereignty".

Iran

Iran, which Trump bombed last year, said it "strongly condemns the US military attack on Venezuela and a flagrant violation of the country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Mexico

Mexico, which Trump has also threatened with military force over drug trafficking, strongly condemned the US military action in Venezuela, saying it "seriously jeopardises regional stability". 

Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro -- whose country neighbours Venezuela -- called the US action an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America which would lead to a humanitarian crisis.

Cuba

Cuba, a strong ally of Venezuela, denounced "state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people".

France

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the US operation undermined international law, and no solution to Venezuela's crisis can be imposed externally.
But President Emmanuel Macron later said Venezuelans "can only rejoice" at Maduro's overthrow.

Spain

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the intervention "violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and militarism".

EU

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for "restraint" and respect for international law in Venezuela while emphasising Maduro "lacks legitimacy".
On Sunday the EU issued a statement signed by all member states save Hungary stating that respecting the will of the Venezuelan people was the only way to restore democracy.

Britain

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will discuss the "evolving situation" in Venezuela with the US while stating Britain will "shed no tears" about the demise of Maduro's "regime".

Italy

In a rare expression of support for the US operation by a major European country, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- a Trump ally -- argued the US military action in Venezuela was "legitimate" and "defensive".
On Sunday Meloni said she had spoken to Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado about a transition of power, with the two agreeing that Maduro's removal opens a "new chapter" for the country.
Trump has dismissed Machado as a potential successor to Maduro.

Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel supported the United States' "strong action" in Venezuela to "restore freedom and justice to that region of the world".

Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga focused on Maduro's lack of legitimacy and the Venezuelan government's repression, while backing "democracy, human rights, and the interests of Venezuelans".

South Africa

South Africa, which Trump accuses of alleged discrimination -- and even "genocide" -- of minority white Afrikaners, said: "Unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations."

UN

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "deeply alarmed" by the US strikes, with his spokesman quoting him as saying it could "constitute a dangerous precedent".

Pope

Pope Leo XIV said the "welfare of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over all other considerations".
burs-st/cc

conflict

Delcy Rodriguez: From Maduro's 'tigress' to acting Venezuelan president

BY ANDREA TOSTA

  • From 2020 to 2024, while serving as both vice president and economy minister, Rodriguez cooled her incendiary rhetoric to make inroads with Venezuela's business community, long demonized by socialist leaders.
  • Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez is known for her anti-imperialist rhetoric, earning her the nickname "the tigress" from toppled leader Nicolas Maduro.
  • From 2020 to 2024, while serving as both vice president and economy minister, Rodriguez cooled her incendiary rhetoric to make inroads with Venezuela's business community, long demonized by socialist leaders.
Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez is known for her anti-imperialist rhetoric, earning her the nickname "the tigress" from toppled leader Nicolas Maduro.
A fierce defender of Maduro, who was snatched by US forces in an extraordinary raid early Saturday, Rodriguez is now seeking to portray herself as a steady hand to lead the country's political transition.
A lawyer by training, 56-year-old Rodriguez has served in successive governments of Maduro and his firebrand predecessor Hugo Chavez, including as foreign minister.
Maduro's vice president since 2018, she also assumed the role of minister of hydrocarbons in 2024 -- a key post in a country whose economy depends on oil exports.
Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, and US President Donald Trump has made clear that regaining access to that wealth is a key goal of his pressure campaign.
"She has probably been one of Maduro's most trusted people over the years," political analyst Pedro Benitez of the Central University of Venezuela told AFP.
Hours after Maduro's capture, Rodriguez insisted he remained the "only president" of Venezuela, demanded his release, and said the government in Caracas stood ready "to defend" the country.
Venezuela's Supreme Court subsequently ordered her to assume presidential powers "in an acting capacity" -- the first woman to hold the top post in the country, even temporarily.
On Sunday, the military -- which had repeatedly vowed loyalty to Maduro -- recognized her as the country's interim leader.

Driven by 'revenge'

Rodriguez wears pink, beige and green rather than the bright red colors traditionally donned by members of the Chavista movement -- named after Chavez and led by the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
Her brother is Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela's parliament, and their father was a Marxist activist who died in custody in 1976 under a then-center left government.
The siblings "have been involved in every internal maneuver in which Maduro has pushed out any power centers that cast a shadow over him," said Benitez.
Another political scientist, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said it would take a lot for Rodriguez to recast herself as a moderate politician given her history.
"The emotional fuel that got them (Rodriguez and her brother) where they are has to do with revenge," he said, particularly for their father's death.
Rodriguez served as a lawmaker for many years before being taken up in successive Chavista governments, helped by her brother, a PSUV insider.
"She didn't have a political base of her own," said Benitez.
But she soon proved herself as a full-blooded Chavista, and became a Maduro confidante.
From 2020 to 2024, while serving as both vice president and economy minister, Rodriguez cooled her incendiary rhetoric to make inroads with Venezuela's business community, long demonized by socialist leaders.
She eased trade controls in the de facto dollarized economy, providing a breather for business leaders who still view her as a savvy economic manager.
Detractors call her cynical.

'The one who remains'

Trump said Saturday that Rodriguez had expressed a willingness to work with Washington, while pouring cold water on the take-over prospects of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Machado, Trump said, did not have sufficient "support or respect" in Venezuela.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would consider working with Venezuela's remaining Chavista leaders if they make "the right decision."
"We're going to make an assessment on the basis of what they do, not what they say publicly in the interim," he told CBS News' "Face the Nation."
Trump meanwhile warned Rodriguez could face a fate worse than Maduro if she failed to heed US demands on policy reforms and oil access.
"If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro," Trump told The Atlantic.
Rodriguez is under US and European sanctions for allegedly undermining democracy and contributing to human rights violations.
Political scientist Benigno Alarcon told AFP that even though Rodriguez still needs to be sworn in formally, she "already is" the de facto president.
"That's the reality of the matter... she's the one who remains" in charge. For now. 
atm/mlr/des

Greenland

Greenland slams 'disrespectful' pic posted by Trump aide's wife

  • Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts".
  • Greenland and Denmark on Sunday expressed their distaste after the wife of President Donald Trump's most influential aide posted a social media picture of Greenland painted in the colours of the US flag.
  • Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts".
Greenland and Denmark on Sunday expressed their distaste after the wife of President Donald Trump's most influential aide posted a social media picture of Greenland painted in the colours of the US flag.
Katie Miller -- wife of Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller -- put the contentiously altered image of the Danish autonomous territory on her X feed late Saturday, after the US military operation against Venezuela. 
Her post had a single word above it: "SOON". 
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the post "disrespectful".
"Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law -- not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights," he stated on X.
But he also said that "there is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts".
Denmark's ambassador to the US, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, reacted earlier on Sunday with his own post saying "we expect full respect for the territorial integrity" of Denmark, above a link to Katie Miller's image.
Trump has repeatedly made clear that he wants Greenland to become an annexed part of the United States.
Moves edging towards that goal by his government -- including his appointment of an envoy to the Danish territory -- have drawn the ire of both Copenhagen and the European Union.

'Friendly reminder'

Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Trump's policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda.
The United States's European allies were rattled by Trump sending in his military on Saturday to attack Caracas and grab Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now being held by US authorities in New York.
Trump has said the United States will now "run" Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves.
In Greenland's case, Trump has claimed that making the Danish territory part of the United States would serve US national security interests, given its strategic location on the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in key critical minerals used in high-tech sectors.
Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for Greenland, Trump said that it was up to others to decide, according to the magazine.
"They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don't know," Trump was quoted as saying. He added: "But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense."
Denmark's ambassador gave a pointed "friendly reminder" in response to Katie Miller's post that his country -- a NATO member -- has "significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts" and worked together with the US on that.
"We are close allies and should continue to work together as such," Soerensen wrote.
Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.
She later worked as communications director for then vice president Mike Pence and also acted as his press secretary.
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Canada

Third 'Avatar' film passes the $1 billion mark worldwide

  • It is the fourth Cameron film to pass the $1 billion mark, with the first two "Avatar" films and "Titanic."
  • "Avatar: Fire and Ash" has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the global box office, as it kept the top spot in North American theaters with another $40 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.  
  • It is the fourth Cameron film to pass the $1 billion mark, with the first two "Avatar" films and "Titanic."
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the global box office, as it kept the top spot in North American theaters with another $40 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.  
The third installment in director James Cameron's blockbuster series has now earned $306 million in the United States and Canada, and another $777 million abroad, putting the total at $1.08 billion, Exhibitor Relations reported. 
"Fire and Ash" stars Zoe Saldana as Na'vi warrior Neytiri and Sam Worthington as ex-Marine Jake Sully, who must battle a new foe threatening their family's life on the planet Pandora.
It is the fourth Cameron film to pass the $1 billion mark, with the first two "Avatar" films and "Titanic."
In second place in North America was "Zootopia 2," Disney's feel-good animated film and an Oscar contender, at $19 million. Its global total now stands at nearly $1.6 billion.
Coming in third at $14.9 million was Lionsgate's "The Housemaid," a film version of Freida McFadden's best-selling novel about a young woman (Sydney Sweeney) who is hired by a wealthy couple (Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar) with dark secrets.
"Marty Supreme," A24's period sports drama starring Timothee Chalamet, finished in fourth place with $12.6 million.
"Anaconda," the new meta comedy action flick starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black as friends trying to reboot the original 1997 horror film, finished in fifth place with $10 million.
Rounding out the top 10 are:
"The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants" ($8.2 million)
"David" ($8 million)
"Song Sung Blue" ($5.8 million)
"Wicked: For Good" ($3.3 million)
"Five Nights at Freddy's 2" ($2.7 million)
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