4 h. ago Trump’s national security blueprint aims to combat China’s rise in Latin America

The White House released a national security blueprint on Friday, marking a sweeping assertion of US influence in the Americas. The framework pledges to prevent non-Western powers from expanding their foothold across the Western Hemisphere, a clear reference to China’s growing presence in the region. In US strategic parlance, the “Western Hemisphere” refers broadly to the Americas, a geopolitical space long regarded as a place Washington has sway over. This belief harks back to the Monroe...

Politics

43 h. ago With US warships near, Venezuela’s Maduro describes call with Trump

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro confirmed on Wednesday that he had a “cordial” phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump 10 days ago amid a US military build-up in Latin America. “I spoke with the President of the United States, Donald Trump. I can say that the conversation was respectful, and I can even say that it was cordial,” Maduro told state television. “If this call means that steps are being taken toward a respectful dialogue - state to state, country to country - then we...

Politics

3 d. ago Pope Leo urges Trump not to attempt military ousting of Venezuela’s Maduro

Pope Leo urged US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday not to try to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro using military force. Leo, the first US pope, said it would be better to attempt dialogue or impose economic pressure on Venezuela if Washington wants to pursue change there. The Trump administration has been weighing options to combat what it has portrayed as Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. The socialist Venezuelan president has denied...

Events

5 d. ago Why Venezuela’s allies Russia and China are slinking away as Trump ramps up pressure on Maduro

Why Venezuela’s allies Russia and China are slinking away as Trump ramps up pressure on Maduro  New York Post

Politics

5 d. ago Trump confirms phone call with Venezuela’s Maduro amid tensions

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro but did not provide details on what the two leaders discussed. “I don’t want to comment on it. The answer is yes,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if he had spoken to Maduro. When asked to elaborate, after reports that the call included discussions about a possible meeting or amnesty conditions if Maduro were to step down, Trump would only say: “I wouldn’t say it went well...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump confirms call with Venezuela’s Maduro as US military piles pressure

US President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday he had recently spoken with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro amid soaring tensions between the two countries, while Caracas condemned what it called US preparations for an attack. The United States is piling the pressure on Venezuela, with a major military build-up in the Caribbean, the designation of an alleged drug cartel run by Maduro as a terrorist group, and an ominous warning from Trump that Venezuelan airspace is “closed”. Washington says the aim...

Events

6 d. ago Why Russia and China Are Sitting Out Venezuela’s Clash With Trump

Why Russia and China Are Sitting Out Venezuela’s Clash With Trump  The Wall Street Journal

Politics

6 d. ago Consider Venezuela airspace ‘closed in its entirety’, says Trump

US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that the airspace above and near Venezuela should be considered closed, the latest escalation in a stand-off with leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, “please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY”. The president did not elaborate. Trump’s administration is piling pressure on Venezuela, with a major military...

Politics

6 d. ago Venezuela airspace should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, Trump says

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety”, but gave no further details as Washington ramps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government. “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump said in a social media post. US officials contacted by Reuters were surprised by Trump’s...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump spoke with Venezuela’s Maduro, discussed meeting in US, report says

US President Donald Trump spoke by phone last week with leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, with the two rivals discussing a possible meeting in the United States, The New York Times reported on Friday. The reported call comes as Trump’s administration piles pressure on Venezuela with a major military deployment in the Caribbean that includes the world’s largest aircraft carrier. Washington says the aim is curbing drug trafficking but Caracas insists regime change is the ultimate goal. The...

Politics

1 week ago Venezuela? Trump’s real aim could be laying claim to the western hemisphere

On November 16, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s most advanced aircraft carrier, sailed into the Caribbean to join Operation Southern Spear – the largest US military deployment in the Caribbean since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Donald Trump is, however, a very different president from John F. Kennedy. Whereas Kennedy endorsed the burden of American exceptionalism to “assure the survival and the success of liberty” at “any price” or “hardship”, Trump promises to prioritise “America...

Politics

1 week ago Toppling Maduro among options as Trump set to expand Venezuela operations

The United States is poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, according to four US officials, as the Trump administration escalates pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government. Reuters was not able to establish the exact timing or scope of the new operations, nor whether US President Donald Trump had made a final decision to act. Reports of looming action have proliferated in recent weeks as the US military has deployed forces to the Caribbean amid...

Politics

2 w. ago US military says aircraft carrier strike group now in Caribbean

The US military announced on Sunday that an aircraft carrier strike group had arrived in the Caribbean, greatly expanding the presence of American forces near Venezuela. US President Donald Trump has ordered a troop build-up in the Caribbean as part of an anti-drug trafficking initiative but speculation has abounded that Washington may be contemplating military intervention against Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro. The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees American forces in Latin...

Events

2 w. ago Trump floats possible talks with Maduro as US strike group arrives in Caribbean

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the US “may be having some discussions” with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a potential diplomatic avenue as the US further builds up its military presence near the South American country with the arrival of its most advanced aircraft carrier. Trump did not offer details about the possible discussions with Maduro, but he said “Venezuela would like to talk”. The development comes as the Trump administration has carried out a series of military...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump claims progress against Venezuelan drug gangs amid US land strike rumours

US President Donald Trump said he had made “progress” on Venezuela in regard to halting the flow of drugs amid speculation that his administration was preparing to strike targets in the country. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday he had “sort of made up my mind” when asked if he had come to a decision on next steps with Venezuela. “I can’t tell you what it is, but we made a lot of progress with Venezuela in terms of stopping drugs from pouring in.” The US has called Venezuela’s...

Events

3 w. ago US launches ‘Operation Southern Spear’, deploying robotic fleet to target cartels

The United States is launching a major new military and surveillance campaign in the Western Hemisphere, deploying an unprecedented mix of robotic air and sea vessels to counter Latin American drug-trafficking cartels. Called Operation Southern Spear, the initiative was formally announced on Thursday night by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said through his X account that the mission followed a direct order from US President Donald Trump. “President Trump ordered action - and the...

Events

3 w. ago US launches ‘Southern Spear’, deploying robotic fleet to target cartels

The United States is launching a major new military and surveillance campaign in the Western Hemisphere, deploying an unprecedented mix of robotic air and sea vessels to counter Latin American drug-trafficking cartels. Called Operation Southern Spear, the initiative was formally announced on Thursday night by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said through his X account that the mission followed a direct order from US President Donald Trump. “President Trump ordered action - and the...

Events