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Trump Administration Proposes Deporting Migrant Abrego To Eswatini
On Friday, the Trump administration announced plans to deport Kilmar Abrego to Eswatini, a small nation in southern Africa. Abrego’s arrest and legal battle to remain in the United States have become a central flashpoint in the administration’s broader immigration crackdown.
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security official said in an email to Abrego’s lawyers that Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, has replaced Uganda as the country designated for his deportation.
The official said the change was made because Abrego has stated that he fears persecution or torture in Uganda.
“That claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries … Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa,” the official said in the email.
Abrego, originally from El Salvador and currently being held in an immigration detention center in Virginia, has no ties to Eswatini, a landlocked country bordering South Africa.
‘Latest Twist’
The Trump administration’s push to send Abrego, 30, to Eswatini is the latest twist in a saga that began in March, when U.S. authorities accused him of being a gang member and sent him to an El Salvadoran prison despite an order from a U.S. judge prohibiting his deportation to his native country.
Abrego was brought back in June to face criminal charges of transporting migrants living in the United States illegally. He has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have accused the administration of vindictive prosecution.
Abrego, a sheet metal worker who entered the United States illegally, had been living in Maryland with his wife, their child and two of her children – all of whom are American citizens – until he was arrested and sent to El Salvador.
Abrego’s lawyers have said the administration is trying to coerce him into pleading guilty.
According to court filings, the administration offered at one point to deport him to Costa Rica if he agreed to plead guilty, and said he would be sent to Uganda if he did not.
The U.S. sent a deportation flight to Eswatini in July that DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said at the time carried “individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump Picks Lavish Doral Resort To Host 2026 G20 Leaders
US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he will host the 2026 G20 summit at his Doral golf club near Miami, after skipping this year’s meeting in South Africa.
“I think Doral will be the best location,” Trump told reporters as he announced the selection during an Oval Office event.
The G20 comprises 19 member countries, the European Union and the African Union, which rotate hosting the economic policy-focused event. A date for the event has not been confirmed.
Conflict Of Interest
By selecting his own Trump National Doral Miami for a US taxpayer-funded event expected to generate millions of dollars in hotel-and-restaurant revenue, Trump may reignite concerns he is profiting from his elected office.
A White House official said attendees at the event would be billed by Doral at-cost for the services provided.
The White House has rejected any conflict of interest claims, and aides have said that the president’s assets are managed by a third party.
Vice President JD Vance will attend this year’s G20 summit in South Africa, Trump said.
Blending Personal Space With Political Sphere
The US president backed off a plan to host the 2020 Group of 7 summit at Doral during his first term in office. At the time, some Democrats, Republicans and ethics analysts raised concerns that such a move violated the US Constitution.
Trump, a billionaire real estate developer and investor, regularly blends the personal and the political.
Since taking office in January, he has brushed aside ethical concerns about the intersection of his business and policy decisions, and the influence sought by wealthy donors, investors and foreign countries.
Trump’s business interests span meme coins and crypto tokens, and licensing deals like those for Trump-branded bibles, watches and sneakers. Such ventures have reportedly netted the president hundreds of millions of dollars in wealth on paper in just a few months.
He has hosted foreign leaders and corporate executives at his properties in the United States and abroad, including his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, and golf clubs from the Washington area to Bedminster, New Jersey, and Scotland.
Beyond the golf course, the Doral property includes a clubhouse, pool, restaurants, spa and some 100,000 square feet (9,300 square meters) of event space, including the Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom, according to the official website.
List Still Unclear
Prior to Trump taking office, the State Department in January requested proposals from US cities wishing to host the G20 event. At the time, they estimated that meetings would take place in early-to-mid October 2026. It was not immediately clear whether Doral or next-door Miami were among the cities to make proposals.
Trump suggested in July that he may not attend the G20 summit in November of this year due to friction with its host, South Africa, over Pretoria’s policies on land and Israel.
It’s not clear which leaders will attend Trump’s G20. The group includes China and Russia, whose president Vladimir Putin faces a war-crime arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Three British Nationals Among 16 Killed In Lisbon Funicular Disaster
Portuguese police reported on Friday that three Britons were among the 16 victims of a deadly funicular railway crash in Lisbon. The wreckage has been cleared and will undergo detailed examination as investigators work to determine the cause of the accident.
Portugal is reeling from a tragedy that Prime Minister Luis Montenegro described as one of the greatest in its recent history and that threatens to dent confidence in the tourism industry, which in Lisbon depends on vintage attractions such as the 140-year-old Gloria railway.
Police updated the list of fatalities that includes five Portuguese citizens, three Britons, two South Koreans, two Canadians, and one from each of France, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United States.
They released no names or other details. More than 20 people were injured.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation named the two dead Canadians as recently retired conservationist Andre Bergeron and his wife, Blandine Daux, a dual citizen of Canada and France.
The couple were on their last day of vacation when the disaster occurred, said Bergeron’s brother Eric, who is in Lisbon with the couple’s two daughters.
“I’m devastated … imagine, you lose your two parents in one shot,” he told the CBC.
Police said a German citizen who had been presumed dead was in fact alive in a hospital. Local media had said that a German father had died and a mother was seriously hurt while their three-year-old child suffered minor injuries.
The German foreign ministry said at least three German nationals were in hospital.
Fatal Crash
A preliminary report on the accident will take six weeks to complete, according to Portuguese authorities. While they do not rule out any possible cause, police sources told the Publico daily there were no signs of foul play.
The crashed car’s twin at the bottom of the steep 265-metre slope was also removed and will be studied by experts.
The two cars, each capable of carrying around 40 people, alternately climb the slope and descend, one helping to pull the other up, as electric motors drive the cable linking them.
That traction cable snapped, apparently at or near the connection to the bottom of the upper car, according to two experts who pored over the video footage.
Seemingly unable to check its descent, the carriage entered a sharp bend in the street too fast, ploughing into the cobblestone pavement and crashing into a building.
The municipal transport company Carris has said “all maintenance protocols have been carried out,” including monthly and weekly maintenance and daily inspections, the latest just hours before the incident with no faults detected.
“We cannot assume that the problem was with the cable,” Carris CEO Pedro Bogas said on Thursday.
The line connects Lisbon’s downtown area near the Restauradores Square with the Bairro Alto and transports around 3 million people a year.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Gaza City Under Heavy Attack As Hamas Broadcasts Hostage Footage
On Friday, Hamas released a video featuring two Israeli hostages taken during the October 2023 music festival, with one stating he was being held in Gaza City — the focus of an intense Israeli military offensive aimed at eliminating the militant group.
Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel are two of 48 people still being held by Hamas in Gaza, with 20 thought to be still alive.
Palestinian militants took 251 hostages into the enclave after its cross-border attack on southern Israeli communities in 2023 that killed about 1,200 people, triggering the war. More than 64,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, local health authorities say, with much of the enclave laid in ruins and its residents facing a humanitarian crisis.
Message Against Israel’s Offensive
The video was edited and featured an exhausted-looking Gilboa-Dalal speaking for around three-and-a-half minutes. He is seen in a car for some of the video dated August 28. Reuters could not independently determine when the video was recorded.
He says that he is being held in Gaza City along with several other hostages and that he is afraid of being killed by Israel’s offensive on the city.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military last month to capture Gaza’s largest urban centre, Gaza City, attacking what the government calls the last bastion of Hamas. An Israeli military spokesman said on Thursday that it now controls about 40% of the city, where about one million people lived prior to the war. The military controls about 75% of Gaza.
Israel’s Strike
The Israeli military bombed a high-rise building in the city’s west on Friday that it said was being used by Hamas and that civilians had been warned beforehand. The military did not provide any evidence that militants were using the building.
The building’s management issued a statement saying that it was being used for Palestinians displaced by the war, denying that it had been used for anything other than civilian purposes.
Footage showed the moment the building was struck, collapsing moments after impact and sending thick clouds of smoke billowing over nearby tent camps sheltering Palestinians.
Across Gaza, 30 Palestinians were killed by the military on Friday, including 20 in Gaza City, Gaza’s health ministry said.
The military has been carrying out heavy strikes on the city for weeks, advancing through outer suburbs, and this week forces were within a few kilometres of the city centre.
‘Pray For A Ceasefire’
Ismail, a father of two from Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, described heavy fire and powerful explosions carried out by the Israeli military. He told Reuters that his family feared they would not be able to return if they fled.
“We pray for a ceasefire,” he said by phone.
In the video, Gilboa-Dalal, 24, appears to be in the backseat of a car that is being driven around. As the car passes by buildings, he identifies one as belonging to the Red Cross. Hamas has refused to allow the Red Cross to see the hostages.
At one point, Ohel, 24, is also seen.
‘Cruel Propaganda’
Gilboa-Dalal was seen in a video in February being forced to watch other hostages being freed under a temporary ceasefire. Hostages who were filmed in similar videos and have since been freed have said their captors had dictated to them what to say.
Human Rights Watch has condemned Hamas and another militant group in Gaza for releasing videos of hostages, calling it inhumane treatment that amounts to a war crime. Israeli officials have described the videos as psychological warfare.
Netanyahu on Friday said it was “cruel propaganda”.
Tens of thousands of Israelis have staged weekly demonstrations calling for an end to the war to secure the hostages’ release. Hundreds gathered on Friday at a public square in Tel Aviv to mark 700 days since the hostages were taken captive.
After the release of the video, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on X urged Israeli negotiators to resume talks on a deal to secure the hostages. Those released so far were as a result of diplomatic negotiations mediated by the United States and Arab states, but the last round of talks collapsed in July.
However, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Israel should respond by fully occupying Gaza.
Warning Against Expansion Of War
Israel’s military leadership has warned Netanyahu against expanding the war, according to Israeli officials. Families of Israeli hostages and their supporters fear the attack could endanger the captives.
Hamas has said it would release some hostages for a temporary ceasefire. Netanyahu is pushing for an all or nothing deal with Hamas releasing all hostages and surrendering.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Friday military operations would intensify until Hamas accepts Israel’s conditions for ending the war: release the hostages and disarm. Otherwise, the group would be destroyed, he said.
The militant group has long offered to release all hostages in exchange for an end to the war and Israel’s withdrawal.
(With inputs from Reuters)
EU Hits Google With $3.45 Billion Fine For Adtech Practices
Alphabet’s Google was on Friday slapped with a 2.95 billion euro ($3.45 billion) antitrust fine by the European Union for anti-competitive practices in its profitable adtech business — a move that sparked a strong reaction from US President Donald Trump.
The fine, the fourth penalty Google has faced in its decade-long fight with EU competition regulators, follows bubbling trade tensions between major global powers and US threats of retaliation over EU scrutiny of American tech firms.
‘Unfair’, ‘Discriminatory’
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the action was “unfair” and “discriminatory” and later told reporters he will take the matter up with the EU directly.
“We cannot let this happen to brilliant and unprecedented American Ingenuity and, if it does, I will be forced to start a Section 301 proceeding to nullify the unfair penalties being charged to these Taxpaying American Companies,” Trump said.
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 allows the United States to penalize foreign countries that engage in acts that are “unjustifiable” or “unreasonable,” or burden US commerce.
The European Commission’s action was triggered by a complaint from the European Publishers Council. Trump, who has hit Europe with trade tariffs, has threatened to retaliate against the EU for any pushback against Big Tech.
“I will be speaking to the European Union,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.
Growing Transatlantic Friction
While Google plans to appeal, the Commission has warned of stronger remedies – including potential divestitures – if the company fails to address its conflicts of interest. The case underscores growing transatlantic friction over digital market regulation and the EU’s push to rein in dominant platforms.
The EU competition enforcer had originally planned to hand out the fine on Monday but opposition from EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic on concerns about the impact on US tariffs on European cars derailed EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera’s plan.
What Are The Charges?
The Commission said Google favoured its own online display technology services that reinforced its own ad exchange AdX’s central role in the adtech supply chain and allowed Google to charge high fees for its service, to the detriment of rivals and online publishers.
Google has abused its market power since 2014 until today, the EU watchdog said.
It ordered Google to stop the self-preferencing practices and take measures to cease its inherent conflicts of interest. The company has 60 days to inform the Commission how it plans to comply with this order, and another 30 days to do so.
Urging ‘Serious Remedy’
The Commission reiterated its preliminary view that Google should divest part of its services but said it wants to first hear and assess Google’s compliance efforts, confirming a Reuters story last year.
“Google must now come forward with a serious remedy to address its conflicts of interest, and if it fails to do so, we will not hesitate to impose strong remedies,” Ribera said in a statement.
“Digital markets exist to serve people and must be grounded in trust and fairness. And when markets fail, public institutions must act to prevent dominant players from abusing their power,” she said.
‘We Will Appeal’
Google criticised the EU decision and said it would challenge it in court.
“The European Commission’s decision about our ad tech services is wrong and we will appeal. It imposes an unjustified fine and requires changes that will hurt thousands of European businesses by making it harder for them to make money,” Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice president, global head of regulatory affairs, said in a statement.
“There’s nothing anticompetitive in providing services for ad buyers and sellers, and there are more alternatives to our services than ever before.”
The latest fine compared with a record 4.3 billion euro penalty handed out to Google in 2018, 2.42 billion euros in 2017 and 1.49 billion euros in 2019.
Reuters reported last week that the fine would be modest, marking a change in Ribera’s approach with her predecessor’s deterrent hefty fines.
‘Fine Will Not Fix’ It
The European Publishers Council lamented the absence of a breakup order.
“A fine will not fix Google’s abuse of its adtech,” its executive director Angela Mills Wade said.
“Without strong and decisive enforcement, Google will simply write this off as a cost of business while consolidating its dominance in the AI (artificial intelligence) era, perpetuating unfair competition and weakening news media and publishing companies which rely on advertising revenues,” she said.
Cori Crider, senior fellow at Future of Tech Institute and an honorary professor at UCL Laws, urged the Commission to take a drastic step with a breakup order.
“Europe made an important stand for the rule of law today by pressing ahead with this first-step fine in the face of Trump and Big Tech’s bullying,” she said. “But I want to be clear: only a break-up will fix Google’s monopoly, unlock this €120bn market for European business, and save our dying media sector.”
Google is scheduled to go to trial in the United States on September 22 to determine remedies in a separate case brought by the US Justice Department in which a judge found the company holds illegal monopolies in online advertising technology.
Google’s 2024 advertising revenue, including from search services, Gmail, Google Play, Google Maps, YouTube, Google Ad Manager, AdMob and AdSense, amounted to $264.6 billion or 75.6% of total revenue. It is the world’s dominant digital-advertising platform.
Google does not provide revenue figures for its adtech business which relates to advertising on other websites and not search ads.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Israel’s Role Looms Over Lebanon’s Hezbollah Disarmament Roadmap
On Friday, Lebanon’s cabinet welcomed a plan put forward by the army to disarm Hezbollah, announcing that the military would begin implementing it. However, no timeline was set for its execution, with the government cautioning that the army’s capabilities remain limited.
A national divide over Hezbollah’s disarmament has taken centre stage in Lebanon since last year’s devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim group.
Hezbollah Not Keen
The US and Saudi Arabia, along with Hezbollah’s primarily Christian and Sunni opponents in Lebanon, have ramped up calls for the group to give up arms.
But Hezbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south. Four people were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday.
Conflict Within Cabinet
On Friday, Lebanon’s cabinet met for three hours, which included the plan’s presentation by army commander Rodolphe Haykal.
All five Shi’ite cabinet ministers left the session in protest once Haykal entered the room.
Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos told reporters after the session that the government welcomed the plan but stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally passed it.
He said the army would begin implementing the plan according to its “limited” logistical, material and personnel capabilities, which might require “additional time (and) additional effort”.
Isreal Urged To Show Commitment
Haykal had briefed ministers on the “limitations” facing the army, chief of which were Israel’s continued strikes on Lebanese territory, Morcos told reporters.
He said that Israel had not yet shown any commitment to a US roadmap aimed at disarming Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon, and which the cabinet approved last month.
“Accordingly, Lebanon clarifies that any progress towards implementing the paper remains contingent upon the commitment of the other parties, primarily Israel,” Morcos said.
Israel last week signalled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the army took action to disarm Hezbollah.
He said the details of the army’s plan would remain secret.
Complex Situation
Hezbollah-aligned Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar told local media before the cabinet’s session had concluded that any decision taken in the absence of Shi’ite ministers would be null and void as it would be considered in contravention of Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system.
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem last month raised the spectre of civil war, warning the government against trying to confront the group and saying street protests were possible.
Army troops deployed to parts of Beirut on Friday evening as a precautionary step in case any street protests linked to the decision turned unruly.
The army, drawn from Lebanon’s mosaic of religious groups, split along sectarian lines at the start of the 1975-90 civil war, and has been widely regarded as the guarantor of civil peace since being rebuilt after that conflict.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Australia: Anti-Immigration Rallies Target Indians, Neo-Nazis Fan Flames
The video on X is disturbing: at an anti-immigration rally somewhere in Australia, a man describing himself as an ethnic Indian says “What I see happening today is not immigration, this is an open-door policy. They are not blending into our culture, they are twisting it.”
His diatribe against fellow Indians was stopped midway as somebody roughly pushed him away. There were boos and cheers in roughly equal measure as he spoke, but the incident has rattled the 845,000-strong ethnic India-born population in Australia that make up a little over 10% of the total population.
The Indians bring critical skills to Australia in healthcare, IT, and engineering but appear to be on the backfoot as conservative radio networks have claimed that 1,544 migrants, equivalent to five fully loaded Boeing Dreamliners, were arriving in Australia “day after day, week after week.”
Government data shows otherwise, putting last year’s immigration figures at 446,000, lower than the 556,000 peak of the year before. But at a time of growing housing shortages and increasing pressure on jobs and public services, the anti-immigrant protests do reflect the sentiment among a section of the majority white population.
Across Sydney, Melbourne and other cities, the so called “March for Australia,” featured often inflammatory slogans, xenophobic messaging, and the presence of far-right elements, including individuals known for promoting neo-Nazi ideologies.
Promotional material circulated before the rallies explicitly singled out Indian migrants as symbols of what organisers described as “unsustainable mass migration.”
The marches were coordinated by known far-right influencers such as Hugo Lennon in Melbourne and Bec Freedom in Sydney. Both have gained notoriety for espousing “remigration” narratives and invoking the discredited “great replacement” conspiracy theory, ideologies widely condemned by mainstream Australian leaders.
In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesman Randhir Jaiswal, addressed the issue directly.
“Our High Commission and Consulates General in Australia have remained closely engaged with the Government of Australia and with representatives of the Indian diaspora,” he said. “Prior to the protests, the concerns of our community were shared with the Australian Government.”
He also acknowledged that Australia had formally responded to India’s outreach.
“Senior leaders, from both the Government and the Opposition, publicly reaffirmed the value of multiculturalism in Australia and appreciated the contributions made by the Indian diaspora,” he noted.
“We continue to believe that diversity is strength. Our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia is built not just on shared interests, but also on strong people-to-people ties.”
Australian federal and state leaders denounced the protests as divisive and unrepresentative of Australian values. The country’s Human Rights Commission also voiced concern, warning that the normalisation of racist rhetoric poses risks to social cohesion.
UN Rights Report Flags Possible War Crimes By M23, Congolese Forces In Congo
The UN Human Rights Office said on Friday that the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, Congolese forces, and other armed groups committed grave abuses in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, some potentially rising to the level of war crimes.
M23, Congolese armed forces and other groups have been responsible for gross violations of international humanitarian law since late last year when fighting began in North and South Kivu, a new report by the U.N. Human Rights Office’s Fact-Finding Mission said.
“The atrocities described in this report are horrific,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in a statement, calling for accountability for victims.
The governments of Rwanda and Congo, the M23 and Wazalendo groups, were not immediately available for comment.
M23 seized Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, in January and went on to make gains across North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. The fighting has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more this year, while escalating the risk of a full-blown war in a region rich in tin, gold and coltan.
While multiple human rights bodies and the UN have accused parties in the Congo conflict of gross atrocities, this is the first UN report to find that those abuses may have constituted crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The report found the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 carried out summary executions, torture, and enforced disappearances, which may amount to crimes against humanity, as well as war crimes including wilful killing and the taking of hostages.
Systematic Sexual Violence
The group also used systematic sexual violence, including gang rape, largely against women with an intent to “degrade, punish, and break the dignity of victims,” the report stated.
M23 received training and operational support from the Rwandan Defence Forces, and there were credible allegations of the covert presence of RDF personnel within M23, the report said.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied backing M23 and says its forces act in self-defence against Congo’s army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
M23 has also previously denied allegations it has committed atrocities.
The report also found that the DRC armed forces and affiliated armed groups, such as pro-government militia fighters known as Wazalendo, had committed grave violations, including gang rape, the deliberate killing of civilians, and looting.
The report investigated whether repeated rapes by specific Congolese armed units in January and February amounted to crimes against humanity, but it could not determine if these acts were state policy.
It said that certain Wazalendo members and leaders may have committed the war crime of conscripting or enlisting children under the age of 15 and using them in the fighting.
“This report should drive home the importance of accountability and justice for these violations,” the chief spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, told reporters in Geneva.
The OHCHR has called for adequate financing so that a Commission of Inquiry into violations in eastern Congo, which has been stalled due to funding shortages, can proceed.
Following mediation by Qatar, Congo and the rebels signed a declaration of principles on July 19 in which they vowed to start negotiating a peace deal in August. However, the two sides missed the deadline.
(With inputs from Reuters)
US To Deploy 10 Fighter Jets To Puerto Rico In Cartel Crackdown: Sources
The United States has directed the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to an airfield in Puerto Rico for operations targeting drug cartels, two informed sources said, a decision expected to heighten regional tensions.
The advanced fighter jets will be added to an already bristling U.S. military presence in the southern Caribbean as President Donald Trump carries out a campaign pledge to crack down on groups he blames for funnelling drugs into the United States.
Friday’s development comes three days after U.S. forces attacked a boat that Trump said was carrying “massive amounts of drugs” from Venezuela, killing 11 people. The strike appeared to set the stage for a sustained military campaign in Latin America.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 10 fighter jets are being sent to conduct operations against designated narco-terrorist organisations operating in the southern Caribbean. The planes should arrive in the area by late next week, they said.
The U.S. has deployed warships in the southern Caribbean in recent weeks, with the aim of carrying out Trump’s crackdown.
Seven U.S. warships and one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine are either in the region or expected to be there soon, carrying more than 4,500 sailors and Marines. U.S. Marines and sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit have been carrying out amphibious training and flight operations in southern Puerto Rico.
The buildup has put pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has called “effectively a kingpin of a drug narco state.”
Maduro, at a rare news conference in Caracas on Monday, said the United States is “seeking regime change through military threat.”
U.S. officials have not said what legal justification was used for Tuesday’s air strike on the boat or what drugs were on board.
Trump said on Tuesday, without providing evidence, that the U.S. military had identified the crew of the vessel as members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which Washington designated a terrorist group in February.
US Vows Continued Actions
Senior U.S. national security officials announced on Wednesday that military operations against cartels will continue, signalling a sustained campaign in Latin America despite unanswered questions about a deadly strike on a Venezuelan vessel.
The U.S. military killed 11 people on Tuesday in a strike on a vessel from Venezuela allegedly carrying illegal narcotics, in the first known operation since President Donald Trump’s recent deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean.
Little is known about the strike, including what legal justification was used or what drugs were on board, but U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said operations would continue.
“We’ve got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships, because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won’t stop with just this strike,” Hegseth said on FOX & Friends.
“Anyone else trafficking in those waters who we know is a designated narco terrorist will face the same fate,” Hegseth said.
He declined to provide details on how the operation was carried out, saying they were classified. It is unknown whether the vessel was destroyed using a drone, torpedo, or by some other means.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Mexico City, said similar strikes will happen again.
“Maybe it’s happening right now, I don’t know, but the point is the president of the United States is going to wage war on narco terrorist organisations,” Rubio said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Germany Seeks To Buy Eurofighter Jets And Upgrade Taurus Cruise Missiles
Germany’s government is preparing to seek parliamentary approval for about 80 defence projects before year’s end, according to a document. Among the plans are the purchase of new Eurofighter jets and an upgrade of the long-range Taurus cruise missile system.
The document outlines 81 defence projects that surpass the threshold of 25 million euros ($29 million), beyond which purchases need approval by parliament’s budget committee.
Among the items is the so-called Tranche 5 of Eurofighter jets, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz previously said would include 20 aircraft built by Airbus.
The list also features plans to modernise the Taurus cruise missile system. Germany plans to build a production line for the next-generation Taurus NEO and may order up to 600 new missiles. A contract has already been secured for a ten-year upgrade and maintenance program for the current Taurus fleet.
Last year, it was reported that Defence Minister Boris Pistorius aimed to develop an advanced version of the Taurus and buy 600 of them.
German forces possess 600 of the current version with a range of more than 500 km (311 miles) in their inventories, to be launched from fighter jets such as the Tornado, the F-15 or the F/A-18.
The weapon, built by the European defence company MBDA (BAES.L), (LDOF.MI) is designed to destroy high-value targets behind enemy lines such as command bunkers, ammunition and fuel dumps, airfields and bridges.
Air Defence
In addition, Berlin is expected to allocate billions from its special defence fund to strengthen air defence, upgrade existing systems.
The list include the acquisition of Patriot and IRIS-T SLM missile systems, Puma infantry fighting vehicles, Boxer armoured personnel carriers, and Heron TP drones manufactured in Israel, among others.
In August, Germany halted exports of arms to Israel which could be used in Gaza Strip because of Israel’s plan to expand its operations there.
The list does not specify the number of systems to be acquired, the price or who produces them.
($1 = 0.8542 euros)
(With inputs from Reuters)