Global News

International leaders reacted swiftly on Saturday morning as President Trump confirmed U.S. military strikes in Venezuela and announced the capture of the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife. Many U.S. adversaries, including some of Venezuela’s nearest neighbors, condemned the strikes, while other governments around the world called for deescalation and voiced concern for their citizens in the Latin American nation. Colombia “Alerting the whole world that they have attacked Venezuela,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote in a series of statements posted on the social media platform X. “The Republic of Colombia reiterates its conviction that peace, respect for international law, and the protection of life and human dignity must prevail over any form of armed confrontation,” Petro said. In a separate post, he said Colombia “rejects the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America”. Petro later announced the deployment of military forc...

By REGINA GARCIA CANO AP At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 a.m. local time Saturday in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. The government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states. Pentagon referred requests for comment to the White House, which didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration has banned U.S. commercial flights in Venezuelan airspace over “ongoing military activity” ahead of explosions in Caracas. Calls to the U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in the region, went unanswered. Explosions rock Caracas The explosions in Caracas occurred within less than 30 minutes. People in various neighborhoods rushed to the streets. while others took to social media to report hearing and seeing the blasts. Two hours later, various areas of the city remained without power, but vehicles continued to move freely. Smoke could be se...

 Islamic State-linked rebels killed at least 15 people in three villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Lubero territory, two officials said on Friday, keeping up a pattern of lethal attacks targeting mostly civilians. The Allied Democratic Forces began as an insurgent force in Uganda but has been based in the forests of neighbouring Congo since the late 1990s, and is recognised by Islamic State as an affiliate. Congo’s army and Ugandan forces have pursued operations against the ADF, but the group’s raids persist. Its latest attacks occurred on Thursday night in Lubero, part of North Kivu province. Nine civilians were killed in Kilonge, two civilians in Katanga and two civilians and two soldiers in Maendeleo, according to Macaire Sivikunula, chief of the Bapere locality where the villages are located. “The ADF rebels killed most of the victims with bladed weapons,” although they also exchanged gunfire with soldiers in Maendeleo, he told Reuters. Alain Kiwewa, Lubero...

By JAMEY KEATEN, STEFANIE DAZIO and JOHN LEICESTER AP Axel Clavier felt like he was suffocating inside the Swiss Alpine bar where moments before he’d been ringing in the new year with friends and dozens of other revelers. The 16-year-old from Paris escaped the inferno, which broke out after midnight Thursday, by forcing a window open with a table. But about 40 other partygoers died, including one of Clavier’s friends, falling victim to one of the worst tragedies in Switzerland’s history. The blaze also injured about 115 people, most of them seriously, as it ripped through the crowded Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, police said. Clavier told The Associated Press that “two or three” of his friends remained missing hours after the disaster. Fire’s cause remains under investigation Valais Canton  police commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference that work is underway to identify the victims and inform their famil...

A fire at a bar in the Swiss Alps has left people dead and injured during New Year’s celebrations, police said early Thursday. Multiple people were killed in the blaze and many others were injured in the Alpine ski resort municipality of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, police said. “The fire started around 1:30 a.m. this morning in a bar called ‘Le Constellation,’” police spokesperson Gaëtan Lathion said. “More than a hundred people were in the building, and we are seeing many injured and many dead.” A reception center and helpline have been setup for impacted families, Lathion said. “We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is a internationally renown ski resort with lots of tourists,” Lathion said. A news conference was scheduled by police for 10 a.m. in Crans-Montana. The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn. SOURCE: AP AND AGENCIES from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/uJSiFws