PARIS: Iranians took to the streets in new protests Friday to press the biggest movement against the Islamic republic in more than three years, as authorities sustained an internet blackout as part of a crackdown that has left dozens dead. On Friday, US President Donald Trump said it looked like Iran&#39;s leaders were &ldquo;in big trouble&rdquo; and repeated an earlier threat of military strikes if peaceful protesters are killed. &ldquo;It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago,&rdquo; Trump said.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JwDkD8GhDrE" title="Trump threatens to hit Iran 'very very hard'" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div> Rising cost of living&nbsp;Protests have taken place across Iran for 13 days in a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, with growing calls for the end of the clerical system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, which ousted the pro-Western shah. In Tehran&#39;s northern Sa&#39;adat Abad district, people banged pots and chanted slogans deriding Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as cars honked in support, a video verified by AFP showed. Other social media images showed similar protests elsewhere in Tehran, while videos published by Persian language television channels based outside Iran showed large numbers taking part in new protests in the eastern city of Mashhad, Tabriz in the north, and the holy city of Qom. These protests followed giant demonstrations on Thursday that were the biggest in Iran since the 2022-2023 protest movement sparked by the custody death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the dress rules for women. &lsquo;Nationwide internet shutdown&rsquo;The rallies came as internet monitor NetBlocks said authorities imposed a &ldquo;nationwide internet shutdown&rdquo; for the last 24 hours that was violating the rights of Iranians and &ldquo;masking regime violence&rdquo;. Amnesty International said the &ldquo;blanket internet shutdown&rdquo; aims to &ldquo;hide the true extent of the&nbsp;grave&nbsp;human rights violations&nbsp;and crimes under international law&nbsp;they are carrying out&nbsp;to&nbsp;crush&rdquo; the protests. Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, raising a previous toll of 45 issued the day earlier, said at least 51 protesters, including nine children, have been killed by security forces and hundreds more injured.In a joint statement Friday, the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, and the European Union issued a strong condemnation and called on Iran to &ldquo;immediately end the use of excessive and lethal force by its security forces&rdquo;. &ldquo;Too many lives -- over 40 to date -- have already been lost.&rdquo; <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Stained with blood&#39;&nbsp;</h2>In his first comments on the escalating protests since January 3, Khamenei on Friday called the demonstrators &ldquo;vandals&rdquo; and &ldquo;saboteurs&rdquo;. Khamenei, in a speech broadcast on state TV, said US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s hands &ldquo;are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians&rdquo;, in apparent reference to Israel&rsquo;s June war against the Islamic republic, which the US supported and joined with strikes of its own. He predicted the &ldquo;arrogant&rdquo; US leader would be &ldquo;overthrown&rdquo; like the imperial dynasty that ruled Iran up to the 1979 revolution. &ldquo;Everyone knows the Islamic republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people, it will not back down in the face of saboteurs.&rdquo; Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on a visit to Lebanon on Friday, accused Washington and Israel of &ldquo;directly intervening&rdquo; to try to &ldquo;transform the peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones&rdquo;, which a US State Department spokesperson called &ldquo;delusional&rdquo;. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Red line&#39;&nbsp;</h2>The son of the Shah of Iran, ousted by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, US-based Reza Pahlavi, urged Trump to intervene to help the protesters, adding, &ldquo;the people will be on the streets again in an hour&rdquo;.But judiciary chief Gholamhossein&nbsp;Mohseni Ejei warned that punishment of &ldquo;rioters&rdquo; would be &ldquo;decisive, the maximum and without any legal leniency&rdquo;. The intelligence branch of the Revolutionary Guards, the security force entrusted with ensuring the preservation of the Islamic republic, said the &ldquo;continuation of this situation is unacceptable&rdquo; and protecting the revolution was its &ldquo;red line&quot;. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, who lives in exile, warned security forces could be preparing to commit a &quot;massacre under the cover of a sweeping communications blackout&quot;. &lsquo;Exercise restraint&rsquo;&nbsp;The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany on Friday issued a joint statement condemning what they described as the &quot;killing of protestors&quot; in Iran, urging the authorities to &quot;exercise restraint&quot;. Meanwhile, Iranian state television on Friday broadcast images of thousands of people attending counter-protests and brandishing slogans in favor of the authorities in some Iranian cities. The Haalvsh rights group, which focuses on the Baluch Sunni minority in the southeast, said security forces fired on protesters in Zahedan, the main city of Sistan-Baluchistan province, after Friday prayers, causing an unspecified number of casualties. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said in a joint statement that since the start of the protests on December 28, security forces &quot;have unlawfully used rifles, shotguns loaded with metal pellets, water cannon, tear gas and beatings to disperse, intimidate and punish largely peaceful protesters&quot;.

Middle East

US President Donald Trump says it looks like Iran's leaders are ‘in big trouble’; Khamenei says US President Donald Trump’s hands ‘are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians’.  

New protests erupt in Iran despite internet shutdown 

TEHRAN: Iran&#39;s military chief warned on Wednesday that Iran will not stand by and allow itself to be threatened by outside powers, after the United States and Israel backed anti-government protests. &quot;The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the escalation of hostile rhetoric against the Iranian nation a threat and will not tolerate its continuation without responding,&quot; General Amir Hatami said, according to the Fars news agency. Hatami, commander of the Iranian army but not Iran&#39;s most senior officer, warned that &quot;if the enemy makes a mistake&quot; Iran&#39;s response would be more robust than during last June&#39;s 12-day war with Israel. In recent days, US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran &#39;if demonstrators were killed&#39;, while Israel&#39;s Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for the protests. On December 28 merchants in Tehran staged a protest against soaring prices and the collapse of the rial, triggering a wave of similar actions in several cities, some of them deadly. The demonstrations have yet to reach the scale of a 2022 to 2023 movement, let alone that of the mass 2009 street protests that followed disputed elections. But the economic protests have attracted international attention, including from the leaders of the Islamic republic&#39;s international foes. &quot;We&#39;re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they&#39;re going to get hit very hard by the United States,&quot; Trump told reporters on Sunday. Netanyahu, meanwhile, told Israel&#39;s cabinet: &quot;We stand in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and with their aspirations for freedom, liberty and justice.&quot; On Monday, the Iranian foreign ministry accused Trump and Netanyahu of inciting violence and trying to &nbsp;undermine Iran&#39;s national unity. The war in June began with an unprecedented Israeli attack on Iranian military and nuclear facilities. The United States briefly took part in the strikes, hitting three major Iranian nuclear sites.

In recent days, US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran if demonstrators were killed, while Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for the protests.

Iran army chief threatens response to Trump and Netanyahu's 'threats'

Web Desk

Americas

Trump tasked ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips with fixing U.S. infrastructure and boosting profits, though they haven't discussed Maduro's ouster with his administration.

Trump eyes US oil giants to run Venezuela after Maduro

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen to &ldquo;please&rdquo; him, while renewing his warning that Washington could further raise tariffs on India over its continued purchases of Russian oil if New Delhi does not &ldquo;help&rdquo; on the issue. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump directly linked the threat to the Russia-Ukraine war and India&rsquo;s energy ties with Moscow. &ldquo;We could raise tariffs on India if they don&rsquo;t help on the Russian oil issue,&rdquo; he said.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed" style="line-height: 2;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9XVjd3R2T3g?si=PzmknTUIwdZe0AL8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;</div>Trump added that New Delhi was aware of his displeasure. &ldquo;They wanted to make me happy, basically. PM Modi&rsquo;s a very good man. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly,&rdquo; he said. The remarks reflect Washington&rsquo;s continued pressure on India over its oil imports from Russia, which Trump has repeatedly criticized. In August 2025, his administration doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, accusing New Delhi of indirectly strengthening Russia&rsquo;s war effort by buying discounted crude. India is already facing steep tariffs, despite defending its energy policy as necessary for domestic energy security. Trump has maintained a strong interest in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, positioning himself as a potential mediator while simultaneously using trade measures to push allies to align with US policy on Moscow. &#39;National shame&#39; Trump&rsquo;s remarks also drew criticism within India. Saurabh Bharadwaj, president of the Aam Aadmi Party&rsquo;s Delhi unit, described the comments as a &ldquo;national shame,&rdquo; saying they portrayed India as being arm-twisted by Washington.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 738px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2008024326550028340&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=eacb3058d9b61359491233de2392a1a634d079ca&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2008024326550028340">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>In a post on social media, Bharadwaj said a video circulating online showed US officials &ldquo;mocking India&rdquo; and bragging about how Trump pressured Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cut oil imports from Russia.&nbsp;He said Trump&rsquo;s claim that Modi wanted to &ldquo;make him happy&rdquo; damaged India&rsquo;s image and raised serious questions about New Delhi&rsquo;s foreign policy independence. Earlier, Trump said that Modi had assured him India would stop buying Russian oil, describing it as a &ldquo;big step&rdquo; to increase pressure on Moscow. Indian officials later claimed that assertion, saying no such assurance or conversation had taken place. Trump&rsquo;s latest comments come as Indian and US officials have launched <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-india-start-fresh-trade-talks-seeking-elusive-deal" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">another round of negotiations</a> aimed at easing long-standing trade tensions, which have been exacerbated by the sharp rise in tariffs and Washington&rsquo;s demands over New Delhi&rsquo;s Russia policy.

India

Says Modi knew it was "very important to make me happy."

Modi wants to please me: Trump

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned that Washington could launch another military strike on Venezuela, asserting that the United States is now &ldquo;in charge&rdquo; following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said further action was possible if remaining members of Venezuela&rsquo;s administration failed to cooperate with US efforts to &ldquo;fix&rdquo; the country. His remarks raised the prospect of continued US military involvement in Latin America.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2008003851295904208&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=eacb3058d9b61359491233de2392a1a634d079ca&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>Trump also hinted that other countries in the region could face pressure or action, warning that Colombia and Mexico must curb the flow of illicit drugs into the United States. &ldquo;Operation Colombia sounds good to me,&rdquo; he said, while adding that Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, appeared to be &ldquo;ready to fall&rdquo; without direct US intervention.&nbsp;Insisting that Washington now holds authority in Venezuela, Trump said the US was dealing with what he described as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/new-venezuela-leader-to-pay-big-price-if-doesnt-do-whats-right-trump" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">newly installed leadership in Caracas</a>. Asked who was in charge, he replied, &ldquo;It means we&rsquo;re in charge.&rdquo; When questioned about whether the operation was driven by oil interests or regime change, Trump said it was about &ldquo;peace on earth,&rdquo; adding that elections in Venezuela would be held later. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to run it, fix it, and have elections at the right time,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;At the same time, Venezuela&rsquo;s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said she was prepared to engage with the Trump administration, calling for a balanced and respectful relationship. However, senior figures in Maduro&rsquo;s camp rejected US claims, describing the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/explosions-heard-in-venezuelas-capital-afp-journalist" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">detention of Maduro and his wife</a>&nbsp;as a kidnapping and insisting Maduro remains the country&rsquo;s legitimate president.&nbsp;Maduro is currently being held in New York and is expected to appear in court on drug-related charges. His capture has triggered uncertainty in the oil-rich South American nation, where security forces have been placed on high alert. 32 Cubans killed in US raid in VenezuelaVenezuela&rsquo;s defense minister said the US operation resulted in the deaths of soldiers and civilians, while Cuba said dozens of its nationals were killed during the raid.&nbsp; <p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;' id="isPasted">&ldquo;As a result of the criminal attack carried out by the government of the United States&rdquo; against Venezuela, &ldquo;32 Cubans lost their lives in combat operations,&rdquo; the Cuban government said in a statement read on national television. <p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;' id="isPasted">The deceased were members of Cuba&#39;s Revolutionary Armed Forces or the Ministry of the Interior who were carrying out missions &ldquo;at the request of counterpart agencies,&quot; Cuban officials said.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'> Havana has declared two days of national mourning beginning at dawn on Monday, and pledged to organize tributes. &ldquo;Honor and glory to the brave Cuban fighters who fell facing terrorists in imperial uniform,&rdquo; President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote on X.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 873px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2007981620289249418&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=eacb3058d9b61359491233de2392a1a634d079ca&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div><p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'> Washington, meanwhile, says it is prepared to work with remaining officials in Caracas, particularly to secure access for US investment in Venezuela&rsquo;s vast oil reserves. Trump&rsquo;s comments and the ongoing US military presence in the region have intensified debate over Washington&rsquo;s long-term strategy, even as administration officials insist the operation is aimed at combating drug trafficking rather than waging war on Venezuela.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'> <p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'><br style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, sans-serif;"><p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'>In a stunning US military operation on Saturday, Maduro was extracted from Caracas along with his wife, Cilia Flores, to face charges of drug trafficking and terrorism in a New York court on Monday.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'> <p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'>With input from wires.

Hints that other countries in the region could face pressure or action, warning that Colombia and Mexico must curb the flow of illicit drugs into the United States

Trump says second Venezuela strike possible, insists ‘US in charge’

PALM BEACH: President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States will &quot;run&quot; Venezuela and tap its huge oil reserves after snatching leftist leader Nicolas Maduro out of the country during a bombing raid on Caracas. Trump&#39;s announcement came hours after a lightning attack in which special forces grabbed Maduro and his wife, while air strikes pounded sites in and around the capital city. <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; line-height: 2;" id="isPasted">A US government plane carrying Maduro landed at a military base shortly after nightfall, and he was transported by helicopter to New York City, where the couple were to be arraigned on drug trafficking and weapons charges.<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; line-height: 2;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; line-height: 2;">The White House posted a video on X of Maduro, handcuffed and in sandals, escorted by federal agents through a US Drug Enforcement Administration facility in New York.<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; line-height: 2;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; line-height: 2;">&quot;Good night, happy new year,&quot; the 63-year-old leftist is heard saying in English. &#39;Not afraid of boots on the ground&#39;Despite the success of the risky operation, what happens next is highly uncertain. Trump said he was &quot;designating people&quot; from his cabinet to be in charge in Venezuela, but gave no details of how this would work. In another surprise, Trump indicated US troops could be deployed there in the future, saying Washington is &quot;not afraid of boots on the ground.&quot; But he appeared to reject the possibility of the country&#39;s repressed opposition taking power and said he could work instead with Maduro&#39;s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez. One aspect that became clearer was the White House&#39;s motivation, with Trump indicating regime change and Venezuela&#39;s oil riches were the major goals. &quot;We&#39;re going to have our very large United States oil companies ... spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure,&quot; he said. &quot;We&#39;ll be selling large amounts of oil.&quot; At Venezuela&#39;s request, the UN Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss the US operation to seize Maduro, the Somali presidency of the Council told AFP. Trump dismisses opposition leader&nbsp;US-backed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, posted on social media that &quot;the hour of freedom has arrived.&quot; She called for the opposition&#39;s 2024 election candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, to &quot;immediately&quot; assume the presidency. But Trump was surprisingly cold on the prospect that Machado could become Venezuela&#39;s new leader, saying she doesn&#39;t have &quot;support or respect&quot; there. Instead, he touted Rodriguez, saying &quot;she&#39;s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.&quot; Rodriguez, however, poured cold water on that, demanding Maduro&#39;s release and vowing to &quot;defend&quot; the country. Supreme Court&#39;s order Venezuela&#39;s Supreme Court late Saturday ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to become the country&#39;s interim leader, after the United States seized President Nicolas Maduro and whisked him out of the country. The high court ruled that Rodriguez &quot;assume and exercise, in an acting capacity, all the attributes, duties and powers inherent to the office of President...to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the nation.&quot; The judges stopped short of declaring Maduro permanently absent from office, a ruling that requires holding elections within 30 days. Reflecting the confusion, Trump indicated that US involvement is likely to be long-term. &quot;We&#39;re there now, but we&#39;re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place,&quot; he said. China, a backer of Maduro&#39;s leftist regime, said it &quot;strongly condemns&quot; the US operation, while France warned a solution cannot &quot;be imposed from outside.&quot; United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was &quot;deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected.&quot; Blackout and bombing&nbsp;Venezuelans had been bracing for attacks as US forces spent months massing off the coast. Caracas residents woke to explosions and the whir of military helicopters around 2 am (0600 GMT). Air strikes hit a major military base and an airbase, among other sites, for nearly an hour, AFP journalists said. The top US military officer, General Dan Caine, said 150 aircraft took part in the operation, supporting troops helicoptering in to seize Maduro with the help of months of intelligence into the leader&#39;s daily habits &mdash; down to &quot;what he ate&quot; and what pets he kept. Maduro, 63, and his wife &quot;gave up&quot; without a struggle, and there was &quot;no loss of US life,&quot; he said. Several hours after the attacks, Venezuelan authorities had yet to release casualty figures. But Trump told a US media outlet that &quot;many&quot; Cubans who were part of Maduro&#39;s security detail were among the dead. Within hours of the operation, Caracas had fallen eerily quiet, with police stationed outside public buildings and a smell of smoke drifting through the streets. Shifting justifications&nbsp;The US and numerous European governments did not recognize Maduro&#39;s legitimacy, saying he stole elections in 2018 and 2024. Maduro &mdash; in power since 2013 after taking over from leftist mentor Hugo Chavez &mdash; long accused Trump of seeking regime change to control Venezuela&#39;s oil reserves. Trump has offered several justifications for the aggressive policy toward Venezuela, at times stressing illegal migration, narcotics trafficking, and the country&#39;s oil industry. But he had previously avoided openly calling for regime change. Several members of Congress quickly questioned the legality of the operation. However, Trump&#39;s key ally, Mike Johnson, the &nbsp;Republican speaker in the House of Representatives, said it was &quot;justified.&quot;

President Donald Trump says the US military caused a blackout in Caracas to carry out an operation capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Maduro now in New York jail as Trump says US to 'run' Venezuela

WASHINGTON: Tesla&#39;s sales fell in 2025, the company reported Friday, ceding its position as the world&#39;s biggest electric vehicle maker for the year to Chinese auto giant BYD.&nbsp;The American company led by Elon Musk logged 418,227 deliveries in the final three months of the year, taking its full-year sales figure to around 1.64 million EVs.&nbsp;This marked a drop in sales of more than eight percent compared with 2024.&nbsp;A day prior, BYD said that it sold 2.26 million EVs last year.&nbsp;Analysts had expected Tesla&#39;s sales in the final quarter to slow less, to 449,000, according to a FactSet consensus.&nbsp;The pullback comes amid the elimination of a $7,500 US tax credit at the end of September 2025, with industry watchers noting it will take time for EV demand to rebalance.&nbsp;But even before then, Tesla had seen sales struggle in key markets over CEO Musk&#39;s political support of US President Donald Trump and other far-right politicians.&nbsp;Tesla has also been grappling with rising competition from BYD and other Chinese companies, and from European giants.&nbsp;Shenzhen-based BYD, which also produces hybrid cars, unveiled record EV sales in the past year on Thursday.&nbsp;Known as &quot;Biyadi&quot; in Chinese or by the English slogan &quot;Build Your Dreams&quot; BYD was founded in 1995 and originally specialized in battery manufacturing.&nbsp;The automotive juggernaut has come to dominate China&#39;s highly competitive market for new energy vehicles, a term used to describe various vehicles from fully electric ones to plug-in hybrids. China is the world&#39;s largest market for new energy vehicles.&nbsp;BYD is now looking to expand its presence overseas, as increasingly price-wary consumption patterns in China weigh on profitability.&nbsp;While BYD and other Chinese EV producers come up against hefty tariffs in the United States, the company&#39;s success is picking up in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and in Europe.&nbsp;Tesla only narrowly beat BYD in annual EV sales in 2024, with US company&#39;s 1.79 million outpacing the latter&#39;s 1.76 million.&nbsp;Nonetheless, Tesla shares ticked up in pre-market trading in New York on Friday.&nbsp;Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities noted that Tesla&#39;s quarterly sales figure remained much better than some had speculated.&nbsp;He flagged that the company faces a &quot;more difficult demand environment following the end of the EV tax credit while Europe remains a headwind to its deliveries.&quot;&nbsp;Ives noted that the company still sees challenges obtaining certain regulatory approval in Europe, with sales potentially rebounding once the regulatory hurdles are cleared.&nbsp;&quot;Sales around smaller and emerging markets have started to see larger growth metrics than expectations which look to offset the declines in key regions like China and Europe,&quot; he added.

Business

Tesla’s 2025 EV deliveries fell to about 1.64 million, dropping over 8 % and losing the global electric vehicle sales crown to China’s BYD, which sold 2.26 million, amid rising competition and declining US tax incentives.

Tesla sales slip as it loses EV crown to China's BYD in 2025

WASHINGTON: A throwaway remark last week by President Donald Trump has raised questions about whether US forces may have carried their first land strike against drug cartels in Venezuela.&nbsp;Trump said the US knocked out a &quot;big facility&quot; for producing trafficking boats, as he was discussing his pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in an interview broadcast Friday.&nbsp;&quot;They have a big plant or a big facility where they send, you know, where the ships come from,&quot; Trump said in an interview with billionaire supporter John Catsimatidis on the WABC radio station in New York.&nbsp;&quot;Two nights ago we knocked that out. So we hit them very hard.&quot;&nbsp;Trump did not say where the facility was located or give any other details. US forces have carried out numerous strikes in both the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, killing more than 100 people.&nbsp;The Pentagon referred questions about Trump&#39;s remarks to the White House. The White House did not respond to requests for comment from AFP.&nbsp;There has been no official comment from the Venezuelan government.&nbsp;Trump has been saying for weeks that the United States will &quot;soon&quot; start carrying out land strikes targeting drug cartels in Latin America, but there have been no confirmed attacks to date.&nbsp;The Trump administration has been ramping up pressure on Maduro, accusing the Venezuelan leader of running a drug cartel himself and imposing an oil tanker blockade.&nbsp;Maduro has accused Washington of attempting regime change.

Trump claimed the US destroyed a major drug-boat production facility, sparking speculation of the first land strike in Venezuela, though no details or confirmations followed, as Washington intensifies pressure on President Nicolas Maduro and sanctions.

Trump hints at land strike as Venezuela pressure mounts

PALM BEACH: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, with the US president pushing to move to the next stage of his fragile Gaza truce plan.&nbsp;Netanyahu is also expected to try to shift some focus onto Iran, amid reports he will call for more US strikes on the Islamic republic.&nbsp;The meeting at Trump&#39;s lavish Mar-a-Lago resort the fifth between the two leaders to be held in the United States this year comes as some White House officials fear both Israel and Hamas are slow-walking the second phase of their ceasefire.&nbsp;Trump, who said Netanyahu had asked for the talks, is reportedly keen to announce as soon as January, a Palestinian technocratic government for Gaza and the deployment of an international stabilization force.&nbsp;The two leaders are to meet at 1 pm (1800 GMT), the White House said.&nbsp;In recent months, Israeli officials and media have expressed concern that Iran is rebuilding its ballistic missile arsenal after it came under attack during the 12-day war with Israel in June.&nbsp;But Sina Toossi, a researcher at the Center for International Policy (CIP) in Washington, said Trump&#39;s insistence that US strikes in June destroyed Tehran&#39;s nuclear program had &quot;removed Israel&#39;s most powerful historical justification for US support for war with Iran&quot;.&nbsp;Netanyahu&#39;s new focus on Iran&#39;s missiles is &quot;an effort to manufacture a replacement casus belli,&quot; Toossi told AFP.&nbsp;Iran on Monday denounced the reports as a &quot;psychological operation&quot; against Tehran, emphasizing it was fully prepared to defend itself, and warning renewed aggression would &quot;result in harsher consequences&quot; for Israel.&nbsp;Phase two has to beginNetanyahu&#39;s visit caps a frantic few days of international diplomacy in Palm Beach, where Trump hosted Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday for talks on ending Russia&#39;s invasion.&nbsp;The Gaza ceasefire in October is one of the major achievements of Trump&#39;s first year back in power, but his administration and regional mediators want to keep up the momentum.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s global envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner hosted senior officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in Miami earlier this month.&nbsp;The timing of the Netanyahu meeting is &quot;very significant,&quot; said Gershon Baskin, the co-head of peacebuilding commission the Alliance for Two States, who has taken part in back-channel negotiations with Hamas.&nbsp;&quot;Phase two has to begin,&quot; he told AFP, adding that &quot;I think the Americans realize that it&#39;s late because Hamas has had too much time to re-establish its presence.&quot;&nbsp;The first phase of the truce deal stipulated that Hamas release the remaining hostages, both dead and alive, taken during its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The group has so far returned all the living captives and the remains of all but one.&nbsp;Under the second stage, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, while Hamas is supposed to lay down its weapons.&nbsp;An interim authority is meanwhile meant to govern the Palestinian territory, and the international stabilization force (ISF) is to be deployed.&nbsp;Both sides, however, have alleged frequent ceasefire violations.&nbsp;Frustrated with NetanyahuThe Axios news outlet reported on Friday that Trump wanted to convene the first meeting of a new Gaza &quot;Board of Peace&quot; that he will chair at the Davos forum in Switzerland in January.&nbsp;But it said that senior White House officials were growing exasperated with what they viewed as efforts by Netanyahu to stall the peace process.&nbsp;&quot;There are more and more signs that the American administration is getting frustrated with Netanyahu,&quot; said Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East expert at London-based think-tank Chatham House.&nbsp;&quot;The question is what it&#39;s going to do about it,&quot; he added, &quot;because phase two is right now going nowhere.&quot;&nbsp;Israel is continuing to strike Hamas targets in Gaza, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon despite another ceasefire there. Syria will also be on the agenda.&nbsp;Mekelberg said Netanyahu could be attempting to shift attention from Gaza onto Iran as Israel enters an election year.&nbsp;&quot;Everything is connected to staying in power,&quot; he said of the long-time Israeli premier.

Netanyahu meets Trump in Florida as the US urges progress on the Gaza ceasefire, while Washington grows frustrated with delays and Netanyahu shifts attention toward Iran as Israel continues military strikes.

Netanyahu to meet Trump in Florida for talks on Gaza, Iran

MOSCOW: Russia claimed on Saturday to have captured two more towns in eastern Ukraine, Myrnograd and Guliaipole, a day ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky&#39;s meeting with US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;A Kremlin statement said Russian President Vladimir Putin had received a report from military command on &quot;the liberation of Dimitrov (the Russian name for Myrnograd) and of Guliaipole&quot;.&nbsp;Myrnograd is in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, near Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub that Russia claimed to have captured on December 1.&nbsp;Guliaipole is in the eastern part of Zaporizhzhia, where Russian advances have been more rare, but which have accelerated in recent months.&nbsp;Putin said the offensives on both areas of the front were &quot;intensifying the pressure&quot; on the Ukrainian army, in comments broadcast on television.&nbsp;Moscow&#39;s announcement of these latest advances comes a day before Zelensky is due in the United States for talks with Trump on the plan he had drawn up to stop the fighting.

Europe

Russia claimed to have captured two more towns in eastern Ukraine, Myrnograd and Guliaipole, a day ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting with US President Donald Trump.

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