Top World News
Trump: U.S. has entered deal with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of oil reserves
President Donald Trump on Friday said the U.S. has entered an agreement with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of the South American country's oil reserves.
Trump dismisses Chinese spying concerns
President Trump appeared to dismiss U.S. national security concerns over large-scale Chinese intelligence collection, espionage and cyberattacks in a recent exchange with reporters noting similar U.S. practices.
Venezuelan opposition up in arms over reports US wants big stake in oil and gas
Critics call move to gain long-term access to country’s massive energy reserves ‘predatory’ and ‘unconstitutional’Reports that the US is preparing to claim a big stake in Venezuela’s massive energy reserves have sparked an outcry, with critics describing the move as “predatory” and a “rapacious” land grab.Several media outlets this week reported that the Trump administration – which abducted Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, in January and has steered the South American country ever since – hopes to secure long-term access to its oil and gasfields. Continue reading...
X finds Chinese bot farm pushing anti-data-center messages on Americans
The social media platform X said it uncovered a Chinese influence operation to turn Americans against AI development and construction of data centers.
At least 93,000 ‘in great need’ after Nepal-Tibet flash floods, says Red Cross
Federation says it fears death toll of nearly 600 will continue to rise as rescuers reach cut-off areasNepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updatesVisual guide: how the deadly flooding unfoldedTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?The Red Cross has said at least 93,000 people may have been affected by Wednesday’s flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border, which have killed nearly 600 people, left another 1,900 missing, and triggered a huge rescue operation that is being hampered by fears of new flooding.The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network, said it feared the death toll would continue to rise as some of the hardest-hit areas remained inaccessible after roads and bridges were destroyed by the torrents. Continue reading...
Families of 33 missing Britons rush to Nepal as fears grow of more floods
Desperate relatives trying to reach loved ones last seen in area where entire villages have been swept awayNepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updatesVisual guide: how the deadly flooding unfoldedTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Families are rushing to Nepal to search for the 33 British nationals who are still missing, as fears mount over the risk of a second wave of flooding in the region.The catastrophic flash floods that hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, thundering down valleys and sweeping away entire villages, have killed at least 538 people, while more than 1,500 remain missing. Continue reading...
Mexico's raids on fuel smugglers turn up 135 exotic animals
Mexican naval, judicial and public safety authorities found 135 exotic animals during recent raids on fuel smugglers in the border state of Tamaulipas.
USS Abraham Lincoln to visit port in Thailand after more than 250 days at sea
Thai navy says ‘routine’ visit’ will allow personnel to rest and recuperate amid reports of poor conditions onboardThe USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is set to make a temporary stop in Thailand next week as it heads back to the United States, Thai navy officials said, after spending more than 250 consecutive days at sea supporting US operations against Iran amid recent reports of poor living conditions and low morale onboard the vessel.The Lincoln left the Middle East several days ago after being relieved by the USS George Washington, and is now heading home to San Diego. A Thai navy official told Reuters this week that the carrier was expected to make a brief port visit in Thailand next week for the crew to rest and recuperate before continuing their journey home. Continue reading...
Cambodia claims it has wiped out online scam compounds after a sweeping crackdown
Cambodia, notorious for being a major center for international online scams, claimed Friday it no longer hosts any of the compounds where the lucrative cybercrime was carried out, although some remain skeptical.
'The piggy bank is broken': Trump admin spurs 'crisis' with 'raid' on Navy's payroll cash
The Trump administration has sparked a full-blown “financial crisis” within the U.S. Navy after pillaging coffers earmarked for service member payrolls, The Guardian reported after speaking with U.S. Navy officials and reviewing new documents.Dollars earmarked for U.S. Navy payrolls were being moved, according to The Guardian, to cover costs associated with President Donald Trump’s deeply unpopular war against Iran, a conflict that has drained the United States’ supply of munitions stockpiles. A Pentagon memo reviewed by the outlet warns of “shortfalls in payroll” accounts for U.S. service members due to Pentagon “raiding.”“The piggy bank is broken,” said Harlan Ullman, a retired U.S. Navy officer and military academic, speaking with The Guardian. Another U.S. Navy official who spoke with The Guardian on the condition of anonymity revealed the “imaginative” workarounds being employed to circumvent payroll shortfalls.“The money for payroll was robbed to pay for overseas contingencies and is being backfilled by money that hasn’t been spent,” the U.S. Navy official said. “They are backfilling payroll so we get enough money in our paycheck.”While a U.S. Navy spokesperson dismissed reports that U.S. Navy payrolls were at risk of falling short, the “cash shortage” within the branch was “no secret,” The Guardian reported.“They’re just not speaking publicly about it,” said Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.“And I suspect that is a deliberate decision of the civilian leaders in the Pentagon, starting at secretary, that this is for political reasons, that they don’t want to look like they’re damaging future military readiness over a war that is becoming increasingly a political liability.”One former military officer who now works for a U.S. Navy contracting company and was “briefed on the shortfalls” was far more bleak in his assessment.“They’re f-----,” the former officer said, speaking with The Guardian on the condition of anonymity. “They shot all their weapons; they trashed all their ships; they ran out of their money.”
4 men plead guilty to torching 4 London-based ambulances operated by Jewish charity
Four men have pleaded guilty to destroying four Jewish community ambulances in an arson attack in north London earlier this year that many said was a direct result of the start of the Iran war
UN agency warns of 17,000 children in urgent need of assistance as aid reaches some Nepal survivors
Aid has begun to reach survivors of the catastrophic flash floods that swept through the mountainous border region between Nepal and China




