Foreign

Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people were killed during the protests that rocked Iran over the last two weeks. In a speech on Thursday, Khamenei said that thousands of people had been killed, “some in an inhuman, savage manner," and blamed the US for the death toll. The supreme leader railed against US President Donald Trump, whom he called a “criminal” for his support of the demonstrations, and called for strict punishment of protesters. Khamenei said: “By God’s grace, the Iranian nation must break the back of the seditionists just…

The CIA chief whose agents reputedly played a key role in abducting then-serving Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has flown to Caracas, the country's capital, to meet his (Maduro's) successor, acting President Delcy Rodriguez, as the sidelined opposition leader, María Corina Machado, vowed she would become the country’s first elected female President. Machado’s comments were broadcast today, a day after she handed her Nobel Peace prize medal to Donald Trump in recognition of what she called a principled and decisive move against Maduro, whom US special forces snatched on 3 January,to face narco-terrorism and other criminal charges in New York. The…

*I'm Reliably Told They Won't Execute, Trump Says *2571 Reportedly Killed In Two-Week Protests Donald Trump said he has been assured the killing of Iranian protesters has been halted, while adding he will “watch it and see” about threatened US military action. The President said at the White House on Wednesday that “very important sources on the other side” had also now assured him that Iranian executions would not go ahead, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. “They’ve said the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place,” Trump said. "There were supposed to be a lot of executions today (Wednesday)…

The US Senate has voted against a war powers resolution that would have prevented President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without giving Congress advance notice. Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana, who joined three other Republicans to advance the resolution alongside Democrats last week, flipped after they said they received assurances from the Trump administration. Earlier in the day, Young released a statement saying he “received assurances that there are no American troops in Venezuela” after speaking with secretary of state Marco Rubio, and that if Trump were to pursue “major military…

Donald Trump is “unafraid to use military force on Iran” the White House said on Monday as the Iranian regime faced widespread unrest across the country. Speaking to Fox News, the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that although diplomacy remained Trump’s “first option”, he was “unafraid to use the lethal force and might of the United States military if and when he deems that necessary." “Airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the Commander-in-Chief,” Leavitt continued, adding: “He’s made it quite clear he certainly doesn’t want to see people being…

President of the United States (POTUS) Donald Trump has said that he does not “need international law” and that his power is limited only by his “own morality." In a new interview with the New York Times, Trump said the only constraint to his power as President of the US is “my own morality, my own mind." “It’s the only thing that can stop me,” Trump said, adding: “I’m not looking to hurt people.” He went on to concede “I do” in regards to whether his administration needed to adhere to international law, but said: “It depends on what your…

*100 Killed In Forest Camp, 200 Missing --Lakurawa Source *Many Fled Into Niger Republic On Motorcycles Two weeks after the US carried out Christmas Day airstrikes in North-West Nigeria on what it described as Islamic State (ISIS) fighters, questions remain over the specific group that was targeted and the operation’s impact. In the aftermath of the strikes, US President Donald Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that “ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians” were hit with “numerous perfect strikes." The operation, coordinated with Nigeria, targeted an…

*Allegedly Oversaw Thousands Of Murders *US Outlines 3 Steps To Return Country To Normalcy *Opposition Leader To Return Home, Gives Only Condition For Peace The Trump administration has reportedly put Venezuela’s hardline Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello, on notice that he could be next to fall if he does not support the acting President, Delcy Rodríguez, who has been in power since Nicolás Maduro was seized last Saturday. Reuters reported that US officials were “especially concerned” that Cabello, long seen by many as the regime’s real No 2, could sabotage Washington’s plan to keep key figures from Maduro’s inner circle in…

*Fear Grips Residents *Several Journalists Arrested *Finance Minister May Go As Govt Jittery Over Trump Venezuela's rulers have deployed armed militias to patrol streets, operate checkpoints and check people’s phones in a crackdown to consolidate authority after the US attack on Caracas, the oil-rich country's capital. Gunfire erupted on Monday night when security forces shot at unauthorised drones which reportedly were mistaken for another US operation. “There was no confrontation, the entire country remains completely calm,” the Deputy Information Minister, Simon Arrechider, told reporters, giving the government's version to the narrative. However, paramilitary groups known as colectivos criss-crossed the capital…

*Fear Grips Residents *Several Journalists Arrested For Reporting Truth *Finance Minister May Go As Govt Jittery Over Trump Venezuela's rulers have deployed armed militias to patrol streets, operate checkpoints and check people’s phones in a crackdown to consolidate authority after the US attack on Caracas, the oil-rich country's capital. Gunfire erupted on Monday night when security forces shot at unauthorised drones which reportedly were mistaken for another US operation. “There was no confrontation, the entire country remains completely calm,” the Deputy Information Minister, Simon Arrechider, told reporters, giving the government's version to the narrative. However, paramilitary groups known as colectivos…