As Delcy Rodriguez took charge late on Sunday as Venezuela's acting president, United States President Donald Trump issued a sharp warning, saying she must give the US 'total access' or face consequences 'probably worse than Maduro'.
Former President Donald Trump claims the United States has become the 'real United Nations' due to its role in resolving global conflicts, criticizing the UN's lack of involvement. He cites brokering a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia as an example.
'America has historically been a magnet for people who aren't from here.' 'That sort of thing -- the promise of opportunity, no matter what that looks like -- doesn't grow on trees.' 'It also happens to be geopolitical gold that Trump is flushing down the toilet,' points out Sree Sreenivasan.
Iran is set to witness more brutality as the administration has decided to execute its first protester on Wednesday amid mass arrests of anti-regime protesters, New York Post reported, citing human rights groups.
The turning point came with the appointment of Sergio Gor as the US ambassador to India.
Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire after a "long night" of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he "helped settle" the tensions between the two neighbours.
The new US national security strategy signals a retreat from global dominance while reaffirming continuity in India's role in Indo-Pacific security and Quad cooperation, points out former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
'Trump had done a deal with the current regime minus Maduro. The current regime is giving Trump entry into Venezuelan oil. They are obeying him and doing whatever he says.' 'They are happy because they have saved their heads by sacrificing only two, Maduro and his wife. Thousands of Venezuelan military leaders would have been jailed or killed in American action had Maduro stayed in power.'
Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire after a "long night" of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 70 times that he ended the conflict between India and Pakistan.
A bewildered world is at a loss to find bilateral and multilateral measures to stop President Trump from pursuing his vision of a world unabashedly dominated by the United States, points out T P Sreenivasan.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Lin Jian, said on Wednesday that China supports Iran in maintaining its stability, adding that Beijing has always opposed the interference in other countries' internal affairs and the use of force in international relations.
Trump indicated that he could instead work with Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, saying "she's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again."
The United States Department of Justice released a batch of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking investigation, including photos and records showing Bill Clinton, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Michael Jackson in social settings with Epstein, CNN reported.
The Congress attacked the Modi government, saying it now seems to be routine that India learns about its government's actions only from Trump or his appointees.
Ukraine's capital Kyiv came under a large-scale missile and drone attack overnight on December 27, with multiple explosions reported across the city and surrounding regions, one day ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as diplomatic efforts continue to end the four-year-long war.
At least 16 files released in the batch of Jeffrey Epstein documents appeared to have been removed from the website, as of Sunday morning (local time).
Lavrov's comments came two days after Russia accused the US of attempting to prevent India and other countries from buying Russian oil, saying Washington was using a wide range of 'coercive' measures, including tariffs, sanctions and direct prohibitions.
This comes as people in Iran continue to protest against rising prices and economic hardship pouring into the streets across several provinces in Iran, with some protests escalating into fatal confrontations with security forces, CNN reported.
'Non-compatible with Western Civilization' is about as vague and jingoistic as it gets and Trump saying this gives full license to his acolytes to go full throttle on making life as difficult and scary as possible for as many non-white people as possible,' notes Sree Sreenivasan.
Deputy Chairman of Russia's National Security Council Dmitry Medvedev claims military victory in Ukraine is visible and emphasizes the need to plan for the aftermath. He also comments on Donald Trump's desire to be seen as a peacemaker.
Trump announced that India and the US agreed to a trade deal under which Washington will charge a reduced reciprocal tariff on Delhi, lowering it from 25 per cent to 18 per cent.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump discussed enhancing economic ties and a potential trade deal during a phone conversation.
'After the Galwan clash, the rules of engagement changed with the army commanders allowed to use any means at their disposal as they deem fit for tactical operations.'
Representatives Deborah Ross of North Carolina, Marc Veasey of Texas and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois introduced the resolution on Friday in the House of Representatives to terminate Trump's national emergency authorising tariffs of up to 50 per cent on imports from India, helping to restore Congress' constitutional authority over trade.
US Representative Greg Steube, a Republican from Florida, introduced the 'Ending Exploitative Imported Labour Exemptions Act or EXILE Act', a bill that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act by ending the H-1B visa programme.
Carlos Alcaraz battled a leg issue and survived a five-hour, 27-minute thriller against Alexander Zverev to reach his first Australian Open final and keep his career Grand Slam dream alive.
Private-sector oil refiner Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) last week received a general licence from the United States (US) government to buy Venezuelan oil, an industry executive said.
Hardik Pandya's dazzling performance with both bat and ball powered Baroda to an emphatic 149-run victory against Chandigarh.
Trump described the Gold Card as a "Green Card, but much better, much more powerful, a much stronger path and a path is a big deal. Have to be great people, but much stronger path", which also helps companies.
The White House on Thursday stated that United States President Donald Trump is 'extremely frustrated' with both Russia and Ukraine over the slow progress toward ending the ongoing war and is unwilling to engage in 'meetings just for the sake of meeting'.
Greer said that India has taken down some digital services taxes and is moving tariffs down.
Rahul Gandhi said that had an INDIA Bloc government negotiated the trade agreement with the US, it would have told US President Donald Trump that he should treat India as an equal.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised the issue of the Indo-US trade deal soon after the zero hour ended and alleged that the information about the deal was being received from Washington instead.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stayed calm, avoided public confrontation, and focused on India's long-term interests to steady ties with the United States.
Meanwhile, Trump said Cambodia and Thailand have started fighting again and "tomorrow", he will make a phone call to those countries.
India has clarified its position on the proposed interim trade agreement with the US, stating that the joint statement remains the basis for mutual understanding. Amendments to a White House fact sheet reflect shared understandings, with both sides working towards finalizing the agreement.
'I met with a man who really wants to see New York be great again. I think he can bring it back. I think he wants to make it greater than ever before, and if he can, we'll be out there cheering. I'll be cheering for him.'
India will maintain multiple sources for crude oil purchases and diversify them to ensure stability in the supply chain with national interests remaining the "guiding factor" for the procurement, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.
Replacing over a third of India's oil imports at competitive rates is going to be a challenge, said traders from State refiners, even though some progress was made in the last two months.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being 'anti-farmer' and 'selling' the country through the India-US interim trade deal, vowing to stand strongly with farmers.
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