United News of Bangladesh

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says she wants to share her Nobel Peace Prize with U.S. President Donald Trump, praising his administration’s military action that led to the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, even as she acknowledged she has not spoken to Trump since October. Speaking on Fox News’ Hannity on Monday, Machado described Maduro’s capture as “a huge step for humanity, for freedom, and human dignity,” and said her decision to dedicate the Nobel Prize to Trump was based on her belief that he deserved it, reports Al Jazeera. Read More:  Machado’s daughter receives Nobel Peace Prize in her absence “I dedicated it to President Trump because I believed, at that time, that he deserved it,” Machado said. “Now, after deposing Maduro, he has proven to the world what he means.” Machado said she last spoke with Trump on October 10, the day the Nobel Peace Prize was announced. “Not since then,” she said, adding that she hopes to thank him personally. “On behalf of the Venezuelan people, how grateful we are for his courageous vision, the historical actions he has taken against this narcoterrorist regime.” Read More:  Nobel Peace Prize for Maria Corina Machado sparks outcry over Israel ties The right-wing opposition figure welcomed Trump’s remarks about U.S. energy interests in Venezuela, saying the country could become an “energy hub” for the United States. “We will bring rule of law, we will open markets, we will bring security for investments,” she said. Trump, however, later questioned Machado’s political standing, telling reporters she “doesn’t have the support or the respect” to lead Venezuela. Following Maduro’s removal, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim leader. Machado won 93 percent of the opposition’s 2023 primary vote but was barred from running for president, forcing her into hiding for more than a year. After traveling to Norway to accept the Nobel Prize, her current whereabouts remain unknown. She said she plans to return to Venezuela “as soon as possible.”

US President Donald Trump has issued fresh threats against Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro and said Cuba appears “ready to fall”, as international criticism mounts over Washington’s seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Trump made the remarks on Sunday while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, a day after US forces captured Maduro in Caracas in what Washington described as a law enforcement operation. The comments have fuelled outrage across Latin America and Europe, with several countries warning that the US action sets a dangerous precedent for regional peace and security. Referring to Colombia and Venezuela, Trump said both countries were “very sick” and accused the government in Bogota of being run by “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States”. He added that President Petro would not remain in power for long. When asked whether he was suggesting a US operation against Colombia, Trump replied, “Sounds good to me.” The remarks drew a sharp response from Petro, who urged Trump to stop “slandering” him and warned that Latin America must unite or risk being treated as “a servant and slave”. In a series of posts on X, Petro said the United States was the first country in history to bomb a South American capital, but stressed that revenge was not the answer. Instead, Petro called on Latin American nations to strengthen cooperation and engagement with the wider world, saying the region should not look only to the north but in all directions. Trump’s comments came amid growing condemnation of the US operation in Venezuela. Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain said in a joint statement that they “firmly reject the military actions undertaken unilaterally in Venezuelan territory”. The countries said the operation violated fundamental principles of international law, particularly the prohibition on the use or threat of force, and posed grave risks to civilians and regional stability. US forces seized Maduro early on Saturday in Caracas to bring him to trial on “narcoterrorism” charges, according to Washington. Maduro has denied the allegations, while critics argue the move was aimed at securing control over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump insisted that the United States remains “in charge” of Venezuela, despite the country’s Supreme Court appointing Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as interim leader. He repeated threats to send US troops back to Venezuela if the country “doesn’t behave”. Trump also claimed that many Cubans were killed during the US raid on Caracas, adding that a military intervention in Cuba would be unnecessary because the island is already on the brink of collapse. “Cuba is ready to fall,” Trump said, arguing that the country has lost a major source of income following the halt of Venezuelan oil supplies. The US president also issued a warning to Mexico, saying the country “has to get their act together” as drugs continue to flow across the border. He described Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as a “terrific person” but said drug cartels remain very strong in the country. Trump added that he has repeatedly offered to send US troops to Mexico during conversations with her. Trump has repeatedly signalled his ambition to expand US influence across the Western Hemisphere, reviving the Monroe Doctrine, which places Latin America within Washington’s sphere of influence. He has referred to his modern version as the “Don-roe Doctrine”. Analysts say it remains unclear whether Trump will act on his threats or is using them to pressure Latin American governments into cooperation. Experts note that Trump often relies on short, high-profile displays of force to intimidate rivals rather than sustained military engagement. The US action in Venezuela continues to draw criticism worldwide, with observers warning that escalating threats against multiple Latin American countries could further destabilise the region and undermine international norms.   With inputs from ALJAZEERA

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, captured in a large-scale U.S. military operation early Saturday, will be held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York, CNN reported. The couple arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, around 5 p.m. local time (2200 GMT), according to reports and video footage. They, along with several others, are set to face charges next week in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices, according to an unsealed indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he directly called U.S. President Donald Trump to express opposition to what he described as a “pursuit of regime change violating federal and international law.” Demonstrations were also reported outside the Newburgh base. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded the immediate release of the couple during a National Defense Council session broadcast on state television.

US President Donald Trump has said American forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following large-scale strikes, marking a dramatic escalation in Washington’s long-running confrontation with Caracas. The Trump administration accuses Maduro of fueling illegal migration, drug trafficking and organised crime affecting the United States. Trump has repeatedly blamed the Venezuelan leader for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants, amid an economic collapse that has driven nearly eight million people to flee the country since 2013. Trump has also alleged that Venezuela plays a major role in drug trafficking to the US. He designated Venezuelan criminal groups Tren de Aragua and the so-called Cartel de los Soles as Foreign Terrorist Organisations, claiming Maduro leads the latter — an allegation Maduro strongly denies. Analysts note the cartel is not a structured organisation but a term referring to corrupt officials enabling drug transit. Since Trump began his second term, pressure on Maduro intensified. The US doubled rewards for information leading to Maduro’s capture, imposed a naval blockade on Venezuelan oil exports and authorised covert CIA operations inside the country. US forces also carried out dozens of strikes on vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean and Pacific. However, counter-narcotics experts say Venezuela is mainly a transit country and plays a relatively minor role in global drug trafficking. Most cocaine entering the US comes via the Pacific, while fentanyl — now the leading cause of overdose deaths — is largely produced in Mexico and smuggled across the US southern border. Maduro, in power since 2013 after succeeding Hugo Chávez, has rejected US accusations, calling them a pretext to overthrow his government and seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, though production has fallen sharply due to sanctions, mismanagement and underinvestment. The Venezuelan military has vowed to defend the country’s sovereignty as tensions continue to escalate. With inputs from BBC

US President Donald Trump has claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are being taken to New York after being captured by US forces. Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump said Maduro and Flores have been indicted in New York and are being transported to the state by helicopter and ship. He alleged that the Venezuelan leader was responsible for the deaths of many people, including American citizens. Trump said the operation to capture Maduro had been planned earlier but was delayed due to weather conditions. “The weather has to be perfect,” he said, adding that the mission was launched once conditions improved. Describing the raid, Trump said Maduro was captured from a location “more like a fortress than a house,” with heavy steel fortifications. He claimed no US soldiers were killed in the operation, though a few were injured and are now in stable condition. The US president also said he had spoken with Maduro about a week before the operation, urging him to surrender. When that did not happen, Trump said the US carried out what he described as a “surgical and powerful” action. Trump added that the United States would now be “strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil sector. He said Maduro’s capture sent a message that the US would no longer allow itself to be “pushed around,” particularly over drug trafficking. Asked about the political future of Venezuela, Trump said Washington would consider its position regarding opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. He also questioned the legitimacy of Maduro’s election. Trump claims Maduro captured as US launches major strikes on Venezuela US Vice President later said in a post on X that the operation showed Trump’s resolve, praising US special forces and reiterating claims about drug trafficking and oil theft. Earlier, US Attorney General Pam Bondi who says that Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Maduro, she says, has been charged with "Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States". "They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," Bondi adds but does not say what his wife has been charged with. "A huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers," she adds. Earlier on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said the United States has carried out “large scale strikes” against Venezuela and claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife have been captured and flown out of the country. In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the operation was conducted in coordination with US law enforcement agencies and that further details would be announced at a news conference scheduled later in the day at his Mar-a-Lago residence. With inputs from BBC

Residents of Venezuela’s capital reported hearing at least seven explosions along with the sound of aircraft flying at low altitude around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday. The cause of the blasts was not immediately known. Venezuelan authorities, as well as the Pentagon and the White House, did not respond right away to requests for comment. Following the loud sounds, people in several neighborhoods poured out into the streets. From different parts of the city, residents said they could see activity in the distance, though details remained unclear. The incidents come amid heightened tensions between Venezuela and the United States. In recent days, the U.S. military has been carrying out strikes on vessels it claims are involved in drug trafficking. On Friday, Venezuelan officials said the country was willing to explore a possible agreement with Washington aimed at tackling narcotics smuggling. President Nicolás Maduro, meanwhile, has accused the United States of attempting to overthrow his government. In a prerecorded interview broadcast Thursday, Maduro said Washington’s pressure campaign, which began with a large U.S. military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August, was intended to force political change and secure access to Venezuela’s extensive oil resources. Maduro faces U.S. charges related to narco-terrorism. Last week, a drone strike targeted a docking area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug trafficking groups. The CIA was behind the operation, marking what appeared to be the first direct U.S. strike on Venezuelan territory since attacks on suspected smuggling boats began in September. For months, U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that strikes on Venezuelan land were a possibility. The United States has also seized oil tankers operating under sanctions near Venezuela’s coast and imposed a blockade on others, moves widely seen as efforts to further tighten economic pressure on the country. Since early September, U.S. forces have been striking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean. According to figures released by the Trump administration, at least 35 vessels have been hit, with a reported death toll of no fewer than 115 people as of Friday. Those operations followed a significant buildup of U.S. military power near South America, including the deployment in November of the country’s most advanced aircraft carrier. The move brought thousands of additional troops to the region, marking the largest American military presence there in decades. Trump has defended the attacks as necessary to curb the flow of drugs into the United States, insisting that Washington is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. Iranian state television also reported on the explosions in Caracas on Saturday, airing footage of the city. Iran has maintained close ties with Venezuela for years, largely due to their shared opposition to U.S. policies.

Former US special counsel Jack Smith has said the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol would not have happened without Donald Trump, characterizing the Republican president as the “most culpable and most responsible person” in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election. A transcript and video of Smith’s closed-door deposition were released on Wednesday by the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee. During the testimony, Smith defended the basis of his investigations and rejected claims that they were politically motivated. Smith said the evidence showed that Trump fuelled false claims of election fraud, summoned supporters to Washington and directed them toward the Capitol. He added that once violence broke out, Trump failed to act promptly to stop it and instead made statements that further escalated the situation and endangered then Vice President Mike Pence. Trump had been indicted for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election and for illegally retaining classified documents at his Florida residence. However, both cases were abandoned after Trump won the 2024 presidential election, in line with US Justice Department policy barring prosecution of a sitting president. Smith said the January 6 case relied heavily on testimony from Republican allies who acknowledged the illegality of the actions and chose loyalty to the Constitution over party interests.

Dozens of people are presumed dead and around 100 others injured, most seriously, after a fire broke out at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss Alps resort town of Crans-Montana during New Year celebrations, police said Thursday. Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said the exact number of victims is still being confirmed and authorities are working to identify the dead and notify families. Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said the cause of the fire is not yet known, and officials have ruled out any attack. Witnesses described a lit candle in a bottle igniting the wooden ceiling, causing flames to spread rapidly. People panicked, smashing windows and rushing up narrow stairs to escape. Emergency teams rushed helicopters and ambulances to the scene, and the local hospital’s intensive care unit quickly reached full capacity. Crans-Montana, a major winter sports destination in Switzerland’s Alps, is hosting thousands of tourists for skiing and upcoming World Cup and Olympic events. Swiss President Guy Parmelin expressed condolences and delayed his New Year address out of respect for the victims.

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on four Venezuelan oil companies and designated four additional oil tankers as blocked property, accusing them of supporting President Nicolás Maduro’s government. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) named the ships Nord Star, Lunar Tide, Rosalind, and Della, along with their ownership companies, in the sanctions. The move bars the firms and vessels from accessing any property or financial assets in the U.S., and violations could trigger further penalties. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the action continues President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against Maduro and his allies. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that the U.S. “will not allow the illegitimate Maduro regime to profit from exporting oil while it floods the United States with deadly drugs.” The sanctions come amid a broader U.S. crackdown that has included the seizure of two oil tankers off Venezuela’s coast, strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, and a recent CIA drone attack on a suspected cartel docking area. Trump has also ordered a “blockade” of all sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers and demanded the return of assets previously seized from U.S. oil companies, accusing Maduro’s government of using oil revenues to fund drug trafficking and other crimes.

Zohran Mamdani is set to take office as New York City’s next mayor at the stroke of midnight ushering in 2026, beginning a day-long series of inaugural events. The Democrat will participate in two separate swearing-in ceremonies on Thursday. The first will be a private, family-only oath shortly after midnight at a long-abandoned subway station beneath Manhattan. A second, public ceremony is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, culminating in a block party outside City Hall. Because a mayor’s term officially begins on January 1, it has long been customary for incoming mayors to hold both a symbolic overnight oath and a larger daytime celebration. Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams took his initial oath in Times Square following the New Year’s Eve ball drop, while former Mayor Bill de Blasio was sworn in at his Brooklyn home. Mamdani’s midnight ceremony will take place at the former City Hall subway station, a historic stop known for its ornate arches and vaulted ceilings. Once the centerpiece of the city’s first subway line, the station was closed in 1945 and is now accessible mainly through guided tours or by remaining on a downtown-bound No. 6 train as it loops north. New York Attorney General Letitia James will administer the oath. Mamdani’s office said the underground location reflects his dedication to working-class New Yorkers and symbolizes a time when the city invested heavily in infrastructure to improve daily life. The formal public swearing-in will be held at 1 p.m. on the steps of City Hall, where U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will administer the oath. Opening remarks will be delivered by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In both ceremonies, Mamdani — the city’s first Muslim mayor — will take the oath with his hand on Qurans, marking the first time New York’s top elected official has been sworn in using Islam’s holy book. His inaugural committee includes actor John Turturro, playwright Cole Escola, novelist Colson Whitehead, along with advocates, small business owners and campaign staff. The public ceremony will feature music, performances and interfaith elements, with thousands expected to attend. Mamdani’s election also prompted historians to revise the city’s mayoral count, concluding he is the 112th mayor after correcting a long-standing archival error. He has spent recent weeks finalizing his administration, announcing several key appointments as recently as Wednesday, just hours before taking office. Source: AP