Trump says U.S. to start land strikes on drug traffickers in Caribbean "very soon"
U.S. President Donald Trump said at a White House cabinet meeting on Tuesday that his administration will start strikes on land targeting drug traffickers in the Caribbean "very soon."
"We're going to start doing those strikes on land. You know, the land is much easier. It's much easier, and we know the routes they take," Trump said at the meeting. "We're going to start that very soon."
In his Thanksgiving remarks to U.S. troops on Thursday night, Trump thanked the Air Force's 7th Bomb Wing for their work to "deter Venezuelan drug traffickers," while announcing, "It's about 85 percent stopped by sea ... and we'll be starting to stop them by land."
Global growth to slow to 2.6 pct in 2025: UN report
Global growth will slow to 2.6 percent in 2025, down from 2.9 percent in 2024, due to growing pressure from financial volatility and geopolitical uncertainty facing global trade and investment, the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report released on Tuesday.
The UNCTAD's Trade and Development Report 2025 shows that shifts in financial markets affect global trade almost as strongly as real economic activity, influencing development prospects worldwide, said the UN trade body.
The report said that despite potential gains from new technologies like artificial intelligence, global growth is projected to remain subdued in 2026, at 2.6 percent.
Death toll from floods, landslides in Indonesia rises to 712
The death toll from recent floods and landslides across three provinces on Indonesia's Sumatra Island has risen to 712, with 507 people still missing, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said on Tuesday.
The agency reported that disasters have displaced about 1.1 million people in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh provinces.
Rescue teams have faced difficulties reaching several villages on Sumatra Island, as floods swept away roads and destroyed bridges. Although helicopters and boats have been deployed, local authorities said deteriorating weather conditions and damaged infrastructure continue to hamper response efforts.
Geneva peace plan refined at Ukrainian-U.S. talks in Florida: Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Ukrainian and U.S. delegations refined the Geneva peace plan during their recent meeting near Miami, Florida.
"The work was based on the Geneva document, and that document has been refined," Zelensky wrote on Facebook following his talks with the Ukrainian delegation.
He said the Ukrainian-U.S. meeting on Sunday also discussed the feasibility of measures on the front line, as well as challenges related to protection against Russian strikes and preventing violations of the agreements if a ceasefire is achieved.
Israel receives remains of unidentified body from Gaza
Israel on Tuesday received the remains of an unidentified body from the Gaza Strip via the Red Cross, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, adding they would undergo forensic identification.
"At the end of the identification process, and in accordance with the findings, an official notification will be delivered to the family," the statement noted, adding the remains will be transferred to the Ministry of Health's National Center for Forensic Medicine.
Under the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Hamas is required to release 20 living captives and the bodies of 28 deceased hostages. All living hostages were released early in the truce in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
S. Korean president Yoon to be released as prosecution decides not to appeal
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will be released as the prosecution decided not to appeal against a Seoul court's release approval, multiple media outlets said Saturday.
Yoon was expected to be transported to the presidential residence in central Seoul from the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, about 20 km south of the capital city.
The Seoul Central District Court approved the release of the arrested president on Friday, accepting Yoon's request to cancel his arrest that was made by his legal team on Feb. 4.■
