Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores both were hit with an additional US criminal charge on Thursday stemming from accusations they tortured political opponents and American citizens to retain their grip on power in the South American country. Separately, US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case, denied a request by Flores to be released from jail ahead of trial due to health reasons. Maduro and Flores were ‌charged with an additional count...

The USS Abraham Lincoln is returning home to San Diego Bay Thursday after supporting the Iran war during a record-long deployment of 265 uninterrupted days at sea that included reports of deteriorating conditions among its crew. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth flew out to the carrier on Wednesday to give the crew the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honour a unit can receive that is typically reserved for significant achievement in combat. Hegseth pushed back against what he said were...

The Trump administration is launching an investigation into nine US universities over alleged J-1 visa fraud, with officials raising concerns about Chinese scholars and the Chinese government. The J-1 programme covers exchange visitors including international researchers, scholars and students, who may receive temporary authorisation to work or conduct research in the US. At a Thursday press conference, Anthony D’Esposito, inspector general of the US Department of Labor, announced what he called...

A local government employee was shot dead and another seriously injured during a routine firearms inspection in southern Germany on Thursday, police said. The two employees of the Neumarkt district administration had been carrying out an inspection of a gun owner in the town of Berngau in Bavaria when the man opened fire, hitting both officials. The gunman then barricaded himself inside a residential building, prompting a major police operation involving special forces. Police surrounded the...

A UK Royal Navy sailor appeared in a London court on Thursday to face charges of spying for Russia. Teddy Young, 24, has been charged with two offences under the National Security Act, including preparing to disclose protected information between November 2024 and May 2025, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said. During the same period, Young allegedly obtained, copied, recorded or retained protected information for the benefit of a foreign power. Young has been in police custody since he was...

BYD is studying whether to manufacture lithium batteries in Argentina, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said on Thursday after meeting Stella Li, the Chinese electric vehicle maker’s executive vice-president. According to Quirno, the company was looking at “investment opportunities in Argentina linked to the lithium value chain, particularly in the production of batteries and energy storage systems”. He did not say how much BYD might spend or where the factory could go. The minister tied the talks...

US President Donald Trump said the US would not attack Iran ahead of November’s midterm elections, citing what he said were “productive discussions” with the Islamic Republic. “We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd,” Trump wrote in a social media post on Thursday. The president’s comments amounted to an unusual blending of US national security issues and domestic politics. They follow recent reporting in The...