Politics
US carries out new strike against alleged drug vessel near Venezuela


- US Defence Secretary Hegseth confirms death.
- Alleges without evidence that boat was carrying drugs.
- Strike is at least fourth in recent weeks in southern Caribbean.
The United States killed four people in a strike against a vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs just off the coast of Venezuela, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday, at least the fourth such attack in recent weeks.
The strike is the latest example of President Donald Trump’s efforts to use US military power in new, and often legally contentious, ways, from deploying active-duty US troops in Los Angeles to carrying out counter-terrorism strikes against drug trafficking suspects.
Hegseth said Friday’s strike was carried out in international waters and that all of the people killed were men. He said the vessel was transporting “substantial amounts of narcotics – headed to America to poison our people.”
“These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!,” Hegseth said in a post on X.
In a nearly 40-second video shared by Hegseth, a vessel can be seen moving through the water before a web of projectiles fall on the boat and the surrounding water, causing the boat to explode on impact.
Hegseth said, without providing evidence, that the intelligence “without a doubt” confirmed that the vessel was carrying drugs and that the people on board were “narco-terrorists.” He did not disclose the amount or type of the alleged drugs on board the vessel.
Trump, also without providing evidence, said the boat had enough drugs to kill 25,000 to 50,000 people.
The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Military buildup
In the past, counter-drug operations have been generally carried out by the US Coast Guard, the main US maritime law enforcement agency, not the US military.
But earlier this week, the Pentagon disclosed to Congress in a notification reviewed by Reuters that Trump has determined the United States is engaged in “a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels. The document aimed to explain the Trump administration’s legal rationale for unleashing US military force in the Caribbean.
Some former military lawyers say the legal explanations given by the Trump administration for killing suspected drug traffickers at sea instead of apprehending them fail to satisfy requirements under the law of war.
Trump has said his administration is also considering attacking drug cartels “coming by land”, actions that could raise further legal questions.
A large US military buildup is taking place in the southern Caribbean. In addition to F-35 aircraft in Puerto Rico, there are eight US warships in the region, carrying thousands of sailors and marines, and one nuclear-powered submarine.
The Trump administration has provided scant information on the previous strikes, including the identities of those killed or details about the cargo.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly alleged that the US is hoping to drive him from power. Washington in August doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, accusing him of links to drug trafficking and criminal groups that Maduro denies.
Politics
Dubai police arrest man running illegal hair transplant clinic


DUBAI: Dubai Police have arrested a man accused of performing hair transplant procedures without a licence inside his residential apartment, luring clients with “easy and attractive offers.”
According to Dubai Police, the suspect was apprehended “red-handed” while conducting the unlicensed procedures. The arrest followed a raid carried out in cooperation with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA).
Investigations revealed that the man was living in a three-bedroom flat, two of which were used for family purposes, while the third had been converted into a makeshift clinic. Police officers discovered medical instruments, drugs, anaesthetics, and disinfectants on site, all of which were confiscated.
In a statement, Dubai Police said: “The suspect was endangering lives by performing medical procedures without the required licence or compliance with health and safety standards. Such practices are a clear violation of UAE law.”
Dubai Police urged members of the public to avoid unlicensed or misleading offers. “We strongly advise community members to seek services only at registered and licensed clinics. Falling for illegal or suspicious offers can put lives at serious risk,” the statement added.
Politics
Trump gives Hamas until Sunday night to reach Gaza deal or ‘all HELL’ will break out


- Trump’s Gaza initiative opens “window of opportunity”: UN
- US president calls 20-point plan “last chance” for Hamas.
- Trump warns “innocent Palestinians” to leave for safer Gaza areas.
US President Donald Trump gave Palestinian Hamas until Sunday evening to accept his proposal to end the nearly two-year-old war with US ally Israel in the Gaza Strip, or “all HELL” would break out.
“An agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) PM, Washington, DC time,” Trump posted on social media on Friday. “Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”
The plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body.
Trump first presented his plan to leaders and officials from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Pakistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, on the sidelines of last week’s UN General Assembly.
Mediators Qatar and Egypt then shared the 20-point plan with Hamas late on Monday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared alongside Trump at the White House and endorsed the document, saying it satisfied Israel’s war aims.
‘Intensive Discussion’ underway on Hamas response
Hamas was not involved in the negotiations that led to the proposal, which calls on the Hamas to disarm, a demand it has previously rejected.
Asked whether his group had finalised its response to Trump’s Gaza plan, a Hamas official told Reuters late on Thursday: “Not yet, intensive discussion is underway.” The official said Hamas had held talks with Arab mediators, Turkey and Palestinian factions to shape “the Palestinian response.”
On Tuesday, Trump said he would give Hamas three to four days to accept the plan. On Friday, he described Hamas as a “ruthless and violent threat in the Middle East.”
In his Truth Social post on Friday, Trump made an apparent reference to Israel’s offensive in Gaza City. He said remaining Hamas members in Gaza are trapped and “will be hunted down, and killed” without a deal, and warned “innocent Palestinians” to leave for safer areas of Gaza.
The United Nations has repeatedly said that nowhere in Gaza is safe. Israel blocked Gaza City’s main road on Thursday and has told its million residents to flee south, warning it was their last chance to escape a major offensive.
Trump plan ‘window of opportunity,’ says UN aid chief
Gaza City and the surrounding areas are suffering from famine, and it will likely spread, a global hunger monitor determined in late August. Israel stopped all aid for 11 weeks from March until mid-May and says it is improving access, but the UN and aid groups say much more is needed.
“President Trump’s Gaza initiative opens a window of opportunity. It offers both a chance for Palestinians to receive life-saving aid at the scale urgently needed, and to bring the hostages home,” UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement on Friday. “We are ready and eager to act.”
Trump’s plan calls for aid to Gaza to be distributed without interference by neutral international groups, with the UN promising 170,000 metric tons ready to enter.
Israel began its offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 66,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Trump said in his Friday post that “more than 25,000 Hamas ‘soldiers’ have already been killed.” Hamas rarely discloses fatalities among its fighters.
Politics
Trump Sets Sunday Night Deadline for Hamas on Gaza Peace Proposal

US President Donald Trump has given Hamas until 2200 GMT on Sunday to accept his 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, warning the Palestinian militant group faced “all hell” if it did not agree to the terms.The US leader set the deadline — which would fall at 1:00 a.m. Monday in Gaza — after an official for the Islamist movement told AFP earlier on Friday that the group still needed time to study the proposal to end nearly two years of devastating war in the Palestinian territory.
“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
The proposal, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
That would be followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.
“Hamas is still continuing consultations regarding Trump’s plan… and has informed mediators that the consultations are ongoing and need some time,” the official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.
On Tuesday, Trump gave Hamas “three or four days” to accept his plan, which has been welcomed by world powers, including Arab and Muslim nations.
Mohammad Nazzal, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said in a statement Friday that the “plan has points of concern, and we will announce our position on it soon”
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