Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

What We’re Watching: The CIA returns to LatAm, Russia faces oil squeeze, China cracks down on church network

​Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro prepares to leave at the end of a press conference, days after he said Venezuela would deploy military, police and civilian defenses at 284 "battlefront" locations across the country, amid heightened tensions with the U.S., in Caracas, Venezuela, September 15, 2025.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro prepares to leave at the end of a press conference, days after he said Venezuela would deploy military, police and civilian defenses at 284 "battlefront" locations across the country, amid heightened tensions with the U.S., in Caracas, Venezuela, September 15, 2025.

REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

Does Trump want regime change in Venezuela?

The 1970s called: US President Donald Trump confirmed a report yesterday that he authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, the latest military escalation from the White House against the Latin American nation. The exact nature of the operation is unclear, though Trump said he’s exploring land operations. Venezuelan bonds have jumped amid the escalation. So far, the US military has bombed several ships that have come from Venezuela, killing 27 people, but has yet to hit Venezuela within its borders. The US has been rapidly expanding its military presence in the region, which begs the question of whether Trump actually wants to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from office.

Is Russia about to face the squeeze?

Indian oil refiners are reportedly preparing to cut purchases of Russian oil, a move that could have major consequences for the Kremlin’s war effort in Ukraine. Moscow stands to lose a large tranche of export income: Oil comprises the bulk of its exports, and India is the second-largest importer of this fossil fuel behind China. The move comes as the US explores sending tomahawks missiles to Ukraine – Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington tomorrow to discuss further military support. There is some debate, though, over whether India will actually turn off the taps – Delhi wants to maintain good standing with Moscow, and appeared to deny the report. For more on why India values its relationship with Russia, read here.


Attending a “house church” in China could get you arrested

China has arrested dozens of Christians in its largest crackdown in years. The arrests are believed to target Zion Church’s underground “house church” network, which operate in private homes outside strict Chinese regulations on religious life. Rights groups say this may signal a wider campaign against underground churches as President Xi Jinping tightens control. US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio have condemned the arrests, while Zion Church’s leaders say persecution will only strengthen China’s underground faith.

More For You

​An army soldier stands guard at a post at the Friendship Gate, following exchanges of fire between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces, at the border crossing between the two countries in Chaman, Pakistan February 27, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone.

An army soldier stands guard at a post at the Friendship Gate, following exchanges of fire between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces, at the border crossing between the two countries in Chaman, Pakistan February 27, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone.

REUTERS/Abdul Khaliq Achakzai
Pakistan and Afghanistan in “open war”Pakistan has declared “open war” against Afghanistan, as the two sides engage in the fiercest clashes in years. On Thursday, Afghan’s Taliban-run forces launched six cross-border attacks on Pakistani military positions. Pakistan retaliated today with air attacks on Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, hitting Afghan [...]
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands during a press conference in Jerusalem on February 26, 2026.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands during a press conference in Jerusalem on February 26, 2026.

GIL COHEN-MAGEN/Pool via REUTERS
Modi, Netanyahu seek to boost India-Israel tiesIndia is set to advance a trade and defense technology deal with Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said as he wrapped up a two-day visit to the Jewish state on Thursday, the latest sign that the relationship is blossoming. But the two countries weren’t always close friends – they only established [...]
​People inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on Friday, in Bednayel, Bekaa valley, Lebanon, February 21, 2026.

People inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on Friday, in Bednayel, Bekaa valley, Lebanon, February 21, 2026.

REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Israel reportedly warns Lebanon about further strikesIsrael indirectly warned Lebanon that it would strike its northern neighbor hard if the Iran-backed militia group Hezbollah gets involved in any future US-Iran conflict, two Lebanese officials told Reuters. Israel damaged Hezbollah severely in 2024 as part of strikes on southern Lebanon, killing [...]
​Members of the special units of the National Guard and the Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana stand guard in front of the Fiscalia General de la Republica, where the investigation into the operation in which Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho", founder and leading head of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva, was killed, is underway.

Members of the special units of the National Guard and the Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana stand guard in front of the Fiscalia General de la Republica, where the investigation into the operation in which Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho", founder and leading head of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva, was killed, is underway.

Félix Márquez/dpa via Reuters Connect
Killing of Mexican cartel boss sparks uprisingsIn a major victory for its efforts to diminish cartels, the Mexican government said Sunday that it had killed the leader of one of the country’s most powerful cartels, with intelligence support from a new US military-led task force. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” led the Jalisco New [...]