International
Colombia to maintain anti-drug cooperation with U.S. after Trump remarks
Colombia will continue to coordinate and cooperate with the United States in the fight against drug trafficking based on intelligence and technology provided by the Washington government, the South American country’s ministers of the interior and justice said on Monday.
The announcement that Colombia will maintain joint efforts against drug trafficking came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump described his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, as “a sick man” and acknowledged the possibility of a military operation in the Andean nation.
Over the weekend, U.S. troops, acting on Trump’s orders, carried out an incursion into Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro, who on Monday pleaded not guilty in a New York court to charges of narcoterrorism.
“The Government of Colombia (…) is informing the Government of the United States, through one of its intelligence agencies, that we will continue coordinating and cooperating in the fight against drug trafficking,” Interior Minister Armando Benedetti said in a video-recorded statement.
Benedetti said the coordinated anti-drug operations will be carried out “based on U.S. intelligence and technology” to “destroy laboratories, criminal structures and their camps.”
Justice Minister Andrés Idárraga, speaking in the same statement, said the fight against drug trafficking must be conducted jointly because it affects both countries.
“We will continue to emphasize the fight against this scourge, particularly along the Colombia–Venezuela border. The goal is to continue working hand in hand against a problem that causes so much harm to both countries,” Idárraga said.
Colombia rejected Trump’s comments on Sunday regarding Petro and a possible military action on Colombian territory, calling them “undue interference.”
Later, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said there is a “golden opportunity” to strengthen international cooperation against drug trafficking and ensure that nations prevail while criminals lose.
The United States has been pressing Colombia to deliver better results in the fight against drug trafficking amid a significant increase in recent years in coca leaf crops, the raw material used to produce cocaine.
International
Justice Department Misses Deadline as Millions of Epstein Files Remain Under Review
The U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday that it is continuing to review more than two million documentspotentially linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Last month, the department began releasing records from its decades-long investigation into Epstein, a wealthy financier who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors.
However, the Justice Department failed to meet the legal deadline established by the so-called Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required all related documents to be made public no later than December 19.
In a letter sent Monday to a federal judge, the department stated that more than two million documents remain “at various stages of review.”
According to the filing, authorities have so far released approximately 12,285 documents totaling more than 125,000 pages, in compliance with the law. Those materials, however, represent less than 1 percent of the total volume currently under review.
International
Beijing Says International Support Strengthens Its Position on Taiwan Sovereignty Issue
A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, stated at a regular press briefing that several dozen countries have expressed support for China’s actions following recent countermeasures and military drills concerning the Taiwan region. These comments were made as Beijing continues to defend its stance on Taiwan after large-scale military exercises by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) near the island
According to the official statement, countries including Russia, Cuba, Serbia, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and others publicly reaffirmed their commitment to the one-China principle, reiterated their opposition to external interference in China’s internal affairs, and voiced support for China’s efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Lin emphasized that these countries specifically noted that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory” and that “the Taiwan question is China’s internal affair,” adding that any form of Taiwanese independence must be rejected. He also praised these nations for their firm diplomatic support.
The spokesperson reiterated China’s position that it will remain steadfast in defending its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and warned that any provocations concerning the Taiwan question would be met with a firm response.
International
Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez sued in Florida over alleged kidnapping, torture and terrorism
U.S. citizens have revived a lawsuit in Miami against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following his capture, as well as against Vice President and now acting leader Delcy Rodríguez and other senior Chavista officials, whom they accuse of kidnapping, torture, and terrorism.
The plaintiffs — including U.S. citizens who were kidnapped in Venezuela and two minors — filed a motion over the weekend before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida asking the court to declare the defendants in default for failing to respond to the lawsuit initially filed on August 14, 2025, according to court documents made public on Monday.
The case, assigned to Judge Darrin P. Gayles, accuses the Venezuelan leaders of violating the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), the Florida Anti-Terrorism Act, and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
In addition to Maduro and Rodríguez, the lawsuit names Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López; Attorney General Tarek William Saab; Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello; former Supreme Court Chief Justice Maikel Moreno; and National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez.
The complaint also lists the state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and former Electricity Minister Néstor Reverol as defendants.
According to the filing, Maduro “committed flagrant acts of terrorism against U.S. citizens,” citing the criminal case in New York in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in court for the first time on Monday following their arrest on Saturday.
The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs “were held captive by Maduro” with “illegal material support” from the other defendants, whom it identifies as members of the Cartel of the Suns, a group designated by the United States as a terrorist organization last year.
Justice Department Misses Deadline as Millions of Epstein Files Remain Under Review
Beijing Says International Support Strengthens Its Position on Taiwan Sovereignty Issue
Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez sued in Florida over alleged kidnapping, torture and terrorism
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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