INTERNACIONAL
China launches large military drills around Taiwan to issue ‘severe warning’
China’s military launched large-scale drills around Taiwan Tuesday to send a «severe warning» and a message of «forceful containment against Taiwan independence,» Beijing officials said.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it had tracked 19 Chinese navy vessels in the waters surrounding the island in a 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Monday until 6 a.m. Tuesday. The exercises – which involved Chinese navy, air, ground and rocket forces – were unannounced.
«China’s blatant military provocations not only threaten peace in the Taiwan Strait but also undermine security in the entire region, as evidenced by drills near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and the South China Sea,» Taiwan’s Presidential Office wrote on X. «We strongly condemn China’s escalatory behavior.»
Taiwan defense officials added that they had been tracking the movement of China’s Shandong aircraft carrier since Saturday and that its carrier group had entered into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone on Monday. In response, Taiwan dispatched military aircraft and ships and activated land-based missile systems, according to Reuters.
THE US IS NOT READY FOR A NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN WITH CHINA, KEY CONSERVATIVES WARN TRUMP
China’s Shandong aircraft carrier is seen in this screenshot taken from a video titled «Subdue Demons and Vanquish Evils», released by the Eastern Theater Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army on April 1, 2025. (Eastern Theatre Command/Handout via Reuters)
«I want to say these actions amply reflect (China’s) destruction of regional peace and stability,» Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that «the National Security Council briefed me on this, this morning, and they said that the president is emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait, encouraging the peaceful resolution of these cross-strait issues, [and] reiterating our opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.»
China’s Xinhua News Agency said the Eastern Theater Command on Tuesday conducted «multi-subject drills in waters to the north, south and east of Taiwan Island.»
The theater command «organized its vessel and aircraft formations, in coordination with conventional missile troops and long-range rocket launching systems, to conduct drills of air interception, assault on maritime targets, strikes on ground objects, and joint blockade and control,» Xinhua quoted the command as saying.
TAIWAN’S VOLUNTEER MILITARY SHRINKS AMID GROWING CHINESE AGGRESSION
A military jet lands at Hsinchu Air Base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on April 1. (Reuters/Annabelle Chih)
The exercises were «aimed at testing the troops’ capabilities of carrying out integrated operations, seizure of operational control and multi-directional precision strikes, the command said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also said the exercises were directed at Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s strongly pro-independence president.
This image released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense shows China’s Shandong aircraft carrier sailing near Taiwan on Monday, March 31. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense via AP)
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«Lai Ching-te stubbornly insists on a ‘Taiwan independence’ stance, brazenly labeling the mainland as a ‘foreign hostile force,’ and has put forward a so-called «17-point strategy … stirring up anti-China sentiments,» China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement. «We will not tolerate or condone this in any way and must resolutely counter and severely punish these actions.»
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
La Iglesia católica de Honduras pide una “paz desarmada” durante el Viacrucis en Tegucigalpa
La Iglesia católica de Honduras ha realizado un enérgico llamado a la sociedad para recuperar el sentido espiritual de la Semana Santa y construir una nueva humanidad basada en una “paz desarmada y desarmante”. Durante la celebración del Viacrucis del Viernes Santo en Tegucigalpa, el arzobispo José Vicente Nácher enfatizó que la verdadera transformación no se logra por la fuerza ni por el poder, sino mediante la entrega y la donación, elementos centrales del mensaje cristiano, según datos de la agencia EFE.
“El Señor no se impone con la fuerza del poder, sino que redime a través de la entrega y la donación. Es esa nueva lógica, la lógica de Dios, que es más grande que la de los hombres en un mundo, desgraciadamente, en el que pareciera que las armas son la única voz posible”, afirmó Nácher ante una multitud marcada por la presencia femenina y las altas temperaturas, consignó EFE.
Durante el recorrido por las catorce estaciones, el prelado hondureño subrayó que la Iglesia seguirá proclamando que la paz auténtica solo se alcanza cuando se renuncia a la violencia y se respeta la dignidad de los más vulnerables. Nácher pidió a los fieles que se conviertan en “misioneros en el reino de Dios mediante nuestras oraciones y nuestro apoyo a los demás”, y rogó por “un corazón generoso” para que la solidaridad guíe las acciones de los creyentes.
Uno de los mensajes más contundentes del arzobispo, según EFE, estuvo dirigido a la defensa de los territorios indígenas y al respeto por la dignidad de los más desfavorecidos. Nácher exigió al Estado hondureño asumir su responsabilidad en la reparación de los daños ocasionados a comunidades despojadas de sus tierras, haciendo un llamado explícito a proteger los derechos humanos y a combatir la indiferencia.
“Pedimos perdón por la indiferencia ante el sufrimiento de quienes son manipulados por intereses ajenos al bien común”, expresó el religioso durante la ceremonia, y exhortó a la sociedad y a las autoridades a trabajar por una sociedad “más justa”.
El arzobispo también lamentó que los pobres “son descartados de los planes de los que tienen el poder” y exhortó a que el mensaje de Jesucristo llegue “a los oídos y el corazón de los gobernantes”, reiterando la urgencia de atender a los sectores excluidos y marginados.
En el inicio de la Semana Santa, la Iglesia católica hondureña hizo un llamado a la esperanza frente a los desafíos de la pobreza, la violencia y la migración. Recordó a los fieles que el mensaje de la cruz no representa una derrota, sino un “signo de victoria” y un motivo de solidaridad con los más marginados.
“En nuestra realidad hondureña, marcada por la pobreza, la migración, la desintegración familiar y la violencia, muchos sienten que la cruz es demasiado pesada. Sin embargo, Jesús nos enseña que no estamos solos, él camina con nosotros, toma sobre sí nuestras cargas y nos anima a mirar siempre adelante, a no perder la esperanza”, subrayó la Iglesia en su mensaje a la población.
El Viacrucis del Viernes Santo, celebrado en Tegucigalpa y replicado en las principales ciudades del país, reunió a miles de personas en un acto de fe y reflexión. Honduras, con una población de 10 millones de habitantes, se caracteriza por su mayoría católica, y la Semana Santa constituye una de las manifestaciones religiosas de mayor arraigo y participación en la vida social. En la capital, una de las alfombras más largas, elaborada por decenas de hombres y mujeres contratados por la Alcaldía, superó los 600 metros en la Avenida Cervantes, sirviendo de escenario para la procesión del Santo Entierro.
El llamado de la Iglesia católica de Honduras, recogido por la agencia EFE, invita a la sociedad a rechazar la violencia, defender la dignidad de los pueblos indígenas y mantener la esperanza, apelando a la fe como motor para una transformación profunda en el país. El mensaje busca recuperar el sentido espiritual de la Semana Santa, proponiendo una humanidad nueva, donde la paz, la justicia y la solidaridad prevalezcan sobre la fuerza y el poder.
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Cuba’s government released more than 2,000 prisoners as the island faces mounting economic pressure linked to U.S. sanctions and worsening fuel shortages.
The Cuban Embassy in Washington said authorities granted pardons to 2,010 inmates under provisions of the country’s constitution, citing factors such as good behavior, time already served and health conditions.
«This humanitarian and sovereign gesture was based on a careful analysis of the nature of the offenses committed by the inmates, their good conduct while in prison, [and] the fact that they had served a significant portion of their sentences,» the embassy said in a statement posted on X.
RUSSIA SHIPS FUEL TO CUBA USING ‘SPOOFING’ TACTIC CHALLENGING TRUMP EMBARGO: REPORTS
Inmates celebrate as they walk free from La Lima prison in Havana on April 3, 2026, after Cuba announced it would pardon 2,010 prisoners amid mounting U.S. pressure. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
Officials said those released include young people, women, older adults, as well as foreign nationals and Cuban citizens who live abroad but were imprisoned on the island.
The government said it excluded prisoners convicted of serious crimes, including murder, sexual assault, violent robbery, drug offenses and corruption of minors, as well as repeat offenders.
CUBA’S ENTIRE ELECTRICAL GRID COLLAPSES, LEAVING WHOLE ISLAND WITHOUT POWER
The move marks the second prisoner release this year and comes during Holy Week, which Cuban officials described as a customary period for such actions.
The release comes as Cuba grapples with a deepening economic and energy crisis driven in part by a renewed pressure campaign from the Trump administration aimed at cutting off the island’s access to foreign oil. The restrictions have contributed to widespread fuel shortages, blackouts and growing unrest across the country.
WATCH: Cuban power blackout sparks protests as Trump hints at US intervention
President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on any country that sends oil to Cuba and has pressured nations such as Mexico to halt shipments as part of a broader effort to squeeze the island’s energy supply.
The U.S. also allowed a tanker to deliver fuel to Cuba earlier this week after months of severe shortages, with the White House framing the move as a humanitarian exception rather than a shift in policy.
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A man embraces a loved one after being released from La Lima prison in Havana on April 3, 2026, as Cuba began freeing more than 2,000 inmates. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump has also escalated his rhetoric, recently saying «Cuba’s next» while discussing U.S. actions abroad, though he later sought to downplay the remark.
The deepening crisis has also sparked protests and clashes across the island.
Cuba has been under communist rule since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, and is now led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who succeeded Raúl Castro in 2018.
cuba, world, donald trump, energy, foreign policy, geopolitics, sanctions
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A California judge on Wednesday cleared the final legal hurdle in the long-running prosecution of a pro-life activist who alleged in undercover videos that abortion providers were illegally profiting from fetal tissue.
«As promised, the final charge has been DISMISSED and the case completely expunged— —after a couple months’ administrative delay, and a truly bizarre last-minute ‘April Fool’s’ attempt by @PPFA and @NatAbortionFed to overturn the State’s agreement,» Center for Medical Progress founder David Daleiden tweeted on Wednesday, including a previous statement made on the reached settlement.
Daleiden, who alongside undercover journalist Sandra Merritt, faced 15 charges filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in 2017. The charges stemmed from an investigation prompted by former California Attorney General Harris’ office, who left her position as state attorney general in January 2017 after being elected to the U.S. Senate.
APPEALS COURT HEARS MEDICAID FRAUD CASE THAT COULD COST PLANNED PARENTHOOD $1.8 BILLION
David Daleiden, a defendant in an indictment stemming from a secret investigation of his undercover videos of Planned Parenthood, stands in a Houston courtroom, Feb. 4, 2016. (David J. Phillip / Ap)
In January 2025, Daleiden and Merritt each pleaded no contest to one felony count under a settlement with California, which dismissed the remaining charges. Under the agreement, they faced no jail time, fines, or admissions of wrongdoing.
On Wednesday, San Francisco County Judge Brian Ferrall dropped the last charge against Daleiden and expunged the case.
In a statement made last year, Daleiden said that the end of «the lawfare launched by Kamala Harris [is] a huge victory for my investigative reporting for the public’s right to know the truth about Planned Parenthood’s sale of aborted baby body parts.»
NEWSOM BAILS OUT PLANNED PARENTHOOD WITH $140M TO KEEP 100 CLINICS OPEN AFTER TRUMP CUTS
Planned Parenthood chapters in Texas worked with a national organization to create a guide which eliminates women from discussions on pregnancy. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
In January 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta cast the plea deal as a victory for reproductive healthcare access, saying in a press release that his office had secured felony convictions. Under the agreement, Daleiden and Merritt were required to have no contact with, stay away from, and not name the victims in the recordings, and to obey all laws, including by not making additional unlawful recordings.
DEMOCRATS ESCALATE ANTI-TRUMP LAWFARE BY TARGETING CONGRESS IN PLANNED PARENTHOOD FUNDING FIGHT
«While the Trump Administration is issuing pardons to individuals convicted of harming reproductive health clinics and providers, my office is securing criminal convictions to ensure that Californians can exercise their constitutional rights to reproductive healthcare,» Bonta said in a statement at the time. «We will not hesitate to continue taking action against those who threaten access to abortion care — whether by recording confidential conversations or other means.»
Daleiden released the videos in 2015 of Merritt having conversations with Planned Parenthood leadership and abortionist doctors, who described procedures ensuring fetal organs remain intact and can be harvested.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta taking questions on Aug. 28, 2025. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
In response to the videos, Harris’ office opened an investigation into Daleiden and Merritt for violating the state’s recording law. In April 2016, California’s Department of Justice issued a search warrant and raided Daleiden’s Huntington Beach apartment, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Daleiden accused the raid of being politically motivated at the time.
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The release of the videos pushed the Senate Judiciary Committee to call the Department of Justice to investigate Planned Parenthood Federation of America. No charges were ever brought against the nation’s largest abortion provider.
Daleiden was sued by Planned Parenthood for damages and was ordered in 2019 to pay $2.4 million in damages and more than $13 million in attorney’s fees.
Fox News Digital reached out to Planned Parenthood, Harris, Daleiden, and the National Abortion Federation for comment.
abortion, kamala harris, california, trials
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