INTERNACIONAL
Reporter’s Notebook: On the papal plane and beyond — covering Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip
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Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip is over. A six-day pilgrimage to the Middle East wrapped up Tuesday in Beirut.
We were in conflict-torn Lebanon just a few miles from the country’s Ground Zero, where on Aug. 4, 2020, a deadly blast in Beirut’s port killed over 200, injured thousands and left over 300,000 homeless.
Five years on, the Lebanese government has not concluded its investigation into how the nearly three tons of ammonium nitrate being stored in the port combusted, resulting in the largest non-nuclear explosion ever. Every fourth of the month, the families of victims go to the port to protest the government for its inaction and corruption.
POPE LEO XIV BEGINS LEBANON VISIT AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS, HEIGHTENED SECURITY CONCERNS
Pope Leo XIV offers a «silent prayer» for the victims of the 2020 explosion at Beirut Port during his visit to Lebanon on Dec. 2, 2025. (Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Pope Leo paid homage at the port with a silent prayer and lit a lamp in the victims’ memory.
Earlier in the day, Vatican press officer Salvatore Scolozzi was in the marble hallway of Beirut’s Intercontinental Phoenicia Hotel doing roll call for the 80 journalists accredited.
All the windows of this luxury hotel were shattered during the 2020 explosion, injuring staff and guests and destroying all the furniture. «All the air seemed to be sucked out of the building and there was glass flying and dust everywhere,» a staff member told me, adding that there were no fatalities. After extensive repairs, the hotel reopened in 2023 but is still surrounded by skeletal burned-out buildings.
In the lobby, Scolozzi warns, «Non fare ritardi VAMPS, don’t be late.» He and his staff have worked for over a year putting together this six-day tour de force pilgrimage to Turkey and Lebanon, originally planned for the late Pope Francis.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: THANKSGIVING WEEKEND IN TURKEY WITH AN AMERICAN POPE, NEXT STOP LEBANON
We are known collectively as the VAMPS, the Vatican Accredited Media Personnel, and on this trip we hail from 15 different countries. After our 5:30 a.m. check-in for our return flight to Rome, the lobby chatter is focused on what we should ask the new pontiff on the much-anticipated in-flight press conference en route to Italy.
Normally each language group comes up with a question for the presser, and debate can get heated. «He will never go there,» was the comment after one colleague suggested we ask if the pope’s frequent references to the important role of women during the trip indicated he would be open to women deacons.
Initially, there was concern that Pope Leo might not speak with journalists at all on board.
POPE LEO XIV OPENS FIRST FOREIGN TRIP IN TURKEY WITH A VISIT TO CHRISTIANITY’S EARLY HEARTLANDS
But we were relieved when the curtain opened on our chartered Airbus flight from Istanbul to Beirut and a rather bashful-looking Pope Leo took thorny questions such as the conflict in Gaza, confirming the Vatican’s years-long support of a two-state solution, but insisting, «Israel is our friend.»
Pope Leo does not want to polarize, he is measured and diplomatic, and, six months into his papacy, appears to be gaining confidence and making his speeches punchier. He kept to the script in his native English and, in Lebanon, also spoke in excellent French and said a few words of Arabic as he pressed the need for peace between local authorities, different religious groups and the country’s youth.
At Monday’s evening celebration with young people, a Christian type of Woodstock, he saluted the Lebanese who had not emigrated, and those who had returned. «Have hope, don’t leave, your country needs you!»
Pope Leo XIV waves during an open-air Mass at Waterfront Square after he visits the site of the 2020 port explosion on the final day of his Lebanon trip, in Beirut on Dec. 2, 2025. (Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Nada Merhi, a local Catholic Maronite volunteer who was only 5 when the civil war of 1975-1990 shattered her family’s lives, spoke of her love for her country. She said she would never leave despite the economic and political criss and the renewed violence following the Iran-backed Lebanese militant Hezbollah’s attack on Israel a few weeks after Hamas’ massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
«We need concrete help, but above all we just want peace. I hope the pope will not forget about us.»
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Andre Sassine, a small-business owner from Byblos, a coastal city about 20 miles north of Beirut, is optimistic. «Business will be good if we just have peace. The Muslims in Lebanon are not the problem, don’t believe the media, the problem is with external countries influencing and corrupting,» he said, adding that he thought President Donald Trump, whose daughter Tiffany married a man of Lebanese descent, could join forces with the pontiff.
«We Lebanese love America,» he said, «and we love this new pope born in America. Please help us find peace.»
pope leo xiv,lebanon,middle east,christianity religion,vatican,roman catholic
INTERNACIONAL
Trump anunció la firma de un acuerdo internacional sobre semiconductores con Japón, Australia, Corea del Sur y Singapur
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, anunció este jueves la inminente firma de un acuerdo internacional sobre semiconductores con Japón, Australia, Corea del Sur y Singapur, denominado Iniciativa Pax Silica, con el objetivo de impulsar una política económica robusta centrada en el desarrollo de inteligencia artificial.
Trump, en declaraciones desde el Despacho Oval, subrayó la importancia de la medida: “No hacer esto hubiera sido un gran regalo para muchos países, pero para China en particular”.
Según el Departamento de Estado, la iniciativa busca reunir a los países sede de las empresas tecnológicas más avanzadas para liberar el potencial económico de la IA, aprovechando activos estratégicos comunes como la computación, el silicio, minerales y energía.
La cumbre Pax Silica tendrá lugar este viernes en Washington, con la participación adicional de Países Bajos, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Canadá y representantes de la Unión Europea.
La cartera, liderada por el secretario de Estado Marco Rubio, explicó que los países “explorarán alianzas multidimensionales para reforzar la seguridad de la cadena de suministro, reducir dependencias coercitivas, proteger puntos críticos y fomentar ecosistemas tecnológicos confiables en áreas como semiconductores, conectividad, fabricación avanzada y energía”.
El pasado lunes, Trump anunció que su administración permitirá a la empresa tecnológica Nvidia exportar sus chips de inteligencia artificial H200 a determinados clientes en China y otros países, bajo condiciones diseñadas para salvaguardar los intereses de seguridad nacional.
Este anuncio, emitido a través de Truth Social, representa un giro respecto a las restricciones que Washington impuso en los últimos años para limitar el acceso de Beijing a semiconductores avanzados esenciales para el desarrollo de sistemas de IA. Trump reveló que el líder chino, Xi Jinping, “respondió positivamente” al ser informado sobre la decisión.
En la misma publicación, el mandatario republicano precisó que “el 25% será pagado a los Estados Unidos de América”, aunque no aclaró si se trata de un impuesto, tarifa u otro mecanismo financiero. Funcionarios estadounidenses consultados por medios locales no respondieron sobre los detalles de esta disposición.
Según Trump, el Departamento de Comercio de Estados Unidos está ultimando los lineamientos que regirán las exportaciones de chips de inteligencia artificial, como parte del proceso para autorizar ventas controladas a clientes en China y otros países y aclaró que este enfoque regulatorio también se aplicará a otras empresas estadounidenses del sector tecnológico, incluyendo AMD e Intel, ambas fabricantes de procesadores clave para sistemas de computación avanzada.
Según un informe publicado el domingo 7 de diciembre por el Institute for Progress, el chip H200 de Nvidia ofrece un desempeño casi seis veces superior al H20, el semiconductor más avanzado que actualmente puede exportarse legalmente a China luego de la reversión de una prohibición previa.
El estudio señala que el acceso al H200 permitiría a laboratorios chinos desarrollar supercomputadoras de inteligencia artificial con capacidades cercanas a las de los centros de referencia en Estados Unidos, aunque con un mayor costo operativo.
A pesar de la flexibilización anunciada respecto al H200, el presidente Donald Trump aclaró que los chips más recientes de Nvidia —la generación Blackwell— continuarán bajo un régimen de bloqueo y no podrán ser exportados a China.
(Con información de EFE)
Business,Domestic Politics,Top Picture,Corporate Events,North America,Government / Politics
INTERNACIONAL
Trump administration offers $5M reward for capture of fugitive Los Choneros gang leader
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The Trump administration is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the leader of Los Choneros, a gang the State Department designated a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in September.
The State Department’s Narcotics Reward Program announced the reward Thursday for Ecuadorian fugitive Francisco Manuel Bermúdez Cagua, also known as «Churron,» because the gang he belongs to is allegedly responsible for trafficking drugs and guns into the U.S. and carrying out extreme acts of violence.
The 29-year-old was charged with international cocaine distribution conspiracy, international cocaine distribution and using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, according to a superseding indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York brought the charges, and the superseding indictment was unsealed in June.
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The U.S. is offering a $5 million reward for alleged Los Choneros Lt. Francisco Bermúdez Cagua, who is accused of cocaine trafficking and violent acts. (Department of Justice)
«As alleged, Bermúdez Cagua is a top lieutenant within the leadership of Los Choneros, an extremely violent foreign terrorist organization responsible for pumping drugs into the United States, causing harm to our communities and wreaking havoc in his homeland of Ecuador,» U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. of the Eastern District of New York said.
«The significant reward being offered by the State Department underscores our resolve to bring Los Choneros’ leadership to justice in a U.S. courthouse and eradicate such organizations.»
Alleged co-conspirator José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as «Fito,» 46, was extradited to New York in July 2025. The Department of Justice said he is an Ecuadorian citizen who also faces international drug trafficking and firearms charges.
Darío Javier Peñafiel Nieto, also known as «Topo,» 35, is an alleged co-conspirator in the superseding indictment and is in custody in Ecuador.
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Ecuadorian police forces carry out a security operation as part of the fight against extortion gangs in a shantytown in the northeast of Guayaquil, Ecuador, April 4, 2024. (Gerardo Menoscal/AFP via Getty Images)
«We will use every tool in our arsenal to stop the brutal criminals who are trafficking deadly drugs into our country,» Chris Landberg of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs said.
«We are offering a reward of up to $5 million under the Narcotics Rewards Program for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Bermúdez Cagua.»
The indictment alleges that Los Choneros was one of the most violent transnational criminal organizations operating out of Ecuador.
The group’s network moved multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, funneling shipments through Central America, Mexico and the U.S., among other locations, the indictment alleges.
MODEL, DJ LINKED TO VIOLENT TREN DE ARAGUA GANG LEADER SANCTIONED BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Soldiers keep watch outside the Zonal 8 prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Jan. 11, 2024. (Henry Romero/Reuters)
The alleged co-conspirators are accused of directing and ordering acts of violence to advance the organization’s goals.
The State Department designated Los Choneros as an FTO in September 2025.
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«Bermúdez Cagua is a high-ranking narco-terrorist whose actions have fueled the flow of cocaine into the United States and sown chaos in Ecuador,» U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrance Cole said. «The DEA is resolute in its mission to turn up the pressure and bring this dangerous individual to justice.»
The DEA encourages anyone with information about Bermúdez Cagua’s whereabouts to contact the agency at Ecuadortips@dea.gov or +593-988-292-235. All information will be kept confidential.
state department,new york,south america,organized crime,narco terror,justice department,politics
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Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro on Thursday and reassured him of Moscow’s support as the Venezuelan leader faces escalating external pressure, according to a statement from the Kremlin.
In the call, reported by Reuters, Putin expressed support for Maduro’s government «in the face of growing external pressure,» as the United States under President Donald Trump continues to push for Maduro’s removal from office. Washington has increased military activity in the Caribbean as part of its pressure campaign.
The Kremlin said the two leaders discussed their shared interest in advancing a strategic partnership agreement and moving forward on joint projects in the economic and energy sectors. Moscow has long viewed Venezuela as a key partner in Latin America, particularly as both governments face isolation and international sanctions.
RETIRED GENERAL HAILS TRUMP’S ‘HOLISTIC’ CRACKDOWN ON VENEZUELAN DRUG TRAFFICKING AS SHOWDOWN ESCALATES
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro. (Maxim Shemetov/AFP/Getty Images))
The call came one day after the United States seized a massive, U.S.-sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker off the country’s coast, escalating already tense relations between Caracas and Washington.
According to Fox News Digital’s report, the Venezuelan government condemned the seizure as a violation of its sovereignty and accused Washington of hostile action against its economic interests. The Trump administration has intensified enforcement targeting Venezuela’s oil sector, which remains the backbone of Maduro’s government despite years of decline.
TRUMP WARNS US MAY LAUNCH LAND OPERATIONS INSIDE VENEZUELA ‘VERY SOON,’ SAYS REGIME SENT ‘KILLERS’ TO AMERICA
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro brandishes a sword during an event at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that federal agencies, including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Coast Guard, carried out the tanker operation and released unclassified video footage of the seizure. The move followed a federal warrant tied to sanctions violations.
President Trump publicly acknowledged the operation, describing the vessel as the largest tanker ever seized by the United States. Reuters reported that the action caused oil prices to rise and added new strain to U.S.–Venezuela relations.
Russia–Venezuela ties
Russia and Venezuela have maintained a close relationship for more than two decades, a partnership that deepened during the presidency of Hugo Chávez and continued under Nicolás Maduro. According to Reuters, cooperation between the two countries has focused on defense, energy production and financial assistance.
Over the past several years, Moscow has supplied military equipment to Caracas, supported Venezuela’s state oil company through joint ventures, and extended loans and credit lines that have helped keep parts of the country’s oil sector functioning. Venezuela has taken billions of dollars in Russian loans and financing arrangements tied to Venezuela’s crude exports.
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Soldiers with their faces painted march during a military parade to celebrate the 205th anniversary of Venezuela’s independence in Caracas, Venezuela July 5, 2016. (Carlos Jasso/Reuters)
Despite international sanctions targeting both governments, Russia has consistently treated Venezuela as a strategic partner. The U.S. Congressional Research Service reports describe the relationship as durable and largely unaffected by short-term political shifts or external pressure. Moscow has continued to offer diplomatic backing and economic cooperation even as Venezuela’s domestic crisis worsened and U.S. pressure campaigns intensified.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan, the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to the story.
russia,vladimir putin,venezuelan political crisis,donald trump
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