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Hillary Clinton used her forced appearance Thursday before a Republican-led panel probing Jeffrey Epstein to go on the offensive and demand President Donald Trump testify about his own links to the sex offender.Clinton told the congressional committee she had no information about Epstein’s crimes, never recalled encountering him, and had never visited his island or flown on his plane, accusing the panel of trying to “protect one public official” — Trump.James Comer, who chairs the committee that will also grill former president Bill Clinton on Friday, said “the purpose of the whole investigation is to try to understand many things about Epstein” — the deceased convicted sex offender.”There were a lot of questions that we asked that we weren’t satisfied with the answers that we that we got,” he added after the deposition concluded.Clinton challenged the panel saying “if this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes…it would ask (Trump) directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.”While her deposition was behind closed doors, Clinton posted her opening statement on social media, with the transcript expected to be published upon approval by her lawyers. A video will follow within 24 hours, Comer said.The top Democrat on the committee, Robert Garcia, also called on Trump to testify “to answer the questions that are being asked across this country from survivors.””That should happen immediately,” he said later.Democratic committee member Suhas Subramanyam said that “missing FBI files” omitted from the Epstein documents disclosures contain “serious accusations around sexual abuse” against Trump.The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is probing those who were linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.The Clintons had initially rejected subpoenas ordering them to testify in the panel’s probe, but the Democratic power couple agreed to do so after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress.Hillary Clinton said in her opening statement to the panel that it “justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.” “Let me be as clear as I can. I do not.”- Epstein’s network -The hearing was dramatically paused for a brief time after a photo of Clinton in the deposition was posted online — an apparent breach of the closed-door arrangement.”What is not acceptable is oversight Republicans breaking their own committee rules… by releasing photos,” Subramanyam said.Democrats say the investigation is being weaponized to attack political opponents of Trump rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.Trump and Bill Clinton, both 79, feature prominently in the recently released trove of government documents related to Epstein, but said they broke any ties with the financier before his 2008 conviction in Florida as a sex offender.Mere mention in the files is not proof of having committed a crime.The Clintons called for their depositions to be public but the committee insisted on questioning them behind closed doors, a move Bill Clinton denounced as akin to a “kangaroo court.”The depositions are being held in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons reside.Dozens of journalists have converged on the wealthy hamlet and the Secret Service erected metal barricades around the arts center where the deposition is happening.One elderly couple picketed with a sign demanding Comer depose Trump.Local shopper Bernie Hunt, 74, said “Congress is investigating, they have the right to do so.”Jim Levine, 34, who lives near Chappaqua, said “what a privilege” that the Clintons were deposed near their home. “Lock her up, that’s what I say.”Bill Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane several times in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work, but said he never visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island.Epstein’s accomplice Maxwell, 64, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.She appeared via video-link before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month but refused to answer questions, invoking her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself.Epstein cultivated a network of powerful business executives, politicians, celebrities and academics. 

The plaintiff in a blockbuster social media trial in Los Angeles took the stand Thursday, telling the jury that she could not control her use of YouTube and Instagram as a child.Kaley G.M., a 20-year-old California resident, painted a dire picture of a social media addiction that began when she was six years old and that she says exacerbated her mental health issues, including depression, body image problems and acts of self-harm.”I was at a young age and I would spend all my time on it,” Kaley testified when asked to explain why she thought she was addicted to YouTube. “Anytime I tried to separate myself from it, it just didn’t work.”Even when she was bullied on Instagram, she still stayed on the app. “If I was off, I would just feel like I was missing out.”The landmark trial is expected to last until late March, when the jury will decide whether Meta, which owns Instagram, and Google-owned YouTube knowingly designed addictive apps that harmed her mental health.Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand last week and pushed back against accusations that his social media company had done too little to keep underage users off his platform and had profited from their presence.In the highly anticipated testimony, Kaley took questions from her lawyer, who sought to portray her as an emotionally fragile user who was ensnared as a child by YouTube and Instagram and whose use of those apps caused her lasting harm.”I’m very nervous,” Kaley, wearing a pale pink cardigan, said as she began her testimony, which will include cross-examination by lawyers from Meta and Google.Kaley described scenes from her childhood in which her mother would have her leave her phone in the living room at night, only for her to retrieve it once her mom went to bed and return it before morning.”I would be really upset,” she said, when denied access to the apps.Her lawyer Mark Lanier said court records indicate that on one day she was on Instagram for 16 hours.She said her mother pushed her into therapy at around age 12, and that during the first session she said she could not engage with her family at home because of “excessive worrying because of social media.””I stopped engaging with them as much because I was spending all my time on social media,” she recalled.She also described her heavy use of filters on Instagram from a young age to make her eyes bigger and her ears smaller. The jury was shown a video in which she complained about being fat.Shown a banner featuring dozens of her Instagram pictures, Kaley said “almost all of them have a filter on.”When asked if her life, health, sleep and grades would have been better without social media, Kaley answered: “Yes.”- Seeking job in social media -In a surprising twist, Kaley said she would like to become a social media manager and capitalize on the skills she has built since a young age.Kaley G.M.’s case is the first of three trials expected in the same court that will help determine whether Google and Meta deliberately designed their platforms to encourage compulsive use among young people, damaging their mental health in the process.The outcome of the Los Angeles trials is expected to establish a standard for resolving thousands of lawsuits that blame social media for fueling an epidemic of depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicide among young people.Similar lawsuits, including some brought by school districts, are making their way through federal court in Northern California and state courts across the country.

US President Donald Trump appears to be leaning toward strikes on Iran, but his administration is sending contradictory signals, alternating between threats and a willingness to talk — and muddying its justification for intervention.Opposition Democrats are meanwhile questioning the Republican president’s objectives, demanding that Congress be consulted before Trump takes the country to war.A third round of US-Iran talks concluded Thursday in Geneva, with mediator Oman speaking of “significant progress” being made, but the threat of potential conflict is causing significant concern in Washington.The US president has said he prefers the diplomatic route but is prepared to order limited strikes in the absence of a deal — a threat backed by a massive military force he has deployed in the Middle East.Speaking Wednesday in Saint Kitts and Nevis, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to temper expectations for the Geneva meeting, saying that “eventually we’ll have to have conversations about more than just a nuclear program.””I would say that the Iranian insistence on not discussing ballistic missiles is a big, big problem,” Rubio told reporters.In his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump spoke of Iran’s “sinister nuclear ambitions” and also accused Tehran of seeking to develop weapons that could hit the United States.”They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America,” Trump said.A Congressional Research Service report from 2025 said that Iran’s medium-range arsenal tops out at 1,850 miles (3,000 kilometers) — far short of US territory.As for whether Iran is currently enriching uranium, the Trump administration’s message remains mixed.- US Congress sidelined -“They’re not enriching right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can,” Rubio said Wednesday.US envoy Steve Witkoff, who took part in the Geneva talks alongside Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, meanwhile said Saturday on Fox News that Iran had reached some 60 percent enrichment and is “probably a week away from having industrial-grade bombmaking material.”That assertion comes despite Trump’s continued claims that Washington’s forces obliterated Iran’s nuclear program with air and missile strikes last June.”It’s beginning to sound like 2003,” Carl Bildt, a former Swedish prime minister and current co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote on X Thursday.That year, then-US president George W. Bush justified his invasion of Iraq by saying the country possessed weapons of mass destruction — but none were ever found.”I don’t think there are any indications that (Iran) is developing intercontinental ballistic missiles, and claims that they have ballistic missiles able to hit Europe are also highly questionable,” Bildt said.In the United States, Democrats say that the federal legislature — the only body authorized by the US Constitution to declare war — is being sidelined.”Everyone is asking what the plan is with respect to Iran, and we’re all looking for answers that the administration has refused to give,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday.”The administration should come clean and tell the American people exactly what the goal is in Iran,” Schumer said.Top congressional leaders met behind closed doors Tuesday at the White House with Rubio, just before Trump’s address to Congress.Democratic lawmakers intend to force a vote next week in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on a resolution requiring Trump to publicly make his case for war to Congress.”This legislation would require the president to come to Congress to make the case for using military force against Iran,” they said in a statement.A date for the vote has not been set.

A US-based man identified by Cuba as one of those killed by its coast guard in a shootout had often spoken of wanting to liberate the communist island, a political ally told AFP on Thursday.Cuba has vowed to defend itself against “terrorist and mercenary” attacks after reporting it had killed four gunmen in a Florida-registered boat near its shores — an incident that added to deepening tensions between Havana and Washington.Michel Ortega Casanova was identified by Cuba as one of four people killed on Wednesday, with Havana saying all on board were Cubans living in the United States.”His goal was to go and fight against a criminal and murderous narco-tyrannical (government), to see if that would spark the people to rise up,” said Wilfredo Beyra, head of the Cuban Republican Party in Tampa.”I had warned him that it was not the time to take such action for the freedom of Cuba, that he had to wait,” the head of the Florida-based opposition political organization told AFP by telephone. Beyra, who had known Ortega Casanova for four or five years, said he last spoke to him about 10 days ago.Ortega Casanova, reported to be a 54-year-old truck driver, had told him several times about his intentions.”In Florida, several groups openly declare that they are willing, through military training, to fight for the freedom of their homeland. And Michel was part of one of those groups,” he said. Ortega Casanova had spoken of taking action “at any moment,” Beyra said.- Trump pressures Cuba -Beyra said he also knew one of the men identified by Havana as being wounded, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gomez, whom he met at a political event in Miami last year.They had stayed in touch via calls and text messages, Beyra said, with the last of those exchanged less than two weeks ago.Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced Wednesday’s incident as an attempted “infiltration,” while his government said assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails and other military-style gear were seized.President Donald Trump has branded Cuba a “failed nation” and an “extraordinary threat” to US national security, though he has so far dismissed mounting a regime change operation.He cut off key supplies of Venezuelan oil to Cuba after ousting Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro in January.Cuba, under a US trade embargo since 1962, has for years battled shortages of fuel, medicine and food, even before the Caribbean country of 9.6 million people lost its main oil supplier.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States had nothing to do with Wednesday’s incident just off Cuba’s north coast and would “respond accordingly” after investigating it.

What began as a quiet meetup of Pokemon enthusiasts at a US store ended with an armed robbery in which masked men held the group at gunpoint to steal more than $100,000 in trading cards.The January heist in New York was the latest in a string of thefts targeting collectors of Pokemon, the Japanese media franchise that marks its 30th anniversary on Friday.Pokemon cards, bearing “little monsters” that attract children as well as adult superfans, have soared in value in recent years. US influencer Logan Paul this month set a new world record by banking $16.5 million with his sale of a rare Pikachu card — arguably the most iconic Pokemon character.But high prices have attracted criminals keen to cash in. Pokemon cards “are high value in a small footprint, demand is broad and consistent, and the resale ecosystem is large,” said Nick Jarman, founder and CEO of the Certified Trading Card Association.”That combination means stolen product can move quickly — sometimes across state lines — through a mix of online marketplaces, card shows, and informal buyer networks,” he told AFP.- ‘Big target’ -The New York robbery, which police are yet to solve, was not an isolated incident.Thieves in California made off this month with about $180,000 worth of Pokemon trading cards after drilling through a wall to access a store. “We got a big target on our back in this trading card, collectible world now,” owner Duy Pham told CBS News after the burglary.It was the second time in less than a year that his shop was robbed.Similar thefts have also been reported in Japan, Britain, Canada and Australia.”In some cases, incidents appear opportunistic, smash-and-grab, while others look more targeted — suggesting prior knowledge of store layouts, closing routines, or where higher-value inventory is kept,” Jarman said.He noted that many shops operate on thin margins, so boosting security measures can be a financial burden. – ‘Not fun anymore’ -Ranging from Pikachu the mouse to Jigglypuff the balloon, there are now more than 1,000 different Pokemon characters, with new “generations” released every few years.Collecting Pokemon cards has become a form of investment beyond collecting, trading or playing. One website, Collectr, offers trading card portfolio management and valuation tools for users looking to track their assets.Factors determining value include Pokemon cards’ rareness, the character and the artist, who is indicated on the card.But for some, the surge in prices has yanked the joy from what was a casual hobby. Grace Klich, a US-based Pokemon influencer, told AFP she had pulled back from collecting after becoming “fatigued.””When it gets to the point where local card stores are being broken into and people are getting a gun shoved in their face over cards, it is not all fun and cute anymore,” she said.”It was never about the value of items, or gaining respect, it was because I had a genuine love for such a wonderful franchise,” she said. 

A US-based man identified by Cuba as one of those killed by its coast guard in a shootout off the Cuban coast had spoken often of wanting to liberate the island, a political ally told AFP on Thursday.Cuba has vowed to defend itself against “terrorist and mercenary” attacks after reporting it had killed four gunmen on a Florida-registered boat — an incident that added to deepening tensions between Havana and Washington.Michel Ortega Casanova was identified by Cuba as one of four people killed on Wednesday, with Havana saying all on board were Cubans living in the United States.”His goal was to go and fight against a criminal and murderous narco-tyrannical (government), to see if that would spark the people to rise up,” said Wilfredo Beyra, head of the Cuban Republican Party in Tampa.”I had warned him that it was not the time to take such action for the freedom of Cuba, that he had to wait,” the head of the Florida-based opposition political organization told AFP by telephone. Beyra, who had known Ortega Casanova for four or five years, said he last spoke to him about 10 days ago.Ortega Casanova, reported to be a 54-year-old truck driver, had told him several times about his intentions.”In Florida, several groups openly declare that they are willing, through military training, to fight for the freedom of their homeland. And Michel was part of one of those groups,” he said. Ortega Casanova had spoken of taking action “at any moment,” Beyra said.Beyra said he also knew one of the men identified by Havana as being wounded in the incident, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gomez, who he met at a political event in Miami last year.They had stayed in touch via calls and text messages, Beyra said, with the last of those exchanged less than two weeks ago.

Democrats on Thursday accused US President Donald Trump and his officials of a “massive cover-up” in the handling of files tied to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, vowing an aggressive investigation and warning the administration not to destroy evidence.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the US Department of Justice (DOJ), led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, of unlawfully withholding documents that could implicate or embarrass Trump, and pledged accountability for those responsible.”Let me be blunt, there is a massive cover up going on in the Justice Department to protect Donald Trump and people associated with Jeffrey Epstein,” Schumer tole reporters.”As we expected, Trump, Bondi and their minions have played games with the release of these files, released some documents they wanted to release and continue to hide others…President Trump — what are you trying to hide?” Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors, had extensive ties to political and business elites. His case has remained politically charged, with continuing disputes over the release of investigative records and the extent of his network.The latest clash follows media reports that some FBI interview summaries related to a woman’s sexual assault allegations against Trump, dating to the 1980s when she was a minor, were not included in recently released government files. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing connected to the Epstein scandal.Schumer said his party would review unredacted records and work with legal experts, victims’ attorneys and whistleblowers to determine how the Justice Department flouted a transparency law requiring disclosure of Epstein-related materials.”We know the administration is withholding some documents unlawfully…Pam Bondi should listen carefully. The truth will come out — the whole ugly, ugly truth about what she’s doing to protect people in the files will come out,” Schumer added. “The whole world is going to know exactly what she knew, when she knew it and what she did to cover it up. Democrats are going to hold Pam Bondi and everyone involved at the DOJ accountable for this cover up.” The veteran Democrat warned federal officials against tampering with evidence and demanded that the Department of Justice and FBI preserve Epstein investigation records, warning: “We will know if you are destroying documents.”Democrats say they are concerned that extensive redactions have concealed the identities of alleged associates while exposing victims, raising questions about whether the government is shielding influential figures.The Justice Department has denied improper conduct, saying that withheld material falls within legal exemptions such as privileged communications, duplicate records or ongoing investigations. Democrats argue that the missing interview records do not fit the categories cited by the department.

Hillary Clinton used her forced appearance Thursday before a Republican-led panel probing Jeffrey Epstein to go on the offensive by demanding President Donald Trump testify about his own links to the sex offender.Clinton told the congressional committee she had no information about Epstein’s crimes, never recalled encountering him, and had never visited his island or flown on his plane, accusing the panel of trying to “protect one public official” — Trump.James Comer, who chairs the committee that will also grill former president Bill Clinton on Friday, said “the purpose of the whole investigation is to try to understand many things about Epstein” — the deceased convicted sex offender.Clinton challenged the panel saying “if this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes…it would ask (Trump) directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.”The top Democrat on the committee, Robert Garcia, also called on Trump to testify “to answer the questions that are being asked across this country from survivors.”The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is probing those who were linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.The Clintons had initially rejected subpoenas ordering them to testify in the panel’s probe, but the Democratic power couple agreed to do so after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress.Hillary Clinton said in her opening statement to the panel that it “justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.” “Let me be as clear as I can. I do not.” Democrats say the investigation is being weaponized to attack political opponents of Trump rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.Trump and Bill Clinton, both 79, feature prominently in the recently released trove of government documents related to Epstein, but said they broke any ties with the financier before his 2008 conviction in Florida as a sex offender.Mere mention in the files is not proof of having committed a crime.The Clintons called for their depositions to be public but the committee insisted on questioning them behind closed doors, a move Bill Clinton denounced as akin to a “kangaroo court.”The depositions are being held in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons reside. Dozens of journalists have converged on the wealthy hamlet.The Secret Service erected metal barricades around the arts center where the deposition is happening.Ahead of the deposition, an elderly couple picketed with a sign demanding Comer depose Trump.Local shopper Bernie Hunt, 74, said “Congress is investigating, they have the right to do so.”Jim Levine, 34, who lives nearby to Chappaqua said “what a privilege” that the Clintons were deposed near their home. “Lock her up, that’s what I say.”- Sex trafficking -Bill Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane several times in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work, but said he never visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island.Maxwell, 64, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.She appeared via video-link before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month but refused to answer questions, invoking her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself.Her attorney, David Markus, said Maxwell would be prepared to speak publicly if granted clemency by Trump.Epstein cultivated a network of powerful business executives, politicians, celebrities and academics. The release of the Epstein case files has had repercussions around the globe, including the arrests in Britain of former prince Andrew and Peter Mandelson, the ex-ambassador to the United States. A number of prominent Americans have had their reputations damaged by their friendships with Epstein and have resigned their positions, but so far Maxwell is the only person who has been convicted of a crime in connection with late financier.

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton will face “a lot of questions” Thursday from a congressional committee investigating the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, its Republican chair said.James Comer, who chairs the committee that will also grill former president Bill Clinton on Friday, said ahead of the hearing that “the purpose of the whole investigations to try to understand many things about Epstein.”But the top Democrat on the committee, Robert Garcia, said it was President Donald Trump who should appear before the panel to explain his Epstein ties, alleging the White House was hiding allegations against him in the Epstein files.”Let’s get President Trump in front of our committee to answer the questions that are being asked across this country from survivors,” Garcia said ahead of the hearing.The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is probing those who were linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.The Clintons had initially rejected subpoenas ordering them to testify in the panel’s probe, but the Democratic power couple eventually agreed to do so after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress.Democrats say the investigation is being weaponized to attack political opponents of Trump rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.Trump and Bill Clinton, both 79, feature prominently in the recently released trove of government documents related to Epstein, but have each said they broke ties with the financier before his 2008 conviction in Florida as a sex offender.Mere mention in the files is not proof of having committed a crime.The Clintons called for their depositions to be public but the committee insisted on questioning them behind closed doors, a move Bill Clinton denounced as akin to a “kangaroo court.”Hillary Clinton, 78, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump, said in an interview with the BBC last week that she and her husband “have nothing to hide.”She met Maxwell “on a few occasions,” she said, but never had any meaningful interactions with Epstein.The depositions are being held in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons reside. Dozens of journalists have converged on the wealthy hamlet to cover the unprecedented hearing.The Secret Service had erected metal barricades around the arts center where the deposition will take place, with the Clintons expected to enter through a side door shielded by a white tent.- Sex trafficking -Bill Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane several times in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work, but said he never visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island.Maxwell, 64, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.She appeared via video-link before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month but refused to answer questions, invoking her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself.Her attorney, David Markus, said Maxwell would be prepared to speak publicly if granted clemency by Trump.Epstein cultivated a network of powerful business executives, politicians, celebrities and academics. The release of the Epstein case files has had repercussions around the globe, including the arrests in Britain of former prince Andrew and Peter Mandelson, the ex-ambassador to the United States. A number of prominent Americans have had their reputations damaged by their friendships with Epstein and have resigned their positions, but so far Maxwell is the only person who has been convicted of a crime in connection with late financier.

Cuba vowed Thursday to defend against “terrorist and mercenary” attacks after reporting it had killed four gunmen on a US-registered boat — a bloody incident that added to deepening tensions between Havana and Washington.President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced Wednesday’s incident as an attempted “infiltration” and said “Cuba will defend itself with determination and firmness against any terrorist and mercenary aggression against its sovereignty and national stability.”Cuban authorities said their forces responded after coming under fire from a Florida-registered speedboat just off the communist island’s north coast.Four of the alleged assailants were killed and six wounded, the interior ministry said. All aboard were Cubans living in the United States, according to the ministry.The survivors were detained and are accused of intending to “carry out an infiltration for the purposes of terrorism,” the ministry said, reporting that assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails and other military-style gear were seized.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had nothing to do with the clash and would “respond accordingly” after investigating.The attorney general of Florida, which lies about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Cuba across the Florida Straits, also ordered an investigation into the killings.The Cuban interior ministry has released what it says are the names of seven of the people on the boat and said most of the 10 aboard had records in Cuba for “criminal and violent activity.”Another man sent from the United States to take part in this operation was arrested on Cuban soil and confessed, it added.The Cuban government frequently reports incursions by speedboats from the United States into its territorial waters but deadly clashes are rarer.Incursion incidents are often related to people-smuggling to the United States or drug trafficking, and have included chases, shootouts and armed attacks on border guards.- Venezuelan oil -The latest clash comes as Cuba is reeling from US economic pressure.Cuba’s communist government lost one of its key diplomatic supporters — and a vital source of fuel for the country — in January when US forces toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, effectively taking control of Venezuelan oil exports.The country had relied on Venezuela for about half of its fuel needs.Amid an outcry from Caribbean leaders, worried that starving 9.6 million Cubans of oil would cause the economy to collapse, the Trump administration said it would allow limited shipments of Venezuelan oil for “commercial and humanitarian use.”The announcement came during a summit of Caribbean nations attended by Rubio, a Cuban-American who has spent his career calling for the downfall of Havana’s communist leadership.The US Treasury Department said the Venezuelan oil would need to go through private businesses and not the Cuban government or the military apparatus that controls much of the island’s economy.Mexico on Tuesday dispatched two military vessels carrying nearly 2,200 tons of aid to the island — its second aid shipment in under a month.Canada also announced Can$8 million ($5.8 million) in aid on Wednesday.burs/sms/acb