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The US military carried out small-scale survival and jungle combat drills on Panama’s Caribbean coast Wednesday, as Washington amassed a vast naval presence off Venezuela.Under a scorching sun, about a dozen US Marines armed with assault rifles simulated storming a bunker at the former US Fort Sherman base near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. The facilities now serve as a training ground for US Marines and Panamanian police under a cooperation program launched in August.Panama said about 50 US Marines would train from October 9 to 29 in its jungle to improve their skills “in one of the most demanding environments.””This training is purely aimed at our defense and protection” to fight “organized crime and drug trafficking,” Panamanian Major Didier Santamaria told AFP.A similar course in August “focused only on survival; this one adds some tactics and jungle tracking,” said US Colonel Ada Cotto.The mission is to “create knowledge and mutual relationships” that can be shared “for both countries,” she said.The drills come amid tension between the United States and Venezuela, whose president Nicolas Maduro accuses Washington of plotting to overthrow him.Washington has sent several warships and thousands of troops to Caribbean region.But Cotto denied any link between the US exercises and plans to intervene in Venezuela.”We are not preparing for anything,” she said when asked if the training was related to the Venezuelan crisis.“Everything is transparent and by invitation of the Panamanian government,” she added.The agreement was signed amid pressure from US President Donald Trump, who threatened to take control of the Panama Canal, refusing to rule out the use of force.

American pop star Lizzo is being sued in a California court over a snippet of an unreleased song that went viral because of a reference to Sydney Sweeney.The post blew up in August after a reference to the US actress whose appearance in a jeans advertisement had already set the internet ablaze.The social media post in question for the track “I’m goin’ in till October” has the four-time Grammy winner wearing not very much as she washes a car and says “I got good jeans like I’m Sydney.”But lawyers for a firm called GRC Trust say the clip of the track — which has never been sold — uses a sample of “Win or Lose (We Tried),” a ’70s soul ballad by American band Windy City, without permission.The firm, which owns the copyright for the track, wants Lizzo to compensate them because she “obtained profits they would not have realized but for their infringement” of the rights of the song.Lawyers say they tried to come to an informal agreement with Lizzo’s team, “but reached an impasse, necessitating the filing of this case.”The suit seeks an injunction to prevent the Lizzo song being distributed and money equal to the “defendants’ profits, plus all GRC’s losses.”A representative for Lizzo told AFP: “We are surprised that the GRC Trust filed this lawsuit.” “To be clear, the song has never been commercially released or monetized, and no decision has been made at this time regarding any future commercial release of the song.”The American Eagle ad starring the blonde-haired, blue-eyed star of “The White Lotus” and “Euphoria” sparked accusations it was a white supremacist dog whistle because of its word play in the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”While the outrage was confined to a small number of activists, senior Republicans like Ted Cruz lashed out at the “crazy Left” which the Texas senator said had “come out against beautiful women.” 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday downplayed concerns about tensions between Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, while reiterating his belief that “only” the US president could achieve peace between Moscow and Kyiv.Rutte, visiting Washington just days after Trump hosted Zelensky for tense talks, met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill before his own White House sit-down later in the day.Asked if his visit to Washington was a sign that the Trump-Zelensky talks last week were a “disaster,” Rutte said no, describing it as “a successful meeting.”Rather, his trip was planned beforehand and came about after he texted the US president seeking “to discuss how we now can deliver his vision on peace in Ukraine,” the NATO chief told reporters after meeting with senators.”I have total confidence in President Trump, and he’s the only one who can get this done,” Rutte said when asked if President Vladimir Putin had persuaded Trump to soften his stance on Russia.Trump’s “leadership here is crucial. He is clearly providing it and he has to dialogue with all the leaders. He has to dialogue with Putin, he has to dialogue with Zelensky,” he added.Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who spoke to reporters alongside Rutte, said discussions are still ongoing about the provision of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine — a weapon that Kyiv has sought to carry out precision strikes inside Russia.Providing the missiles “would be significant, if for no other reason than we all know what their capabilities are and what their reach are,” Tillis told AFP after the news conference.”There may be a strategic advantage that perhaps even goes beyond the tactical,” he said.Trump met Zelensky last Friday at the White House, but the meeting — which a senior Ukrainian official described as “tense” — ended without an announcement on providing Tomahawks to Kyiv.The talks were “not easy,” the Ukrainian official said, adding that diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war felt like they were being “dragged out” and “going in circles.”Trump was meanwhile due to meet with Putin in Budapest within weeks but shelved those plans on Tuesday, saying he did not want a “wasted” meeting.A White House official said that there were now “no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.”Trump has counted on personal chemistry with Putin to reach a Ukraine peace deal, but has found himself frustrated time and again by the Russian leader.

Talks are under way for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at an upcoming regional summit in Malaysia, officials from both countries told AFP on Wednesday.The two leaders have begun to patch up their differences after months of bad blood over the trial and conviction of Trump’s ally, the far-right former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.Republican Trump and leftist Lula are both due to travel to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia that starts on Sunday.”President Trump has expressed his interest in meeting President Lula following their friendly call” earlier this month, a senior Trump administration official told AFP on condition of anonymity.”There are discussions about facilitating such a meeting while President Trump is in Malaysia.”A Brazilian presidential source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “There are discussions with the Americans about a possible bilateral meeting.”Trump has instituted a 50-percent tariff on many Brazilian products and imposed sanctions on several top officials, including a top Supreme Court judge, to punish Brazil for what he termed a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro.In September, Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for his role in a botched coup bid after his 2022 election loss to Lula.But relations between Trump and Lula began to thaw when the two 79-year-old leaders had a brief meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.They then spoke by phone on October 6 and first raised the possibility of meeting at the ASEAN summit.During that meeting, Lula asked Trump to lift the tariffs and sanctions.

Talks are under way for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at an upcoming regional summit in Malaysia, a senior US administration official said Wednesday.The two leaders have begun to patch up their differences after months of bad blood over the trial and conviction of Trump’s ally, the far-right former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.Republican Trump and leftist Lula are both due to travel to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia that starts on Sunday.”President Trump has expressed his interest in meeting President Lula following their friendly call” earlier this month, the senior Trump administration official told AFP on condition of anonymity.”There are discussions about facilitating such a meeting while President Trump is in Malaysia.”Trump has imposed a 50-percent tariff on many Brazilian products and imposed sanctions against several top officials, including a top Supreme Court judge, to punish Brazil for what he termed a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro.In September, Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for his role in a botched coup bid after his 2022 election loss to Lula.But relations between Trump and Lula began to thaw when the two 79-year-old leaders had a brief meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.They then spoke by phone on October 6 and first raised the possibility of meeting at the ASEAN summit.During that meeting Lula asked Trump to lift the tariffs and sanctions.

The US government shutdown entered its fourth week Wednesday, becoming the second longest in history, as Donald Trump’s Republicans and the opposition Democrats faced increasing pressure to end a stalemate that has crippled public services.Federal workers are set to miss their first full paychecks in the coming days, including tens of thousands of air traffic controllers and airport security agents — an inflection point that helped end the last shutdown in 2019.But with the current crisis entering Day 22, the bipartisan backbench groups in Congress who have struck deals behind the scenes to end past standoffs have hardly been talking, and there was no off-ramp in sight.”This is now the second-longest government shutdown of any kind ever in the history of our country, and it’s just shameful,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters.”Democrats keep making history, but they’re doing it for all the wrong reasons.”The government has been gradually grinding to a halt since Congress failed to pass a bill to keep federal departments and agencies funded and functioning past September 30.At the heart of the standoff is a Democratic demand for an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies that keeps premiums affordable for millions of Americans.Republicans — who run Congress and the White House but need Democratic votes to pass most legislation — say that debate should happen later, not as part of a must-pass funding bill.Democrats in the Senate have repeatedly blocked a House-passed short-term extension of funds, keeping 1.4 million federal workers on enforced unpaid leave, or working without pay.- ‘Nuclear option’ -Around 63,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents are considered essential workers and expected to stay at their posts during government shutdowns.Employees calling in sick rather than working without pay — leading to significant delays — was a major factor in Trump bringing an end to the 2019 shutdown, the longest in history at 35 days.The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at two Houston airports on Tuesday due to staffing issues, according to a notice on its website, and the aviation industry has voiced fears over worsening absences as the shutdown drags on.”For every day the government is shut down and employees in the aviation ecosystem are still furloughed, another layer of safety may be peeled away,” Dave Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement.Confounding expectations at the start of the shutdown, Democrats have maintained a largely united front as they have repeatedly rejected Republican efforts to reopen the government.”We’re ready, we’re willing, we’re able to reopen the government to enact a bipartisan spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a hearing on the impacts of the shutdown.With no end in sight to the stalemate, Senate Republicans are under pressure to change the 60-vote threshold to advance legislation — known as the “filibuster” — so that they can approve the House-passed funding resolution without Democratic help.They are hoping to avoid that so-called “nuclear option” and instead turn public opinion against Democrats this week with a measure to safeguard the pay of military personnel and essential federal workers. The minority party is planning to block the measure, arguing that it cedes further power to Trump while failing to help 750,000 nonessential workers who have been placed on enforced leave without pay.

The US government shutdown entered its fourth week Wednesday, becoming the second longest in history, as Donald Trump’s Republicans and the opposition Democrats faced increasing pressure to end a stalemate that has crippled public services.Federal workers are set to miss their first full paychecks in the coming days, including tens of thousands of air traffic controllers and airport security agents — an inflection point that helped end the previous shutdown in 2019.But with the current crisis entering Day 22, the bipartisan backbench groups in Congress who have struck deals behind the scenes to end past standoffs have hardly been talking, and there was no off-ramp in sight.”This is now the second-longest government shutdown of any kind ever in the history of our country, and it’s just shameful,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters.”Democrats keep making history, but they’re doing it for all the wrong reasons.”The government has been gradually grinding to a halt since Congress failed to pass a bill to keep federal departments and agencies funded and functioning past September 30.At the heart of the standoff is a Democratic demand for an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies that keeps premiums affordable for millions of Americans.Republicans — who run Congress and the White House but need Democratic votes to pass most legislation — say that debate should happen later, not as part of a must-pass funding bill.Democrats in the Senate have repeatedly blocked a House-passed short-term resolution championed by Republicans to get the lights back on, keeping 1.4 million federal workers on enforced unpaid leave, or working without pay.Around 63,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents are considered essential workers and expected to stay at their posts during government shutdowns.Employees calling in sick rather than working without pay — leading to significant delays — was a major factor in Trump bringing to an end the longest shutdown in history on its 35th day in 2019.The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at two Houston airports on Tuesday due to staffing issues, according to a notice on its website, and the aviation industry has voiced fears over worsening absences as the shutdown drags on.”For every day the government is shut down and employees in the aviation ecosystem are still furloughed, another layer of safety may be peeled away,” Dave Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement.”The furloughed employees want to be back on the job, all of the employees need to be paid… We call on Congress to open the government as soon as possible.”

A flagship US climate-disaster database killed by President Donald Trump’s administration has been brought back to life by its former lead scientist — revealing that extreme weather inflicted a record $101 billion in damages in just the first half of 2025.The Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters tracker, long maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), chronicled major US catastrophes from 1980 to 2024 before it was abruptly shut down in May amid sweeping budget cuts that critics decried as an ideologically driven attack on science.”This dataset was simply too important to stop being updated, and the demand for its revival came from every sector of society,” Adam Smith, an applied climatologist who helmed the database for 15 years before resigning in May, told AFP.Among those calling for its return were groups such as the American Academy of Actuaries, who argued the list was a vital tool for tracking the rising costs of climate-fueled disasters, from wildfires to floods, that threaten homeowners, insurers, and mortgage markets.Congressional Democrats have also sought to restore the program within NOAA, introducing a bill last month that has yet to advance.Now based at the nonprofit Climate Central, Smith said he worked with an interdisciplinary team of experts in meteorology, economics, risk management, communication, and web design over recent months to recreate the dataset using the same public and private data sources and methodologies.The new findings, he said, show that “the year started out with a bang”: the Los Angeles wildfires were likely the costliest in history, with insured losses reaching an estimated $60 billion.That was followed by a barrage of spring storms across the central and southern United States, including several destructive tornadoes.Altogether, 14 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters between January and June caused $101.4 billion in inflation-adjusted damages — though 2025 as a whole may fall short of a record, thanks to a milder-than-usual Atlantic hurricane season.Smith said his decision to leave NOAA stemmed from his realization that “the current environment to do science, across the board, is becoming more difficult, and that’s likely an understatement.” But he added he was happy to give the dataset a new home so it can remain a “public good” and continue to publish updates at regular intervals.Looking ahead, the team plans to broaden the scope of the tracker to include events causing at least $100 million in losses — to capture the smaller and mid-sized disasters that still have “life-changing impacts to lives and livelihoods.”