Takashi Tomitori, an amateur diver who is also an auto mechanic, at work on the island of Yonaguni, Japan, on Dec. 11, 2025. Tomitori says he is worried about stationing missiles on the island. (Ko Sasaki/The New York Times) By Javier C. Hernández and Hisako Ueno As a lifelong resident of Yonaguni, a remote island that is Japan’s westernmost point, Himeyo Ukemasu remembers the distant days when life was measured by the bright stars, the tides and the ripening of mulberry tree

An undated image from the Library of Congress of Cipriano Castro, center, who was known as the “Lion of the Andes” and ruled Venezuela from 1899 to 1908, with his cabinet in Caracas, Venezuela. (Library of Congress via The New York Times) By Simon Romero A blockade aimed at ravaging Venezuela’s economy. A fiery Venezuelan leader known for his unusual dance moves at times of distress. A U.S. government seeking to assert military supremacy in Latin America. Yes, these descripti

By JULIAN E. BARNES and TYLER PAGER The CIA conducted a drone strike on a port facility in Venezuela last week, according to people briefed on the operation, a development that suggests an aggressive new phase of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the Maduro government has begun. The strike was on a dock where U.S. officials believe Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, was storing narcotics and potentially preparing to move the drugs onto boats, the people sai

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Dec. 28, 2025. Though discussions with President Donald Trump produced little tangible progress, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine at least avoided the type of setbacks that have blighted earlier meetings. (Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times) By CONSTANT MÉHEUT As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine traveled back from Florida on Monday, he could breathe a sigh

Colombian President Gustavo Petro during a rally in Bogotá, Colombia, Oct. 24, 2025. Petro has mounted vigorous criticism of U.S. boat strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. (Nathalia Angarita/The New York Times) By GENEVIEVE GLATSKY Colombia is locked in an escalating dispute with the United States over a series of boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific — initially aimed at Venezuela — that Washington claims are targeting drug smugglers. As the feud has int

By ANNIE CORREAL A passenger train derailed in the Mexican state of Oaxaca on Sunday, killing at least 13 people, according to Mexican authorities. Nearly 250 passengers and crew members were on board when the front engine derailed near the village of Nizanda, causing the train to partially plummet down an embankment, according to local media reports. As of Sunday evening, officials had not determined a cause. Authorities, including the federal prosecutor’s office, said an in

Ukrainian soldiers at an anti-aircraft defense unit in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, Dec. 22, 2025. With talks on ending the Ukraine war making little progress on the toughest issues, Russia issued a dramatic threat on Monday, Dec. 29, to harden its stance, linking the potential change to what the Kremlin called a failed Ukrainian drone attack overnight targeting a rural residence of President Vladimir Putin. (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times) By NEIL MacFARQUHAR and IVAN NECH

The wreckage of Jeju Air Flight 2216 late last year at the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times By JIN YU and JOHN YOON A year after the worst plane crash on South Korean soil killed 179 people, the families of some of the victims are still camped out in tents on the second floor of Muan International Airport, desperately seeking answers despite multiple continuing investigations. “I wonder why we keep facing the same questions, fee