People gather in the heavily Venezuelan city of Doral, Fla., west of Miami, to cheer the news of the capture by U.S. forces of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. President Donald Trump opened a new chapter in American nation building as he declared that the U.S. had toppled Venezuela’s leader and would “run” the country for an indefinite period. (Scott McIntyre/The New York Times) By DAVID E. SANGER and TYLER PAGER President Donald Trump’s declar

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