U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered "closed in its entirety," but gave no further details, stirring anxiety and confusion in Caracas as Washington ramps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro's government.

Caracas

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the closure of Venezuelan airspace, prompting confusion and criticism among residents in Caracas and condemnation from Venezuela's government. The statement, made via social media without additional details, has not been clarified by U.S. officials, who expressed surprise at the announcement.

The move follows months of U.S. operations targeting alleged drug trafficking off Venezuela's coast and is viewed as part of ongoing pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, who denies involvement in the drug trade. Reports indicate the U.S. military is prepared for further operations in the region, though no official enforcement of the airspace closure has been confirmed.

Trump's call to close Venezuelan airspace stirs confusion in Caracas

Venezuelans in Caracas expressed discontent after U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday declared that the airspace above and surrounding the country should be considered closed in its entirety. MANUEL ROMERO, Venezuelan Resident of Caracas, Mexico, said in a statement, quote, I think it's unfair, says resident Manuel Romero, adding that, quote, Venezuelans are not to blame, but they are the ones who pay the consequences. Another resident, Carmen Castillo, says it affects us a lot, because many people abroad wanted to come home for Christmas, while others in Venezuela had plans to travel elsewhere to see family. Trump announced the closure in a Truth Social post, but gave no further details. Venezuela's government condemned his comments, describing them as a colonialist threat against the country's sovereignty and incompatible with international law. U.S. officials contacted by Reuters said they were surprised by Trump's announcement and are unaware of any ongoing U.S. military operations to enforce the closure. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment, and the White House did not provide any further explanation. Saturday's announcement follows months of U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats off Venezuela's coast and is Washington's latest way of ramping up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the Trump administration has portrayed as having a role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. Maduro has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade. Reuters has reported that options under U.S. consideration included attempting to overthrow Maduro, and that the U.S. military is poised for a new phase of operations after a massive military buildup in the Caribbean. In Puerto Rico on Saturday, U.S. military aircraft were seen active at the former Roosevelt Road's naval base. Trump told military service members earlier this week that the U.S. would very soon begin land operations to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a formal pardon request in his long-running corruption cases to the Israeli president. Herzog says he will "sincerely consider the request."

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Netanyahu asks president to grant him pardon from corruption charges

Two men and two women from the Paris region have been taken into custody in connection with the theft at the Louvre last month, prosecutors said.

Paris

Four more suspects arrested over Louvre jewelery heist

Entire areas of Sri Lanka's capital were flooded on Sunday after a powerful cyclone triggered heavy rains and mudslides across the island, with authorities reporting nearly 200 dead and dozens more missing.

Colombo

Sri Lanka reels from Cyclone Ditwah as death toll nears 200

Top Trump administration officials are meeting Ukrainian negotiators in Florida this weekend, pushing to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Florida

Ukraine Invasion

Rubio and Witkoff to meet with Ukraine's negotiators in Florida

President Trump intensified his pressure campaign on Venezuela on Saturday. He posted that the airspace around the country is "closed in its entirety." It comes amid growing pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to step down.

Trump declares Venezuela's airspace closed

Negotiators for Ukraine are headed to Florida for further peace talks with Trump administration officials. The visit comes amid new deadly air assaults across Ukraine.

Kyiv

Deadly Russian air assaults hit Ukraine amid peace talks

Approximately 24 million people across the U.S. are under winter storm alerts. Dave Malkoff and Andrew Kozak have the details on this holiday weekend's forecast and the impact.

Chicago

Major storm blasts Midwest, impacting holiday travel

Ukraine’s security services say that domestically made naval drones struck two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, involving vessels described as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

Ukraine strikes Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea

From Rome to Berlin, from São Paulo to Istanbul: the demonstration in the Italian capital, led by Global Movement to Gaza, reflects a global protest for Gaza, with thousands of people united in solidarity and justice

Rome

Thunberg joins pro-Palestine march in Rome

US President Donald Trump has said the airspace above Venezuela is to be closed. With a US task force already in the Caribbean, land operations against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers could soon begin.

US military threat fuels fear and uncertainty in Venezuela

More than 150 people have been killed as Cyclone Ditwah has been battering Sri Lanka with torrential rains that triggered flooding and landslides. Authorities declared a state of emergency.

Cyclone Ditwah pounds Sri Lanka with deadly force

Investigators in Hong Kong are gathering evidence at the site of the apartment block fire that killed at least 128 people. At least 150 are missing, and 11 people involved in the renovation of the complex have been arrested.

Tsim Sha Tsui

Hong Kong apartment fire survivors share how they escaped

United States President Donald Trump has said the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela is to be closed “in its entirety”, as tensions between the countries escalate. There was no immediate response by Venezuela to Trump’s social media post on Saturday.

Trump says Venezuela airspace to be shut as tensions rise

Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul's historic Blue Mosque, officially known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, as part of his trip to Turkey.

Istanbul

Pope Leo XIV visits Istanbul's iconic Blue Mosque on Turkey trip

The Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members will face first-degree murder charges for an attack that prompted President Donald Trump to declare he would freeze migration from "Third World Countries" to the U.S.

Washington

National Guard shooting suspect to face murder charges

President Trump announced Thursday that he would "permanently pause" immigration from "Third-World Countries." The declaration comes as the Trump administration takes aim at U.S. immigration policies in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.

Trump says he plans to end immigration from "Third-World Countries"

Europe's Airbus says it is ordering immediate repairs to 6,000 of its widely-used A320 family of jets in a sweeping recall affecting more than half the global fleet, threatening upheaval during the busiest travel weekend of the year in the United States.

Leiden

Airbus issues major A320 recall, threatening holiday travel

Hong Kong firefighters found dozens more bodies in an intensive search of a high-rise complex where a massive fire engulfed seven buildings, bringing the death toll to 128 with many more unaccounted for. Authorities arrested another eight people involved in the towers' renovation.

Hong Kong Island

More arrests made in Hong Kong as fire's death toll rises to 128

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's powerful chief of staff, a close ally of the president who has headed Ukraine's negotiation team at fraught U.S.-backed peace talks, quit on Friday (November 28), after anti-corruption agents searched his home.

Ukraine's top peace negotiator quits after raid by anti-graft police

At least thirteen people were killed in an Israeli raid in southern Syria, Syrian state media reported, with Damascus accusing Israel of a "criminal attack" in a village where Israel said its troops came under fire during an operation to arrest militants.

Damascus

Middle East Conflict

Israel launches deadly raid on southern Syria, Syrian media reports

The Department of Homeland Security says the agency is reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration in wake of Wednesday's attack on National Guard members in Washington, D.C.

Trump admin orders review of approved Biden-era asylum cases

Two Palestinian men were shot dead during an Israeli raid in Jenin on Thursday moments after appearing to surrender, prompting condemnations as footage of the incident sparked widespread outrage.

Jerusalem

Israel forces kill two Palestinians seen surrendering in West Bank

One of the U.S. National Guard members ambushed in Washington, D.C., has died, President Trump announced Thursday. CBS News' Kamal Afzali reports.

One National Guard member dies after D.C. shooting

U.S. President Donald Trump says Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members shot in Washington, has died and the other, Andrew Wolfe, is fighting for his life. The suspect in the shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is in 'serious condition.'

Trump says one National Guardsman has died after Washington shooting

Video has emerged of two Palestinian men surrendering to the Israeli military with their hands up, before being shot dead in Jenin.

Two unarmed Palestinians killed in Jenin by Israeli military

Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe were wounded in a shooting that the FBI is investigating as ‘terrorism’.

National Guard members shot in Washington, DC, attack identified

The Russian president reiterated his maximalist demands over occupied areas of Ukraine, and insisted Moscow has no plans of slowing down its full-scale invasion or even negotiating with Kyiv.

Putin demands Kyiv withdraw from Eastern Ukraine

The suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members led a team in the Afghanistan war and worked with U.S. and British forces, according to a former Afghan commando colleague. A DHS official says he was granted asylum earlier this year on humanitarian grounds.

West Virginia

Suspect in National Guard shooting granted asylum earlier this year

Firefighting and rescue missions continued into Thursday for a second day after a massive fire broke out in Hong Kong, gripping a complex of seven high-rise residential buildings. At least 55 people were killed and dozens more were injured in what is the worst fire to hit the territory in decades.

Tai Po District

Death toll rises to 55 as blaze rips through Hong Kong tower complex

A Peruvian court on Wednesday (November 26) sentenced former President Martin Vizcarra to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of taking bribes years before he took office, adding to a list of former leaders jailed for corruption.

Breakdown