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Venezuela claimed Monday to have dismantled a CIA-financed cell plotting a false-flag attack on a US warship deployed to the southern Caribbean, as Washington stepped up pressure on Caracas by flying bombers nearby.Venezuelan authorities said they uncovered an operation targeting the USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer that docked Sunday in Trinidad and Tobago — within firing distance of the Venezuelan mainland.The ship’s arrival sparked outrage in Caracas, which called it a “provocation” and claimed it was “aimed at provoking a war in the Caribbean.”It also deepened tensions with Trinidad and Tobago, whose Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is a strong critic of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, and a supporter of US President Donald Trump’s military campaign against drug traffickers in the Caribbean.Maduro on Monday evening announced he had suspended a gas agreement with Trinidad and Tobago, accusing Persad-Bissessar of transforming her nation “into an aircraft carrier of the American empire against Venezuela.”As part of Trump’s campaign, the Pentagon has so far deployed seven warships to the Caribbean and one to the Gulf of Mexico.The United States has also announced the imminent arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and its accompanying fleet.Venezuela and some observers believe Trump’s administration is using the military deployments to build pressure on the government and depose Maduro, whom Washington does not recognize as the legitimate president.Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Monday that a cell “financed by the CIA” planned to attack the USS Gravely and frame Caracas.Four people were arrested, Cabello said, without providing details of the alleged suspects. Venezuela regularly claims to have arrested US-backed mercenaries working to destabilize Maduro’s administration.Alongside his naval buildup, Trump recently confirmed authorizing CIA operations in Venezuela and considering ground strikes.Since September, US forces have destroyed at least 10 boats they said carried narcotics, killing 43 people in international waters.Experts question the legality of the deadly attacks, and Washington has offered no proof other than aerial videos of the strikes to link the vessels to trafficking.- Bombers -Tensions rose further Monday as two US B-1B bombers flew over the Caribbean near Venezuela, the third such show of force in recent weeks.Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed the two bombers — which took off from a base in the northern US state of North Dakota — flying parallel to the Venezuelan coast before disappearing from view.Earlier missions included a B-1B sortie last week and a B-52 flight earlier this month, signaling Washington’s readiness to escalate pressure on Maduro’s government.Washington and Caracas have for years been at loggerheads, with the United States rejecting Maduro’s election victories in 2018 and 2024 as fraudulent.Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez had urged earlier on Monday for the suspension of gas deals with Trinidad, to raise the cost of the crisis for the United States and its ally.Trinidadian PM Persad-Bissessar rejected what she called Venezuelan “blackmail,” telling AFP her country remains committed to security and energy cooperation.Washington recently cleared Trinidad and Tobago to exploit the Dragon gas field in Venezuelan waters despite a US oil embargo, deepening friction between the neighbors.Maduro, who denies US allegations he leads a drug-trafficking network, has accused Washington of “fabricating a war” for political purposes.burs/arb/des/bjt

Amazon will lay off tens of thousands of office workers as the e-commerce and tech giant trims costs amid ramped-up investments in artificial intelligence, according to US media reports.Some 30,000 positions will be cut in a belt-tightening move expected to begin on Tuesday, multiple news outlets reported.The reduction will represent nearly 10 percent of the approximately 350,000 office jobs at Amazon but is reported not to affect the distribution and warehouse workforce that makes up the majority of the company’s more than 1.5 million employees.Seattle-based Amazon did not reply to AFP queries regarding the planned cuts reported by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and other outlets citing anonymous sources.Amazon shares ended the formal trading day up slightly as word of the potential cost-cutting move spread.Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy has lauded the potential of AI to streamline workplace operations, from engaging with customers online to making offices more efficient.”Our conviction that AI will change every customer experience is starting to play out,” Jassy said during Amazon’s last quarterly earnings call.Amazon will next report earnings on Thursday, and is among the tech titans under pressure to show the merit of huge investments in AI.”AWS will be under pressure to both show revenue acceleration and operating margin improvement in light of its massive AI investments,” Emarketer principal analyst Sky Canaves said, referring to Amazon Web Services cloud computing unit.Amazon will also likely be pressed for details about a recent AWS outage. Popular internet services ranging from streaming platforms to messaging services to banking were offline for hours last week due to an outage in Amazon’s crucial cloud network, illustrating the extent to which internet life depends on the tech titan.The disruption affected streaming platforms, including Amazon’s Prime Video service and Disney+, as well as Perplexity AI, the Fortnite game, Airbnb, Snapchat and Duolingo.Mobile telephone services and messaging apps Signal and WhatsApp were affected in Europe, according to Downdetector.People also reported problems reaching websites including Amazon’s own e-commerce shop.Some banks such as Lloyd’s were also impacted, and pointed to Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing platform as the source.Amazon said it identified the “trigger of the event” as an issue involving the Domain Name System (DNS), which acts as an internet address book directing data traffic.AWS leads the cloud computing market, followed closely by Microsoft Azure, with Google Cloud in third place.Businesses, governments and consumers worldwide rely on their infrastructure for online activities.

US President Donald Trump is set to meet Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday, sitting down with the newly elected conservative leader ahead of high-stakes trade talks with China on a tour of Asia.Trump arrived in Tokyo on Monday for a visit sandwiched between a trip to Malaysia and a meeting in South Korea with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that could ease the bruising trade war between the world’s two biggest economies, sparked by sweeping US tariffs.Negotiators from Beijing and Washington have both confirmed a “framework” has been agreed.In Tokyo, in their first face-to-face meeting, Trump and Takaichi are expected to focus on security and trade between their allied countries.Takashi Ito, a 58-year-old Tokyo resident, said that “what’s important is finding some kind of middle ground” on trade.”Simply pushing to raise tariffs has already created various issues.”On security, long-pacifist Japan is adopting a more muscular military stance as relations with China worsen.Takaichi, a China hawk who last week became the first woman to serve as Japan’s prime minister, said her government would achieve its target of spending two percent of gross domestic product on defence this year — two years ahead of schedule.The United States, which has around 60,000 military personnel in Japan, wants Tokyo to spend even more, potentially matching the five percent of GDP pledged by NATO members in June.Yee Kuang Heng, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy, told AFP that in a bid to “deflect US pressure” on Japan to boost defence spending, Takaichi has “preemptively” brought forward the target.Apart from his meeting with Takaichi, Trump is due to deliver a speech on Tuesday on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, docked at the US naval base Yokosuka.He will also have dinner with business leaders, likely including the chairman of carmaker Toyota.- ‘Phenomenal’ -Most Japanese imports into the United States are subject to tariffs of 15 percent, less painful than the 25 percent first threatened but still contributing to a 24-percent slump in US-bound car exports in September in value terms year-on-year.The car industry accounts for around eight percent of jobs in Japan.Under the terms of a July trade deal shared by the White House, Japan is expected to invest $550 billion in the United States.Takaichi will be at pains to establish a good relationship with Trump, who had a close personal relationship with assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe.Trump has said he heard “phenomenal things” about Takaichi, “a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend”.”I think she’s going to be great.”Media reports said Trump is expected to ink deals on critical minerals and shipbuilding, adding to a flurry of agreements signed in Malaysia, where the president kicked off his first Asia tour since returning to office.The greatest prize for Trump — and for global markets — remains a China trade deal.Trump is due to meet Xi on Thursday in South Korea for their first face-to-face talks since the 79-year-old Republican’s return to office in January.”I have a lot of respect for President Xi and we are going to, I think… come away with a deal,” Trump told reporters en route from Malaysia, where comments from US and Chinese negotiators raised hopes of an accord.Trump also indicated he was willing to extend his trip in order to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though no such meeting has been announced.

Wall Street stocks ended at fresh records again on Monday over optimism that the US-China trade war was about to ease, with a possible deal in view when presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet later this week.Major indices in New York charged higher, with the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all finishing at records on the improved sentiment on trade talks. Monday’s buoyant session also featured heady gains by Microsoft, Facebook parent Meta and other tech giants ahead of earnings later this week.Argentina’s stocks soared more than 20 percent on the back of President Javier Milei’s midterm victory, which saw his party win the biggest amount of votes in weekend legislative elections. The peso also jumped.European stock markets were muted, reined in by anticipation of interest-rate decisions this week from the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank, although Spain’s index reached a record high from strong growth and corporate earnings.Overall the positive sentiment was “buoyed by weekend chatter suggesting that Washington and Beijing may finally be finding some common ground” and pulling back from painful tit-for-tat trade measures, said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at Forex.com.”All eyes now turn to Thursday’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which could see these tentative understandings formalized,” he said.Gold prices retreated on easing risk sentiment.Trump arrived in Japan on Monday as part of a tour of Asia that could see the US president and Xi end their bruising trade war.Speaking on Air Force One, Trump said he was hopeful of a deal when he sees Xi Thursday, while also indicating he was willing to extend his trip to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.China’s vice commerce minister, Li Chenggang, said a “preliminary consensus” had been reached.The progress paves the way for Trump and Xi to meet Thursday in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, their first face-to-face meeting since the US leader returned to office.Chinese stock indices closed up more than one percent Monday.The advances followed a strong finish Friday on Wall Street, after benign US inflation data set the stage for a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut on Wednesday, despite a lack of clarity over the health of the US economy as a government shutdown churns on.On Thursday, the European Central Bank is expected to hold borrowing costs steady for its third straight meeting, with eurozone inflation largely under control.In corporate news, shares in US chipmaker Qualcomm soared 11.2 percent after the company unveiled two new AI processors designed for data centers, pushing into a market dominated by rivals Nvidia and AMD.Keurig Dr. Pepper jumped 7.6 percent after lifting its full-year sales forecast and as it announced it had received $7 billion in investment agreements from affiliates of Apollo and KKR.- Key figures at around 1630 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 47,435.81 pointsNew York – S&P: UP 1.0 percent at 6,857.90New York – Nasdaq: UP 1.6 percent at 23,580.33London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,653.82 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.2 percent at 8,239.18 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.3 percent at 24,308.78 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.5 percent at 50,512.32 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,996.94 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.1 percent at 26,433.70 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1646 from $1.1627 on FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3333 from $1.3311Dollar/yen: UP at 152.90 yen from 152.86 yenEuro/pound: FLAT at 87.35 penceBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.5 percent at $65.62 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.3 percent at $61.31 per barrel

US prison authorities will release Sean “Diddy” Combs on May 8, 2028, an online inmate register showed on Monday, following his jailing for more than four years for prostitution-related crimes.Prosecutors had sought 11 years behind bars for the 55-year-old Combs, but District Judge Arun Subramanian handed down a 50-month sentence and a $500,000 fine earlier this month.Diddy’s defense has appealed both the conviction and the sentence, which could affect the date listed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.The date reflects the time the hip-hop star has already served in a notorious Brooklyn lockup.Combs was acquitted by a jury in July of the most serious charges against him — sex trafficking and racketeering — but convicted of two counts of transporting people across state lines for prostitution.Subramanian said he was bound by the law to deliver a sentence that met the gravity of Combs’s “serious offenses” which he said had “irreparably harmed two women.”Subramanian himself noted that the punishment he rendered was significantly shorter than the range probation officers had recommended, of 70 to 87 months.He told Combs he was counting on him to “make the most of your second chance.”Tearfully addressing the court before the judge handed down the sentence, Combs said he was “truly sorry” for his actions.Combs apologized to his family as well as his victims, saying his behavior was “disgusting, shameful and sick.”Subramanian pointed out to Combs that his prison time was not lifelong.”You are going to get through this,” the judge said to him and his family.

US jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette, a major figure in modern jazz who collaborated with Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett, has died at 83, his management said on Monday. “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jack DeJohnette. He died peacefully in Kingston Hospital, NY. He was surrounded by his wife, family, and close friends,” a post on his Instagram said.His personal assistant Joan Clancy confirmed that he died on Sunday from congestive heart failure in Kingston Hospital, New York state. Born in Chicago in 1942, Jack DeJohnette worked with the greatest names in jazz from the 1960s onwards, playing with Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, notably on the album “Bitches Brew” released in 1970. In the 1980s, he formed a famous trio with pianist Keith Jarrett and bassist Gary Peacock. A prolific musician, Jack DeJohnette also released numerous solo albums, blending jazz, world music, and sound experiments.

A pair of B-1B bombers flew over the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela on Monday, flight tracking data showed, in the third such show of force by US military aircraft in recent weeks.The flight of the long-range supersonic bombers comes as Washington carries out a military campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the region, deploying forces that have sparked fears in Caracas that regime change is the ultimate goal.Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed the two bombers — which took off from a base in the northern US state of North Dakota — flying parallel to the Venezuelan coast before disappearing from view.That followed another flight near Venezuela by at least one B-1B last week, and another by multiple B-52 bombers the week before.The United States has also ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to Latin America, has deployed 10 F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico and currently has seven US Navy ships in the Caribbean as part of what it calls counter-narcotics efforts.Washington’s forces have carried out strikes on at least 10 alleged drug-smuggling vessels — nine boats and a semi-submersible — since early September, killing at least 43 people, according to an AFP tally based on US figures.But the United States has yet to release evidence that the vessels it has targeted were used to smuggle drugs.Regional tensions have flared as a result of the campaign and the accompanying military buildup, with Venezuela accusing the United States of plotting to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, who has accused Washington of “fabricating a war.”

Two climate activists were Monday spared jail by a UK court after they sprayed two planes with orange paint to protest US pop star Taylor Swift’s use of private jets.Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists Jennifer Kowalski, 29, and Cole Macdonald, 23, attempted to target Swift’s flight with spray paint in June 2024 when the singer, who has faced criticism over her private jet use, was on tour in the UK.They were handed short suspended jail sentences by a court in east England for spraying and causing criminal damage to two planes that belonged to an insurance firm and an investment group instead.”The actions of the two of you were all about publicity – both for Just Stop Oil and for yourselves,” Judge Alexander Mills said.”What greater publicity could there be than anything related to Taylor Swift?… That’s what you hoped to achieve.”The protesters had entered the airfield at Stansted airport, northeast of London, after breaking through a fence and entering a private area before using the fire extinguishers filled with orange paint.The protesters claimed Swift’s jet had landed at Stansted “hours earlier”, but local police said that her jet was not at the airport at the time.Just Stop Oil is a climate group known for its public stunts to protest the use of planet-warming fossil fuels, often by spraying famous paintings, infrastructure or monuments with orange paint.In March this year, the group announced it was ending high-profile climate protests, saying it had accomplished its initial aim of stopping new oil and gas projects in the UK.The trial “demonstrates, again, the establishment will protect the wealthy and privileged while punishing those seeking to protect us and defend our freedoms and natural justice,” Just Stop Oil said in a statement.Swift has been condemned by environmentalists for her prolific private jet travel. In 2022, she headlined a list published by British sustainability marketing firm Yard of the “worst private jet CO2 emission offenders” among celebrities.

A giant yellow banner on a busy expressway linking New York’s Brooklyn and Queens boroughs proclaims: “Vote Zohran — for a city we can afford.”The city’s soaring cost of living, perhaps more than any other issue, has propelled the unlikely Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani to the front of the Big Apple’s mayoral race. Early voting began Saturday and election day is November 4.Astronomical rents and housing scarcity are pervasive problems in America’s most populous city of 8.5 million people where one in four people cannot afford life’s essentials. In June, the median New York rent exceeded $4,000 for the first time, according to the StreetEasy property site — more than double the US average.Unregulated rents increased 5.6 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to 2024.Mamdani has said he wants to freeze rents for the two million rent-stabilized tenants whose housing increases are governed by the city, and build 200,000 additional homes in the next decade.Critics say his policies will deter maintenance and investment.”Whatever you need to live in this city, that is not something that you should be priced out of,” he said on the hugely popular Breakfast Club radio show.”We can’t let the market determine who gets to live that dignified life.”Under outgoing mayor Eric Adams, regulated rents have gone up 12.6 percent since he took over in 2022, approved by an independent board Mamdani could shake up.”(Mamdani) realizes that everything is — after Covid (and) inflation — very expensive, and people feel strained,” said Daniel Schlozman, an associate professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University.”He was speaking to those issues in ways that his leading rival Andrew Cuomo was not.”- ‘Politics of affordability’ -Outside a recent Mamdani rally, Santiago, a 69-year-old retiree who did not give his last name, brandished a banner reading “we want affordable housing for our community.” “We are overwhelmed by housing costs,” he said in the shadow of the George Washington Bridge that links the city to New Jersey, the neighboring state where many New York families have been forced to move in search of lower rents.Santiago gave the Bronx as an example where lower average wages have been outstripped by rising rents. For community organizer Lex Rountree, “tenants make up 70 percent of New York, so we are the majority.” “We have, if we come together, a real chance to make a huge impact,” the 27-year-old added, wearing tenant rights pins on her shirt.Mamdani painted Cuomo, the former New York state governor, as a friend of landlords and big business, attacking him in a debate for policies that neglect the cost of living. “That’s why he lost the primary. That’s why he’ll lose the general election,” Mamdani said in a TV debate.Surging grocery prices compete with outlandish rents for the top spot among New Yorkers’ economic complaints.Prices of eggs, meat, poultry and fish have surged by 8.9 percent in the city in the last year.”Grocery prices are out of control — as mayor, I will create a network of city-owned grocery stores,” Mamdani said on Instagram.Nine in 10 New Yorkers say grocery costs are going up faster than their incomes, according to Mamdani’s campaign.The proposal drew criticism from the right, and from fellow Democrat Cuomo, who questioned “Why would you subsidize rich people’s purchase of food?”US President Donald Trump, a fierce critic of Mamdani, has called the frontrunner a “communist.”But a Data for Progress Poll showed that two-thirds of New Yorkers backed the proposal.”He realized that the politics of affordability were absolutely critical,” Schlozman said.Steven Looez, a 41-year-old bartender, told AFP he has considered leaving New York for a more affordable city.”We’re always kind of perplexed where our money goes,” he said. “It adds up.””But I’m a little spoiled being in New York City, where everything you need culturally and socially is here, so it’s hard to match that.”

Optimism grew Monday that Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping will end their bruising trade war during talks this week, as the US president touched down in Tokyo on the latest leg of an Asian tour.Trump said en route to close US ally Japan that he was hopeful of a deal when he sees Xi on Thursday, while also indicating he was willing to extend his trip in order to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.”I have a lot of respect for President Xi and we are going to I think… come away with a deal,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, adding that he aimed to go to China “in the earlier part” of 2026.The optimism boosted stock markets, with Japan’s Nikkei surpassing 50,000 points for the first time.As dozens of people gathered at Haneda Airport to take photos, the presidential plane — also bearing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — landed at sunset.Sporting a golden tie, Trump boarded a helicopter to take him into the bright lights of the Japanese metropolis in time for an evening audience with the emperor.”A great man,” Trump said afterwards.On Tuesday, Trump was expected to meet new conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and make a speech on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, docked at the US naval base Yokosuka.”I hear phenomenal things. (Takaichi) was a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend,” Trump said, referring to the assassinated former premier.- ‘Framework consensus’ -Trump’s Asia trip, his first tour of the region since returning to office, kicked off in Malaysia on Sunday with a flurry of agreements on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.He also moved to mend fences with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but not with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, ruling out a meeting any time soon.”Canada has been ripping us off for a long time and they’re not going to rip us off any more,” Trump said.The greatest prize for Trump — and for global markets — remains a China deal.Trump is due to meet Xi on Thursday in South Korea for their first face-to-face talks since the 79-year-old Republican’s return to the White House.Before Trump’s arrival in Malaysia, Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100 percent tariffs due to come into effect on November 1.Negotiators from Beijing and Washington have both confirmed a “framework” has been agreed.”The two sides… reached a framework consensus on reciprocal solutions to current pressing economic and trade issues,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, according to a state media readout of his Monday call with Rubio.Earlier on Air Force One, Bessent said they had “a framework for President Trump (and) President Xi to decide”.- ‘Hot’ trucks -On Friday, Takaichi announced in her first policy speech that Japan would be spending two percent of gross domestic product on defence this fiscal year.But Washington, which has around 60,000 military personnel in Japan, wants Tokyo to spend more, potentially matching the five percent of GDP pledged by NATO members in June.Most Japanese imports into the United States are subject to tariffs of 15 percent, less painful than the 25 percent first threatened.However, Trump also wants Japan to import more American products like rice, soybeans and cars, including “hot” Ford F-150 pickup trucks.Questions also surround Japan’s commitment to invest $550 billion in the United States, as specified in their July trade deal.”What I expect is that, since he (Trump) is someone who acts decisively, things might move in a positive direction for Japan,” said Tokyo resident Sayaka Kamimoto, 45.- Kim meeting? -Trump is due in South Korea on Wednesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and will meet President Lee Jae Myung.Trump has also fuelled speculation that he could hold face-to-face talks with North Korea’s Kim while on the Korean peninsula.The two leaders last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the border area separating the two Koreas.”I would love to meet with him if he’d like to meet. I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him. He liked me,” Trump said on Air Force One.Asked if he would extend his trip to enable a meeting, he said: “Well, I hadn’t thought of it, but I think the answer would be yeah, I would, I would do that, sure.”