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This week, President Donald Trump said a classified device was used during the operation that captured Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and signalled the potential expansion of US military strikes against drug cartels.

Elsewhere, Burkina Faso’s military government dissolved all political parties under a junta decree, France rejected claims that Europe cannot defend itself without the United States, and Italy criticised the deployment of US ICE agents at the Milan Winter Olympics.

Read more below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇺🇸🇻🇪 Trump claims secret weapon used in Maduro capture and signals wider cartel strikes: President Donald Trump said the U.S. used a classified device he called “The Discombobulator” to disable Venezuelan equipment during the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, claiming rockets supplied by Russia and China failed to function, while declining to provide technical details. He also said the U.S. would continue and potentially expand military strikes against drug cartels beyond South America, as recent boat strikes have killed at least 117 people since September, and acknowledged uncertainty surrounding elements of an Arctic security framework discussed with NATO leaders.

2️⃣ 🇨🇦🇺🇸 Carney urges US to respect Canadian sovereignty after Alberta separatist talks: Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the United States should respect Canada’s sovereignty following reports that Alberta separatists met US officials to discuss the province potentially leaving Canada, with the White House saying no support or commitments were offered. The contacts drew criticism from other Canadian premiers, while separatist representatives said the meetings were informal fact-finding discussions, as polling and political responses indicate separatist support exists but remains limited and contested within Alberta.

3️⃣ 🇫🇷🇪🇺 France to replace Teams and Zoom with domestic platform over security concerns: France said it will deploy the French-developed videoconferencing platform Visio across all government departments by 2027, replacing Microsoft Teams and Zoom as part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on foreign software and secure public communications. Officials said Visio, tested for a year and hosted on a French sovereign cloud, could lower licensing costs, incorporates AI transcription features, and is intended exclusively for civil servants, though the timeline and broader implications of the transition remain unclear.

4️⃣ 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso dissolves all political parties under junta decree: Burkina Faso’s military-led government issued a decree dissolving all political parties and political formations, transferring their assets to the state, with Interior Minister Emile Zerbo saying a review found the proliferation of parties had fuelled divisions and weakened social cohesion. The move comes amid a broader crackdown on dissent under Captain Ibrahim Traore’s rule following successive coups, as the authorities face ongoing insurgencies and pursue closer security cooperation with Russia and regional military-led allies.

5️⃣ 🇫🇷🇪🇺 France rebukes NATO chief over Europe’s defence capacity: France pushed back after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told the European Parliament that Europe could not defend itself without the United States and dismissed the idea of a stronger European pillar within NATO. French officials and lawmakers said Europeans can and should take greater responsibility for their security, citing recent US signals that Europe must lead its own defence and noting disagreement among Western leaders over Europe’s military capabilities and NATO’s future balance.

Major Story

🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump says Iran in talks with US

President Donald Trump said Iran is “talking to” the United States and suggested a deal could avert military strikes, as a US naval battle group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln moves closer to Iran. He said regional allies were not being informed of potential strike plans for security reasons, while maintaining that Iran is negotiating. 

Trump said he believes Tehran would prefer an agreement on its nuclear and missile programmes rather than face US military action, while Iran said it is open to nuclear talks if its missile and defence capabilities are excluded. Iranian officials said they do not seek war but warned they are prepared to respond to any attack, as US and Iranian military activities continue amid heightened tensions. The article notes conflicting death toll figures from recent protests in Iran, with official and independent counts differing significantly.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇮🇹🇺🇸 Italy criticises deployment of ICE agents at Milan Winter Olympics: Criticism has grown in Italy after reports that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will assist US security operations at the Winter Olympics in Milan, prompting Italian politicians and officials to urge Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to intervene, citing concerns following recent fatal ICE shootings in the United States. US officials said the agents’ role will be advisory and intelligence-based under Italian authority, with no immigration enforcement or patrol duties, while Italian and US authorities offered differing characterisations of the deployment amid public backlash.

2️⃣ 🇸🇾 Syrian government reaches integration deal with Kurdish-led forces: Syria’s government agreed with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on a framework to gradually integrate SDF fighters, institutions, prisons, and oil and gas assets into the state following weeks of clashes and a ceasefire that reduced SDF territorial control. The deal outlines SDF withdrawals from front lines, incorporation of fighters into the army, limited administrative integration, provisions on Kurdish civil and educational rights and returns for displaced people, though reports of clashes have persisted and the implementation timeline remains unclear.

3️⃣ 🇮🇱🇵🇸 Israel plans limited reopening of Rafah crossing under ceasefire terms: Israel said it will reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing on Sunday after nearly two years of closure, allowing only limited movement of people under Israeli security clearance, coordination with Egypt, and supervision by a European Union mission. The move is linked to the second phase of a US-brokered ceasefire, which Hamas says Israel has not fully implemented, while Israel said additional screening will apply and military control remains in surrounding areas.

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