VENEZUELA
US exercise approved
Caracas on Thursday said that it had authorized the US to perform a flyover of the capital as part of an embassy evacuation drill. “At the request of the Embassy of the United States of America, the authorities have authorized an evacuation drill to be held on Saturday, May 23, in preparation for potential medical emergencies or catastrophic events,†Minister of Foreign Affairs Yvan Gil said in a statement on state television. “As part of the drill, two aircraft will conduct controlled flyovers of the city of Caracas and will land at the facilities of the Embassy of the United States of America.â€
Photo: AFP
COLOMBIA
Four killed in dispute
A land dispute between two indigenous groups on Thursday has left four people dead and 62 injured, local health authorities said. Videos circulating on social media showed fierce clashes involving sticks and shields between the Misak and Nasa groups in the Cauca region, as well as bloodied bodies on the ground. The dispute arose from “conflicts over land and territories,†authorities said.
PERU
Mayor shot dead
A mayor was shot dead on Thursday while on his way to work in the country's north, authorities reported. Victor Febre, the 44-year-old mayor of the Veinteseis de Octubre district in Piura region, is the third municipal official to be gunned down by suspected organized crime gangs since the start of the year. Videos released by local media showed attackers, their faces hidden by helmets, fleeing on a motorcycle after, according to the prosecutors' office, riddling the mayor with bullets as he was heading to his office.
UNITED STATES
Cuba intervention mulled
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday again raised the specter of military intervention in Cuba. Trump said that previous presidents have considered intervening in Cuba for decades, but that “it looks like I'll be the one that does it.†Separately Rubio told reporters that Cuba has been a national security threat for years because of its ties to US adversaries and that Trump is intent on addressing it. Rubio said that Washington prefers a negotiated agreement.
UNITED STATES
SpaceX launch canceled
SpaceX delayed a test of its massive Starship rocket just seconds before launch on Thursday after a pin holding the tower arm in place failed to retract. Starship was slated to take off on its 12th major mission from the company's Starbase launch facility in Texas. The next launch window was to open yesterday.
UNITED STATES
Florida man executed
A Florida man convicted of fatally stabbing his cousin's girlfriend and the couple's four-year-old daughter was put to death on Thursday. Richard Knight, 47, was pronounced dead at 6:13pm following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Knight was convicted of first-degree murder in the June 2002 killings of Odessia Stephens and the couple's daughter, Hanessia Mullings. Asked by the warden if he had a final statement, Knight said: “I want to give thanks to Yahweh, who is the most high.†Hans Mullings, who was Stephen's boyfriend and the father of the child, told reporters after witnessing the execution that his family still grieves the loss. “The pain never leaves,†he said. “We love them still, and we can't stop loving them. We miss them a lot.â€
