🇨🇳⚡- "We must have the courage to face major tests amid high winds, rough waves and even raging storms, and tackle difficulties, risks and challenges with a spirit of historical initiative," - Xi Jinping, President of China, at the end of the Central Committee's fourth plenum.

🇨🇳⚡- "We must dare to fight and be good at fighting," - Xi Jinping, President of China, at the end of the Central Committee's fourth plenum.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡️- "Overnight, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.

The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics. Six male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters—and was the first strike at night. All six terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike.

If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you."
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth

🇺🇸🇷🇺⚡- US Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet Russia's Envoy Kirill Dmitriev this weekend in Miami.

🇬🇧🇺🇦⚡- Ukrainian President Zelensky arrives at 10 Downing Street and is welcomed by the UK's Prime Minister Starmer.

The two will meet ahead of the Coalition of the Willing summit.

🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡- "Iranian Air Force pilots attacked formations of four or five enemy [Israeli] aircraft during the 12-day Sacred Defense battle, deterred them from carrying out their operations, and forced them to retreat," - Hamid Vahedi, Commander of Iran's Air Force.

🇺🇸🇹🇹🇻🇪⚡️- The United States announces the deployment of troops to Trinidad and Tobago for "military exercises."

Trinidad and Tobago is situated directly off of Venezuela's coast, with a channel less than 13 miles wide separating the two.

🇩🇪🇮🇱⚡- A Israeli woman and her partner were arrested on suspicion that they stashed her 93-year-old Holocaust survivor mother in an ice cream freezer, before burying the body in a three-meter deep pit in their backyard.

With the body now hidden, the pair were able to continue to receive the Holocaust survivor's $5,500 per month benefits from the State of Germany.

The daughter's partner took his own life after the discovery, with Israeli police still awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine how the daughter's mother, Maina Tolstikov, died. The incident occurred in the Galilee region of Israel.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡️- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group to the U.S. Southern Command, whose area of responsibility includes Venezuela.

🇷🇺🇯🇵⚡- Japan scrambled jets in response to a Russian Tu-95 bomber and two Su-35 jets flying near Sado Island's airspace, central Japan.

🇺🇸🇨🇴⚡- BREAKING: The US has sanctioned Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Colombia's Interior Minister Armando Benedetti.

Sanctions have also been imposed on Petro's wife Veronica Garcia and his son Nicolas Petro Burgos for their connections to President Petro.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡- "Our country will continue its path and cannot be stopped even if they threaten us and intimidate us," - Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Defense Minister of Venezuela.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡- "There is a threat in the Caribbean with the deployment of US air and naval equipment but we are working without fear," - Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Defense Minister of Venezuela.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡- "We are now facing the worst military threat in over 100 years, represented by the aerial and naval deployment of the United States," - Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Defense Minister of Venezuela.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡- "US military deployment is getting closer day by day to the Venezuelan coast," - Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Defense Minister of Venezuela.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡- "We do not love war and we are not warmongers, we are warriors but we are advocates of peace and lovers of peace," - Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Defense Minister of Venezuela.

🇺🇸🇻🇪 - The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its strike group are currently in the Adriatic Sea. It will take the vessel approximately 12 days to enter the SOUTHCOM arena.