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Monday, March 2, 2026

World hurries to respond to rapidly changing war around Iran

March 02, 2026
World hurries to respond to rapidly changing war around Iran

TOKYO (AP) — A shaken world reacted with anger and confusion — and more involvement than expected, in some cases — Monday as the coordinated U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran over the weekend sprawled into a regional war.

Associated Press British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks with students and staff, during a visit to the Walbottle Academy Campus in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Scott Heppell/PA via AP) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks before media members as he visits facilities of Siemens Energy during his official visit, in Hangzhou, China, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain Politics

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The first details of possible effects on Iran's nuclear program, the issue at the center of the escalating conflict, began to emerge. More allies of the U.S. and Israel engaged, as did Iran's armed proxies. And countries from the Gulf to Cyprus found themselves in the line of fire.

Fast-paced diplomacy was required as the missiles and drones kept coming. Borders closed, embassies emptied and allies sent military reinforcements.

Open support, and some silence

Many nations refrained from commenting directly on the initial U.S.-Israeli joint strikes but condemned Tehran's retaliation, perhaps mindful of U.S. President Donald Trump.Other governments criticized Iran's strikes on Arab neighbors while staying silent on the U.S. and Israeli military action.Canada — not shy about its frustration with the Trump administration — expressed open support for the U.S. strikes, along with Australia.Russia, Chinaand Spain responded with sometimes sharp criticism. Russia's foreign ministry accused the U.S. and Israel of "hiding behind" concerns about Iran's nuclear program while actually pursuing regime change.India called for dialogue. "There will have to be a dialogue at some point," the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said.With thousands of citizens of countries around the world stranded at airports or on cruise ships, and some from countries like the Philippines and China killed in the exchanges of fire, more nations have a stake in what comes next.All will have the chance for more say as international groups convene in urgent calls and meetings, after the U.N. Security Council gathered in emergency session on Saturday, hours after strikes began.Pitching in to stop IranIn a statement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on the United States and Iran to resume talks over Iran's nuclear program and said they favored a negotiated settlement. Saturday's strikes began two days after the latest round of talks.The three countries haveled effortsto reach a negotiated solution over Iran's nuclear program.At the same time, Britain, France and Germany said they were ready to help with efforts to keep Iran from firing more missiles and drones.But countries tried to make clear how far they might go. Germany will not actively participate in military action against Iran but will consider defending its soldiers stationed on multinational military bases in Jordan and Iraq if they are attacked, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday.Britain stressed that it was "not at war," although it said it would now permit the U.S. to use joint bases to strike Iran, pointing to Iran's "scorched-earth strategy."Top diplomats of six Gulf states — Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain — after an emergency meeting called on Iran to immediately halt its attacks and asserted their right to self-defense.A plea for talks, tooOman, which was facilitating the nuclear talks and tried to keep the U.S. and Iran at the table as tensions soared, said the U.S. action "constitutes a violation of the rules of international law and the principle of settling disputes through peaceful means." Oman, too, like other Gulf nations reported attacks that came uncomfortably close to home.But Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said after the second full day of hostilities that "the door to diplomacy remains open."Meanwhile, some states were shaken into saying something different.The 22-nation Arab League, which has historically condemned both Israel and Iran for actions it says risk destabilizing the region, called the Iranian attacks "a blatant violation of the sovereignty of countries that advocate for peace and strive for stability."And Syria was among Iran'sclosest regional alliesand a staunch critic of Israel under former President Bashar Assad, yet its foreign ministry singularly condemned Iran, reflecting the new government's efforts to rebuild ties with regional economic heavyweights and the United States.Concerns about oil and nuclear assetsChina, a significant buyer of Iranian oil, said it was "highly concerned" about the U.S. and Israeli strikes called for an immediate halt to the military action and return to negotiations.But Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday played down growing worry about the economic impact on oil shipments from the Middle East, saying Japan has oil reserves at home that can last for several months.The Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons condemned the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. And European Union leaders in a joint statement called for restraint and diplomacy in hopes of "ensuring nuclear safety."___Associated Press writers around the world contributed.

Many nations refrained from commenting directly on the initial U.S.-Israeli joint strikes but condemned Tehran's retaliation, perhaps mindful of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Other governments criticized Iran's strikes on Arab neighbors while staying silent on the U.S. and Israeli military action.

Canada — not shy about its frustration with the Trump administration — expressed open support for the U.S. strikes, along with Australia.

Russia, Chinaand Spain responded with sometimes sharp criticism. Russia's foreign ministry accused the U.S. and Israel of "hiding behind" concerns about Iran's nuclear program while actually pursuing regime change.

India called for dialogue. "There will have to be a dialogue at some point," the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said.

With thousands of citizens of countries around the world stranded at airports or on cruise ships, and some from countries like the Philippines and China killed in the exchanges of fire, more nations have a stake in what comes next.

All will have the chance for more say as international groups convene in urgent calls and meetings, after the U.N. Security Council gathered in emergency session on Saturday, hours after strikes began.

Pitching in to stop Iran

In a statement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on the United States and Iran to resume talks over Iran's nuclear program and said they favored a negotiated settlement. Saturday's strikes began two days after the latest round of talks.

The three countries haveled effortsto reach a negotiated solution over Iran's nuclear program.

At the same time, Britain, France and Germany said they were ready to help with efforts to keep Iran from firing more missiles and drones.

But countries tried to make clear how far they might go. Germany will not actively participate in military action against Iran but will consider defending its soldiers stationed on multinational military bases in Jordan and Iraq if they are attacked, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday.

Britain stressed that it was "not at war," although it said it would now permit the U.S. to use joint bases to strike Iran, pointing to Iran's "scorched-earth strategy."

Top diplomats of six Gulf states — Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain — after an emergency meeting called on Iran to immediately halt its attacks and asserted their right to self-defense.

A plea for talks, too

Oman, which was facilitating the nuclear talks and tried to keep the U.S. and Iran at the table as tensions soared, said the U.S. action "constitutes a violation of the rules of international law and the principle of settling disputes through peaceful means." Oman, too, like other Gulf nations reported attacks that came uncomfortably close to home.

But Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said after the second full day of hostilities that "the door to diplomacy remains open."

Meanwhile, some states were shaken into saying something different.

The 22-nation Arab League, which has historically condemned both Israel and Iran for actions it says risk destabilizing the region, called the Iranian attacks "a blatant violation of the sovereignty of countries that advocate for peace and strive for stability."

And Syria was among Iran'sclosest regional alliesand a staunch critic of Israel under former President Bashar Assad, yet its foreign ministry singularly condemned Iran, reflecting the new government's efforts to rebuild ties with regional economic heavyweights and the United States.

Concerns about oil and nuclear assets

China, a significant buyer of Iranian oil, said it was "highly concerned" about the U.S. and Israeli strikes called for an immediate halt to the military action and return to negotiations.

But Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday played down growing worry about the economic impact on oil shipments from the Middle East, saying Japan has oil reserves at home that can last for several months.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons condemned the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. And European Union leaders in a joint statement called for restraint and diplomacy in hopes of "ensuring nuclear safety."

Associated Press writers around the world contributed.

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169 people killed after insurgents raid a village in a remote area of South Sudan

March 02, 2026
169 people killed after insurgents raid a village in a remote area of South Sudan

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area ofSouth Sudan, a local official said Monday, It's the latest bout ofsporadic violencethat has left the country teetering on the verge of full-blown civil war.

Associated Press

The victims, including 90 civilians, were attacked on Sunday in Abiemnom county, said James Monyluak, information minister for the administrative area of Ruweng.

He said women and children were among the dead, in addition to dozens of combatants.

The U.N. Mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, said in a statement that 1,000 people sought shelter at its base after the attack.

"Such violence places civilians at grave risk and must stop immediately," Anita Kiki Gbeho, a UNMISS official, said in a statement. "I urge all involved to cease hostilities without delay and engage in constructive dialogue to address their grievances."

"Our peacekeepers will continue to do everything within their capabilities to protect civilians seeking refuge at our base," she added.

The UNMISS statement cited 23 wounded in the attack in Ruweng, as well as concern over "reports indicating that dozens of civilians and some local officials have lost their lives."

The killings are part of anescalating wave of violencegripping South Sudan as government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir battle armed men who are believed to be loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar.

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Stephano Wieu De Mialek, the chief administrator of Ruweng Administrative Area, said on Sunday that the assault was conducted by elements linked to the White Army militia alongside forces affiliated with Machar's Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition. Wieu described the attack as a coordinated and organized assault, calling it an act of rebellion.

In a statement, Machar's group denied responsibility for the attack and asserted that it "has no military presence in the area concerned."

Machar was Kiir's deputy until September, when he was removed after he faced criminal charges. He is under house arrest in Juba, the South Sudan capital, as his trial progresses.

The U.S. is urging talks between Kiir and Machar.

Ongoing violence threatens a fragile peace reached in 2018 after a five-year civil war. After that agreement, Machar was named South Sudan's first vice president in a government of national unity. A U.N. inquiry has found that South Sudan's leaders are "systematically dismantling" that agreement.

Machar's supporters say the charges against him for alleged subversion are politically motivated. His removal from office coincided with a sharp increase in violence.

The conflict escalated in December when opposition forces seized government outposts in the county of Jonglei, an opposition stronghold and a flashpoint in renewed fighting that the U.N. estimates has displaced 280,000 people.

Aid groups have warned thataccess restrictionsto opposition-held parts of the state are endangering civilian lives.

The government has conducted a counteroffensive since January with aerial bombardments and ground assaults, despite an official commitment to the peace agreement.

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What to know before asking an AI chatbot for health advice

March 02, 2026
What to know before asking an AI chatbot for health advice

WASHINGTON (AP) — With hundreds of millions of peopleturning to chatbots for advice, it was only a matter of time before tech companies began offering programs specifically designed toanswer health questions.

Associated Press

In January,OpenAIintroduced ChatGPT Health, a new version of its chatbot that the company says can analyze users' medical records, wellness apps and wearable device data to answer health and medical questions. Currently, there's a waiting list for the program.Anthropic, a rival AI company, offers similar features for some users of its Claude chatbot.

Both companies say their programs, known as large language models, aren't a substitute for professional care and shouldn't be used to diagnose medical conditions. Instead, they say the chatbots can summarize and explain complicated test results, help prepare for a doctor's visit or analyzeimportant health trendsburied in medical records and app metrics.

Here are some things to consider beforetalking to a chatbotabout your health:

Chatbots can offer more personalized information than a Google search

Some doctors and researchers who have worked with ChatGPT Health and similar programs see them as an improvement over the status quo.

AI platforms are not perfect — they can sometimes hallucinate orprovide bad advice— but the information they produce is more likely to be personalized and specific than what patients might find through a Google search.

"The alternative often is nothing, or the patient winging it," said Dr. Robert Wachter, a medical technology expert at University of California, San Francisco. "And so I think that if you use these tools responsibly, I think you can get useful information."

One advantage of the latest chatbots is that they answer users' questions with context from their medical history, including prescriptions, age and doctor's notes.

Even if you haven't given AI access to your medical information, Wachter and others recommend giving the chatbots as many details as possible to improve responses.

If you're having worrisome symptoms, skip AI

Wachter and others stress that there are situations when people should skip the chatbot and seek immediate medical attention. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or a severe headache could signal a medical emergency.

Even during less urgent situations, patients and doctors should approach AI programs with "a degree of healthy skepticism," said Dr. Lloyd Minor of Stanford University.

"If you're talking about a major medical decision, or even a smaller decision about your health, you should never be relying just on what you're getting out of a large language model," said Minor, who is the dean of Stanford's medical school.

Consider your privacy before uploading any health data

Many benefits offered by AI bots stem from users sharing personal medical information. But it's important to understand that anything shared with an AI company isn't protected by the federal privacy law that normally governs sensitive medical information.

Commonly known as HIPAA, the law allows for fines and even prison time for doctors, hospitals, insurers or other health services thatdisclose medical records. But the law doesn't apply to companies that design chatbots.

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"When someone is uploading their medical chart into a large language model, that is very different than handing it to a new doctor," said Minor. "Consumers need to understand that they're completely different privacy standards."

Both OpenAI and Anthropic say users' health information is kept separate from other types of data and is subject to additional privacy protections. The companies do not use health data to train their models. Users must opt in to share their information and can disconnect at any time.

Testing shows chatbots can stumble

Despite excitement surrounding AI, independent testing of the technology is in its infancy. Early studies suggest programs like ChatGPT can ace high-level medical exams but often stumble when interacting with humans.

A 1,300-participant study by Oxford University recently found that people using AI chatbots to research hypothetical health conditions didn't make better decisions than people using online searches or personal judgment.

AI chatbots presented with medical scenarios in a comprehensive, written form correctly identified the underlying condition 95% of the time.

"That was not the problem," said lead author Adam Mahdi of the Oxford Internet Institute. "The place where things fell apart was during the interaction with the real participants."

Mahdi and his team found several communication problems. People often didn't give the chatbots the necessary information to correctly identify the health issue. Conversely, theAI systemsoften responded with a combination of good and bad information, and users had trouble distinguishing between the two.

The study, conducted in 2024, did not use the latest chatbot versions, including new offerings like ChatGPT Health.

A second AI opinion can be helpful

The ability for chatbots to ask follow-up questions and elicit key details from users is one area where Wachter sees room for improvement.

"I think that's when this will get really good, when the tools become a little bit more doctor-ish in the way they go back and forth" with patients, Wachter said.

For now, one way to feel more confident about the information you're getting is to consult multiple chatbots — similar to getting a second opinion from another doctor.

"I will sometimes put information into ChatGPT and information into Gemini," Wachter said, referencing Google's AI tool. "And when they both agree, I feel a little bit more secure that that's the right answer."

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Travelers stranded as Middle East conflict spreads as governments scramble to bring citizens home

March 02, 2026
Travelers stranded as Middle East conflict spreads as governments scramble to bring citizens home

LONDON (AP) — Governments scrambled Monday to help travelers get home after theattack on Iranby the United States and Israel shut down flights through the Middle East.

Associated Press An overseas Filipino worker sleeps as she waits for updates on her cancelled flight to the Middle East at Manila's International Airport, Philippines on Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A board shows flight details at the Overseas Filipino Workers lounge at Manila's International Airport, Philippines on Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A man works beside a parked Emirates plane at Manila's International Airport, Philippines on Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Philippines Iran

Tourists and business travelers found themselves stuck unexpectedly in hotels, airports and on cruise ships, with no word on when many airports would reopen or when flights to and through the Middle East would resume. Governments told stranded citizens to shelter in place.

Shutdown airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha — including Dubai International Airport, one of thebusiest in the world— are important hubs for travel between Europe, Africa and the West to Asia. All three were directly hit by strikes.

Qatar Airways said Monday its flights remain suspended, with its next update planned for Tuesday morning while Jordan announced a partial closure of its airspace.

About 30,000 German tourists are currently stranded on cruise ships, in hotels or at closed airports in the Middle East and cannot get back home because of the conflict.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said late Sunday that a military evacuation was currently not possible because of the closed airspace.

He said that the government was looking into other options to help bring its citizens home and that everyone should follow advice from German travel agencies and local authorities.

The German Travel Association called on tourists to "remain at their booked hotels as a matter of urgency" and not "make their own way to the airport or to a neighboring country."

Other governments made similar recommendations.

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The Czech Republic is sending two planes to Egypt and Jordan to bring home Czech nationals, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said. One will pick up 79 Czechs in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh who who want to return from Israel. They are traveling from Israel to Egypt by bus. The other plane will evacuate Czechs from Amman, Jordan. Babiš said there are some 6,700 Czechs in the region.

Four more planes are heading to Muscat and Salalah in Oman to fly home Czech tourists.

In Asia, thousands of travelers were stranded on Indonesia's tourist island of Bali because international flights were cancelled.

Bali's international airport said at least 15 flights, including eight departures and seven arrivals, on routes to Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi were cancelled as of Monday afternoon.

Air France canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh, while carriers from Air India to KLM suspended flights and issued advisories.

Airline data showed 3,197 departing passengers were affected by the disruptions, airport spokesperson Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi said.

U.S. airlines issued travel advisories and upended global transportation roiled the travel sector in financial markets early Monday, including the shares of airlines that fly globally. United, Delta and American all slid 5% to 6% and global hotel chains tumbled. Cruise lines like Carnival fell even harder.

AP writers Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Karel Janicek in Prague, Sam Magdy in Cairo, and Niniek Karmini in Jakarta contributed to this report.

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Congress will debate an Iran conflict that is well underway

March 02, 2026
Congress will debate an Iran conflict that is well underway

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Congress is about to launcha war powers debateover President Donald Trump's authority tobomb Iranunder largely unusual circumstances — he has already done it, and the country is essentiallyalready at war.

Associated Press The U.S. Capitol is photographed Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) The U.S. Capitol is photographed Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Capitol

Bombs are falling, people are dying and vows of revenge and retribution are being lobbed in escalating threats, all while untold taxpayer dollars are being spent on a military strategy that's expected to continue for weeks with an undefined goal and conclusion. Unlike the run-up tothe Iraq War in 2003, which included long debates in Congress in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, or the more recentU.S. military strikes on Venezuelathat proved to be limited, the jointU.S.-Israel military attack on Iran, called Operation Epic Fury, is well underway, with no foreseeable end in sight.

At leastthree U.S. military personnelhave been killed, and Trump warned on Sunday "there will likely be more."

The moment isa defining onefor Congress, which alone has the authority under the U.S. Constitution to declare war, and forthe Republican president, who has consistently seized power during his second term with an apparent limitless view of his own executive reach.

"The Constitution is intended to prevent the accumulation of power in any one branch of government — and in any one person in government," said David Janovsky, acting director of The Constitution Project at the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog organization.

"Congress is the people's representatives in a way that the president isn't, even though we tend to focus on the president," he said. "We need the people's representatives to weigh in on whether we, the people, are going to war right now."

War powers as a check on presidential power

In the U.S., the Congress would need to affirmatively approve wartime operations, with a declaration of war, or with an authorization for the use of military force, to essentially approve of the actions. But this rarely happens.

In fact, Congress has declared war just five times in the nation's history, most recently in 1941, to enter World War II a day after the Pearl Harbor attack. Congress approved an AUMF for the 1990 Gulf War and did so again in 2001 and 2002 to launch the 9/11-era wars into Afghanistan and then Iraq.

But Congress also createdthe war powers resolutionduring the Vietnam War-era, as something of a tool of last resort — deployed toslap back a presidentwho had embarked on military excursions without congressional approval.

Both the House and the Senate have prepared war powers resolutions for votes this week.

Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Trump, as president, "does not have the right to do this on his own."

"When the president commits American forces to a war of choice, he needs to come before Congress and the American people and ask for a declaration of war," Warner said on CNN's "State of the Union."

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While lawmakers have criticized the Iranian regime and its nuclear ambitions, Democrats said Trump has not provided a rationale for the war or outlined its strategy forwhat comes next, and Trump's MAGA coalition is splintering over what it sees as the president's failure to keep his "America First" campaign promise by leading the U.S. toward an overseas war. Many lawmakers are wary of a longer entanglement as the operation killedIran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneiand hundreds of people in the region.

White House officials are scheduled to brief congressional leaders and lawmakers this week, but the question-and-answer sessions will be behind closed doors, without a watchful public.

Power of the purse can stop wars

Over time, presidents of both major political parties have accumulated vast authority to engage in what are often more limited U.S. military strikes to accomplish strategic national security goals without approval from Congress. Democrat Barack Obama's military operations over Libya and Republican George H.W. Bush's incursions into Panama were conducted without the nod from Congress.

But restraining a president's war powers is something lawmakers past and present have rarely been able to accomplish. Even if Congress is able to pass a war powers resolution to curb Trump in Iran, the House and the Senate would be unlikely to tally the two-thirds majority needed to overcome a presidential veto.

Trump has shrugged at the power of Congress to dictate what he can and can't do, in war and other matters. He made only a brief mention of Iran in his State of the Union address last week, treating lawmakers' support as an afterthought.

John Yoo, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said the Founding Fathers set up a constitutional system in which the president and Congress would battle it out over these issues — but with Congress having one particularly powerful tool, because it controls the federal funding.

"Congress, they know how to stop this if they want to," said Yoo, who helped draft the Bush administration's 2001 and 2002 use of force authorizations. The Vietnam War ended once Congress pulled funding, he said.

But Congress is controlled by a Republican majority that largely shares Trump's view of focusing military power against Iran, and it recently approved massive new funds for the Pentagon, some $175 billion, in the big tax cuts bill that he signed into law last yar.

With the Republican president's party in power in the House and the Senate, it's no surprise they are unlikely to object, Yoo said: "They agree with him."

Debate in Congress begins

Ahead of debates, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Trump already laid out his vision for Iran.

Cotton said Sunday that Trump has made it clear the U.S. won't be sending ground forces inside Iran. Instead, Americans should expect to see an "extended air and naval campaign" in the region, which could result in pilots being shot down, though he said the military personnel would be recovered.

He expects a weekslong campaign as Iran names a new leader and determines how it will react to the U.S. attack.

"There's no simple answer for what's going to come next," Cotton said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

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Venezuela’s opposition leader Machado says she will return to the country in the coming weeks

March 02, 2026
Venezuela's opposition leader Machado says she will return to the country in the coming weeks

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader andwinner of the 2025 Nobel Peace PrizeMaría Corina Machado said on Sunday that she will return to Venezuela in the coming weeks and that elections will be held in the South American country.

Associated Press

Machado did not set a date for her return but said that one of the objectives will be to prepare "for a new and gigantic electoral victory."

In a message shared on social media, the politician called on her supporters to "strengthen the unity of Venezuelans that began with the primaries," a reference to the 2023 process in which she won the vote aimed at establishing a single candidate to compete at the polls against former President Nicolás Maduro.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez– in power since Maduro and his wifewere capturedin a U.S. military operation in January — has warned that Machado "will have to answer" if she returns to the country.

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U.S. Secretary of StateMarco Rubiohas said that change in Venezuela must go through phases of stabilization, economic recovery and transition. He has not indicated that elections could be held in the short term.

The 58-year-old politician, a key figure in the Venezuelan opposition, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her fight for democratic transition in Venezuela.

She controversially laterpresented her medalto U.S. President Donald Trump after the military intervention that deposited Maduro, who now faces drug-trafficking-related charges in U.S. courts. He has pleaded not guilty.

After Maduro was declared the victor of the July 2024 elections, protests erupted which sparked widespread repression. The opposition claimed it had credible evidence that the real winner was Edmundo González, who replaced Machado after she was barred from participating.

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Man killed by state trooper after fatally stabbing a woman and a dog in road rage incident near DC

March 02, 2026
Man killed by state trooper after fatally stabbing a woman and a dog in road rage incident near DC

A man stabbed four people, one fatally, before he was shot and killed by a Virginia trooper on a busy interstate near Washington, DC, authorities said.

CNN Police rerouted traffic on the I-495 Beltway in Fairfax County, Virginia. as they investigated a stabbing incident. - WJLA

The incident Sunday afternoon on the Interstate 495 Beltway was described as road rage and is not believed to be terrorism-related, officials said.

According to Virginia State Police, a trooper was called to the scene in Fairfax County around 1:17 p.m. for a reported road rage incident following a car crash.

"When the trooper arrived on scene, he was confronted by a male suspect carrying a knife," police said in a statement. "The trooper then shot the suspect in self-defense."

The suspect was transported to hospital and later succumbed to those injuries, the statement said.

The victim who died was a 39-year-old woman, according to police. A dog was also stabbed to death.

The condition of the other victims is unknown.

A preliminary investigation indicates the stabbings occurred following a crash on I-495 southbound, police said, adding the crash is under investigation.

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Several lanes of the interstate were closed for hours as authorities investigated, slowing traffic to a standstill.

One witness told CNN he was driving with his wife when traffic slowed significantly and he saw two cars "kind of banged up." He then spotted two people covered in blood and a man with a knife.

A woman appeared to be trying to stop the assailant, but the man kept swinging his knife, the witness said.

"I just kept driving with the traffic," he said. "It was really, it was really scary."

A second witness also described seeing a woman covered in blood trying to defend herself from a man.

Another witness, on his way home from a weekend with family, told CNN he saw a scuffle he now believes was a stabbing. He then saw a state trooper pull up and fire at least two to three shots at the man.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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