Inside the Venezuelan prison meant to ‘drive you insane’

Inquirer.net - Sep 22, 2026

CARACAS — Former political prisoners of Venezuela’s Rodeo I are unable to shake the memories of punishments dealt out by hooded jailers in the country’s most notorious prison. The maximum security facility, one of four towers that make up El Rodeo prison on the outskirts of Caracas, is reserved exclusively for opponents of the government.

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US lawmakers urge Trump to maintain ban on Chinese automakers
Sep 22, 2026
US lawmakers urge Trump to maintain ban on Chinese automakers

WASHINGTON — More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers on Friday urged President Donald Trump to keep in place a ban on Chinese automakers out of the U.S. market, ahead of his meeting with China's President Xi Jinping this week. "We urge you to maintain strong protections against Chinese automobiles and connected vehicle technologies and ensure that China does not gain access to our market through direct imports, local production, and other avenues of circumvention," said the 27 lawmakers led by Representative Debbie Dingell. Earlier this month, Trump told Fox News he would accept Chinese car companies building cars in the United States.

Global diesel prices hit record highs, further rises possible
Sep 22, 2026
Global diesel prices hit record highs, further rises possible

LONDON — Diesel prices have rallied in Europe and the United States to record highs as wars in Iran and Ukraine sharply cut exports from some of the biggest producers such as Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with little options to prevent further gains. Diesel futures in Europe closed at an all-time high last week having more than double their level at the beginning of 2026, after supply disruptions spread to the Red Sea, where Saudi Arabia loads most of its diesel. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine have damaged oil refineries in the region, and refineries elsewhere are working hard to make fuels. In the United States for example, refineries operated at the highest level in eight years in late August, according to the International Energy Agency. "A key issue is that many refineries around the world are already stretched to capacity," the International Energy Agency said in a newsletter on Monday. "This leaves few available options to prevent a further tightening of supplies and higher prices in the coming months." Middle East diesel exports halved from March to

Presley Gerber, son of Cindy Crawford and model, dies at 27
Sep 22, 2026
Presley Gerber, son of Cindy Crawford and model, dies at 27

LOS ANGELES — Presley Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessperson Rande Gerber, died Sunday at age 27, a family representative said. Gerber died at a rehabilitation facility, according to online records of the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The medical examiner did not provide a cause of death Sunday. An autopsy was performed, but more testing is required before investigators can give a cause, according to the medical examiner’s website. The death was confirmed by Allie Jenkins, a representative for Crawford and Rande Gerber, who were married in 1998. “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time,” Jenkins said in an email Sunday night. Gerber was a model in his own right Gerber was a model and the older brother of model and actor Kaia Gerber. He had been open about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse, documenting his journey on Instagram. He even started a “Mental Health Mondays” series on the platform to raise awareness and share wellness tips. Across multiple episodes, he related his own experiences

Paramount settles with US states to clear Warner Bros. mega-merger
Sep 22, 2026
Paramount settles with US states to clear Warner Bros. mega-merger

LOS ANGELES — Paramount has reached a settlement with a group of U.S. states that clears the way for its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, officials announced Monday, creating a Hollywood empire spanning television, news and cinema. Paramount, which is run by David Ellison, whose ultra-wealthy family has ties to U.S. President Donald Trump, won a bidding war against Netflix in February for control of a stable of assets that includes Warner Bros. Pictures, CNN and the HBO Max streaming service. The Trump administration approved the deal, one of the largest media mergers in years, in June without demanding a change to its business, before 12 U.S. states sued to block the transaction. Financing for the deal reportedly includes about $24 billion in equity from the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. David Ellison's father, billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, also provided funding and a guarantee. Opponents in the movie industry said the combined company would slash jobs in a Hollywood already under pressure and reduce the number of films produced every year

US, Denmark, Greenland to sign US security deal for Greenland
Sep 22, 2026
US, Denmark, Greenland to sign US security deal for Greenland

COPENHAGEN — The United States, Denmark and Greenland will on Tuesday sign the announced U.S. security deal for Greenland on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Denmark's government said. U.S. President Donald Trump said last Friday that the arrangement will give America "permanent control" over security for Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic that he has long coveted. The office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that she, Trump and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen would sign the deal at 1430 GMT in the UN building in New York. Frederiksen said Monday that the agreement, which has not been published, "recognises" the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination. "It is a good agreement from a Danish point of view," she told Danish radio DR from New York. "And when it benefits the Nordic countries and security in the Arctic region, it also benefits NATO and Europe." Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeate

Trump approval falls to career low of 32% as high costs bite, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Sep 22, 2026
Trump approval falls to career low of 32% as high costs bite, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's approval rating fell to 32 percent — the lowest of his political career — as his fellow Republicans soured on his handling of the cost of living amid the unpopular Iran war, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The four-day poll, which closed on Sunday, showed 73 percent of Republicans approved of Trump's job performance, down from 82 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll a week earlier. His overall approval stood at 35 percent that week. Trump returned to the White House in January 2025 on promises to tame inflation and end foreign wars. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the hours after he was first sworn in, he enjoyed a 47 percent approval rate. Just 17 percent of respondents in the new poll approved of his handling of the cost of living — the top issue Americans say will determine how they vote in the November 3 midterm elections, when Trump's Republicans are defending narrow congressional majorities. Dissatisfaction among Republicans on the subject has been growing since Trump launched the war on Iran in February that has pushed gasoline and die

Shadow of Xi summit hangs over Trump's high-stakes talks with Japan's Takaichi
Sep 22, 2026
Shadow of Xi summit hangs over Trump's high-stakes talks with Japan's Takaichi

When Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets U.S. President Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday, the leader casting the longest shadow over the meeting will not even be in the building. Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington on Thursday — two days after Takaichi meets the U.S. leader on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. It will be Xi’s first state visit to the U.S. in over 10 years. Faced with an unpredictable American president eager for tangible results ahead of what could be a tough November midterm election, Japan is working to ensure its vital interests are not traded away at the Xi-Trump summit. The Takaichi-Trump talks will unfold amid frosty ties between Tokyo and Beijing. Takaichi’s remarks last November that an attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan infuriated Beijing and sparked months of diplomatic freeze. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washin

First ladies step forward as Trump lays on rare honors for Xi
Sep 22, 2026
First ladies step forward as Trump lays on rare honors for Xi

U.S. first lady Melania Trump is set to lead key cultural diplomacy events during the coming official state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, marking their first visit to the White House since 2015. According to an official itinerary released by the first lady’s office, the three-day visit, scheduled from September 23 to 25, will feature extensive ceremonial honours alongside dedicated cultural exchanges highlighting Sino-American relations. Melania will join U.S. President Donald Trump to officially welcome Peng and President Xi to the White House on Thursday following their scheduled arrival at Joint Base Andrews the previous evening. The SCMP reported on September 17 that Trump would greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews, not only at the White House, a rare presidential airport welcome. The official reception will take place across the South Lawn, State Floor and Rose Garden of the White House. It will begin with military pageantry along the White House grounds, where an Armed Forces honour guard will line the South Drive alongside displayed U.S. and Chinese

G7 leaders condemn Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia
Sep 22, 2026
G7 leaders condemn Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — G7 nations called on Yemen's Houthis Tuesday to halt strikes on Saudi Arabia, offering a show of solidarity with Riyadh as the Tehran-backed fighters have added a new threat to the Middle East war. The Houthi movement staged a lightning offensive in recent weeks to take over Yemen's entire Red Sea coast, including Mokha, threatening global trade and pushing up energy prices up. Gains made by Yemen's Houthis have cemented Iran and its allies hold over two key waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, that the wider Gulf and top crude exporter Saudi Arabia rely on to ship out its oil. G7 leaders representing Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States said in a statement "we call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions." "All threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith," it added. They also called on Iran "to end its arming of and support for the Houthis," alleging Tehran is in violation of past U.N. Security Council resolutions. The war in impoverished Yemen

Princess Diana's brother, eyewitness to history, sparks royal ruckus
Sep 22, 2026
Princess Diana's brother, eyewitness to history, sparks royal ruckus

LONDON — Charles Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, is no stranger to writing books about British kings. His previous bestsellers include "Killers of the King" and "To Catch a King" and, while those two works focused on the 17th century, some might say his latest book is along the same lines. "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" will be published on Tuesday, and is his take on his sister's life and her unhappy marriage to the now King Charles. In pre-released excerpts, Spencer claims Charles was "giddily elated" in the aftermath of Diana's death in 1997, reopening a painful episode for the royal family. Spencer, 62, said he wrote the book because it was his duty "as an eyewitness to history", but his version of events has been rejected by Buckingham Palace in unusually strong terms. "The pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory," it said, in a statement that added to the publicity surrounding the book. Godson to Queen Elizabeth Spencer was born into a British aristocratic family, with close links to the royal family. The late Queen Elizabeth was his g

Trump, Denmark, Greenland to sign deal in bid to end Arctic standoff
Sep 22, 2026
Trump, Denmark, Greenland to sign deal in bid to end Arctic standoff

COPENHAGEN — President Donald Trump is due to meet with leaders of Greenland and Denmark on Tuesday to sign a deal that will allow a larger U.S. military presence on Greenland and could end a standoff over the strategically located and mineral-rich island. Greenland, a former colony and now a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, sits between the Arctic and North America and holds vast energy resources. Trump's refusal to rule out military or economic force to acquire it triggered a diplomatic crisis in January within NATO and forced Denmark and the island's government into intensive negotiations. US to open two new bases The agreement they reached will allow the U.S. to expand its military footprint in Greenland, three people familiar with the matter have told Reuters. In addition to the existing Pituffik Space Base, the deal is expected to open two new military sites: Narsarsuaq, a former Cold War airbase whose population has dwindled to just a few dozen, and Mestersvig, currently used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, an elite Danish special forces unit. Trump will meet Da

8 injured in shooting outside Turkey school, suspect detained
Sep 22, 2026
8 injured in shooting outside Turkey school, suspect detained

ISTANBUL — A gunman opened fire outside a high school in western Turkey on Tuesday, wounding eight people, before being detained by police, local officials said. The incident happened around 8 a.m. (local time) in Turgutlu in the province of Manisa, near the western resort city of Izmir, the regional governor's office said. School shootings are rare in Turkey, although there were two attacks in April on consecutive days in southern Turkey that sparked widespread anger. Several media outlets including IHA news agency and NTV private television said students were among the injured, with police and rescuers rushing to the scene. DHA news agency broadcast CCTV footage of the alleged attacker, a young man wearing black jeans, a black jacket and a green top walking along a street holding what appeared to be a rifle. IHA had a similar image of what appeared to be the same person with a gun, although this time running. Footage from outside the school showed police wrestling a man in a white shirt to the ground before leading him away, as a woman screamed, with onlookers pressed against the schoo

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