Early Edition: November 12, 2025

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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS

The United Kingdom has stopped sharing intelligence with the United States about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it believes that the U.S. military strikes violate international law, sources told CNN. The sources also said that while Canada intends to continue its partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, it has made clear to the United States that it does not want its intelligence being used to help target boats for deadly strikes. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said yesterday that he had ordered Colombia’s security forces to suspend intelligence sharing with U.S. security agencies until the strikes stop. Natasha Bertrand reports.

The USS Gerald R. Ford yesterday entered the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, according to a U.S. Navy statement. The statement described the Ford as being in the Western Atlantic, but a senior military official specified that the Ford and its accompanying vessels had moved into the Caribbean region. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times.

Venezuela is deploying weapons and planning to mount a guerrilla-style resistance in the event of a U.S. air or ground attack, according to sources and planning documents seen by Reuters. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López  said yesterday, “The aggression will be responded to with national unity… we are ready here, we don’t want war.” However, a source close to the government said, “We wouldn’t last two hours in a conventional war.” Another source said that Venezuela was not “prepared or professionalized for conflict.” Reuters reports.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE  

Israel has destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in areas of Gaza under its control since the ceasefire began on October 10, satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify show. The actual number of destroyed buildings is likely much higher, as satellite imagery is not available in some areas. BBC News reports.

Israel reopened the Zikim Crossing north of Gaza City to allow humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza today, according to COGAT, the Israeli army unit responsible for facilitating aid to Gaza. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the crossing was shut on September 12. Israel’s military did not provide reasons for the closure. Jana Choukeir reports for Reuters.

UNICEF said yesterday that Israel is blocking the entry of 1.6 million vaccines and solar-powered fridges to store the vaccine vials into Gaza, adding that the syringes have awaited customs clearance since August. “Both the syringes and the… refrigerators are considered dual-use by Israel, and these items we’re finding very hard to get through clearances and inspections, yet they are urgent,” a UNICEF spokesperson said. Olivia Le Poidevin reports for Reuters.

Internal U.S. documents linked to President Trump’s Gaza peace plan, obtained by POLITICO, depict major implementation challenges, including uncertainty about whether an International Stabilization Force can be deployed. The compendium of documents was presented last month during a two-day symposium for U.S. Central Command and Civil-Military Coordination Center members. Dasha Burns, Felicia Schwartz, Nahal Toosi, and Paul McLeary report.

The Israeli parliament on Monday advanced a bill that would mandate the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of killing Israeli citizens. In the first vote, the bill passed with 39 in favour and 16 against, out of 120 lawmakers. Several key political parties boycotted the initial vote. Alexander Cornwell and Steven Sheer report for Reuters.

WEST BANK VIOLENCE

Dozens of masked Israeli settlers yesterday attacked two Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to vehicles and other property, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. Israeli police said that four Israelis were arrested during the assault, which they described as “acts of extremist violence.” The Israeli military said that four Palestinians were wounded. Josef Federman, Shlomo Mor, and Melanie Lidman report for AP News; Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

“The situation has significantly worsened” in parts of the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, where “the enemy advanced in fierce fighting and captured three settlements,” Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief for the armed forces Oleksandr Syrski said yesterday. Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar report for Reuters.

SUDANESE CIVIL WAR

“Despite the rising need, humanitarian operations [in Sudan’s North Darfur region] are now on the brink of collapse,” the U.N. International Organization for Migration said yesterday, adding “warehouses are nearly empty, aid convoys face significant insecurity, and access restrictions continue to prevent the delivery of sufficient aid.” IOM said that nearly 90,000 people have left El Fasher and surrounding villages since the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary’s recent capture. Noha Elhennawy reports for AP News.

Women fleeing El Fasher have reported killing, rape, and disappearance of their children following its capture by the RSF, the U.N. agency for women said yesterday. “There is mounting evidence that rape is being deliberately and systematically used as a weapon of war,” U.N. Women Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Anna Mutavati said. Olivia Le Poidevin reports for Reuters.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Thailand has demanded an apology from Cambodia after accusing it of laying fresh landmines that have injured Thai soldiers, a Thai foreign ministry official said today. “We asked them to find the facts on what happened and who is accountable, and with it, asked them to put in place measures to prevent the future recurrence of the situation,” the official added. Cambodia’s defence ministry yesterday denied having laid the new landmines. Panu Wongcha-um and Chayut Setboonsarng report for Reuters.

EU and Indian navies have taken control of an Iranian-fishing vessel used by pirates off the coast of Somalia in the hijacking of the Malta-flagged tanker Hellas Aphrodite, the EU Naval Force said today. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.

Multiple states, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Norway and Sierra Leone, at a U.N. review meeting yesterday urged Libya to close its migrant detention centres, citing evidence from rights groups of torture, abuse, and killing of detainees. Emma Farge reports for Reuters.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk yesterday called for an investigation into the deaths of hundreds of people who protested against the election in Tanzania. Türk said there was “an apparent attempt to conceal evidence” of the killings. Chadema, the main opposition party, said that about 2,000 people were killed during the protests earlier this month. The Tanzanian government has yet to give an official death toll. AP News reports.

Pakistan accused India of pursuing “state terrorism” after a suicide bombing yesterday in Islamabad killed 12 people, though it offered no evidence in support of the claim. “India unequivocally rejects the baseless and unfounded allegations being made by an obviously delirious Pakistani leadership,” the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement. Responsibility for the attack was later claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, an affiliate of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. Humza Jilani reports for the Financial Times.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

The Trump administration is planning to deploy the U.S. Border Patrol to Charlotte, N.C., and New Orleans, according to a government document and a federal official. Plans for the operation are still being finalized. Dana Goldstein and Hamed Aleaziz report for the New York Times.

The “highly unusual payment [of $7.5 million]– to one of the most corrupt governments in the world [Equatorial Guinea] – raises serious concerns over the responsible, transparent use of the American taxpayer dollars,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) said in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday. The $7.5 million is the largest payment the Trump administration is known to have made to another government to take deportees from the United States. Shaheen noted that Transparency International ranked Equatorial Guinea 173 out of 180 countries for corruption. Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.

Dozens of Venezuelans deported from the United States to a prison in El Salvador earlier this year were subjected to torture and other serious abuse, including sexual violence, according to a report published today by Human Rights Watch and Cristosal. The Trump administration accused all of the 252 deportees of being linked to the Tren de Aragua criminal organization without providing evidence; they are now detained in El Salvador’s maximum security prison known as the Center for Terrorism Confinement. Rocio Muñoz-Ledo and Michael Rios report for CNN.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Israeli President Isaac Herzog received a letter from Trump urging him to consider granting a pardon to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Herzog’s office announced today. “While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System, and its requirements, I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi, who has fought alongside me for a long time […] is a political, unjustified prosecution,” Trump said in the letter. Herzog’s office said that anyone seeking a presidential pardon must submit a formal request as per established procedures. Tala Ramadan and Steven Scheer report for Reuters.

Earlier this month, German State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance Steffen Meyer raised concerns about the financial burden on Germany caused by the U.S. government shutdown with U.S. diplomat Alan Meltzer, according to a State Department cable obtained by POLITICO.  Meyer stressed that the offer to cover the salaries of 11,000 employees working on U.S. military bases in Germany was an “exceptional measure.” Meltzer did not speculate on the duration of the shutdown, but confirmed that the United States would repay the German government for the salaries paid out. Nahal Toosi, Daniella Cheslow, and Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing report.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

Fannie Mae investigators who were recently removed from their jobs had been probing whether FHFA Director Bill Pulte had improperly obtained mortgage records of key Democratic officials, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources. Gina Heeb, Brian Schwartz, and C. Ryan Barber report for the Wall Street Journal.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The Trump administration plans to allow new oil and gas drilling off the coast of California, according to a draft plan shared with the Washington Post. The administration’s plan proposes six offshore lease sales between 2027 and 2030. Sources said that the Interior Department could announce the proposal as soon as this week. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) yesterday called the plan “disgraceful” while speaking at COP30 in Brazil. Jake Spring and Evan Halper report; Maxine Joselow and Lisa Friedman report for the New York Times; Somini Sengupta reports for the New York Times.

The Trump administration has determined that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) funding mechanism is unlawful, according to a court filing on Monday, adding that it therefore considers the CFPB to be legally barred from seeking additional money from the Federal Reserve. This move would leave the CFPB without money to operate from early next year. Michael Stratford reports for POLITICO.

The Justice Department yesterday announced that it is investigating how UC Berkeley prepared for a Turning Point USA event on Monday night. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division posted two letters on social media requesting campus communication records related to how the university prepared security for the event and responded to the protests. “I see several issues of serious concern regarding campus and local security and Antifa’s ability to operate with impunity in CA,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon said. Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman reports for KQED.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

The Supreme Court yesterday extended an administrative stay until the end of Thursday, blocking a lower court order that required the Trump administration to provide SNAP payments in full. John Fritze, Devan Cole, and Tami Luhby report for CNN.