International
Filipinos Seeks Freedom, Demand Right To Divorce
The Philippines is the only place outside the Vatican where divorce is outlawed, as a Philippine mother-of-three, Stella Sibonga is desperate to end a marriage she never wanted. But divorce in the Catholic-majority country is illegal, and a court annulment takes years.
Pro-divorce advocates argue the ban makes it harder for couples to cut ties and remarry, and escape violent spouses.
People wanting to end their marriage can ask a court for an annulment or a declaration that the nuptials were invalid from the start, but the government can appeal against those decisions.
The legal process is slow and expensive — cases can cost as much as $10,000 or more in a country plagued by poverty — with no guarantee of success, and some people seeking a faster result fall for online scams.
“I don’t understand why it has to be this difficult,” said Sibonga, who has spent 11 years trying to get out of a marriage that her parents forced her into after she became pregnant.
Sibonga’s legal battle began in 2012, when she applied to a court to cancel her marriage on the basis of her husband’s alleged “psychological incapacity”, one of the grounds for terminating a matrimony.
After five years and $3,500 in legal fees , a judge finally agreed. The former domestic worker’s relief was, however, short-lived.
The Office of the Solicitor General, which as the government’s legal representative is tasked with protecting the institution of marriage, successfully appealed the decision in 2019.
Sibonga said she requested the Court of Appeals to reverse its ruling, but is still waiting for an answer.
“Why are we, the ones who experienced suffering, abandonment and abuse, being punished by the law?” said Sibonga, 45, who lives near Manila.
“All we want is to be free.”
International
Maduro’s Son Calls On Deposed Leader’s Supporters To Stage Protests
They want us to appear weak, but we will not show weakness,” said Maduro Guerra, who is one of six people, along with his father and stepmother Cilia Flores, accused of “narcoterrorism” by US authorities.
• Deputy Nicolas Maduro Guerra, son of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, attends a National Council for Sovereignty and Peace event at the Hotel Eurobuilding in Caracas on October 8, 2025. Photo by FEDERICO PARRA / AFP
Nicolas Maduro’s congressman son called on Sunday for Venezuelans to take to the streets following his father’s ouster by US forces and transfer to a New York jail.
“You will see us in the streets, you will see us by people’s sides, you will see us fly the flag of dignity,” Nicolas Maduro Guerra, 35, said in a defiant audio message shared on social media.
“They want us to appear weak, but we will not show weakness,” said Maduro Guerra, who is one of six people, along with his father and stepmother Cilia Flores, accused of “narcoterrorism” by US authorities.
The seamless execution of the operation to grab Venezuela’s leader from his hiding place in the capital Caracas and fly him out of the country has led to speculation that the socialist firebrand was betrayed by someone within his inner circle.
Echoing those rumours, his son said, “History will tell who the traitors were, history will reveal it. We will see.”
International
Venezuela: Trump warns new leader as Maduro to appear in court today
The US accuses Maduro, who is charged with drug trafficking and weapons offences, of running a “narco-terrorist” regime, a claim he denies.
Donald Trump has warned Venezuela’s new leader Delcy Rodríguez she could “pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro” if she “doesn’t do what’s right”.
His comments to US magazine The Atlantic came as the country’s deposed president Nicolás Maduro was set to appear in a New York court on Monday.
The US accuses Maduro, who is charged with drug trafficking and weapons offences, of running a “narco-terrorist” regime, a claim he denies.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted the US is not at war with Venezuela, after air strikes in Caracas on Saturday led to Maduro and his wife being taken into custody and transported to the US.
Some Democratic lawmakers said the operation was an “act of war”.
In an interview with The Atlantic on Sunday, Trump said of Rodríguez: “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
He added that for Venezuela,”Regime change, anything you want to call it, is better than what you have right now. Can’t get any worse”.
International
U.S. bombs Venezuela, arrests President Maduro, wife
The U.S. has long accused Maduro of leading an international drug trafficking organisation, something that Maduro denies.
•President Nicolas Maduro
The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, Cilia Flores captured and flown out of the country to an unknown destination.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the attack in a statement on Truth Social on Saturday, January 3.
This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.
“There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The U.S. has long accused Maduro of leading an international drug trafficking organisation, something that Maduro denies.
Trump did not give more detail about how Maduro was captured or where he has been taken.
The Venezuelan government has not yet confirmed this.
The U.S. had offered a $50m reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro.
That, along with the huge military build-up in the region over the last few months, were interpreted in the region as encouragement for someone inside the country to turn against him.
Donald Trump adds on Truth Social that there will be a news conference at 11:00 EST (16:00 GMT), at the president’s Florida residence Mar-a-Lago.
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