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Heavy Security Deployed at Niger Airport After Explosions; Other International Developments Unfold
Heavy security was deployed around the main airport in Niamey, Niger, following overnight gunfire and explosions, according to The Guardian. The shooting and detonations began shortly after midnight on Wednesday, as reported by residents living near the airport, which is adjacent to Base Aérienne 101, a military base. A source told The Guardian that two aircraft on the ground in Niamey were destroyed by gunfire, although authorities have yet to comment on the situation.
In other international news, a documentary about former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump will not be shown in South African cinemas. Filmfinity, the South African distributor, decided against releasing the film, titled "Melania," according to its head of sales and marketing, who spoke to the New York Times and South Africa-based website News24, BBC World reported. The company did not explicitly state the reasons for the decision. The film was not promoted on the websites of the country's main cinema chains, and one independent cinema in Cape Town confirmed to the BBC that it would not be showing the documentary.
Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the immediate reopening of commercial airspace over Venezuela, weeks after U.S. military forces toppled Nicolás Maduro, The Guardian reported. Speaking at the White House during his cabinet's first meeting of the year, Trump stated he had just concluded a telephone conversation with Venezuela's acting president. The order allows direct flights from the U.S. to Venezuela, as major oil companies are already on the ground to assess potential operations, according to The Guardian.
In Canada, the premier of British Columbia, David Eby, accused separatist activists in Alberta of treason after covert meetings with members of the Trump administration, The Guardian reported. "To go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada, there's an old-fashioned word for that – and that word is treason," Eby told reporters on Thursday. These meetings reportedly outlined the group's increasingly emboldened efforts.
In Texas, Congressman Joaquin Castro met with five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father at the Dilley detention center, The Guardian reported. Castro shared a photograph on social media of Liam resting in his father's arms. "I told Liam how much his family, his school, and our country loves him and is praying for him," Castro stated. Liam became a symbol of the wide reach of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations after being detained on his way home from preschool in Minneapolis last week.
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