Reuters World News - Ukraine talks, Nigeria kidnapping, Venezuela and Jim Henson

Episode Date: November 23, 2025

High-stakes peace talks begin in Geneva as questions mount over a US-proposed peace plan. The United States prepares a new phase of military operations against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. More than 300 children and staff are taken from a Catholic school in Nigeria. Japan tests barking drones to fight off bear attacks. Plus Jim Henson’s props and puppets go up for auction. On Assignment: Europe’s left gets tough on immigration Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here.  Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.  You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Jonah Green in New York. It's Sunday, November 23rd. Today. A meeting in Miami with a sanctioned Russian official has sparked concern over Trump's Ukraine peace plan. The U.S. says it will launch a new phase of military operations in Venezuela. Trump's Golden Dome Project faces delays and setbacks, and Japan deploys barking drones to thwart bear attacks. This is Reuters World News. bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. Ukraine struck deep into Russian territory overnight.

Drones hit a major heat and power station east of Moscow, according to the regional governor. The strikes come as high-stakes talks are underway today in Geneva, with American, Ukrainian, and European officials racing to finalize a U.S. peace plan that could end the war after nearly four years of fighting. That plan traces back to a private meeting in Miami last month between Trump officials and sanctioned Russian envoy Kareil Dmitriev. Our national security reporter Aaron Banco says that's causing some anxiety in Washington. The fact that this takes place at a hotel room in Miami among a very small group of people where the Ukrainians are not there, people are concerned. And they're concerned mostly because if you look at the plane,

that reportedly came out of that meeting. It depends on who you talk to, but most of the analysts and experts and officials I've spoken to believe that the plan is heavily in Russia's favor. And you can even see statements from Capitol Hill to that extent from Republicans like Mitch McConnell,

Senator Wicker, who have been supportive of Ukraine in the past, who believe this plan is no good for Keev. Trump had said Keev has until Thursday to accept his plan, though on Saturday suggested it wasn't his final offer. Meanwhile, nearly 200,000 Ukrainians in the U.S. are stuck in legal limbo. They're waiting for the Trump administration to process renewals for a humanitarian program

that's kept them here since fleeing the war. But fewer than 1% of renewals have been approved since May, leaving thousands without work permits, health insurance, or protection from deportation. Katarina Galizdra, who lost her job and health coverage, says the last six months have felt like being on a hamster wheel. It's a constant stress, anxiety, what I will do next, what I will do tomorrow, for how long I can survive. Some Ukrainians are being arrested at job sites. Others are leaving the country entirely. And now a new law adds a thousand dollar fee on top of existing costs, making renewal even harder to

afford. And as immigration challenges like this play out in the U.S., on this week's On Assignment, we look at the fast-changing politics of immigration across Europe, on both the left and the right, and how Britain's plans draw inspiration from Denmark's social democratic government. We'll put a link in the description. The U.S. is preparing a new phase of operations against Venezuela in the the coming days, with covert action likely first. That's according to four U.S. officials. The Trump administration is escalating pressure on President Nicholas Maduro, who, they say, is flooding America with illegal drugs. On Monday, Washington plans to label the Cartel de la Soles, which officials say Maduro leads as a foreign terrorist group. Maduro denies this.

The Navy's largest aircraft carrier is already in the Caribbean. with a strike group, and officials say options are on the table, including trying to overthrow Maduro. I'm sure today to see how we can rescue the children and all those that have been kidnapped is that is. That's Niger state governor, Mohamed Umarro, Bago, urging unity as Nigeria reels from one of its worst mass kidnappings. More than 300 children and staff were taken from a Catholic school in Niger state, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria. The attack comes during a surge of violence and follows two other kidnappings this week.

U.S. officials say Washington is weighing sanctions and counterterrorism support as pressure mounts on Nigeria to protect Christian communities. President Trump's Golden Dome is facing serious obstacles nine months after launch. This is designed for the Golden Dome will in integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term. So we'll have it done in about three years. Trump has promised the $175 billion defense shield will protect the continental U.S. by 2028. Congress approved $25 billion to kick things off, yet there's still no spending plan, plus the government shutdown through a wrenched to things as well.

Reporter Mike Stone has been following the initiative's progress or lack thereof. Well, in order to spend that $25 billion, the Deputy Secretary of Defense is generating a thing called a spending plan. Now, this spending plan is sort of a line item of we want this many ships and this many satellites for Golden Dome and this many interceptors for Golden Dome, at least in its initial stages. Well, guess what? General Guitland is handed in the architecture. It's squishy. It's moving around a little bit. Therefore, the implementation plan, which is supposed to be the details of it, is also squishy. Oh, and by the way, the government shutdown was not a huge boost tailwind to Golden Dome, because there's no one picking up the phone in much of the government. Contracts, folks, lawyers, etc. The non-essentials are sort of. out of the office. And time keeps ticking away. South America's electric vehicle market has exploded this year, and that's despite infrastructure challenges, economic uncertainty, and tariff barriers. But as our correspondent, Lucinda Elliott's been reporting, not all EV makers are having success making inroads across Latin

America. The Chinese have really gained legitimacy and scale in Latin America. They've honed in on buyers by tying up with really respected importers. You know, people we spoke to who used to represent Persia, others that sell Hyundai or VW, and that's really built trust with new buyers. The likes of Tesla, that was a true EV pioneer, is almost absent in South America, with the exception of a charging station and a few showrooms in Chile, but it has no official importer or dealerships in most South American markets. Japan's bear problem is getting worse. You might recall a few weeks back, we reported that bear sightings have tripled this year,

and 13 people have died in attacks since April. In Shurikawa, a UNESCO World Heritage Village, tourists now walk past warning signs and carry bear bells after a recent attack. So far, authorities have set honey-laced traps and trained police to shoot bears. Japan correspondent John Getty says they're even deploying drones that bark like dogs. Over in another city, which is about an hour's drive there from Shirikawa Go, it's a place called Heda City. The farmers there have been having a tough time of it because the bears are constantly going through their orchards. So the authorities there employed this Kyoto-based company to fly these drones that basically had a huge loudspeaker on them that were emitting this bark of hunting dogs.

And then they also had these firecrackers, and the idea was that they would fly these around the orchard and hope that that would drive the bears back into the deep mountain. Hi. Biggie! I love you! That, of course, is the iconic power couple Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. They are not among the puppets that the Jim Henson Company is putting on the auction block. But for the first time in 70 years, more than 400 original pieces are going up for the for sale, including beloved characters and props from Fragile Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. Now, Miss Piggy, of course, is not for sale, but her shoes are. Here's Roy Parker,

pop culture specialist at Julian's auctions. My favorite item in the sale is the pair of Miss Piggy's shoes that we have. Now, Miss Piggy's an icon, and she's also a fashion diva. The auction also features Jim Henson's artwork and clothing. So if you're interested, bidding starts Tuesday in Los Angeles with a live stream for fans worldwide. And for today's more Wirtas your negotiation

will be a super-exit with Shopify. Empea your period of a per year per year

at a month in Shopify at records. And for today's recommended read,

a look at one man who was shot during that bloody police raid in

Brazil. His family says he was an innocent bystander now they

are fighting to clear his name as he fights for his life.

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