CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela warned Monday of an alleged plan by extremists to attack the shuttered U.S. Embassy complex in Caracas with explosives, coming as bilateral tensions simmer over Washington’s military deployment in the Caribbean.

Jorge Rodríguez, head of the National Assembly and of Venezuela’s delegation for dialogue with the U.S., said in a statement that through “three different channels,” the United States had been warned “of a serious threat” from right-wing groups posing as followers of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

“Through a false-flag operation prepared by extremist sectors of the local right, there are attempts to plant lethal explosives at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas,” Rodríguez said.

The Associated Press requested comment from the U.S. State Department and was awaiting a reply.

The embassy, which is currently closed, maintains a staff responsible for security and maintenance of the premises, despite the rupture of diplomatic relations with Maduro’s government in 2019.

“At the same time, we have reinforced security measures at that diplomatic site, which our government respects and protects,” said Rodríguez, a close ally of Maduro who serves as president of the National Assembly. He said that a European embassy had been informed in order to act as a liaison to communicate the situation.

The large embassy compound has been guarded since its closure by patrols conducted by Venezuelan police in the surrounding area.

During his first term, U.S. President Donald Trump broke ties with Maduro and recognized an opposition leader as Venezuela’s legitimate ruler in a failed attempt to oust the leftist leader. As part of the diplomatic break, the U.S. State Department suspended operations at its Caracas embassy in March 2019 and evacuated all diplomats, fearing a takeover of the hilltop complex in the southeast of the capital.

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The alert came as Venezuela has repeatedly denounced what it calls a U.S. threat over the deployment of warships in the Caribbean, which Washington says is aimed at combating Latin American drug cartels.

Trump accuses Maduro of being one of the world’s major drug traffickers and announced in early August that the reward for his capture would be doubled to $50 million. Maduro, in turn, accuses the United States of fabricating that narrative to try to force him from office.

On Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced what would be the fourth strike on a small vessel in the Caribbean since the arrival of U.S. ships. The United States claims the vessels “traffic drugs” and that their crews are “narcoterrorists,” as was the case with the four people killed Friday, according to Hegseth.

Maduro has described the U.S. naval deployment as a threat to the sovereignty of the South American country. The U.S. government has given no indication that it plans a ground incursion with the more than 4,000 troops stationed in the area.

NIMES, France (AP) — Less than a year after the landmark verdict in a drugging and rape trial that shook France and turned Gisèle Pelicot into a global icon, she was greeted with applause Monday as she arrived at a courthouse for the appeal of a man challenging his conviction.

Husamettin Dogan, sentenced to nine years in prison last December, denies he intended to rape Pelicot. He argues that he was deceived by Dominique Pelicot, Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband, who drugged his wife and offered her to strangers online before filming the assaults.

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The 44-year-old construction worker went on trial Monday in Nimes, in southern France, on charges of aggravated rape by administering substances that impair judgment or self-control, an offense carrying up to 20 years in prison.

He remains free pending the verdict. Prosecutors had sought 12 years at his first trial, but the court imposed nine.

Wearing a pink jacket, Pelicot entered the courthouse under police escort, smiling as she shook hands with supporters who shouted “Thank you!” and other words of encouragement.

In the original proceedings, Pelicot’s ex-husband and 50 other men were convicted of sexually assaulting her between 2011 and 2020 while she was under chemical submission. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while sentences for other defendants ranged from three to 15 years imprisonment.

The trial drew international attention after Gisèle Pelicot opposed a closed hearing, a demand made by several defendants. The court sided with her. The evidence included stomach-churning homemade videos of the abuse that Dominique Pelicot filmed in the couple’s home in the small Provence town of Mazan and elsewhere.

“I have nothing to be ashamed of. Shame must change sides,” she said on the trial’s opening day. After the verdict, she declared she had “never regretted that decision” and thanked supporters who gave her the “strength” to return to court each day.

Pelicot has since become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence and the shocking case spurred a national reckoning over rape culture in France.

Dominique Pelicot admitted his role and did not appeal his 20-year prison sentence, now final. He is expected to testify during the appeals hearing after being implicated by the remaining defendant.

Of the 51 convicted men, 17 initially filed appeals. Most of those were withdrawn and only Dogan pursued his appeal.

While last year’s trial stretched over four months, the retrial is scheduled to last no more than four days, with a verdict expected Thursday.

Civil proceedings in Avignon are due in November to settle damages owed to the main victim and her family, to be paid jointly by the convicted men.

By CARA ANNA and SAMY MAGDY, Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas are set to begin indirect talks on ending the war in Gaza Monday after both sides signaled support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan.

The talks in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh are brokered by the U.S. and aim at hammering out details for the plan’s first phase. That includes a ceasefire to allow for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Trump’s plan has received wide international backing and raised hopes for an end to a devastating war that has upended global politics, left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and the Gaza Strip in ruins.

Many uncertainties remain around the plan, including the demand for Hamas to disarm and the future governance of Gaza. Tuesday marks two years since the war began.

Here’s what we know:

Who’s at the talks

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the U.S. negotiating team, according to a senior Egyptian official Saturday. Local Egyptian media said Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, arrived in Egypt and are expected to join the talks.

Hamas said its delegation will be headed by its chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, and Israel says its delegation will be headed by top negotiator and Netanyahu confidant Ron Dermer.

It is not clear how long the talks would last. Netanyahu said they would be “confined to a few days maximum” and Trump has said Hamas must move quickly, “or else all bets will be off.” Hamas officials have warned more time may be needed to locate bodies of hostages buried under rubble.

The plan’s essentials

All hostilities would — in theory — immediately end. Under the deal, Hamas would release all hostages it holds, living or dead, within 72 hours. Hamas still has 48 hostages. Israel believes 20 of them are alive.

Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons and 1,700 people detained from Gaza since the war began, including all women and children. Israel also would hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each body of a hostage handed over.

Israeli troops would withdraw from Gaza after Hamas disarms, and an international security force would deploy. The territory would be placed under international governance, with Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing it.

An interim administration of Palestinian technocrats would run day-to-day affairs. Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure, including tunnels, would be dismantled. Members who pledge to live peacefully would be granted amnesty. Those who wish to leave Gaza can.

Palestinians will not be expelled from Gaza. Large amounts of humanitarian aid would be allowed and would be run by “neutral international bodies,” including the U.N. and the Red Crescent.

What Hamas has said

A Hamas statement on Friday said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. The statement made no mention of Hamas disarming, which is a key Israeli demand.

The statement also reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body.

What Israel has said

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said Israel was prepared for the implementation of the “first stage” of Trump’s plan, apparently referring to the release of hostages. But his office said in a statement that Israel was committed to ending the war based on principles it has set out before. Netanyahu has long said Hamas must surrender and disarm.

Israel’s army on Saturday said the country’s leaders had instructed it to prepare for the first phase of the U.S. plan.

What remains uncertain

Questions include the timing of key steps. One Hamas official said it would need days or weeks to locate some hostages’ bodies. And senior Hamas officials have suggested there are still major disagreements requiring further negotiations. A key demand is for Hamas to disarm, but the group’s response made no mention of that.

It’s not clear Hamas officials can agree among themselves on the plan.

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A senior official, Mousa Abu Marzouk, said Hamas was willing to hand over its weapons to a future Palestinian body that runs Gaza, but there was no mention of that in the group’s official statement responding to Trump’s plan. Another official, Osama Hamdan, told Al Araby television that Hamas would refuse foreign administration of the Gaza Strip and that the entry of foreign forces would be “unacceptable.”

Parts of the plan remain unclear. Hamas wants Israel to leave Gaza completely, but the plan says Israel would maintain a “security perimeter presence,” which could mean it would keep a buffer zone inside the territory.

And the future of Gaza remains in question. The plan says that if the Palestinian Authority, which administers the occupied West Bank, reforms sufficiently and Gaza redevelopment advances, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

Anna reported from New York.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

BENSON, Minn. — The Benson School District will continue to use the Braves logo and mascot after receiving an exemption from the Upper Sioux Community.

“We are deeply grateful to the Upper Sioux Community for their understanding and appreciation for the way Benson Schools uses the mascot in a respectful and honorable manner,” said Benson Superintendent of Schools Dennis Laumeyer.

The exemption allows the district to maintain a mascot that has represented the Benson Schools since 1945. School teams previously competed as the Plowboys.

The Minnesota Legislature in the 2022-23 session adopted legislation that required schools with American Indian mascots to end their use by Sept. 1, 2025, unless they received an exemption from all 11 tribal nations in the state and the Tribal Nations Education Committee.

The Benson School District requested the exemption, but two tribes and the Tribal Nations Education Committee rejected it.

In the last session, legislation was approved to allow school districts to seek an exemption from the tribal community nearest to the school district.

Benson School Board members met twice with the Upper Sioux Community Board of Trustees to make their request for an exemption. The superintendent said they explained how the district uses the mascot to motivate students to be of good character and do well in a very positive and respectful way.

Throughout the elementary school, signs promote the “Braves Way” with the ‘B’ representing positive attributes such “B respectful, B engaged, B my best.”

It was a two-way conversation with the local tribal trustees, according to the superintendent. The Upper Sioux Community indicated a willingness to help the district as it meets state education requirements for instruction about the Indigenous peoples of Minnesota, in particular the Dakota.

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The community has the resources and knowledge to help the district educate its students in an authentic way, the superintendent noted.

The decision to seek an exemption to maintain the mascot and logo came amid overwhelming support from the community to do so.

The superintendent said board members have been discussing the issue for over two years now, and feedback from residents and school alumni was overwhelmingly in favor of maintaining the mascot. Alumni indicated that they would feel as if they lost their school if the mascot was lost, he said.

A major concern too was the potential cost for adopting a new mascot and logo. The superintendent said it was a $1 million proposition. Everything from athletic uniforms to the scoreboards, furniture, gym floors and more would need to be changed.

The legislation provided no funding for schools to make a mascot change. The cost would have come at the expense of educational programming. The district is discussing the possibility of adopting a four-day schedule for the potential cost savings to help maintain educational offerings.