By MICHELLE L. PRICE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the U.S. struck another small boat that he accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela.

The Republican president said Tuesday in a post on social media that six people aboard the vessel were killed in the strike and no U.S. forces were harmed. It’s the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean as the Trump administration has asserted that it is treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force.

Frustration with the administration has been growing on Capitol Hill among members of both parties. Some Republicans are seeking more information from the White House on the legal justification and details of the strikes. Democrats contend the strikes violate U.S. and international law.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia and the U.S. are facilitating efforts to secure an expanded ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia that they hope will be signed during a Southeast Asian summit later this month, Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Tuesday.

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Thailand and Cambodia engaged in five days of combat in late July that killed dozens of people and displaced more than 260,000. They agreed to a ceasefire only after mediation by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless they agreed on a truce.

Tensions have remained high since the truce, particularly after Thai soldiers were injured by land mines in August while patrolling a buffer zone between the countries. Thailand accused Cambodia of laying new mines in violation of the ceasefire, which the government in Phnom Penh has strongly denied.

FILE – Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, center, smiles with lawmakers before he presents the policy statement at the Parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said Phnom Penh must accept four conditions. They include removal of heavy weapons from the border, land mine clearance, assistance to curb cross-border crime and managment of sensitive border zones to avoid further conflicts.

Mohamad said ongoing negotiations aim to broaden the ceasefire to include land mine clearance and withdrawal of heavy weapons. He expressed optimism that an agreement could be signed during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit Oct. 26-28, which is expected to draw some two dozen global leaders.

FILE – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, left, greets lawmakers as he arrives at the session on the draft law on amending the law on nationality at the National Assembly in Phnom Penh Cambodia, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Trump is scheduled to attend the conference in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Oct. 26 and hopes to witness the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Accord between Thailand and Cambodia, Mohamad said.

ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

By NICOLE WINFIELD

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV thanked Italy on Tuesday for its efforts to combat human trafficking but urged the country to remain open to welcoming and integrating migrants as he took part in a pomp-filled meeting with the Italian president.

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Leo completed the rite of passage for every new pope by travelling across Rome to the Qurinale Palace for a meeting with President Sergio Mattarella. Escorted by the presidential horse honor guard into the palace courtyard, Leo thanked Italy especially for its welcome of pilgrims during the 2025 Holy Year, which has seen millions of extra tourists pouring into the Eternal City.

Wearing his formal red cape and brocaded stole, Leo thanked Italy for its “generous assistance” to migrants and its efforts to combat human trafficking.

“I encourage you to keep alive your attitude of openness and solidarity,” he said. “At the same time, I wish to emphasize the importance of constructive integration of newcomers into the values and traditions of Italian society, so that the mutual gift realized in this encounter of peoples may truly enrich and benefit all.”

It was a reference to Italy’s role at ground zero in Europe’s migration debate, given its proximity to North Africa — making it the preferred destination for smuggling operations setting off from Libya and Tunisia.

The right-wing government of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has made cracking down on illegal migration a priority, including by sending migrants back home or to detention facilities in Albania and prosecuting alleged smugglers. Meloni and her hard-line minister Matteo Salvini were in the front row of the audience, held in a gilded reception room of the palace with extra-tall palace guards standing at attention.

Italy’s hard-line stance on migration has often conflicted with Pope Francis’ call for wealthier countries to welcome, defend and integrate newcomers, a position Leo repeated as recently as last week in his first main teaching document.

Tuesday’s encounter was evidence of the close ties between Italy and the Vatican, a 110-acre city state in the heart of Rome. The location itself underscored the unique and intertwined relationship: The Quirinale Palace was for centuries the summer residence of popes until 1870, when Rome was captured from the papal states and annexed into the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.

After decades in which popes were essentially prisoners of the Vatican, Italy and Holy See normalized relations in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty, which is still in effect.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected appeals by the Israel Gymnastics Federation to be allowed to compete at a world championships in Indonesia this weekend.

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The CAS also turned down Israel’s request to force the International Gymnastic Federation (FIG) to guarantee Israel’s participation, or alternatively cancel or move the artistic worlds, set to start on Sunday in Jakarta.

The Indonesia government last week said it will not grant visas to Israeli gymnasts, and the Swiss-based CAS said on Tuesday that FIG stated it has no control over Indonesia’s visa policies.

In its reaction to Indonesia’s move, the FIG did not threaten to take the event away from Indonesia as stipulated in its statutes for cases where the host refuses to issue visas. Israel wanted the FIG “taking note” of the government statement to be annulled, but CAS also rejected that on Tuesday.

Indonesia’s decision to deny visas came after Israel’s planned participation sparked intense opposition in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, which has long been a staunch supporter of Palestinians.

Israel is among 86 countries registered to compete at the worlds, with a team featuring 2021 Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion Artem Dolgopyat in the men’s floor exercise.

Now its participation is in doubt, even though the Israel federation said in July that it had been assured by Indonesian officials that it would be welcome at the worlds. That would have gone against Indonesia’s longstanding policy of refusing to host Israeli sports delegations for major events.

The gymnastics spat is the latest example of how the global backlash against Israel over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza has spread into the arenas of sports and culture.