US, Venezuela agree to re-establish diplomatic ties

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - The United States and interim authorities in Venezuela have agreed to re-establish diplomatic ‌and consular relations, the U.S. State Department said ‌on Thursday, aiming to foster a peaceful transition to elect a new ​government in the South American country.

"This step will facilitate our joint efforts to promote stability, support economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation in Venezuela," the State Department said in ‌a statement.

"Our engagement is ⁠focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a phased process that creates the ⁠conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government."

After months of heightened tensions, the U.S. captured Venezuela's President ​Nicolas Maduro ​in January, setting off a ​chain of changes in ‌the country, including the swearing-in of interim President Delcy Rodriguez.

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The two countries have since gradually resumed bilateral relations, after Rodriguez's interim government expressed interest in rebuilding ties with Washington with diplomatic missions in both countries following Maduro's capture.

"The ‌Bolivarian Government reaffirms its willingness to ​move forward in a new ​phase of constructive dialogue ​based on mutual respect, sovereign equality of ‌states, and cooperation between our ​peoples," the Venezuelan ​government said in a statement shared on Thursday.

"Venezuela expresses its confidence that this process will contribute to strengthening ​understanding and ‌opening opportunities for a positive and mutually beneficial relationship," ​it said.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Writing by Daphne ​Psaledakis; Editing by Sonali Paul)

byMichael Cox

in

March 05, 2026

US, Venezuela agree to re-establish diplomatic ties

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - The United States and interim authorities in Venezuela have agreed to re-establish diplo...

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Trader Joe's Fried Rice Recall Expands as 33.4 Million More Pounds of Frozen Food Sold Nationwide Recalled Due to Possible Glass Contamination

Several frozen food products sold by Trader Joe's and other grocery retailers have been recalled due to possible glass contamination

NEED TO KNOW

• The total recall amounts to "approximately 33,617,045" pounds of frozen food

• "Should a recall become necessary, we waste no time in providing our customers details," a spokesperson for Trader Joe's tells PEOPLE

A recall initiated due to possible glass contamination in frozen fried rice products sold by Trader Joe's has now been expanded to include even more frozen foods.

On Tuesday, March 3, the American grocery store chain shared apress releasealerting customers of a broader recall associated with frozen products produced by Ajinomoto Foods North America.

"We are recalling certain Trader Joe's frozen products because of the potential that they may be contaminated with foreign material—specifically, glass," the statement read.

The four affected frozen foods sold by Trader Joe's include: Chicken Fried Rice- Best By Dates 03/04/2026 through 02/10/2027; Vegetable Fried Rice- Best By Dates 02/28/2026 through 11/19/2026; Japanese Style Fried Rice- Best By Dates 02/28/2026 through 11/14/2026; and Chicken Shu Mai - Best By Dates 03/13/2026 through 10/23/2026.

"At Trader Joe's, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our customers and Crew Members. With this in mind, we do the daily work to make certain our products meet our stringent food safety expectations. We don't take any chances when it comes to product safety and quality," a spokesperson for the company told PEOPLE on Wednesday, March 4.

According to the statement, Trader Joe's, which has a close relationship with its vendors, chose to "err on the side of caution" to be "proactive in addressing issues."

"We voluntarily take action quickly, aggressively investigating potential problems and removing the product from sale if there is any doubt about its safety or quality," the statement said, in part, adding, "We value information and clear communication. Should a recall become necessary, we waste no time in providing our customers details."

Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. alsoreleased a statementon March 3, confirming that the company expanded its Feb. 19, 2026, recall of frozen not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) chicken products that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically glass.

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The company stated that "approximately 33,617,045 additional pounds of various ready-to-eat (RTE) and NRTE chicken and pork fried rice, ramen, and shu mai dumpling products, for a combined total of 36,987,575 pounds subject to recall."

Possible contaminated items were sold under the brand names Ajinomoto, Kroger, Ling Ling, Tai Pei, and Trader Joe's, with some being exported to Canada and Mexico.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The issue was brought to Ajinomoto's attention when the company began receiving "multiple consumer complaints involving glass found" in their products.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we have expanded on our voluntary recall for certain frozen products that may contain glass. There have been no injuries or adverse reactions to date. We are committed to maintaining the highest safety standards, and we continue to work closely with the USDA," an Ajinomoto Foods North America spokesperson told PEOPLE in a statement. "For recall details, consumers should visitwww.fsis.usda.gov/recallsor call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854."

"We have expanded on our voluntary recall for certain frozen products that may contain glass. There have been no injuries or adverse reactions to date," Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. said in a statement obtained byABC NewsWednesday. "We are committed to maintaining the highest safety standards, and we continue to work closely with the USDA. For recall details, consumers should visitwww.fsis.usda.gov/recallsor call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854."

Anyone who has purchased the recalled products is advised to discard them immediately or return them for a full refund.

PEOPLE has reached out to Ajinomoto Foods North America for comment.

Read the original article onPeople

byMichael Cox

in

March 05, 2026

Trader Joe's Fried Rice Recall Expands as 33.4 Million More Pounds of Frozen Food Sold Nationwide Recalled Due to Possible Glass Contamination

Several frozen food products sold by Trader Joe's and other grocery retailers have been recalled due to possible gla...

Read More

China's parliament rolls out economic, political blue-print; here's what you need to know

March 5 (Reuters) - China's political elite gathered in Beijing on Thursday as President Xi Jinping unveiled a sweeping roadmap for the country's economic and political future, delivered against ‌a backdrop of sharpening tech competition with Washington and mounting geopolitical friction.

The National People's Congress, ‌China's rubber‑stamp legislature, rolled out its Five‑Year Plan outlining goals for growth, budgets, industrial policy and defence - signalling Xi's determination ​to propel the world's second-biggest economy toward technological dominance.

Here are the main highlights from the NPC:

GDP, BUDGET PRIORITIES

China is looking to grow its economy at a 4.5%-5% pace, a touch below the 5% rate achieved last year, opening the door to greater efforts to rebalance the economy.

Beijing also plans steady stimulus to ‌rev up an economy stuck in ⁠a lower post-pandemic gear, setting a budget deficit of 4.0% of gross domestic product, similar to last year.

HIGH-TECH DRIVE AS US RIVALRY SHARPENS

Aiming for technological supremacy amid ⁠a fierce rivalry with the U.S., Beijing is accelerating efforts to achieve greater tech self-reliance; and as the world's largest producer of rare earths, plans are also afoot to strengthen the competitiveness of these crucial minerals ​used in ​products ranging from electric vehicles to aircraft engines and ​defence technologies.

DEFENCE CAPACITY

China will improve combat ‌readiness and accelerate the development of "advanced combat capabilities", Premier Li Qiang said, boosting defence spending by 7% in 2026.

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Military observers are watching closely as Beijing pushes to modernise its forces by 2035 and project military power amid the backdrop of rising regional tensions, including over Taiwan, and global geopolitical strains.

FINANCIAL SYSTEM

China will inject 300 billion yuan ($43.59 billion) into state-owned banks this year and deepen reforms of state-owned ‌financial enterprises, moving to bolster its financial system amid a ​prolonged property crisis and deflationary pressure.

Promising a "childbirth-friendly society" in the ​next five years, Beijing aims to address ​concerns over employment, education and medical care as an ageing and rapidly ‌shrinking population complicates its larger economic goals.

FOOD SECURITY

Grain ​production capacity will be ​raised to around 725 million metric tons over 2026-2030 in efforts to meet the nation's long-term food security objectives, highlighting its heavy reliance on imports of key agricultural products such as ​soybeans, with the U.S. its ‌second-largest supplier.

EMISSION GOALS

The government plans to accelerate cuts in carbon intensity over the next five ​years, marking a shift from targeting energy intensity of its economy to directly targeting ​carbon intensity.

(Reporting by China bureau.Compiled by Shri Navaratnam)

byMichael Cox

in

March 04, 2026

China's parliament rolls out economic, political blue-print; here's what you need to know

March 5 (Reuters) - China's political elite gathered in Beijing on Thursday as President Xi Jinping unveiled a sweep...

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South Africa seeks local production of Gilead's HIV prevention drug

By Jennifer Rigby

LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - South Africa is asking local drugmakers to start a process to make Gilead Sciences' long-acting HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir, domestically, in a push to bring production ‌to the region where it is most needed.

The government is working alongside international partners, including Unitaid ‌and the United States Pharmacopoeia, to identify which local company could make the twice-yearly injection safely, effectively and affordably, and provide any support ​needed. They will then recommend that company to Gilead.

Gilead, a U.S. pharmaceutical company, granted six voluntary licences in 2024 to generic manufacturers across India, Egypt and Pakistan to produce and supply the drug to 120 low- and middle-income countries. These included South Africa, although there was criticism that no South African drugmakers were included.

A licence for a South African ‌company would be the seventh such deal, ⁠potentially boosting access to a drug many HIV/AIDS experts have said could help bring an end to the 44-year-old pandemic by slashing the numbers of new infections.

Gilead said it ⁠has been open to adding an additional voluntary license for local manufacturing in Sub-Saharan Africa. "Gilead will review the proposals and assess whether required quality standards can be met before any voluntary license is granted," the company said in an email.

AFRICA ​REMAINS EPICENTRE ​OF HIV PANDEMIC

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Despite progress, the African region remains the epicentre ​of the HIV pandemic. South Africa has ‌the highest number of people affected at 8 million – around one in five adults – living with the virus. Several companies in South Africa already make HIV treatments or sterile injectables, like Aspen Pharmacare.

Paul Mashatile, chair of the South African National AIDS Council and deputy president, said making the drug in South Africa would benefit the whole region.

"Africa can no longer rely on medicines produced elsewhere for diseases that affect us most," said Kenyan President William Ruto, ‌African Union lead on local manufacturing of health commodities.

ACCESS CHALLENGES

In the ​past, low- and middle-income countries waited years for HIV drugs available ​in richer nations. Lenacapavir is already available in ​some African countries through an initiative supported by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and ‌Malaria and the U.S. government, but demand is ​expected to outstrip supply until ​the generic manufacturers start making the drug.

Those agreements also faced some criticism for excluding middle-income countries like Brazil. A South African company could try to expand access there, too, Unitaid said.

"It's an opportunity to ​open the door further," said Unitaid's director ‌of program, Robert Matiru, although he said a licence for a South African company was the ​key aim.

(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby, additional reporting by Nellie Peyton and Nqobile Dludla in Johannesburg and ​Deena Beasley in Los Angeles; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

byMichael Cox

in

March 04, 2026

South Africa seeks local production of Gilead's HIV prevention drug

By Jennifer Rigby LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - South Africa is asking local drugmakers to start a process to ...

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Federal judge blocks Florida governor's foreign terrorist label of Muslim groups

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge temporarily blocked the enforcement on Wednesday of an executive order issued last year by Florida Gov. RonDeSantisthat designates two Muslim groups asforeign terrorist organizations.

U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker wrote in his preliminary injunction that the First Amendment bars the governor from continuing the troubling trend of using an executive office to make a political statement at the expense of others' constitutional rights.

The governor's order targeted the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood. His office didn't immediately respond Wednesday evening to an email seeking comment about the judge's order.

CAIR and other civil rights groupssuedDeSantis in December, shortly after the executive order was issued. The group has more than 20 chapters across the United States, and its work involves legal actions, advocacy and education outreach. The lawsuit claims the executive order is unlawful and unconstitutional, specifically that DeSantis has usurped the exclusive authority of the federal government to identify and designate terrorist organizations.

The injunction will halt the executive order's enforcement while the lawsuit moves forward.

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"The question before this Court is whether the Governor can, in a non-emergency situation, unilaterally designate one of the largest Muslim civil rights groups in America as a 'terrorist organization' and withhold government benefits from anyone providing material support or resources to the group," Walker wrote.

Anti-Muslim bias has persisted indifferent formssince Sept. 11, 2001, and there has been a rise inIslamophobiaduring more than two years of war in Gaza.

CAIR said in the Florida lawsuit that it has always condemned terrorism and violence. The lawsuit alleges DeSantis targeted the group for defending the free speech rights of people in cases where state officials and officials elsewhere tried to punish or silence those who expressed support for Palestinian human rights.

The executive order also gives the same "foreign terrorist" label to theMuslim Brotherhood, a pan-Arab Islamist political movement. President Donald Trumpin Januaryissued an executive order that designates three Middle Eastern branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations.

The governor's order instructs Florida agencies to prevent the two groups and those who have provided them material support from receiving contracts, employment and funds from a state executive or cabinet agency.

Florida has an estimated 500,000 Muslim residents, according to CAIR.

byMichael Cox

in

March 04, 2026

Federal judge blocks Florida governor's foreign terrorist label of Muslim groups

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge temporarily blocked the enforcement on Wednesday of an executive order issued l...

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