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During a heated exchange between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday, Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova appeared distraught with her head in her hand.

The moment was captured in a number of viral photos and videos as Trump questioned Zelenskyy about not wanting a ceasefire with Russia at a live White House press event.

As shaky microphones hovered above the spatting leaders, Markarova lowered her head to her right hand and closed her eyes.

President Trump addressed Zelenskyy, saying, ‘You’re saying you don’t want a ceasefire. I want a ceasefire because you get a ceasefire faster than an agreement.’

The Ukrainian president chimed in, ‘I said to you … with guarantees. Ask our people about [a] ceasefire, [about] what they think.’

Trump starkly halted the conversation, saying ‘that wasn’t with me.’

The leaders were expected to sign a deal sharing Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and discuss a peace deal with Russia when the conversation turned contentious.

After questions were posed by Zelenskyy about diplomacy, Vice President JD Vance reprimanded him for ‘try[ing] to litigate’ in front of the American media, calling his actions ‘disrespectful.’ 

‘Do you think that it’s respectful to come into the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country,’ Vance asked Zelenskyy.

Sources close to Zelenskyy noted tensions were high prior to the meeting, Fox News Digital previously reported.

Zelenskyy reportedly rejected the mineral security agreement before Friday’s meeting due to the absence of security guarantees protecting Ukraine from another Russian invasion. 

Even though the Ukrainian president warned he would need those assurances to sign the deal, sources said the dismissal angered Trump and Vance.

Just minutes after reporters asked their first questions, the heated disagreement unfolded.

Reporters watched in shock as the meeting came to an abrupt halt, and Zelenskyy was rushed out of the White House.

Minutes later, Trump posted to Truth Social, saying, ‘President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE.’

Zelenskyy subsequently posted to X, thanking America and Trump for their support and allowing the visit.

‘Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,’ he wrote in the post.

Markarova was ambassador for roughly a year when Russia invaded Ukraine, thrusting her into the spotlight.

In September, Fox News Digital exclusively reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote a letter to Zelenskyy seeking Markarova’s firing after she allegedly organized a U.S. taxpayer-funded tour of an American manufacturing site for Zelenskyy in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Johnson, R-La., said the tour ‘purposely excluded’ Republicans, calling it ‘election interference.’ 

‘The facility was in a politically contested battleground state, was led by a top political surrogate for Kamala Harris and failed to include a single Republican because — on purpose — no Republicans were invited,’ Johnson wrote in the letter.

He said the ‘shortsighted and intentionally political move’ prompted Republicans to ‘lose trust’ in Markarova’s ability to fairly and effectively serve as a diplomat.

‘She should be removed from her post immediately,’ Johnson wrote.

The Embassy of Ukraine to the United States of America did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

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Tulsi Gabbard, the new director of national intelligence, thanked President Donald Trump Friday for his ‘unwavering leadership’ after his clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in the Oval Office earlier in the day. 

‘Thank you @realDonaldTrump for your unwavering leadership in standing up for the interests of the American people, and peace,’ Gabbard wrote on X Friday evening, hours after the fiery exchange. 

‘What you said is absolutely true: Zelensky has been trying to drag the United States into a nuclear war with Russia/WW3 for years now, and no one has.’ 

Tensions increased during the Oval Office meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy and Vice President JD Vance about a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine after Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin couldn’t be trusted and had breached other agreements.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance then accused Zelenskyy of not being grateful for the support the U.S. has provided over the years and said the Ukrainian leader was in a ‘bad position’ at the negotiating table. 

‘You’re playing cards,’ Trump said. ‘You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country.’

After Vance told Zelenskyy Ukraine had manpower and military recruiting problems, Zelenskyy said war means ‘everybody has problems, even you,’ adding the U.S. would feel the war ‘in the future.’

‘Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,’ Trump responded. ‘We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.’

Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House after the exchange, a press conference was canceled and a deal for Ukraine to give the U.S. its rare earth minerals was left unsigned. 

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for America’s help after the meeting.

‘Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit,’ he wrote on X. ‘Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.’ 

The Ukrainian president told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview after the meeting he believes Ukrainian-U.S. ties can be salvaged.

‘Yes, of course, because it’s relations more than two presidents,’ he said in the exclusive interview on ‘Special Report.’ ‘It’s the historical relations, strong relations between our people. And that’s why I always began … to thank your people from our people.

‘Of course, thankful to the president and, of course, to Congress,’ he said, ‘But, first of all, to your people … we wanted very much to have all this strong relations and where it counted. We will have it.’

Zelenskyy said he was ‘not sure we did something bad’ when asked about the heated exchange but conceded the dustup was ‘bad for both sides.’

Trump also received support from Republicans like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said Trump was ‘standing up for America,’ while Democrats like Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly wrote on X, ‘To be clear, the only winner in this shouting match in the Oval Office is Putin. Almost can’t believe this happened.’ 

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The Justice Department’s rollout of the Epstein files on Thursday and Friday drew heated criticism from many on social media from those expressing dismay at the level of detail of the files and the time it took to release them.

The highly anticipated release of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday did not include a ‘client list’ or any new startling information, and speculation continued into Friday with the Justice Department saying that some of the documents were still being tracked down.

Many conservatives took to social media to express frustration and disappointment with the rollout over the past couple of days. 

‘I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today… A NY Post story just revealed that the documents will simply be Epstein’s phonebook,’ Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., posted on X. ‘THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!’

‘The fact that the Epstein files haven’t yet been released demonstrates that the President doesn’t yet have operational control of the DOJ and FBI,’ Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., posted on X on Friday morning. ‘It could take a while to establish, or as with his first term, it might never be established.’

Many on social media also took issue with the presence of several conservative influencers at the White House who were pictured outside holding binders that said ‘The Epstein Files Phase 1,’ suggesting that new information had been released. 

‘Pam Bondi: ‘We’re releasing the first of the Epstein files tomorrow.’ Americans: ‘Cool! Then we’ll get to read them?’ Bondi: ‘Well actually you’ll get to see fun little photo shoots of conservative personalities & influencers holding a binder!’’ Daily Signal investigative columnist Tony Kinnett posted on X.

‘Not interested in some big theatrical rollout of the Epstein files, if they even exist anymore,’ conservative commentator Matt Walsh posted on X. ‘Put them online for everyone to see. Hold a press conference to walk us through it. There’s a time for showmanship and a time to be direct and boring. This is definitely the latter.’

‘The most likely outcome of the ‘Epstein Files’ has always been that it’s mostly stuff we already knew and nothing truly game-changing,’ Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. ‘That’s even more true for the JFK files. If that’s the case, just admit it and move on. Stop hyping this crap up and then not delivering.’

Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel which explained the delay in the release of the documents and placed blame on an FBI field office in New York. 

Bondi said she had requested the full Epstein case file before Patel was confirmed as the head of the FBI and received about 200 pages of files — far fewer than the number of pages released last year in a civil lawsuit connected to Ghislaine Maxwell, the trafficker’s former lover and convicted accomplice.

‘I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents,’ Bondi wrote. ‘Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein.’

‘By 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, February 28, the FBI will deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained,’ Bondi added. ‘There will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access.’

As of Friday afternoon, no new files had been released. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department for comment. 

‘What you’re going to see, hopefully tomorrow, is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information,’ Bondi said on Fox News on Wednesday night when asked about the type of information that would be released Thursday. ‘But, it’s pretty sick what that man did, along with his co-defendant.’

Many defended Bondi against accusations of a botched document rollout, including DOGE chief Elon Musk.

‘People don’t understand that you don’t get instant power here,’ Musk posted on X in response to a post defending Bondi for being in a position of ‘fighting against a leftist culture.’

Patel addressed the situation late Thursday in a post on X

‘The FBI is entering a new era—one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice,’ Patel wrote. 

‘There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned — and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued. If there are gaps, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them. And we will bring everything we find to the DOJ to be fully assessed and transparently disseminated to the American people as it should be. The oath we take is to the Constitution, and under my leadership, that promise will be upheld without compromise.’

Fox News Digital’s Mike Ruiz contributed to this report.

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In the chaotic aftermath of an explosive Oval Office press conference Friday with President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his frustration with the administration began after it issued a series of controversial comments in the five weeks after Trump’s inauguration.

‘It’s not about [being] mad,’ Zelenskyy told Fox News’ Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier on ‘Special Report.’ 

‘[When you hear] president, vice president or somebody or senators — doesn’t matter, big politicians — when they, for example, say that Ukraine is almost destroyed, that our soldiers run away, that they are not a heroes, that Ukraine lost millions of civilians, that his president is dictator.

‘The reaction is that, where is our friendship between Ukraine and United States?’

Zelenskyy said it was important that Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe maintain their great partnership in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression. 

But when asked if he feels he should apologize for the heated discussions that erupted in the Oval Office, which began after Vance accused Zelenskyy of being ‘disrespectful,’ the Ukrainian leader said ‘no.’

‘I respect the president, and I respect the American people,’ he said. ‘I’m not sure that we did something bad.’

Zelenskyy argued that important issues need to be discussed thoroughly and warned Trump, ‘Don’t trust Putin.’

Zelenskyy noted again that security guarantees, which caused the blowup in the Oval Office Friday, are not an issue he can disregard because the threat of another Russian invasion is too great. 

Zelenskyy also reiterated he would be willing to step down as president so long as Ukraine was given NATO membership. 

‘We want just and lasting peace. It’s true. We want security guarantees,’ he said. ‘If [the] United States will support NATO … I think that is enough for Ukraine.’

Trump, after speaking with Putin earlier this month, began pushing the idea that Ukraine should hold elections, claiming Zelenskyy has little support among the Ukrainian public. 

But under Ukraine’s constitution, it cannot hold elections when Martial Law is in effect during a time of war.

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The Trump administration’s efforts to broker a peace negotiation ending the war in Ukraine came to a halt Friday following a testy exchange between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

The encounter ultimately led to a canceled press conference, Trump requesting Zelenskyy to leave the White House, and the failure to sign a rare-earth minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine that would have allowed the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals. 

Tensions escalated in the Oval Office after Zelenskyy challenged Vance, who said that the path forward was through diplomacy. Instead, Zelenskyy issued a caution and noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has broken other agreements in the past. 

‘What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?’ Zelenskyy said. ‘What do you mean?’

In response, Vance said: ‘I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country.’

‘Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,’ Vance told Zelenskyy. ‘Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for bringing it, to bring it into this country.’

Trump also snapped at Zelenskyy and warned him that Ukraine was in ‘big trouble’ and was ‘gambling with World War III.’ 

Following the encounter, Trump announced a pause to peace negotiations and said that Zelenskyy could return to the White House when he was ‘ready for Peace.’ Additionally, Zelenskyy left the White House without signing the minerals deal. 

‘I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,’ Trump said in a Truth Social post Friday. ‘I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.’

Zelenskyy also followed up with a social media post on X expressing gratitude to the U.S. for its support. 

‘Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit,’ Zelenskyy said. ‘Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.’

Despite the fallout from the meeting, Zelenskyy told Fox News’ Bret Baier on Friday that the relationship between Ukraine and the U.S. could be salvaged. 

Here’s what else happened at the White House this week:

Large-scale reductions in force 

The Trump administration also sent a memo instructing agencies across the federal government to launch plans for ‘large-scale reductions in force’ and construct reorganization plans by mid-March. 

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management sent a memo on Wednesday ordering agencies to prepare to cut staffers and share reorganization plans by March 13. 

‘The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt,’ the memo said. ‘At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public.’

Several federal government roles are exempt from the order, including those ‘necessary to meet law enforcement, border security, national security, immigration enforcement, or public safety responsibilities,’ according to the memo. 

First Cabinet meeting

Trump held his second administration’s first meeting with Cabinet members Wednesday, where he shared plans to massively cut the Environmental Protection Agency and seek to retrieve military equipment left in Afghanistan. 

Trump revealed that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is eyeing cutting 65% of federal employees from the agency.

‘I spoke with Lee Zeldin, and he thinks he’s going to be cutting 65 or so percent of the people from Environmental, and we’re going to speed up the process too at the same time,’ Trump said. ‘He had a lot of people that weren’t doing their job, they were just obstructionists, and a lot of people that didn’t exist.’

Trump also shared that he wanted back the military equipment U.S. troops left behind when withdrawing from Afghanistan, but didn’t share plans on how the U.S. would retrieve the equipment. 

‘We left billions, tens of billions of dollars worth of equipment behind, brand new trucks,’ Trump said Wednesday. ‘You see them display it every year, or their little roadway, someplace where they have a road and they drive the, you know, waving the flag and talking about America … that’s all the top of the line stuff. I think we should get a lot of that equipment back.’

The Taliban seized most of the more than $7 billion worth of equipment U.S. troops left in Afghanistan at the time of the withdrawal in August 2021, according to a Department of Defense report released in 2022.

English official US language 

Trump signed an executive order Friday mandating English as the official language of the U.S. The order eradicates a previous mandate from President Bill Clinton in 2000 requiring federal agencies and recipients of federal funding to issue language assistance to those who don’t speak English. 

The executive order allows each federal agency to determine whether it will offer services in languages besides English. 

The U.S. is an anomaly in that it has never had an official language, whereas roughly 180 countries out of the 195 countries in the world have official languages, a White House official told Fox News Digital. 

Fox News’ Emma Colton and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said next-generation AI will need 100 times more compute than older models as a result of new reasoning approaches that think “about how best to answer” questions step by step.

“The amount of computation necessary to do that reasoning process is 100 times more than what we used to do,” Huang told CNBC’s Jon Fortt in an interview on Wednesday following the chipmaker’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report.

He cited models including DeepSeek’s R1, OpenAI’s GPT-4 and xAI’s Grok 3 as models that use a reasoning process.

Nvidia reported results that topped analysts’ estimates across the board, with revenue jumping 78% from a year earlier to $39.33 billion. Data center revenue, which includes Nvidia’s market-leading graphics processing units, or GPUs, for artificial intelligence workloads, soared 93% to $35.6 billion, now accounting for more than 90% of total revenue.

The company’s stock still hasn’t recovered after losing 17% of its value on Jan. 27, its worst drop since 2020. That plunge came due to concerns sparked by Chinese AI lab DeepSeek that companies could potentially get greater performance in AI on far lower infrastructure costs.

Huang pushed back on that idea in the interview on Wednesday, saying DeepSeek popularized reasoning models that will need more chips.

“DeepSeek was fantastic,” Huang said. “It was fantastic because it open sourced a reasoning model that’s absolutely world class.”

Nvidia has been restricted from doing business in China due to export controls that were increased at the end of the Biden administration.

Huang said that the company’s percentage of revenue in China has fallen by about half due to the export restrictions, adding that there are other competitive pressures in the country, including from Huawei.

Developers will likely search for ways around export controls through software, whether it be for a supercomputer, a personal computer, a phone or a game console, Huang said.

“Ultimately, software finds a way,” he said. “You ultimately make that software work on whatever system that you’re targeting, and you create great software.”

Huang said that Nvidia’s GB200, which is sold in the United States, can generate AI content 60 times faster than the versions of the company’s chips that it sells to China under export controls.

Nvidia counts on billions of dollars of infrastructure spend annually from the largest tech companies in the world for an outsized amount of its revenue. The company has been the biggest beneficiary of the AI boom, with revenue more than doubling in five straight quarters through mid-2024 before growth decelerated slightly.

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An investigation into the failings of the Israeli military in the lead-up to the devastating Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, has highlighted gaps in intelligence gathering, flawed assumptions about Hamas, and “systemic” failures in the Israel Defense Force’s preparedness and response.

The 19-page report released Thursday by the IDF said there were gaps in the Intelligence Directorate’s understanding of “Hamas’ strategic goals, decision-making processes,” and operational plans that contributed to its failure to stop the biggest terrorist attack in the country’s history, when gunmen killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage.

Despite having relevant information, the intelligence community failed to recognize Hamas’ shift from a “determined,” and “pragmatic” group to one actively planning a large-scale offensive, it said.

The report said that as early as 2016, Hamas had begun preparing for “a large-scale attack” aimed at breaching the Gaza border, “occupying Israeli territory,” and causing mass casualties.

It identified several instances where intelligence indicators, such as Hamas’ “training exercises” and operational plans, were “misinterpreted” or dismissed as “unrealistic.”

These indicators, had they been properly analyzed, could have revealed Hamas’ intentions, the report said.

Hamas had deliberately created “a false perception of seeking quiet,” while accelerating its military buildup, the report said, adding that by May 2023 the militant group had decided to carry out an attack during a Jewish holiday that would aim “to shatter Israel’s sense of security” and potentially escalate “into an all-out war aimed at destroying Israel.”

When the attack happened, the IDF was “caught off guard” by its scale and intensity and its Gaza Division, responsible for defending the border, was overrun “within hours,” leading to a collapse in command and control.

The IDF’s response was hampered by a lack of “situational awareness,” delayed force mobilization, and insufficient deployment of troops and firepower, found the inquiry, which added that the IDF’s readiness levels were “inadequate” for the scale of the attack.

Israel’s military chief of staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi – who has said he will resign in March over the failure to prevent the attack – addressed the findings in a televised speech, acknowledging the military’s failures and taking responsibility for the lapses.

“This is our learning process. I have received letters and responses, even from people here, saying ‘You…’ and I have no problem with that. I embrace it. My responsibility is mine,” Halevi said.

“I was the commander of the military on October 7, and I have my own responsibility. I also carry the weight of all your responsibility – that, too, I see as mine. And when I see any of my subordinates who made mistakes, I see my own share in it as well,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman said earlier on Thursday that Netanyahu had yet to receive the investigation.

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Earlier this month, the American president proposed expelling 2.1 million Palestinians from Gaza and transforming the enclave into a “riviera” that would be owned by the United States, a plan that triggered outrage across the Middle East and firm rejections by regional leaders.

Arab leaders are expected to gather for a wider summit in Cairo on March 4 where a “road map” for Gaza and the conflict is expected to be issued. Arab top diplomats are then expected to travel to the US capital in the following weeks to deliver the proposal to the Trump administration, the sources said.

Arab officials want to make sure it is “a solid plan” before presenting it to Trump, one of the sources said.

In addition to laying out a plan for rebuilding the devastated strip without displacing the population, the Arab counterproposal would also address key issues such as governing Gaza after the war, reforming the Palestinian Authority and the deployment of either peacekeeping or peace enforcing forces inside the strip, the sources said.

It’s unclear who the peacekeeping force would be comprised of.

Last week, Arab leaders held a rare “informal” meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh to discuss the plan – a gathering that the sources said was “significant” and at which there was “a unified stance.”

Jordan and Egypt – two countries that Trump said were candidates for receiving the Palestinians – reject any displacement and consider it a matter of national security.

“Our position is firm and clear and we won’t accept any threat to our national security,” one official said, describing it as a “red line” for Jordan.

For months, officials in Jordan have warned against attempts to displace Palestinians to the country. The Jordanian foreign minister said in September last year after an Israeli escalation in the West Bank that any attempt to displace Palestinians there to Jordan would be considered a “declaration of war.”

Jordanian officials are also concerned about an explosion in violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem during the Holy Month of Ramadan, which is expected to start on Friday or Saturday.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly claimed last week that his country could fully rebuild Gaza in three years to a state that is “better than it was before,” without saying how he planned to achieve that. If a permanent ceasefire is reached in Gaza in the coming months, that would mean the vision could be completed before the end of Trump’s presidential term.

The World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations said in a joint statement last week that, according to their estimates, just the return of essential services including health and education, as well as the clearing of rubble, would take three years. The full rebuilding of the devastated enclave would need 10 years and cost more than $50 billion, with housing alone estimated to cost $15 billion. The Egyptian prime minister said that his country’s plan takes those assessments into consideration.

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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — Two men in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province were publicly caned Thursday after an Islamic Shariah court convicted them for having sex with each other.

Dozens of people witnessed the caning at a hall in Banda Aceh’s Bustanussalatin city park. It’s the fourth time that Aceh, the only province in Indonesia to practice Shariah law, has caned people for homosexuality since the Islamic law was implemented in 2006 as a concession made by the government to end a long-running separatist rebellion.

The men, aged 24 and 18, were whipped across the back dozens of times by a team of five enforcers wearing robes and hoods. They were given a break to drink after 20 strokes and their wounds were treated.

The men were arrested in November after residents suspected them of being gay and broke into their rented room, where they were caught naked and hugging each other, and took them to Sharia police.

A Shariah court on Monday sentenced the two college students to receive 85 and 80 strokes respectively, but they were caned 82 and 77 times after a remission for time spent in prison. One of the men had to be carried because he was too weak to move after the last lash.

Two other people were also sentenced to 34 and 8 strokes each for gambling.

Indonesia’s secular central government granted Aceh the right to implement Islamic Shariah law in 2006 as part of a peace deal to end a decades-long separatist war. A religious police and court system have been established, and the law was a significant strengthening of Shariah in the region.

Aceh implemented an expansion of Islamic bylaws and criminal code in 2015 that extended Shariah law to the province’s non-Muslims, who account for about 1% of the population. The region allows up to 100 lashes for morality offenses including gay sex and sex between unmarried people.

Caning is also a punishment in Aceh for gambling, drinking alcohol, women who wear tight clothes and men who skip Friday prayers.

Human rights groups have criticized the law, saying it violates international treaties signed by Indonesia protecting the rights of minorities.

Indonesia’s national criminal code doesn’t regulate homosexuality, and the central government doesn’t have the power to strike down Shariah law in Aceh. However, an earlier version of the law that called for people to be stoned to death for adultery was dropped because of pressure from the central government.

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Mexico has extradited notorious drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero and 28 other fugitive cartel members to the United States, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). He is accused of kidnapping and conspiring to murder a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent in 1985.

Caro Quintero, who is considered by Mexican authorities to be the founder of the Guadalajara cartel, was allegedly involved in the kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena Salazar in 1985.

The DEA says that his murder was in retaliation for a raid in 1984 of Caro Quintero’s 2,500-acre marijuana farm by Mexican authorities.

Caro Quintero spent 28 years in prison in Mexico for his role in the murder before he was released on a technicality in 2013. The Mexican Supreme Court later overturned the decision that freed him.

The fugitive returned to drug trafficking as a senior leader of the Sinaloa cartel, according to the FBI.

In July 2022 Caro Quintero was captured by the Mexican Navy in an operation that ended with 14 Marines dying in a Black Hawk helicopter crash. He was caught after a navy dog found him hiding in the bushes.

“Caro Quintero, a cartel kingpin who unleashed violence, destruction, and death across the United States and Mexico, has spent four decades atop DEA’s most wanted fugitives list, and today we can proudly say he has arrived in the United States where justice will be served,” DEA Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz said Thursday.

“This moment is extremely personal for the men and women of DEA who believe Caro Quintero is responsible for the brutal torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena. It is also a victory for the Camarena family. Today sends a message to every cartel leader, every trafficker, every criminal poisoning our communities: You will be held accountable. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far you run, justice will find you,” Maltz added.

Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection said 29 people who were held in different correctional facilities across the country were transferred to the US.

They were wanted for their connections to criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, among other crimes.

The US Department of Justice said that those taken into custody Thursday include “leaders and managers of drug cartels recently designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cártel del Noreste (formerly Los Zetas), La Nueva Familia Michoacana, and Cártel de Golfo (Gulf Cartel).”

“These defendants are collectively alleged to have been responsible for the importation into the United States of massive quantities of poison, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin, as well as associated acts of violence,” the DOJ statement added.

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