PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, November 18: Tensions escalate between the US and Venezuela, as Donald Trump refuses to rule out military intervention. The press are conflicted about which is the better option: war or diplomacy. In Britain, PM Keir Starmer's Labour government unveils what it calls the most sweeping asylum policy overhaul in modern times, which gets a seal of approval from one right-wing paper. Plus: we explain what Cambridge's word of the year, "parasocial", means!

Tensions continue to rise between the US and Venezuela. El Universal, a Mexican daily, reminds us that earlier this year, the US launched strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats off the Venezuelan coast. Last month, the Trump administration authorised the CIA to launch operations inside Venezuela and this week,  Trump said he would not rule out US troops on the ground. He did express a willingness to speak with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to avert military escalation, but Maduro said it would have to be face to face, the daily reports.

Maduro has said the strikes were an attempt by Washington to overthrow him. This is something that conservative columnist Bret Stephens makes a case for in The New York Times. The threat of Venezuela is not just about drugs, its devastating humanitarian crisis or Maduro's autocratic governance, but is also geopolitical, Stephens writes. Caracas's proximity with China, Russia and Iran give "America's enemies a significant foothold" in the region. The two options are: economic sanctions, which history shows are not effective; or intervention, which means war and all that it entails. But there is actually another option, Stephens writes: Panama dictator Manuel Noriega-style treatment – capturing Maduro and forcing him to face charges in the US, while destroying his military capacities.

Foreign Affairs magazine suggests another option: Washington could use its diplomatic leverage to force both Maduro and the opposition to strike a deal. It explains that Trump could compel the two sides to sign a joint agreement. Venezuela's opposition is highly dependent on the US, so it would not be able to refuse. Meanwhile, the threat of war and violence could sway Maduro's government to the negotiating table – even if it will take time.

In Britain, there is much ado about the Starmer government's asylum plans, which have been described as "most sweeping asylum policy overhaul of modern times." The Guardian reports that Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood unveiled the government's new hardline plans for asylum seekers. These include making refugee status temporary, quadrupling the time for refugees to settle permanently to 20 years, and speeding up deportations of those who come illegally. The tough approach aims to halt the rise of Nigel Farage's populist Reform party in Britain. The right-wing Daily Express approves, calling the plan "a step in the right direction" on its front page. There is much criticism, however, from The Independent. The centre-left daily says the plan will allow British judges to override European human rights law and quotes one anti-torture campaigner as accusing political parties of trying to outdo each other in their cruelty towards refugees.

In other news, Cambridge Dictionary has released its word of the year: parasocial. It is defined as a deep connection you feel to someone or something you do not know. Think of the joy you may have felt when Taylor Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelce or the deep empathy you felt with singer Lily Allen when she revealed her husband's infidelity. In the age of AI, it could also be the fact that Chat GPT is your friend, your therapist, your confidante.

Our friends in the animal kingdom have no such social afflictions. The Washington Post reports that scientists say they may have captured the first documented instance of a wild wolf using a tool to hunt for fish. It took place in British Columbia and the report was published this week. They caught on camera a wolf that dived into the water, fetched a fishing float, caught the rope attached to it and pulled until a crab trap appeared, reaching inside and consuming the bait. It also solved a long-running mystery, the paper reports. People of the Heiltsuk Nation in British Columbia had no idea why their traps to capture green crabs were not working. It turns out it was this resourceful wolf that was stealing their treasure!

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