Asteroid Astrology: International

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US Raids Caracas, Captures Maduro

In the wee hours of Saturday, 3 January 2026, US special forces bombed military and power facilities in the Venezuelan capital, raiding the presidential palace in Caracas and abducting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, his wife and son, and transporting them to the US, where they face federal narcotics charges.  A build-up of US naval power in the region, as well as frequent strikes at sea on alleged drug-runner boats and the seizure of two tankers supposedly carrying contraband oil, presaged the military operation on the mainland.  Trump has been applying increasing pressure on Maduro to leave office, and has now stated that the US will “run” Venezuela while an interim government is established. 

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New Year’s Eve Swiss Bar Fire Horror

2026 got off to a tragic start in Crans-Montana, a Swiss alpine ski resort, where a New Year celebration took a deadly turn, sparking a fire that killed upwards of 40 people, with an additional 115 wounded.  At about 1:30 AM CET, patrons at Le Constellation, a popular regional bar in Switzerland’s Sierre district, watched in horror and scrambled for the exits as a champagne bottle, topped with either sparklers or a lit candle (reports vary) was hoisted to the rafters by a staffer resting on another staffer’s shoulders.  The wooden ceiling caught fire, with flames spreading rapidly to create an inferno.  Pandemonium ensued, with guests smashing windows to make their escape.

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Louvre Laments:  Larceny & Leaks

The world’s most-visited museum has had a run of bad luck this autumn, with the Louvre in Paris losing some $102 million in royal jewelry after a daring theft in broad daylight in October, and a leaky pipe that flooded an Egyptology reference library in November, damaging hundreds of rare books.

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Cosmic Grab Bag:  Autumn 2025

It’s time for another installment of Cosmic Grab Bag, AAA’s catchall collection of smaller stories that were skipped in real time, but deserve honorable celestial mention.  In this issue we deal with a royal “first” in religion, a World Series outcome, a royal demotion, and a Supreme Court hearing.

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Cosmic Grab Bag:  Summer 2025 Edition

Stories frequently cross the digital transom that catch my eye, but don’t necessarily merit a full article on their own.  But the celestial correspondences are worthy of notice, so from time to time I compile these unrelated stories into an asteroid omnibus bill, if you will. In this edition, we’ll tackle a challenge to same-sex marriage, a disturbing melding of government with the private sector, a Senate grilling for a Cabinet Secretary, and a record-making Royal visit.

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Massive Ukrainian Drone Strike in Russia

On 1 June 2025 more than 100 Ukrainian drones struck at air bases deep in Russia, targeting long-range bombers with nuclear capacity, in an attempt to cripple Moscow’s ability to prosecute the war on Ukraine, now in its third year.  Code-named “Spider Web,” the attacks, eighteen months in the planning, were carried out by drones smuggled into Russia in wood structures carried on trucks, whose local drivers were apparently unaware of the contents, and activated remotely.  Drivers had received their destinations by phone, and were stunned when the drones emerged; some tried to incapacitate them with rocks.  Moscow has downplayed the attacks, citing simply “some damage,” but Ukrainian sources allege 41 bombers were struck, and at least 13 destroyed, in locations across five Russian regions, as far as 8000km from Ukraine’s border. 

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