The flight from Rome to Tel Aviv marked the final journey by the aircraft for Israeli airline El Al.
A pilot flying a Boeing 747 on its final journey has marked the occasion by drawing a portrait of the aircraft in the sky.
The flight from Rome to Tel Aviv marked the final journey by the aircraft for El Al after 48 years of service with the Israeli airline.
When it reached the sky over the Mediterranean south-west of Cyprus, the pilot took the 747 on a weaving flight path to create an outline of the jumbo jet.
The unique drawing was tracked on the plane’s GPS system, with website Flightradar24 mapping the flight – which descended to 10,000ft (3,000m) to create the artwork.
Flight LY1747 began making the image two hours after take-off from Rome at 10am on Sunday, flying a little less than four hours before landing at its destination in the Israeli city.
The Boeing 747 has been nicknamed the Queen of the Skies since its maiden flight on February 9 in 1969.
Many airlines are now replacing the model with more advanced and efficient planes, with El Al opting for a new fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Delcy Rodríguez, who served as vice president to Nicolas Maduro and has vowed to work with the Trump administration, was sworn in as interim president of Venezuela in the country’s parliament building.
Rodríguez was sworn in by her brother, National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez.
“I come with sorrow for the suffering inflicted upon the Venezuelan people following an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland,” she said with her right hand up. “I come with sorrow for the kidnapping of two heroes.”
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Venezuelan government on Monday sought to show its people and the world that the country is being run independently and not controlled by the United States following its stunning weekend arrest of Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian leader who had ruled for almost 13 years.
Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro's son, gathered in the capital, Caracas, to follow through with a scheduled swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly for a term that will last until 2031. They reelected their longtime speaker — the brother of the newly named interim president, Delcy Rodríguez — and gave speeches focused on condemning Maduro's capture Saturday by U.S. forces.
“If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, it’s Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit," Maduro's son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, said at the legislative palace in his first public appearance since Saturday. "This is not a regional problem. It is a direct threat to global political stability."
Maduro Guerra, also known as “Nicolasito,” demanded that his father and stepmother, Cilia Flores, be returned to the South American country and called on international support. Maduro Guerra, the deposed leader's only son, also denounced being named as a co-conspirator in the federal indictment charging his father and Flores.
While Venezuelan lawmakers met, Maduro made his first court appearance in a U.S. courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and taking him to New York. Maduro declared himself “innocent” and a “decent man” as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug-trafficking charges.
The U.S. seized Maduro and Flores in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela temporarily, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing ” oil quarantine.”
Rubio said the U.S. was using pressure on Venezuela's oil industry as a way to push for policy changes. "We expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking,” Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
On Sunday, Rodríguez said Venezuela is seeking “respectful relations” with the U.S., a shift from a more defiant tone she struck in the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s capture.
“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” Rodríguez said in a statement. Her conciliatory message came after Trump threatened that she could “pay a very big price” if she did not fall in line with U.S. demands.
Before taking the oath of office, Venezuelan lawmaker Grecia Colmenares said she would “take every giant step to bring back (to Venezuela) the bravest of the brave, Nicolás Maduro Moreno, and our first lady, Cilia Flores.”
“I swear by the shared destiny we deserve,” she said.
A State Department official said Monday that the Trump administration is making preliminary plans to reopen the U.S. embassy in Venezuela.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said early preparations “to allow for a reopening” of the embassy in Caracas had begun in the event Trump decides to return American diplomats to the country.
Associated Press Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, and his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra who is running to represent Caracas as a lawmaker for the National Assembly attend a closing campaign rally for the regional election on May 25, in Caracas, Venezuela, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)
Pro-government armed civilians attend a protest demanding the release of President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, the day after U.S. forces captured and flew them to the United States, in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A government supporter holds an action figure of Super Bigote during a protest demanding the release of President Nicolas Maduro, who was captired by U.S. forces, in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Government supporters demand President Nicolas Maduro's release from U.S. custody during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
