Author: tut0ugh
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US forces have seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies efforts to control Venezuelan oil exports and dismantle what officials describe as a global “dark fleet”. The tanker, the Olina, was intercepted after leaving Venezuelan waters and is the fifth vessel seized in recent weeks, according to US authorities.…
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EU member states have provisionally endorsed the EU–Mercosur trade agreement, the bloc’s largest-ever trade deal, despite sustained opposition from farmers and several governments. The agreement — 25 years in negotiation — would remove most tariffs across a market of around 700 million people, covering Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Key developments: • France, Poland, Hungary,…
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Large-scale protests have spread across Iran, marking the most significant challenge to the clerical establishment since 2009. Footage verified by BBC Persian showed crowds in Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, and other cities chanting against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and in support of exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi. Key developments: • Protests entered a 12th consecutive…
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Venezuela has begun releasing a number of detainees five days after the United States captured Nicolás Maduro, in what authorities describe as a gesture to “consolidate peace”. The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, said the move aimed to promote national unity and peaceful coexistence, though he did not specify how many people would…
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Russia says it has fired its Oreshnik hypersonic missile at targets in western Ukraine, in what Russia’s Defence Ministry described as retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian drone attempt against one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences — a claim Ukraine denies. Ukraine’s air force confirmed the launch originated from Russia’s Kapustin Yar test range, while Lviv…
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Speaking to French ambassadors at the Élysée Palace, Macron said institutions of multilateralism were functioning less effectively and that international relations were increasingly shaped by competition between major powers. Macron added that “the United States is “gradually turning away from some of its allies and freeing itself from the international rules it was promoting until…
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The Saudi-led coalition said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) helped Aidarous al-Zubaidi, head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), leave Yemen by boat, amid escalating tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over control of southern Yemen. Zubaidi failed to attend crisis talks in Saudi Arabia and was reportedly tracked travelling from Somaliland to Mogadishu, before…
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Chinese and Iranian warships have docked near South Africa’s main naval base ahead of a multinational naval exercise said to be involving Russia, raising fresh diplomatic sensitivities in 2026. The “Will for Peace” drills will run from 9–16 January in waters off False Bay, near Cape Town, hosted by the South African National Defence Force…
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The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services narrowed sharply in October 2025, as tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump continued to suppress imports while exports rose. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported the deficit fell to $29.4bn, the lowest monthly level since 2009, down from $48.1bn in September. At the same time, new data…
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Russia has warned that any Western troops deployed to Ukraine would be treated as “legitimate combat targets”, following announcements by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron on plans for a post-ceasefire multinational force. Russia “warns that the deployment of Western military units, military facilities, depots and other infrastructure on Ukrainian territory…
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