Reuters Daily Briefing

"US seizes sanctioned oil tanker, US Fed lowering rates."

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Russ Roberts (https://trendsingeopolitics.blogspot.com).

Get full access to Reuters.com for just $1/week. Subscribe now. Daily Briefing By Kate Turton Hello. Today we have news on the US seizing a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, and a divided US Fed lowering rates. We also have a hard-hitting special report on the rise in sexual violence against children in Congo. Plus, discover why Nonna was right.

Today's Top News

US forces abseil onto an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, December 10, 2025, in a still image from video. US Attorney General/Handout via REUTERS.  The US has seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said, a move that sent oil prices higher and sharply escalated tensions between Washington and Caracas. US nuclear-capable bombers flew over the Sea of Japan alongside Japanese fighter jets, Tokyo said, in a show of force following Chinese and Russian drills in the skies and seas around Japan and South Korea. Russia's capture of Pokrovsk appears to be a matter of 'when' not 'if', and while its fall will not trigger a collapse in Ukraine's defenses, it weakens Kyiv at a sensitive juncture in US-led negotiations to end the war. In the past week, Trump and senior Republican lawmakers have presented starkly different views of a top US national security challenge: Russia, its war in Ukraine and the threat it poses to Europe and the United States. Recent electoral victories have given Democrats increasing hope of taking back one and perhaps both houses of the US Congress in next year’s midterm elections. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests that some of that enthusiasm may be premature as Republicans hold a greater advantage with older voters, who are more likely to turn out during non-presidential years.  The US House of Representatives passed a massive defense policy bill authorizing a record $901 billion in annual military spending, paving the way for the must-pass measure to become law for a 65th straight year. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took aim at young people parading themselves on social media a day after a world-first ban on under-16s went live, saying the rollout was always going to be bumpy but would ultimately save lives. As winter bites in Gaza, displaced Palestinians set out every day to homes destroyed by Israel. There they rip out iron rods from the walls and use them to prop up their flimsy tents or sell them to scratch out a living in an enclave that will take years to recover from war.

Business & Markets

Drivers chat next to taxis charging at a Shell electric vehicle charging station in Beijing — REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo A sharply divided Federal Reserve cut interest rates but signaled borrowing costs are unlikely to drop further in the near term as it awaits clarity on the direction of a job market showing signs of softening, inflation that "remains somewhat elevated" and an economy it sees picking up steam next year. Elon Musk has hinted at a possible SpaceX IPO and industry experts say the move could value the company at over $1 trillion. Joey Roulette tells the Reuters World News podcast Starlink’s steady revenue gives SpaceX a strong base, the a challenge is funding its costly Starship program without losing the scrappy, test-to-failure culture that has defined the company. A US House committee approved a bill that would renew for another three years Washington's preferential trade programme for Africa, and there was no immediate mention of excluding South Africa as the US trade envoy had said was possible. Prada will make a limited-edition collection of sandals in India inspired by the country's traditional footwear, selling each pair at around $930, Prada senior executive Lorenzo Bertelli told Reuters, turning a backlash over cultural appropriation into a collaboration with Indian artisans. New Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa is prioritising vehicle sales growth over profits including resorting to lower-margin fleet sales and investing in affordable models to recapture market share in North America and Europe and get the world's No. 4 automaker back on track, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The storied Warner Bros movie studio has inked mega-mergers with Time, AOL, AT&T and Discovery. All ended poorly. In this week’s Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss its latest deal with Netflix, a gatecrash bid from a rival, and whether a happier ending could be in store.

Congo’s hidden victims: Child survivors recount gang rape and sexual slavery

Christabelle, a 10-year-old Congolese girl, poses for a photo in Bujumbura, Burundi, May 28, 2025. M23 and other armed combatants are using sexual violence as a weapon of war in Congo. Reuters spoke with 46 rape victims, nearly half of them children.  It’s a tactic of terror meant to destroy families and communities, a veteran doctor who works with rape survivors told Reuters. A child is raped in eastern Congo every 30 minutes, the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said earlier this year, Read our special report

And Finally...

A waiter carries pizzas at L'antica Pizzeria da Michele in Naples, Italy, December 5, 2025. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca U.N. cultural agency UNESCO recognised Italy's national cuisine as an "intangible cultural heritage", a formal accolade for a cookery tradition passed down through generations, and one that Italy hopes will boost tourism. The vote by a UNESCO panel meeting in New Delhi culminated a process that Italy launched in 2023. The government cast the nation's food culture as a social ritual that binds families and communities together and that goes far beyond pizza, pasta and risotto. Read more Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you’ve engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement. Terms & Conditions © 2025 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036