Reuters Daily Briefing

"US prepares to seize more tankers off Venezuela."

Views expressed in this World and US News update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on  12 December 2025, 1337 UTC.

Content and Source:  "Reuters Daily Briefing."

 https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQdzmTrrxJcHWlMDRnrtSprnRhT

URL--https://www.reuters.com

Please check email link, URL, or scroll down to read your selections.  Thanks for joining us today.

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

Get full access to Reuters.com for just $1/week. Subscribe now. Daily Briefing By Jennifer O'Mahony Hello. The US is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker, Thailand will hold a snap election, and the EU looks ready to freeze Russian central bank assets held in Europe indefinitely. Plus, how minimalism is becoming a wealth-building strategy. Today's Top News   A satellite image shows the very large crude carrier Skipper off Port Jose, Venezuela. PLANET LABS PBC/Handout via REUTERS United States The US is increasing pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Its tanker seizure this week has put on alert shipowners, operators and maritime agencies involved in transporting Venezuelan crude. Washington also issued new sanctions on Maduro's family while Russia reached out to the embattled leader, raising the possibility he could seek refuge abroad. Obamacare subsidies are likely to expire after the Senate rejected competing proposals by Republicans and Democrats to address a looming healthcare crisis affecting some 24 million Americans. Republicans who control the House of Representatives show increasing signs of disunity over core issues like health insurance. President Donald Trump said he will withhold federal broadband funding from states regulating artificial intelligence in favor of "one central source of approval." Democratic Representative Don Beyer, who co-chairs a bipartisan caucus on AI, said the order put Americans at risk in "a lawless Wild West environment." In other news Bulgaria's government resigned after less than a year in power, leaving the Black Sea nation in turmoil on the eve of its entry into the euro zone. Greece & Balkans Bureau Chief Ed McAllister has more on the story for the Reuters World News podcast. Hong Kong's High Court will hand down a verdict on Monday in the landmark national security trial of pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai. The case, which has run for 156 days, is the most high-profile use of Beijing's sweeping national security law. Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced he would dissolve parliament and clear the way for elections, which will be held within 45 to 60 days. Charnvirakul is also due to speak to Trump about heavy border clashes with Cambodia, which have continued for a fifth day. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said she aimed for a peaceful transition in Venezuela. She plans to take her award home, but has not specified when she will return after ending a year in hiding. Business & Markets   Workers shield from the rain as they cross London Bridge. REUTERS/Toby Melville Britain's economy shrank unexpectedly in the three months to October, losing momentum in the fraught run-up to finance minister Rachel Reeves' budget, according to data released today. Russia's central bank said that plans by the European Union to use its assets were illegal. Separately, it said that it was suing Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear, which holds many of these assets. We round up Russia's potential responses to the decision. Even if overall inflation slows next year, Trump will still face political headwinds over the cost of living, according to this piece by Federal Reserve Correspondent Howard Schneider. Reddit filed a lawsuit in Australia's highest court seeking to overturn the country's world-first nationwide ban on people under 16 accessing social media. The message board website said the ban interfered with free political communication, citing the constitution. Do Kwon, a South Korean entrepreneur behind two digital currencies that lost an estimated $40 billion in 2022, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud. Kwon co-founded Singapore-based Terraform Labs and developed the TerraUSD and Luna currencies. Investors welcomed reports that SpaceX is considering a potential IPO as early as June. The stock launch would help fund Elon Musk's Mars ambitions and could value the rocket and satellite company at more than $1 trillion. Artificial intelligence-related stocks have taken a bruising from a disappointing report from Oracle, reigniting concerns from some investors who feel AI-related shares are overvalued. The Week Ahead European Union leaders meet for one last push to secure a deal and fund Ukraine with frozen Russian cash. The United States releases overdue labor market and retail sales data. And central banks in the euro area, Japan, Britain, Norway, and Sweden hold their last get-together of the year. Read our round up of the week ahead in markets. And for sports fans, check out Global Sports Editor Ossian Shine's guide to the weekend's action from courtside to pitchside and beyond. Prosecution, separation or deportation: ICE pushes migrants to give up legal cases   The Vargas family in Bogota, Colombia, after being deported from the United States. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez The Vargases were given a choice: accept deportation despite visa applications submitted as victims of human trafficking, or risk prosecution and separation from their six-year-old daughter. The Colombian family's experience with a US immigration officer shows how Trump’s immigration crackdown is increasingly relying on threats to pressure people to leave, even with pending legal claims that would have allowed them to stay under previous administrations. Reuters spoke to 16 immigration attorneys, who collectively have hundreds of clients, and others with broad visibility into the rising use of harsh tactics to force immigrants to accept deportations. Read our report And Finally... Rebecca Goodwill. REUTERS/Rebecca Goodwill In this week's edition of "Emotional Currency," which explores money trends being shaped by young people, we learn how minimalism is becoming a wealth-building strategy. Rebecca Goodwill, a 35-year-old personal finance writer based in Norfolk, England, began to cut back on clothes, home decor and TV subscriptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is part of a wider trend of Gen Z and millennials prioritising underconsumption by making more meaningful purchases. 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