Servicemen of Ukraine's 66th Mechanized Brigade exit a dugout with a Darts mid-range strike drone amid Russia's attack on Donetsk, Dec 16, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova/ File Photo |
- European Union leaders decided to borrow cash to loan 90 billion euros ($105 billion) to Ukraine to fund its defense against Russia for the next two years rather than use frozen Russian assets. Europe Affairs editor Andrew Gray tells the Reuters World News podcast why EU leaders had to abandon their initial plan.
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's push for tighter gun controls after 15 people were killed at Jewish festival at Bondi beach faces resistance from right-wing populists and mainstream conservatives, revealing a more-polarised landscape.
- US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a partial blockade on Venezuela marks a dramatic escalation in US pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but it also risks undermining a top US policy goal: deterring a potential Chinese naval encirclement of Taiwan.
- Syrian, Kurdish and US officials are scrambling ahead of a year end deadline to show some progress in a stalled deal to merge Kurdish forces with the Syrian state, sources said.
- Bangladesh's interim government urged people to resist violence as police and paramilitary troops fanned out across Dhaka and other cities following protests overnight over the killing of a popular youth leader, sparking concerns of fresh unrest ahead of national elections in which he was due to run.
- Greece rescued 545 migrants from a fishing boat near Gavdos, marking one of the largest arrivals in recent months amid rising crossings from Libya to Mediterranean islands.
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- The suspect in last weekend's mass shooting at Brown University, identified as Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, 48, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot, with investigators certain he also killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days later, officials said.
- Trump signed into law a nearly $1 trillion annual defense policy bill, despite provisions providing new aid to Ukraine and reining in his ability to dial down US involvement in the defense of Europe.
- Trump signed an order directing the loosening of federal regulations on marijuana, directing the attorney general to reclassify the drug as less dangerous, alongside painkillers and ketamine, a move that could further reverse decades of tough-on-weed policy.
- US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered to pause the Diversity Visa Program, which offers up to 50,000 immigrant visas annually.
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A Japanese flag flutters atop the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, December 19, 2025. REUTERS/Manami Yamada |
- The Bank of Japan raised interest rates to levels unseen in 30 years, taking another landmark step in ending decades of huge monetary support and near-zero borrowing costs.
- Trump is getting into the fusion power business through a $6 billion merger of his social media firm and Google-backed TAE Technologies, announced just days after industry leaders met with US Energy Department representatives to urge federal funding.
- TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, signed binding agreements to hand control of the short video app's US operations to a group of investors, including Oracle, in a big step toward avoiding a US ban. The deal ends years of uncertainty for the app, which has over 170 million American users.
- Trump administration has launched a review that could result in the first shipments to China of Nvidia's second-most powerful AI chips, five sources said, making good on his pledge to allow the controversial sales.
- A growing number of Chinese companies are looking to domicile in Singapore, betting a move to the trade-focused city-state would reduce risks their operations get disrupted by Sino-US geopolitical tensions.
- Investors are snapping up yuan credits and surging yuan lending is poised to overtake overseas dollar loans at Chinese banks as attractive pricing helps drive a sustained push by Beijing to put the yuan on the global stage.
- Danish shipping company Maersk announced that one of its vessels successfully navigated the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the first time in nearly two years, though it currently has no plans to fully reopen the route.
- Emerging markets defied tariffs, trade wars and global turmoil to notch up stellar double-digit returns in 2025, and investors are hopeful of a repeat performance next year.
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'Not a life here.' Immigration raids hollow out Chicago neighborhood |
Allyson Lopez, 55, a second-generation quinceanera dressmaker, poses outside her shop in Little Village, Chicago, Nov 14, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole |
Trump administration’s deportation surge has rattled America’s third-largest city, but it has devastated the historic Mexican enclave of Little Village. Businesses like quinceanera dress shops and restaurants report revenue losses of up to 90% as residents stay indoors out of fear. Community leaders are organizing resistance through social media and local patrols, while families face emotional and financial turmoil. The crackdown has transformed one of Chicago’s most vibrant commercial corridors into empty streets. |
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Pope Francis leads a general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, November 19, 2014. REUTERS/Tony Gentile |
Many notable figures passed away in 2025. Among them were Pope Francis, Jane Goodall, Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, and wrestling icon Hulk Hogan. Cultural and scientific giants such as James Watson, filmmaker David Lynch, and Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa also died this year. Look back at the most significant deaths of 2025. |
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Welcome to my geopolitics blog site. This is a Hawaii Island news site focusing on geopolitical news, analysis, information, and commentary. I will cite a variety of sources, ranging from all sides of the political spectrum.