Trump says U.S. seized oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela (LINK) 10 December 2025
Venezuela decries 'act of piracy' — (LINK)
Nobel Peace Prize winner Machado appears in Norway after dramatic escape from Venezuela: her first public appearance in almost a year since she went into hiding after being barred from running in her country's presidential election (LINK) 10 December 2025
Ukraine presents response to US peace plan as Trump says European leaders want a meeting (LINK) 10 December 2025
Geneva-based Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has cut 300 posts (LINK) 10 December 2025
— "Essential work has had to be eliminated, particularly in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burma, Tunisia and other countries."
Trump launches $1m 'gold card' immigration visas (LINK) 10 December 2025
US Fed just cut interest rates for the third-straight time (LINK) 10 December 2025
Trump talks Ukraine peace deal with Macron, Merz and Starmer (LINK) 10 December 2025
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Oslo, but will not attend Nobel Peace ceremony to receive award (LINK) 10 December 2025
— Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, is set to accept the award in her place. Machado, who holds many right-wing views, dedicated her prize in part to United States President Donald Trump, who has said that he himself deserved the honour and was infuriated that he did not receive it.
Foreign tourists could be required to disclose 5 years of social media histories under Trump administration plan (LINK) 10 December 2025
SOS Méditerranée's rescue operations at risk through Geneva funding cuts: $3.3m short for 2025-2026 operations, over a quarter of its budget (LINK) 9 December 2025
— IFRC ending collaboration. Over the last ten years, nearly 33,000 people have died trying to reach Europe via the central Mediterranean. Since 2016, almost 43,000 have been rescued by the NGO.
3 separate US strikes on alleged drug boats have initially left survivors. Each time they’ve been treated differently (LINK) 10 December 2025
Fox News: Zelenskyy ready to present new peace proposals to US and Russia after working with European talks (LINK) 9 December 2025
Ukraine's last eastern strongholds hang on as Russia fights to take Donbas (LINK) 9 December 2025
UN environment report 'hijacked' over fossil fuels, its co-chair says: United States and other countries were unwilling to go along with the scientific findings in the Global Environment Outlook, the result of six years' work (LINK) 9 December 2025
— BBC: At a meeting with government representatives to agree the findings, the US and allies said they could not go along with a summary of the report's conclusions. As the scientists were unwilling to water down or change their findings, the report has now been published without the summary and without the support of governments, weakening its impact.
A sustainable future requires new thinking: UNEP environment report (LINK) 9 December 2025
— The agency calls the report the most comprehensive assessment of the global environment ever undertaken, with input from 287 multi-disciplinary scientists from 82 countries — stretching to well over 1,000 pages. It calls for a transition to circular economy models; a rapid decarbonisation of the energy system; a shift towards sustainable diets, reduced waste and improved agricultural practices; and expanding protected areas and restoring degraded ecosystems — all backed by behavioural, social and cultural shifts that include Indigenous and local knowledge.
Snopes: DOD gave $620M loan to startup backed by Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm: Pentagon told Snopes he was "not involved in any aspect" of the deal (LINK) 9 December 2025