Ecuador enlists founder of Blackwater private army as ally in ‘war’ on crime“We [have] established a strategic alliance to strengthen our capabilities in the fight against narco-terrorism and to protect our waters from illegal fishing,” Noboa tweeted alongside a photograph of the two men sitting together.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/12/ecuador-president-blackwater-alliancePetro Bypasses Congress, Takes Colombia’s Social Reforms Directly to VotersPetro’s announcement came hours after eight senators revealed plans to block his labor reform in committee. This reform would restore extra pay for Sunday and holiday work, improve overtime compensation, and regulate digital platform employment. The health reform seeks to diminish insurance companies’ power and expand healthcare access. Both proposals represent cornerstone promises from Petro’s 2022 campaign when he became Colombia‘s first leftist president.
https://www.riotimesonline.com/petro-bypasses-congress-takes-colombias-social-reforms-directly-to-voters/https://archive.ph/e3DhJHouthis begin blockade on Israeli ships as Gaza humanitarian situation deterioratesThe announcement comes as Gaza's humanitarian situation continues to worsen following Israel's blockade, which on Sunday saw the cutting of electricity to the enclave.
https://www.newarab.com/news/houthis-blockade-israeli-ships-over-blocking-gaza-aidPA’s killing of resistance fighter amid army raid signals its open coordination with IsraelPalestinian security spokesperson Anwar Rajab stated that security forces were fulfilling their duty to maintain order when they engaged Abu al-Muna, describing him as an "outlaw" who had previously fired on security service headquarters.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pas-killing-resistance-fighter-amid-army-raid-signals-its-open-coordination-israelTurkish party leader says his arrest is part of a crackdown on Erdogan's political opponentsThe leader of a Turkish nationalist party has said he was arrested and detained on political grounds as part of an opposition crackdown that contradicts the government's purported effort to boost democracy while ending a Kurdish militant insurgency.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkish-party-leader-says-his-arrest-is-part-crackdown-erdogans-political-2025-03-12/Indonesian fishermen sue Bumble Bee and say the canned tuna giant knew of abuse in its supply chainLawyers representing four Indonesian fishermen who say they were beaten and trapped on vessels that were part of the global supply chain that provided tuna to Bumble Bee Seafoods filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the canned seafood giant.
https://apnews.com/article/seafood-slaves-bumble-bee-forced-labor-tuna-4d58d6442f0e41599000dce6d95550a9Right-wing Demokraatit Party win Greenland's parliamentary electionsThe Democrats won 30 per cent of the vote on Tuesday, compared to just 9 per cent in the previous election four years ago, the Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation reported. Point of Orientation received almost 25 per cent of the vote, up from just under 12 per cent in the 2021 election.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/right-wing-demokraatit-party-win-greenlands-parliamentary-electionsEU retaliates against Trump tariffs with €26bn ‘countermeasures’The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called the 25% US levies on global imports of the metals “unjustified trade restrictions”, after they came into force at 4am GMT on Wednesday.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/12/eu-retaliates-against-trump-tariffs-with-26bn-countermeasuresLabour ramped up Britain's Israeli arms exports after general election, data showsCampaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) said the new data from July to September 2024 showed a large increase in arms exports compared with the first half of the year.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/labour-ramped-britains-israeli-arms-exports-after-general-election-data-showsPortugal’s government loses confidence vote, triggering early election amid prolonged instabilityA new election, likely in May, pitches the country of 10.6 million people into months of political uncertainty just as it is in the process of investing more than 22 billion euros ($24 billion) in EU development funds. The European continent, meanwhile, is facing immediate challenges to its security and economy.
https://apnews.com/article/portugal-government-collapse-confidence-vote-2e081d0d60954cb1449636e420e0e687