Lula issues ultimatum as Meloni and Macron stall EU-Mercosur FTA“If we don't do it now, Brazil will not make any other agreements while I am president,” Lula warned. He argued that the Southern Common Market, also known as Mercosur and made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, has “given in on everything diplomatically possible” to secure the deal, which has been under negotiation since 1999.
https://en.mercopress.com/2025/12/18/lula-issues-ultimatum-as-meloni-and-macron-stall-eu-mercosur-ftaBrazil’s Senate Committee Backs Bill Slashing Required Prison Time for Coup CrimesA Brazil’s Senate committee has approved a controversial bill that would drastically reduce prison sentences for those convicted in the 2022-2023 coup attempt, offering what critics call a “virtual amnesty” for former President Jair Bolsonaro and other key plotters.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/brazil-senate-slashes-sentence-bolsonaro/Drone strike plunges Sudan major cities into darkness as civil war ragesTwo civil defence members were killed, power plant officials said, while trying to extinguish the fire that erupted after the first strike, adding that rescue workers were injured when a second drone hit as they battled the flames. Al Jazeera correspondent Mohamed Vall in Port Sudan reported that residents initially thought a routine power cut had occurred, only to learn it was linked to incidents in Atbara, roughly 320km (about 230 miles) north of Khartoum.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/18/drone-strike-plunges-sudan-major-cities-into-darkness-as-civil-war-rageshttps://archive.ph/s85MmIsrael publishes updated death penalty bill for Palestinian prisonersThe revised bill reportedly specifies that executions would be carried out by shooting, the electric chair, hanging or lethal injection, by a prison officer whose identity would remain secret. It would also grant military courts authority to impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners from the occupied West Bank regardless of the prosecution’s position, while removing the requirement for unanimous verdicts and abolishing the rule that all judges must hold the rank of lieutenant colonel or above.
https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-publishes-updated-death-penalty-bill-palestiniansEgypt says gas deal with Israel is ‘purely commercial’“The agreement serves a clear strategic interest for Egypt, namely strengthening its position as the sole regional hub for gas trading in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Rashwan added. Egypt’s announcement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the approval of the gas agreement with Egypt on Wednesday evening and called it “the largest gas deal in Israel’s history”.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/18/egypt-says-gas-deal-with-israel-is-purely-commercialhttps://archive.ph/nUJ5kKP Sharma Oli Defies Critics, Tightens Grip on Nepal Communist Party with Third Term VictoryOli’s decisive victory at this week’s party convention signals that despite the public backlash following the September 8-9 demonstrations that toppled his government and dissolved parliament, Oli retains overwhelming support within party ranks. Of the 2,227 delegates who voted, he got 1,663 votes – nearly 75% – while his challenger, Ishwar Pokharel, managed only 564 votes. Oli’s dominance within the CPN-UML stretches back nearly a decade. He first claimed the chairmanship in 2015 by defeating Madhav Kumar Nepal and then secured a second term in 2021 against Bhim Rawal. Both rivals have since defected to join a competing communist faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
https://thewire.in/south-asia/kp-singh-oli-defies-critics-tightens-grip-on-nepal-communist-party-with-third-term-victoryhttps://archive.ph/DWlbw Health workers, teachers and employees demand fair wages The Alliance for Health Workers (AHW) and Alliance for Concerned Teachers (ACT) demanded a just increase in salaries and benefits for health workers, hospital employees, teachers, and staff. This follows the US-Marcos regime’s 15% salary increase for military and uniformed personnel (Philippine National Police, Coast Guard, Bureau of Correction, and Bureau of Fire Protection) and raise in subsistence allowance from ₱150 to ₱350.
https://philippinerevolution.nu/angbayan/health-workers-teachers-and-employees-demand-fair-wages/Abuse and exploitation endemic in Australia’s Pacific “guest worker” schemeThe ABC report highlights numerous recent cases of exploitation. Two years after becoming a fruit picker, Solomon Islander Susan Pinu was unemployed and found carrying her infant daughter in the rural town of Leeton, having left her employer over her poor pay. Many like her remain vulnerable over their immigration status, and some—including those who become pregnant—lack Medicare coverage and health insurance. “After everything, I felt like committing suicide,” Susan told the ABC.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/12/18/vkib-d18.htmlGermany charges teens in alleged right-wing extremist group with attempted murderrmany’s federal prosecutor brought charges Thursday against eight suspects for their alleged membership in a “right-wing extremist terrorist” group that allegedly aimed to destabilize the country’s democratic system by carrying out attacks on migrants and political opponents. The prosecutors also charged the seven alleged members and one supporter of the group, some of them teenagers, of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and grievous bodily harm.
https://apnews.com/article/germany-far-right-terror-charges-be9d4e47e0c13bf134943807768dc594Polish Constitutional Tribunal violated European law, rules EU courtIn its ruling today, the CJEU also found that the TK itself is not a court under the meaning of EU law, given that it contains judges unlawfully appointed under the former Law and Justice (PiS) government. The EU court’s judgement was condemned by a former PiS prime minister, who called it a “usurpation” of power by the CJEU aimed at “depriving Poland of its sovereignty”.
https://notesfrompoland.com/2025/12/18/polish-constitutional-tribunal-violated-european-law-rules-eu-court/Opposition to labor reform in Portugal continues after general strikeOpposition to the revisions has also united Portugal’s main trade union organizations: both the progressive CGTP and the conservative General Union of Workers (UGT) converged on the topic. “Even the center-right sections of the UGT voted in favor of the strike,” Macedo explains, adding that both confederations have pledged to continue mobilizing. However, the UGT was recently reported meeting with government officials, aiming for a “positive restart towards an agreement.”
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/12/17/opposition-to-labor-reform-in-portugal-continues-after-general-strike/EU delays massive free-trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur, European Commission saysThe decision came hours after farmers in tractors blocked roads and set off fireworks in Brussels to protest the trade deal, prompting police to respond with tear gas and water cannons. The farmers brought potatoes and eggs to throw and waged a furious back-and-forth with police. Protesters burned tires and a faux wooden coffin bearing the word “Agriculture.” Their fire unleashed a black cloud that swirled with white tear gas. The European Parliament evacuated some staff due to damage caused by protesters.
https://apnews.com/article/mercosur-brussels-farmers-tractors-88b455dcf234d9a36c6eac675a47e8e0