US demands Venezuela halt all economic ties with China, Russia, Iran and CubaABC News reported on Tuesday that Washington had sent a demand to Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez for her government to “kick out China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba and sever economic ties” with those nations. The report also said the White House was demanding that Caracas agree to “exclusive co-operation with the US in the field of oil production.” But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters: “Venezuela is a sovereign state, possessing full and inalienable sovereignty over its natural resources.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/us-demands-venezuela-halt-all-economic-ties-china-russia-iran-and-cubaMexico becomes crucial fuel supplier to Cuba but pledges no extra shipments after Maduro toppledMexican President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged on Wednesday that “with the current situation in Venezuela, Mexico has become an important supplier” of crude oil to Cuba, but asserted that “no more oil is being sent than has been sent historically; there is no specific shipment.” She added that those shipments are made via “contracts” or as “humanitarian aid,” but offered no concrete figures on the number of barrels exported.
https://apnews.com/article/mexico-cuba-petroleum-oil-shipments-trump-venezuela-7ec85826c98f23226c2534954b2c2b6fBurkina Faso authorities say new coup plot foiled, arrests underwaySpeaking in a televised address, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Security, Mahamadou Sana, said the plan involved a coordinated effort to destabilise the country through a series of targeted assassinations. He stated that the plot was scheduled to begin at around 11 p.m. and would have targeted both civilian and military leaders. According to Sana, the alleged plan included attempts to neutralise the head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, either at close range or through an operation aimed at mining his residence. “A plan was in place to destabilise the country through targeted assassinations,” the minister said.
https://www.africanews.com/2026/01/07/burkina-faso-authorities-say-new-coup-plot-foiled-arrests-underway/Yemen's STC says delegation in Riyadh disappeared onto bus and all contact lostAfter the STC said earlier on Wednesday that it had lost contact with the delegation, a post appeared on the X account of Mohammed al-Gaithi, a senior STC official, which said that he had arrived in the Saudi capital "in a positive atmosphere" and would begin a series of meetings. However, Bidh said that family members of the delegation had heard nothing from their relatives, and had also reached out to Saudi authorities - who did not respond.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/stc-yemen-delegation-saudi-arabia-disappeared-contactThousands flee as Syrian army closes Aleppo’s Kurdish areas amid clashesTens of thousands of people have fled their homes in Aleppo after the Syrian army declared two Kurdish neighbourhoods “closed military zones” amid a second day of clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The directorate for social affairs said on Wednesday night that more than 45,000 people had been displaced from the city due to the fighting, most of them heading northwest towards the enclave of Afrin.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/7/syria-designates-aleppos-kurdish-areas-closed-military-zones-as-clashes-persisthttps://archive.ph/TXox9Palestine Action hunger striker hospitalised for sixth timeKamran Ahmed, 28, was taken to hospital from HMP Pentonville at 1am after abnormal ECG readings of his heart rate, Prisoners for Palestine campaign group said. He is one of three remaining hunger strikers alongside Heba Muraisi, 31, who marked her 66th day today and Lewie Chiaramello, 22, who is refusing food every other day because he’s diabetic.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/palestine-action-hunger-striker-hospitalised-sixth-timeUK watchdog fines ex-Carillion finance directors after they drop appealsCarillion, which was once one of Britain's biggest contractors with 43,000 employees, collapsed in January 2018 under 7 billion pounds ($9.45 billion) of liabilities, disrupting public services and major projects. Adam and Khan had been fined 232,800 pounds and 138,900 pounds, respectively, after dropping their appeals, the FCA said in a statement, less than the 318,000 pounds and 154,400 pounds penalties the regulator set out in its 2022 decision notices.
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-watchdog-fines-ex-carillion-finance-chiefs-over-misleading-statements-2026-01-07/Gen Z protesters in Nepal are angry at the government they installedSo far the government’s anti-graft agency has filed one significant corruption case that does not include key political figures. The politicians accused of corruption by protesters are preparing to contest upcoming elections and there has been no case filed against leaders who were in power when protesters were injured in September. Dozens of demonstrators, including some who were injured in September, recently have protested against the government they brought to power. These protests outside the prime minister’s office has been held in the past few weeks with police forced to break some of them.
https://apnews.com/article/nepal-gen-z-protests-election-karki-c0e31196bce52064ac577e04170212c2Labour migration became complex in 2025: RMMRULabour migration from Bangladesh became more complex in 2025 due to weak governance, persistent dominance of recruitment syndicates, high migration costs and a rise in unskilled and undocumented migration, said a report on the state of overseas migration. The Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit launched the report at the National Press Club in Dhaka city on Wednesday when it said that although overall overseas migration increased by 12 per cent in 2025 than the last year, but female migration sharply declined.
https://www.newagebd.net/post/country/287479/labour-migration-became-complex-in-2025-rmmruSouth Korean leader says he asked China’s Xi to act as mediator on North Korea issuesChina is North Korea’s biggest trading partner and major diplomatic backer. South Korea and the U.S. have repeatedly asked China to use its unique influence to persuade North Korea to resume long-dormant diplomacy or denuclearize. China has urged all parties involved in North Korean issues to exercise restraint, and in recent years repeatedly blocked the U.S. and others’ attempts to toughen sanctions on North Korea despite its weapons tests banned under U.N. resolutions.
https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-china-lee-xi-north-korea-nuclear-5fc31c50b486770b4a5c9b90c284f0eb