Venezuelan oil exports drop sharply after U.S. tanker seizure
Venezuela’s oil shipments have plunged following the United States’ seizure of a tanker earlier this week....
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development agency (UNCTAD) faces deep staffing cuts amid a global funding crisis, raising concerns about its ability to support developing nations navigating economic shocks like U.S. tariffs.
These cuts, the largest in the agency’s history, come amid a broader funding crisis affecting the entire U.N. system.
Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan warned the move will seriously limit UNCTAD’s ability to respond to the growing demand from developing countries, particularly as they seek guidance on the effects of global trade shifts, including U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
UNCTAD is included in the broader cost-reduction initiative across the U.N., driven by a notable decline in funding, partly due to decreased U.S. contributions and ongoing liquidity issues.
The U.N. Secretariat plans to reduce its total $3.7 billion budget by 20%, with various agencies—such as the human rights office in Geneva, facing requests to downsize operations.
The proposed budget for UNCTAD will be reviewed and finalized by the U.N. Secretariat and member states in September.
Japan has lifted a tsunami advisory issued after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 hit the country's northeastern region on Friday (12 December), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The JMA had earlier put the earthquake's preliminary magnitude at 6.7.
The United States issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela on Thursday, imposing curbs on three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington ramps up pressure on Caracas.
Iran is preparing to host a multilateral regional meeting next week in a bid to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Kyiv has escalated its naval campaign against Moscow’s economic lifelines, claiming a successful strike on a vessel suspected of skirting international sanctions within the Black Sea.
An extratropical cyclone has caused widespread disruption across Brazil’s São Paulo state, with powerful winds toppling trees and power lines, blocking streets and leaving large parts of the region without electricity.
The U.S. Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.50% to 3.75% following its two-day policy meeting, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday, 10 December.
China has carried out a major test of a new “super wireless” rail convoy, a technology that could reshape the future of heavy-haul transport.
Paramount Skydance (PSKY.O) has launched a $108.4 billion hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O). The escalation follows a high-stakes battle that had appeared to end last week when Netflix secured a $72 billion deal for the studio giant’s assets.
U.S. industrial production rose by 0.1% in September, rebounding after a decline in August, while capacity utilisation remained unchanged, according to Federal Reserve data on Wednesday.
Google’s YouTube has announced a “disappointing update” for millions of Australian users and creators, confirming it will comply with the country’s world-first ban on social media access for under-16s by locking affected users out of their accounts within days.
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