AnewZ Morning Brief - 17 December, 2025
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 17th of December, covering the latest developments you need to...
South Korea’s chief trade negotiator, Yeo Han-koo, will travel to the United States from June 22 to 27 for a new round of high-level discussions aimed at resolving escalating trade tensions, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on Saturday.
Yeo is expected to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and engage in the third round of bilateral technical talks. While the ministry did not disclose the full details of the meetings, officials confirmed that the discussions will centre around the current tariff impasse and the path toward a resolution.
The visit comes at a critical juncture, as South Korea faces a two-pronged tariff regime imposed by the United States — a 10% blanket duty and a 25% country-specific tariff. The latter was temporarily suspended for 90 days following initial negotiations in late April, during which both countries agreed to pursue a mutually acceptable deal by July 8.
South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, is under pressure to secure relief from the tariffs, which have weighed heavily on exports and industrial output. The urgency is heightened by the country’s unexpected economic contraction in the first quarter, a downturn attributed in part to U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping protectionist measures and domestic instability following the December imposition of martial law by former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Trade officials say the upcoming Washington visit could be decisive in shaping a longer-term agreement. “We are approaching the final window to produce a sustainable outcome before the temporary tariff suspension expires,” one official told Reuters.
Observers expect the talks to also touch on semiconductor exports, automotive access, and strategic supply chain resilience — sectors where U.S.-Korea cooperation remains critical amid intensifying global economic shifts.
As the July 8 deadline approaches, both sides face mounting pressure to demonstrate progress and prevent a renewed disruption of bilateral trade, which totaled over $180 billion in 2024.
At least 37 people have been killed in flash floods triggered by torrential rain in Morocco's Atlantic coastal province of Safi, Moroccan authorities said on Monday (15 December).
Fighting along the Thailand–Cambodia border has entered a fifth consecutive day, despite U.S. President Donald Trump claiming he had brokered a ceasefire between the two sides.
Authorities discovered the lifeless bodies of renowned filmmaker Rob Reiner, aged 78, and his wife, Michele Reiner, 68, in their upscale Brentwood home in Los Angeles on Sunday. The police investigation has labeled the incident an apparent homicide.
Schools across Cambodia and Thailand were forced to close on Monday (15 December) as border clashes between the two countries escalated, with the death toll reaching at least 40 and hundreds of thousands of people displaced, according to officials and local media.
Cambodia must be the first to declare a ceasefire in the ongoing border conflict, Thailand said on Tuesday (16 December), as fighting continued despite earlier claims that hostilities would stop and at least 52 people have been killed on both sides.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 17th of December, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The younger son of Hollywood filmmaker and political activist Rob Reiner was formally charged on Tuesday (16 December) with first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, who were found slain in their Los Angeles home over the weekend.
Police in Australia said on Wednesday (17 December) they had charged a man who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish event on Sydney's Bondi Beach with 59 offences, including a terror charge. It was Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in more than 30 years.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela on Tuesday (16 December), in Washington's latest move to increase pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government, targeting its main source of income.
Austria’s public broadcaster ORF, which is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest next year, has said it will not block Palestinian flags in the audience or suppress crowd reactions during Israel’s performance.
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