Daily SumUp

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, tells Le Monde that the zone would require Ukrainian and Russian forces to both pull back from the front line.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, many European observers have been in a state of wilful denial. They have been hopeful that Trump 2.0 would be largely the same as his first administration where the rhetoric was worse than the reality.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Government statement frames operation as assault on country's sovereignty and natural resources Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 156-day trial, the most high-profile use of Beijing’s draconian national security law, is set to come to a close. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taiwan, trade ties and German access to critical rare earth minerals topped the agenda during German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's first visit to China. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kosovo has started accepting migrants deported from the United States and who are not originally from Kosovo, caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said late on Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Trump administration is reportedly thinking about leaving Europe out and creating a new economic alliance. It would include just the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Canada, and Australia.The idea is to build a “like-minded” group that avoids what Trump insiders see as European bureaucracy, weakness, and constant roadblocks on China, trade, and defense.An official who worked in the White House during Trump's first administration said that the idea of creating a Core 5, or C5, alliance involving the US, China, India, Japan, and Russia is no longer considered particularly shocking.Therefore, current talks of a whole new G7 shouldn’t be surprising either.This means scrap the old G7 and replace it with countries Trump actually wants to deal with.While this could shatter decades of transatlantic unity, supporters of this new G7 group would call it a long-overdue reset that reflects where the real geopolitical power is shifting.It is a bold move that could reshape Western diplomacy entirely.A G7 without Europe? That’s not a summit, that’s a statement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chile votes in a presidential runoff Sunday between two sharply different candidates: Jeannette Jara, a communist backed by a broad left coalition, and Jose Antonio Kast, a devout far-right politico promising a hard line on security and migration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live: Zelensky says ceasefire must be in place before Ukraine can hold elections Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Trump is touting his administration's new "gold card" visa as a fast track for foreigners who are willing and able to pay $1 million for the right to immigrate to the U.S.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Poland’s Ministry of Defense has asked Google to obscure its Street View imagery of military installations after years of detailed visuals remain publicly accessible.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pakistan military court sentences ex-spy chief Faiz Hameed to 14 years in prison Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bangladesh prepares for a pivotal vote as the interim government struggles to restore stability and trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US has proposed Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donetsk region and create a "special economic zone" in the areas it currently controls, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 The United States sent nuclear-capable bombers, accompanied by Japanese fighter jets over the Sea of Japan in the first military show of force by the two allies since a bitter feud erupted between Japan and China last month.The drills included two U.S. B-52 strategic bombers and six Japanese F-35 and F-15 fighter jets, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry's Joint Staff."This bilateral exercise reaffirms the strong will between Japan and U.S. not to tolerate unilateral changes to the status quo by force," Japan's Joint Staff said in a statement — language that Japan often uses to refer to the status of Taiwan, a self-governed island that China claims as part of its territory.This follows joint drills by Chinese and Russian strategic bombers and fighters on Tuesday that prompted Japan and South Korea to scramble planes to monitor them. South Korea lodged a diplomatic protest over the incident. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chancellor Merz says Kyiv and European allies have prepared a new Ukraine peace proposal and discussed it with US President Trump during their recent phone call Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President says European leaders are weak and Russia holds the cards in any peace talks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reaffirmed his support to Venezuela in a phone call with longtime ally President Nicolás Maduro, the Kremlin said. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

María Corina Machado said Thursday in Oslo, where she collected the award, that President Donald Trump's "decisive" actions had made the Venezuelan regime "weaker than ever." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The M23 rebel group consolidated control over the strategic town of Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, residents said, as Kinshasa warned that the Rwanda-backed advance could derail U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to broker peace in the region. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Japan's government on Monday submitted the draft of a huge supplementary budget covering the period through March for debate in the Diet. It is mainly aimed at cushioning the impact of inflation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bulgarian government resigns after mass anti-corruption protests Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disney has signed a deal with OpenAI to let the firm's video generation tool produce short videos featuring more than 200 Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars characters.The Walt Disney Company has announced a sweeping partnership with OpenAI that will see it take a $1bn (€852mn) stake in the tech giant. The deal will notably allow cult Disney characters to appear in AI-generated short videos created through Sora, OpenAI’s generative video platform.The licensing agreement marks the first time a major entertainment studio has licensed their intellectual property to a large-scale AI video tool. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia said ‌on ​Thursday that Ukraine ‌had launched a major aerial attack ​with at least 287 drones downed over a ‍number of regions including ​Moscow.Russia's defence ministry said at least ​40 drones ⁠were shot down over the Moscow region, which along with the city itself has a population of more than 22 million.The extent of the ‌damage was not immediately clear but flights were diverted ​from ‌at all of Moscow ‍main ⁠airports.Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and currently controls a little under one fifth of Ukrainian territory.Russia has pummelled its smaller neighbour with missiles and drones, recently targeting its energy sector. Ukraine this ​year sought to knock out Russian oil refineries and oil terminals with drones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Trump on Thursday pressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to end the chamber’s blue slip tradition, which Trump complained has gotten in the way of confirming many of his judge and attorney nominees. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More than 1,000 suspects have been identified in a global sting to crack down on illegal trafficking.Almost 30,000 live animals have been seized following a global operation against the illegal trafficking of wild fauna and flora.Following months of preparation, law enforcement agencies, including police, border security, and wildlife authorities from 134 countries, shared intelligence to identify and disrupt “sophisticated” criminal networks.Known as Operation Thunder, and coordinated by INTERPOL and the World Customs Organisation (WCO), the collective effort saw a record-breaking 4,460 seizures from 15 September to 15 October. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

European leaders confirm that they spoke with the US president earlier today about ‘the state of talks’  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Half a million evacuees in Cambodia and Thailand were sheltering in pagodas, schools and other safe havens on Wednesday after fleeing fresh fighting in a long-standing border dispute in which US President Donald Trump has vowed to again intercede. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swiss watchmakers can claim refunds on higher tariffs paid over the past two months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The drivers of trucks stranded at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border have reacted with understanding to the current situation, State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Aleksandr Volfovich said on the air of the First News TV channel, BelTA has learned. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The thieves who stole crown jewels from the Louvre in October evaded police with just 30 seconds to spare because of avoidable security failures at the Paris museum, a damning investigation has revealed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A woman in Cebu risked her life to rescue her dogs from a burning building on December 10, 2025; Identified as Eimeilee Maningo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia on Wednesday became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access in a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates but criticised by major technology companies and free-speech advocates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he was ready to hold new elections in Ukraine provided security could be assured, and that he expected to send Washington within a day revised proposals on ending the nearly four-year war with Russia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a real chance of a US-Venezuela war — so why does it feel fake? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Their wealth multiplied thanks to cryptocurrency ventures, real-estate deals, and shares in companies tied to finance and defense.Donald Trump Jr.’s net worth jumped from about $50 million to roughly $300 million in a year.At its peak in the fall, it reached around $500 million, but shares of his mining company American Bitcoin later dropped. He also made money on real-estate projects and on stocks of companies connected to government contracts.Eric Trump has become the wealthiest heir. His fortune is estimated at around $400 million.Barron Trump, according to Forbes, has accumulated about $150 million. He was the first in the family to take an interest in cryptocurrencies and pushed his father to launch crypto initiatives.Barron holds billions of tokens that are still locked. Once they are unlocked, he could make more than $500 million.Image Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some visitors to the United States may soon have to provide their social media history from the prior five years to enter the country, according to a new Trump administration proposal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CHINA JUST KILLED THE SILICON TAX 48 hours. That is how long Trump's Nvidia deal survived before Beijing unveiled its response. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

South Korea’s entertainment industry is ending 2025 in turmoil as a rapid succession of revelations and allegations engulf some of its biggest stars.Actor Cho Jin-woong’s abrupt retirement, comedienne Park Na-rae’s escalating legal battle with her former managers and comedian Jo Se-ho’s alleged ties to organised crime have left TV networks scrambling and the industry on edge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Skild AI, backed by NVIDIA and Softbank is aiming to create a super unique robot omni brain by training a regiment of 100,000 different simulated robots across a "millennia of simulated time" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia on Wednesday said it was still awaiting a formal answer from Washington on President Vladimir Putin's proposal to jointly stick to the last remaining Russian-U.S. arms control treaty, which expires in less than two months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Work will begin to adopt the declaration in Moldova in May 2026 following a meeting of ministers in Strasbourg on Wednesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

South Korea deployed military aircraft after seven Russian warplanes and two Chinese aircraft entered an air identification zone maintained by Seoul. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cambodia’s powerful Senate President Hun Sen on Tuesday vowed a fierce fight against Thailand as a second day of widespread renewed combatbetween the Southeast Asian neighbors drove tens of thousands of people to flee border areas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The PLAN’s deployments – the biggest to date – stretched from the southern Yellow Sea through the East and South China Seas and deep into the Western Pacific. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The troubling lack of data behind Australia's social media ban on children Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US sanctions Colombian citizens for recruiting fighters for Sudan’s war Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Donald Trump is doubling down on his increasingly harsh criticism of the U.S.’s European allies as he faces pushback from European leaders over his Administration's new national security strategy, calling Europe “weak” and “decaying” and intensifying his attacks on its migration policies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

These comments will do nothing to reassure European leaders concerned about the anti-EU outbursts over the weekend coming from the American right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pope Leo XIV and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky “focused on the war in Ukraine” when they met at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo this morning, Dec. 9, the Vatican said.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.