As part of its naval blockade of Venezuelan oil, the US claims to be looking into a third tanker off Venezuela’s coast. According to the US, sanctions give it the authority to seize ships. Caracas claims that it is piracy. Which is correct, then? explains Soraya Lennie.
Published On 22 Dec 2025
Published On 22 Dec 2025
Following President Donald Trump’s appointment of a special envoy to Greenland, Denmark has summoned the US ambassador.
Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the foreign minister of Denmark, expressed his “deep resentment” over the appointment of Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as the governor of the autonomous Danish territory, which Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex.
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Rasmussen expressed concern over Landry’s comments regarding the appointment, which praised plans to “make Greenland a part of the US.”
He pleaded with Washington to respect Danish sovereignty and said the US ambassador would soon be summoned for “an explanation” in response to the statement, which he described as “totally unacceptable.”
Trump has repeatedly stoked the Nordic state by promising to overthrow Greenland, which is largely self-governing but incorporated into Denmark, despite that country’s alliance with NATO.
Trump has argued for security reasons why the island’s abundance of resources is necessary. He noted in March that the US would “go as far as we have to” and has not ruled out the use of military force to seize control.
The enormous Arctic island is not for sale, according to Danish and Greenland’s leaders, who have stated on numerous occasions that they will decide the country’s future.
The majority of Greenland’s 57, 000 people, according to a poll conducted in January, want to secede from Denmark but do not want to join the US.
On Sunday night, Trump appointed Landry as the country’s ambassador and stated in a statement on his Truth Social platform that the governor of Louisiana “understands how crucial Greenland is to our national security and will strongly advance our country’s interests.”
In a post on X, Landry directly addressed Trump and said, “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position.”
Landry’s appointment, according to Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, “does nothing for us here at home,” adds to the US-Denmark simmering tension.
Following media reports of a US covert influence campaign in Greenland, Denmark summoned the US charge of affairs in August.
A residential building was destroyed in one of the occupied West Bank towns by Israeli forces.
As they began the demolition of East Jerusalem on Monday, soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades. According to Palestinian officials, Israel is engaged in a city-wide displacement campaign as part of a coordinated effort to expel Palestinians from their land.
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As a four-story residential building was torn down by Israeli bulldozers, scores of Palestinians were forced to flee. It was the biggest demolition in the area this year, according to activists.
According to Al Jazeera Arabic correspondents, three bulldozers reportedly destroyed the Wadi Qaddum neighborhood of the Silwan district, south of Jerusalem’s Old City, housing complex with 13 apartments.
Israeli forces deployed heavily throughout the area, blocked nearby roads, and placed security personnel on the rooftops of nearby homes. A young man and a teen boy were detained during the operation.
Because the building had been constructed without a permit, the demolition order was made, according to the residents.
According to activists, Israel’s restrictive planning policies, which they claim are a result of a systematic attempt to ethnically expel Palestinians from their land, present significant challenges for Palestinians in getting building permits.
As the government continues to expand its settlement push, Israel’s security cabinet recently approved the recognition of 19 new settlements in the West Bank. This number increases to 69 in total this year.
The demolition was condemned by the Palestinian Authority-affiliated governorate in Jerusalem.
The governorate stated in a statement that the demolition of the building is part of a “systical policy” that aims to forcefully displaced Palestinian residents and remove the city’s original inhabitants.
“Any demolition that expels residents from their homes results in a clear occupation plan to replace the land’s owners with settlers.”
According to the Jerusalem municipality, an Israeli body whose jurisdiction over East Jerusalem is not recognized by international law, a 2014 court order led to the demolition.
Despite a scheduled meeting on Monday to discuss steps to legalize the building, Israeli human rights organizations Ir Amim and Bimkom claimed the demolition was carried out without warning.
“This is a continuation of a policy,” the statement read. Around 100 East Jerusalem families have lost their homes this year alone, according to the organizations, calling the demolition on Monday the largest of 2025.
In the northern town of Silat al-Harithiya, Israeli forces also damaged agricultural land and uprooted trees.
Israeli forces stormed several neighbourhoods with large numbers of military vehicles, deployed sniper teams, and established positions throughout the city in Halhul, north of Hebron.
Israeli vehicles entered Halhul through several checkpoints, including Nabi Yunis, before closing the checkpoint connecting the city to Hebron, according to Al Jazeera Arabic journalists.
Israeli forces and settlers have sharply increased attacks across the West Bank since Israel started its occupation of Gaza in October 2023.
As Israeli forces destroyed a four-storey residential building causing around 100 people to flee their homes in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians who were being forced to leave their homes. The most recent demolitions in the area targeted Palestinian homes was the latest.
Published On 22 Dec 2025
On the final day of budget negotiations, AK Party members and opposition CHP members brawled in Turkiye’s parliament. Before lawmakers resumed to approve the 2026 budget, the session was briefly suspended.
Published On 22 Dec 2025
A free trade agreement between India and New Zealand is expected to increase trade between the two nations by hundreds of millions of dollars.
The agreement between New Delhi and Wellington was confirmed on Monday, with the announcement that it would be officially signed in the first quarter of next year.
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Due to the uncertainty brought on by US President Donald Trump’s extensive tariffs, governments around the world are making the announcement.
India will be able to export all goods to New Zealand duty-free under the terms of the agreement. About 70% of India’s tariff lines, which cover roughly 95 percent of New Zealand’s exports to India on a gradual basis, will be subject to duty concessions and market access, according to officials.
With anticipated gains in horticulture, wood products, and sheep wool, New Zealand is attempting to expand its exports of dairy, fruit, wool, and wine to India.
Textiles and apparel, engineering goods, leather and footwear, and marine products are expected to be the main industries that India will profit from tariff-free access to New Zealand’s market.
According to the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, New Zealand will commit to investing in India for a $20 billion project over the next 15 years, while skilled Indian professionals should have easier access to the job market in New Zealand.
Countries are less prone to rising protectionism and US import tariff increases as a result of Trump’s unconventional economic policies, which has sparked bilateral trade agreements.
As part of a wider plan to protect its economy, New Delhi has made more efforts to expand its export destinations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi put that pressure on the front foot as he welcomed Vladimir Putin from Russia earlier this month for talks on trade and the inevitably contentious subject of geopolitical tensions.
New Delhi is still attempting to maintain a long-standing balancing act between the West and the East. Piyush Goyal, the country’s commerce minister, said that on Monday. India is also pursuing agreements with the US and Canada in addition to the deal with New Zealand.
According to New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, the deal’s exports to India are projected to increase by $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion annually over the next 20 years.
According to Luxon, “boosting trade means more Kiwi jobs, higher salaries, and more opportunities for hard-working New Zealanders.”
The right-wing New Zealand First, a populist party, has criticized the agreement, though.
According to a statement cited by The New Zealand Herald, party leader Winston Peters claimed the agreement “gives too much away, especially regarding immigration.”
Additionally, the agreement could compromise some Indian sensibilities.
In a nod to those concerns, New Delhi has forbid dairy imports from the agreement, along with a number of animal and vegetable products, including goat meat, onions, and almonds, as well.