• Environmental Groups Condemn New Laws Threatening Soybean Restrictions in Brazil's Amazon
  
  Dozens of environmental nonprofits issued a manifesto Thursday condemning new laws in Brazilian states that threaten to dismantle the Amazon soy moratorium a landmark voluntary agreement banning trade in soybeans from recently deforested areas.The 18yearold moratorium...
• Syria Faces Crisis and Gaza Heads toward Famine, World Food Program Official Says
  
  The deputy executive director of the U.N. World Food Program has been on whirlwind visits to hotspots in the Middle East and Sudan to assess dire humanitarian situations and escalating demands for food from millions of people trapped or fleeing conflicts.But Carl Skau said...
• Trump Opposed to Ukraine Firing Missiles Deep Into Russia
  
  President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview published Thursday that he disagrees "very vehemently" with Ukraine firing American-supplied missiles deep into Russia. But Trump insisted he would not abandon Ukraine as U.S. support for Kyiv would be key leverage in efforts ...
• China's Xi Likely to Decline Trump's Inauguration Invite
  
  Chinese leader Xi Jinping would likely see President-elect Donald Trump's invitation to attend his inauguration as too risky to accept, and the gesture from Trump may have little bearing on the increasingly competitive ties between the two nations as the White House changes ...
• Report: Hamas Agrees to Hostage Deal, IDF Presence in Gaza
  
  Hamas has agreed to yield to two of Israel's "key demands" for a ceasefire deal in Gaza, including allowing the IDF to remain in Gaza temporarily during the pause in fighting, the Wall Street Journal reports.
• Forever Chemical Byproduct Found in European Mineral Water
  
  A highly persistent chemical byproduct linked to "forever chemicals" has been detected in several mineral water brands across Europe, raising concerns about contamination in products advertised for their purity.
• Canada Tightens Border After Trump-Trudeau Meeting
  
  Amid threats of tariffs and a looming trade war, Canada has initiated plans to tighten its border security after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, the New York Times reported Thursday.
• In Lesotho, UN Chief Guterres Urges Rich Nations to Meet New Commitments on Climate Finance
  
  United Nations SecretaryGeneral António Guterres on Thursday urged rich nations to honor their commitments to help the world's poor countries fight climate change in a speech to Lesotho's Parliament and repeated his hope that Africa would soon have permanent seats on the...
• Congress Warns Biden on China's 'Food Leadership'
  
  Republicans urged President Joe Biden to reject a proposal before the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization's Council that the lawmakers say would "strengthen China's position in the organization, and weaken American agricultural leadership on the world stage."
• Ontario to Restrict Electricity Exports to US and Bar American-made Alcohol If Trump Tariffs Applied
  
  Canada's most populous province may bar Americanmade alcohol in addition to restricting electricity exports to Michigan, New York and Minnesota if U.S. Presidentelect Donald Trump imposes sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products, a senior official said Thursday. The...
• US Offers Up to $5 Million to Disrupt NKorea Revenue
  
  The U.S on Thursday said it's offering a reward of up to $5 million for information on North Korean information technology companies, workers, and related money laundering that it said were generating illicit revenue for Pyongyang.
• NATO Calls for Shift to 'Wartime Mindset'
  
  NATO's top official warned its members on Thursday that the alliance is not prepared for the multiple global threats coalescing at once and that a much greater military spend will be required by all nations in the alliance.
• Rep. Mike Lawler to Newsmax: Afghanistan Withdrawal Is Blinken's 'Legacy'
  
  Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to "shirk responsibility" for "the disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan" during his testimony before Congress on Wednesday, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Newsmax.
• UK Leader Starmer Invited to EU Meeting in Latest Sign of Post-Brexit Thaw
  
  Keir Starmer will attend a meeting of European Union leaders early next year, becoming the first U.K. prime minister to do so since the country's departure from the bloc in 2020.Starmer was invited to the "informal" Feb. 3 meeting in Brussels by European Council President...
• Paraguay Reopens Its Embassy in Jerusalem, Handing Israel a Rare Diplomatic Victory
  
  The small South American nation of Paraguay reopened its embassy in Jerusalem on Thursday, becoming the latest of just a small handful of countries to recognize the bitterly contested city as Israel's capital.The move marks a welcome diplomatic victory for Prime Minister...
• Bolivia Extradites Former Anti-narcotics Chief to the US to Face Drug Trafficking Charges
  
  Bolivia's former antinarcotics chief was extradited to the United States on Thursday to face federal drug trafficking charges in a New York court.Authorities said that Maximiliano Dávila, who served as antinarcotics chief in the final months of Evo Morales ' 20062019...
• Netanyahu: Troops in Syria Buffer Zone Temporarily
  
  Israeli troops positioned inside the buffer zone along the Syrian border are there as a temporary measure to prevent terrorists from committing an Oct. 7-style attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday.
• Syria PM Vows to 'Guarantee' All Religious Groups' Rights
  
  Syria's new interim prime minister pledged to protect minority rights as Washington's top diplomat flew to the region Thursday to urge an "inclusive" transition after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad.
• Rescue Group Saves 11-year-old Girl Floating Alone in the Mediterranean for Days after Shipwreck
  
  An 11yearold girl from Sierra Leone was found floating in the Mediterranean Sea off Italy's southernmost island of Lampedusa, believed to be the only survivor of a shipwrecked migrant boat that had departed from the port of Sfax in Tunisia, a humanitarian group said...
• Thousands Attend Funeral of Taliban Minister Killed by Islamic State Suicide Bombing
  
  Thousands of people attended the funeral Thursday of a Taliban minister killed in a Kabul suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group.The funeral for Khalil Haqqani, the minister for refugees and repatriation, was held in eastern Afghanistan's Paktia province. The...
• Taiwan Detects 16 Chinese Warships Around Island
  
  Taiwan said Thursday it detected 16 Chinese warships in waters around the island, one of the highest numbers this year, as Beijing intensifies military pressure on Taipei.
• Trump Invites China's Xi, Other World Leaders to Inauguration
  
  President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and other foreign leaders to his inauguration next month in Washington, a Trump transition spokesperson said Thursday.
• Xi: Willing to 'Strengthen Strategic Alignment' With Russia
  
  China is willing to strengthen its "strategic alignment" with Russia, Chinese President Xi Jinping told a visiting Russian official Thursday, adding that Beijing and Moscow must maintain close cooperation in multilateral forums.
• Poland Buying $295 Million Worth of US Sky Guardian Drones
  
  Poland has signed a contract with U.S. company General Atomics worth approximately 1.2 billion zlotys ($295 million) to buy MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones, its defense minister said Thursday.
• Tusk, Macron to Talk Troop Security Guarantee for Ukraine
  
  The leaders of France and Poland will hold talks on Ukraine on Thursday, including the possibility of sending European troops there as a security guarantee in the event of a peace deal with Russia, as Europe gears up for the new Trump presidency.

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