Lula Vetoes Law That Would Have Reduced Sentences for Coup Plotters in BrazilIn an act laden with democratic symbolism, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva exercised his total veto power on Thursday, January 8, to halt the Dosimetry Law, a bill promoted by the right wing in Brazil’s National Congress that would have benefited, among others, former President Jair Bolsonaro.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/lula-vetoes-law-that-would-have-reduced-sentences-for-coup-plotters-in-brazil/Venezuela to release prisoners in 'peace' gesture' Venezuela released citizens and foreigners from its prisons on Thursday in what a top government official described as a gesture to “seek peace” less than a week after former President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces to face federal drug-trafficking charges in New York. Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez and head of the National Assembly, said a “significant number” of people would be freed, but he was not specific about how many or provide names.
https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-political-prisoners-garcia-peace-us-fe90dc9364dc50ffee47569f7190940cUS set to file criminal charges against the crew of seized Russian-flagged oil tankerUS Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media that the crew of the Marinera, also known as the Bella 1, undertook “frantic efforts to avoid apprehension” of the tanker, which was allegedly “responsible for transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.” She added: “As a consequence of failing to obey the coastguard’s orders, members of this vessel are under full investigation and criminal charges will be pursued against all culpable actors.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/us-set-file-criminal-charges-against-crew-seized-russian-flagged-oil-tankerFrench farmers stage protest in Paris to oppose EU-Mercosur trade dealThe farmers blockaded motorways outside Paris on Thursday and dozens of tractors overran police checkpoints to reach the city centre in a pre-dawn protest organised by the Coordination Rurale union. EU states are due to vote on Friday on the deal with Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, the four members of the South American trade bloc known as Mercosur. If ratified, it would create a common market of nearly 800 million people, boosting EU exports of vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/08/french-farmers-paris-protest-eu-mercosur-trade-dealRMT threaten 'mass industrial action' over any attempt to automate TubeShe pledged to automate every Tube train unless the unions and Transport for London (TfL) “start working for Londoners.” A spokesperson for the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said: “Upgrading just three lines on London Underground would cost in the region of £20 billion. “TfL does not believe it is economically viable and it would not be safe. “Drivers on the Tube perform a skilled and an essential safety-critical role every day.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/rmt-threaten-mass-industrial-action-over-any-attempt-automate-tubeGlobal Minds Initiative, the program seeking to attract top talent to Germany on the back of US brain drainThe Trump administration is making it increasingly difficult to work in the United States, leading many highly qualified researchers and professionals to seek opportunities in other markets abroad. Germany wants to capitalize on this unusual brain drain to address its long-standing shortage of skilled labor, a problem experts predict will worsen in the coming years due to demographic shifts.
https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2026-01-07/global-minds-initiative-the-program-seeking-to-attract-top-talent-to-germany-on-the-back-of-us-brain-drain.htmlhttps://archive.ph/SAYTnIsrael proposed using PA funds to cover cost of Gaza rubble clearance — officialIsrael has proposed using a portion of the several billions of dollars in clearance revenues it is withholding from the Palestinian Authority to pay for the clearing of rubble for construction projects in Gaza, a PA official told The Times of Israel on Thursday. Another idea proposed by Israel was using the clearance revenues to cover the cost of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s operations during the war, according to the PA official.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-proposed-using-pa-funds-to-cover-cost-of-gaza-rubble-clearance-official/https://archive.ph/afhdJKurds in Turkey protest over Syria Aleppo offensiveSeveral hundred people gathered in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey's main Kurdish-majority city, while hundreds more joined a protest in Istanbul that was roughly broken up by riot police who arrested around 25 people, the pro-Kurdish DEM party said. In the capital, Ankara, DEM lawmakers protested in front of the Turkish parliament, denouncing the targeting of Kurds in Aleppo as a crime against humanity.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/01/kurds-turkey-protest-over-syria-aleppo-offensiveYemen: STC control evaporates in Aden as its would-be capital switches sidesAden has been a heartland of the STC’s support, and is the capital the separatists envisaged for the future independent state of South Arabia. But now its leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, has been accused by Saudi Arabia of fleeing to the UAE via Somaliland. And the stunning gains that the STC made last month, when it seized control over the provinces of Hadhramaut and al-Mahrah, have been suddenly and rapidly reversed by the Riyadh-backed Homeland Shield Forces (HSF), who are moving towards Aden under the cover of Saudi air strikes.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-stc-control-evaporates-aden-its-would-be-capital-switches-sides