03 World

Bangladesh sets February election after year of political upheaval | Elections News– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

In a televised address on Thursday, the chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin confirmed the date and said a national referendum on political reforms would also be held on the same day.

The announcement comes as the interim administration struggles to steady the political landscape. The caretaker government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has faced renewed demonstrations over delays to political and institutional reforms promised after Hasina’s removal from power.

Hasina’s party remains excluded from the ballot, and its leaders have warned that unrest could escalate as the campaign gathers pace.

Yunus framed the election schedule as a turning point, saying the country had moved closer to reclaiming democratic norms. “Bangladesh’s democratic journey has crossed an important milestone, strengthening the new path the nation has taken after the historic mass uprising,” he said.

U.S. Federal Reserve cuts key rate but signals higher bar for future reductions– japantoday.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

The Federal Reserve reduced its key interest rate by a quarter-point for the third time in a row Wednesday but signaled that it may leave rates unchanged in the coming months, a move that could attract ire from President Donald Trump, who has demanded steep reductions to borrowing costs.

In a statement released after a two-day meeting, the Fed’s rate-setting committee suggested further rate cuts would depend on signs that the economy is faltering. And in a set of quarterly economic projections, Fed officials signaled they expect to lower rates just once next year.

Wednesday’s cut reduced the rate to about 3.6%, the lowest it has been in nearly three years. Lower rates from the Fed can bring down borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards over time, though market forces can also affect those rates.

A DOJ That Still Chases ‘Russian Hackers’ Will Never Reckon With Russiagate– thefederalist.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

With the indictment against former FBI Director James Comey dismissed on procedural grounds, we are back at square one on accountability for the Russia collusion hoax. There are some reports that Jason Reding, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, is examining the wider conspiracy involving Comey and several other key Russiagate figures who worked to conceal that the entire operation originated with the Clinton campaign. However, we have no clear sense of where that inquiry stands or whether it is moving at all.

What we do know is that any honest reckoning with Russiagate runs straight into a structural contradiction that would have haunted any prosecution of Comey and will continue to undermine any future attempt to hold the architects of the hoax to account.

No one has confronted the central problem that it is not logically or legally coherent to allege a domestic conspiracy to invent Russian collusion. At the same time, the Department of Justice keeps prosecuting Russian nationals for allegedly interfering in the 2016 election to help Trump.

Canadian Pastor Arrested for Refusing to Apologize for Drag Queen Protest– www.louderwithcrowder.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

Did you need any more evidence that Canada is no longer a free country? No? I didn’t think so. Well, here is yet another reason why it isn’t one — not that you needed more examples, but I digress.

A Canadian pastor has been arrested for refusing to apologize to a Calgary Public Library manager after he criticized their drag programming.

According to Rebel News:

Calgary street pastor Derek Reimer has been arrested this afternoon after refusing to comply with a court order requiring him to write a formal apology to a Calgary Public Library manager.

The case stems from Reimer’s opposition to a drag queen story hour for children held at a Calgary public library. During the controversy surrounding the event, Reimer had an interaction with library staff and later posted online about the library manager involved, identifying her and criticizing her in connection to the drag programming.

European leaders gather over Ukraine aid and Russian frozen assets– www.france24.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

Leaders of the “Coalition of the Willing” supporting Ukraine will hold a follow-up videoconference on Thursday, with President Zelensky participating, the French presidency said. European countries are struggling to make up for halted US aid, as overall support for Ukraine has dropped in 2025. While France, Germany, and the UK have increased contributions, Italy and Spain have cut or stopped aid. The European Commission plans to use frozen Russian assets for a major Ukraine loan package, but the proposal faces resistance, especially from Belgium. FRANCE 24’s Dave Keating has the details.
from www.france24.com

US lawmakers voice concerns about Venezuelan tanker seizure: ‘sounds a lot like the beginning of a war’ – US politics live | US news– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

When Pete Hegseth was made Donald Trump’s secretary of war, there was shock and consternation. Since then he has put highly classified plans to bomb Yemen on a group chat and ordered executions of Venezuelans in the sea, reportedly insisting they “kill everybody”, even when the survivors who were seen clinging to a boat could pose no threat.

The former Fox News talkshow host holds one of the most powerful jobs in the world and has come to it with a clear ideology. He wants to bring his “warrior culture” to the US military. Joseph Gedeon, a breaking news reporter for the Guardian US, tells Nosheen Iqbal:

His whole thing is about what he calls the warrior ethos. His whole message is that America fights with one hand tied behind its back because of lawyers, oversight and cultural distractions.

Venezuelan opposition leader makes first public appearance in months– www.france24.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

Maria Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, appeared publicly for the first time in nearly a year Thursday, waving to supporters from her Oslo hotel balcony. Her daughter accepted the award on her behalf Wednesday, as Machado arrived in Norway only hours later, ending a long period in hiding under Maduro’s regime.
from www.france24.com

Trump sanctions Venezuelan model over alleged support for Tren de Aragua– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

President Donald Trump leveled sanctions against a major Venezuelan model and influencer over her alleged support for the Tren de Aragua gang.

Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, also known as Rosita, is a famous Venezuelan model, influencer, and DJ who performs at clubs internationally. She’s known for her sizable social media presence, boasting over 3.5 million followers on Instagram, where she posts videos showcasing her glamorous lifestyle. She’s also “romantically linked” to the leader of TdA, Niño Guerrero, and one of the most notable members of the entertainment industry to provide critical support for the deadly TdA.

The designated foreign terrorist organization is known for crimes, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, sexual exploitation of women and children, money laundering, and murder-for-hire, according to the Treasury Department.

Trump claims Zelensky ‘hasn’t read’ peace plan– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

The president spoke with reporters on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where he is due to host an honors ceremony. Asked for an update on the Ukraine peace talks, which have accelerated in the last week, Trump aired out his dissatisfaction with Zelensky.

“I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal. That was as of a few hours ago,” he said. “His people love it, but he hasn’t [read it].”

Trump also said he believes Russia’s “fine” with the plan, though added they would “rather have the whole country” of Ukraine.

“But I’m not sure that Zelensky’s fine with it. His people love it, but he hasn’t read it. So, someday you’ll explain that one to me,” the president added.

Trump’s comments are surprising given that negotiations between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in Florida last week were described positively by both sides.

Canada considers creating national ID system using digital passports for domestic use– www.lifesitenews.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

Without oversight from elected federal MPs, Canada’s Department of Immigration had research done to investigate a national ID system using digital passports for domestic use and how such a system would be enforced.

According to Access to Information documents, a senior analyst wrote in a staff email, “One of the things that came up in our discussions with Canadian Digital Services is the assumption the passport would be used within Canada as an identity document.”

“This warrants a policy discussion,” the staff email added.

MPs have soundly rejected any national ID system as both dangerous and costly.

Trump administration denies existence of leaked strategy that calls for pulling EU states away from Brussels– rmx.news

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy was published last week, setting out the U.S.’s broad foreign policy direction for the remainder of his term. It focused on ending what it calls a “perpetually expanding NATO,” establishing “conditions of stability within Europe,” and encouraging European allies to “stand on [their] own feet” in security matters.

The document also warned that Europe faces “civilizational erasure,” citing migration, censorship of speech, declining birthrates, and what it described as a loss of national identity and self-confidence.

Days after the official release, however, the Defense One website reported that a longer, unreleased version of the NSS had circulated in Washington. According to the site, the unpublished version contained far more explicit political goals for reshaping Europe’s future and reducing the influence of the European Union. Defense One wrote that the extended draft urged the United States to “Make Europe Great Again,” proposing that Washington realign its attention toward a select group of governments ideologically closer to the Trump administration.

AI’s Creative Destruction Hits the Creators | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

Artificial intelligence is putting the creative professions through a round of creative destruction. Generative tools such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Sora have handed millions of amateurs the means to produce competent art, prose and even studio-quality video at or next to nothing. Disney’s just-announced $1 billion investment in OpenAI, and its plan to let Sora users conjure up scenes featuring more than 200 Disney, Marvel and Star Wars characters, will push the trend further. A teenager with a smartphone may soon generate a convincing Pixar-style short without ever lifting a pencil.

But the same tools are unsettling the people who built careers around those once-scarce skills. If anyone can summon photorealistic imagery or Hollywood-grade effects on command, what happens to illustrators, designers, or voice actors who spent decades perfecting craft?

US preparing to seize more tankers off Venezuela’s coast after first ship taken, sources say– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser December 12, 2025 0

Blurb:

Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA did not reply to a request for comment. Venezuela’s government this week said the US seizure constituted a “theft.” The White House National Security Council did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The US has assembled a target list of several more sanctioned tankers for possible seizure, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.

The US Justice Department and Homeland Security had been planning the seizures for months, according to two of the people.

A reduction or halt in Venezuelan oil exports, the main generator of revenue for the Venezuelan government, would strain the Maduro government’s finances.