WASHINGTON/DAMASCUS -- The Pentagon carried out strikes on multiple Islamic State-linked targets across Syria on Friday in retaliation for a recent attack that killed two U.S. soldiers and one U.S. civilian in the Middle East country, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
"Earlier today, U.S. forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria," Hegseth said in a post on X. (Syria-US-IS-Strike)
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MOSCOW-- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia agrees to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict through negotiations and "the ball is entirely in the court of Ukraine and its European sponsors."
Russia practically agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump's proposals on the Russia-Ukraine conflict during their meeting in the U.S. state of Alaska, Putin said at the annual year-end press conference held at the Kremlin.
"To say that we reject anything is absolutely incorrect and has no basis," he said. (Russia-Ukraine-U.S.)
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WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he does not rule out the possibility of a war with Venezuela.
"I don't rule it out, no," he told NBC News in a phone interview released on Friday. Trump also declined to say whether ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was his ultimate goal.
Trump added that there will be additional seizures of oil tankers. (U.S.-Trump-Venezuela)
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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday released a trove of records from the files related to late financier Jeffrey Epstein, roughly a month after the U.S. Congress approved a bill requiring their release by Dec. 19, with only narrow exceptions.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier in the day that the release would include "several hundred thousand" records, and more would be disclosed in the coming weeks. (US-Justice-Epstein Files)
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MOSCOW -- The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) lowered its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 16 percent on Friday, marking the fifth consecutive rate cut.
In June 2025, the rate was cut for the first time in recent three years, from a record high of 21 percent to 20 percent. The rate was further reduced to 18 percent in July, to 17 percent in September, and to 16.5 percent in October. (Russia-Interest Rate-Cut)
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WARSAW -- The presidents of Poland and Ukraine on Friday reiterated their cooperation on security at a joint press conference in Warsaw. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting Poland for the first time since the inauguration of his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki in August.
Underlining that Poland has been providing staunch support to Ukraine since 2022, Nawrocki said that promoting lasting peace is in the common interest of Poland, Ukraine and Europe as a whole. (Poland-Ukraine)
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KIEV -- Representatives of Europe will take part in peace negotiations between Ukraine and the United States on Friday, Ukraine's top peace negotiator Rustem Umerov said.
"Today in the United States, together with Lieutenant General Andrii Hnatov, we will begin another round of consultations with the American side. At the invitation of the U.S. side, European partners are also involved in this format," Umerov wrote on social media. (Ukraine-Russia- Conflict)
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GAZA -- At least five Palestinians were killed and several others injured Friday evening in an Israeli artillery strike on a school for displaced people in the Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza's Civil Defense said.
Mahmoud Basal, the Civil Defense spokesman, said the school was hit while civilians were inside for a wedding celebration. (Gaza-Israel-Attacks)
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TOKYO -- The Bank of Japan on Friday raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 0.75 percent, its highest level in three decades, and left the door open for more hikes.
At the end of its two-day monetary policy meeting, all nine policy board members, including Governor Kazuo Ueda, voted for the rate hike. (Japan-Interest Rate) Enditem
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