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US Admiral Leading US Troops in Latin America to Step Down
Admiral John F. Kelly, commander of U.S. forces in Latin America, will retire on Friday two years earlier than planned. This is due to the rising tensions with Venezuela. Three?U.S. Two people who are familiar with the situation and three?U.S. Hegseth was said to have grown frustrated by Southern Command's efforts to expand U.S. military planning and operations in the region. A senior official confirmed that the discussion about whether Hegseth was going to dismiss Holsey began roughly two weeks prior to his surprise departure. Holsey's early retirement has not been explained publicly. Some officials privately speculated that he was against recent U.S. attacks on suspected drug ships in the Caribbean. According to Politico, Holsey claimed that in a meeting held behind closed doors with senior lawmakers, his decision had nothing to with the operations under his command. Holsey's deputy, Air Force Lieutenant General Evan Pettus will officially take over the command of U.S. Southern Command during a Friday morning ceremony. Pettus will be the acting head of U.S. Southern Command. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, President Donald Trump will nominate Lieutenant-General Frank Donovan as Holsey’s permanent successor. The source warned that the nomination was not finalized yet and could still change. Holsey’s premature retirement is not only rare, but also not unprecedented. In 2008, Central Command Commander Admiral William Fallon retired after a year of overseeing U.S. forces in the Middle East. He had made comments about Iran and other issues which irked Bush administration. Holsey's departure is the latest of a number of senior officers who have left their posts since Hegseth assumed control over the Pentagon. C.Q., the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and others have left abruptly. Brown and Lisa Franchetti who was the top naval officer at the time, the first woman in that position, were both sacked. MONROE DOCUMENT REVIVAL? Holsey leaves as Trump signals a major shift in foreign policy. This week, a strategy document called for reviving 19th century Monroe Doctrine that declared the Western?Hemisphere Washington's zone. The U.S. has increased its military presence in the Caribbean, including deploying an aircraft carrier strike force. This policy change is also reflected by the new U.S. deployments of training to a revived jungle?school?in Panama. Trump has increased pressure in recent months on Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Washington accuses Maduro of drug trafficking, which Maduro denies. Maduro says the U.S. military buildup is aimed at toppling him and grabbing Venezuela's oil. The U.S. Coast Guard seized an oil tanker from Venezuela on Wednesday, the first time the country has interdicted Venezuelan crude oil since the U.S. sanctions have been in place. Trump's military actions against alleged drug traffickers have come under scrutiny after a decision on September 2 to launch a second attack on a suspected boat of drugs in the Caribbean. The Law of War Manual of the Defense Department forbids attacking combatants who are incapacitated or unconscious, or those who have been shipwrecked as long as these individuals abstain from hostile acts and do not try to escape. The manual lists firing on shipwreck survivors among the "clearly unlawful" orders that should be rejected. The Trump administration has described the attacks as an attack on drug cartels. They have called them armed groups, and said that the drugs brought to the United States killed Americans. (Reporting and editing by Ros Russell; Additional reporting by Idrees Al; Reporting by Phil Stewart)
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AfDB loans Morocco $316 Million for airport improvements ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup
The African Development Bank (AfDB), announced on Friday that it would lend Morocco 270 millions euros ($316 million) to upgrade the country's airport infrastructure before hosting FIFA World Cup 2030. Morocco will invest $4 billion to increase the capacity of its airports to 80 million passengers by 2030. The current number is 38 million. This investment is part of a plan to prepare for an influx in tourists ahead of the World Cup which Morocco will be co-hosting with Spain and Portugal. Morocco, the most visited country in Africa last year, is already on track to'set a new record for tourism' by 2025. The country has reported 18 million arrivals as of November, compared to 17.4 million total arrivals during 2024. AfDB announced in a statement that the loan would help modernise airport equipment and expand passenger terminals at key tourist hubs such as Marrakech, Agadir and Tangier. This financing brings the total AfDB commitments this year to?Morocco to 1.3 billion euro, reaffirming the position of the country as the largest client of the?bank. The Moroccan government is also expanding the fleet of the state-owned airline Royal Air Maroc in order to strengthen its role as a regional hub connecting Africa with Europe, the Americas and Asia through its Casablanca based. $1 = 9.1922 Moroccan Dirham (Reporting and editing by Susan Fenton; Ahmed El Jechtimi)
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Asia spot prices near 2-year low due to ample supply and mild weather
The Asian spot price of liquefied gas fell to its lowest level in 20 months due to ample supplies and mild temperatures, which encouraged some importers who were 'price sensitive'. Average LNG price for delivery to northeast Asia in January Industry sources estimate that the price per million British thermal units was $10, down from $10.66/mmBtu last week. Estimated price for February was $9.60/mmBtu. Kesher Sumeet is a senior LNG analyst with Energy Aspects. He said that the mild weather and continued global LNG loadings continue to exert downward pressure on Asian gas prices. The 10-year average for heating degree days in the region is expected to be below that of the next two weeks following a brief cold spell in the first week December. HDDs are used to estimate the demand for heating?homes or businesses' by measuring how many degrees below 65 degrees Fahrenheit ( 18 degrees Celsius) a day’s average temperature. Sumeet?added softer prices had encouraged some Indian buyers as well as Chinese importers to increase their purchases. Martin Senior, Argus' head of LNG pricing, said that this spot demand is mainly driven by price-sensitive buyers, but the utilities in northeast Asia are well stocked. S&P Global Energy's daily Northwest Europe LNG Marker price benchmark (NWM) for cargoes to be delivered in January, on an ex ship (DES) basis, was $8.702/mmBtu as of December 11. This represents a discount of $0.525/mmBtu compared to the TTF hub price. Spark Commodities set the price at $8.78/mmBtu while Argus put it at $8.781/mmBtu. Aly Blakeway is the manager of Atlantic LNG, S&P Global Energy. She said: "Continued investment fund pressure, milder temperatures, and strong LNG and pipeline gas supplies are keeping the market bearish despite winter's lower storage levels. Blakeway added that Egypt also saw multiple diversions, as well as a cargo heading west, which has created uncertainty about its actual demand. According to independent gas analyst Seb K Kennedy, physical gas players are buying up the TTF drop, creating record net longs. Commercial operators are stocking up on cheap feedstock or winter hedges for cheaper prices, or as a way to lock in margins from their physical operations. Hedge funds, meanwhile, have extended their net short positions. According to Spark Commodities analyst Qasim Afghanistan, the U.S. arbitrage to Northeast Asia via Cape of Good Hope is widening and now points more to Europe. The arbitrage via Panama, on the other hand, has shrunk to breakeven levels. He added that the rates for LNG freight in the Atlantic fell to $115.750/day while rates in Pacific dropped to $84.500/day. (Reporting and editing by Emily Chow)
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Hensoldt will supply radars to Rheinmetall's Air Defence Division
The German companies announced on Friday that Hensoldt would?supply? the air defence division at Rheinmetall with radars for ground-based applications. Hensoldt SPEXER radars will be used to equip Rheinmetall Skyranger 30 Systems, providing target detection and tracking as well as the laser-based HoWiSM Drone Defence System. The companies did not provide a timeline for delivery. In late October, Rheinmetall and MBDA announced that the HoWiSM could be fully operational by 2029. Hensoldt & Rheinmetall released a joint statement saying that "different companies within the Rheinmetall Group can place orders" under the framework agreement. Drone incursions at airports and other sensitive sites across Europe have heightened the pressure on governments to increase protection against such threats. The companies stated that the agreement would be valid until 2030. Reporting by Maria Rugamer. (Editing by Matthias Williams, Mark Potter and Mark Williams)
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Ukraine claims it has hit two Russian vessels transporting military equipment on the Caspian Sea
Ukraine's Special Forces?said?Friday that they conducted an operation with what they called a local resistance group to strike two Russian ships transporting military equipment and weapons?into the Caspian Sea. They did not specify the date of the'strike. On Thursday, a Ukrainian official claimed that Kyiv had used drones to strike a Russian oil platform in the Caspian Sea for the first-ever time. This disabled the extraction of oil and gas from around 20 wells. The statement by the special forces on Telegram didn't say how or to what extent they hit the vessels. The ships were said to have been hit off the coasts of Russia's?republic Kalmykia. The Composer Rakhmaninoff, and Askar-Sarydzha were named as vessels that the U.S. sanctioned for carrying military cargo between Iran and Russia. The statement stated that the "Black Spark" movement of resistance had provided detailed data on the movements and cargoes of the ships. (Reporting and editing by Alison Williams, William Maclean; Max Hunder and Pavel Polityuk)
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Berlin eyes TenneT Germany majority stake, Boersen-Zeitung says
Boersen-Zeitung, a German newspaper, reported that the German government was in early discussions to 'acquire' a majority stake of?TenneT Germany power grid operations after agreeing in principle to take 25.1%. The financial paper cited sources that said 'Berlin was considering building a consortium with financial investors like Apollo, Blackstone, or Brookfield. Companies and the German Economy Ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Boersen-Zeitung cited sources who said that the German government has also agreed to buy in principle a 25,1% stake in grid company's Dutch parent. Last month, a document from the Ministry of Economy stated that such a deal was close to completion. Berlin is 'considering' buying a 25% stake in order to maintain greater control over critical energy infrastructure, and to secure funding for the?massive investment needed to make the switch to renewable energy. (Reporting and writing by Holder Hansen, Tom Sims; editing by Thomas Seythal).
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Sources say that a vessel caught fire after the Russian attack on Ukraine’s Odesa Region
Two sources familiar with the situation said that a bulk carrier in Ukraine's Odesa area suffered damage and was on fire following a Russian attack on Friday. Sources said that the vessel was anchored in Chornomorsk - one of Odesa's three major Black Sea ports. Last week, Russia threatened to "cut Ukraine?off?from the ocean" in retaliation to Kyiv's attacks on unlicensed oil tankers headed to Russia to export their?oil. The attack on the ship was not clear at first. One source identified the vessel Cenk T. According to MarineTraffic's website, a Panama flagged vessel with that name was identified in the Black Sea about 21 hours ago. Could not independently confirm the flag of the vessel. Sources familiar with the situation have told? The vessel's Turkish owner. Ukraine's airforce reported Friday?missile and a drone attack on Odesa Region. (Reporting and writing by Yuliia Dyesa and Pavel Polityuk; Editing, Alison Williams, Kirby Donovan).
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LSEG data show that Russia's Sibur has shipped LPG to China from Ust-Luga for the first ever.
According to traders and LSEG's ship-tracking data, Sibur, Russia’s largest producer and supplier of liquefied gas, delivered a.first cargo to China via the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga. Sibur mainly supplies LPG to Turkey. However, the demand for LPG has declined by?5%-6% per year, according to traders. Algeria and the U.S. also dominate its market. A trader commented that it was becoming increasingly difficult to export additional LPG volumes to Turkey. According to LSEG the large gas?carrier Pacific Moon has arrived in the Chinese port of Quanzhou, located in?the southern Fujian area at the end November. According to industry sources, the company delivered approximately 33,000 metric tonnes of propane at Ust-Luga by mid-October. Sibur didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Sibur began supplying LPG in Ghana, West Africa, and India earlier this year. The company used medium gas carriers capable of transporting up to 20,000 tonnes of cargo. According to industry sources and LSEG, Sibur increased LPG'supplies' from Ust-Luga from January to November by 70%, to 860,000 tonnes, on an annual basis, after reducing them by 37% in 2024 to 570,000 tones from 2023. Reporting by. Mark Potter (Editing by Mark Potter).
Trump's trade battle with China in 2025
U.S. president Donald Trump targeted China, the top economic rival with a cascade tariff order on billions in imported goods. The orders were aimed at narrowing an enormous trade deficit, bringing manufacturing back and crippling the trade of fentanyl.
The reverse chronological timeline below shows the U.S. - China trade war in this year.
U.S. trade representative Jamison Greer said that after China announced it would expand its rare earth export controls, the U.S. had reached out to China via phone but Beijing declined. China calls the new U.S. Tariffs hypocritical and defends its export controls.
Trump re-starts the trade war on October 10, imposing additional tariffs of 100% on China’s U.S. bound exports and new export controls by November 1, including "any critical software". This ends an uneasy truce between both countries that was reached in August.
Trump has said that there is no reason for him to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, but he also did not cancel the meeting. They are expected to meet again in South Korea, on the sidelines the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum later this month.
Trump says that the United States may also impose export controls for Boeing parts in response to China's export restrictions on rare earth minerals.
China has launched an antitrust investigation against U.S. chip manufacturer Qualcomm for its acquisition of Israeli chip designer Autotalks.
China Announces
Port fees
On Oct. 14, the U.S. will begin charging port fees for vessels owned, operated, constructed, or flying the flag of America. This is a response to U.S. charges on ships with ties to China that began on the same date.
October 9 - China expands
Export controls
The government has tightened its control over rare earths by including five additional medium to heavy elements as of Nov. 8 and adding extra scrutiny to semiconductor users.
Grab and dominance
The critical minerals that are key to the energy transformation
Trump Administration Proposals
Ban
Chinese airlines are preventing American airlines from flying above Russia on routes between the United States and China, claiming that the shorter flight times put American carriers at an unfair disadvantage.
Trump hopes to discuss soya beans with Xi, but warns that the U.S. could halt a significant share of its imports from China.
U.S. lawmakers demand a broader ban on chipmaking equipment going to China following a bipartisan report that found Chinese chipmakers purchased $38 billion worth of sophisticated gear in the past year.
Trump's October 1st statement
Soybeans
When he meets Xi, this will be a main topic of conversation. China has drastically reduced U.S. purchases of soybeans, a move Trump has called a negotiating tactic.
Greer said that around 55% of tariffs applied to Chinese imports is a "good state-of-the-art" but the U.S. wanted bilateral trade to be more free. However, she did not indicate any immediate moves towards lowering Trump’s tariffs.
U.S. Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent said aircraft engines, parts and chemicals could be a powerful tool for the United States to use in negotiations with China.
The first time since 2019 that a group of U.S. House of Representatives lawmakers visited China to talk, is on September 21. The group said to Premier Li Qiang that both the largest economies in the world need to "break the ice" and increase engagement.
September 19 - Trump & Xi have a phone call. Trump says they made progress in a TikTok deal and will meet in South Korea in six weeks to discuss illicit drugs, trade and Russia's conflict in Ukraine.
China has said so
Welcome to the new year
Commercial negotiations on TikTok according to market rules.
China announces that it will review TikTok’s technology exports, and its intellectual property licensing. It calls the framework agreement reached "win-win".
15 September - U.S. & China reach a framework deal to transfer TikTok under U.S. control. This decision will be confirmed by Trump and Xi in a phone call later this week.
Bessent states that the Trump administration won't impose tariffs on Chinese products over Russian oil imports, unless European countries first impose tariffs.
September 14 - Bessent, China's Vice Premier He Lifeng and the Spanish government lead a fourth round in Madrid of discussions to discuss trade relations as well as TikTok’s impending divestiture deadline.
Trump and his administration ask the G7, EU, and NATO to put pressure on China to impose tariffs between 50% and 100% in order to stop Russian oil revenues.
U.S. and China extend tariff truce by another 90 days.
August 10 - Trump asks China to quadruple their soybean purchases from the U.S., as the expiration date of the trade truce is approaching on August 12.
U.S. begins issuing licenses to Nvidia for exporting H20 chips to China on August 8.
Bessent is "optimistic", according to Bessent, about the future.
After two days of discussions in Stockholm, U.S. officials and Chinese officials agreed to extend their 90-day truce on tariffs. The talks were described as constructive by both sides, but there was no significant breakthrough.
U.S. Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick announced that Nvidia will resume sales of their advanced AI H20 chip to China in the U.S. rare earths negotiations, reversing an export ban by the U.S. in April.
Trump threatens to impose an additional 10% on countries that he says are aligning themselves with "Anti-American Policies" of BRICS. This includes China.
Bessent reports that the U.S. has resolved its issues with China regarding rare earth minerals, magnets and shipments into the U.S.
On June 11-12, some Chinese rare earths producers will begin receiving export licenses. Trump claims that the trade truce has been re-established.
The U.S.A. and China have a second round of negotiations in London, and they reach an agreement on a framework.
June 5, Xi and Trump have a phone call lasting an hour.
Trump claims that China has violated the Geneva agreement to reduce tariffs and Chinese restrictions on vital minerals exports. China denies the accusation and says that U.S. has introduced a number of "discriminatory restrictive measures" against China.
The U.S. will begin "aggressively," revoking Chinese student visas on May 28-29. The order also instructs a wide range of companies to cease shipping semiconductors, software design and aviation equipment into China.
Beijing and Washington have trade talks in Geneva over the weekend, May 10-12. Both sides issued a joint declaration agreeing to a 90 day pause in tariffs.
Tariffs between the U.S. and China were reduced to 10%, from 125%. China has also agreed to remove non-tariff measures that have been imposed on the United States by China since April 2.
Nvidia reveals that U.S. officials informed them that their H20 chip will require an export license for China.
China raises its levies to 125% on U.S. imports, calling the Trump tariff strategy "a joke". It also said it would ignore any future U.S. "numbers games with tariffs".
China announced that it would immediately limit imports of Hollywood movies on April 10.
China increases levies on U.S. imported goods to 84%. It also added 12 U.S. firms to a list of companies that are prohibited from exporting dual-use products, and six more to the "unreliable entity" list. This allows Beijing to take punitive measures against foreign entities.
The U.S. has increased tariffs on Chinese imports from 84% to 125%. China warns citizens not to travel to the U.S.
April 8: The U.S. increases tariffs on all Chinese imports from 34% to 84%.
April 4: China announces that it will impose retaliatory duties of 34% on U.S. imports starting April 10, and that export restrictions on rare earths will be implemented. About 30 U.S. companies, mostly involved in the defence industry, were subject to restrictions.
Beijing has also suspended shipments of sorghum and poultry and bone meals from certain U.S. companies.
Trump increases global trade friction by imposing "liberation day tariffs" on April 2. He announced a 10% baseline for all imports as well as significantly higher duties against some countries. Trump will impose 34% tariffs on all Chinese products, which will take effect on the 9th of April.
From May 2, the Trump administration will also end duty-free access to low-value shipments of goods from China and Hong Kong (known as "de minimis exemptions").
China retaliates with a 10-15% levied on U.S. agricultural exports. This affects about $21 billion of U.S. imports. Beijing has also placed export and investment restrictions on 25 U.S. companies, citing national security concerns. It also banned the import of genetic sequencers made by U.S. medical device maker Illumina.
March 4 - U.S. increases tariffs by 20% on all Chinese imports due to fentanyl.
China responds to the U.S. companies with a variety of measures, including Google, farmers and Calvin Klein's owner.
Beijing will also begin imposing levies on February 10 of 10% for some autos and crude oil, and 15% for imports of US coal and LNG. Beijing also restricted the exports of five metals that are used in defence, clean-energy and other industries.
Trump imposes a 10% tariff on all goods imported from China, and 25% on those imported from Mexico and Canada to demand that they reduce the flow of illegal immigrants and fentanyl into the U.S.
January 21: A day after taking the oath of office, Trump threatens a 10% punitive tariff on Chinese imports citing the fentanyl coming from China. Reporting by Liz Lee, Shi Bu and Jacqueline Wong; Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar and Jacqueline Wong
(source: Reuters)