2025-12-12 12:50

Opposition leader defied travel ban to go to Oslo Machado won Nobel Peace Prize in October Trump has campaigned for Maduro's ouster Large-scale US military build-up in Southern Caribbean OSLO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado said on Friday that Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro would leave power, whether there was a negotiated changeover or not, adding that she was focused on achieving a peaceful transition. The Venezuelan opposition leader arrived in Oslo early on Thursday, defying a decade-long travel ban imposed by authorities in her home country, after spending more than a year in hiding. Sign up here. "Maduro will leave power, whether it is negotiated or not negotiated," Machado, speaking in Spanish, told a press conference in the Norwegian capital. "I am focused on an orderly and peaceful transition." Venezuela's Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Machado's remarks. U.S. MILITARY BUILD-UP Her appearance in Norway comes as the U.S. executes a large-scale military build-up in the southern Caribbean and as U.S. President Donald Trump campaigns for Maduro's ouster. On Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. had seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Machado was barred from running in the presidential election last year, despite having won the opposition's primary by a landslide. She went into hiding that year after authorities expanded arrests of opposition figures following the disputed vote. The electoral authority and top court declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner, but international observers and the opposition say its candidate handily won and the opposition has published ballot box-level tallies as evidence of its victory. "I have confidence that the immense majority of the Venezuelan armed forces and the police are going, in the instant that the transition begins, to obey orders, guidelines, instructions from the superiors who will be designated by the civil authority duly elected by Venezuelans," she said. ALIGNED WITH TRUMP When Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in October, she dedicated it in part to Trump, who has said he himself deserved the honour. She has aligned herself with hawks close to Trump who argue that Maduro has links to criminal gangs that pose a direct threat to U.S. national security, despite doubts raised by the U.S. intelligence community. Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of military intervention in Venezuela, accusing it of sending narcotics to the United States. The U.S. has already carried out more than 20 strikes against suspected drug vessels, which have raised concerns among lawmakers and legal experts. "I believe that it has become very clear that... the Venezuelan conflict is absolutely a priority in matters of national security of the United States and in matters of hemispheric security," Machado said on Friday. Maduro and his government have always denied any involvement in crime and have accused the U.S. of seeking regime change out of a desire to control Venezuela's natural resources, especially its vast oil reserves. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuelas-machado-aims-peaceful-transition-after-maduro-2025-12-12/

2025-12-12 12:48

Rain floods tents sheltering displaced Gazans Materials for shelters not being allowed in, says UN At least 13 buildings collapse, Gaza authorities say Disease risk rises with inadequate waste drainage, says UN GENEVA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans face flooding of their tents and shelters by heavy rains, and materials for shelters and sandbags are not being allowed to enter the enclave, the U.N. International Organization for Migration said on Friday. Torrential rain swept across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, flooding tents sheltering families displaced by two years of war, and leading to the death of a baby girl due to exposure, local health officials said. Sign up here. A total of 12 people are dead or missing as a result of the storm, with at least 13 buildings having collapsed and 27,000 tents flooded, the media office of the Hamas-run Gaza government said. Nearly 795,000 displaced people are at heightened risk of potentially dangerous flooding in low-lying, rubble-filled areas where families are living in unsafe shelters, the IOM said. Insufficient drainage and waste management also heightened the risk of disease outbreak, the U.N. agency added. 'OUR FOOD IS RUINED,' SAYS FLOOD-HIT FATHER Materials to help reinforce shelters such as timber and plywood, as well as sandbags and water pumps to help with flooding have been delayed from entering Gaza due to access restrictions, the IOM said. Israel says it is meeting its obligations and accuses agencies of inefficiency and failing to prevent theft by Hamas, which the group denies. COGAT, the Israeli military arm that oversees humanitarian matters, said Israel had approved 100,000 pallet requests submitted by organizations of winter-related items, shelter equipment, and sanitation supplies over the past three months. "‏Over the last few months, COGAT coordinated with the international community and facilitated the transfer of close to 270,000 tents and tarpaulins directly to the residents of the Gaza Strip," COGAT said in a statement. In a displaced camp in Nuseirat, central Gaza, ankle-deep water had pooled around the tents, soaking mattresses, shoes and clothes. Working with a bucket, 50-year-old Youssef Tawtah was trying to bail the water out, but it had nowhere to go and he appeared to make little progress. "All night long the children and I were on our feet," he said. "How can the children handle it?" As his family gathered around a small open fire on a sandy bank near the tent, he hauled a sopping mattress through the floodwaters. Even cooking a meal will be difficult. "Our food is ruined," he said. SUPPLIES CANNOT WITHSTAND FLOODING, SAYS IOM Supplies already dispatched to Gaza, including waterproof tents, thermal blankets and tarpaulins, were not able to withstand the flooding, the IOM added. "After this storm made landfall yesterday, families are trying to protect their children with whatever they have," IOM Director General Amy Pope said. A ceasefire has broadly held since October, but the war destroyed much of Gaza’s infrastructure, and living conditions are dire. U.N. and Palestinian officials said at least 300,000 new tents are urgently needed for the roughly 1.5 million people still displaced. The World Health Organization said more than 4,000 people were living in what it described as high-risk areas on the coast, with 1,000 people directly affected by high waves from the sea. It warned of health risks from pollution. "Thousands of families are sheltering in these low-lying and debris-filled coastal areas with no drainage or protective barriers, with heaps of garbage everywhere along the roads," said WHO representative Rik Peeperkorn. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/un-agency-warns-displaced-gazans-face-floods-emergency-supplies-blocked-2025-12-12/

2025-12-12 12:37

PARIS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - France imposed stricter controls and expanded vaccination zones to contain the spread of contagious lumpy skin disease in cattle amid mounting farmer protests in the southwest against the policy of culling entire herds when outbreaks are detected. Lumpy skin disease is a virus spread by insects that affects cattle and buffalo, causing blisters and reducing milk production. While not harmful to humans, it often results in trade restrictions and severe economic losses. Sign up here. By December 9, France had detected 109 outbreaks of the disease, according to the ministry's website. Several outbreaks were confirmed this week in southwestern France, including at a farm with over 200 cows in the Ariege region. Authorities ordered all cows culled, sparking protests from farm unions who called the policy exaggerated and cruel. "It is clear that the State's strategy is not effective, despite the systematic culling carried out as a precaution as soon as an infected bovine is detected in a herd," Coordination Rurale union said in a statement, calling for nationwide protests. France says that total culling of infected herds, alongside vaccination and movement restrictions, is necessary to contain the disease and allow cattle exports. "The depopulation of their herd is a dramatic event, of which the public authorities are fully aware: psychological support is therefore offered to the farmers," the ministry said in a statement on Friday. The head of farm union FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, called for calm. In a video on X, he backed government policy, stressing the need to prevent restrictions that could lower meat and dairy prices. The ministry said on Friday it had created a new regulated area covering six departments in southwestern France where movements would be restricted and surveillance enhanced. It has regularly pointed to illegal movement of animals as a likely cause for the disease's spread in France. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/france-toughens-cattle-lumpy-skin-disease-rules-amid-farm-protests-2025-12-12/

2025-12-12 12:22

NEW DELHI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - India's cabinet on Friday permitted the export of coal as the country's power plants have a surplus, information minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. Power plants that have access to coal supply will be permitted to export up to 50% of their allocation and use coal flexibly across group companies. Sign up here. India, the world’s second-largest coal producer, has been opening its coal sector to private players and commercial mining to meet rising energy demand and reduce import dependence. The move to allow export of domestic coal comes as the country's coal-fired power generation, which typically accounts for about 75% of India's electricity output, has fallen on an annual basis in seven out of 11 months this year, the most since 2020. The move will also benefit the country's top coal miner, Coal India (COAL.NS) , opens new tab, which accounts for about three quarters of the country's production. India is the world's No.2 coal producer and consumer after China. Indian power plants have comfortable stock levels because domestic coal production is strong and electricity demand growth has slowed, iEnergy Natural Resources said this week in a report. The cabinet on Friday also approved the auction of coal for any industrial use. The policy will allow domestic buyers to secure long-term coal supplies through auctions without end-use restrictions, except for coking coal, which will not be offered under the scheme. Traders will be barred from participating, the government said. The move aims to accelerate coal reserve utilisation, ease business processes and cut reliance on imports, the government said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/india-start-coal-exports-first-time-2025-12-12/

2025-12-12 11:59

Inflation below RBI's target band for third straight month Food prices fall 3.91% Core inflation at 4.2% to 4.3% Economists expect another rate cut by RBI in Feb NEW DELHI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - India's retail inflation rose in November from a record low in the prior month but stayed below the central bank's target range for the third straight month, data showed on Friday, leaving scope for another interest rate cut. The print suggests that retail price rise may undershoot the Reserve Bank of India's 2% inflation forecast for this fiscal year by about 15 to 20 basis points, opening space for another 25 basis point rate cut, economists said. Sign up here. Annual inflation (INCPIY=ECI) , opens new tab quickened to 0.71% in November from 0.25% a month ago as the pace of decline in food prices slowed. The print was in line with a Reuters poll of economists. The Reserve Bank of India cut interest rates by 25 basis points earlier this month, saying the Indian economy is in a "rare goldilocks" phase of strong economic growth and moderate inflation. In 2025, the RBI's rate-setting panel has lowered rates by 125 bps. Whether growth slows in the second half of the fiscal year due to steep U.S. tariffs will be the focus for the central bank going forward, Paras Jasrai, an economist at India Ratings and Research, said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies, including consumer tax cuts and labour reforms, are expected to limit the impact of U.S. tariffs on the South Asian economy. Earlier this month, the RBI lowered its inflation projection for the fiscal year ending March 31 to 2% from 2.6% earlier and raised the growth forecast to 7.3% from 6.8%. In November, food prices fell 3.91% year-on-year after a decline of 5.02% a month ago. Vegetable prices fell 22.20% after a 27.57% decline in the previous month. Core inflation, which excludes volatile items such as food and energy and is an indicator of demand in the economy, was at 4.2%-4.3% in November compared with 4.4% in October, according to two economists. Core inflation stayed elevated partly because of firm gold prices, they said. Cereal prices increased 0.1% in November against a 0.92% rise in October, while prices of pulses dropped 15.86% after a decline of 16.2% in the previous month. The impact of consumer tax cuts and ample food supply could lead to inflation averaging below 3% in the remaining part of the fiscal, said Sakshi Gupta, principal economist at HDFC Bank. "This should provide room for the RBI to deliver another rate cut in the February policy if growth shows signs of losing momentum post the festive season," Gupta said. The RBI's next policy meeting is on February 4-6. India will start publishing retail inflation data based on new base year, with updated data sources, from February 2026, which is expected to lower the weight of food, and raise it for non-food components. Currently, food and beverages have a weight of 46% on the index. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-november-retail-inflation-rises-071-stays-below-central-bank-target-range-2025-12-12/

2025-12-12 11:41

MUMBAI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - India needs to be cautious towards stablecoins, as they pose significant macroeconomic risk while serving no purpose that fiat money cannot, the Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor, T. Rabi Sankar, said on Friday. Stablecoins gained global prominence after the U.S. passed a law to create a regulatory framework for dollar-pegged cryptocurrency tokens, boosting their popularity and pushing the global market cap of such tokens above $300 billion. Sign up here. India has diverged from large global and regional economies, including Japan and the European Union, in framing laws around cryptocurrencies, fearing that bringing the digital assets into its mainstream financial system could raise systemic risks. "Beyond the facilitation of illicit payments and circumvention of capital measures, stablecoins raise significant concerns for monetary stability, fiscal policy, banking intermediation, and systemic resilience," Sankar said in a speech in Mumbai. "Stablecoins do not serve any purpose fiat money cannot," he said. Such tokens are yet to establish the benefits their proponents claim and remain inferior to fiat money, he said, adding India will continue to approach these innovations with caution. REGULATING CRYPTO At present, crypto exchanges can operate in India after registering locally with a government agency tasked with due diligence to check money laundering risks. Taxes are imposed on gains from cryptocurrencies. Despite the regulatory caution, crypto trading has gained popularity in India, with crypto exchanges pointing to increased participation from users outside major urban centres. "Cryptocurrencies have no intrinsic value. Since they do not have any underlying cash flows, they are not financial assets as well," Sankar said in his speech, in which he argued in favour of central bank digital currencies. "CBDCs are inherently superior to stablecoins," Sankar said. India is currently running a retail and wholsesale pilot for its central bank digital currency, which has about 7 million users. When asked why the central bank and the government do not bar trading in cryptocurrencies altogether, Sankar said that the views of different stakeholders need to be taken into account. "It is under consideration and (a decision) will be taken. We have to all finalise our approaches and actions based on what that decision is," he said. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-central-bank-deputy-warns-stablecoin-risks-dismisses-claims-utility-2025-12-12/