🇺🇸 US government partially shuts down despite last minute funding deal

The US federal government has partially shutdown despite a last-ditch funding deal approved by the Senate. The funding lapse began at midnight US eastern time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday, hours after senators agreed to fund most agencies until September. The bill includes just two weeks' funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, instead of shutting it down entirely. But the bill has yet to be approved by the House of Representatives, which is out of session.

US President Donald Trump struck the deal with Democrats after they refused to give more funding for immigration enforcement following the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minneapolis.

It is the second such government shutdown in the past year and comes just 11 weeks after the end of the previous funding impasse that lasted 43 days, the longest in US history. This shutdown, however, is unlikely to be that long or widespread as the House of Representatives is set to be back in session on Monday.

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🇻🇪 Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez plans amnesty law for political prisoners and closure of notorious prison

Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez has announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners.

“We have decided to push ahead with a general amnesty law that covers the whole period of political violence from 1999 to the present day,” Rodriguez said on Friday. “May this law serve to redirect justice in our country, and may it serve to redirect coexistence among Venezuelans.”

The law would exclude those accused of killings, serious human rights abuses, or drug trafficking. Rodriguez also announced the shutdown of El Helicoide, a notorious secret service prison in Caracas, where torture and other human rights abuses have been documented by independent organisations. El Helicoide will be transformed into a sports, social and cultural centre for the surrounding neighbourhoods.

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🇺🇸 US Approves $15.7 Billion Arms Sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia

The Trump administration has cleared new weapons sales worth $6.67 billion to Israel and $9 billion to Saudi Arabia, a move announced as regional tensions rise and diplomatic efforts continue over Gaza and Iran. According to the U.S. State Department, the newly approved arms sales consist of the following systems and equipment:

🇮🇱 Israel – $6.67 billion package (30 Apache attack helicopters, equipped with rocket launchers and advanced targeting and sensor systems, 3,250 light tactical vehicles for transporting personnel and logistics, power packs for armored personnel carriers, light utility helicopters.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia – $9 billion package (730 Patriot air and missile defense missiles, associated Patriot system equipment and support components, capabilities designed to strengthen the region’s integrated air and missile defense architecture).

Trump’s administration has argued that reinforcing partners such as Israel and Saudi Arabia is critical to maintaining deterrence and stability across the Middle East.

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🇨🇳 President Xi Jinping calls for the Chinese yuan to become a global reserve currency

In an essay published Saturday in Qiushi, Xi Jinping argued that China should build a “strong” currency that is broadly used across global trade, investment and foreign exchange markets and that can ultimately be held by central banks as reserves.

However the renminbi’s role in official reserves remains small. The International Monetary Fund data show the U.S. dollar still makes up the largest share of global reserves, with the euro second. The renminbi ranks well behind, at under 2% in the third quarter of 2025. Analysts say a bigger reserve role would likely require steps China has been cautious about, including a more open capital account and fuller convertibility. Trading partners have also urged Beijing to allow a stronger exchange rate, arguing the currency is kept too weak and contributes to China’s outsized trade surplus.

#BRICS

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🇮🇱🇵🇸 Israeli air strikes kill at least 32 Palestinians in Gaza

At least 32 people have been killed in a wave of Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The civil defence agency, which is operated by Hamas, says children and women were among those killed. 🕊

The Israeli military confirmed that a number of strikes were carried out in response to what it said was a Hamas violation of the agreement on Friday. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce since it came into effect last year. Hamas has condemned the strikes and urged the US to take immediate action, adding that "these ongoing violations" confirm that the Israeli government "continues its brutal war of genocide against the strip".

Last week, the US said it was moving to the second phase of of a Gaza ceasefire plan, which involves disarming Hamas, rebuilding the war-ravaged territory and establishing the group of Palestinian experts that will administer daily affairs in Gaza under American supervision.

“Hamas must IMMEDIATELY honor its commitments, including the return of the final body to Israel, and proceed without delay to full Demilitarization,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “As I have said before, they can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

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🇮🇷🇪🇺 Iran's Parliament recognizes EU forces as terrorist organizations in retaliation for the EU's decision regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Speaking in parliament while wearing an IRGC uniform in a show of solidarity, Ghalibaf said that under Article 7 of Iran’s “Law on Countermeasures Against the Declaration of the IRGC as a Terrorist Organization,” the armed forces of European states would now be considered terrorist entities. It remained unclear what immediate practical or legal consequences the declaration would entail. 🤔

The move comes days after the EU agreed to blacklist the IRGC over its role in an alleged deadly crackdown on mass protests in Iran. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the Iranian authorities as a regime that “crushes its own people’s protests in blood.” Alongside the designation, the 27-member bloc imposed visa bans and asset freezes on 21 Iranian state entities and officials.

"The decision sent a clear message that there would be “no impunity” for crimes committed by Iranian authorities, urging Tehran to release detainees, halt executions, lift internet restrictions, and allow Iranians to “choose their own future," - said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

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🇮🇳 India Unveils 20-Year Tax Break to Woo Global Data Centers

Foreign companies operating data centers in India will be exempt from taxes on overseas services through 2047, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the federal budget Sunday. The break applies only to services delivered out of the South Asian country. Sales to Indian users through a local unit will be taxed.

India has already rolled out incentives such as infrastructure status for data centers and eased land-use rules in several states. The latest push underscores New Delhi’s ambition to position the world’s most-populous nation as a global hub for data storage and cloud infrastructure as it own digital economy and energy capacity expands.

Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have already intensified their India push with a combined $52 billion in fresh investment, underscoring the country’s rising status as a key growth market for artificial intelligence, cloud services and online retail.

#BRICS

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🇨🇺🇺🇸 Cuba declares "international emergency" in response to U.S. executive order

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said Friday that Cuba has declared an "international emergency". Trump signed the executive order on Thursday, threatening to impose tariffs on any goods entering the United States from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba.

"We’ll work a deal with Cuba. So, Cuba would be free again. We’ll be kind. They have a situation that’s very bad for Cuba. They have no money. They have no oil," - said Trump.

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🇺🇸 Trump Initiates Strategic Mineral Reserve Plan with $12 Billion Funding

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to launch a strategic mineral reserve initiative. The plan, named 'Project Vault,' aims to secure a $12 billion initial funding, combining $1.67 billion in private capital with a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank. This initiative is designed to mirror the existing strategic petroleum reserve, focusing on the storage of rare earths and other critical minerals with strategic importance and volatile prices.

Over ten companies, including General Motors, Stellantis, Boeing, Corning, GE Vernova, and Google, are already participating in the project. Additionally, commodity trading firms Hartree Partners, Traxys North America, and Mercuria Energy Group have signed agreements to procure raw materials. The U.S. Export-Import Bank's board is scheduled to vote on the record-setting 15-year loan later on Monday.

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