🇺🇸🇻🇪🇷🇺⚡- "We are concerned about what the Pentagon is doing in the Caribbean and sinking civilian ships," - Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister.

🇺🇸🇻🇪🇨🇳⚡- Chinese shadow tanker GALAXY 3 was set to depart from Jose Terminal, Venezuela. towards China today – but hasn't, and remains anchored off the coast of Venezuela, within Venezuelan waters.

The tanker is under US sanctions, and has previously transported illegal Iranian petrochemicals. The tanker is suspected to be loaded with at least 4 million barrels of Venezuela's highest-grade Merey 16 crude oil.

🇹🇭🇰🇭🇨🇳 - Thai military releases footage of Cambodian troops receiving military training at Chinese military bases in mainland China.

Chinese instructors lead the training sessions.

The Nigerian military is reportedly reconsidering its plans to procure additional NORINCO VT-4 main battle tanks from China following the type’s poor combat performance.

According to reports, the VT-4’s composite armor failed to meet expectations, with at least one tank destroyed after sustaining only a few hits from conventional RPGs fired by Boko Haram fighters. Nigerian-operated VT-4s have also reportedly spent more time undergoing repairs than in the field due to frequent component failures.

Nigerian defense officials have further expressed frustration over delays by NORINCO in delivering spare parts and replacement components. Nigeria initially received six VT-4 units in 2020, with plans to procure an additional 35-40 tanks that are now reportedly under review.

🇹🇭🇰🇭⚡- Thai forces have captured the Ban Nong Ri crossing, as well as the town of Ban Sam Lang in the Trat region of southern Thailand.

Thailand recaptured the town and have reached the international border, pushing Cambodian forces out of their territory. Thai troops were seen raising their flag over the town.

🇨🇾🇬🇷🇮🇱⚡- Greece, Cyprus and Israel have announced the creation of a joint rapid reaction brigade to deter Turkey.

🇦🇪🇮🇱⚡- Israeli defense giant Elbit Systems makes its largest sale ever, after securing a $2.3 billion sale to the UAE.

The mega deal includes the sale of advanced security systems, aircraft protection systems, laser technology as well as the establishment of an official branch of Elbit Systems in the Emirati nation.

🇪🇺⚡️- The European Union abandoned its key plan to require vehicle manufacturers to switch entirely to electric-vehicle production by 2035,

“The objective remains the same, the flexibilities are pragmatic realities in view of consumer buy-in, of the difficulty for manufacturers to offer 100% electric vehicles on the market by 2035.” - European Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné.

The decision is being heavily contested within countries which strongly endorsed this key plan. Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez denounced a "historical error" earlier today in a statement while the French Minister for Ecological Transition "regrets the flexibility opened up to combustion vehicles".

🇹🇩⚡- Chadian media reports of an attempted coup against President Deby. State media reports the coup attempt failed, with Deby still firmly in control of the country.

DW recently reported of heightened tensions in the African nation.

🇩🇪⚡️- The German Parliament just approved 50B€ in military purchases spread amongst 30 major orders.

The purchases include but are not limited to:
- 21B€ for basic equipment, mainly infantry-related.
- 4B€ for Puma IFVs.
- 3.4B€ for self-propelled howitzers.
- Several billions for air defense systems (4B€ Arrow 3, 2B€ Patriot PAC-3, and IRIS-T).
- Thousands of Eagle V APCs.
- Reconnaissance satellites for military purposes.

🇺🇸🇹🇷⚡- "Turkey is seeking to return the Russian S-400 air defense system, and in return be allowed to rejoin the US F-35 fighter jet program," - Bloomberg.

🇱🇾🇵🇰⚡- Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar received Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir in Benghazi, eastern Libya.

🇺🇸🇪🇨⚡- BREAKING: US Air Force personnel to be deployed to Ecuador's Manta Air Force Base to combat drug cartels.

Ecuadoran voters in November rejected a bid supported by President Noboa to lift the country's ban on foreign bases. However, the US Embassy in Quito says the deployment is a "temporary joint-operation" with the Ecuadorians.

🇫🇷⚡️- An African leader called Emmanuel Macron this Sunday in a panic, believing France was undergoing a coup d'Etat.

In reality, the African leader had seen an AI video of a fake reporter claiming the Elysée had been seized by an armed group led by a colonel.

Emmanuel Macron told this story to medias today, keeping the African caller anonymous, to emphasize the dangers of fake news online. The French President added "It made us laugh! 12 million views!" and formally asked Facebook to take down the video.

🇫🇷 - French medias (France24/FranceInfo) have identified the attached video as the one that fooled the African leader.

🇺🇸⚡️- A federal appeals court rules that the National Guard shall remain deployed in D.C. as of now.

The deployment of the National Guard in D.C. possesses unique legality, particularly due to D.C. being a federal district unlike a constitutional state.

The judge overseeing the case stated, “The defendants [Trump Admin] appear on this early record likely to prevail on the merits of their argument that the president possesses a unique power within the District — the seat of the federal government — to mobilize the Guard.”

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡️- Tucker Carlson says he was told members of Congress were informed of an imminent war with Venezuela. He says President Trump will announce it as part of his upcoming address to the nation at 9pm EST.

🇺🇸🇻🇪🇺🇳⚡- Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela, called the UN Secretary General Guterres after President Trump announced a naval blockade of all illegal oil tankers heading to and from Venezuela.

Maduro falsely accused the US of piracy, after the USCG seized a stateless, sanctioned oil tanker in international waters, and described Trump's motives as "openly colonial."

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡️- US and Russian officials are scheduled to meet in Miami this weekend to further peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

Witkoff and Kushner will continue to lead the peace delegation for the US.