Putin says Russia agrees to negotiate end to conflict, ball now in Ukraine's court 

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.

U.S. strikes IS targets in Syria

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.

"This is not the beginning of a war -- it is a declaration of vengeance," said Hegseth.

"Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue," he said.

The strikes were expected to last several hours, deep into early Saturday morning in Syria, according to a New York Times report.
 

Trump says war with Venezuela still possible

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. "It depends. If they're foolish enough to be sailing along, they'll be sailing along back into one of our harbors."

Trump on Tuesday ordered a total, complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela, stepping up a months-long pressure campaign against Maduro.

The Pentagon has sunk more than 28 alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September, killing at least 104 people aboard.

U.S. Justice Department starts release of Epstein files

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.

The latest action came roughly one month after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act with nearly unanimous approval, followed by unanimous approval in the Senate.

The act required the department to publish all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials in its possession related to the investigation and prosecution of Epstein by Dec. 19, with narrow exceptions for personally identifiable information of the victims and materials that could jeopardize an active federal investigation.

Bank of Japan raises policy rate to 30-year high of 0.75 percent

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) 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.

The move marks the first rate hike since January and also the first under the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who advocated an aggressive fiscal policy and monetary easing.

In a statement released after the meeting explaining the decision, the BOJ said the likelihood of realizing its baseline inflation scenario that underlying inflation will be consistent with its 2 percent target has been rising.

Russian central bank cuts interest rate to 16 percent

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.

"The economy continues to return to a balanced growth path. Underlying measures of current price growth declined in November. However, inflation expectations have edged up in recent months. Lending activity remains high," according to the central bank.

U.S. strikes two more alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific, killing 5

The U.S. military on Thursday destroyed two more suspected drug-trafficking vessels in international waters in the eastern Pacific, killing five people aboard, the U.S. Southern Command said.

"On Dec. 18, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters," said the command in a press release.

"A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions -- three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel," it said.

The Pentagon has sunk more than 28 alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September, killing at least 104 people aboard.

5 killed in Israeli artillery strike on Gaza school

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.

Basal said that the school, located near a hospital, remained under continuous attack, which delayed the arrival of rescue teams. He said that some of the injured were evacuated using civilian vehicles.

Additional shells fired after the initial strike worsened the situation, he added, noting that most of the dead were children.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Friday night that "during operational activity in the area ... a number of suspicious individuals were identified in command structures west of the Yellow line."■