Author: Andrew Rogers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump on Sunday at Mar-a-Lago to discuss a revised 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Zelensky temporarily left missile-battered Kyiv for the talks, seeking Trump’s approval on the plan. After more than three hours of discussion, neither leader announced a breakthrough. Both emphasized that the peace process is complex and will take additional time. Trump, who spoke by phone earlier with Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed a relatively sympathetic view toward Moscow’s positions but remained hopeful that progress is near. “I do think we’re getting a lot…

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting criticism after the resurfacing of controversial social media posts by British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah. The backlash comes days after Starmer welcomed Abdel Fattah’s return to the UK following years of diplomatic efforts to secure his release from Egypt. Abdel Fattah returned to Britain after Egypt lifted its travel ban, marking the end of a prolonged detention. However, old posts from 2010 emerged showing the activist calling for violence against Zionists and law enforcement. The content has been widely condemned, with opposition Conservatives demanding he be stripped of his UK citizenship and…

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday visited Cheong Wa Dae, the country’s traditional presidential palace, for the first time since taking office in June. This marks a return to the Blue House more than three years after former President Yoon Suk Yeol moved the presidential office to the Defense Ministry compound. Lee assumed office following a snap election in June after Yoon was removed over a brief declaration of martial law in December 2024. Since then, Lee has overseen the relocation of the presidential office back to Cheong Wa Dae, aiming to reverse the legacy of his jailed…

In a dramatic escalation at sea, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has seized a foreign vessel carrying four million liters of oil, detaining 16 foreign sailors. The move comes days after the United States intercepted an Iranian oil tanker near Venezuela, signaling Tehran’s firm stance against what it calls American maritime aggression. The operation unfolded on December 24 in the Persian Gulf, where a large oil tanker was observed moving suspiciously without clear identification or a set route. As soon as the ship appeared on Iranian radar, the IRGC launched speedboats at high speed to surround the vessel. Despite attempts…

The Shandong Peninsula is building a high-end industrial cluster to strengthen its marine economy. The project focuses on integrating shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment to drive high-quality regional development. In Qingdao, at the Haixi Bay Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Industrial Base, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. has been actively expanding its operations. Drone images taken on Dec. 24, 2025, show ongoing shipbuilding work, highlighting the rapid growth of the marine sector in the region. Over recent years, Shandong has focused on creating an industrial ecosystem that combines advanced shipbuilding, marine engineering, and supporting technologies. This…

Hainan Province has become a hotspot for global tourism and shopping after launching a landmark duty-free policy under its Free Trade Port (FTP) initiative. The policy, introduced on Dec 18, has transformed the island into a leading destination for international shoppers and multinational brands. On Sanya’s Dadonghai Beach, tourists from Russia and other countries enjoyed the winter sun and sea waves. At the same time, in Haikou, long lines formed outside an Apple store at a duty-free complex. Customers took advantage of government consumption vouchers and duty-free pricing, saving hundreds of dollars on products like the iPhone 17 Pro Max.…

Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has seen strong growth in its forest-based non-timber economy over the past decade. The region has worked to use its rich forest resources to boost local incomes and support rural development. By the end of last year, the output value of Guangxi’s forest-based non-timber economy reached 138.8 billion yuan ($19.5 billion), up from 71.4 billion yuan in 2015, according to the regional forestry bureau. The growth has benefited more than 12 million forest farmers, with each seeing an average income increase of over 4,000 yuan per year. Officials say 2011 was a turning point for the…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is focusing on securing legally binding guarantees from the United States ahead of his Sunday meeting with President Donald Trump in Florida. Both Kyiv and Washington aim to end Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine. Overnight, Russia launched about 40 missiles and nearly 500 drones at Kyiv, leaving large parts of the capital without power and killing at least one civilian. Zelenskyy said the attacks show why Ukraine needs strong international security guarantees before considering any peace measures. “It is very important for us that there is a signal that we want legally binding security guarantees,”…

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said on Saturday that the country is in a full-scale war with the United States, Israel, and European nations. His comments came just days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump. Pezeshkian told the Supreme Leader’s website that the current conflict is more severe than Iran’s eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s, which claimed over one million lives on both sides. He described the West’s campaign against Iran as “more complicated and more difficult” than that earlier war. The president said foreign powers do not want Iran to…

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza are struggling as heavy winter rains and strong winds flood their tents and destroy fragile shelters. The region has already suffered years of conflict, leaving many families without proper homes. A polar low-pressure system brought rain and gusts across Gaza on Saturday. Meteorologists said this is the third such system this winter, with a fourth expected to hit on Monday. Many displaced families have been living in tents since late 2023, amid ongoing conflict that has destroyed much of the territory. Mohammed Maslah, a displaced resident in Gaza City, said he had…