Armed conflicts and attacks

The United States military seizes a Timor-Leste-flagged oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, marking the fifth tanker seized as part of the blockade. (The Guardian) (The Patriot-News)

• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/09/us-venezuela-oil-tanker-seizure
• https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2026/01/trump-cancels-2nd-attack-on-venezuela-but-us-seizes-another-tanker.html

Business and economy

Twenty-one of the 27 countries of the European Union approve a trade deal with Mercosur, which will create "the world's largest free trade area" after 25 years of talks. The deal is expected to be formally signed in Paraguay in the near future. (POLITICO)

• https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-countries-approve-mercosur-trade-deal-for-signature/