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Hard Numbers: UK signs big free trade deal, Russian tankers go down, ABC settles with Trump, Congo peace talks collapse.

December 15, 2024
Matthew Kendrick
​FILE PHOTO: Christmas decorations adorn the outside of the Royal Exchange building in London, Britain, November 26, 2024.
FILE PHOTO: Christmas decorations adorn the outside of the Royal Exchange building in London, Britain, November 26, 2024.
REUTERS/Chris J. Ratcliffe/File Photo

12: The UK became the 12th member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on Saturday, signing its biggest free trade agreement since Brexit. The deal will allow the UK lower trade tariffs with Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam — but it’s a far cry from the single EU market Britain left behind.

2: A pair of Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea suffered severe damage in a heavy storm near Crimea on Sunday, with at least one ship breaking up and the other reportedly running aground. Each ship had a capacity for around 3,500 tons of oil, and streaks of petroleum floating on water are visible on video from the accident, but the severity of the spill is not clear.

15 million: ABC News agreed on Sunday to pay $15 millionto settle a defamation lawsuit with President-elect Donald Trump, over comments from anchor George Stephanopoulos regarding Trump being found liable for sexual abuse in a New York court. The money will reportedly go toward a future presidential library.

12: M23 rebels in northeastern Congo were accused of slaughtering 12 civilians during an attack on Friday, just ahead of planned peace talks between Congo and Rwanda, which allegedly backs M23. The talks collapsed, with neither side showing up in Angola, which has been attempting to mediate the conflict.

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