What We're Watching

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

​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.

More For You

Putin looks on over missiles flying between Israel and Iran.

Three weeks into the US-Israeli war against Iran, the list of losers is unusually long. Iran is getting devastated. The United States is trapped in an asymmetric conflict it can't exit.

Chris, an Army veteran, started his Walmart journey over 25 years ago as an hourly associate. Today, he manages a Distribution Center and serves as a mentor, helping others navigate their own paths to success. At Walmart, associates have the opportunity to take advantage of the pathways, perks, and pay that come with the job — with or without a college degree. In fact, more than 75% of Walmart management started as hourly associates. Learn more about how over 130,000 associates were promoted into roles of greater responsibility and higher pay in FY25.

Microsoft, Europol, and industry partners took coordinated action to disrupt Tycoon 2FA, a major phishing‑as‑a‑service operation designed to bypass multifactor authentication. Active since 2023, the service fueled large‑scale online impersonation, enabling fraud, data theft, and disruptions across sectors, including healthcare and education. Acting under a US court order, the coalition seized hundreds of domains powering Tycoon 2FA’s infrastructure — underscoring the need for global, public‑private cooperation that is essential to counter industrialized cybercrime and protect digital trust. Read the full blog here.