The World in Brief from The Economist

The European Union agreed to indefinitely freeze Russian assets in Europe.

The Trump administration increased pressure on Nicolás Maduro by imposing sanctions on three of his family members and six firms operating in Venezuela’s oil sector. Also, Volodymyr Zelensky said that the peace plan America is proposing would turn the parts of the Donetsk region still controlled by Ukraine into a demilitarised “special economic zone.”

The White House said that an oil tanker it seized off the coast of Venezuela would be sent to an American port, where the vessel’s cargo will be obtained by following “a legal process”.

The White House said that an oil tanker it seized off the coast of Venezuela would be sent to an American port, where the vessel’s cargo will be obtained by following “a legal process”.

Donald Trump said that American forces had seized a “very large” oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Also, María Corina Machado arrived in Oslo hours after her daughter accepted the Nobel peace prize on her behalf.

The Federal Reserve lowered the central bank’s headline interest-rate range by a quarter of a percentage point, to 3.5-3.75%.

The Federal Reserve lowered the central bank’s headline interest-rate range by a quarter of a percentage point, to 3.5-3.75%.

Volodymyr Zelensky promised to hold wartime elections within three months if America and Europe “ensure security” for the vote. Also, China’s consumer-price index rose by 0.7% in November, compared with a year earlier, the fastest rate for nearly two years.