This is NewsCard Daily for Wednesday December 31, 2025 ... your briefing on the stories shaping our world.

We begin in Venezuela where a CIA drone strike hits a key port facility ... targeting what the U.S. calls a drug smuggling hub. President Trump shares few details on the operation that kills two ... but it ramps up pressure on Nicolas Maduro's regime amid predictions from Peruvian shamans that his fall comes soon. Families there reel from the violence ... as the U.S. strikes another alleged drug boat in the Eastern Pacific ... raising fears of wider conflict and tighter sanctions that hit ordinary Venezuelans hardest.

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Shifting to Eastern Europe now ... Russia declares its nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles fully active ... just as officials claim Ukraine and Moscow teeter on the edge of a peace deal. Tensions spike after Moscow accuses Kyiv of drone attacks on Putin's residence ... with threats aimed straight at Zelenskyy. Ukrainian families endure the grind ... while negotiators hunt for breakthroughs ... and Trump hosts Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago to discuss possible U.S. troops on the ground.

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From frozen frontlines to fiery eruptions in Indonesia ... authorities hike the alert for Mount Bromo volcano to its second-highest level after earthquakes and rising activity. Evacuations loom for nearby villages ... as ash clouds threaten air travel and farms that feed thousands. Scientists warn of a potential major blast ... disrupting lives in one of the world's most volcano-prone nations.

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Over in the Middle East ... Iran warns of a harsh response to any attack after Trump's stark nuclear ultimatum ... while protests swell beyond economics with students chanting for the regime's end. Israel's move to halt 37 humanitarian groups in Gaza leaves aid workers sidelined ... deepening suffering for civilians caught in the crossfire. Saudi jets bomb Yemen's Mukalla port over UAE weapons shipments ... as families demand peace amid the chaos.

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We close in South America's Andes ... where Bolivian miners hurl dynamite and fireworks at police in a second week of fury over fuel subsidy cuts. President Rodrigo Paz's reforms spark clashes that wound dozens ... fueling economic despair for workers and their communities already battered by instability. Protests echo across the region ... testing governments as the new year dawns.

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