NEWS IN BRIEF__2025-12-11

EU agrees deal to cut emissions 90pc by 2040
BRUSSELS, Dec 10: European Union countries and lawmakers reached a final deal Wednesday on an ambitious target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, allowing carbon credits bought outside the continent to help reach the goal. A number of countries, led by Italy, had expressed concern at the target of reducing the 27-nation bloc's emissions by 90 percent from 1990 levels by 2040. The final deal allows for five percent of cuts to be accounted for through carbon credits acquired for projects outside Europe. — AFP

Australian teens mourn loss of social media as ban begins
SYDNEY, Dec 10: Australian teenagers have taken to social media for the last time to farewell their followers and mourn the loss of the platforms that shaped much of their lives before a world-first ban took effect on Wednesday. In the hours leading up to the ban's midnight start (1300 GMT on Tuesday), a flurry of goodbye messages came from teenagers - as well as adults - on platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Reddit. "I'll miss you guys," posted 29-year-old Melbourne creator Josh Partington, who makes comedy sketches about Australian life for more than 75,000 TikTok followers. — Reuters

Cambodia-Thai border clashes send half a million into shelters
SAMRAONG, Dec 10: Half a million evacuees in Cambodia and Thailand were sheltering in pagodas, schools and other safe havens on Wednesday after fleeing fresh fighting in a century-old border dispute in which US President Donald Trump has vowed to again intercede. Five Thai soldiers and seven Cambodian civilians have been killed in the latest fighting, officials said, while more than 500,000 people have fled border regions near where jets, tanks and drones were waging battle. — AFP

Miami elects first Democratic mayor in about three decades
WASHINGTON, Dec 10: Miami voters elected Eileen Higgins as the Florida city's new mayor on Tuesday, making her the first Democrat to hold the office in nearly 30 years. Higgins received about 60 percent of votes in the runoff election, according to CNN and the Miami Herald newspaper, defeating Emilio T. Gonzalez, a Republican candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump. Despite winning by a double-digit margin, turnout in the off-year election was low, with only about 20 percent of registered voters participating. — AFP

Trump-Erdogan ties may resolve Turkey's F-35 ban: US envoy
ISTANBUL, Dec 10: The close relationship between US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is bringing the two countries closer to resolving Turkey's exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet program, the US ambassador to Ankara said Wednesday. Ambassador Tom Barrack, who also serves as Trump's special envoy for Syria, said on social media that the "positive relationship" between the leaders has created a new atmosphere of cooperation, leading to the most productive discussions on the F-35 issue in nearly a decade. — AP