Reuters World News - Minneapolis, tanker seizures and Saudi-UAE rift

Episode Date: January 8, 2026

A fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis sparks protests, as officials challenge the Trump administration’s account. TheUnited States seizes a Venezuela‑linked oil tanker flying a Russian flag, fuelling anger in Moscow and fresh fears of U.S.–Russia escalation. Saudi Arabia says Yemen’s southern separatist leader fled with UAE support, deepening strains between the Gulf allies. And the twin gorillas giving hope to an endangered population. Recommended Read Birth of rare mountain gorilla twins recorded in Congo park. Find our Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.  You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Kim Vinal in Wanganui, New Zealand. It's Thursday, January 8th. Today, an ice agent fatally shoots a woman in Minneapolis. The U.S. seizes a Venezuela-bound oil tanker bearing the Russian flag, setting up a potential showdown. Saudi Arabia says Yemen's UAE-backed separatist leader has reappeared. And the baby gorilla twins giving a boost to an endangered species. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. We start in Minneapolis and a warning. This contains details and some foul language that some may find distressing. This is the moment 37-year-old Renee Good was shot while in her car by ICE agents in Minneapolis.

This guy is a gun. They're firing guns. The shaky footage shot by a bystander moves closer, showing a car crashed into a tree and agents surrounding it. They just killed that lady right there in that car, y'all. A woman nearby is crying. She says the woman shot was her wife. Hey, was he riding with her? Another witness films paramedics attempting resuscitation. But Renee Good does not survive.

The shooting drew protesters onto the streets, where they were met by heavily armed federal agents wearing masks, who later fired irritants at them. The shooting is reigniting anger of a President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem says ICE agents had been working in the area all day with people harassing them, and the woman was blocking offices in with her car. ICE agents repeatedly ordered her to get out of the car and to stop instructing obstructing law enforcement, but she refused to obey their commands.

She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle, and she attempted to run a law enforcement officer over. Mayor Jacob Frey rejects the government's account. What I can tell you is the narrative that this was just done in self-defense is a garbage narrative. Blaming the Trump administration for sowing chaos and issuing this blunt message to ICE. Get the fuck out of Minneapolis. Democratic governor Tim Walts agreeing with the sentiment. What we're seeing is the consequences of governance designed to generate fear,

headlines in conflict. President Donald Trump has weighed in on social media, saying the woman was a professional agitator, and that the, quote, radical left are to blame for targeting law enforcement and ICE agents. Reuters reporter Renee Hickman is in Minneapolis and says, bystander video challenges the Homeland Securities version of events. In it, we can see the ICE agents approach goods car. One of them tries to open her door and then another one approaches,

looks like the front of the car. And as she's driving away, he fires his weapon at her. The car then accelerates and then crashes a little way ahead. It's not totally visible whether or not she may. made any contact with that agent who fired his weapon at her, but he is still standing when the car drives away. There have been more protests and vigils tonight in Minneapolis and in other cities in the U.S. I think that this is going to provide another flashpoint in what has been a fairly violent immigration crackdown by the Trump administration that has seen a lot of resistance.

The U.S. has seized two Venezuelan linked oil tankers in the Atlantic. Notably, one of the tankers bearing a Russian flag was being shadowed by a Russian submarine. American forces had been pursuing the Marinera for more than two weeks. The ship was reportedly empty, but U.S. officials are saying it's been used to move Venezuelan crude. This comes just days after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and as Trump announced a deal to bring up to 50 million barrels of the crude into the U.S. Here's national security reporter Idris Ali. Anytime you have a superpower taking over something that belongs to another superpower in this case, the United States and Russia, it does risk sort of tensions fearing. It does risk,

you know, diplomatic demarch. The Russian transportation ministry put out a statement saying this is unacceptable. We request and really demand, you know, our citizens from the ship to be returned to us. But beyond that, I think we're trying to figure out what happens next, right? Do the Russians say, okay, this was a vessel that was under our flag, but it really wasn't something that was, that belonged to us previously, so we're going to let this go, or do they have some sort of response where they go after some vessels that is important to the United States? The U.S. Coast Guard is in possession of the vessel.

It does appear to be heading in the direction of British waters, but we don't know what the final destination is going to be. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirms he will meet Danish leaders next week as President Trump revives talk of taking over Greenland. Asked about Trump's plans for military intervention, Rubio said that option is never off the table. If the president identifies a threat to the national security of the United States, every president retains the option to address it through military means.

Trump's Greenland ambitions have NATO allies on edge and working on a plan to respond. European leaders are rallying behind Greenland and warn that any U.S. military move would shake NATO. With France's foreign minister, Jean-Nuel Barron, after talks with Germany and Poland, calling for the intimidation to stop. The White House has said Trump is actively discussing a Greenland purchase with security aids. Adaras al-Zubaydi, the leader of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council, has fled the country with help from the United Arab Emirates. That's according to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen.

The UAE has not commented on the claim, but it escalates a drama between Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, over the conflict in Yemen, with Riyadh wanting Zubaydi to attend crisis talks in Saudi. Reuters Gulf Bureau Chief Mahal-Dahan is in Abu Dhabi. In many ways, you have to see why the Saudis would take great offense at this. They had been waiting for Zubedi to arrive at the head of that delegation to have that conversation with them and with other Yemeni groups over how they could resolve. of this crisis that is evolving in the South.

And instead, he flees. So, I mean, what options are on the table for the Saudis to respond now? One would assume everything. It's hard to predict. But, Mahas, the two nations' economies are deeply entangled. They have about $30 billion of trade between them. They invest in each other's countries. They are both members of...

the OPEC oil exporting group. There's so much that brings them together, which is why this is so worrying for so many people, the more it escalates day by day. Over on markets, US defense stocks are taking a hit. Amanda Cooper from our sister Markets podcast, Morning Bid, has more. Amanda, what's going on? That's right, Kim.

Defense stocks definitely took a hit after Trump posted that he was going to stop them from completing buybacks and paying dividends until they resolved some of their production issues. However, he later posted that he wanted to increase defence spending to an unprecedented $1.5 trillion, which then saw those losses evaporate and the stocks rallied after hours.

So it's anyone's guess what might come next. You can catch MorningBid wherever you get your podcasts. Back in the US, Nick Rayner, the man charged with fatally stabbing his mother and filmmaker father, Rob Reiner, inside their West L.A. mansion has had his arraignment delayed again. Court sketches show Raina arriving in court shackled and in a jumpsuit, but then an unexpected turn of events.

You feel that we have no choice at this juncture, but to withdraw as counsel has to be relieved. That's Rainer's high-profile lawyer, Alan Jackson, abruptly withdrawing from the case. A public defender has stepped in, and an arraignment is now set for February. If convicted, Nick could face life without parole or the death penalty. And for today's recommended read, a rare boost for one of the world's most endangered species. A mountain gorilla has given birth to twins in eastern Congo's Varunga National Park. The two males appear healthy and are being monitored closely by rangers in a park where fighting has intensified and forest loss is growing.

The park estimates there are 1,770. 75 mountain gorillas in the wild. We'll drop a link in the description. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week.

We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.