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AAP Rolling News Bulletin for January 11 at 0330

Syria Unrest (ALEPPO) Dozens of Kurdish fighters have left Syria's second largest city, security sources say, and the army says it is still working to clear a remaining group ?of hardened fighters after a ceasefire failed to end days of deadly clashes. The violence in Aleppo has deepened one of the main fault lines in Syria, where President Ahmed al-Sharaa's promise to unify ?the country under one leadership after 14 years of war has faced resistance from Kurdish forces wary of his Islamist-led government. The United States and other world powers welcomed a ceasefire earlier in the week but Kurdish forces refused to leave the last stronghold of Sheikh Maksoud under the deal. Syria's army said it would conduct a ground operation to clear them and combed through the neighbourhood on Saturday.

Yemen Unrest (ADEN) Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the cities of Aden and Mukalla in southern Yemen in ?support of the country's main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council, which denies it is planning to disband. Some held up photos of ?STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who has fled the country, while others chanted "southerner, raise your voice, independence or death," a Reuters witness said. The protesters chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and the internationally-recognised Yemeni government. They waved flags of southern Yemen, which was an independent state between 1967 and 1990. Established in April 2017, the STC is an umbrella organisation for groups that seek to restore southern Yemen's independence. People took to the streets despite Saudi-backed groups urging them on Friday not to do so.

Ukraine (KYIV) A Ukrainian drone strike has sparked a fire at an oil depot in Russia's southern Volgograd region, regional authorities say. There were no immediate reports of casualties, regional governor Andrei Bocharov was quoted as saying in a Telegram post published on the channel of the local administration. The post did not specify the damage but said that people living near the depot may have to be relocated. Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on Russian energy sites aim to deprive the country of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid in what officials in Kyiv say is a bid to "weaponise winter" and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water.

Iran Protests (DUBAI) The Iranian army is vowing to safeguard strategic infrastructure and public property and is urging Iranians to thwart "the enemy's plots" as the clerical establishment steps up efforts to quell the country's biggest protests in years. The Iranian military statement came after US President Donald ?Trump issued a new warning to Iran's leaders and after Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared: "The United States supports the brave people of Iran." Unrest continued overnight. State media said a municipal building was set on fire ?in Karaj, west of Tehran, and blamed "rioters". State TV broadcast footage of funerals of members of the security forces it said were killed in protests in the cities of Shiraz, Qom and Hamedan. Authorities continued to impose an ?internet blackout.

US Agent (MINNEAPOLIS) Civil liberties and migrant-rights groups are calling for nationwide rallies to protest the fatal shooting of an activist in Minnesota by a US immigration agent, as state authorities open their own investigation of the killing. Protest organisers said more ?than 1000 weekend events were planned across the country demanding an end to large-scale deployments of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ordered by President Donald Trump, mostly to cities led by Democratic politicians. Minneapolis became a major flashpoint of the Republican president's militarised ?deportation round-ups on Wednesday, when an ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old mother of three, Renee Good, behind the wheel of her car on a residential street. The violence came soon after some 2000 federal officers were dispatched to Minneapolis in what ?ICE's parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, called the "largest DHS operation ever".

Mideast (RAMALLAH) The former United Nations envoy expected to help lead Donald Trump's so-called Board of Peace for Gaza has met a top Palestinian Authority ?official as the US president pushes ahead with his plan for the enclave's future. Trump is expected to announce the composition of the board this month, ?possibly as early as next week, a US official said. Portrayed as part of a transitional government, the board is an important component of Trump's phased plan to halt the war between Israel and Hamas. The first phase of Trump's plan, which included a ceasefire and hostage release deal, has been shaken by issues including Israeli airstrikes in Gaza that have killed hundreds of people, a refusal by Hamas to disarm and Israeli delays in reopening Gaza's Rafah border crossing ?with Egypt.

Yemen Unrest (DUBAI) Yemen's main separatist group has appeared to split as some members announced it was disbanding, reflecting a feud ?between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that was blown into the open by a separatist advance last month. Saudi-backed fighters have largely retaken areas in southern and eastern Yemen seized by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in December, and an STC delegation has travelled to the Saudi capital Riyadh for talks. However, STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled Yemen on Wednesday instead ?of joining the ?talks, with the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen saying the UAE had helped spirit him away on a ?flight that was tracked to a military airport in Abu Dhabi. One of the members who travelled to Riyadh for the talks said in a statement broadcast on Saudi state media on Friday that the group had decided to disband.

Ukraine (KYIV) The International Atomic Energy Agency has begun talks with Russia on a limited ceasefire around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhoa nuclear power plant to allow repairs to a damaged power line, IAEA head Rafael Grossi says. Fighting on January 2 damaged the last remaining 330-kilovolt emergency power line supplying the plant, Grossi said in Vienna on Friday. As a result, the Russian-occupied nuclear facility in southern Ukraine is ]relying solely on its main 750-kilovolt power line. Grossi said a ceasefire would be needed within a roughly 10km radius of the plant to enable Ukrainian technicians to carry out the repairs. The IAEA has already negotiated three such ceasefires in recent months, he added. The plant's six reactors - the largest nuclear power facility in Europe - are shut down but must continue to be cooled.

In finance ...

Legal: US Tariffs (WASHINGTON, D. C.) The US Supreme ?Court is expected to issue its next rulings on January 14 as several major cases remain pending including the ?legality of US President Donald Trump's global tariffs. The court indicated on its website on Friday that it could release decisions ?in argued cases when the justices take the bench during a scheduled sitting on Wednesday. The court does not announce in advance what cases will be decided. The justices issued one ruling on Friday in a criminal case. The challenge to Trump's tariffs marks a major test of presidential powers as well as of the court's willingness to check some of ?the Republican president's far-reaching ?assertions of authority since he returned to office in January 2025. The outcome will also affect the global economy.

US Credit (WASHINGTON) US President Donald Trump is calling for a one-year cap on credit card interest rates at 10 per cent starting on January 20 but he has ?not provided details on how his plan will come to fruition or how he planned to make companies comply. Trump also made the pledge during the campaign for the 2024 election that ?he won but analysts dismissed it at the time s