Daily World Briefing, Jan. 13

Venezuelan acting president meets EU, Swiss, UK diplomats on advancing ties

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez met on Monday with members of the diplomatic corps from the European Union, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said.

Describing the talks as "frank," Gil said participants reviewed the state of bilateral relations and agreed on the importance of advancing a productive relationship and seeking deeper dialogue.

Trump says countries doing business with Iran face 25 pct tariff

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that any country doing business with Iran will pay a tariff rate of 25 percent on any business conducted with the United States.

Former Fed chairs, U.S. officials decry criminal probe against Fed chair Powell

Three former U.S. Federal Reserve chairs and 10 other former top economic officials from the federal government on Monday criticized federal prosecutors' criminal investigation targeting Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

The criminal inquiry into Powell is an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks to undermine the Fed's independence, said a joint statement signed by former Fed chairs Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan and Janet Yellen.

Fatah says Gaza committee must be led by Palestinian Authority

The Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) said on Monday that any committee formed to govern the Gaza Strip must be headed by a minister from the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Fatah spokesperson Munther al-Hayek said in a statement that the proposed administrative body must derive its legitimacy from the Ramallah-based PA, warning that Hamas's refusal to cooperate could deepen the political and geographic divide between Gaza and the West Bank.■