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Americas
Russian-flagged ship linked to Venezuela seized by U.S.
An oil tanker flying a Russian flag has been seized by the U.S., reportedly due to links to Venezuela. The Marinera was chased by the States over the course of a week, which was documented in real time by analysts, before being seized on Thursday in the North Atlantic. "The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro,” U.S. European Command confirmed on X. Last month the ship fled the U.S. blockade around Venezuela, where it carried out seizures of other oil tankers, and changed her name from the Bella 1 to the Marinera. Over the last week the Trump administration's tension with Venezuela reached a fever pitch, after American forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and took him back to U.S. soil for trial. Russia, a supporter of Maduro, has now accused the administration of violating maritime law by seizing the oil tanker with their flag. Speaking to reporters, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the seizure was part of three phase plan of "stabilization" efforts for Venezuela.
Americas
Maduro pleads not guilty, Rodriguez sworn in
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has pleaded not guilty to United States narcotics charges as his Vice President was sworn in as interim head of the nation. Maduro made his not guilty plea in a federal court in Manhattan, New York, alongside his lawyer Barry Pollack, a Washington-based attorney, who represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and negotiated his release from custody. "I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," Maduro, began to say through an interpreter, before being cut off by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. His wife, who was also abducted by U.S. forces in the Trump administration military-led raid over the weekend, pleaded not guilty as well, and their next court date is set for 17 March . Meanwhile, Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim President of Venezuela. Rodriguez, who served as a labor lawyer before stepping into the realm of politics, addressed Venezuela’s National Assembly as she came to take her oath. “I come with pain over the kidnapping of two heroes who are being held hostage: President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” she said. “I swear to work tirelessly to guarantee the peac
Americas
U.S. seizes control of Venezuela after capturing President
United States forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and took control of the oil-rich South American nation on Saturday after launching a large-scale military strike. The seizure of Maduro, who was flown to the United States with his wife Cilia Flores to face criminal charges, followed months of pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. It was condemned by many nations and raised questions about the legality of the operation. Trump said on Saturday he was putting Venezuela under temporary American control in the wake of the operation, which included strikes on the capital Caracas. "We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," he was quoted as saying during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. "We can't take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn't have the interests of Venezuelans in mind." At least seven explosions were heard at about 2am on Saturday while witnesses reported seeing smoke at two key military installations in Caracas. U.S. authorities said the attack was part of a law enforcement operation to apprehend Maduro on charges including terrorism, drugs and weapons offences. The United States had cons
Americas
Trump: US 'hit all the boats' in latest Venezuela strike
United States President Donald Trump has confirmed a strike on a Venezuelan dock, saying they had “hit all the boats”. He said that the boats in question were being used to load drugs, but it is not yet clear what the target of the strike was or who it was carried it out. Trump declined to confirm if the CIA had carried out the attack, but he has previously authorised them to carry out covert operations in Venezuela as his campaign against President Nicolas Maduro has increased. “I don't want to say that,” he told the press. "I know exactly who it was, but I don't want to say who it was." This marks the first time that the U.S. has carried out land operations in Venezuela, after recent sea strikes. “We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area,” Trump said to press. “It's the implementation area. That's where they implement, and that is no longer around.”
Americas
Trump to keep seized Venezuelan oil, unveils warships
United States President Donald Trump said on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) that the United States will keep crude oil and tankers seized near Venezuela, as he steps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro and signals a tougher U.S. stance in the Caribbean. “We’re going to keep it,” Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, after unveiling a new class of battleships, named after himself. “Maybe we’ll sell it, maybe we’ll keep it, maybe we’ll use it in the strategic reserve,” Trump said of the seized oil. “We’re keeping the ships also.” Trump has ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela as part of an escalating campaign against the Maduro government. The U.S. seized a large tanker on 10 December carrying more than one million barrels of oil, according to energy consulting firm Kpler. A second vessel was intercepted over the weekend, and Trump confirmed that U.S. authorities are pursuing a third tanker. “It’s moving along. We’ll end up getting it,” Trump said of the tanker. “It came from the wrong location. It came out of Venezuela, and it was sanctioned.” Asked whether his ultimate aim was to remove Maduro from power, Trump said “it would be smart” for the Venezuelan president to ste

Americas
US pursuing third oil tanker near Venezuela in a week
The United States is pursuing its third oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela in less than a week. “The United States Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,” a U.S. official told Reuters. “It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.” The official did not give a specific location for the operation or the name of the vessel being pursued. Director of the White House’s National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, said the first two oil tankers seized were operating on the black market and providing oil to countries under sanctions. “And so I don’t think that people need to be worried here in the U.S. that the prices are going to go up because of these seizures of these ships,” Hassett said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. “There’s just a couple of them, and they were black market ships.” However, an oil trader told Reuters that the seizures could lead to slightly higher oil prices when Asian trading resumes on Monday. “We might see prices increasing modestly at the opening, considering market participants could see this as an escalation with more Venezuelan barrels at risk as the tanker was not on a U.S.
Americas
Trump orders blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan tankers
United States President Donald Trump has ordered a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. The move is Washington’s plan to intensify pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government by targeting its primary source of income. The White House has already reportedly moved thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships, including an aircraft carrier, into the region. Venezuela’s government responded by rejecting what it described as Trump’s “grotesque threat”. Oil prices rose more than 1% during Asian trading on Wednesday following the announcement. The move follows the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast last week, which the administration said was transporting “sanction oil” from Venezuela and Iran. The blockade threatens to deal a significant blow to Venezuela’s economy, which is heavily dependent on oil exports. Much of the country’s crude is shipped via the so-called “dark fleet”, a global network of tankers that employ deceptive shipping practices to evade sanctions and move oil worldwide, generating revenue for sanctioned states such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, sanctions im
Americas
Trump gearing up for further Venezuelan tanker seizures
The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump is prepared and willing to seize more oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela. One was already seized earlier this week, on the grounds of being sanctioned and had been shipping crude oil to Iran, which is also sanctioned by the United States, where it will now be taken to a U.S. port, and the oil on board will also be taken. The seized shipments reportedly totalled nearly 6 million barrels of crude oil. “However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil, and that legal process will be followed,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said to the press the day after the seizure. Now, a source has reported to Reuters that there are plans in place for further seizures, which have been reportedly planned by the U.S. Justice Department and Homeland Security for months. This is the latest move in a series of escalating actions from the Trump administration against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and increasing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean.
Americas
US approves sale of air strike weapons to Canada
The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of air strike weapons to Canada worth almost US$3 billion. “The proposed sale will improve Canada’s credible defence capability to deter aggression in the region, ensure interoperability with U.S. forces, and strengthen Canada’s ability to contribute to shared continental defence,” the State Department said in a press release. The types of bombs included in the sale can be carried by fighter jets, like Canada’s CF-18s or the new U.S.-made F-35s, to carry out precision air strikes. While Canada begins taking deliveries of the F-35 fighters in 2026, the country is considering how big an order it wants, considering the increasingly unpredictable U.S. government under President Donald Trump. Canadian Global Affairs Institute president David Perry and other military experts said Prime Minister Mark Carney’s increase in military funding means the air force will have more to practice with. Some of the sales include practice bombs. The weapons will be supplied by The Boeing Company and RTC Corporation. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the military capability of a NATO Al