Democrats decry Trump’s Venezuela operation while Republicans praise ‘outstanding’ effort after classified briefing – live
“There is a long-term plan here,” Leavitt adds.
‘No state has the right to use force against ships,’ says Moscow after US seizes Russian-flagged tanker – live
A reporter asks Leavitt what the US stands to gain if it were to take control of Greenland given it already has access to military bases there, can station personnel on the territory, and place assets. Leavitt replies: “More control over the Arctic region and ensuring that China and Russia and our adversaries cannot continue their aggression in this very important and strategic region.”
Reflagged by Russia, spied on by UK, seized by US: why so much interest in a rusty tanker in the Atlantic?
A massive, rusty crude oil tanker floating north through the Atlantic has become the centre of global interest after it was followed for days and eventually seized by US forces while Russia’s military rushed towards it. Despite not carrying any oil, the 300-metre-long ship is clearly of value. Theories for why range from speculation that high-value Russian weapons are hidden in the hull, to the ship’s potential to become a symbolic trophy in a transatlantic power struggle between Washington and Moscow. Currently called the Marinera, the name-changing ship has long been part of the shadow or ghost fleets used by Russia, Iran and Venezuela to avoid western sanctions. For years these vessels have moved cargo and cheap fuel around the globe, including to China. Washington and its European allies have long sought to crack down on the illicit maritime trade. Those efforts reached a critical point last month after Donald Trump imposed a naval blockade on sanctions-busting tankers operating near Venezuela, home to the world’s largest oil reserves and a key destination for shadow fleet vessels. The Marinera is the most notorious of the dozen or so oil tankers that have been trying to escape the blockade. It evaded capture in the Caribbean Sea in December, changed its name from Bella 1 and switched course towards northern Russia before being boarded on Wednesday as it sailed in the frigid Atlantic. The Marinera has been under sanctions from the US treasury since July 2024 over accusations of carrying illicit cargo for Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group. The US Coast Guard attempted to board it in the Caribbean in December as it headed for Venezuela, but the ship’s crew refused. There is precedent for the US boarding shadow fleet ships. Last month, US special forces rappelled from helicopters to board the Skipper, a tanker off Venezuela that the US treasury had placed under sanctions in 2022. On Wednesday, US Coast Guard members were seen boarding a tanker in international waters near the Caribbean. But doing the same on the Marinera is very different and has much higher stakes. While the Skipper was sailing under the flag of Guyana, the Marinera is Russian registered and flagged. That is a recent development, with the tanker’s crew hurriedly painting a Russian flag on the hull last month. Moscow later lodged a formal diplomatic protest demanding that Washington halt its high-seas pursuit. It is not the only tanker operating in Venezuelan waters to be reflagged under the Russian banner in recent weeks. By putting its own flag on some former shadow fleet tankers, Moscow has in effect moved shadow fleet vessels out of the shadows, in an open challenge to the west. Craig Kennedy, an associate at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, said the decision by Moscow to register the ship could have been an attempt to gain leverage by circumventing the US oil blockade on Venezuela. “To seize a Russian-flagged ship on the high seas is to disregard Russia’s claims of exclusive jurisdiction over the vessel,” said Kennedy, adding that Moscow may have assumed the US would not board a Russian-flagged vessel. But the Kremlin miscalculated how far Trump would go, Kennedy said. Last weekend, US forces carried out a middle-of-the-night capture of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, who are now on trial in New York. “This was Russia trying to gain leverage by intervening in the US blockade,” Kennedy said. “And then it backfired.” Other theories suggest there may be something of value to Moscow within the ship. While it is empty of oil, the route it previously took between Iran and Venezuela is suspected of being a path for illicit trade, including for weapons. Upping the stakes, Russia this week dispatched naval assets, including a submarine, to escort the tanker, according to the Wall Street Journal. That was reported hours before US forces boarded the ship, with Washington announcing the ship had been seized for “violations of US sanctions”. For days, US surveillance planes had been monitoring the ship, and a British Royal Air Force spy plane appears to have flown over its path. Flight-tracking platforms showed an RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint surveillance plane leaving the Waddington airbase in Lincolnshire on Tuesday towards the same area of the Atlantic as the ship. The UK military has said it provided “pre-planned operational support, including basing”. And in recent days tracking data and spotters had shown a sudden influx of US military, including C-17 Globemaster III, which can carry helicopters, raising speculation about an imminent special operations mission against the Marinera. Speaking before US forces boarded the ship, John Foreman, a former UK defence attache to Moscow, said the scale of the US monitoring of the tanker and apparent preparations for its seizure by moving aircraft to the nearby UK was eye-catching. “Why have the US put all these assets into the UK just for some oil tanker?” said the former official, now a defence analyst. “Could it be Russian arms going to Venezuela?”
‘How is it possible?’: Berliners demand answers after sabotage causes blackout
When Silke Peters bought a crank radio and a camping stove just after the start of Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine, her husband thought she was “a little crazy”. “He put me down, only half-jokingly, as a prepper,” she said, referring to the kind of person who stockpiles in case of catastrophe. For almost four years, the items gathered dust in the cellar of the Peters’ two-room flat in Zehlendorf, a well-to-do district of Berlin. But in recent days the windup radio – with its inbuilt torch and charge point – has come into its own during Germany’s longest power cut since the second world war. Leftwing anarchist militants have claimed responsibility for an arson attack on Saturday that cut the electricity to about 45,000 households, almost 2,000 businesses, four hospitals, 74 care homes, 20 schools and a considerable chunk of the public transport network in south-west Berlin. Federal state prosecutors have taken over the criminal investigation into the saboteurs, Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group), who said their aim was to “turn off the juice of those in power” and to highlight Germany’s overdependence on fossil fuels. Aside from some footprints left in the snow, investigators admit they have little to go on so far. On Wednesday morning the remaining 20,000 households and 850 businesses still without heating or hot water were finally reconnected. But many Germans still feel they are without answers to three vital questions: who was responsible, how could the infrastructure of Europe’s largest economy prove so vulnerable, and how can authorities prevent such an attack from happening again? “What is wrong with this city?” an anguished middle-aged man was heard asking on camera as Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner, dropped in on a sports hall housing residents on army camp beds. The man’s mother, who had been moved out of her nursing home, was lying on one of the beds. “How is it possible that the power grid is so insecure?” asked Anar, a cleaner in her 60s who was stuck on a train on the outskirts of Berlin on Saturday night, fearing she would be unable to get to her workplace – or be paid. “This has made a lot of people very angry.” The Red Cross, which came to the aid of thousands this week, has led urgent calls for more investment to be made in domestic civil protection and disaster relief. This week its members were among those handing out thermal flasks and muesli bars to residents. The army was brought in to distribute diesel to clinics running emergency generators and to help with repairs. When Berlin’s energy and economy senator, Franziska Giffey, turned up on Monday to see the fallout for herself, she could hardly hide her embarrassment. She said the attack was a “serious blow to critical infrastructure”, describing how the perpetrators had set fire to a bridge carrying high-voltage cables and had probably used public maps to select their location. “You can find a lot of information on the internet,” Giffey admitted in an interview with the broadcaster DLF, saying policymakers needed to prioritise security over transparency in future. Manuel Atug, a founder of AG Kritis, an independent working group of experts on critical infrastructure, said his organisation had repeatedly warned of shortfalls in the system, of a lack of planning to ensure that networks – be they electricity, water or cyber – were backed up so that they could not fail due to one event such as an arson attack. Glaring also is the failure of lawmakers to put pressure on utility companies and network operators. “Resilience costs money,” Atug said. “Companies only do what they’re legally required to do.” Politicians were keener to do things that were visibly striking, such as “building drone defence centres”, rather than implementing more mundane measures such as protecting energy networks or fixing dilapidated bridges or school buildings, he told Der Spiegel. The far-right populist Alternative für Deutschland has been keen to exploit the situation, accusing the country’s leadership of failing to keep its citizens warm and safe, and turning out this week to give away blankets. In a statement, the party’s deputy federal spokesperson, Kay Gottschalk, said the government had failed to develop “any sort of consistent political and security-related response” to sabotage or arson attacks. “It’s no longer an abstract warning we face, but a bitter reality,” he said. Across Berlin there has been an outpouring of goodwill towards those who lost power. Hotels and private individuals, as well as libraries, swimming pools, cinemas and museums, have opened their doors. Zehlendorf is known as a well-heeled part of Berlin, home to ambassadors, pop stars and business leaders, as well as ordinary Germans. Vulkangruppe apologised to people such as the Peters – a retired nurse and caretaker in their 70s – who have had to stay with friends for days. But Silke gave this short shrift, saying: “Tell that to the elderly who were stuck in their lifts when the black out happened, or our neighbour whose cat ran away and has yet to return.” The Peters hope to be able to return to their two-room flat on Wednesday. When they do, Silke will be in on a secret her husband had kept. “It turns out he’d been doing his own prepping,” she said, referring to supplies of tinned fish and a large canister of drinking water he had put in the cellar, unbeknown to her. “Everyone in Germany is doing it these days. And why wouldn’t you? The difference to just a short while ago is that most readily admit it now without fear of ridicule.”
Amsterdam airport cancels at least 800 flights because of snow and wind
Snow and ice has continued to cause chaos across parts of Europe, grounding flights and clogging roads, with about 1,000 people forced to spend the night at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport as staff worked to clear snow from runways. At least 800 flights were cancelled on Wednesday at Schiphol, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs. Stephan Donker, a spokesperson for the airport, told Reuters it was an “exceptional situation”, adding that Schiphol had set up a few hundred beds, providing pillows, blankets, food and drink for travellers. In the rest of the Netherlands, many schools were shut and authorities urged people to work from home. In Paris, about 100 flights were cancelled at Charles de Gaulle airport and a further 40 at Orly as Storm Goretti blew in from the Atlantic coast, blanketing the French capital with snow. Public bus services in Paris and the surrounding suburbs were suspended due to icy roads, though most metro and suburban rail systems were operating, transport officials said. The Météo France weather service said 38 of the country’s 96 Metropolitan departments – the mainland and Corsica – were on alert for heavy snow and black ice, with 3cm to 7cm (about 1in to 3in) of snow already accumulated. It said the cold snap was of “rare intensity for the season”. Authorities had already warned people in the Paris region to avoid unnecessary travel on Wednesday and work from home if possible. On Tuesday, five people were confirmed to have died in road accidents in France. Despite the fraught conditions, tourists and residents enjoyed the rare sight of a snow-covered Paris, with a few taking the opportunity to ski down the slopes of Montmartre and along the Champs de Mars gardens below the Eiffel Tower. People grabbed sledges and even plastic bags to slide down any slopes they could find. “It’s exceptional, it’s incredible. It’s magnificent and we’re enjoying it. We also came across a lot of tourists and they look so happy,” Pierre, a Parisian out admiring the snowy scenery, told Reuters. In Spain, snow and cold prompted the suspension of one commuter rail line near Madrid and disrupted more than 40 roads. Heavy snow and rain overnight caused travel disruption across the western Balkans. In the town of Knin, in north-western Croatia, passengers were trapped in a train for more than 12 hours after trees fell on to the tracks. Some towns in eastern Bosnia and western Serbia declared emergency situations after power and water cuts. In Poland, schools in many regions were closed due to snow, with some switching to remote learning, while in Hungary, heavy snowfall hit highways and delayed trains and buses. Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
Trump administration reportedly warns Maduro ally Diosdado Cabello could be next
The Trump administration has reportedly put Venezuela’s hardline interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, on notice that he could be next to fall if he does not support the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, who has been in power since the Nicolás Maduro was seized on Saturday. Reuters reported that US officials are “especially concerned” that Cabello – long seen by many as the regime’s real No 2 – could sabotage Washington’s plan to keep key figures from Maduro’s inner circle in place in the name of stability while pursuing a transition, and provide unrestricted access to Venezuela’s oil. In a post on Monday, Donald Trump said Venezuela would be “turning over” $2bn worth of crude to the US, a flagship negotiation that would divert supplies from China while helping Venezuela avoid deeper production cuts. In the meantime, US officials have told Cabello through intermediaries, according to Reuters, that if he proves defiant, he could face a fate similar to Maduro’s. Cabello, for his part, has posted videos on social media showing himself commanding dozens of heavily armed men patrolling the streets of Caracas. He controls the police, counterintelligence agencies and the militias known as colectivos. “It’s calm, it’s tranquil. Your conscious people know what we must do, working to restore the normality that should prevail in the country and get back to work. Today shops opened without any problems,” Cabello said in one video, pointing to a clock showing 11pm on Tuesday. He is also seen taking photos and shaking hands with civilians and shopkeepers, and making a speakerphone call with what appears to be another commander, asking how things are. “In battle, my commander, in battle, my captain. Defending our homeland,” comes the reply. In another clip, dozens of armed men pose for the camera with rifles raised and fists clenched, chanting: “Always loyal, never traitors!” and “To doubt is to betray!” – the same slogan emblazoned on Cabello’s cap, which he also wore at Rodríguez’s swearing-in ceremony on Monday, a gesture interpreted by some as a sign of resentment at not being placed in charge and a warning that any concessions to the US would be seen as a betrayal of Chavismo. Cabello has a long history of rivalry with Rodríguez and her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the Venezuelan congress. Although many considered him the regime’s second-most-powerful figure after Maduro, analysts stress that there was no clear hierarchy. Power was divided among factions – one dominated by Cabello, another by the Rodríguez siblings, among others – that coexisted and competed. Cabello was among the officers who took part in Hugo Chávez’s failed coup attempt in 1992 and is therefore regarded as a “core” Chavista. The interior minister is also widely seen as one of those most responsible for the Maduro regime’s extensive and well-documented human rights abuses, which included more than 20,000 extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture, and the jailing of thousands of political opponents. Since Monday, the colectivos under his command have been patrolling streets, operating checkpoints and checking people’s phones in a crackdown aimed at consolidating authority after the US attack. The regime has issued a decree declaring a “state of external commotion”, effectively a state of emergency, ordering the “immediate search and capture of anyone involved in the promotion or support of the US armed attack”. At least 16 journalists and media workers were detained – 14 in Caracas and two near the Colombian border – with 15 later released, one of whom was deported. On Tuesday, the acting president declared seven days of national mourning for those killed in what was the first large-scale US military attack on South American soil. She also hardened her rhetoric against Washington, saying in a televised address that “no external agent governs Venezuela” – a clear rebuttal to Trump’s claim that, after Maduro’s capture, the US would now run the country. The remarks marked a shift from the conciliatory tone she had adopted on Sunday, as she returned to harsher language, describing the US strike as a “terrible military aggression” and a “criminal attack” whose “absolutely illegal outcome, in violation of international law”, was the “kidnapping” of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
People living in the US: what do you think about Donald Trump’s threat to take control of Greenland?
Donald Trump has renewed his calls for the US to take control of Greenland. It comes after the removal of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, on Saturday. We would like to hear what people in the United States think about Trump’s intervention in Venezuela and his latest threat to take control of Greenland. We’re particularly interested to hear from people who voted for or previously supported the Trump administration. What is your reaction to his territorial ambitions? If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
‘The pressure is too much’: Lesotho’s garment workers on the frontline of Trump tariffs
Every morning at 7am, women gather outside clothing factories in Maseru, the capital of the southern African mountain kingdom of Lesotho, hoping to be offered work. However, since Donald Trump imposed swingeing global tariffs in April 2025, those opportunities have been fewer and farther between. Moleboheng Matsepe lost her full-time job sewing sports leggings for the California brand Fabletics in 2023. She was initially able to pick up three-month contracts, but has not had any work since September. “The pressure is too much … We can’t even sleep at night,” said the 48-year-old, who supports five family members and now makes as little as 50 maloti (£2.23) a week doing occasional laundry jobs. Lesotho’s garment industry employed 50,000 people at its peak in 2004, nurtured by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which was passed in 2000 and offered tariff-free access to the US market for thousands of African goods. Agoa, which needs to be renewed by the US Congress, expired at the end of September amid the US government shutdown. According to the trade ministry, there are about 36,000 textile workers – mostly women – in the country, which is entirely landlocked by South Africa and has a population of 2.3 million. A third of those workers make clothes for the US, including jeans for Levi’s and Gap. Wages are as low as 2,582 maloti (£115) a month. However, the jobs are still highly prized in a country where unemployment was 30% in 2024, according to official data. Matsepe’s face lit up when asked if she had enjoyed her Fabletics job. “Everything that I wanted I would be able to do with the money that I got there. Also, when I worked there it was very nice. There was no harassment. It was very friendly.” Last April, Trump announced “reciprocal” tariffs, based on the difference between what a country exported to and imported from the US. In 2024, Lesotho sold $237m of goods to the US and imported $2.8m. Had the formula been implemented, Lesotho’s exports would have incurred a 50% tariff. Lesotho, which Trump claimed was a country no one had ever heard of, was being treated like a “pariah state”, said its trade minister, Mokhethi Shelile. The tariff was eventually reduced to 15%, which has still chilled Lesotho’s economy. In June, the country’s central bank revised down its economic growth forecasts for 2025 and 2026 by 1 percentage point each, to 1.1% and 0.9% respectively. A government survey in August, to which 12 out of 15 clothing companies exporting to the US responded, reported 400 lay-offs. Five companies were operating their factories at 5-30% capacity and three had stopped operating altogether. At Ever Successful Textiles, hundreds of sewing machines churned out tottering piles of black Reebok sports tops for the US and pastel-coloured children’s leggings for South African retailers. However, only 80% of 470 machines were operational and the company had 550 staff compared with 650 in 2024, said its HR manager, Malefetsane Phahla. Lesotho is exporting more to South Africa, but for much less money. Order forms showed Ever Successful Textiles receiving $5 (£3.71) per piece for a US order, compared with 5 rand (£0.23) for a South African one. Shelile said: “We are busy looking at diversifying or moving more and more to the South African market without reducing what we are sending to the US.” He noted Lesotho still needed US dollars to import electricity, buy heavy machinery and maintain the loti currency’s peg to the South African rand. On 10 December, the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives’ ways and means committee voted for a three-year extension to Agoa. Trump’s administration has said it only supports a year-long extension. Shelile said he was hopeful the three-year Agoa renewal would be passed by both houses of Congress by the end of January and then signed by Trump, so that higher future tariffs could be avoided. However, the 15% “reciprocal” tariff would still apply. Shelile said that needed to be cut to 10%, the level of Eswatini, Ethiopia and Kenya, for Lesotho to remain competitive. Meanwhile, every day women continue to wait outside factory gates, hoping for a job. Mapuseletso Makhake said she was struggling to pay for sanitary towels and school fees for her 15-year-old daughter, as well as providing for her 19-year-old son and sick, elderly father in her home village. The 48-year-old had not worked since a two-month contract packing Reebok clothing in late 2024. As she spoke about the difficulties she had faced since losing her husband in the late 2000s, tears ran down her face. “My heart breaks every time, because I don’t like the life I am living … I wish I had still had my husband here to take the burden with me.”