The United States has seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean, stepping up its campaign to stop sanctioned vessels from moving oil linked to Venezuela. The ship, named the Olina, is the fifth tanker taken in recent weeks as Washington tightens its naval blockade and expands enforcement operations in the region. Crackdown on the So-Called “Ghost Fleet” According to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the Olina is part of a so-called ghost fleet, a term used to describe tankers that allegedly disguise their ownership, falsify nationality, or switch off tracking systems to evade sanctions. U.S. officials say the vessel…
Author: Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow is a freelance journalist based in Beijing, China, with over 20 years of experience covering Politics, World Affairs, Business, Health, Technology, Finance, Lifestyle, and Culture. She holds a degree in Communication and Journalism from Stanford University. Over the course of her career, she has contributed to leading outlets such as The New York Times, BBC, and CNN. Recognized for her insightful analysis and engaging reporting style, Rachel delivers accurate and timely news that keeps readers informed on key national and international developments.
Fresh demonstrations swept across Iran on Thursday night as protesters took to the streets and rooftops of Tehran, answering a call from the country’s exiled crown prince and marking a sharp escalation in weeks of unrest. Streets Fill, Signals Cut Witnesses said chants rang out across neighbourhoods of the capital shortly after 8pm local time, with crowds gathering despite an immediate shutdown of internet access and phone lines. Monitoring groups Cloudflare and NetBlocks reported widespread outages, which they attributed to government interference. Attempts to reach Iran by phone from abroad failed, a pattern that has previously coincided with harsh security…
Greenland’s strategic location and vast natural resources have once again pushed the Arctic island into the global spotlight, after the White House said the use of the US military remains an option in President Donald Trump’s renewed push to bring the territory under American control. Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, sits off Canada’s northeastern coast. More than two-thirds of the island lies within the Arctic Circle, a position that has made it central to North American defence planning since World War II. White House Keeps Military Option on the Table White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt…
North Korea has announced new tests of hypersonic missiles, with leader Kim Jong-un personally observing the launches and calling for a continued expansion of the country’s nuclear deterrent. The tests come as Pyongyang intensifies weapons demonstrations ahead of a major ruling party meeting. State media released details of the drill on Monday, one day after South Korea and regional allies said they detected several ballistic missile launches and accused the North of deliberate provocation. Kim Oversees Launches Amid Rising Regional Tensions According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Sunday’s exercise involved a hypersonic weapon system and was intended to…
A giant bluefin tuna has rewritten the record books at Tokyo’s famous Toyosu fish market, selling for an astonishing 510 million yen, about 2.78 million euros, at the first auction of 2026. A prized catch and a familiar buyer The massive fish weighed 243 kilograms and was snapped up by Kiyomura Corp, the company behind the popular Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain. Its owner, Kiyoshi Kimura, is no stranger to headline grabbing bids and once again outdid himself, breaking the previous record he set in 2019. Speaking after the auction, Kimura admitted he had hoped to secure the tuna for less…
Rising temperatures and increasingly unreliable snowfall are forcing ski resorts across Europe to rethink how they operate, as climate change reshapes one of the continent’s most iconic industries. While slopes near Italy’s Cortina d’Ampezzo — set to co-host the Winter Olympics in February — are currently blanketed in snow, that kind of certainty is becoming rare. Across Europe, natural snowfall is declining, and many resorts now rely heavily on artificial snowmaking just to stay open, driving up costs for both operators and visitors. Winter Sports Under Pressure Climate change is already affecting even the most famous Alpine destinations. Warmer winters…
In a move that stunned governments and analysts around the world, US forces arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas and transported them to New York to face criminal charges. Soon after, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would assume temporary control of Venezuela, describing the step as necessary to ensure stability and protect the Venezuelan people. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday, Trump said Washington would oversee the country until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be arranged. He offered few concrete details but said senior US officials would help…
European intelligence agencies say investigations into Russian interference now consume as much time and resources as monitoring terrorist threats, underscoring how cyberattacks and sabotage have become central security concerns across the continent. Cyberattack Disrupts France’s Postal Service During Christmas Rush A pro-Russian hacking group known as Noname057(16) claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that disrupted France’s national postal service during the peak Christmas delivery period, French prosecutors said on Wednesday. Following the claim, France’s domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI, took over the investigation, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. The attack, a distributed denial-of-service operation, knocked La Poste’s central computer systems…
Precious metals emerged as some of the strongest-performing assets of the year, powered by escalating geopolitical risk, expectations of looser monetary policy and lingering questions about global economic stability. Gold prices surged to unprecedented levels in 2025, climbing as high as $4,481 (€3,797) per troy ounce in recent trading. That move represents a roughly 55–70% increase year on year and ranks among the most powerful annual rallies in decades. Silver, long regarded as gold’s quieter counterpart, delivered an even more dramatic performance in percentage terms, posting gains of about 130–140% over the year and reaching record highs near $69 (€58)…
Deadly Blast in Southern MoscowRussian authorities have launched an investigation into a deadly explosion that struck southern Moscow on Monday morning, killing Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, a senior figure in the Russian Armed Forces. Investigators said Sarvarov, who headed the Operational Training Directorate of the General Staff, died from injuries sustained when a car exploded in a parking lot near a residential building. Russian media reported that the blast occurred shortly after the general arrived at the site, triggering an immediate emergency response. Criminal Case Opened, Motive UnclearRussia’s Investigative Committee confirmed that it has opened a criminal case into Sarvarov’s…
