US seizes two sanctioned Venezuela-linked oil tankers as blockade 'in full effect'

Heavy wind, rain, snow to batter Europe

Europe was set to be buffeted by weather ranging from severe winds to snow and freezing temperatures with the arrival of Storm Goretti on Thursday, with forecasters issuing warnings from Britain to Germany....

Storm Goretti set to batter Europe with heavy wind, rain and snow

Several regions accross Europe will be buffeted by severe weather ranging from "exceptionally strong winds" to snow and freezing temperatures with the arrival of Storm Goretti on Thursday. The UK, France and Germany will bear the brunt of the storm, with Britain's Met Office issuing a "rare" r...

Russia frees French researcher Vinatier convicted under country's 'foreign agents' law

Russia has freed Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher serving ​a ‍three-year ​prison sentence for flouting laws requiring "foreign agents" to register with authorities. Vinatier will be exchanged for detained basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, accused by the US of hacking. Russian media repo...

Policing the sky: NATO’s high-risk patrols near Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has not only reshaped borders on the ground but also transformed the airspace above Europe, forcing NATO’s European allies to redefine aerial security by patrolling a tense new frontier over the Black Sea in what is described as a “policing of the sky” mission aimed at upho...

Russia frees imprisoned French researcher Laurent Vinatier

Russia has freed Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher serving ​a ‍three-year ​prison sentence for flouting laws requiring "foreign agents" to register with authorities. Vinatier will be exchanged for detained basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, accused by the US of hacking. Russian media r...

REPLAY: French President Macron addresses diplomatic corps

French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the United States was "breaking free from international rules" as he addressed top diplomats on Thursday in a traditional New Year speech designed to spell out France's foreign policy priorities for the 12 months ahead....

US military operation in Venezuela 'a clear violation of international law'

During a US military operation in Venezuela, troops seized President Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, setting a 'dangerous precedent: any great power can do as it pleases', warns Dr. Gabriel Hetland, Author, Associate Professor of Sociology & Latin American Studies at the University at Albany. For a...

France's Macron slams 'temptation to divide up world' among 'great powers'

French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the United States was "breaking free from international rules" and turning away from allies as he addressed top diplomats on Thursday in a speech dominated by the fallout from the US attack on Venezuela....

How do shadow fleets work? US seizes two sentenced oil tankers

The phrase “shadow fleet” refers to ageing oil tankers that operate under false flags to bypass Western sanctions on Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan crude, a practice Russia has reportedly invested billions of euros in since 2022 to maintain its oil exports. But how these shadow, or so-called...

UK helped US military to seize sentenced oil tanker on way to Russia

Washington says it has intercepted two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the Atlantic as part of President Trump’s hardline effort to control oil movements across the Americas, claiming the vessels—the Marinera and the M Sophia—were part of a so-called shadow fleet used to ship sanctioned crude...

'Very challenging: Lack of stability, security' in Yemen amid decade-long civil war

Yemen's separatist leader has fled to the United Arab Emirates after an attempt to seize swathes of territory and move towards independence. Aidaros Alzubidi was accused of high treason and removed from Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council while the coalition bombed his home province after he re...

Russian strikes on Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk leave one million without water and heat

Russian strikes on Ukraine have left more than one million people without water or heating in the east-central Dnipropetrovsk region and knocked out power for thousands more in the neighbouring Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian officials say....

Live: Venezuela says 100 killed in US attack, Maduro and wife injured

Venezuela's interior minister Diosdado Cabello says 100 people died in the US attack that removed President Nicolas Maduro from power, adding that the president and his wife were injured in the raid. The US on Wednesday seized a Russian oil tanker in the North Atlantic that officials said was part...

Trump Greenland threats: 'ego politics rather than geopolitics', expert says

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Monte Francis, Klaus Dodds, Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London, says that US President Donald Trump's threats of annexation of Greenland are about 'ego politics, not geopolitics', and may be part of a grand bargain between Russia and the Unite...

Incoherence: America First creates mixed policy signals in Russia, China, Latin America, Greenland

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom have joined Denmark in reaffirming that mineral-rich Greenland “belongs to its people.” As the Americas and Europe find themselves deep in uncharted territory, François Picard welcomes fellow journalists Philip Turle a...

US seeks to assert its control over Venezuelan oil with tanker seizures and sales worldwide

The United States on Wednesday seized a Russian-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic after pursuing it from off the coast of Venezuela, in an operation condemned by Moscow. The US military also announced a second sanctioned tanker had been seized in the Caribbean Sea, bringing the total number o...

US military says it has seized two sanctioned oil tankers

The United States said on Wednesday it had seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic and a second oil tanker in the Caribbean.  US officials said both of the vessels are part of a so-called shadow fleet that has carried oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran in viol...

Warner Bros rejects Paramount takeover again and tells shareholders to stick with Netflix bid

Warner’s leadership has rebuffed Paramount’s overtures again and urged shareholders to back the sale of its streaming and studio business to Netflix for $72 billion. Warner expressed concerns that the Paramount bid would essentially be a leveraged buyout, which includes a lot of debt. A merger...

'Donroe Doctrine': 'Kidnapping of Maduro had nothing to do with democracy, human rights'

Brazilian award-winning author and European correspondent Jamil Chade offers deep perspective on Trump's dramatic attack on Venezuela and ensuing abduction of Nicolás Maduro. He argues this has very little to do with democracy or human rights and is more about US strategic interests in Latin Ameri...

'Breaking point'? Iranian protests reflect 'a multi-layered convergence of dissatisfaction'

Iran's top judge is warning protesters there would be "no leniency ⁠for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic", while accusing Israel and the US of pursuing hybrid methods to disrupt the country. Joining Genie Godula is Maziyar GHIABI, an Iran expert and Professor at the Universit...

US seizes Russia-flagged oil tanker chased to North Atlantic

The United States on Wednesday seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic after pursuing it from off the coast of Venezuela, in an operation set to ratchet up tensions with Moscow....

US military seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker in North Atlantic

The US on Wednesday seized a Russian oil tanker in the North Atlantic that officials said was part of a shadow fleet carrying oil in violation of US sanctions. The US military had pursued the Marinera tanker, formerly named the Bella-1, from the coast of Venezuela, capturing it shortly before se...

US takeover of Greenland would 'simply mean the end of NATO', says Denmark

US President Donald Trump is discussing options including military action to take control of Greenland, the White House said on January 7, upping tensions that Denmark warns could destroy the NATO alliance. Denmark has warned any move to take Greenland by force would mean "everything would stop," i...

US attempting to seize Russian oil tanker in north Atlantic, US media report

Kherson lives under anti-drone nets and in fear of Russian attacks

With talks around Ukraine's security ongoing in Paris, Russian attacks in Ukraine continue. In the city of Kherson, close to the border with Russia, Ukrainians are constantly under threat of drone attacks. To protect them, giant nets have been tied to trees and spread out over streets. Although it...

US, Ukraine teams meet in Paris to tackle 'most difficult issues' in Russia war talks

US and Ukrainian negotiators meet in Paris on Wednesday for a new round of talks aimed at securing a ceasefire with Russia, with territorial disputes and the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on the agenda. The talks come a day after Ukraine's Western allies agreed key security guarantee...

US, Ukraine teams tackle 'most difficult issues' in Russia war talks: Zelensky

Washington and Kyiv teams in Paris were on Wednesday expected to tackle Ukraine talks' "most difficult issues" including territory following a breakthrough in European-led negotiations, Ukraine's leader said....

Ukraine allies agree on security guarantees in case of a ceasefire

In Paris, discussions aimed at ending the war in Ukraine are underway. French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, EU leaders and a delegation from the US including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. On January 6, Kyiv’s allies said they would provide s...

Yemeni separatist leader charged with 'high treason' by Yemen's anti-Houthi council

The leader of Yemen's southern separatists has reportedly fled when he failed to turn up for his flight to peace talks in Riyadh, following the flare-up in tensions between Saudi Arabi and UAE forces in the region. Yemen's presidential council says Aidarus Al-Zubaidi has been expelled from the coun...

'Donroe Doctrine': Latin American resources 'belong to US, to hell with anyone who gets in our way'

On the heels of the US attack on Venezuela, leaders from major European powers and Canada are rallying behind Greenland amid threats of a US takeover. Nick Morgan, Director of the Centre for Latin American and the Caribbean at Newcastle University, warns of the consequences of an "extremely weak...