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The US Coast Guard was pursuing another allegedly sanctioned tanker on Sunday, a US official told AFP, as Washington ramps up its pressure campaign targeting Venezuela’s vital oil sector.The “active pursuit” in the Caribbean Sea was happening a day after the Coast Guard seized its second vessel off Venezuela in two weeks.US President Donald Trump announced on December 16 a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” sailing to and from Venezuela, demanding the return of allegedly stolen US assets in the oil-rich South American country.He has also deployed a large navy armada in the Caribbean with a stated mission of combatting drug trafficking, but which Caracas says is a pressure campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro.”The United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion. It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order,” a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in a statement to AFP.News outlets identified the ship involved as the Bella 1, an oil tanker under US sanctions since 2024 because of alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah.According to the specialized site TankerTrackers, the ship was en route to Venezuela but not carrying cargo.US forces approached the vessel late Saturday, but the ship did not submit to being boarded and continued sailing, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed officials.Earlier on Saturday, the US Coast Guard seized the Centuries, which according to TankerTrackers is a Chinese-owned and Panama-flagged tanker.It said that ship was loaded with 1.8 million barrels of crude oil at a Venezuelan port earlier this month before being escorted out of the Latin American country’s exclusive economic zone on December 18.An AFP review found that the Centuries did not appear on the US Treasury Department’s list of sanctioned companies and individuals.- Chevron tanker -Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez on Sunday posted a statement to social media about oil giant Chevron sending a tanker from Caracas to the United States carrying Venezuelan oil — without mentioning either vessel interdicted by Washington. “A ship of the American company Chevron has set sail from our country carrying Venezuelan oil bound for the United States, in strict adherence to regulations and in fulfillment of the commitments undertaken by our oil industry,” Rodriguez said on Telegram. Chevron renewed its license this year to extract crude oil from Venezuela, accounting for roughly 10 percent of the country’s production. “Venezuela has always been, and will continue to be, respectful of national and international legality,” Rodriguez continued.The Trump administration claims that Venezuela is using oil, its main resource, to finance “narcoterrorism.” The US military since September has also conducted a series of air strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. Critics have questioned the legality of the attacks, which have killed more than 100 people.Caracas denies any involvement in drug trafficking and insists that Washington is seeking to overthrow Maduro to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves.

Traffic stops and hallways clear as the diva arrives, her attendants escorting her backstage ahead of her rendition of the role she’s perfected over years of delighting audiences.”You’ve got this, Wanda,” one opera manager says as she heads inside.Before the show, she gets a quick pedicure touch-up — her hooves tend to pick up hay and debris.Wanda is, after all, a donkey.She’s played roles in classic New York Metropolitan Opera productions including “La Boheme” and “The Barber of Seville” since 2022.In Act II of “La Boheme” — Puccini’s popular if heartbreaking portrayal of 19th-century Paris — Wanda joins hundreds of performers including diners, shoppers and vendors.The donkey pulls the colorful cart of Parpignol, who peddles toys to children in the spectacular street market scene that also literally features a horse-drawn carriage.But Wanda and her colleague Max — the elegant brown horse who takes the stage after the donkey exits — are pros, calmly hitting their marks.Their handlers don cloaks alongside the animals during the performance, while Wanda’s costume includes a magenta cone hat with multi-colored gems and a frilly collar.As they wait in a holding area for their cues, Max usually naps, handler Angelina Borello told AFP during one performance. Wanda gets visits and pets from people including actor Gregory Warren, who plays Parpignol.Wearing elaborate clown make-up, he pats his co-star lovingly.”I think it comforts them a little bit just to know who’s there and who’s dressed like a clown,” Warren said. “She’s very chill. It’s a lot of fun.””It adds an energy, I think especially for the kids on the stage, to get to see a live animal in action in the middle of it all.”- ‘Confidence’ -Wanda debuted at the Met after her predecessor Sir Gabriel retired to Maryland, where he lives on a farm as a companion to a mare whose partner passed.When she’s scheduled for several opera roles in a short period, Wanda lives at stables in the New York borough of the Bronx to minimize her time on the road. When she has longer stretches off, she resides in upstate New York. She also has regular gigs in Palm Sunday processions in Manhattan.”She’s fabulous,” said Nancy Novograd, the owner of the agency All Tame Animals.Animals well-disposed to show business have similar qualities as people born to perform, Novograd said.”What I’m looking for is confidence. I’m looking for an animal that can walk into an unusual environment and maintain its focus,” she told AFP.On any given day, Novograd’s agency might be working on a commercial shoot with horses on the beach or waxworms appearing in a television show.Stage manager Hester Warren-Steijn said the logistics of working with live animals is an intricate dance — much like everything else backstage at the Met, home to a complex revolving stage with hydraulic lifts.There’s always a Plan B in case something goes awry, she said. The occasional allergy to equine hair crops up — those singers stay away to protect their voices.- Post-show peppermints -Warren-Steijn said part of the job of including animals onstage at the Met is ensuring that “they are well-treated” and “taken care of.”Animal rights advocates over the years have protested the use of live animals in stage productions, especially in Europe. The German arm of PETA notably convinced the Berlin State Opera in 2022 to stop using guinea pigs in several performances of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle.”At the Met, Warren-Steijn said the live animals in beloved productions like “La Boheme” are part of the grandeur and world-building that “this company does so well.””People want to see it,” she said. “This is the Met at its Mettiest.”According to Novograd, some animals simply aren’t right for performance. When that’s the case, it’s quickly evident to her and the trainers she works with.When “it’s overwhelming,” she said, “they should not be working.”But for some animals, “it’s something different, it’s stimulating,” she continued.”They get to be with the people they like to be with. They see new and different things.”When Wanda’s done performing, the donkey, like many high-caliber artists, demands refreshments — ideally lots of starlight peppermints.But she gets her treats only after her stroll across the stage, which lasts approximately a minute.Otherwise, Novograd said, “she’ll be asking for them constantly.”

In a parallel reality, Queen Elizabeth II gushes over cheese puffs, a gun-toting Saddam Hussein struts into a wrestling ring, and Pope John Paul II attempts skateboarding.Hyper-realistic AI videos of dead celebrities — created with apps such as OpenAI’s easy-to-use Sora — have rapidly spread online, prompting debate over the control of deceased people’s likenesses.OpenAI’s app, launched in September and widely dubbed as a deepfake machine, has unleashed a flood of videos of historical figures including Winston Churchill as well as celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.In one TikTok clip reviewed by AFP, Queen Elizabeth II, clad in pearls and a crown, arrives at a wrestling match on a scooter, climbs a fence, and leaps onto a male wrestler.In a separate Facebook clip, the late queen is shown praising “delightfully orange” cheese puffs in a supermarket aisle, while another depicts her playing football.But not all videos — powered by OpenAI’s Sora 2 model — have prompted laughs.In October, OpenAI blocked users from creating videos of Martin Luther King Jr. after the estate of the civil rights icon complained about disrespectful depictions.Some users created videos depicting King making monkey noises during his celebrated “I Have a Dream” speech, illustrating how users can portray public figures at will, making them say or do things they never did.- ‘Maddening’ -“We’re getting into the ‘uncanny valley,'” said Constance de Saint Laurent, a professor at Ireland’s Maynooth University, referring to the phenomenon in which interactions with artificial objects are so human-like it triggers unease.”If suddenly you started receiving videos of a deceased family member, this is traumatizing,” she told AFP. “These (videos) have real consequences.” In recent weeks, the children of late actor Robin Williams, comedian George Carlin, and activist Malcolm X have condemned the use of Sora to create synthetic videos of their fathers.Zelda Williams, the daughter of Robin Williams, recently pleaded on Instagram to “stop sending me AI videos of dad,” calling the content “maddening.”An OpenAI spokesman told AFP that while there were “strong free speech interests in depicting historical figures,” public figures and their families should have ultimate control over their likeness.For “recently deceased” figures, he added, authorized representatives or estate owners can now request that their likeness not be used in Sora.- ‘Control likeness’ -“Despite what OpenAI says about wanting people to control their likeness, they have released a tool that decidedly does the opposite,” Hany Farid, co-founder of GetReal Security and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told AFP.”While they (mostly) stopped the creation of MLK Jr. videos, they are not stopping users from co-opting the identity of many other celebrities.””Even with OpenAI putting some safeguards to protect MLK Jr. there will be another AI model that does not, and so this problem will surely only get worse,” said Farid.That reality was underscored in the aftermath of Hollywood director Rob Reiner’s alleged murder this month, as AFP fact-checkers uncovered AI-generated clips using his likeness spreading online.As advanced AI tools proliferate, the vulnerability is no longer confined to public figures: deceased non-celebrities may also have their names, likenesses, and words repurposed for synthetic manipulation.Researchers warn that the unchecked spread of synthetic content — widely called AI slop — could ultimately drive users away from social media.”The issue with misinformation in general is not so much that people believe it. A lot of people don’t,” said Saint Laurent.”The issue is that they see real news and they don’t trust it anymore. And this (Sora) is going to massively increase that.”burs-ac/des

US and Ukrainian envoys issued a joint statement on Sunday that hailed “productive and constructive” talks in Miami but did not announce any apparent breakthrough in efforts to end the war with Russia.Top representatives from both Ukraine and Russia, as well as Kyiv’s European allies, have been in southern Florida over the past several days for a series of separate talks hosted by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.The meetings were the latest in a weeks-long diplomatic blitz over plans to end the war, after Washington last month presented a 28-point proposal widely seen as echoing the Kremlin’s demands.It has since been redrafted following Ukraine and Europe’s involvement, though its contents have not been publicly disclosed.”Over the last three days in Florida, the Ukrainian delegation held a series of productive and constructive meetings with American and European partners,” Witkoff and Ukraine’s top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said in separate statements on X.They said a bilateral US-Ukraine meeting focused on developing and aligning positions on “four key documents” — a “20-point plan,” a “Multilateral security guarantee framework,” a “US Security guarantee framework for Ukraine” and an “economic & prosperity plan.””Particular attention was given to discussing timelines and the sequencing of next steps,” they said, without announcing any further meetings.National security advisors from Kyiv’s European allies “also joined the discussions to align on a shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States, and Europe,” the statements added.Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev was also in southern Florida and met with the US delegation, which included billionaire real estate developer Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.Witkoff on Sunday similarly said that the meetings with Dmitriev were “productive and constructive.”Earlier, the Kremlin said recent proposed changes to the plan to end the war were a non-starter.Dmitriev “should receive information about what has been developed by the Americans and Europeans” in the plan and report that back to Moscow later, Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV.Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, sees Europe as pro-war and argues that its participation in the talks only hinders them.- War rages on -While little is known of the latest peace plans, Kyiv is likely to be expected to surrender some territory — a prospect resented by many Ukrainians — in exchange for US security guarantees.Though envoys from both Moscow and Kyiv were in town, the Kremlin had earlier ruled out three-way talks.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier described the talks as “constructive” and said they were “moving at a fairly rapid pace.”He nevertheless cautioned that “much depends on whether Russia feels the need to end the war for real.”He also hailed this week as “historic” for Ukraine, thanking Europe for pledging $100 billion of funding over the next two years.Moscow’s troops have been steadily advancing at the eastern front in recent months. Putin on Friday hailed the Russian army’s territorial gains — and threatened more in the coming weeks.Just over the week, “Russia has launched approximately 1,300 attack drones, nearly 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 9 missiles of various types” against Ukraine, Zelensky said.Most of them have pummeled the Black Sea region of Odesa, where relentless strikes wrought havoc on ports, bridges and energy facilities, killing eight people Saturday. In the eastern Sumy region, Russian troops attempted a breakthrough in an area previously spared from an intense ground offensive. Russian forces forcibly moved 50 people from a local village, said Kyiv.”Russian invaders have stolen five dozen civilian people, mostly elderly women, from a tiny Ukrainian village Grabovske, right across the state border in the Sumy region,” Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said. Russia made no comment on the matter.

US Justice Department officials on Sunday denied redacting the Epstein files to protect President Donald Trump, as criticism mounted over the partial and heavily-censored release of documents.Victims of Jeffrey Epstein have expressed anger after a cache of records from cases against the late sex offender were released Friday with many pages blacked out and photos censored.Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the release by the Justice Department, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “we are not redacting information around President Trump.”  When asked if any material was redacted to due to political sensitivities — which would be illegal — Blanche replied “absolutely, positively not.”The decision to remove an image of several group photos, including at least one showing Trump, had been taken over “concerns about those women,” said Blanche, a former personal lawyer to the president.The Justice Department on Sunday reposted the photo “without any alteration or redaction” after a review determined “there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted.”Democratic lawmakers accused Trump himself of defying a law ordering the release of all files on Epstein, who amassed a fortune and circulated among rich and famous people.”It’s all about covering up things that, for whatever reason, Donald Trump doesn’t want to go public, either about himself (or) other members of his family, friends,” Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”The tranche of materials released Friday included photographs of former president Bill Clinton and other famous names such as pop stars Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson.The Justice Department said it was protecting Epstein’s victims with the blackouts.But the many redactions — and allegations of missing documents — only added to calls for justice in a case that has fueled conspiracy theories from Trump’s right-wing base.- ‘Selective concealment’ -Republican congressman Thomas Massie, who has long pushed for complete release of the files, on Sunday joined in with the Democrats’ demands.”They’re flouting the spirit and the letter of the law. It’s very troubling the posture that they’ve taken. And I won’t be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied,” he told CBS’s “Face The Nation.”A 60-count indictment that implicates well-known people was not released, Massie charged. “It’s about the selective concealment,” he said.Trump tried to block the disclosure of the files linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.The president finally bowed to mounting pressure from Congress — including members of his own party — and signed the law compelling publication of the material.Trump was once a close friend of Epstein, regularly attending parties together, but he cut ties with him years before his arrest and faces no accusations of wrongdoing.- Accomplice in jail -At least one released file contained dozens of censored images of naked or scantily clad figures, while previously unseen photographs of disgraced former prince Andrew show him lying across the legs of five women.Other pictures show Clinton lounging in a hot tub, part of the image blacked out, and swimming alongside a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes, and is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting underage girls for the former banker, whose death was ruled a suicide.Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, said on ABC’s “This Week” that justice officials must provide written explanation to Congress within 15 days about why they withheld any documents.”It does appear, of course, that this initial document release is inadequate,” Jeffries said.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the third installment in James Cameron’s blockbuster sci-fi fantasy series, debuted atop the North American box office with $88 million in ticket sales in the weekend before Christmas, industry estimates showed Sunday.”Fire and Ash” grossed $345 million worldwide in its opening weekend, and is expected to do very well abroad, according to David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.The “Avatar” films “connect everywhere around the world,” Gross said, adding that the 20th Century movie — like its predecessors — would likely rev up on “outstanding word-of-mouth.””The openings are not what the Avatar movies are about. It’s what they do after they open,” Gross said.The movie once again stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington as Na’vi warrior Neytiri and ex-Marine Jake Sully, who must battle a new foe threatening their family’s life on Pandora.Debuting in second place with $20 million was “David,” an animated retelling of the biblical David and Goliath story from Angel Studios, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations reported.In third place with $19 million was Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid,” a film version of Freida McFadden’s best-selling novel about a young woman (Sydney Sweeney) who is hired by a wealthy couple (Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar) with troubling secrets.Paramount’s family-friendly animated “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” — based on the popular Nickelodeon TV show — opened in fourth place at $16 million.And in fifth place was Disney’s feel-good animated film “Zootopia 2,” which earned $14.5 million. The Oscar contender has so far taken in $1.27 billion worldwide.Rounding out the top 10 are:”Five Nights at Freddy’s 2″ ($7.3 million)”Wicked: For Good” ($4.3 million)”Dhurandhar” ($2.5 million)”Marty Supreme” ($875,000)”Hamnet” ($850,000)

Allegations of a fresh cover-up over the Jeffrey Epstein files grew Sunday, as Democrats accused President Donald Trump of trying to protect himself by defying an order to release all files on the convicted sex offender.Victims of Epstein have expressed anger after a cache of records from cases against the late financier, who amassed a fortune and circulated among rich and famous people, were released Friday with many pages blacked out and photos censored.Several images were removed from the trove after being published on Friday evening — including one of Trump.”It’s all about covering up things that, for whatever reason, Donald Trump doesn’t want to go public either about himself, other members of his family, friends,” Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The tranche of materials that the Department of Justice (DOJ) released included photographs of former president Bill Clinton and other famous names such as pop stars Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson.But the many redactions — and allegations of missing documents — only added to calls for justice in a case that has long fueled conspiracy theories from Trump’s right-wing base.The DOJ said it was protecting victims with the blackouts and defended its decision to retract some files.”Photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information,” said a DOJ statement.- Republican: ‘Selective concealment’ – Republican congressman Thomas Massie, who has long pushed for complete disclosure of the files, on Sunday echoed the Democrats’ demands.”They’re flouting the spirit and the letter of the law. It’s very troubling the posture that they’ve taken. And I won’t be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied,” he told CBS’s “Face The Nation.”A 60-count indictment that implicates many rich and powerful people were not released, Massie charged.”It’s about the selective concealment,” he said.Senator Rand Paul, a fellow Kentucky Republican and frequent critic of Trump, warned during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” that any evidence “that there’s not a full reveal on this, this will just plague them for months and months more.”Trump spent months trying to block the disclosure of the files linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.The president bowed to mounting pressure from Congress — including members of his own party — and signed the law compelling publication of the materials.The Republican president, who once moved in the same party scene as Epstein, cut ties with him years before his arrest and faces no accusations of wrongdoing in the case.Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader said on ABC’s “This Week” that justice officials must provide written explanation to Congress within 15 days why they withheld any documents.”It does appear, of course, that this initial document release is inadequate. It falls short of what the law requires,” Jeffries said.At least one file contained dozens of censored images of naked or scantily clad figures, while previously unseen photographs of disgraced former prince Andrew show him lying across the legs of five women.Other pictures show Clinton lounging in a hot tub, part of the image blacked out, and swimming alongside a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes, and is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting underage girls for the former banker, whose death was ruled a suicide.

Victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday expressed anger after a long-awaited cache of records from cases against him were released with many pages blacked out and photos censored.The trove of material released by the US Justice Department included photographs of former president Bill Clinton and other famous names in Epstein’s social circle including Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson.But blackouts of many of the documents — combined with control over the release by officials in President Donald Trump’s administration — fueled allegations of a high-level cover-up.Democrats on Saturday demanded answers after one image that included a photo of Trump was no longer visible in the Justice Department’s online release.”If they’re taking this down, just imagine how much more they’re trying to hide,” said senior Democrat Chuck Schumer. “This could be one of the biggest cover ups in American history.”US media reported over a dozen other images being removed from the trove of files.The US Department of Justice issued a statement late Saturday defending its decision to retract files after their release.”Photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information,” read the statement posted to X.Among scores of blacked-out sections, one 119-page document labeled “Grand Jury-NY” was entirely redacted.One Epstein survivor, Jess Michaels, said she spent hours combing the documents to find her victim’s statement and communication from when she had called an FBI tip line.”I can’t find any of those,” she told CNN. “Is this the best that the government can do? Even an act of Congress isn’t getting us justice.”Even so, the files shed some light on the disgraced financier’s intimate ties to the rich, famous and powerful — Trump, once a close friend, among them.At least one file contains dozens of censored images of naked or scantily clad figures. Previously unseen photographs of disgraced former prince Andrew show him lying across the legs of five women.Other pictures show Clinton lounging in a hot tub, part of the image blacked out, and swimming alongside a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.- Victim privacy -When Trump’s aides goaded Clinton over the photos, his spokesman responded that the White House “hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton. This is about shielding themselves.”Among the paperwork were handwritten notes using phrases such as “I have a female for him” and “[redacted] has girl for tonight.”Republican congressman Thomas Massie, who has long pushed for complete release of the files, said the release “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law.”That law required the government’s case file to be posted publicly by Friday, constrained only by legal and victim privacy concerns.Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told ABC that there was no attempt “to hold anything back” to protect Trump.Trump spent months trying to block the disclosure of the files linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.The Republican president ultimately bowed to mounting pressure from Congress — including members of his own party — and last month signed the law compelling publication of the materials.Trump once moved in the same Palm Beach and New York party scene as Epstein, appearing with him at events throughout the 1990s. He severed ties years before Epstein’s 2019 arrest and faces no accusations of wrongdoing in the case.But his right-wing base has long fixated on the Epstein saga and conspiracy theories alleging the financier ran a sex-trafficking ring for the global elite.Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes, and is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting underage girls for the former banker, whose death was ruled a suicide.

The United States “apprehended” an oil tanker off Venezuela on Saturday, a move Caracas deemed a “theft and kidnapping,” in the latest salvo of a pressure campaign by Washington, the US government said.It was the second time in two weeks that US forces have interdicted a tanker in the region, and comes days after President Donald Trump announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” heading to and leaving Venezuela.”In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela,” US Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem said in a post on X.The post was accompanied by a nearly eight-minute video of aerial footage that showed a helicopter hovering just above the deck of a large tanker at sea.Caracas slammed the seizure as theft and kidnapping, saying “those responsible for these serious events will answer to justice and to history for their criminal conduct.”A post from Homeland Security identified the vessel as the Centuries and said it was “suspected of carrying oil subject to US sanctions.” Centuries is a Chinese-owned, Panama-flagged oil tanker, according to TankerTrackers, an online service monitoring oil shipments and storage.It said that Centuries loaded 1.8 million barrels of crude oil at a Venezuelan port earlier this month before being escorted out of Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone on December 18. The VesselFinder database also listed the ship’s last recorded location as off the Venezuelan coast.An AFP review found that Centuries does not appear on the US Treasury Department’s list of sanctioned companies and individuals.White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a post on X the tanker “contained sanctioned PDVSA oil,” in reference to Venezuela’s state oil company, and charged the ship as being “a falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet.”- ‘Waging a battle against lies’ -On December 10, US forces seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, which the attorney general said was involved in carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela to Iran.The United States has for months been building a major military deployment in the Caribbean with the stated goal of combatting Latin American drug trafficking, but taking particular aim at Venezuela.Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez voiced defiance in comments at a public event in Caracas broadcast Saturday on state TV — although he made no mention of the interdicted ship.”We are waging a battle against lies, manipulation, interference, military threats, and psychological warfare,” the defense minister said, adding “that will not intimidate us.”Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil also said Iran, one of Caracas’s largest international allies, was offering support “in all areas” to combat “piracy and international terrorism” by the United States.There are currently 11 US warships in the Caribbean: the world’s largest aircraft carrier, an amphibious assault ship, two amphibious transport dock ships, two cruisers and five destroyers.Caracas views the operation as a campaign to push out leftist strongman Nicolas Maduro — whom Washington and many nations view as an illegitimate president — and to “steal” Venezuelan oil.The US military has also conducted a series of air strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September. Critics have questioned the legality of the attacks, which have killed more than 100 people.The ship interception occurred as South American leaders gathered for a summit of the Mercosur bloc, where tensions over suspended member Venezuela overshadowed discussions of a future trade deal with the European Union.At the gathering, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva clashed with his Argentinian counterpart Javier Milei, arguing that an outbreak armed conflict over Venezuela could cause a “humanitarian catastrophe.”Milei, a Trump ally, countered by saying Argentina “welcomes the pressure from the United States and Donald Trump to free the Venezuelan people.”

The United States “apprehended” an oil tanker off Venezuela on Saturday, the latest salvo in a pressure campaign against Caracas, the US government said Saturday.It was the second time in two weeks that US forces have interdicted a tanker in the region, and comes days after President Donald Trump announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” heading to and leaving Venezuela.”In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela,” US Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem said in a post on X.The post was accompanied by a nearly eight-minute video of aerial footage that showed a helicopter hovering just above the deck of a large tanker at sea. “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region. We will find you, and we will stop you,” Noem added.The New York Times, citing an unnamed US official and two people inside Venezuela’s oil industry, reported that the vessel was a Panamanian-flagged tanker carrying Venezuelan oil that had recently left Venezuela and was in Caribbean waters.Noem did not share any identifying information of the tanker, and it was not immediately clear if the interdicted vessel was under US sanctions.The Pentagon referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment Saturday.- ‘Waging a battle against lies’ -On December 10, US forces seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, which the attorney general said was involved in carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela to Iran.The United States has for months been building a major military deployment in the Caribbean with the stated goal of combatting Latin American drug trafficking, but taking particular aim at Venezuela.Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez voiced defiance in comments at a public event in Caracas broadcast Saturday on state TV — although he made no mention of the interdicted ship.”We are waging a battle against lies, manipulation, interference, military threats, and psychological warfare,” the defense minister said, adding “that will not intimidate us.”There are currently 11 US warships in the Caribbean: the world’s largest aircraft carrier, an amphibious assault ship, two amphibious transport dock ships, two cruisers and five destroyers.There are US Coast Guard vessels deployed in the region as well, but the service declined to provide figures on those assets “for operational security reasons.”Caracas views the operation as a campaign to push out leftist strongman Nicolas Maduro — whom Washington and many nations view as an illegitimate president — and to “steal” Venezuelan oil.The US military has also conducted a series of air strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September. Critics have questioned the legality of the attacks, which have killed more than 100 people.