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US prepares to seize additional tankers near Venezuelan coast after first vessel taken, say sources
Six?sources with knowledge of the situation said that the U.S. was preparing to intercept additional ships transporting Venezuelan crude oil after the seizure this week of a 'tanker. This will increase pressure on Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. This was the first time that an oil tanker or cargo from Venezuela had been intercepted by U.S. authorities, who have imposed sanctions on Venezuela since 2019. The U.S. is executing a massive military buildup in southern Caribbean, and President Donald Trump is campaigning for Maduro to be ousted. Sources said that the seizure had put shipowners and operators involved in transporting Venezuelan crude on high alert. Many were reconsidering their plans to leave Venezuelan waters as planned in the next few days. Sources familiar with the matter, who declined to name themselves due to the sensitive nature of the subject, said that the U.S. is likely to continue to intervene directly in the weeks to come against ships transporting Venezuelan oil, which may have also transported oil from countries under U.S. sanction, like Iran. U.S. ASSEMBLES ?TANKER TARGET LIST: SOURCE PDVSA, Venezuela's oil company of state, did not respond to a comment request. Venezuela's government said this week that the U.S. seizure was a "theft." The White House National Security Council didn't immediately respond to a comment request. According to a person familiar with the matter, the U.S. is preparing a list of sanctioned oil tankers that could be seized. According to two people, the U.S. Justice Department (justice) and Homeland Security (homeland security) had planned the seizures for several months. The Maduro government would be financially strained if Venezuelan oil exports were to cease or reduce. They are the main source of revenue for Venezuelan governments. The new U.S. approach focuses on what is called the "shadow fleet" of tankers, which transports sanctioned crude oil from Venezuela and Iran to China, its largest buyer. The sources said that a single vessel would often make separate runs for Iran, Venezuela, and Russia. Sources claim that the seizure by authorities of the Skipper tanker caused at least one shipper temporarily to suspend three newly loaded shipments of Merey export grade Venezuela, which totaled almost 6 million barrels.
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Trump's plan to demand social media handles of Europeans and other expedited travellers sparks backlash
A?U.S. A?U.S. travel association, a leading Democrat and potential travelers from Europe, Australia and elsewhere are displeased with President?Donald Trump’s new plan that requires Europeans and others using the visa waiver to?provide their social media handles over the last five years. This change was announced by the U.S. Government this week, and will take effect on February 8. Travelers from countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program would be required to submit their social media data. Since 2019, applicants for non-immigrant and immigrant visas are required to provide this information. The Trump administration took a number of steps to improve the vetting process for foreigners entering the U.S. The executive order Trump issued on January 20, requiring that visitors to the United States provide additional information, led to this requirement. According to a notice published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, "vetting and screening to the maximum extent" is required. Visa waivers allow?travelers, mainly from Europe, from 42 countries to enter the U.S. without a visa for up to ninety days. The ESTA form must be completed, which now includes social media handles. In the notice, it was stated that the U.S. also required all email addresses used in the last 10 years, as well as the names, birth dates, and places of birth, and residences, of parents, siblings and children, and spouses. In 2026, the United States, Canada, and Mexico will host the soccer World Cup. Tourists from all over the world are expected to attend this global event. The U.S. tourism industry is counting on the global event to help recover from a decline in tourism that has occurred since Trump became president. Erik Hansen, the head of government relations at the U.S. Travel Association said that the group is reviewing proposed changes and working with the administration. Hansen stated in a press release that international visitors would choose to go elsewhere if we failed to provide an efficient, modern and secure vetting procedure. U.S. U.S. Senator Patty Murray a leading Democrat from Washington State, criticized White House official Stephen Miller as the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda. In a recent post on X, Murray said: "It'd be easier just to ban tourism." "Who else but Stephen Miller wants this?" Bethany Allen of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's China investigation and analysis department said that this move was more restrictive than China border policies. Allen wrote on X: "Wow, even China does not do this." Trump was asked Wednesday at a White House meeting with leaders of business if the new requirements would reduce tourism. He said, "We want to make sure that we don't let the wrong people enter our country." Separately, on Wednesday, the Administration began accepting applications for "gold cards" that allow people to pay $1 million and obtain permanent residency in the United States "in record time." On the website of the programs, critics claim that they go beyond U.S. laws, it said "coming soon" a "platinum cards" for those who pay $5 million. (Reporting and editing by David Gregorio; Ted Hesson, David Shepardson)
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Poste increases Telecom Italia's stake to 27,3% with Vivendi residual holding
Poste Italiane, a state-backed financial conglomerate, announced on 'Thursday that it had increased its stake in Telecom Italia to 27.3%. It did this by purchasing France's Vivendi remaining 2.5% of the former phone monopoly. The purchase price was 180 million euros (211.54 millions). Poste, the company that runs parcel, mail, 'payments', energy, and broadband services became TIM's 'largest shareholder' this year with a 24.8%'stake' after purchasing stock from France's 'Vivendi' and state lender CDP. The latest stake acquisition?brings the Poste'stake close to a new buyout threshold of 30% that the Italian government plans to introduce as part of a financial code revision. Poste announced in a'statement' that it has obtained a waiver of the 25% mandatory takeover threshold. It also pledged to sell the additional 2.5% stake purchased from Vivendi if the reform is not approved. It said that it would vote in TIM shareholder meetings with its current 24.8% stake. $1 = 0.8509 euro (Reporting and editing by Alvise Armllini, Elvira pollina)
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Alpine skiing's Olympic champion Gisin will undergo neck surgery following a training accident
Olympic ski champion Michelle Gisin is to undergo neck surgery following a 'heavy fall in downhill training at St Moritz, Switzerland on Thursday. This will be another major setback ahead of the Milano Cortina Games for the Swiss Alpine team. After immediate medical treatment on the slope, the 32-year old, who won both the combined event at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022, was flown from Zurich to Zurich. Swiss Ski said Gisin had injuries to her cervical spine, left knee, and right wrist after she crashed into a safety net. She was able to move her arms and legs normally, and will undergo surgery for the spinal injury on Thursday. Swiss Ski said that further examinations will be conducted of the wrists and?knees after the cervical spine has been stabilised. Gisin is the third Olympic gold medalist in the Swiss women’s team who has suffered serious training accidents. Gut-Behrami was the two-time World Cup champion and reigning Olympic Super-G champ. She was ruled out last month after she tore her cruciate ligament while?training in Colorado. Olympic downhill champ Corinne Suter tore muscle in her left leg during training in St Moritz earlier this month. She will be sidelined for a month. The Milano Cortina Games begin on 6 February. Individual combined events are no longer scheduled and have been replaced by men's and women's team events with a slalom and downhill skier on each team. Gisin, who was 17th in the?training on Thursday -- one spot ahead of American legend Lindsey Vonn whose run had been halted -- was the first to start. Vonn, who hopes to medal at Cortina in his age of 41 was the fastest on Wednesday. (Reporting from Tommy Lund in Gdansk/Alan Baldwin, London Editing Christian Radnedge.)
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Vancouver's major highways closed due to flooding and falling rocks
Local authorities announced on Thursday that the majority of major Canadian highways leading to Vancouver, a Pacific port city, have been closed due to?floods, falling stones and?the risk of avalanches. The British Columbia Transport Ministry, which is the province where Vancouver is located - Canada's largest port -- said that the situation was "evolving and very dynamic". In a press release, it warned that "other provincial roads could be closed with little or no warning." Five of the six highways leading into Vancouver have been closed, but the main route from Seattle remains open. Vancouver is largely accessible via a limited railway and highway network that crosses over the Rocky Mountains. This makes it vulnerable to severe weather. A atmospheric river in late 2021 dumped two days' worth of rain on southern British Columbia. This caused floods and mudslides, which killed four people and damaged more than C$500,000,000 ($363,35,000,000) in property. Vancouver is a major exporter of resources, such as potash, coal and forestry products. It also exports pork and beef. (1 Canadian dollar = 1.3761 dollars) (Reporting and Editing by Bill Berkrot).
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Sao Paulo is left without electricity, water and flights after strong winds.
A cyclone extratropical that swept across Sao Paulo on Thursday knocked out electricity to 1.5 million homes and business. The storm also damaged power lines, disrupted flights and water supply and destroyed trees. In 2023 and 2024 there were also massive power outages caused by wind storms, which brought Enel to public attention. Enel reported gusts up to 98km/h (61mph) battered a region of 11 million people during a 12-hour gale Wednesday. The impacts of the storm continued into Thursday. Enel announced in an early Thursday morning statement that about 2 million customers in the region lost power during the storm. It added that the service was restored to 500,000 people. Aneel, the power regulator, demanded that the company give detailed explanations of the disruptions. Sabesp, the water utility in the area, warned of outages at its pumps that were affecting many neighborhoods. The system was severely affected by the long period of time that it was without electricity to pump water. Sabesp stated that the supply is being gradually resumed. There were also disruptions in air travel. Aena, the airport operator in Sao Paulo, said that its?Congonhas Airport handled domestic flights and was open Thursday, but had canceled 31 arrivals. Guarulhos International Airport's operator, in a statement, said that 61 arrivals and 56 departures had been canceled as of Wednesday. The airport was back to normal operations by early Thursday. Leticia Fucuchima reported from Sao Paulo, and Rodrigo Viga Gaier was in Rio de Janeiro. Gabriel Araujo wrote the article. Brad Haynes edited it.
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German court stops authorities from selling suspected Russian oil tanks cargo
The German top fiscal court has ruled in two separate cases that the authorities cannot sell or otherwise use an oil tanker and the cargo it carries, seized near the Baltic Sea coast. Federal Fiscal Court announced on Thursday that the owners, who are not identified, had won an earlier court challenge against the confiscation procedures of customs authorities. Customs officials appealed but the federal court upheld their earlier decision. The Panama flagged tanker Eventin was discovered drifting in the?German coast in January, after leaving Russia with approximately 100,000 metric tonnes of oil valued at around?40million euros ($47million). The court said that it was bound for India. German authorities suspect that the vessel is part of "shadow fleet", which Russia uses to avoid European Union sanctions after its full-scale invasion in Ukraine 2022. Industry experts warn that such ships, which are often uninsured or operate outside of conventional standards, can pose serious safety and environmental hazards. Other European countries have raised similar concerns. In October, French soldiers boarded an alleged shadow fleet tanker near Saint Nazaire. The German finance ministry, which oversees customs and is responsible for the handling of the tanker, has said that the court's ruling was preliminary, but a final decision on what the authorities can do about the vessel is still pending. The ministry confirmed that the tanker remains moored off the island of Ruegen, but declined to comment on the next steps. The Russian authorities said that they had no information on the owner or ship. EU sanctions are aimed at putting pressure on Moscow and limiting its ability to fund the war in Ukraine. They target shadow fleet vessels that transport oil, weapons and grain despite restrictions.
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Gascade, Germany, puts 400 km of hydrogen pipeline into service
Gascade, a German gas grid operator, announced on Thursday that it had converted a 400-km (249-mile) high-pressure pipe to transport low carbon hydrogen southwards as part of an 'European core network' to ship alternative fuels. The Ukraine conflict has also heightened the importance of energy security and the replacement of Russian gas in the EU. The pipeline can transport locally produced hydrogen from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state ?via Brandenburg to Saxony-Anhalt initially, with a view to reaching the industry in southern Germany by ?2029, and branching out to Poland, the Czech ?Republic and Austria later. Gascade's managing director Ulrich Benterbusch said: "Converting existing natural gas pipelines of 1.4 meter diameter to hydrogen is an innovative technical achievement." He spoke at an inauguration at the Baltic Sea Port of Lubmin. This port, which was formerly used as a landing point for Russian submarine pipelines, is now aiming to become a hydrogen-cluster. Technically, the pipeline is ready to operate after it has been?lined with cushion gas. Ines Jesse said that Gascade's decision would pave the way for further industrial development in the area and, hopefully, more?investments. Green hydrogen is a storage medium for wind and solar energy. It can be produced at large-scale electrolysis plants, and transported and stored. The development of green hydrogen is expensive, and can cause investment decisions to be delayed in difficult economic conditions.
Google could face a fine of up to €10,000 next year for favoring its own services, according to sources
Google, owned by Alphabet, is likely to face a fine from EU antitrust regulators in the coming year because it has not done enough to adhere to EU rules that prohibit favouring its own products and services when displaying search results.
The United States will be furious at a penalty against Google. They have criticized a number of landmark EU laws for being aimed at U.S. technology companies, despite EU denials. In March, the European Commission charged Google with favoring its own products such as "Google Shopping", "Google Hotels" and "Google Flights" over those of competitors.
Google is pitted against vertical search engines (specialised search engines that link to specific sectors), hotels, airlines and restaurants, as well as transport services.
Google is also under pressure from these two groups to give them more prominence in the search results. This has led to conflicting requests. Google has made a number of changes to its search engine results since the Commission's charges in March. The last change was made in October. However, this does not comply with the Digital Markets Act which prohibits Big Tech from promoting their services and products.
Google and the Commission, the EU's competition enforcer (which is also the Commission), declined to comment.
A Google spokesperson said previously that any future changes to Search will prioritise the 'commercial interests of a few intermediaries, over European businesses which want to sell direct to their customers.
Google can still comply with the DMA and avoid a fine.
DMA violations could result in fines of up to 10% of the company's annual global turnover. Sources have said that the self-preference case was separate from an investigation regarding its app store Google Play where it faces a similar fine next year. (Reporting and editing by Kirsten Doovan; Foo Yunchee)
(source: Reuters)