US Coast Guard Pursues Venezuelan-Linked Oil Tanker as Pressure Campaign Escalates
The US Coast Guard on Sunday pursued another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean tied to Venezuela, signaling an intensification of the Trump administration’s campaign against what it calls the country’s illegal “shadow fleet.”
A US official said the vessel was operating under a false flag and subject to a judicial seizure order, following two tanker seizures in less than two weeks.
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.
The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund… pic.twitter.com/nSZ4mi6axc
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 20, 2025
The actions come as President Trump renews pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, citing sanctions evasion, alleged drug trafficking, and disputes over seized US oil assets.
Trump has warned of a de facto blockade on sanctioned tankers, prompting some vessels to divert away from Venezuela. The strategy has drawn criticism from lawmakers who warn the seizures and related military operations risk escalating into conflict without congressional authorization.
Pearl Harbor Survivor Ira ‘Ike’ Schab Dies at 105
Ira “Ike” Schab, a US Navy veteran and survivor of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, passed away over the weekend at his home in Oregon. He was 105.
Schab was among the shrinking group of sailors who lived through the Japanese bombing that killed more than 2,400 US troops and brought the United States into World War II.
World War II Navy veteran Ira “Ike” Schab, one of the dwindling number of survivors of the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, has died. He was 105.https://t.co/UQttX7f388 pic.twitter.com/rAkh7rKEsy
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) December 22, 2025
Schab was 21 when he served aboard the USS Dobbin (AD-3) during the attack, helping supply ammunition to anti-aircraft guns as Japanese planes struck the harbor. He later served across the Pacific before building a postwar career as an aerospace engineer, contributing to the Apollo space program.
In his later years, Schab regularly attended Pearl Harbor commemorations to honor fallen service members, urging Americans to remember those who served and those who did not return.
US Envoy Cites Progress in Florida Talks on Ending Ukraine War
A White House envoy said talks in Florida between US, Ukrainian, and European representatives made progress toward aligning a shared approach to ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Steve Witkoff said the discussions focused on halting the fighting, securing long-term security guarantees, and supporting Ukraine’s recovery, as part of the Trump administration’s broader diplomatic push for peace.
Negotiations with Russia are also ongoing, with Kremlin officials describing the parallel talks as constructive, though Moscow denied plans for formal trilateral talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said diplomatic efforts were moving quickly, even as Russia maintains hardline demands and advances on the battlefield.
US envoy Steve Witkoff says Russia-Ukraine talks in Miami were ‘constructive’, as Washington pushes to negotiate an end to the war pic.twitter.com/sPoo5XPQZb
— TRT World (@trtworld) December 22, 2025
The talks come amid continued humanitarian concerns in Ukraine, renewed European funding commitments, and tentative signals that France may reopen direct dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine Fields Low-Cost Interceptor Drones to Counter Russian Shaheds
Ukraine has moved rapidly to deploy homegrown interceptor drones to counter Russia’s evolving suicide drone threat, as nightly attacks continue to target cities and energy infrastructure.
New systems such as the Sting and the Bullet went from prototype to mass production within months in 2025, giving Ukrainian air defenders a low-cost option that can destroy enemy drones flying faster and at higher altitudes.
The interceptors cost as little as $1,000 and are designed to ram Russian drones that can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, shifting the economic balance of air defense.
Ukrainian developers have unveiled the Bullet, a jet powered interceptor drone designed to take down Shaheds, helicopters, and other low-speed aerial threats. It can hit speeds up to 450 km/h, fast enough to outrun a Shahed drone. pic.twitter.com/cDP4xGLOfe
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) December 18, 2025
Analysts say the systems are becoming a cornerstone of modern counter-drone warfare when integrated with sensors, command networks, and other defenses.
Ukraine and NATO expect drone production on both sides to accelerate in 2026, driving plans for a layered “drone wall” along Europe’s eastern flank and expanded cooperation between Ukrainian, the United States, and European defense firms.
Russian General Killed in Moscow Car Bomb, Ukraine Suspected
A Russian lieutenant general was killed Monday after an explosive device detonated beneath his car in Moscow, marking the third killing of a senior Russian military officer in about a year.
Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff, died from his injuries, Russia’s Investigative Committee said.
Investigators said they are considering multiple leads, including possible involvement by Ukrainian intelligence services.
Russian Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the General Staff’s Operational Training Directorate, was killed in a car bomb in southern Moscow, authorities confirmed. https://t.co/nm8BPQpnDc pic.twitter.com/wKMWcYlKxW
— Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) December 22, 2025
The killing follows earlier attacks on senior Russian officers, including a December 2024 bombing claimed by Ukraine’s security service and an April car bombing outside Moscow.
Russian authorities have repeatedly accused Ukraine of carrying out attacks inside Russia amid the ongoing war.
France Approves New Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier to Replace Charles de Gaulle
France will build a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace the Charles de Gaulle (R91), President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday.
The carrier will carry up to 30 fighter jets and a crew of about 2,000 sailors and is scheduled to enter service in 2038.
The ship will displace about 78,000 tons and measure 310 meters, significantly larger than France’s current carrier but smaller than the US Navy’s Gerald R. Ford class. It will operate Rafale M fighters and support long-range deployments.
France greenlights construction of a next-generation nuclear aircraft carrier to reinforce naval power and deterrence. pic.twitter.com/C2VA9wTNK1
— Sprinter Press (@SprinterPress) December 21, 2025
The project, estimated to cost about 10 billion euros ($11.7 billion), aligns with France’s broader plan to sharply increase defense spending and expand its military capacity over the next decade.
Israel Approves 19 New West Bank Settlements, Deepening Tensions
Israel’s Cabinet has approved 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, pushing the total number approved in recent years to a record 69, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said.
The decision raises the number of settlements in the territory to about 210, nearly a 50 percent increase during the current far-right government, according to Peace Now. The approval includes retroactive legalization of some outposts and the reestablishment of sites dismantled during Israel’s 2005 disengagement.
🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Israel’s security cabinet has approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move the country’s far-right finance minister said on Sunday was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state ➡️ https://t.co/3xiyOcSNyA pic.twitter.com/NtXClS3FdH
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 21, 2025
The move further complicates US-backed efforts to advance a pathway toward a Palestinian state and comes amid heightened violence in the West Bank. Settler attacks against Palestinians have surged in recent months, while Israeli military operations have intensified since the October 2023 Hamas-led attack.
Palestinian officials reported two deaths in clashes with Israeli forces over the weekend, as scrutiny grows over settlement expansion widely viewed as illegal under international law.
Nine Killed in Mass Shooting at South African Pub
Nine people were killed and at least 10 others wounded when gunmen opened fire at a tavern in the township of Bekkersdal, west of Johannesburg, early Sunday, police said.
About a dozen suspects arrived in two vehicles and began shooting patrons at the KwaNoxolo tavern before firing randomly as they fled, killing victims inside the bar and in nearby streets.
Police said the attackers used an AK-47 rifle and several handguns, and the motive remains unknown. Authorities have launched a manhunt as the shooting marks the second mass attack at a bar in South Africa in three weeks.
PUB MASSACRE: Nine people were killed and at least 10 others wounded when gunmen opened fire inside a South African pub early Sunday, sparking a manhunt for the attackers in the country’s second mass shooting in less than a month.https://t.co/61yCHO57f9
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 21, 2025
The incident underscores ongoing concerns about gang violence, illegal firearms, and one of the world’s highest homicide rates, with firearms the leading cause of deadly crime.
ASEAN Convenes Emergency Talks as Thailand–Cambodia Border Fighting Intensifies
Southeast Asian foreign ministers met Monday in Kuala Lumpur for emergency talks aimed at de-escalating renewed fighting between Thailand and Cambodia along their disputed border.
The clash, which reignited earlier this month, has killed more than two dozen people and displaced over half a million, despite a ceasefire brokered by Malaysia and pushed by the United States earlier this year.
The latest violence has included Thai airstrikes and Cambodian rocket fire, alongside accusations over the use of land mines. Both governments say they support diplomacy, but continue to trade blame as hostilities persist.
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today participated in the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (SAMM) on the Current Situation between Cambodia and Thailand, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Chaired by Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Dato’ Seri… pic.twitter.com/mrFs7cSBvs
— ASEAN (@ASEAN) December 22, 2025
The United States and ASEAN are pressing both sides to withdraw heavy weapons, halt mine use, and fully implement previous peace agreements to stabilize the border.
North Korea Warns Against Japan Nuclear Debate After Reported Remarks
North Korea condemned what it described as Japan’s nuclear ambitions after a Japanese official was quoted as saying Tokyo should possess nuclear weapons.
Pyongyang said the remarks crossed a red line and called for Japan’s nuclearization to be prevented, accusing Tokyo of harboring long-standing ambitions to develop atomic arms.
The statement followed a Kyodo News report citing an unnamed official in Japan’s prime minister’s office who argued nuclear weapons would allow Japan to rely on itself for security.
North Korea said that Japan’s nuclear ambitions “must be prevented at any cost”, after a Tokyo official reportedly suggested the country should possess atomic weapons.
Read more: https://t.co/g6Pcfy0P7j pic.twitter.com/1VLWrqD236
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) December 21, 2025
North Korea warned that Japanese nuclear weapons would destabilize Asia, while making no reference to its own nuclear arsenal, which it says it will never abandon despite international sanctions and repeated calls for denuclearization.
US Forces Japan Rejects Okinawa Requests for PFAS Testing on Bases
US Forces Japan (USFJ) has denied Okinawa prefecture’s request to collect water and soil samples at three US military bases, saying there is insufficient evidence that the facilities are sources of PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”) contamination.
The denial covers Kadena Air Base, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, and Camp Hansen, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense.
Okinawa officials point to repeated surveys showing elevated PFAS levels near the bases, with recent tests exceeding Japan’s national water standard at multiple sites. The prefecture says contamination near Kadena and Futenma is likely linked to base activities, while USFJ maintains PFAS sources include civilian industries and notes past surveys found no contamination.
U.S. Forces Japan has denied Okinawa prefecture’s requests to test for so-called “forever chemicals” at three U.S. military bases.
Read more at: https://t.co/5IPxX24OLj
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) December 22, 2025
Japanese officials said the US may reconsider access if stronger evidence is provided, as Okinawa plans to press for on-site inspections.
Police Say Bondi Beach Gunman Trained for Months, Faced Terror Charges
Australian police allege the man accused of killing 15 people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach carried out firearms training with his father and spent months planning the attack.
Court documents released Monday say Naveed Akram and his father trained with shotguns in rural New South Wales, recorded a video justifying the attack, and attempted to use improvised explosive devices before opening fire at a Hanukkah gathering on December 14.
Police charged the 24-year-old with 59 offenses, including murder, attempted murder, and committing a terrorist act.
Officers killed his father at the scene and wounded Akram, who was transferred from the hospital to prison on Monday.
A man suspected of killing 15 people during a shooting in Bondi Beach “conducted firearms training” with his father before the attack on a Jewish event, Australian police have said
Sky’s @nicole_reporter reports ⬇️
Read more: https://t.co/n3FspCpozF
📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/wb42Nie0Qu
— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 22, 2025
Authorities described the attack as Australia’s worst mass shooting since 1996 and said it was driven by antisemitic and extremist ideology.
The New South Wales government introduced proposed gun law reforms aimed at tightening firearm ownership and licensing in response to the attack.
Sources: News Agencies
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Morning Brief: Coast Guard Pursues Venezuelan-Linked Oil Tanker, Russian General Killed in Moscow Car Bomb, France Approves New Aircraft Carrier
Landry named Arctic envoy as US ramps Venezuela pressure and Europe backs Ukraine. Here’s your Monday morning brief for December 22nd, 2025.
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