BBC News Briefing

17 December, 2025

Sofia has long brown hair and brown eyes and is wearing a green job

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. As US President Donald Trump orders a naval blockade to stop sanctioned oil tankers from accessing Venezuela, my colleague Ángel Bermúdez explains how so-called ghost ships are able to evade sanctions. In South Africa, reporter Karnie Sharp explores the impact of the diamond industry. And finally, watch a polar bear mum look after an adopted cub in a rarely documented case.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

US blockade follows oil tanker seizure

Two large oil tankers are connected side by side at sea

A satellite image taken on 18 November shows The Skipper, on the right, alongside another vessel. Credit: Planet Labs PBC/Reuters

As of last week, more than 30 of the 80 ships in Venezuelan waters or approaching the country were under US sanctions, according to data compiled by TankerTrackers.com. It's these vessels that are the target of Trump's blockade, the latest escalation of tension between the two countries following last week's seizure of oil tanker The Skipper in Venezuelan waters. Venezuela is an oil-rich country whose economy is highly dependent on revenues from exporting the commodity. US sanctions targeting Venezuela's state-run oil company have made exporting oil difficult for the government, leading them to resort to a fleet of "ghost ships", as Ángel Bermúdez explains.

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GET UP TO SPEED

Rob Reiner, Michele Singer, Romy Reiner, Nick Reiner, Maria Gilfillan and Jake Reiner at "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" Los Angeles Premiere held at The Egyptian Theatre on September 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Nick Reiner appears in court on murder charges

The 32-year-old has waived his right to enter a plea. Separately, his siblings have released a statement to the US media.

What happened >

Jared Isaacman has short dark hair and brown eyes. He is wearing a black suit and a white shirt

Billionaire Jared Isaacman confirmed as Nasa chief

The amateur jet pilot became the first non-professional astronaut to conduct a space walk in 2024.

What to know >

People refill their bottles at a public fountain in front of the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona

Spain to open network of climate shelters

Spain has announced plans to set up climate shelters in public buildings to offer people refuge from intense heat.

More details >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Roman Abramovich: The UK government has said the Russian oligarch must "pay up now" to victims of the war in Ukraine or face court action.

Duke of Marlborough: The British peer, a relative of Sir Winston Churchill and Princess Diana, has been charged with intentional strangulation.

DNA analysis: Scientists have shed light on the origins of an ancient skeleton known as "Beachy Head Lady" and "first Black Briton".

AT THE SCENE

South Africa's west coast

What's left after a diamond rush ends

An aerial view shot from a drone of the coast line near Alexander Bay. The shell of a former mine building can be seen in the foreground amid a damaged landscape up against the sea.

The diamond mining industry has left its mark on South Africa's north-western coastline.

A century ago, a region in the north-west of South Africa - also known as Namaqualand - experienced a diamond rush that changed the land forever. But, in recent years, the industry in this part of the region has declined, leaving a trail of economic and social problems.

Karnie has short straaght dark hair and brown eyes. She is wearing glasses, a blue shirt and a red scarf

Karnie Sharp, BBC Focus on Africa

There is a disturbing contrast along South Africa's remote west coast. The 800km (500 mile)-journey north from Cape Town starts with views of outstanding natural beauty which, as the long road rolls on and the northern border approaches, dissolve into a pockmarked lunar-like landscape. And the scars left by a lucrative diamond-mining industry are not just physical.

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Standing amid the wrecked empty shell of a former mineworks in the coastal border town of Alexander Bay, Andries Josephs, who worked here two decades ago before he was laid off, shakes his head. "There's no work, that's the problem. The people have stagnated and everything has gone backwards. The buildings have collapsed. Unemployment is sky-high," he says.

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An arm wearing a brown jacket is pulling a round, green Brussel sprout of a branch that holds a lot of them and which is growing out of the ground.

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SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Why sprouts are now nice

A decades-long breeding programme has made the Christmas staple more palatable.

Here's how