Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

Sweden wants to inspect a suspicious Chinese ship

A view of the anchor of the Chinese ship, the bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, in the sea of Kattegat, near the City of Grenaa in Jutland, Denmark, on Nov. 20, 2024.

A view of the anchor of the Chinese ship, the bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, in the sea of Kattegat, near the City of Grenaa in Jutland, Denmark, on Nov. 20, 2024.

Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS
On Nov. 17 and 18, two underwater Baltic Sea communications cables – one connecting Sweden with Lithuania and the other Finland with Germany – were cut under suspicious circumstances. Many in Europe initially suspected deliberate sabotage by Russia, but a preliminary investigation found that a Chinese cargo ship had passed through the Baltic Sea near each cable around the time they were severed.

A year ago, you’ll recall that another Chinese-flagged vessel dragged an anchor that damaged an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia.

This latest Chinese vessel is now anchored in international waters between Sweden and Denmark, and Swedish authorities, without leveling any accusation, have requested that the ship enter Swedish waters and welcome inspectors on board to investigate. It remains unclear whether the Chinese ship will comply.

This episode comes at a time of heightened alert for Russian sabotage attacks on European infrastructure in response to EU support for Ukraine. In particular, Russian involvement is suspected in a number of fires and mail bombs across the continent.

More For You

​Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is received by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on January 6, 2026.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is received by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on January 6, 2026, as part of a summit of the Coalition of the Willing.

Antonin Burat / Le Pictorium
Trump’s shadow looms over Ukraine security talks in Paris Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is meeting European leaders and US officials today in Paris for the latest round of peace talks on Ukraine, where they will discuss how a potential ceasefire with Russia would be monitored and upheld. The meeting comes just a few days after US [...]
Protesters demonstrate against poor economic conditions in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025.​

Protesters demonstrate against poor economic conditions in Tehran, Iran, with some shopkeepers closing their stores on in response to ongoing hardships and fluctuations in the national currency, on Dec. 29, 2025.

Fars News Agency via ZUMA Press Wire
Violent Iranian protests stretch into second weekDemonstrations in Iran over the government’s handling of the economy – the largest in three years – continued over the weekend and turned deadly amid clashes with security forces, with a human rights agency reporting that 20 protesters have been killed. Iranian leaders delivered contrasting [...]
A photograph posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows him sitting next to CIA Director John Ratcliffe as they watch the U.S. military operation in Venezuela from Trump's Mar a Lago resort, in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026.

A photograph posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows him sitting next to CIA Director John Ratcliffe as they watch the U.S. military operation in Venezuela from Trump's Mar a Lago resort, in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026.

@realDonaldTrump/Handout via REUTERS
The stunning US removal of Nicolás Maduro opens up a number of questions. Here are several to watch in the coming days and weeks. If there are others that you have, let us know here.How will Venezuelans react? Maduro was a deeply unpopular leader in Venezuela. Under his rule, millions fled the once-wealthy country amid twin political and [...]
Protesters demonstrate against poor economic conditions in Tehran, Iran, on December 29, 2025.

Protesters demonstrate against poor economic conditions in Tehran, Iran, on December 29, 2025, with some shopkeepers closing their stores in response to ongoing hardships and fluctuations in the national currency.

ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect
With economy in dire straits, Iranians take to the streetsIran saw its largest protest in three years on Monday, as traders and shopkeepers in Tehran shut their stores to show their displeasure at the government’s handling of the economy. The demonstrations are notable amid Iran’s intensified crackdown on dissent, including arrests of opposition [...]