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Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado Presents Nobel Medal to Trump at White House
In a rare move, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal to former US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, describing the gesture as “recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom.”
Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her leadership of Venezuela’s opposition during a crackdown by President Nicolás Maduro, particularly surrounding the controversial 2023 presidential election. Her visit to Washington came shortly after a US military operation on 3 January resulted in Maduro’s capture. The former Venezuelan leader and his spouse now face drug trafficking charges in New York.
“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters as she left the White House. Trump confirmed the meeting on social media, calling Machado “a wonderful woman who has been through so much” and saying the presentation was “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
Although Machado’s action is unusual for a living laureate to part with her medal shortly after receiving it, it is not without precedent. The Nobel Foundation’s statutes allow winners to give away their physical medal or diploma, but the title itself remains solely with the recipient and cannot be legally transferred.
Several previous laureates have donated, sold, or auctioned their medals under extraordinary circumstances. Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, who shared the 2021 Peace Prize with Maria Ressa, sold his medal in 2022 for $103.5 million (€89.1 million), donating all proceeds to UNICEF for Ukrainian child refugees after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Historical examples include Nobel medals used for humanitarian purposes during wartime. Danish physicists Niels Bohr and August Krogh saw their medals auctioned to aid Finnish civilians during the Winter War of 1939-40. German physicists Max von Laue and James Franck entrusted their medals to Bohr to prevent them from falling into Nazi hands; the medals were later recovered and recast by the Nobel Foundation.
Not all medal gestures were humanitarian. Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, Nobel laureate in Literature in 1920, reportedly gave his medal to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels during World War II, damaging his reputation permanently.
More recently, Nobel medals have been sold at auction for philanthropic or personal reasons. James D. Watson, co-discoverer of DNA’s structure and a 1962 laureate, sold his medal in 2014 for $4.8 million (€4.13 million) to support scientific research. Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov later returned it to Watson in 2015. Other sales include Norman Angell’s Peace Prize medal, now held at London’s Imperial War Museum, and Aage Bohr’s 1975 Physics medal, sold at auction in 2011 and 2019.
Some laureates instead donate their prize money. Albert Einstein’s 1921 Nobel earnings went to his family under a pre-arranged divorce settlement. Mother Teresa directed her 1979 Peace Prize funds to the poor, and Paul Greengard used his 2000 Nobel prize money to establish an award supporting women scientists.
Machado’s presentation of her medal to Trump adds a contemporary chapter to the complex history of Nobel laureates parting with their physical awards, highlighting both symbolic gestures and humanitarian or political intentions.
Britain and Norway have launched new joint naval patrols aimed at protecting undersea cables from Russia, with a combined fleet of at least 13 warships safeguarding critical infrastructure in the North Atlantic, officials said. The announcement follows discussions in December between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on defense cooperation.
British Defence Secretary John Healey said on Thursday that the operation was designed to deter Russian submarines suspected of “malign activity” near undersea infrastructure north of the UK. A frigate, aircraft, and hundreds of personnel monitored a Russian attack submarine and two spy vessels during an operation lasting more than a month. Healey said the Russian ships eventually left the area.
His message to Moscow was clear: “We see your activity over our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.” Healey emphasized that while global attention is focused on conflicts in the Middle East, Russia remains the main threat to the UK and its allies.
British officials have highlighted the overlap between Russia’s support for Iran and its ongoing war in Ukraine. Tehran has provided Moscow with Shahed drones, which are now also manufactured in Russia under the designation Geran. Healey said, “Putin would want us to be distracted by the Middle East. We will not take our eyes off Putin.”
The UK has also prepared to seize ships suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” a flotilla of old oil tankers of unclear ownership designed to bypass international sanctions imposed over Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Previously, the UK only assisted France and the US in monitoring such vessels. Healey said, “We are ready to take action” against these ships.
Norwegian Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik, who signed the joint naval agreement with Healey, said the patrols allow both countries to “defend themselves together.” The deployment builds on a £10 billion (€11 billion) deal for Norway to purchase at least five British-made frigates, which, together with eight British ships, will operate along NATO’s northern flank.
Russian naval activity near UK waters has reportedly risen by 30 percent over the past two years. NATO officials have also warned that attacks on undersea cables are among the “most active threats” to Western infrastructure. Acting Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid, and Cyber, James Appathurai, said recent incidents in the Baltic Sea and elsewhere reflect Russia’s long-term undersea program, which includes research ships, submarines, unmanned vehicles, divers, and explosives targeting communications and energy pipelines.
The new UK-Norway patrols signal a heightened focus on securing vital maritime infrastructure amid rising geopolitical tensions and increasing Russian naval operations in European waters.
Reports of new attacks across the الخليج on Wednesday have shaken early optimism following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, raising doubts about how quickly the agreement can take hold.
The ceasefire, announced late الثلاثاء, had been welcomed across the region as tensions between واشنطن and طهران escalated. However, neither side specified when the truce would come into effect, and events on Wednesday suggested hostilities had not fully subsided.
In the United Arab Emirates, authorities reported a fresh Iranian attack targeting the Habshan gas complex. The strike disrupted operations and prompted officials to suspend production at the facility after falling debris from intercepted projectiles caused multiple fires. According to the Abu Dhabi media office, two Emirati nationals and one Indian worker suffered minor injuries.
Journalists in Dubai reported receiving air raid alerts early in the morning and observed continued air defence activity, including fighter jets operating overhead. The developments marked a sharp end to the brief sense of relief that had followed the ceasefire announcement.
In Qatar, residents in Doha also received early morning alerts after a night of heightened tension. Reports indicated a prolonged Iranian raid on Tuesday evening, with at least eight interception blasts heard across the city. The incident disrupted air traffic, with inbound flights diverted for about an hour before normal operations resumed.
Bahrain experienced similar unrest. Sirens sounded again on Wednesday morning, warning residents to seek shelter as new explosions were heard. The renewed activity followed overnight strikes that damaged homes in the Sitra area and left two people injured by falling debris after an Iranian drone was intercepted.
Meanwhile, in Tehran, residents reported hearing air defence systems in operation late Wednesday morning. Initial reports suggested the activity may have been part of a drill, though details remained limited.
The renewed attacks come despite an agreement announced by US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials for a two-week ceasefire that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies. Trump had earlier described a 10-point proposal from Iran as a possible basis for negotiations, though he later questioned its credibility.
Israel signalled support for the temporary pause in strikes against Iran but clarified that it would continue its military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, highlighting ongoing tensions beyond the immediate US-Iran conflict.
The situation underscores the fragile nature of the ceasefire, with continued military activity casting uncertainty over its implementation. As diplomatic efforts continue, the coming days are likely to determine whether the agreement can hold or whether the region will see further escalation.
Sweden’s security service, Sapo, has accused Iran of increasing its targeting of dissidents since the start of the Iran war, alleging that it has recruited organised crime networks to carry out acts of violence داخل the country. The warning comes as five teenagers are due to appear in court on Wednesday over the alleged attempted murder of an Iranian dissident researcher in southern Sweden.
Prosecutors say the group targeted Arvin Khoshnood, a researcher and commentator on Iranian affairs, at his home in the city of Malmö on September 2 last year. According to the charge sheet, one of the suspects, aged 16 at the time, rang the doorbell armed with a knife and asked Khoshnood’s wife if he was at home. Khoshnood, who was present, remained out of sight and contacted police immediately.
Authorities allege the teenager had been recruited through encrypted messaging apps and promised payment to carry out the attack. Prosecutors say three of the accused, along with a fourth individual believed to be the mastermind, provided instructions, supplied the weapon, and negotiated the terms before the attempt was made. Three of the teenagers face charges of attempted murder, while the others are accused of complicity.
“These are acts that fall under so-called crime as a service, where young perpetrators in Sweden take on assignments from individuals connected to organised crime,” prosecutor Per-Erik Rinsell said in a statement.
Khoshnood has suggested the plot may be linked to the Foxtrot network, one of Sweden’s most prominent criminal gangs. Its leader, Rawa Majid, has been reported to have connections to Iran, although such claims remain contested. The group has been associated with a series of shootings, bombings, and other violent incidents in recent years, often recruiting young people through online platforms.
The case has drawn attention to what Swedish authorities describe as a growing security threat. Sapo has identified Iran as one of the main risks to national security, accusing it of using criminal gangs to target Israeli interests and Iranian opposition figures within Sweden. Tehran has denied these allegations.
Khoshnood, who frequently appears in Swedish media as an expert on Iran, has openly expressed support for exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah. Investigators believe his public stance may have made him a target.
Several of the accused teenagers are also facing charges related to a separate attempted murder in Uddevalla, which occurred a week after the incident in Malmö. Authorities have not confirmed whether that case involved another Iranian dissident.
The trial is expected to shed light on the alleged links between foreign actors and domestic criminal networks, as Sweden grapples with rising concerns over organised crime and national security.
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