Category: World

US pursuing third oil tanker linked to Venezuela, official says5 hours agoShareSaveSeher AsafShareSaveReutersThe US seized another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on SaturdayThe US Coast Guard is in “active pursuit” of another vessel in international waters near Venezuela as tensions in the region continue to escalate.
US authorities have already seized two oil tankers this month – one of them on Saturday.
Sunday's pursuit related to a “sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion”, a US official said. “It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.”
Washington has accused Venezuela of using oil money to fund drug-related crime, while Venezuela has described the tanker seizures as “theft and kidnapping”.
US President Donald Trump last week ordered a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the country.
Venezuela – home to the world largest proven oil reserves – has accused the Trump administration of..

In rebel-held Myanmar, civilians face devastating air strikes and a sham election6 hours agoShareSaveYogita LimayeSouth Asia and Afghanistan correspondent in MyanmarShareSaveBBCIang Za Kim had to flee her home after the junta launched air strikes nearbyLate one night last month Iang Za Kim heard explosions in a neighbouring village, then fighter jets flying overhead. She ran out of her home to see smoke rising from a distance.
“We were terrified. We thought the junta's planes would bomb us too. So we grabbed what we could – some food and clothes and ran into the jungles surrounding our village.”
Iang's face quivers as she recounts the story of what happened on 26 November in K-Haimual, her village in Myanmar's western Chin State, and then she breaks down.
She's among thousands of civilians who've fled their homes in recent weeks after the Burmese military launched a fierce campaign of air strikes, and a ground offensive in rebel-held areas across the country, t..

US seizes second oil tanker off Venezuela's coast 3 hours agoShareSaveMax MatzaShareSaveX/Sec_NoemThe US has seized an oil tanker that had recently departed from Venezuela, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
It is the second time this month that the US has seized an oil-carrying ship off the country's coast.
The move comes after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was ordering a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Venezuela has condemned the latest US seizure, describing it as “theft and kidnapping”. Venezuela has previously accused the US of trying to steal its resources.
“These acts will not go unpunished,” a statement from the Venezuelan government said, adding that it intends to file a complaint with the UN Security Council and “other multilateral agencies and the governments of the world”.
The operation was led by the US Coast Guard, similar to the operation earlier this month. The ship was boarded by a s..

Survivors 'nervous and sceptical' about release of remaining Epstein files7 hours agoShareSaveAna FaguyShareSaveWatch: Images, cassettes and high-profile figures – What's in the latest Epstein files?The release of thousands of pages of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's abuse has left some who were anxiously awaiting the files disappointed.
The documents' release was prompted by an act of Congress that directed the US Justice Department (DOJ) to make materials related to Epstein's crimes public. But some documents have numerous redactions, and others have not been shared publicly at all.
The lawmakers who pushed for these documents to see the light of day have said the release is incomplete and described the Justice Department's efforts as insincere.
Some legal experts also warned that the breadth of redaction may only fuel ongoing conspiracy theories.
But Deputy US Attorney Todd Blanche said on Friday – the day the materials..

Steve Rosenberg: Was Putin's response to my question about war in Europe an olive branch?4 hours agoShareSaveSteve RosenbergBBC Russia Editor, MoscowShareSaveWatch: Putin tells BBC Western leaders deceived RussiaReporters ask world leaders questions all the time.
No big deal. Right?
But what's it like putting a question to Vladimir Putin – the president who ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the leader whose country was accused this week by the head of MI6 of “the export of chaos”?
And imagine asking that question live on TV while millions of Russians are watching.
It's a big responsibility. You don't want to mess up.
“My question is about Russia's future. What kind of future are you planning for your country and your people?” I ask President Putin.
“Will the future be like the present, with any public objection to the official line punishable by law? Will the hunt for enemies at home and abroad be accelerated? Will mobile internet outages become even ..