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U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Heightens Global Tensions

The ship, currently between Iceland and the British Isles, has been accused of breaking US sanctions and shipping Iranian oil. It has historically transported Venezuelan crude oil. The United States has seized a Russian‑flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela after a prolonged pursuit across the Atlantic, marking one of the most assertive enforcement actions under Washington’s sanctions program. The vessel, previously known as Bella‑1 and later renamed Marinera , was intercepted after evading an earlier boarding attempt near Venezuelan waters. U.S. military aircraft and naval units tracked the ship for weeks as it traveled across the Atlantic, at times shadowed by Russian naval vessels. Officials say the tanker was part of a network used to transport sanctioned Venezuelan and Russian oil. Its capture underscores Washington’s efforts to disrupt what it describes as illicit energy shipments that help sustain both governments. The operation comes at a delicate geopolitical moment, wit...

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China’s recent surge in respiratory illnesses caused by flu and other known pathogens, not COVID-19

 

According to the Chinese health ministry, the recent surge in respiratory illnesses across the country is caused by the flu and other known pathogens, and not by COVID-19. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked China for more data on the respiratory illness spreading in the north of the country, urging people to take steps to reduce the risk of infection . The surge in respiratory illnesses such as flu and RSV has been reported in some parts of China, in the first winter since the country eased its COVID-restrictions. Mycoplasma, which can cause walking pneumonia, is among the bugs that Chinese officials say are behind an outbreak of pneumonia, flu, and COVID-19 in kids.


 


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