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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 Urges Dialogue Over Trump's Tariff, Avoids Immediate Escalation


Beijing has sharply denounced the Trump administration’s imposition of a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, calling the measure a breach of international trade rules that undermines the global economic order. While the Chinese finance and commerce ministries confirmed plans to challenge the tariff at the World Trade Organization and hinted at taking "countermeasures" to protect national interests, they stopped short of launching an immediate retaliatory strike.

In its measured response, China's foreign ministry underscored that the issue of fentanyl—the potent opioid cited by Washington as justification for the tariff—is fundamentally an American problem. Officials stressed that extensive cooperation in anti-narcotics efforts has already been in place between the two nations, implying that the tariff would not spur a hasty escalation. Instead, Beijing expressed a willingness to engage in frank dialogue with U.S. counterparts in hopes of resolving the dispute through negotiations rather than further confrontation.


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