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☆ Israel blames Iran for attack on oil tanker
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Iran was responsible for a reported attack on an oil tanker last week. Shipping databases linked the tanker to Zodiac Maritime, which is controlled by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. "Last week Iran again attacked an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf and harmed the international freedom of navigation," Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting. Regional defence and security sources have said they suspected the assault was carried out by Iran, which did not comment on the incident. British maritime security company Ambrey Intelligence said unmanned aerial systems had attacked two tankers and one bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea and assessed that Tehran had mounted the attack.

☆ Israeli-linked ship attacked last week in Arabian Sea, manager says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 18 (Reuters) - An Israeli-linked tanker was lightly damaged in an attack last week by an airborne object while sailing through the Arabian Sea, the ship's manager confirmed on Saturday. Regional defence and security sources suspect the assault was carried out by Iran, which did not comment on the incident. Shipping databases linked the tanker to Zodiac Maritime, which is controlled by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. We have made the necessary notifications to the relevant authorities," the manager said. British maritime security company Ambrey Intelligence said unmanned aerial systems had attacked two tankers and one bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea and assessed that Tehran had mounted the attack.

☆ Liberian warlord's trial concludes in Switzerland
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

If Kosiah is found guilty of crimes against humanity, this could extend his sentence to life. The Kosiah hearings were often laden with emotion, with some Liberian witnesses and victims confronting him for the first time since the country's civil wars. They all asked for anonymity because of the risk of reprisals back home where former warlords still hold prominent roles. In another, a witness who had been held as a sex slave by a soldier described how Kosiah had stabbed one of the Liberian plaintiffs present in the back. "I want him in jail," she told Reuters on the opening day of the appeals trial on Jan. 11.

☆ Former Liberian rebel seeks to overturn Swiss war crimes ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Alieu Kosiah, a former rebel commander who fought against former President Charles Taylor's army in the 1990s, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2021 in Switzerland's first ever war crimes trial. The indictment has since been expanded to include crimes against humanity - the first time these charges are brought in a Swiss trial. A 2011 Swiss law allows prosecution for serious crimes committed anywhere, under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Unlike Sierra Leone which had its own civil war at the same time and later held war crimes trials, no prosecutions have taken place in Liberia. In November, a former Liberian rebel commander was sentenced to life in prison by a French court and a Finnish appeals court is hearing a Liberia war crimes case.

☆ Liberians protest over economic hardship and president's absence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Alphonso Toweh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] President of Liberia George Weah arrives to address the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2022. REUTERS/Mike SegarPAYNESVILLE, Liberia, Dec 17 (Reuters) - More than a thousand people joined a demonstration in a suburb of Liberia's capital on Saturday, protesting over economic hardships and President George Weah's prolonged absence from the country. Lewis Brown, a prominent Liberian politician who served in the cabinets of former presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Charles Taylor, was the event's main organiser. "Too many people in this country are suffering, cannot pay rent, cannot pay school fees," Brown said as she addressed the crowd. Reporting by Alphonso Toweh; Additional reporting by Carielle Doe; Writing by Cooper Inveen;Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: FACTBOX Viktor Bout, the arms dealer Russia has swapped for Brittney Griner
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was freed from jail in Russia on Thursday in exchange for the release of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States, according to U.S. and Russian officials. He became notorious for his willingness to arm almost anyone, from militias in Sierra Leone, to Charles Taylor's brutal Liberian regime, to the Taliban. He has said he attended a Moscow language institute that serves as a training ground for military intelligence officers. - In 2012, he was given a 25-year prison sentence by a U.S. court on multiple charges related to his arms dealing career. Russia has always proclaimed his innocence, describing his case as a glaring injustice and attempting to secure his release.

☆ Who is Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer swapped for Griner?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is escorted by members of a special police unit after a hearing at a criminal court in Bangkok October 5, 2010. Russia got the jailed arms dealer back from the United States on Thursday after exchanging imprisoned U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner for him at Abu Dhabi airport. His notoriety was such that his life helped inspire a Hollywood film, 2005’s Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage as Yuri Orlov, an arms dealer loosely based on Bout. For some experts, the Russian state's continued interest in Bout, plus his skills and connections in the international arms trade, hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties. “His case has become totemic for the Russian intelligence services, who are keen to show that they don’t abandon their own people,” Galeotti added.

☆ Debris analysis shows Iran-made drone attacked tanker -U.S. Navy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet published photos and details of its investigation into the attack on the Liberian-flagged Pacific Zircon tanker, including debris from the Shahed-136 drone itself. In a statement, the Navy said the drone ripped a 30-inch-wide (76 cm) hole into the back of the ship, and the explosive impact damaged a shipboard boiler, potable water tank and life raft. Gulf waters have in recent years seen attacks on tankers that have come at times of heightened regional tensions with Iran. In July 2021, a suspected drone attack hit a petroleum product tanker managed by an Israeli firm off Oman's coast. Reporting by Phil Stewart Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US Navy finds the same kind of Iranian suicide drone Russia has been using against Ukraine was used to attack a tanker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US Navy identified the drone as a Shahed-136, which Russia has been using to attack Ukrainian cities. The tanker, Pacific Zircon, came under attack in the evening on November 15. The next day, US Navy explosive ordnance technicians boarded the wounded tanker to collect debris and inspect the damage. The one-way UAV attack tore a 30-inch-wide hole in the outer hull on the starboard side of the ship’s stern, just below the main deck. Meanwhile, last week's Shahed-136 attack is the second time this month that US Navy forces have reported Iranian influence in waters near the Middle East.

☆ Who is Viktor Bout, the arms dealer who could be swapped for Griner?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Russia wants the jailed arms dealer back in Moscow and is discussing a prisoner swap with the United States that could see him exchanged for Americans imprisoned in Russia including basketball star Brittney Griner. Reed was ultimately freed in return for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot jailed in the United States on drug trafficking charges. For some experts, the Russian state's continued interest in Bout, plus his skills and connections in the international arms trade, hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties. In interviews, Bout has said he attended Moscow's Military Institute of Foreign Languages, which serves as a training ground for military intelligence officers. “His case has become totemic for the Russian intelligence services, who are keen to show that they don’t abandon their own people,” Galeotti added.

☆ Official says oil tanker hit by bomb-carrying drone off Oman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An oil tanker associated with an Israeli billionaire has been struck by a bomb-carrying drone off the coast of Oman amid heightened tensions with Iran, an official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The attack happened Tuesday night off the coast of Oman, the Mideast-based defense official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they did not have authorization to discuss the attack publicly. That tanker is operated by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is a company ultimately owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer. Iranian state media did not immediately acknowledge the attack on the Pacific Zircon.

☆ Products tanker hit by projectile off coast of Oman, says Eastern Pacific Shipping
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Maha El Dahan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A tanker was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman on Tuesday causing minor damage to the hull with no injuries or spillage of the gas oil cargo, Eastern Pacific Shipping, which manages tanker Pacific Zircon, said on Wednesday. The Singapore-based firm, which is controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, said it was investigating the incident which took place approximately 150 miles off the coast of Oman. "Preliminary reports indicate the vessel...was hit by a projectile," Eastern Pacific Shipping said. In July 2021, a suspected drone attack hit a petroleum product tanker managed by an Israeli firm off Oman's coast. According to shipping tracking site MarineTraffic, the tanker Pacific Zircon was last seen off the coast of Liwa, Oman on Monday morning.

☆ Iran blamed for a drone attack on an Israel-linked oil tanker off the coast of Oman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A drone armed with a bomb hit an oil tanker off the coast of Oman on Tuesday evening. An Israeli government official has said that they believe Iran is responsible for the strike. The company said there had been "minor damage to the vessel's hull," but there was no "spillage of cargo," referring to the gas oil the tanker was carrying. However, no one has claimed responsibility for the Oman drone attack. Due to tensions between Iran and Israel, Tehran's possible involvement in the attack is suspected.

☆ Trump Org is battling prosecutors over 3 little words that could swing the New York tax-fraud trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

It's not enough, they'll be told, for Trump Org executives to get caught selfishly stuffing their pockets. Prosecutors, meanwhile, find the three words so worrisome, they asked the judge — unsuccessfully — to strike them from the case entirely. In defense of their love or hate of the three words, the sides have cited a gamut of arcane case law and other source material. Holtzman — who, as a US Congresswoman, voted to impeach Richard Nixon — is the author of "The Case For Impeaching Trump." Much of the case law being cited, the judge said, was not quite on point, including the bilge and thermometer decisions.

☆ Un vapor de tip cargo deţinut de Israel a fost atacat în Oceanul Indian
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-04 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Un vapor de tip cargo deţinut de Israel a fost atacat sâmbătă în Oceanul Indian. Potrivit platformei de informaţii Marine Traffic, nava CSAV Tyndall, care călătorea sub pavilion liberian, s-a oprit în largul coastei Emiratelor Arabe Unite (EAU). În aprilie, un cargo iranian a fost, de asemenea, uşor afectat de o explozie în Marea Roşie. La acea vreme, publicaţia New York Times a scris că Israelul s-ar fi aflat în spatele atacului. Israelul a stabilit însă legături diplomatice cu Emiratele Arabe Unite şi Bahrain anul trecut.

Persons: Israelul, Tyndall, Teheranul Organizations: Israelul, Agerpres, publicaţia New, publicaţia New York Times Locations: Israel, Indian, Iranului, Emiratelor Arabe Unite, EAU, Arabia Saudită, Oman, Teheran, publicaţia, publicaţia New York, Israelul, Emiratele Arabe Unite, Bahrain

☆ Experți: OMS și liderii lumii puteau să împiedice catastrofa COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-12 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Un răspuns rapid la nivel internațional ar fi putut opri epidemia de COVID-19 din China înainte să devină catastrofa globală din 2020, arată un raport critic la adresa răspunsului dat la pandemie de liderii lumii și de Organizația Mondială a Sănătății, scrie Financial Times, citează hotnews.ro. "Dacă restricțiile de călătorie ar fi fost impuse mai repede și în mod mai extins, ar fi existat o inhibare serioasă a rapidei transmisii a virusului. Trebuie să realizăm că trăim în secolul XXI, nu în Evul Mediu", a spus Clark într-o conferință de presă. Comisia a criticat OMS pentru că nu a declarat Covid-19 o situație de urgență internațională până pe 30 ianuarie. Pandemia a fost declarată oficial abia pe 11 martie.

Persons: OMS, Helen Clark, liberian Ellen Johnson, Clark, Pandemia Organizations: Organizația Mondială a Sănătății, Financial Times, OMS Locations: China, Sănătății, Pandemi, liberian, Europa, America de Nord

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