IRAN
Another tanker seized
The country’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has seized a foreign oil tanker in the Persian Gulf that was allegedly smuggling fuel to some Arab states, state TV reported, adding that seven sailors onboard of the tanker had been detained. “The IRGC’s naval forces have seized a foreign oil tanker in the Persian Gulf that was smuggling fuel for some Arab countries,” TV quoted IRGC commander Ramezan Zirahi as saying. “It carried 700,000 liters of fuel. Seven sailors onboard of the tanker, who are from different nationalities, were detained.” Last month, Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for alleged maritime violations and allowed a second one to proceed after issuing a warning.
UNITED KINGDOM
Pilots arrested before flight
Two pilots have been arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs before a scheduled flight to the US, police in Scotland said yesterday. The flight, United Airlines 162 to Newark, New Jersey, was due to leave Glasgow Airport at 9am. It was canceled after the arrests. The 61-year-old and 45-year-old pilots were held under the section of a transportation safety law that covers on the job intoxication and impairment for aviation, Police Scotland said. Under the law, the legal alcohol limit for pilots, navigators and other flight personnel subjected to breath tests is less than half the drink-drive limit for motorists on Scotland’s roads.
FRANCE
Beijing cuts police ties
China has cut off all cooperation with the country on police affairs after Paris gave asylum to the Chinese wife of a former Interpol chief now in jail on corruption charges, Le Monde reported. Chinese authorities late last month told a diplomat in Beijing that a decision had been made to halt all cooperation after Grace Meng (孟昭文) was awarded political asylum in May, the newspaper reported.
MALTA
Migrants to disembark
The government said it has authorized 40 migrants aboard a rescue ship run by German non-governmental organization Sea-Eye to disembark following an agreement reached among several EU countries to take them in. The deal was announced after the migrants on the ship Alan Kurdi, rescued on Wednesday off Libya, had been barred from landing in Italy. The migrants were to arrive in the capital, Valletta, later yesterday, the government said late on Saturday. The German government and the European Commission made arrangements for the migrants to be shared among several EU countries, it said.
BRAZIL
Deforestation ‘undeniable’
Ricardo Galvao, the sacked head of the country’s space research agency, on Saturday said that the trend of sharply rising deforestation was undeniable, a day after he was fired following a public spat with President Jair Bolsonaro over data published by the agency. “There is not the slightest doubt,” he told reporters when asked whether the data pointed to a trend of significantly increasing deforestation. “Our data is absolutely correct.” The sacking of Galvao, a respected physicist and member of the Brazilian Academy of Science, sent shockwaves through the country’s scientific community. Environmentalists have also seen it as a dangerous attack on one of the key pillars of the country’s fight against climate change — the use of data from satellite imagery to measure and combat deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
‘BARBAROUS ACTS’: The captain of the fishing vessel said that people in checkered clothes beat them with iron bars and that he fell unconscious for about an hour Ten Vietnamese fishers were violently robbed in the South China Sea, state media reported yesterday, with an official saying the attackers came from Chinese-flagged vessels. The men were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which Taiwan claims, as do Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. Vietnamese media did not identify the nationalities of the attackers, but Phung Ba Vuong, an official in central Quang Ngai province, told reporters: “They were Chinese, [the boats had] Chinese flags.” Four of the 10-man Vietnamese crew were rushed
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
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