INTERNACIONAL
Russian oil tanker, the Grinch, intercepted as US, allies escalate sanctions crackdown
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The French navy intercepted a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean suspected of operating as part of Moscow’s shadow fleet, a network of falsely-flagged vessels used to export oil and avoid Western sanctions, according to reports.
President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that French forces had boarded and searched the tanker, which is subject to international sanctions.
The ship was reportedly sailing from Murmansk, in northern Russia, under the Comoros flag.
Writing on X, Macron said the operation took place on the high seas in the Mediterranean with the support of several allied countries.
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The French president added that the vessel had been diverted for further checks.
The tanker, identified as the Grinch, was intercepted between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco in the western Mediterranean, French maritime police said.
The Associated Press reported the interception.
France and the U.K. gathered and shared intelligence on the vessel, according to French military officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
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An international operation stopped a Russian shadow fleet tanker called the Grinch in the Mediterranean. (Etat Major des Armees/AP)
The interception is the latest in a growing number of Russian-linked vessels stopped by U.S. and European authorities in recent months as Western powers intensify efforts to disrupt Russia’s oil exports.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, in early January, U.S. forces seized another sanctioned tanker in the Atlantic Ocean.
U.S. European Command (EUCOM) announced the seizure of the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker in the North Atlantic Sea.
France’s Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture said the team that boarded the Grinch Thursday had inspected the vessel and decided documents raised doubts about the regularity of the vessel’s flag.
US MILITARY SEIZES ANOTHER FUGITIVE OIL TANKER LINKED TO VENEZUELA
The Russian oil tanker intercepted between Spain and Morocco. (Etat Major des Armees )
The tanker is being escorted by the French navy to an anchorage for additional verification.
The European Union has imposed 19 rounds of sanctions on Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Despite those measures, Russia has continued to export millions of barrels of oil, mainly to China and India and often at discounted prices.
What has become known as a «shadow fleet» consists of hundreds of old and poorly regulated tankers that change names, ownership structures and flags to avoid detection and sanctions.
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hug after signing an agreement Nov. 17, 2025, at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (Christophe Ena/AP Photo, Pool)
Maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence estimates the global shadow fleet at about 1,400 tankers, many of which are subject to U.S., British or European sanctions, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized European countries for not doing more to stop the transport of Russian oil using sanctioned vessels and which he says helps fund the war in Ukraine.
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«Why can [U.S. President Donald Trump] stop tankers of the ‘shadow fleet’ and seize their oil, while Europe can’t?» Zelensky asked at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday.
«Russian oil is transported right along the European coast. This oil funds the war against Ukraine. This oil helps destabilize Europe.»
france,russia,sanctions,navy,ukraine
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Hezbollah and Iran launched a coordinated strike strategy Tuesday, a national security expert claimed, as reports emerged that deadly cluster munitions were hitting Israel in synchronized attacks.
The developments unfolded on day 11 of Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign targeting Iran, marking a potential escalation in the widening regional conflict.
«Hezbollah has fully joined the war, and it looks like they are now very well coordinated with Iran,» Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital while speaking from his bomb shelter near Tel Aviv.
«Most of Hezbollah’s rockets and drones are launched simultaneously with the Iranian missiles,» he said.
IRAN’S SENIOR CLERICS ‘EXPOSED’ AFTER BUILDING STRIKE IN QOM, SUCCESSION CHOICE LOOMS
Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
Israel confirmed Tuesday that Iran had been firing cluster munitions — adding a complicated and deadly challenge to Israel’s stretched air defenses, The Associated Press reported.
The warheads burst open at high altitudes, scattering dozens of smaller bomblets across a wide area. The smaller bombs, which at night can resemble orange fireballs, are difficult to intercept and have proven lethal.
Fox News correspondent Nate Foy also said despite Israel’s strong air defense, half of the missiles are hard to defend against because half of the missiles are cluster munitions.
«The Iranian use of cluster missiles and the idea that they deliberately target civilians and civil facilities must be considered as a use of non-conventional weapons, and the American-Israeli response must be appropriate,» Michael urged.
Banned by more than 120 nations under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, the weapons are widely condemned for their broad-area, indiscriminate effects that often result in catastrophic civilian harm.
IRAN PROXIES WAGE WAR ON ISRAEL, THREATEN US INTERESTS AS IRAQ SLAMMED FOR NOT DISARMING THEM
Smoke and dust rise after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon. ( REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir)
Michael spoke as Reuters reported Hezbollah was applying lessons from its last war with Israel as it prepares for a possible full-scale Israeli invasion and protracted conflict.
It said sources claimed the group was returning to its roots in guerrilla warfare in south Lebanon.
«Operating in small units, fighters from the Iran-backed group are avoiding the use of communication devices that could be at risk of Israeli tapping and are rationing the use of key anti-tank rockets as they engage Israeli troops,» said the sources, familiar with Hezbollah military activities.
Michael also said that the «north of the country, toward the Haifa area, is under heavy bombing.»
IRAN’S ‘STUNNING STRATEGIC MISCALCULATION’ COULD ACCELERATE GULF TIES TO ISRAEL, EX-CENTCOM DIRECTOR PREDICTS
Hezbollah terrorists are taking part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta, bordering Israel, on May 21, 2023 ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
«Israeli citizens have to spend most of the time in the shelter rooms as Hezbollah and Iran deliberately target civilians and civilian facilities,» he said.
«Tel Aviv is still under an emergency routine, with sirens continuing and many people spending a lot of time in the bomb shelter rooms,» he added before highlighting that «Israel is a small country and will not be able to continue containing such asymmetry and this type of attrition war.»
As of Tuesday night local time, the IDF said it had launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
This came after the military reiterated its warning to evacuate the area, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh.
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In a post shared on X, the IDF said: «This is what we’re operating against.»
Reuters sources also claimed much of Hezbollah’s fighting on the ground had been focused so far near the town of Khiyam, near the intersection of Lebanon’s border with Israel and Syria.
This is one area where Hezbollah believes any Israeli land invasion could begin. Hezbollah’s elite Radwan fighters, who withdrew from the south following the 2024 ceasefire, had also returned to the area, it said.
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A man carries shoes from his destroyed house that was hit by Israeli airstrikes hit several houses in Sir al-Gharbiyeh village south Lebanon, Sunday, March, 8, 2026. (Mohammed Zaatari/AP Photo)
«Israel will no doubt take control over a wide territory in south Lebanon, from the international border to the Litani River, in order to establish a security buffer zone,» Michael said.
«This will prevent Hezbollah from attacking the Israeli villages and towns in the north of the country and will intensify the attacks against Hezbollah all over Lebanon,» Michael added.
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«We hope that President Trump will not stop or use the formula he used with the Houthis, declaring victory and leaving the wounded lion incapable of revenge and/or reconstituting itself.»
Meanwhile, an Israeli military official, speaking anonymously under army briefing rules, said Tuesday that roughly half of the projectiles Iran was launching toward Israel were now cluster bombs, The Associated Press said.
war with iran,iran,wars,bombings
INTERNACIONAL
Trump urges Congress to pass SAVE America Act, fully fund DHS as TSA workers go without pay
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President Donald Trump is urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act (SAA) as well as restore funding to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as more than 100,000 federal employees go without pay during a prolonged funding lapse, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.
Leavitt outlined the president’s dual push for sweeping election legislation and immediate action to reopen DHS, where employees have missed paychecks and travelers are facing long airport lines.
The SAA would move through Congress as election legislation, while DHS funding requires a separate vote to reopen the department and resume full operations.
Leavitt described the SAA as «one of the most critical pieces of legislation in our nation’s history.»
«The Save America Act is overwhelmingly popular with all Americans because each provision is rooted in common sense,» she said.
DHS FUNDING STALEMATE THAWS AS WHITE HOUSE SENDS DEMOCRATS ‘SERIOUS’ COUNTEROFFER
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions during a news briefing, Tuesday, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
According to Leavitt, the legislation includes five core provisions: requiring voters to show identification to cast a ballot, requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, ending universal mail-in ballots while maintaining exceptions for illness, disability, military service and travel, permanently banning biological males from competing in women’s sports, and banning transgender surgery for minors.
On voter ID requirements, Leavitt said the proposal reflects broad public support.
«Voters have to show ID to cast a ballot in an American election. Very simple,» she said. «Ninety percent of Americans, including more than 80% of Democrat voters, agree with this.»
SCHUMER, DEMS HOLD FIRM ON DHS FUNDING DESPITE NOEM’S BOMBSHELL OUSTING
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions during Tuesday’s press briefing. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
The legislation would also require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
«The Save America Act will require all voters to show proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in American elections,» Leavitt said. «Again, this is popular and rooted in common sense. Only American citizens have the right to vote in American elections.»
Leavitt said Trump is urging Congress to «get the job done and send this historic piece of legislation to his desk immediately for signature.»
TRUMP VOWS BLOCK ON SIGNING NEW LAWS UNTIL SAVE AMERICA ACT PASSES SENATE
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
She also pushed back on claims that the legislation could prevent married women who changed their last names from voting.
«There is zero validity to these claims,» Leavitt said. «The Save America Act does not prohibit anyone from voting, with the exception of illegal aliens.
«As far as married women who have changed their name, if they’re already registered to vote, they’re entirely unaffected by the Save Act,» she added.
Leavitt also turned to the ongoing funding lapse at the DHS, saying the president wants Congress to move quickly to restore pay for affected workers and fully reopen the department.
«President Trump wants the Department of Homeland Security — he wants TSA, he wants FEMA. He wants the brave men and women of our United States Coast Guard to receive their paychecks,» she said.
Leavitt says President Trump wants Congress to move quickly to restore pay for affected workers during the partial shutdown of DHS. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
More than 100,000 employees across the country have been impacted, she noted, acknowledging the strain on families.
«To any American out there who is struggling without a paycheck, we know there’s more than 100,000 of you across the country,» Leavitt said.
She added that the lapse is also affecting travelers nationwide.
«To any American out there who is showing up to an airport and facing incredibly long wait times in lines,» she said, Trump is calling on Congress to restore funding and reopen the department.
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The president wants DHS «fully funded and fully reopened,» Leavitt said.
DHS oversees agencies including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Coast Guard, all of which have personnel affected by the funding lapse.
Trump is pressing lawmakers to act on both fronts, with Leavitt saying the president is calling on Congress to move swiftly to deliver both measures.
white house,donald trump,homeland security,politics,karoline leavitt,elections,congress
INTERNACIONAL
Argentina le dio refugio a un brasileño condenado por el intento de golpe de Estado a Lula da Silva en 2023
Por primera vez, Argentina concedió el estatus de refugiado a un brasileño que escapó de su país a mediados de 2024 después de ser condenado por el ataque a las sedes de los tres poderes en Brasilia el 8 de enero de 2023.
La decisión fue adoptada por la Comisión Nacional para los Refugiados (Conare), citada por la agencia de noticias EFE.
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El diario Folha de Sao Paulo y el portal G1 destacaron que se trata de la primera vez que Argentina da refugio a un brasileño condenado por la intentona golpista de seguidores de Jair Bolsonaro contra el presidente Luiz Lula da Silva.
Quién es el brasileño beneficiado con estatus de refugiado
La Conare concedió el estatus de refugiado a Joel Borges Correa, condenado en su país a una pena de 13 años y medio de cárcel por su participación en los hechos de enero de 2023. Se encuentra detenido en Argentina desde noviembre de 2024 tras un pedido de extradición en su contra por parte de la justicia de Brasil.
“Se han evaluado los hechos y circunstancias alegados y la prueba aportada, los que fueron confrontados con la situación objetiva del país de origen, todo lo cual permite encuadrar la solicitud formulada en las previsiones de los mencionados instrumentos legales, considerándose por tanto al peticionante necesitado de protección internacional como refugiado”, señaló la Conare. Simpatizantes del expresidente Jair Bolsonaro, irrumpieron en el Congreso Nacional, en Brasilia, el 8 de enero de 2023. (AP Foto/Eraldo Peres)
La resolución fue notificada este martes a los abogados de Borges Correa.
La Conare, organismo que funciona bajo la órbita de la Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, perteneciente al Ministerio de Seguridad Nacional, destacó que el reconocimiento de la condición de refugiado “no implica un juicio de valor sobre la situación imperante en su país de origen y es un acto declarativo e imparcial”.
Hay 300 pedidos de refugio
Borges Correa fue detenido en noviembre de 2024 en un control vehicular tras haber ingresado de forma irregular a Argentina en abril de ese año y tras recibirse un pedido de extradición en su contra, que fue procesado en paralelo con su solicitud de asilo.
El brasileño, de 47 años, estuvo un año detenido en la cárcel de la localidad de Ezeiza. En diciembre pasado se le otorgó la prisión domiciliaria, mientras la Corte Suprema analiza su apelación a la resolución en primera instancia en favor de su extradición.
Según explicó Pedro Gradín, integrante de la defensa de Borges Correa en representación de Hourbeigt Abogados, tras la resolución de la Conare la Justicia argentina debe ahora proceder de inmediato a suspender la causa de extradición contra su cliente.
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“Consideramos que es una resolución ejemplar desde el punto de vista técnico”, añadió. Además, destacó que Borges Correa fue condenado injustamente en un caso de persecución política y en el que se violaron sus garantías.
“Ojalá esto siente un precedente para los otros solicitantes de asilo”, subrayó, aunque aclaró que la Conare debe analizar individualmente cada una de las más de 300 solicitudes presentadas por simpatizantes del expresidente Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) que se fugaron a Argentina tras ser apuntados por la Justicia de su país por su participación en el asalto del 8 de enero de 2023 a las sedes de la Presidencia, el Congreso y el Supremo.
En octubre de 2024 el Tribunal Supremo de Brasil pidió la extradición de 63 implicados en el ataque de 2023 que se fugaron a Argentina para evitar ser procesados o, en los casos de los que ya han sido condenados, cumplir condenas de cárcel por cargos como intento de golpe de Estado.
La Corte Suprema de Brasil condenó a más de 800 personas por el asalto en Brasilia para incentivar una intervención militar contra el Gobierno de Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, que había asumido el poder una semana antes.
Según la investigación, aquel ataque fue el colofón de una serie de acciones golpistas que buscaron mantener en el poder a Bolsonaro, tras perder las elecciones presidenciales de 2022 frente a Lula.
El pasado 11 de septiembre, el Supremo condenó a Bolsonaro a 27 años y 3 meses de prisión por “liderar” ese complot golpista.
(Con información de EFE)
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