International
Houthi rebels to allow burning Red Sea oil tanker to be salvaged
Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they would allow a burning tanker to be salvaged from the Red Sea, bowing to international pressure to avert a huge oil spill following an attack on the ship by the militant group. The Houthis made their decision after being contacted by “several international parties”, particularly in Europe, the group’s spokesperson Mohammed Abdel Salam said in a statement. The announcement marked an apparent change of tack by the Yemeni group, which was accused by the US of threatening to attack two tugboats that had tried to salvage the Sounion. It comes as a relief to officials globally, who had grown increasingly concerned about the risk of a spill since the Houthis disabled the ship in a missile assault last week, before starting a fire by setting off explosives on decks. The EU task force to combat the threat has warned that any deterioration of the situation on board the Greek-owned vessel, which is carrying 1mn barrels of crude, “could lead to a severe ecological disaster with potentially devastating effects on the region’s biodiversity”. The incident marked the latest attack in the Houthis’ campaign to target commercial ships transiting the maritime passage, a move they have said is in support of Gaza’s Palestinians during Israel’s war with Hamas. The Sounion fire threatens the first ecological disaster caused by attacks that since November have claimed the lives of four seafarers and severely disrupted trade globally. The EU task force said on Thursday that it was “assessing the situation and the feasibility of protective measures”, including towing the vessel. But it also warned that its operation lacked “the specialised equipment or assets for such a task”, adding that it would “do its utmost to facilitate this effort”. Dimitris Maniatis, chief executive of private maritime security group Marisks, said military vessels built for high speeds would struggle to tow such a large ship, adding that arranging this would be the responsibility of the owner and its insurer. The Sounion, whose cargo is equivalent to 150,000 tonnes, is owned by Delta Tankers. It is the third ship belonging to the Greek group that has been targeted in the Red Sea this month, according to security analysts, despite criticism of shipowners and their customers who choose to continue crossing the high-risk area. A leak from the ship would be likely to produce the most serious hydrocarbon spill since the Sanchi tanker disaster, which in 2018 led to 113,000 tonnes of natural-gas condensate spilling into the South China Sea after a collision. Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, the UN body where national delegations co-ordinate on shipping matters, said on Wednesday that he was “extremely concerned about the situation regarding the tanker Sounion”. “The risk of an oil spill, posing an extremely serious environmental hazard, remains high and there is widespread concern about the damage such a spill would cause within the region.”
China has launched its first next-generation amphibious assault ship, adding a powerful cutting-edge warship to the country’s fast-expanding navy as it races to rival the military power of the United States.
The Type 076 amphibious assault ship entered the water on Friday at a launch ceremony at a shipyard in Shanghai, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said in a statement.
Named Sichuan after a southwestern Chinese province, the independently developed ship is hailed as a “key asset” for advancing the Navy’s transformation and enhancing its long-range operational capabilities, according to the statement.
China, which already boasts the largest naval force in the world, is building carriers and large warships at a staggering pace as it seeks to project power far beyond its shores and catch up to the military supremacy of the US.
With a full-load displacement of over 40,000 tons, the Type 076 ranks among the world’s largest amphibious assault ships, featuring a twin-island superstructure and a full-length flight deck, according to the PLAN.
Most notably, it adopts an electromagnetic catapult system, which allows it to carry fixed-wing aircraft along with helicopters and amphibious equipment usually found on this type of warship, the PLAN added.
International
Azerbaijan Airlines says plane crashed after ‘external interference’ as questions mount over possible Russian involvement
Azerbaijan Airlines says the jet that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day experienced “physical and technical external interference,” according to an early investigation, as questions swirled about Russia’s possible involvement in the disaster.
At least 38 of the 67 people on board the plane were killed in the crash, Kazakh authorities confirmed, including two pilots and a flight attendant. People from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were among those on board, according to preliminary data from Kazakhstan’s transport ministry.
One passenger told Reuters in an interview on Friday that he didn’t think he would survive after he heard a loud bang and the plane started to “behave unnaturally.”
Ryan Salame and Caroline Ellison, FTX executives convicted for their roles in the notorious crypto fraud led by their former boss Sam Bankman-Fried, have both shaved time off their lengthy prison sentences.
Salame, a former top executive of FTX, the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency trading platform, pleaded guilty to criminal fraud charges in September 2023, and was sentenced in May to 7 1/2 years in federal prison. He began his sentence in October. But the Federal Bureau of Prisons currently lists his release date as March 1, 2031, more than a year earlier than his initial release date in April 2032. Business Insider first reported Salame’s new release date.
Ellison, Bankman-Fried’s former girlfriend and the former CEO of FTX’s hedge fund arm, Alameda Research, was sentenced to 2 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to seven federal counts of fraud and conspiracy and was a key witness against Bankman-Fried. Her current release date is listed as July 20, 2025, three months earlier than her initial release date.
Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison, does not have a release date listed on the prisons website.
The Bureau of Prisons didn’t immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. However, in several past statements about early release dates, the bureau has told CNN that it does not comment on the conditions of any individual inmate, but inmates can earn good conduct time that is calculated into their projected release date.
Qualified inmates are currently eligible for up to 54 days of GCT time for each year of the sentence imposed by the court. Inmates have other ways of earning time credits while incarcerated, including participation in various prison programs.
FTX was a high-profile crypto startup that allowed people to buy and sell digital assets. It had its name emblazoned on an arena in Miami and on every Major League Baseball umpire’s jersey. The exchange had several celebrity endorsers and was widely believed to be a gold-standard for safety and security.
But FTX collapsed in November 2022 when customers pulled their funds as rumors spread about FTX’s unusually close ties to its founder’s crypto hedge fund, Alameda
China launches new amphibious assault ship in a race to rival US military
Azerbaijan Airlines says plane crashed after ‘external interference’ as questions mount over possible Russian involvement
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