Mass grave uncovered near Syrian capital; most victims women and children
Syrian civil defence teams have discovered a new mass grave east of Douma, near the capital Damascus, recovering the remains of 20 people — most of ...
NATO navies are ramping up its defence in the Baltic and North Seas as Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of deceptive vessels grows rapidly, raising fears of espionage and sabotage against critical infrastructure.
The number of shadow ships—tankers and cargo vessels that conceal their identity or switch flags—has soared from around 200 in 2022 to about 1,000 today, according to maritime intelligence firms. Originally used to smuggle sanctioned oil, many are now suspected of cutting undersea cables, spying with drones, and intimidating NATO allies.
Estonia, on the front line of the threat, tracks dozens of shadow vessels daily in the Gulf of Finland but says it has little power to stop them.
“There’s not much we can do,” admitted Commodore Ivo Värk, the Estonian navy chief, after Russia scrambled fighter jets to shield one tanker from detention.
The “grey-zone” tactics recall practices pioneered by North Korea and later Iran and Venezuela—such as going dark, ship-to-ship transfers, and fake flag registries. But Russia’s scale is unprecedented - nearly one-fifth of the world’s tanker fleet is now classified as shadow tonnage.
Western prosecutors struggle to prove sabotage cases, as ships often use shell companies and fictitious registries. Some even fly flags of non-existent states according to experts.
In response, NATO has launched Baltic Sentry, a mission to protect undersea cables and pipelines. Estonia has also authorised its navy to attack civilian vessels if they damage its infrastructure.
Analysts say shadow fleets will persist beyond the Ukraine war, having exposed gaps in global maritime governance.
“This is a giant floating platform for criminals and hostile regimes,” said Richard Meade of Lloyd’s List.
“The genie isn’t going back into the bottle.”
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
Syrian civil defence teams have discovered a new mass grave east of Douma, near the capital Damascus, recovering the remains of 20 people — most of them women and children.
China’s imports of Russian crude oil increased in September, highlighting Beijing’s continued energy cooperation with Moscow despite persistent pressure from the United States to desist.
Several countries and international organisations have welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan, describing it as a vital step towards easing tensions and fostering regional stability.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance was holding talks in Israel on Tuesday as Washington tries to stabilise the first, shaky, phase of the Gaza ceasefire and push Israel and Hamas towards the harder concessions asked of each side in coming talks.
Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli said the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state should hold a parliamentary vote to join Türkiye, two days after Turkish Cypriots elected a candidate in favour of restarting talks with Greek Cypriots.
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