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New EU sanctions put the squeeze on Russian oil smugglers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:18 GMT

Hundreds of tankers could be barred from European ports as part of a new effort to crack down on illicit sales of Russian crude oil that Western nations fear are helping fund the war in Ukraine.After weeks of tense negotiations, EU countries on Wednesday finally signed off on the 11th package of sanctions to be imposed on Moscow in just over a year. But instead of introducing new restrictions, draft documents seen by POLITICO show Brussels’ focus is now on tightening loopholes in existing rules, creating powers for secondary sanctions and naming and shaming companies that fall foul of the rules.“Attempts to circumvent Union restrictive measures have resulted in a sharp increase of deceptive practices by vessels transporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products,” the text of the Council decision reads. Officials are concerned about the so-called shadow fleet of hundreds of ageing tankers carrying Russian oil, potentially bought at prices above the $60 per barrel...

Hook, line and sinker: How Brexit betrayed the UK fishing industry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:18 GMT

HOOK, LINE AND SINKER How Brexit betrayed the UK fishing industryLeaving the EU has cost British fishermen fish, money and jobs.By SEBASTIAN WHALEin Hull, EnglandIllustration by Pete Reynolds for POLITICOThe Kirkella’s yellow and white facade bathed in bright January sunshine as workers loaded pallets of food and other essential supplies onboard the imposing 81-meter fishing vessel.That evening, she departed the port city of Hull in northeast England for the freezing waters and punishing conditions of the Arctic Ocean, a perilous voyage usually reserved for summer, when the days are not so bleakly dark and the ice so treacherously thick around the archipelago of Svalbard. But with less access to the cod and haddock that frequent Norweigan waters post-Brexit, the deep-sea trawler and her 30-strong crew had to travel further afield to hunt for Britons’ seafood staples.At least they were sailing.“The Kirkella has had to reduce her trips by half, which means we don’t have the secon...

OceanGate Expeditions believes all 5 people on board the missing submersible are dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:18 GMT

(CNN) — [Breaking news update, published at 2:49 p.m. ET]OceanGate Expeditions said Thursday that it believes the passengers of the Titanic-bound submersible have “sadly been lost,” according to a statement from the company.[Original story, last published at 2:44 p.m. ET]Debris discovered near the Titanic on Thursday has been assessed to be from the external body of the submersible that went missing with five people on board days earlier, according to a memo reviewed by CNN.The search for the crew capsule of the vessel continues, the memo says. The debris was located on the ocean floor, roughly 500 meters off of the bow of the Titanic, at about 8:55 a.m. ET.The US Coast Guard said Thursday a “debris field” was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle near the Titanic and within the search area for the missing submersible.“Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information,” the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard said it plans to host a press briefing at...

Pilot, crew of Titan submersible believed to be dead, expedition company says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:18 GMT

By PATRICK WHITTLE and HOLLY RAMER (Associated Press)The company leading the Titan submersible trip says the five missing crew members are believed to be dead.OceanGate Expeditions on Thursday says its pilot and chief executive Stockton Rush, along with passengers Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet “have sadly been lost.”OceanGate did not provide details Thursday when the company announced the “loss of life” in a statement or how officials knew the crew members perished.The vessel’s 96-hour oxygen supply likely ended early Thursday.The company has been chronicling the Titanic’s decay and the underwater ecosystem around it via yearly voyages since 2021.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.The search for a missing submersible with five people aboard took a bleak turn Thursday when the U.S. Coast Guard said a debris field was found at the bottom of the ocean near the ...

Biden defends calling Chinese leader Xi a ‘dictator’ and says he still expects to meet with him

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:18 GMT

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and SYLVIE CORBET (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday defended his harsh public comments on China, including calling President Xi Jinping a dictator, saying his words would have no negative impact on U.S.-China relations and that he still expects to meet with Xi in the future. Biden said his blunt statements regarding China are “just not something I’m going to change very much.”At a campaign fundraiser on Tuesday, Biden also depicted the Chinese president as out-of-touch during last winter’s tumult over a Chinese spy balloon and dismissed China as having “real economic difficulties.”The remarks opened a new rift just after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing that was meant as a step toward stabilizing ties and improving communications with China. But Biden was undeterred.“I expect to be meeting with President Xi sometime in the future, near-term. And I don&#...

Mayo Clinic Minute: Why Black women should consider screening for breast cancer earlier

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:18 GMT

DeeDee Stiepan | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkAge recommendations for when women should start yearly mammograms to screen for breast cancer vary. However, Mayo Clinic health care professionals have been firm for more than a decade that women should start breast cancer screening at age 40. Starting mammograms early is especially important for non-Hispanic Black women, who have higher rates of breast cancer compared to non-Hispanic white women.In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, with Mayo Clinic’s Breast Diagnostic Clinic and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, explains why Black women are at higher risk and should start screening for breast cancer earlier.“For years now we’ve known Black women tend to die of breast cancer 40% more often than white women. They also tend to have more aggressive cancers, known as triple-negative breast cancers,” says Dr. Pruthi.She says starting screening early may help reduce these disparities.“For Black ...

Live updates | 8-hour time delay to report missing Titan raises questions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:18 GMT

By The Associated PressFollow along for live updates on the submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic.___8-HOUR TIME DELAY TO REPORT MISSING TITAN RAISES QUESTIONSQuestions remain about the eight hours between when the Titan lost communication with the surface and when its Canadian support vessel reported it missing to the U.S. Coast Guard.The time delay has yet to be explained by the company that owns the submersible, OceanGate Expeditions.Sean Leet, head of the company that co-owns the Titan’s support ship, has refused to discuss the timeline, saying only that “all protocols were followed for the mission.”But experts familiar with deep-sea exploration say those lost hours raise red flags.The submersible used a rudimentary system that basically communicated with the surface ship through text message, and likely lacked an emergency radio beacon that could have floated to the surface and started beeping if there was an emergency.The vessel ha...

House Republicans push off Biden impeachment move for now as hard-right clamors for action

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:18 GMT

By LISA MASCARO (AP Congressional Correspondent)WASHINGTON (AP) — Eager to impeach President Joe Biden, hard-right House Republicans forced a vote Thursday that sent the matter to congressional committees in a clear demonstration of the challenge that Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces in controlling the majority party.The ability of single lawmaker, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., to push forward the impeachment resolution caught Republicans off guard by the unscripted move this week. Many viewed it as a political distraction from other priorities. The measure charges Biden with “high crimes and misdemeanors” over his handling of the U.S. border with Mexico.Boebert, backed by her allies, showed how a lone lawmaker in the 435-member House could use the chamber’s rules to force a snap vote on such a grave constitutional matter. The 219-208 party-line vote sent impeachment to committees for possible consideration, like any other bill.“The House is taking historic...

Anxiety is being overlooked by doctors, expert panel says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:18 GMT

Matthew Griffin | (TNS) Bloomberg NewsDoctors should ask adult patients about signs of anxiety, an often-undiagnosed condition that can disrupt lives, U.S. government experts said.Anxiety afflicts about a quarter of U.S. men and 40% of women at some point in their lives, a panel of experts noted in recommendations that were published Tuesday. The ailment spiked worldwide, along with depression, during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a World Health Organization analysis. Yet primary-care providers often fail to recognize anxiety, and it can go untreated for decades, the experts say.“Undoubtedly, screening for the mental health topics that we’re releasing now is of extraordinary public health importance,” said Michael Silverstein, a health professor at Brown University and the vice chair of the panel that made the recommendation. “So I think the COVID-19 pandemic just laid bare how important this was.”The recommendation for primary-care providers from the U.S. Preventive Services ...

Titanic sub updates: A ‘debris field’ was found in the search for the missing OceanGate Expeditions submersible

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:18 GMT

A “debris field” has been found in the search area for the missing OceanGate Expeditions sub that explores the Titanic wreck site with five people aboard, according to the Coast Guard out of Boston.The 21-foot submersible has been missing in a remote area of the North Atlantic Ocean, about 900 miles off of Cape Cod, since Sunday. The 96-hour oxygen supply on board was expected to expire on Thursday.Early Thursday morning, a Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic deployed a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) — reaching the sea floor to search for the missing sub.“A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic,” the First Coast Guard District tweeted a few hours later on Thursday.“Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information,” the Coast Guard added.Related ArticlesLatest Headlines | Live updates | 8-hour time delay to report missing Titan raises questions Latest Headlines | ...