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MOSCOW, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Russia could deploy its navy to prevent European powers from seizing its vessels and may retaliate against European shipping if Russian ‌ships are taken, Nikolai Patrushev, one of Russia's leading hardliners, was quoted as ‌saying on Tuesday. Western states have sought to cripple Russia's economy with sanctions and in recent months have tried to block ​oil tankers suspected of involvement in Russian oil shipments. In January, the United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker as part of efforts to curb Venezuelan oil exports. Patrushev, a Kremlin aide who is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said Russia needed to give a tough response - particularly ‌towards Britain, France and Baltic ⁠states. "If we don't give them a tough rebuff, then soon the British, French and even the Balts (Baltic nations) will become arrogant to such an extent ⁠that they will try to block our country's access to the seas at least in the Atla...

China offered new humanitarian energy assistance to Ukraine — even as a senior U.S. official said Beijing has the power to stop Russia’s invasion and has chosen not to. " China could  call Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and cut off his dual-purpose technologies that they’re selling," U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said during a Friday panel on U.S. foreign policy at the Munich Security Conference, moderated by Bloomberg. "China could stop buying Russian oil and gas," he added. "You know, this war is being completely enabled by China." Whitaker’s remarks came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on the sidelines of the conference and pledged what both sides described as humanitarian energy assistance to help Ukraine cope with ongoing Russian strikes on its power infrastructure. Sybiha said on social media that he was grateful for China’s decision to provide an additional energy...

NEW DELHI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - India has seized three U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers linked to Iran this month and stepped up surveillance in its maritime zone to curb ‌illicit trade, a source said on Monday, confirming a post on X by Indian ‌authorities earlier in February that had been deleted. India aims to prevent its waters from being used for ship-to-ship transfers that obscure ​the origin of oil cargoes, the source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The seizures and heightened surveillance follow an improvement in U.S.-India relations. Washington earlier this month announced it will cut import tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, after New Delhi agreed to stop Russian oil imports. The three ‌sanctioned vessels - Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star ⁠and Al Jafzia - frequently changed their identities to evade law enforcement by coastal states, the source said, adding that their owners were based overseas. VESSELS SEIZED OFFSHORE ⁠MUMBAI Iranian state media cited...

World leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, have been gathering in Munich for Europe's biggest security and defence conference. The burning question on everyone's minds: is the US still an ally of Europe? The keynote speech that everyone was waiting for was from Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state. Would he repeat the attacks made on Europe last year by the US Vice-President JD Vance? Or would he be conciliatory? The hall was packed to the rafters. Generals and admirals, bemedalled in their uniforms, prime ministers and presidents, diplomats, ambassadors, US Congressmen and women, European politicians and their Spads - all waiting nervously to hear what President Donald Trump's top diplomat had to say. The applause did not come straight away. In fact, for the first few minutes, as Rubio got into his stride, it began to sound very much like a repeat attack on Europe. Free t...

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Iran is pursuing a nuclear agreement with the U.S. that delivers economic benefits for both sides, an Iranian diplomat was reported as saying on Sunday, days before a second round of talks between Tehran and Washington. Iran and the U.S. renewed negotiations earlier this month to tackle their decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme and avert a new military confrontation. The U.S. has dispatched a second aircraft carrier to the region and is preparing for the possibility of a sustained military campaign  if the talks do not succeed, U.S. officials have told Reuters. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking at a news conference in Bratislava, said President Donald Trump had made it clear that he would prefer diplomacy and a negotiated settlement, while making clear that may not happen. "No one's ever been able to do a successful deal with Iran but we're going to try," Rubio said. Iran has threatened to str...

Europe must be ready to fight to protect its people, values, and way of life, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told world leaders on Saturday. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Starmer also called for deeper links and cooperation, including economic ties, between the UK and EU. The PM stressed the continent must "stand on its own two feet" when it comes to defence commitments. During his speech, Starmer also said the UK would deploy its carrier strike group to the Arctic and High North as part of efforts to bolster security against Russian threats. The High North - a term used to describe the northernmost part of the globe  - includes the Arctic circle and areas adjacent to it. Starmer said the US, Canada and other Nato allies would also join the initiative to combat Russian threats in the region. Russian rearmament following a future peace deal for Ukraine would "only accelerate" and Europe must be prepared to "deter aggression" and b...

The Super Eagles’ hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup appear good, as the world football governing body FIFA reportedly prepares to deliver a high-stakes ruling on Monday, February 16, on Nigeria’s eligibility protest against DR Congo. The FIFA meeting is expected to address several issues, including the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) complaint. NFF Challenges DR Congo Over Player Eligibility Nigeria’s qualification campaign suffered a major setback in November 2025 after a 4–3 penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo in the final African playoff. However, the NFF subsequently filed a formal petition, alleging that six Congolese players had recently switched international allegiance and were ineligible at the time of the match. The federation submitted its petition to FIFA on December 15, 2025, challenging the eligibility status of the players. FIFA has since been reviewing the matter. NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, has expressed confidence in Niger...

NAIROBI, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The Ethiopian Media Authority has declined to renew the accreditation for three Addis Ababa-based journalists from Reuters, the news agency said. The EMA also revoked the news agency's accreditation to cover the 39th African Union summit, which was taking place in the Ethiopian capital on February 14-15. The move comes days after the news agency published an investigative report  that said Ethiopia was hosting a secret camp to train thousands of fighters for the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in neighbouring Sudan. Ethiopia has not publicly commented on the story. The move comes days after the news agency published an investigative report   that said Ethiopia was hosting a secret camp to train thousands of fighters for the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in neighbouring Sudan. Ethiopia has not publicly commented on the story. While the EMA has informally indicated that the February 10 Reuters story prompted its deci...

The Pentagon is sending a second aircraft carrier group – the USS Gerald Ford  – to the Middle East, according to a senior administration official and three sources familiar with the matter, a move that puts pressure on Iran even as President Donald Trump has said talks with Tehran will continue. Trump told reporters Friday he’s dispatching the second carrier group in case he is unable to reach a diplomatic agreement. “In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it,” he said, later adding the ships would depart if diplomacy is successful. The Ford carrier strike group – the US’ most advanced – has been positioned in the Caribbean Sea for several months amid Trump’s campaign in Venezuela, which has included strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and culminated in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. It will now join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East region, expanding Trump’s options for a potential strike on Iran. The move was fi...

ABUJA, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Nigeria's state oil firm NNPC booked after-tax profits of 5.760 trillion naira ($4.26 billion) last year, it said, as Africa's biggest oil producer recorded average crude and condensate output of 1.62 million barrels per day. Total revenue was 60.517 trillion naira, with statutory payments to government agencies and partners amounting to 14.706 trillion naira for the year. NNPC did not provide comparison figures from the previous year in the results, which were released on Wednesday. It said crude production dipped slightly in December - the last month of the period - from earlier months due to scheduled maintenance and several unplanned outages. December oil and condensate production averaged 1.54 million bpd with revenue for the month reaching 4.824 trillion naira. Natural gas supply in December averaged more than 6.914 billion standard cubic feet per day. Downstream metrics improved in December, the company said, with Nigerian Refining L...

Two Mexican ships bearing humanitarian aid have docked in the harbour of Cuba’s capital Havana, as the United States continues its efforts to cut the island off from outside fuel supplies. On Thursday, pedestrians on Havana’s seawall watched as the ships, one of which was the Papaloapan, unloaded white pallets on shore. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the delivery in her morning news conference, promising that more help was on the way. “We are sending different forms of help, different forms of support,” Sheinbaum said. “Today, the ships arrive. When they return, we are going to send more support of a different type.” She also described her country’s role as “opening the doors for dialogue to develop” between Cuba and the US, but she insisted that maintaining Cuba’s sovereignty would be paramount among her priorities. A pressure campaign Since January, the administration of US President Donald Trump has sought to cut off the oil supplies that power...

Cuba has reached a breaking point that even its crisis-hardened leadership cannot ignore. It is running out of fuel amid US pressure, having last received oil on January 9 from Mexico. This has prompted airlines such as Air Canada to cancel all flights to Cuba, hitting the tourism lifeline that accounts for most of the island’s foreign currency. Massive power outages  are now routine, and the UN has warned of a possible " humanitarian collapse " if Cuba’s oil needs go unmet. For the first time in decades, Cuba’s 67-year-old regime faces a crisis where its traditional survival tools – external bailouts, mass emigration and austerity – may no longer be enough. Hostility between the US and Cuba  dates back to 1960, when the newly socialist Cuban state nationalised American assets. Havana’s subsequent cold war alignment with Moscow then prompted an embargo in 1962  that prohibited almost all trade between the US and Cuba. Since then, Washington...

MILAN, Italy (AFP)  — Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian sought to reassure international travelers Wednesday that the United States remains a welcoming destination ahead of the upcoming 2026 World Cup. “Hopefully, the World Cup will bring a lot of Europeans, a lot of international visitors into the United States (US) market,” Bastian told AFP. The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will be hosting the biennial football competition from June 11 through July 20. But the US crackdown on immigration by Donald Trump’s presidential administration has raised worries that some international travelers may avoid it this year. “Yes, the US has a focus on immigration. This is not immigration. This is tourism,” Bastian said in an interview in parallel with the Winter Olympic Games. “And as long as people are coming with the proper credentials, they’re not having any issues,” Bastian said. Delta, which is sponsoring Team USA in Milan, has projected revenue growth of between fi...

Feb 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East amid tensions with Iran, U.S. media outlets reported late on Thursday. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships will be sent to the Middle East from the Caribbean, the New York Times, which first reported the news, said, citing U.S. officials. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump had said he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East if a deal is not reached with Iran. The first aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East in January. Trump said on Thursday the United States has to make a deal with Iran and suggested an agreement could be struck over the next month. "We have to make a deal, otherwise it's going to be very traumatic, very traumatic," Trump told reporters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday  said he hoped that Trump was creating the ...

TikTok keeps track of everything you do on its app – no surprises there. What's less obvious is how the company follows you around other parts of the internet that have nothing to do with TikTok.  In fact, TikTok collects sensitive and potentially embarrassing information about you even if you've never used the app. Over the past week, I've watched websites sending TikTok data about cancer diagnoses, fertility and even mental health crises. It's part of a tracking empire that extends far beyond the social media platform. Now, thanks to a new set of features, TikTok is poised to expand its network and see even more details about your life. The change comes just weeks after the sale of TikTok's US operations  to a group of companies with ties to US President Donald Trump. The deal has led to fresh privacy concerns   from some human rights experts   and users , though TikTok says it has transparent guidelines  on how it res...