240 vessels of Russia’s “shadow fleet” identified – Defense Ministry
Russia has created a “shadow fleet” of outdated tankers to circumvent Western sanctions and earn billions of dollars from oil exports. Ukrainian intelligence has identified 238 vessels that Russia uses to circumvent restrictions, the press service of the Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate reports.
The shadow fleet consists of more than a thousand mostly outdated, poorly maintained vessels without proper insurance, with confusing ownership and management structures located in “friendly” jurisdictions, under “convenient” flags, and with a total deadweight of more than 100 million tons (approximately 17% of the world’s oil tanker fleet). Such vessels resort to deceptive tactics at sea to conceal the origin of cargo, threaten “environmental chaos” and billions of dollars in losses to coastal countries due to the growing risk of disasters when passing busy narrow international transport routes, refusing pilotage services, – the intelligence service said.
The GUR emphasizes that fossil fuel exports are a key source of funding for the military buildup in Russia and Iran.
20 January: Trump invites Xi Jinping to his inauguration – CBS News
US President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration on January 20, CBS News reports.According to the sources, Trump invited Xi to attend his inauguration in early November, shortly after he won the election. However, it is currently unknown whether the Chinese leader accepted his invitation.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not comment on the news.
664 crimes against journalists in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, 91 media workers have been killed, 12 of them in the course of their professional journalistic activities. These data as of October 24, 2024, were provided by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI).
In total, in the two years and eight months since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has committed 664 crimes against journalists and media in Ukraine.
In particular, in September-October 2024, IMI recorded 27 crimes against media and journalists committed by Russia. These include murders, threats, shelling of journalists and media outlets, cyberattacks, and legal pressure.
100 most powerful women: Ursula von der Leyen tops Forbes list again
For the second year in a row, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has topped the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the World list.
Ursula von der Leyen, who became the first woman to serve as President of the European Commission and is responsible for legislation affecting more than 450 million Europeans, is on the first place. This year, she was re-elected to this position for the second time. She is one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine.
$400 billion milestone: Elon Musk becomes world’s richest person – Bloomberg
American billionaire Elon Musk has become the first person to exceed $400 billion in wealth, Bloomberg reports.
It is noted that Musk’s capital increased by $50 billion due to the latest sale of shares in SpaceX. From now on, his fortune is estimated at $439.2 billion.
