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Monthly Archives: December 2021
Vaccine skeptics in Eastern Europe are having a change of heart
With surging coronavirus infections and countries making it more difficult for the unvacccinated to travel, some vaccine skeptics are now coming around.
(Image credit: AP)
WATCH: Drug smugglers burning $30mn stash rescued mid-sea
A group of Iranians suspected of smuggling hashish, heroin and other drugs off the coast of Oman have been handed to authorities by the US Navy, who say they rescued the suspects from their burning vessel.
Huge plumes of smoke apparently smelling of hashish were seen rising off the waters in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday. The suspected smugglers are believed to have set their ship on fire, after they noticed a US Navy vessel approaching them, the US 5th Fleet announced.
(3/3) Video of the vessel catching fire prior to explosion pic.twitter.com/ZU1n8uuG1g
— U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) December 16, 2021
Aerial surveillance footage captured people on board a traditional ship, called a dhow, pouring a liquid, likely an accelerant, over their cargo. An explosion then rocked the vessel, emitting heavy smoke.
(2/3) Images from the rescue and seizure pic.twitter.com/wyR1QG2lEs
— U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) December 16, 2021
When the US Navy, which was conducting an anti-narcotics patrol in the area, reached the ship, it discovered a large stash of drugs. Over 1,745 kilograms (3,847 pounds) of hashish, 500kg of methamphetamine and 30kg of heroin were found on the burnt vessel.
The Navy valued what remained of the drug stash at $14.7 million. This was only half of the cargo that the dhow was originally carrying, with the rest having burnt or sunk, according to a spokesperson for the US fleet.
Five injured men who identified themselves as Iranians were rescued by sailors, while one man from the boat remains missing. Having been given medical treatment, the suspected smugglers were handed over to the Omani authorities.
Venezuela violated jurist’s rights, UN Human Rights Committee says
Venezuela violated a jurist’s right to be tried by an independent tribunal and his right to the presumption of innocence, the UN Human Rights Committee said on Wednesday.
Energy Inequality in Latin America Exacerbated by Pandemic, High Prices
MEXICO CITY, Dec 15 (IPS) – The effects of the covid-19 pandemic and high energy prices have had an impact on the consumption of polluting fuels in Latin America and the Caribbean, exacerbating energy poverty in the region.
MEXICO CITY, Dec 15
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