Estonia says Russia detained a tanker in Baltic Sea

Estonia says Russia detained a tanker in Baltic Sea

By Andrius Sytas TALLINN (Reuters) -Russia detained a Greek-owned oil tanker on Sunday after it left an Estonian Baltic Sea port, the Estonian Foreign Ministry said, adding that it had alerted NATO allies to the incident. The Liberia-flagged ship Green Admire was leaving Sillamae port using a designated navigation channel that crosses Russian territorial waters, the ministry said in a statement. "Today's incident shows that Russia continues to behave unpredictably," said Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. "I have also informed our Allies of the event." The Green Admire had departed Sillamae port on Saturday 18:40 GMT, and on Sunday afternoon was anchored near Russia's Hogland island, according to Marine Traffic, a website that tracks vessels. The ship was bound for Rotterdam with a load of Estonia's shale oil, said the Estonian Transport Administration. The navigation channel out of Sillamae through Russian territorial waters has been set up under an agreement between Estonia, Finland and Russia to avoid shallows in the Estonian waters, the administration said. Vessels sailing into and out of the port will now be guided through Estonian territorial waters, it added. The Baltic has seen confrontations at sea over what NATO countries have described as Russian efforts to evade sanctions and sabotage undersea cables and pipelines. On Thursday, Estonia said Russia had sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea after an attempt to stop a Russia-bound tanker thought to be part of a so-called 'shadow fleet' used by Moscow to evade sanctions. (Reporting by Andrius Sytas; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Peter Graff)

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 18, 2025

Estonia says Russia detained a tanker in Baltic Sea

Estonia says Russia detained a tanker in Baltic Sea By Andrius Sytas TALLINN (Reuters) -Russia detained a Greek-owned oil tanker on Sunday a...

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US Treasury's Bessent to attend G7 finance meeting, focus on imbalances

US Treasury's Bessent to attend G7 finance meeting, focus on imbalances

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will attend the Group of Seven finance leaders' meeting in Canada next week and will seek to refocus the group on addressing trade imbalances and non-market economic practices, a Treasury spokesperson said on Sunday. Bessent will join fellow G7 finance ministers and central bank governors in the Rocky Mountain resort town of Banff, Alberta. The Treasury spokesperson said Bessent also will discuss with these officials ways to generate more growth led by the private sector. The G7 includes Canada, the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, Britain and Italy. (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Rod Nickel)

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 18, 2025

US Treasury's Bessent to attend G7 finance meeting, focus on imbalances

US Treasury's Bessent to attend G7 finance meeting, focus on imbalances WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wil...

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Scott Bessent says Walmart will absorb some tariff costs – but shoppers may still pay more

Scott Bessent says Walmart will absorb some tariff costs – but shoppers may still pay more

WASHINGTON – Treasury SecretaryScott Bessentsaid retail giant Walmart "will be absorbing" the impact ofPresident Donald Trump'ssignature tariffs, but some costs "may get passed on to consumers." Bessent told CNN's "State of the Union" May 18 that he spoke with Walmart CEO Doug McMillon the day before, whenTrumptold the company on Truth Social that they should "'EAT THE TARIFFS," and not charge valued customers ANYTHING." The back and forth came after McMillontold investorsthe company will "do our best" to keep prices down, "but even at the reduced levels, the higher tariffs will result in higher prices." "Understand, that came from an earnings call," Bessent said of McMillon's comment. "On an earnings call – because of SEC requirements – they have to give the most draconian case." "So Walmart will be absorbing some of the tariffs. Some may get passed on to consumers," he added. Trump has long insisted that other countries pay the cost of tariffs, despite many economists sayingAmerican businessesimporting foreign goods pay for tariffs and usually pass that cost on to customers to retain their profit margins. Bessent in the interview added that McMillon told him that the most important thing for Walmart's customers are gasoline prices.Those have droppedsince Trump took office, which economists note is due to arange of global factors. "Service prices are down," Bessent added. "So overall, I'd expect inflation to remain in line." Trump's tariffs have upended global trade since early April, when he announced10% tariffson imports from all countries and higher nation-specific tariffs on 60 countries. He has since paused those additional tariffs and pursued negotiations with countries to reach a deal on rates. Tariffs against China, the United States' chief economic rival on the world stage, at one point reached a staggering 145% as rates ratcheted up in a trade war. But thetwo countries agreedon May 12 to slash tariffs for 90 days while they work out a long-term agreement. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent: Consumers may bear some cost of tariffs

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 18, 2025

Scott Bessent says Walmart will absorb some tariff costs – but shoppers may still pay more

Scott Bessent says Walmart will absorb some tariff costs – but shoppers may still pay more WASHINGTON – Treasury SecretaryScott Bessentsaid ...

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Huge crowd piles pressure on Dutch government to seek an end to Israel's campaign in Gaza

Huge crowd piles pressure on Dutch government to seek an end to Israel's campaign in Gaza

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Tens of thousands of red-clad protesters marched through the Dutch capital on Sunday to demand their government do more to halt Israel's campaign in Gaza, in what organizers called the country's biggest demonstration in two decades. Human rights groups and aid agencies — including Amnesty International, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders — estimated the peaceful crowd at more than 100,000 people, and the streets of The Hague were packed with the old, young and even some babies on their first protest. "We hope this is a wake-up call for the government," said teacher Roos Lingbeek, attending the march with her husband and their 12-week-old daughter, Dido, who slept in a carrier as her parents brandished a sign simply reading: "STOP." The march took the young family past the Peace Palace, headquarters of the United Nations' International Court of Justice,where last year judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. As the protest wound its way past the court, canals and the seat of the Netherlands' right-wing government, Israeli forces continued to pound northern Gaza,where they have launched new ground operations. Airstrikes in the offensive killed at least 103 people, including dozens of children, overnight and into Sunday, hospitals and medics said, and forced northern Gaza's main hospital to close. An Israeli blockade on food, medicine and other supplies is now in its third month, with global food security experts warning of famine across the territory of more than 2 million people. David Prins, whose yarmulke was printed with the image of a watermelon — which shares the colors of the Palestinian flag — told The Associated Press he was attending the protest "to speak out against the atrocities." The 64-year-old was standing across the street from the synagogue he attended growing up, which overlooks the field where the demonstration began. Protesters walked a 3-mile (5-kilometer) loop around the city center of The Hague, to symbolically create the red line they say the government has failed to set. "We are calling on the government to stop political, economic and military support to Israel," while the country continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, Marjon Rozema, of Amnesty International, told the AP. Some unable to make the trek through the city sat along the route to cheer on the marchers. "It's beyond time for the government to act," Aletha Steijns told AP, while holding crutches for a knee injury. She was joined by several friends in camping chairs on the sidewalk. Dutch policy toward Israel is just one of many issues causing splits in the Netherlands' fragile coalition government. Hard-right leader Geert Wilders is staunchly pro-Israel and his anti-immigrant Party for Freedom holds the largest number of seats in the country's parliament. Last week, however, foreign affairs minister Caspar Veldkamp of the minority center-right VVD party urged the European Union to review a trade agreement with Israel, arguing that its blockade of humanitarian aid violated international law. Wilders hit back, denouncing the call as an "affront to cabinet policy."

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 18, 2025

Huge crowd piles pressure on Dutch government to seek an end to Israel's campaign in Gaza

Huge crowd piles pressure on Dutch government to seek an end to Israel's campaign in Gaza THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Tens of thousand...

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US envoy Witkoff predicts 'successful' call between Trump and Putin on Monday

US envoy Witkoff predicts 'successful' call between Trump and Putin on Monday

President Donald Trump's top negotiator working on ending Russia's war in Ukraine predicted Trump would have a "successful" phone call with President Vladimir Putin on Monday, saying he believed the conversation "will go a long way towards identifying where we are and how we complete this negotiation." "I believe that the president is going to have a successful call with -- with Vladimir Putin," U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday on "This Week." "They know each other. The president is determined to get something done here ... if he can't do it, then nobody can." Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met inTurkeyon Thursday for the first direct talks related to ending the war Russia started in February 2022 when it launched a full-scale invasion of its sovereign neighbor. A Ukrainian source told ABC News after those talks that the Russians were making unrealistic demands. A week prior, Vice President JD Vance had said of the Russians, "We think they're asking for too much." Asked if he shared Vance's assessment, Witkoff told "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl that his "assessment is that this is a very complicated conflict that shouldn't have happened." "I think in a negotiation like this, people take positions," Witkoff said. "The art here is to narrow ... that, you know, wide berth between the parties. And I think to some extent we've done that. To some extent each party is -- is, you know, staking out their positions. And I think Monday will go a long way towards identifying where we are and how we complete this negotiation." Trump announced Saturday he will speak with Putin over the phone on Monday at 10 a.m. ET. The president said he planned to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and "various" NATO allies after his call with Putin. Here are more highlights from Witkoff's interview: Karl: Can you give us -- give us the sense of what is the outline of the deal that President Trump wants to get with Iran? Witkoff: Well, the president has been very clear, he wants to solve this -- this conflict diplomatically and with dialogue. And he's given -- he's given all the signals. He has directly sent letters to the supreme leader. I have been dispatched to deliver that message as well, and I've delivered it. ... We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1 percent of an enrichment capability. We've delivered a proposal to the Iranians that we think addresses some of this without disrespecting them. ... But everything begins for our -- from our standpoint, Jon, with a -- a deal that does not include enrichment. We cannot have that. Because enrichment enables weaponization. And we will not allow a bomb to -- to get here. But, short of that, there are all kinds of ways for us to achieve our goals in this negotiation. We think that we will be meeting sometime this week in Europe. And we hope that it will lead to some real positivity. Karl: Are you pushing the Israelis to allow that aid to come in and -- and to hold back on some of the -- the offensive operations that continue to be ongoing in Gaza? Witkoff: The president, Jon, is a humanitarian. And I think that any -- everyone is concerned about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. That said, it is a very complicated situation there. Logistically, we are -- I don't think there's any daylight between President Trump's position and Prime Minister Netanyahu's position. The issue now is -- I think the issue now is, how do we logistically get all of those trucks into Gaza? How do we set up the aid stations? There are many things -- initiatives that we are working on to address this. There -- there are going to be mobile kitchens that are going to be sent in there. The flour -- we have trucks with flour waiting at the border. The Israelis have indicated that they're going to begin to allow a lot more of these trucks to get in. But it is complicated. It is logistically complicated. Witkof: It's a perfectly legal, government to government, Department of Defense, to Department of Defense transaction that happens in the normal course and has been happening in the normal course throughout -- throughout our existence. Governments exchange services. ... They (the Qataris) decided to donate something because of all the wonderful things that we've done for them in the past, and in addition to that, they then, on top of that, announced $1.2 trillion worth of investments into the United States of America, which will create jobs and do all kinds of wonderful things. So, I don't really -- I'm not sure how anyone would see this as the Qataris looking to gain some sort of advantage. ... I just want to say, this is to the benefit of the United States of America that -- that donation. So, it -- it just has to be seen as that way. US envoy Witkoff predicts 'successful' call between Trump and Putin on Mondayoriginally appeared onabcnews.go.com

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 18, 2025

US envoy Witkoff predicts 'successful' call between Trump and Putin on Monday

US envoy Witkoff predicts 'successful' call between Trump and Putin on Monday President Donald Trump's top negotiator working on...

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