The US military said on April 15 it successfully turned back 10 vessels that tried to sail out of Iranian ports during the first 48 hours of a naval blockade against the Islamic republic.
“Ten vessels have now been turned around and ZERO ships have broken through since the start of the US blockade on Monday,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.
CENTCOM had earlier put the number of ships turned back at nine, but added a 10th that it said was “redirected” back to Iran by a US guided missile destroyer.
While CENTCOM said no vessels have made it through the blockade, maritime tracking data appeared to contradict that assertion.
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Firefighters continued to battle a fire on April 16 at Viva Energy Group’s Geelong refinery in southern Australia, which was out of control, according to local fire authorities.
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
The blaze was reported at around 11pm local time on April 15 and is at the MOGAS Unit, Fire Rescue Victoria said in a statement, adding that all staff were accounted for.
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PHOTO: REUTERS
The US envoy to the United Nations, Mr Mike Waltz, appeared to torpedo the candidacy of former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to be the next leader of the world body on April 15 by saying he shared a US senator’s concerns about her fitness for the job.
At a US Senate committee hearing, Republican Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska charged that Ms Bachelet had pulled punches as UN human rights chief in a 2022 report in failing to label China’s actions against Uighur Muslims as genocide, and has also promoted abortion as a fundamental human right.
Mr Waltz said he was not currently in a position to say whom the United States would support to replace UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and whom it would oppose.
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NATO chief Mark Rutte and Kyiv’s top allies vowed on April 15 they would not lose sight of Ukraine’s conflict with Russia and called on others to urgently boost their support for the country.
With the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, fears have grown that international support for Kyiv is waning, more than four years since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
American-led talks to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II have stalled since the start of the Middle East war, at a time US support for Ukraine was already weakening under US President Donald Trump.
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PHOTO: ACTION IMAGES VIA REUTERS
Arsenal edged past Sporting to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the second successive season with a 0-0 home draw earning them a 1-0 aggregate victory on April 15.
It was far from convincing though for Mikel Arteta’s side as they held on to the lead given to them by Kai Havertz’s stoppage-time goal in Lisbon last week.
The well-organised visitors posed a threat at times, especially in the first half, and almost went ahead on the night just before halftime when Geny Catamo’s volley clipped the post.
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