Sweden to step up insurance checks on foreign ships
"This underlines Sweden's clear presence in the Baltic Sea, which in itself has a deterrent effect,' Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a statement. "It also provides Sweden and our allies with important information about vessels that can be used as a basis for sanctions listings of more vessels in the shadow fleet.' Russia uses its shadow fleet to transport oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain.
The European Union has now targeted almost 350 of the ships in total in sanctions packages, most recently on May 20. Kristersson said that "we are seeing more and more problematic events in the Baltic Sea and this requires us not only to hope for the best, but also to plan for the worst.' The average age of the vessels is around 18 years, meaning they're near the end of their lifespan and are more vulnerable to accidents, especially if they're not well-maintained.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Tariffs are making US ‘great & rich' again, says Trump
US takes in $87 billion from tariffs in H1 2025 WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the sweeping tariffs he has imposed on nations around the world were making the country 'great & rich again' as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline. 'Tariffs are making America GREAT & RICH Again,' he wrote on his Truth Social platform. 'ONE YEAR AGO, AMERICA WAS A DEAD COUNTRY, NOW IT IS THE 'HOTTEST' COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,' he added. A day earlier, the US President imposed new tariffs to punish or favor several major trading partners—the latest round of sweeping measures that have roiled markets around the world. South Korea squeezed in at the last moment, securing agreement on a 15 percent tariff for exports to the United States—significantly below the 25 percent that Trump had earlier threatened to introduce. But Trump also announced crippling 50 percent tariffs on Brazil and a 25 percent levy on Indian exports, while warning Canada it would face trade repercussions for planning to recognize a Palestinian state. The 15 percent rate on Seoul—Washington's key security ally—was equivalent to levies determined from US trade deals with Japan and the European Union. MUMBAI: A broadcast screen of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) is pictured in Mumbai on July 31, 2025, which shows India's exports with Russia while depicting news of US President Donald Trump unveiling sweeping new trade tariffs. -- AFP He added that South Korea had committed to investing $350 billion in the United States, as well as the purchase of '$100 billion worth' of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other energy sources. Seoul's presidential office said tariffs on automobiles—one of Seoul's key exports—would also stay at 15 percent. Trump hit Brazil with high tariffs as well as sanctions against the judge overseeing a trial of his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting a coup in Latin America's biggest economy. But he delayed its implementation from Friday to August 6, and crucially exempted many products from the prohibitive levy, including orange juice, civil aircraft, iron ore and some energy products. The United States took in more revenue from tariffs in the first six months of 2025 than it did in all of 2024, according to data from the US Treasury compiled by AFP. The more than $87 billion in tariff revenue taken in through the end of June, compared with $79 billion collected in all of 2024, according to the latest monthly data published on Wednesday. Since his return to the White House US President Donald Trump tore up the US post-WWII economic policy playbook of favoring free trade, slapping tariffs on trading partners and on certain products like steel. The US has subsequently reached deals with a number of countries that will see considerably higher tariffs apply than were in place, but for the most part also considerably lower than the highest rates that Trump threatened to impose. The previous peak in tariffs was recorded in 2022 at $98 billion. In June, tariff revenue came in at $26.6 billion, almost four times the amount collected in January. Trump said Thursday that sweeping tariffs he has imposed on nations around the world were making the country 'great & rich again' as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline.-AFP
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
France's president says EU-US deal ‘not the end of it'
PARIS: (Left to right)) France's Minister for Economy Eric Lombard, Minister for Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Annie Genevard, Secretary of State for AI and Digital Technology Clara Chappaz, Delegate Minister for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad Laurent Saint-Martin, Delegate Minister for Tourism Economy Nathalie Delattre, Minister in charge of Public Accounts Amelie de Montchalin and Delegate Minister for Trade, Crafts, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Social Economy Véronique Louwagie arrive for a meeting between ministers and economic stakeholders in Paris on July 30, 2025. -- AFP PARIS: France's President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday the European Union had not been 'feared' enough in negotiations with the United States towards a trade deal, pledging to be 'firm' in follow-up talks. 'It's not the end of it,' Macron told ministers during a cabinet meeting, according to participants. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen clinched the framework accord with US President Donald Trump on Sunday after dashing to Scotland as the August 1 deadline loomed for steep levies that threatened to cripple Europe's economy. EU exports are now set to face tariffs of 15 percent on most products — higher than customs duties before Trump returned to the White House, but much lower than his threatened 30 percent. 'Europe does not see itself enough as a power yet. To be free, you have to be feared. We were not feared enough,' said Macron. 'France has always held a stance of being firm and demanding. It will continue to do so,' he added. The European Union could obtain 'new exemptions' in follow-up talks to firm up the deal in details, he said. He however said that negotiations had been held in 'difficult circumstances' and that the deal at least 'offered visibility and predictability' in the short term. — AFP
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Zelensky urges ‘regime change' in Russia
Russia captures town of Chasiv Yardrone, strikes Kyiv, killing 11 KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged his allies to bring about 'regime change' in Russia, hours after a Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv killed 11 people including a six-year-old boy. The overnight strikes reduced part of a nine-storey apartment block in Kyiv's western suburbs to rubble and wounded more than a hundred in the capital, according to authorities. The Russian army meanwhile claimed to have captured Chasiv Yar, a strategically important hillside town in eastern Ukraine where the two sides have been fiercely fighting for months. Moscow has stepped up its deadly aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, resisting US pressure to end its nearly three-and-a-half year invasion as its forces grind forward on the battlefield. Speaking virtually to a conference marking 50 years since the signing of the Cold War-era Helsinki Accords, Zelensky said he believed Russia could be 'pushed' to stop the war. 'But if the world doesn't aim to change the regime in Russia, that means even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilise neighbouring countries,' the Ukrainian leader added. Between late Wednesday and early Thursday, Russia fired over 300 drones and eight cruise missiles at Ukraine, the main target of which was Kyiv, the Ukrainian air force said. One missile tore through a nine-storey residential building in western Kyiv, tearing off its facade, authorities said. AFP journalists at the scene of the strike saw rescuers scouring through a smoldering mound of broken concrete, the belongings of residents scattered among the debris. 'It's a shock. I still can't get my bearings. It's very frightening,' Valentyna Chestopal, a 28-year-old resident of Kyiv, told AFP. Tymofii was woken up by the sound of a missile, 'everything started falling on me. It was terrifying,' said the resident of the Solomyansky district, whose apartment was destroyed and described the experience as 'a nightmare.' Among the victims was a six-year-old boy, who died on the way to hospital in an ambulance, the head of the city's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said in a post on Telegram. The Russian army said it had hit Ukraine's military airfield, ammunition warehouse and drone production facilities with a combined overnight strike using high-precision weaponry and drones. The attack came just days after US President Donald Trump issued a 10-day ultimatum for Moscow to halt its invasion, now in its fourth year, or face sanctions. Russia said on Thursday it had captured the town of Chasiv Yar, which had been a strategically important military hub for Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk region. The town 'was liberated by Russian forces', Russia's defense ministry said in a statement, while a Ukrainian army spokesperson rejected Russia's claim as 'lies'. Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko said the Russians 'have full control over the entire northern and eastern part,' of Chasiv Yar including districts that were hardest to get. But that the fighting for the western side was still ongoing, added. He said the situation was 'very difficult' in the town that has been holding up in urban skirmishes for over two years, a record time in the war. Taking control of Chasiv Yar would represent a major military boon for Russia, which has been making incremental but steady territorial gains for months. Home to around 12,000 people before the war but now largely destroyed, the town's capture would pave the way for Russian forces to advance on remaining civilian strongholds in the eastern Donetsk region. These include the garrison city of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, important logistical bases for the Ukrainian military and home to many civilians, who have up to now not fled the fighting. The Kremlin has made the capture of the Donetsk region a priority since it claimed the industrial region as part of Russia in September 2022. Russia, which denies targeting civilians, has not yet commented on the strike or Zelensky's call for regime change. Putin has himself called for Zelensky to be removed from office and has repeatedly questioned his legitimacy. — AFP
