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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military forces boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea, the Pentagon said Monday.

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The Pentagon's statement on social media did not say whether the ship was connected to Venezuela, which faces U.S. sanctions on its oil and relies on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers tosmuggle crude into global supply chains.

However, the Aquila II was one of at least 16 tankers that departed the Venezuelan coast last month after U.S. forcescaptured then-President Nicolás Maduro, said Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com. He said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document the ship's movements.

According to data transmitted from the ship on Monday, it is not currently laden with a cargo of crude oil.

The Aquila II is a Panamanian-flagged tanker under U.S. sanctions related to the shipment of illicit Russian oil. Owned by a company with a listed address in Hong Kong, ship tracking data shows it has spent much of the last year with its radio transponder turned off, a practice known as "running dark" commonly employed bysmugglers to hide their location.

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U.S. Southern Command, which oversees Latin America, said in an email that it had nothing to add to the Pentagon's post on X. The post said the military "conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction" on the ship.

"The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean," the Pentagon said. "It ran, and we followed."

The U.S. did not say it had seized the ship, which the U.S. has done previously with at least seven othersanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela.

Since theU.S. ouster of Maduroin a surprise nighttime raid on Jan. 3, the Trump administration has set out tocontrol the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela's oil products. Officials in President Donald Trump's Republican administration have made it clear they see seizing the tankers as away to generate cashas they seek to rebuild Venezuela's battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Trump also has been trying torestrict the flow of oil to Cuba, which faces strict economic sanctions by the U.S. and relies heavily on oil shipments from allies like Mexico, Russia and Venezuela.

Since the Venezuela operation, Trump has said no more Venezuelan oil will go to Cuba and that the Cuban government is ready to fall. Trump also recently signed anexecutive order that would impose a tariffon any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, primarily pressuring Mexico because it has acted as an oil lifeline for Cuba.

Former Hong Kong media tycoonJimmy Laihas been sentenced to 20 years in prison, ending a years-long legal battle that has come to define Beijing's transformational crackdown on the once-freewheeling financial hub.

The 78-year-old self-made billionaire was among the highest-profile government critics charged since Beijing imposed a sweepingnational security lawon the semi-autonomous southern city in 2020.

The sentence is the longest delivered under that law and means Lai will not be eligible for parole until he is in his late 90s.

It has galvanized international calls for the pro-democracy media mogul's release, following a landmark trial that was closely watched by Western world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, who previously vowed to "get him out."

Trump is expected to travel to China in the coming months to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping and many of Lai's supporters will be lobbying him to raise the case.

Lai's son Sebastien called the sentence draconian and "life-threatening" for his father.

"Twenty years, it's a farce. It's essentially tantamount to a life sentence, or as Human Rights Watch calls it a death sentence, because in the conditions that my father is being kept in, I don't know if he even has a tenth of that," his son said.

His daughter Claire described it as "heartbreakingly cruel."

"I have watched my father's health deteriorate dramatically and the conditions he's kept in go from bad to worse. If this sentence is carried out, he will die a martyr behind bars," she said.

Lai's outspokenness over Hong Kong's shrinking freedoms – including to top US officials – and his role as the founder of now-defunct Apple Daily, a fiercely pro-democracy tabloid newspaper, had long made him a thorn in Beijing's side.

Both Beijing and Hong Kong's government have repeatedly rejected international criticism of Lai's prosecution and dismissed accusations that his jailing was politically motivated or an assault on press freedom. Authorities have said Lai has received adequate medical attention in prison.

"Lai used Apple Daily to poison the minds of citizens, incite hatred, distort facts, deliberately create social division, glorify violence, and openly beg external forces to sanction China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region," city leader John Lee, a former police officer and security chief, said on Monday.

Lai wasfound guiltyof two national security charges and a sedition charge in December following a years-long court battle.

Looking visibly slim in a white jacket, Lai smiled slightly upon hearing the sentence Monday. Before the court session began, he had put his hands together to greet those sitting in the court gallery and turned to see six former Apple Daily colleagues who were also awaiting sentencing.

Those colleagues were jailed too, receiving sentences ranging from 6 years, 9 months to 10 years behind bars. Apple Daily and its affiliated companies were fined 6 million Hong Kong Dollars ($767,000).

Beijing's national security law has transformed Hong Kong, with authorities jailing dozens of dissidents; forcing civil society groups and outspoken media outlets to disband; and neutering the city's once-raucous political scene.

City and national authorities say the law has "restored stability" following mass anti-government protests in 2019 that turned violent at times.

Supporters had been lining up for days outside the West Kowloon court since last week hoping to catch a glimpse of Lai. Police ramped up security outside, searching those lining up.

"He is the flag of Hong Kong," Chan Chun-yee, 75, who arrived outside the court on Thursday, told CNN. "I don't agree with everything he did but I aligned with his spirit and the things he pursued, such as freedom, democracy and justice."

Conspiracy 'mastermind'

When convicting Lai in December, the three judges hand-picked by the Hong Kong government to preside over national security cases said they found that there was "no doubt that (Lai) had harbored his resentment and hatred of the PRC (People's Republic of China)," calling him a "mastermind of the conspiracies."

They pointed to his lobbying of US politicians during Trump's first term – much of it before the security law was enacted – as evidence of sedition and colluding with foreign forces, including his meetings with senior White House figures and attempts to meet Trump himself.

Lai also used Apple Daily to call for international sanctions against China and Hong Kong, the judges concluded. The US alone sanctioned more than a dozen Hong Kong and Chinese officials.

In a press summary of Monday's sentence, the judges called his actions "conspiracies" that were "not only well planned but were premeditated" to reach both local and overseas audiences.

They also concluded that Lai committed the "most serious category" of sedition given the number of articles involved and the duration of the offence. Prosecutors previously said Apple Daily had published up to 161 seditious articles.

Lai can appeal the verdict and sentence. But the process often drags on for years, with a slim success rate. Only one in almost 100 people charged under the national security law has ever been fully acquitted.

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Will Trump seek release?

International relations experts said Lai's battle for freedom could now spill over into the diplomatic sphere.

Lai, a British passport holder and a practicing Catholic, has powerful voices lobbying for his release in both Britain and the United States. In the latter, many on the Christian right have been vocal supporters.

Trump has vowed repeatedly to secure Lai's release. In August, Trump said he had put out a "request" to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, asking him to consider freeing Lai.

Lai's treatment could turn into another sticking point for the world's two biggest economies, which are already clashing over a range of issues from trade to Taiwan.

"Trump will likely raise it again in his bargaining with Xi," said Hung Ho-fung, Professor of Political Economy at John Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.

"He (Lai) is British citizen and a pro-democracy icon in the greater China region. Just raising the issue to Beijing is good press."

Meanwhile, Beijing may also find Lai a "useful bargaining chip," given his ailing health.

"If Beijing could exact compromises from Washington over trade, tech, and even Taiwan by eventually granting Lai a compassionate release based on health grounds, it is a good bargain," he said.

"Better than letting him die in jail and become another martyr," Ho added.

There was swift global reaction to Lai's sentence from multiple human rights groups, including Amnesty International which described the sentence as "a cold-blooded attack on freedom of expression."

Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called it a "politically motivated prosecution" in a statement on Monday, adding that she was concerned for Lai's health.

Many Western governments have also condemned Lai's prosecution and previously called for his release.

Beijing's foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian hit back on Monday urging other countries to "refrain from making irresponsible remarks on judicial proceedings in (Hong Kong), and not to interfere in (its) judicial affairs."

Hong Kong, a city transformed

In many ways Lai's life story tracks that of the city whose cause he came to embrace.

Born in mainland China, Lai arrived in British-ruled Hong Kong at 12 years old, just one of millions of mainlanders who fled communist China and moved to the free-wheeling business hub.

He worked his way up from factory laborer to wealthy clothing tycoon and then pivoted to media, founding Apple Daily in 1995, two years before Hong Kong was handed over to China.

The outspoken publisher and his newspaper were once at the forefront of the city's pro-democracy movement, in a time of much greater press freedom.

The newspaper printed its last edition in June 2021 after police raided its office and froze its assets. Many ex-Apple Daily journalists have since left Hong Kong.

The city's press freedom ranking plunged drastically from 80th out of 180 countries in 2021 to 140th last year, according to Reporters Without Borders. Hong Kong once ranked 18th, in 2002.

A Hong Kong government spokesperson has said Lai's case has "nothing to do with freedom of the press at all."

Eric Lai, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Asian Law, and no relation to Jimmy Lai, said a credible financial hub requires the free flow of information to safeguard a transparent investment environment.

"With critical media outlets shut down and criminalized, as well as open exchange with foreign officials and policymakers on critical policy affairs being deemed criminal activities, the state of information access and free exchange of ideas and opinions are sharply jeopardized," he said.

"It has nothing to do with press freedom because they prioritize the need for safeguarding regime security over freedom of expressing sharp critiques," Eric Lai said.

CNN's Samra Zulfaqar contributed reporting

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KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Rebels backed by the Islamic State group killed at least 20 people in an attack over the weekend on a village in eastern Congo, the military said Monday.

The attack by theAllied Democratic Forces, or ADF, took place early Saturday in the village of Mambimbi-Isigo in the Lubero territory of North Kivu province, military administrator Col. Alain Kiwewa Mitela told The Associated Press over the phone.

There was no immediate comment from the ADF.

The attack has caused a mass displacement of residents, aggravating an already dire humanitarian situation, Mitela said.

According to civil society activists in the area, the rebels first raided several farmers' fields before attacking civilians with knives and firearms.

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"This toll is still provisional because many civilians are missing," Kinos Kitwa, head of civil society in Bapere, said. He criticized the small number of Congolese army troops in the area.

Armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, have carried out several deadly attacks in eastern Congo. The ADF, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2019, operates along the border with Uganda and often targets civilians.

At least 62 civilians have been killed since the beginning of the year by ADF fighters in the Beni and Lubero territories, according to the North Kivu Provincial Civil Society Coordination.

On Monday, U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix began a two-day official visit to eastern Congo, including Beni, which has been particularly affected by ADF attacks.

The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following discontent withPresident Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following Ugandan military strikes, the group moved to neighboring Congo and has been blamed for the killings of thousands of civilians.In July 2025, the group carried outa series of attacks that killedmore than 100 people.

Ian Vogler - WPA Pool/Getty; New York State Division of Criminal Justice/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

NEED TO KNOW

• Kate Middleton and Prince William are 'deeply concerned' about the continuing revelations about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein

• A spokesperson for the Prince and Princess of Wales revealed the couple's feelings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where William is about to start a short visit

• The couple remains "focused on the victims," the rep said

Kate MiddletonandPrince Williamare showing their support for the victims of the late convicted sex offenderJeffrey Epstein.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have been "deeply concerned" by the revelations that have continued to emerge in the wake of the release of millions of pages of documents in the Epstein files, the couple's spokesperson said on Feb. 9.

"I can confirm The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims," the spokesperson added from Saudi Arabia, where William is at the start of an official three-day visit.

It is the first time that William and Kate have directly addressed the scandal, which has seen William's uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the formerPrince Andrew, face increased scrutiny over his connections with Epstein.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

When Mountbatten-Windsorwas stripped of all his royal titles and honors— and told to surrender the lease on his home Royal Lodge — by his brotherKing Charles, 77, in October 2024, those close to William and Kate made it clear that they supported his actions. They shared the Buckingham Palace statement at the time.

That statement concluded, "Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse," the statement concluded.

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Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Feb. 3, Mountbatten-Windsor's younger brother, Prince Edward, became thefirst senior royal to publicly address the latest Epstein-related developments, saying it was "really important to remember the victims."

Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty

Mountbatten-Windsorstepped back from his public royal rolein 2019 following his headline-makingBBC interviewin which he discussed his relationship with Epstein. His late mother Queen Elizabeth stripped her son of hismilitary titles and patronagesin January 2022, after a judge rejected his attempt to have Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre'ssexual assault lawsuitagainst him dismissed.

Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied Giuffre's allegations andreached a settlementwith her in 2022.

Kensington Palace, where William and Kate have their office are hoping that attention can be concentrated on the what aides call the impportant diplomatic visit that William, 43, is making to Saudi Arabia over the next few days

Read the original article onPeople

Bad Bunnymade history this week as the first-ever solo Latino artist to headline theSuper Bowl Halftime Show. Shortly after his stellar performance on Sunday, the rapper pulled off a surprising social media move that has stirred conversations once again.

Bad Bunny clears his Instagram post halftime show

Bad Bunny has wiped hisInstagram gridand removed his profile picture, shortly after performing at the Super Bowl LX halftime show on February 8, 2026. The "DtMF" hitmaker has reportedly unfollowed everyone on the social media platform as well.

The Puerto Rican star currently boasts over 51 million followers on Instagram. But when fans visit his account now, all they can find is an empty grid and a blank profile icon. However, the link to his new album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos", remains active in the bio.

As to what prompted this drastic move remains unclear. Some fans speculate that the singer could be gearing up for a new musical era, and a big announcement is on the horizon. Others believe that he could simply be taking a break from social media after delivering an electrifying Super Bowl XL performance.

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Bad Bunny's Halftime show featured several memorable moments with guest appearances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. Pedro Pascal also made a surprise cameo, holding up a ball that said 'Together We Are America'. The set included a medley of his popular hits like Tití Me Preguntó, MONACO, and BAILE INoLVIDABLE.

The Halftime Show marked a historic milestone as the first Super Bowl performance performed entirely in Spanish. Sharing powerful messages like "The only thing more powerful than hate is love," theGrammy-winning starproudly celebrated his Puerto Rican heritage while promoting love and unity.

For now, the wait continues for an update from Bad Bunny regarding his social media activities. The singer has yet to announce when he might restore his old Instagram grid.

Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh onMandatory.

The postBad Bunny Deletes All Posts on Instagram After Super Bowl Halftime Showappeared first onReality Tea.