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international law

Drone strikes on two Black Sea tankers leave seven sailors missing

Illustration accompanying article: Drone strikes on two Black Sea tankers leave seven sailors missing
  • Drones struck two tankers in Romanian territorial waters late Wednesday, leaving seven sailors missing and both vessels ablaze.
  • A NATO military source told Reuters the drones that hit the Wine Trader and the Yara J were of Russian origin; Romania's president declined to assign responsibility but called the situation "serious."
  • Romanian President Nicușor Dan said commercial ships are being attacked and sunk "very close to the shores of Romania and Bulgaria" and added that "this is unacceptable and it has to stop."
  • Reuters reported at least 23 sailors missing or killed in attacks on commercial shipping near Romania and Bulgaria in the past 10 days.
  • A draft EU summit declaration would call attacks on civilian shipping — including "member state-flagged vessels, such as the recent attacks in Bulgaria's and Romania's exclusive economic zones in the Black Sea" — "unacceptable and constitute a serious violation of international and maritime law."
 2026-10-15 · 4 MIN READ

Judge blocks US sanctions on groups aiding ICC Gaza probe

Illustration accompanying article: Judge blocks US sanctions on groups aiding ICC Gaza probe
  • US District Judge Jesse M. Furman granted a preliminary injunction on Tuesday blocking the Trump administration from sanctioning two US-based rights groups for helping the ICC's Gaza war-crimes investigation.
  • The order protects Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn) and Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide (Taag), which sued this summer over a February 2025 executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC.
  • Furman wrote the 2025 order "likely violates plaintiffs' first amendment rights because it constitutes a content-based regulation of their speech-based activities and cannot survive strict scrutiny."
  • The decision follows a separate 2025 court ruling that the same executive order violated the First Amendment rights of two law professors, and comes days after the US imposed new financial sanctions on the ICC.
 2026-10-14 · 4 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: Nobel laureate Pillay calls US sanctions on ICC 'unheard of, unacceptable'