Russia’s foreign ministry has accused the United States of “unlawful actions” after US forces seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera in international waters. Moscow said the seizure violates international maritime law and risks further escalating already strained Russia–US relations.In an official statement issued on Thursday, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov called on Washington to respect established principles of international maritime law and immediately halt actions against the Marinera and other civilian vessels operating on the high seas. This comes after US forces seized the tanker on January 7.The statement read, “Alongside the US administration’s disregard for the accepted norms of international maritime navigation, Washington’s readiness to provoke acute international crises, including in Russian-American relations, which are already severely strained, is both regrettable and alarming.”According to the ministry, the incident involving the Marinera could lead to a further escalation of military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region and lower the threshold for the use of force against civilian shipping.“The Marinera incident can only lead to a further escalation of military-political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region and a dangerous lowering of the threshold for using force against civilian shipping. Encouraged by Washington’s irresponsible example, other actors may feel emboldened to take similar actions.”The ministry also accused the United Kingdom of involvement, claiming British authorities had openly acknowledged their role in the US military operation in North Atlantic waters.Russia maintained that the Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, had been temporarily authorised to sail under the Russian flag on December 24, in accordance with both Russian and international law. The vessel, it said, was peacefully transiting international waters in the North Atlantic en route to a Russian port.The ministry stressed that US authorities had been repeatedly informed of the tanker’s legal status and civilian nature. “There could have been no doubt regarding this fact, nor any basis for alleging that the tanker was sailing ‘without a flag’ or ‘under a false flag’,” the statement said.Citing international maritime law, Russia argued that only the flag state has jurisdiction over its vessels on the high seas. “International maritime law explicitly grants the flag state exclusive jurisdiction over its vessels on the high seas. Stopping and inspecting a vessel in international waters is permitted only under narrowly defined circumstances, such as suspected piracy or slave trading – neither of which apply to the Marinera. In all other cases, such actions require the consent of the flag state, which in this instance is Russia,” the statement further read.The ministry added that Russia had refused to grant consent and had formally protested to US authorities in recent weeks over the continued pursuit of the vessel by a US Coast Guard ship.Under these circumstances, the ministry said, “the boarding and de facto seizure of a civilian vessel on the high seas by US military personnel, along with the detention of its crew, can only be viewed as a gross violation of fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law and the freedom of navigation.”Russia also raised concerns about the safety of the crew, which includes citizens of several countries, and warned of environmental risks due to the seizure being carried out in severe weather conditions.Rejecting US references to domestic sanctions laws, the Russian foreign ministry said unilateral sanctions imposed by Washington and its allies have no legal foundation under international law and cannot justify the seizure of vessels on the high seas.“Suggestions from certain US officials that the seizure of the Marinera is part of a broader strategy to establish Washington’s unlimited control over Venezuela’s natural resources are profoundly cynical. We categorically reject such neo-colonial ambitions,” the statement added.In a post on social media platform X, the ministry wrote: “We call on Washington to immediately cease its unlawful actions against the Marinera and other vessels engaged in lawful activities on the high seas. We reiterate our demand that the US ensure appropriate treatment of the Russian citizens on board.”

The Transport ministry also condemns seizure

Russia’s transport ministry on Wednesday said that the US had no legal right to use force against a vessel lawfully registered under another country’s jurisdiction.In a statement posted on Telegram, the ministry said the Marinera was boarded by US naval forces in international waters, after which contact with the ship was lost.“In accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in high seas waters, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states,” the statement read.

How did the US seize the tanker?

The seizure followed a weeks-long pursuit by the US Coast Guard. The tanker, originally called Bella 1, had been sanctioned by the US in 2024 for operating as part of a so-called “shadow fleet” transporting illicit oil linked to Iran and Venezuela.Last month, US authorities attempted to seize the vessel while it was operating under the Guyana flag and heading toward Venezuela. The crew refused boarding and abruptly changed course into the Atlantic. The ship was later renamed Marinera and re-registered under the Russian flag.According to US officials, military assets were repositioned to the UK ahead of the operation. The tanker was eventually seized around 190 miles south of Iceland in the North Atlantic Ocean.US European Command said the operation was carried out under a federal court warrant for violations of US sanctions, with support from multiple US agencies. UK defence officials confirmed they assisted the US following a request for help.

Director Aditya Dhar‘s ‘Dhurandhar’, starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna in lead roles, has ended another week at the box office, and done so on a record-breaking note. The film that has been adding its name to the box office record books over the past weeks, hit a new high as it completed its fifth week at the box office. As per box office reports on Sacnilk, the film managed to maintain its hold over the box office and rake in a collection in the Rs 4 crore range.

‘Dhurandhar’ week 5 collections

The film reportedly earned an estimated Rs 4.25 crore on Day 35, matching its Wednesday’s box office collections. The film that released in just the Hindi language, had an overall occupancy rate of 10.81 per cent. This has helped push the film’s total box office collection of week 5, past the Rs 50 crore mark, a first for any Bollywood film.

‘Dhurandhar’ sets new Week 5 box office record

With a total collection of Rs 51.25 crore on Day 35, ‘Dhurandhar’ now holds the record for the highest week 5 collections. This is a huge 20 crore difference from the previous record-holder, Vicky Kaushal’s ‘Chhaava’, which earned an estimated Rs 30 crore. ‘Dhurandhar’ was able to beat that record in just its fifth weekend, scoring an estimated total of Rs 33.25 crore net.

‘Dhurandhar’ week-wise collections

While ‘Dhurandhar’ has managed to make its way onto the record books, week 5 remains its lowest performing at the ticket windows. Until now, the film managed to keep its box office collections above the Rs 100 crore mark. However, post week 4, it has seen a gradual dip in numbers. The film’s week-wise India nett collections stand as follows:Week 1: Rs 207.25 croreWeek 2: Rs 253.25 croreWeek 3: Rs 172 croreWeek 4: Rs 106.5 croreWeek 5: Rs 51.25 crore

‘Dhurandhar’ gross total collections

‘Dhurandhar’ has now hit a net total collection of Rs 790.25 crore nett in India. As per the report, the film’s gross total now stands at Rs 948 crore.With its current earnings, the film has already surpassed the net collections of ‘RRR’. With the film now on its way to the Rs 1000 crore gross mark, it stands to beat the lifetime collections of ‘KGF: Chapter 2’.

‘Dhurandhar’ worldwide collections

In the international markets, the film has already shot past the Rs 285 crore mark, thus taking its overall worldwide box office collections to an estimated Rs 1,233 crore.

KOLKATA: The ED on Thursday conducted searches at political consultancy firm I-PAC’s office in Salt Lake and its director’s Loudon Street home in connection with a five-year-old case, prompting CM Mamata Banerjee to call it political vendetta and “a crime” and dub Union home minister Amit Shah “nasty and naughty”.Banerjee, who trailed the ED teams throughout the day with director-general of police Rajeev Kumar and Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Varma in tow (in Salt Lake and Loudon Street, respectively), accused the ED of “snatching the party’s poll strategy and candidate list” and Shah of masterminding the operation.The searches began early, with ED officials splitting into three groups and reaching I-PAC director Pratik Jain’s Loudon Street apartment and its Sector V office and a businessman’s home in Posta between 6.05am and 6.30am. Only two employees were at the I-PAC office while Jain was at home.CM Banerjee later said she realised something was amiss when she was unable to reach Jain by phone. KP commissioner Varma and other senior cops reached his Loudon Street residence between 10.30am and 11.30am to “verify the credentials” of ED officials.Banerjee arrived there around noon and stayed for seven minutes before leaving with a green folder, a hard drive and a mobile phone. “Amit Shah has sent ED to snatch our party’s poll strategy and candidate list. Is this the ED’s work?” she asked. “They searched our IT cell office and the house of our IT cell-in-charge to collect hard disks and documents having our poll strategies. The candidate list, party strategy, everything is here. The nasty, naughty home minister, who cannot protect the country, is trying to take away our party papers to win the election. What will happen if I raid BJP office?” Banerjee asked, questioning the timing and intent of the searches, before heading for I-PAC’s Sector V office.

Vendetta By ‘Nasty’ Union Home Min: CM

The ED search at this 11th-floor office at Godrej Waterside building started at 6.05am with the confiscation of two staffers’ phones. Banerjee reached around 12.45pm and, a little later, cops were seen carrying bundles of documents out of the office and putting them in a car in the basement over the next half-an-hour.‘Why take away our party documents before election?’ The ED’s forensic team transferred data relating to polls and SIR from our offices when no one was there. They have taken our hard disks and papers. It is my duty to check on my people when they are in trouble. We are sober, cultured people. But that is not our weakness. I will not tolerate our stuff being snatched away,” Mamata Banerjee said.“I sometimes call Pratik or others for party matters. I was not aware of the issue initially. I called (this morning) but he didn’t respond. Later, I learnt that the ED had taken his phone. I then thought they had probably taken away all our strategy documents and plans. That was when I decided to go there,” she said outside the Sector V office.“Shah should fight the polls democratically if he wants to win. Why raid our party’s IT office and snatch our documents? We get notices whenever elections approach. Notices are not sent to the BJP, which has all the money and muscle power,” Banerjee said.DGP Kumar reached the Sector V office a little later with other senior cops as security was stepped up following the arrival of Trinamool workers in droves, many of them led by state fire services minister Sujit Bose and Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation mayor Krishna Chakraborty. The ED, too, had to requisition additional CRPF personnel even as Bidhannagar Police tightened the security cordon around the complex.The CM remained at the Sector V office for nearly four hours and left around 4.20 pm after ED officials concluded their search at Jain’s Loudon Street home and allowed him and his family free movement. They reached the Sector V office around 3.30 pm, escorted by a KP team.TMC seniors said Banerjee spoke to Jain for about 45 minutes before leaving for another programme at the Gangasagar transit camp in the Maidan. The ED team left the Sector V office at 5.20 pm, following which I-PAC employees were allowed to enter the office.

NEW DELHI: Bomb threats were emailed to courts across India Thursday, sparking panic, mass evacuations and multi-state security sweeps before authorities declared them hoaxes. Messages claiming RDX-based IEDs and suicide attacks forced shutdowns in Odisha, Bihar, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, among others, paralysing judicial work.In Bhubaneswar, an email warned judges and staff to flee by 2.35pm, prompting evacuations. Cyber police said the mail, sent under the name “Arun Kumar, LTTE”, mentioned LTTE, ISI and Tamil Nadu constables, and may have been routed through a VPN.Courts in Patna, Danapur, Araria, Gaya and Kishanganj were cleared after similar emails, including one claiming a “human bomb”. In Kerala, Kasaragod and Manjeri district, courts were evacuated following emails traced to Tamil Nadu, one sent in the name of a so-called Tamil Liberation Organisation.Searches in Rajnandgaon, Durg and Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, Mohali, Moga and Ferozepur in Punjab, Shimla high court, and courts in Anantapur, Chittoor, Visakhapatnam and Eluru in Andhra Pradesh found no explosives.Cyber cells launched a coordinated hunt for senders, warning of strict action as normal court work resumed.(Inputs from Bhubaneswar, Patna, Araria, Gaya, Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Raipur, Bathinda, Shimla, Vijayawada)

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday assured that the first batch of 50 students selected for admission to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Reasi would not be allowed to suffer because of NMC’s withdrawal of permission to run the MBBS course. The government would accommodate the students in other institutions through supernumerary seats, he said.“We will adjust them by creating supernumerary seats in colleges close to their homes so that their education does not suffer,” the CM told media persons on the sidelines of a function in Jammu. It was the govt’s responsibility to accommodate the students, he said, adding that this was not a difficult task and had been “discussed thoroughly”.Supernumerary seats are additional seats created over and above the approved intake in an educational institute.Omar has been critical of the agitation spearheaded by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti against 42 Muslim students, mostly from Kashmir, being granted admission to the Jammu-based medical institute funded by Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, as against only seven Hindus. He reiterated that the students got admission on merit as the selections were based on NEET scores.The NMC order on withdrawal of permission cited SMVDIME’s non-adherence to minimum standards as the reason. In a reference to that, Omar said accountability must be fixed if standards were not maintained at the medical institute. “We will accommodate these 50 students, but someone must answer for the damage done to students’ futures,” he said.Responding to questions on inspections by NMC and the medical college’s non-compliance with norms, he said: “You should question the university and its office-bearers from top to bottom — why, after building a medical college, did it fail to pass inspection?”The CM also interacted with the J&K Under-16 cricket team that clinched the Vijay Merchant Trophy (Plate Group) for the first time. Congratulating the team on their remarkable feat, he said, “Your victory reflects not just talent, but teamwork, discipline and dedication. You have made the entire J&K proud.”Omar presented an appreciation trophy to the victorious team, led by Smagey Khajuria. J&K defeated Mizoram by an innings and 182 runs to lift the trophy in Surat on Jan 6.

Robin Uthappa (Photo by Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

TimesofIndia.com in Durban: At a time when off-field matters are taking centre stage a month before the men’s T20 World Cup gets underway, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has diverted attention back to the game. On the sidelines of his commentary stint at the ongoing SA20, Uthappa questioned the need to host an ICC tournament every year and asserted the novelty of the multi-nation events is wearing off. “I think the game needs to evolve from the administrative perspective. How much value do fans and audiences hold for an ICC tournament every year? The novelty of it is wearing off, to be very honest and with all due respect,” Uthappa said.

ODI World Cup in 2023, T20 World Cup in 2024, Champions Trophy in 2025 and now back to the T20 World Cup, which gets underway on February 7. There has been a men’s multi-nation event every year, and Uthappa felt there is a need to revisit the scheduling to ensure “novelty” of the tournaments remains intact. “I think the novelty of the ICC Championships must be there. It’s an integral part, not just for the players but also for the fans, also for the viewers. It has to mean something. There has to be a little bit of a gap. We can’t have or shouldn’t have an ICC championship every year. That is the hard truth that I think the administrators have to look at and face and look at evolving the game in a way where it’s actually moving towards,” he added.Uthappa is on commentary duties for the ongoing fourth edition of the SA20, and a visit to Durban for the contest between Durban’s Super Giants and Pretoria Capitals brought back memories of the 2007 T20 World Cup bowl out vs Pakistan. “Durbin brings back a lot of memories. I go back to 2007 all the time. Every time I come here, I look at that dressing room on the other side and I just think of all the wonderful things that, you know, we created here, the wonderful memories we created here. It was. It was a special time,” Uthappa said.The former India batter was one of the players who participated in the bowl out, and comfortably hit the target. India ended up winning the tie-breaker and also the group stage fixture vs arch-rivals Pakistan.“I was on the pitch today just having a look before the pitch report and obviously reminiscing about the time when I actually bowled there. It was certainly a lot of fun. We did a lot of preparation for it, which we don’t really kind of talk about, but I think we were better prepared than the opposition team on that night,” he recalled.