S. Korea says no confirmed fuel exports to Russia

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Seoul, Oct 8 (IANS) South Korea is strictly enforcing its export controls on Russia, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, stressing that no exports of commercial petroleum products to Russia have been confirmed through customs clearance procedures.

Currently, South Korea prohibits exports of strategic items to Russia and subjects an additional 1,402 non-strategic items that could potentially be used for military purposes to case-by-case export authorisation, according to the ministry, reports Yonhap news agency.

“The controlled items are determined through interagency discussions after comprehensively considering their potential military use, economic impact and international coordination,” the ministry said in an explanatory note jointly issued by the industry ministry and the customs agency.

Outbound shipments to Russia dropped to US$4 billion in 2025 from $10 billion in 2021 as South Korea joined international efforts to maintain peace through export controls “despite the economic burden on companies and the public,” the ministry noted.

The comments came after a report by the Britain-based Guardian on Tuesday that more than 176,000 tons of petroleum products, mostly diesel, were loaded at South Korean ports and shipped to Russia’s Far East in July and August.

Following the report, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on sanctions policy, said the shipments had helped ease Russia’s fuel shortages amid the war in Ukraine, a claim rejected by the South Korean presidential office the previous day.

The ministry said official trade statistics showed no exports of diesel, jet fuel or gasoline from South Korea to Russia through the customs clearance process from 2025 through August 2026.

It also stressed that commercial petroleum products are not subject to South Korea’s export controls on Russia, meaning that loading such products at South Korean ports does not in itself constitute a violation of domestic law.

The government will further examine the vessels’ actual routes and declared destinations before determining whether any domestic laws were violated.

“The government will take action in accordance with the law if violations are confirmed,” the ministry said. “We will continue to strictly implement export controls on Russia and strengthen efforts to inspect and prevent circumvention of exports as a responsible member of the international community.”

—IANS

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Sao Paulo, Dec 16 (IANS) Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vowed to “severely punish” those involved in the 2022 coup attempt.

“I believe that General Braga has every right to the presumption of innocence,” Lula said during a press conference, referring to the detained retired general Walter Braga Netto, who served as minister of defence under former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The event, held at Sirio Libanes Hospital shortly after Lula’s discharge, marked his first public appearance since undergoing emergency skull surgery last week. His medical team and first lady, Rosangela da Silva, were present by his side.

Braga Netto, accused of attempting to interfere in investigations, was arrested on Saturday following an order from the Supreme Federal Court. According to the Federal Police, Bolsonaro was allegedly planning a coup in 2022 to prevent Lula from assuming the presidency.

Lula said it is unacceptable to have high-ranking military officials in the plot to assassinate the president, Xinhua news agency reported.

Following his discharge, Lula will work at his residence in Sao Paulo until Thursday when he is due for a CAT scan to get a permit for travel to Brasilia to resume his work at the Planalto Palace.

The 79-year-old had complained of a severe headache and was admitted for emergency surgery when a hematoma was found between his brain and meningeal membrane.

Doctors confirmed that there were no injuries or other consequences from the hematoma.

The issue was linked to Lula’s fall at the presidential residence, the Palacio da Alvorada, in late October when he hurt the back of his head and received five stitches, forcing him to cancel several commitments, including his trip to the BRICS summit in Russia.

The Brazillian President will seek reelection in 2026, the presidency’s Secretary of Social Communication Paulo Pimenta has confirmed.

In an interview with CNN Brasil, Pimenta assured that the president was in good health following medical interventions to treat a brain bleed, adding he was “the most qualified and prepared person” to continue leading the country.

“I have no doubt that President Lula is the most qualified and capable person. And he will certainly be our candidate in 2026 to be able to maintain our project,” Pimenta was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency.

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Man dies two days after consuming poison after name did not feature in Bengal’s electoral rolls post SIR

Kolkata, March 30 (IANS) The unnatural death of 35-year-old Khepa Hazra, a resident of Akandra village in Kanksa area of West Burdwan district, sparked a sensation in the area on Monday. The family alleged that the man consumed poison after being frustrated over his failure to get his name included in the final voter list, despite having appeared for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing.

His family further alleged that he took his own life due to severe depression, stemming from the fear of losing his citizenship.

According to the police, Khepa Hazra’s name was missing from the 2002 voter list of West Bengal. After the recent SIR exercise, his name appeared in the ‘under-adjudication’ category rather than the standard electoral rolls. Despite having recently appeared for a hearing, his name failed to make it even onto the supplementary list. Since that time, he had been gradually slipping into depression.

His family said that the man, who worked as a daily labourer, had not been eating properly or speaking to anyone for the past few days.

On Saturday, after failing to locate him for an extended period, family members began a search. He was subsequently found in an unconscious state near the village fields. Upon being taken to the Durgapur Sub-divisional Hospital, doctors determined that he consumed poison. After a two-day battle for survival, he finally passed away on Monday.

The deceased’s wife, Brinda Hazra, told local reporters, “Ever since his name failed to appear in the voter list, he had been living in constant fear. He would barely eat or speak. Ultimately, he chose to take this drastic step. We are now at a loss as to what to do.”

His daughter, Durga, stated, “We tried our best to reason with him. But the panic surrounding the SIR had completely consumed him.”

The incident has sparked a political war of words. Pradip Majumdar, the Trinamool Congress candidate for the Durgapur Purba constituency, lashed out at the Election Commission, saying, “Panic is being deliberately spread under the pretext of identifying infiltrators. Despite possessing valid documents, people are being driven to their deaths.”

On the other hand, Sumanta Mondal, the BJP’s district spokesperson, offered a counter-argument. “This same process has been implemented in other states as well, yet no such incidents have occurred elsewhere. The Trinamool Congress is deliberately misleading the public. We assure everyone that there is no cause for alarm.”

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SC reserves order on Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora’s plea seeking treatment at Fortis or Medanta

New Delhi, July 28 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its order on the plea of Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora, arrested in a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking bail on medical grounds and permission to undergo treatment at either Fortis Hospital or Medanta Hospital in Gurugram instead of AIIMS, New Delhi.

A bench of Justices SC Sharma and N.K. Singh reserved its verdict after hearing detailed submissions from both sides on Arora’s medical condition and his request to undergo treatment at a private hospital while remaining in judicial custody.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Arora, argued that although the AIIMS Medical Board had described the petitioner as “clinically stable”, it had itself advised coronary angiography for further evaluation, making it inappropriate to send him back to jail without further treatment.

Taking the Justice Sharma-led Bench through Arora’s medical records, Rohatgi referred to his history of diabetes, hypertension, renal transplant, heart failure, pulmonary embolism and a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40 per cent, contending that these ailments warranted immediate medical attention.

He further argued that Article 21 of the Constitution entitled Arora to receive treatment at a hospital of his choice even while remaining in custody.

“I am entitled under Article 21 to be treated in my own hospital, by my own doctor,” Rohatgi submitted, adding that Arora was “not asking to be released” and that “a policeman can remain outside the hospital”.

Referring to Supreme Court precedents, the senior counsel contended that “a patient is entitled to be treated in a hospital of his own choice” and argued that there was no justification for denying treatment at a private hospital merely because AIIMS was a government institution.

Opposing the plea, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the ED, submitted that the AIIMS Medical Board had categorically found Arora to be clinically stable and had discharged him with advice for angiography as and when medically required.

He assured the apex court that the authorities would ensure all necessary treatment was provided.

“Either today or tomorrow we’re taking him for angiography. If the condition is not good, the hospital will say so and give him all medical facilities,” the Centre’s law officer submitted.

He further argued that ordinary prisoners are routinely treated in government hospitals and Arora could not claim a special privilege merely because he preferred a private medical facility.

Last week, the Supreme Court had directed the Director of AIIMS, New Delhi, to constitute a Medical Board to examine Arora after the ED stated that it had no objection to such an examination.

In its July 20 order, the apex court had also directed the jail authorities to shift him to AIIMS for medical evaluation and sought the Board’s report within two days. When the matter was taken up on July 24, the Justice Sharma-led Bench recorded that the medical report had been filed in compliance with its earlier order but had not been placed on record. It directed the top court registry to place the report on record, supply copies to both sides, and posted the matter for hearing on July 28.

Arora’s regular bail plea had earlier been rejected by the Special PMLA Court on June 15. He subsequently approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

On July 7, the High Court granted the ED time to file a status report and adjourned the matter to August 5.

The ED arrested Arora on May 9 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with an alleged Rs 100 crore GST fraud linked to the sale of mobile phones. He is currently in judicial custody.

The probe agency has claimed that the case involves money laundering connected with Hampton Sky Realty, while Arora and the company have denied the allegations, maintaining that the company has fully complied with applicable laws and is itself a victim of the alleged supplier-side fraud.

Before the apex court, senior advocates Rohatgi and Puneet Bali appeared on behalf of the petitioner. They were assisted by advocate-on-record Aditya Soni.

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