US Forces Board and Shut Down Sanctioned Oil Tanker, Former Ukrainian Minister Charged with Money Laundering, and Indian AI Infrastructure Sees Major Investment
In a series of international developments, US forces boarded and shut down a Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, Ukraine’s former energy minister was charged with money laundering, and Indian AI infrastructure startups secured significant investments. These events, spanning geopolitical tensions, corruption investigations, and technological advancements, highlight the diverse challenges and opportunities shaping the global landscape.
US military personnel boarded the oil tanker Veronica III in the Indian Ocean, according to Sky News, as part of efforts to target illicit oil tankers linked to Venezuela. The boarding was conducted as a "right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding," the Department of Defense stated. The tanker had been tracked from the Caribbean. The Veronica III had departed Venezuela on the same day as an American military operation involving Nicolás Maduro. Washington declared the tanker had tried to "defy President Trump's quarantine," according to Sky News.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, former energy minister Herman Halushchenko was charged with money laundering and involvement in a criminal group, Euronews reported. The charges stem from a corruption investigation into the state nuclear power company Energoatom. Halushchenko was detained while attempting to leave the country. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office announced the charges on Monday.
In the realm of technology, Indian AI infrastructure startups are attracting substantial investment. Blackstone is backing Neysa in up to $1.2B financing as India pushes to build domestic AI infrastructure, according to TechCrunch. Blackstone and co-investors have agreed to invest up to $600 million in primary equity in Neysa, giving Blackstone a majority stake. The Mumbai-headquartered startup also plans to raise an additional $600 million in debt financing to expand GPU capacity. The deal comes as demand for AI computing surges globally, creating supply constraints.
Another Indian startup, C2i Semiconductors, also secured funding. Peak XV Partners backed C2i with a Series A round of $15 million, with participation from Yali Deeptech and TDK Ventures, bringing the two-year-old startup's total funding to $19 million, according to TechCrunch. The investment comes as data-center energy demand accelerates worldwide. Electricity consumption from data centers is projected to nearly triple by 2035, according to a December 2025 report from BloombergNEF.
In other news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned an "extreme minority" after two female IDF soldiers were rescued from riots in an ultra-Orthodox Israeli city, according to Sky News. Video footage from Bnei Brak shows the two soldiers being hurried away by police as thousands of ultra-Orthodox men ran a crowd. At least 22 people were arrested on Sunday as protesters set police motorcycles on fire, overturned a police vehicle, and attacked officers, authorities said.
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