Oil tankers seized in Indonesian waters
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesian authorities said they seized an Iranian tanker and Panamanian tanker suspected of carrying out the illegal transfer of oil in Indonesian waters Sunday.
The tankers were seized in waters off Indonesia's West Kalimantan province, said Wisnu Pramadita, a spokesman for the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency.
He said the tankers are suspected of a variety of violations, including not displaying national flags, shutting off their identification systems, anchoring illegally, illegally transferring fuel between ships and spilling oil.
Authorities were escorting the two tankers to Batam island in Riau Islands province for further investigation, he said.
Iranian state television acknowledged the Iranian tanker's seizure, citing Indonesian authorities. The report did not elaborate.
Burned vehicles yield bodies in Mexico
CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico -- Mexican authorities said they have found 19 shot and burned bodies near a town across the Rio Grande from Texas.
The Tamaulipas state prosecutor's office said late Saturday that the bodies were discovered along a dirt road outside Camargo after residents reported a burning vehicle. Authorities found two vehicles on fire, one containing four bodies and the other 15. Some rifles were also found.
All had been shot, but shells were not found at the site, leading investigators to believe they were killed somewhere else.
A Camargo official, who requested anonymity because of security concerns, said the killings occurred Friday.
In Guatemala, rumors swirled Sunday that Guatemalan migrants were among the dead.
The country's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that the Guatemala's embassy in Mexico and consulate in Monterrey were communicating with state and federal authorities "to determine if among the victims is any person of Guatemalan nationality."
Russia criticizes U.S.' protest remarks
MOSCOW -- The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said the U.S. Embassy's statements about nationwide protests, in which more than 3,500 people reportedly were arrested, interfere in domestic affairs and encourage Russians to break the law.
Dmitry Peskov made the criticism on Sunday, a day after protests took place across the country demanding the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption activist who is Putin's most well-known critic.
During the protests, embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Ross said on Twitter that "the U.S. supports the right of all people to peaceful protest, freedom of expression. Steps being taken by Russian authorities are suppressing those rights." The embassy also tweeted a State Department statement calling for Navalny's release.
Peskov said the statements "indirectly constitute absolute interference in our internal affairs" and are "direct support for the violation of the law of the Russian Federation, support for unauthorized actions."
The 44-year-old Navalny, Putin's most prominent and persistent foe, was arrested Jan. 17 when he returned to Russia from Germany, where had been recovering from severe nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin and that Russian authorities deny.
Authorities said his five-month stay in Germany violated terms of a suspended sentence that was imposed in a 2014 fraud and money-laundering conviction, which he says is fraudulent and politically motivated. He is to appear in court on Feb. 2 for a hearing on whether the suspended sentence will be converted to 3½ years in prison.
Scotland leader aims for secession vote
LONDON -- Scotland's leader said Sunday that she intends to hold a "legal referendum" on independence from the U.K. if she wins Scottish elections scheduled for May.
Such a move would put First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on a constitutional collision course with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who opposes another secession vote.
Scotland decided to remain in the U.K. by a vote of 55%-45% in a 2014 referendum that was billed as a once-in-a-generation event. A new binding referendum requires the U.K. government's approval, and Johnson insists he'll say no.
Sturgeon argues that Brexit has transformed the situation by dragging Scotland out of the European Union against its will. A narrow majority of U.K. voters opted to leave the EU in a 2016 referendum, but a large majority in Scotland voted for staying.
A string of recent opinion polls suggests a small majority now supports Scotland becoming an independent country.
The Scottish National Party says that if it wins a majority in the Scottish Parliament in May, then it will pass legislation allowing for a new referendum once the coronavirus pandemic is over. If Johnson's government refused to agree, then the issue would likely end up in the courts.
Opposition parties in Scotland say Sturgeon should be focusing on defeating the coronavirus and supporting the economy, rather than planning for independence.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports