Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned China that “the sovereignty of our hemisphere is non-negotiable” after the U.S. and regional allies accused Beijing of detaining Panama-flagged ships in a dispute tied to canal port control.

In a joint statement with Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. said China’s actions targeting Panama-flagged vessels were a “blatant attempt to politicize maritime trade” and infringe on regional sovereignty, framing the dispute as a broader strategic test over control of one of the world’s most critical commercial arteries.

While the Panama dispute centers on shipping detentions rather than a physical blockade, critics increasingly view it alongside battles over other strategic choke points, such as the Strait of Hormuz, as part of a widening contest over whether Beijing or Washington will shape the rules governing global trade and energy corridors.

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The confrontation follows Panama’s Supreme Court decision earlier in 2026 to invalidate the legal framework behind Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison’s long-held control of the Balboa and Cristobal terminals flanking the Panama Canal, a choke point that handles roughly 5% of global maritime trade. 

U.S. regulators have monitored nearly 70 Panama-flagged vessels detained by Chinese authorities since March 8, according to Reuters — a surge American officials say appears designed to retaliate against Panama and pressure global shipping.

“China has used Iran to destabilize the Middle East. In effect, Iran has been China’s proxy,” China expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital, arguing Beijing’s actions in Panama fit a broader global pattern in which China uses economic leverage, trade pressure and regional partners to expand influence while condemning similar tactics from Washington.

Chang said Beijing is now facing growing resistance as the U.S. increasingly moves not only against China directly, but also against governments and geopolitical flashpoints he argues have strengthened Beijing’s hand.

“Trump apparently decided that he would counter this sly tactic by taking China’s proxies — Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran — off the board,” Chang said.

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He also framed pressure on Iran and threats to the Strait of Hormuz as part of a larger strategic effort aimed at both Tehran and Beijing.

“Closing the Strait of Hormuz is a two-fer, starving Iran’s regime and shaking China’s already fragile economy,” Chang said. “Trump is using energy to reorder the world.”

Chang also accused Beijing of hypocrisy over trade.

“China’s Communists invented hypocrisy. Nobody does hypocrisy better than the Chinese Communists,” he said, arguing China long benefited from a global trading system it increasingly weaponized for geopolitical purposes.

“The elemental truth is that China started this cycle of action and retaliation,” Chang said. “If China had not threatened America, America would not have leaned on Panama. If America had not leaned on Panama, China would not have detained Panamanian vessels.”

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China has rejected accusations that it is politicizing trade, with its foreign ministry arguing U.S. criticism reflects Washington’s own strategic ambitions around the canal.

China’s foreign ministry called the statement on Wednesday “entirely baseless and misleading”, said it would take steps to safeguard China’s interests in Panama, and accused the United States of politicizing ports, according to Reuters.

“China also urges the relevant countries not to be deceived or exploited by malevolent forces,” added Lin Jian, a foreign ministry spokesperson.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Reuters contributed to this article.

Published on
30/04/2026 – 16:23 GMT+2

The Belgian government will partner with the French energy giant to revive nuclear power in its energy mix as soaring electricity prices, driven by ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty in the Middle East, have already pushed the country’s inflation to 4% in April.

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Belgium’s plans to phase out nuclear energy by 2025 were partly derailed by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which drove a surge in natural gas and electricity prices.

While the idea of revoking the 2003 Belgian law to shut down all nuclear reactors faced resistance from the Greens, the Belgian parliament repealed it in May 2025.

With a new energy crisis already driving electricity prices up by more than 50% and uncertainty over the duration of the Middle East crisis, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever unveiled on Thursday a deal with Engie to conduct feasibility studies for a full takeover of the Belgian nuclear power plant and the halt of decommissioning activities.

“This government opts for secure, affordable, and sustainable energy. With less dependence on fossil fuel imports and more control over our own supply,” De Wever said on Thursday.

The deal signed on Thursday aims to reach an agreement on the takeover of the nuclear fleet by 1 October, but it remains unclear how much Belgium will pay for this nuclear renaissance.

Belgium boasts seven nuclear reactors: four at Doel in East Flanders and three in Tihange in Wallonia. Two of these are still operational: Doel 4 and Tihange 3. Their operating licenses were recently extended until 2035, but amid vulnerabilities exposed by the energy crisis, the government may consider extending them further.

“With this, the Belgian government assumes responsibility for the country’s long-term energy supply, with the aim of developing a financially and economically viable activity that supports security of supply, climate objectives, industrial resilience, and socio-economic prosperity,” reads the press statement from the Belgian government and Engie.

Belgian Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet dubbed the government’s decision a “coherent political vision” which will ensure cheaper energy prices and a reliable supply, while strengthening Belgium’s strategic energy autonomy.

“Less than a year after the law enabling the return of nuclear energy in Belgium came into force, this momentum is already materialising through our determination to regain control of our assets and capabilities,” Belgian Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet told Euronews.

In 2024, under Alexander de Croo’s government, Belgium hosted a landmark nuclear summit, drawing eleven EU countries to back a declaration to boost nuclear energy.

Two years later, Paris hosted the nuclear summit, with numerous nations in attendance pledging to deploy small modular reactors to counter energy price volatility and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying that phasing out nuclear power was a “strategic mistake”.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors said Wednesday that singer D4vd killed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez by stabbing her multiple times then dismembered her body using chain saws in his garage.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office shared what they said the evidence in the case would show in a court filing that provided the first detailed allegations of the killing and efforts to cut apart Rivas Hernandez’s body and get rid of evidence.

The court filing said D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11, began sexually abusing her when she was 13 and he was 18, and killed her when she threatened to reveal their inappropriate relationship.

“Knowing he had to silence the victim before she ruined his music career as she had threatened, very soon after her arrival at his home, defendant stabbed the victim to death multiple times and stood by while she bled out,” the filing said.

Burke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other counts. His lawyers have said he is innocent and did not cause Rivas Hernandez’s death.

Her body was found decomposing in a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills in September of last year.

Prosecutors said they had obtained text messages that showed their sexual relationship, including child sexual abuse images of her on his phone.

“The messages reveal the victim’s jealousy over defendant’s relationships with other women, as defendant led her to believe they had a future together,” the document says. “She became extremely upset and threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship with defendant to end his career and destroy his life.”

The filing said he sent a rideshare car to pick her up on the night of April 23, 2025, from her hometown of Lake Elsinore some 80 miles (129 km) outside of Los Angeles. The two exchanged messages until she arrived at his Hollywood home, after which her phone went silent permanently.

They allege he sent her a late-night message asking where she was in an attempt to cover up the killing.

The court filing is intended to outline the evidence that prosecutors plan to present at a preliminary evidentiary hearing beginning May 26, when a judge will determine whether there is probable cause to go to trial. The defense has not publicly provided its version of events.

The document says Burke bought two chain saws online used them to cut apart her body in an inflatable pool in his garage, where the girl’s DNA was later found.

“Defendant took horrifying measures to destroy and discard the victim’s body,” prosecutors said in the brief.

Burke drove to Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County about 110 miles (177 kilometers) northwest of his home to get rid of evidence three times, the document alleges. Her passport was found there in January.

On April 24, the day after her death, he gave a radio interview and had a record-release party promoting his debut full-length album, “Withered,” which was released the following day, prosecutors said in the filing.

Prosecutors allege he kept her body in his Tesla, and lied to friends and business associates who asked about the smell.

The body of Rivas Hernandez had so degraded that examiners couldn’t even determine her eye color. She had braces at the time of her death, and a tattoo that read “Shhh ….” on the inside of a finger as well as his name, according to the report. Two fingers were missing — as were parts of her arms and legs.

Prosecutors had not previously described how they believed Rivas Hernandez was killed or given details on their relationship. An autopsy report said she was killed by penetrating wounds.

Prosecutors said the parents of Rivas Hernandez reported her missing from her home in Lake Elsinore in February 2024. After the February report, Riverside County Sheriff’s detectives contacted Burke, but he told them he had only met her once and did not know she was a minor.

After she returned home that February, her parents took away her cellphone but Burke drove to her hometown and paid a friend of Rivas Hernandez $1,000 to give her a phone so they could communicate.

She was reported missing again in April 2024. The document said that year, she spent much of her time at Burke’s home in the Hollywood Hills and traveled with him to Las Vegas, London, and Texas to meet his family.

The defense attorneys asked Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo at a hearing Wednesday to seal the document, but she declined. They had no comment outside court.

Burke was arrested on April 16 and pleaded to first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a dead body. He is eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors said they have not decided whether to seek it.

The singer began making music for YouTube videos he created of the video game Fortnite when he was a teenager.

The songs he wrote and recorded on his phone were a blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. The music made him a phenomenon on TikTok, Instagram, Soundcloud and Spotify, where his top songs, including his 2022 breakthrough “Romantic Homicide,” have more than a billion plays. In 2023, he released two EPs and opened for SZA on tour.

He performed at last year’s Coachella music festival just a few weeks before prosecutors said Rivas Hernandez was killed and his album was released. He was on tour promoting it in September when the body was discovered and his name became publicly attached to the case. It would be seven months before he was arrested.