• Maersk halts ships’ transit via Red Sea strait for 48 hours

    COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Shipping giant Maersk said on Sunday it was suspending the passage of vessels through a key Red Sea strait for 48 hours, after Yemeni rebels attacked one of its merchant ships. The Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container vessel en route from Singapore to Port Suez...

  • Hamas talks down discovery of Gaza tunnel by Israel

    Dubai, UAE--A Hamas official on Monday said one of the group's tunnels revealed by the Israeli army in Gaza had "successfully" accomplished its mission, downplaying the Israeli announcement of its discovery. On Sunday the Israeli army showed images of what it said was the biggest Hamas tunnel uncovered so far...

  • West must keep ‘promises’ on Ukraine grain deal: Erdogan

    Ankara, Turkey--Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that the revival of a deal with Russia to allow Ukrainian grain exports, brokered by Ankara and the UN, "depends on Western countries which must keep their promises". "I think a solution can be found," Erdogan added, referring to a recent telephone...

  • Grain deal not being implemented properly, says Russia

    MOSCOW, RUSSIA - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that extending a deal that allowed grain exports from Ukraine to resume was becoming "complicated" as he claimed it was not being properly implemented. Russia's military intervention last February saw Ukraine's Black Sea ports blocked by warships until a deal last...

  • UN chief hopeful Russia will extend grain deal

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hoped Russia would extend the deal that gives safe passage to Ukrainian grain shipments. The UN chief, addressing reporters in Bali ahead of a Group of 20 summit, said talks over the last week had delivered "progress" on the deal that is to end on...

  • World food prices hold steady in October, says FAO

    World food prices held steady in October, though cereal prices rose over uncertainty of a deal giving safe passage for Ukrainian grains on the Black Sea, a UN agency said. Global food prices have been falling since hitting an all-time high in March in the wake of Russia's invasion of...

  • Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority announces hike in passage tolls

    Egypt's Suez Canal Authority announced Tuesday additional tolls for transiting vessels including fuel tankers, as oil prices soar in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Petroleum gas tankers will see a 10 percent hike on passage fees while liquefied natural gas carriers and general cargo ships will incur a...