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☆ What are the deals on Ukraine, Russia grain exports?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

UKRAINE BLACK SEA GRAIN EXPORT DEALBrokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the deal has so far allowed Ukraine to safely export more than 27 million tonnes of grain from several of its Black Sea ports. Under the deal:- Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations set up a Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, staffed by officials from each party. - Ukraine can safely export grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia, from the ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. DEAL TO PROMOTE RUSSIAN FOOD AND FERTILIZER EXPORTSTo help persuade Russia to allow Ukraine to resume its Black Sea grain exports last year, a separate three-year agreement was also struck in July last year in which the United Nations agreed to help Russia with its food and fertilizer exports. The United States has pushed back on Moscow's demands, saying "the only prohibitions on food and fertilizer exports from Russia are those imposed by the government" of Russia.

☆ Hijacked Singapore-registered oil tanker recovered in Ivory Coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABIDJAN, April 15 (Reuters) - A hijacked Singapore-registered oil tanker has been recovered and escorted to Abidjan port in Ivory Coast on Saturday, five days after it was captured by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, the Ivorian military said. On Tuesday, Singapore's port authority said the tanker had been boarded by "unidentified persons" about 300 nautical miles (555 km) off Ivory Coast with 20 crew of various nationalities aboard. A search operation by Ivory Coast's navy backed by a French navy aircraft located the vessel on Saturday, Ivorian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lassina Doumbia said in a statement. "As for the crew, they are safe and sound," he said. Reporting by Ange Aboa; writing by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

BEIJING/TAIPEI, April 11 (Reuters) - China's latest military drills near Taiwan show it is serious about being able to cut off the democratically ruled island in a conflict, analysts said, as Beijing said its aircraft carriers could "shatter" defences from the east. 1) Carrier OperationsMany analysts noted the jets flying off the Shandong aircraft carrier, which took up position east of Taiwan, about 230 kilometres (143 miles) south of Japan's Miyajima island. The aim of the drills was to show that they could encircle Taiwan in a blockade and deter foreign powers from intervening, Zhao said. 3) Precision TargetingThe PLA also said it carried out virtual simulations showing how its forces could execute targeted missile attacks on Taiwan. Japan's military said in a briefing on Tuesday that it was assessing China's manoeuvres around Taiwan, but described them as "without question, serious training".

TAIPEI/BEIJING, April 6 (Reuters) - Taiwan was keeping a close watch on a Chinese aircraft carrier and threats to inspect ships in the Taiwan Strait on Thursday after Beijing condemned a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The meeting took place at a low ebb of U.S.-China relations and despite threats of retaliation from Beijing, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own. In March of last year, the Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait, just hours before the Chinese and U.S. presidents were due to talk. However, Taiwan is also concerned about China's announcement late Wednesday that its maritime safety administration is to inspect ships in the Taiwan Strait, including possibly boarding them. Defence Minister Chiu said Taiwan will react if Chinese patrol ships cross the Taiwan Strait's median line, which normally serves as an unofficial barrier between the two sides.

TAIPEI, April 6 (Reuters) - Taiwan officials and defence analysts are bracing for intensifying pressure on the "median line" that has for decades helped keep the peace in the Taiwan Strait as China begins inspecting civilian shipping across the waterway. "As long as they are ships hoisting our country's flag they are all a part of our territory," he said. Taiwan's military will not allow China to "unilaterally" board Taiwanese ships, he said. A senior Taiwan official familiar with security planning said Taiwan would not allow China to board ships in the Taiwan Strait and that Taiwan's coast guard and military would jointly respond if China made a move to do so. Chinese state television broadcast live pictures of the Haixun 6 on patrol, including shaky footage of a Taiwanese coast guard ship shadowing it in the distance.

NEW DELHI/LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) - Global fuel suppliers are turning to longer and costlier routes that produce more carbon emissions to move their diesel and other products as Western restrictions on Russian cargoes have reshuffled global energy shipping patterns. The ban comes on top of a halt late last year on Russian crude sales into the bloc as well as Western price caps. Also in March, Russian clean products shipped to Togo reached 973 million MT-NM, up from zero in November. Conversely, Russian exports to the Netherlands dropped to 238,200 tonnes in February from 1.15 million tonnes in September. Those longer distances are being done at higher costs for Russian products than for typical shipments from Europe.

☆ The High Seas Treaty, Explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Haphazard Authority On Ocean Resources | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Global News Changing Tides The first international agreement to protect the world's oceans aims to create “international parks” in the high seas. The high seas represent 95% of the world’s total habitat by volume, but the nautical world remains largely unexplored. “A sentiment we often encountered was that there’s not much in terms of biodiversity out there in the high seas,” he said. MPAs that already exist mostly occupy exclusive economic zones and only make up about 3% of the high seas. A 2016 Pew study on mapping governance in the high seas showed 19 governing bodies with a high seas mandate.

☆ Goldman Sachs scraps plan to buy a third corporate jet amid scrutiny of CEO's plane use and cost-cutting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Goldman Sachs had an option to buy a third Gulfstream when it bought two in 2019. Goldman Sachs has decided to scrap a plan to buy a third corporate jet for the company's use, a move that follows scrutiny of the CEO's plane use and a companywide plan to review expenses. The decision means that the company won't exercise an option it received in 2019, when it purchased two other Gulfstream jets: a G280 and a G650ER. Goldman also received an option to purchase a third jet, according to people briefed on the arrangement. Both of Goldman's planes feature simple paint jobs of thin blue and gray stripes running from nose to tail.

☆ Vietnam sends ship to track Chinese vessel patrolling Russian gas field in EEZ -data
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Francesco Guarascio | Thomson Reuters | Francesco Leads A Team Of Reporters In Vietnam That Covers Top Financial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

HANOI, March 27 (Reuters) - A Vietnamese ship monitored a Chinese Coast Guard vessel on Saturday in a Russian-operated gas field in Vietnam's South China Sea exclusive economic zone (EEZ), data show - the latest Chinese patrol in a pattern stretching more than a year. The patrols mirror Chinese Coast Guard activity elsewhere in the South China Sea, where such vessels have been used to assert territorial claims. A spokeswoman for Vietnam's foreign ministry said on Friday that Vietnam acts in the South China Sea “to protect its legal rights”. Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei are among other countries that have competing claims in the South China Sea. Chinese Coast Guard vessels have also patrolled the Tuna block; in January, Indonesia deployed a warship to monitor a Chinese ship there.

☆ Nord Stream mystery: the tanker Minerva Julie spent 7 days idling near the attack site
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Days before the explosions, a tanker called the Minerva Julie was drifting nearby in the Baltic Sea. He discovered that the Minerva Julie, a 600-foot Greek-flagged tanker, was headed east from Rotterdam when, on September 6, it came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the Baltic Sea. From September 6 through September 13, the Minerva Julie drifted near the site of the September 26 explosions, AIS data show. The Minerva Julie stayed there, alternately idling and crossing a roughly 200-square-nautical-mile area above the two natural-gas pipelines, for seven days, from September 6 until September 12. The Minerva Julie, a 600-foot oil and chemical tanker, near the port of Rotterdam in 2020.

☆ 33-year-old who brought in $467,000 in 13 months renting out his boats: 3 skills you need to start a lucrative side hustle
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

He started a chartering business called SeaEO Nautical Ventures, initially intending to just cover the boat's payments. It's like an Airbnb business: If you start renting a house without the proper permits, you're going to get fined. It takes a lot of talking to people and working with my lawyer to really understand how to be legally compliant. I've actually gotten to the point where I'm really bored. When you really understand sales, you know there's only two reasons people buy things: to fix a problem, or because they love something.

☆ Turkey's powerhouse drone industry is on the verge of another milestone: a stealthy unmanned fighter jet for its new aircraft carrier
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Turkey's Navy plans to make Kızılelma the primary aircraft on its first aircraft carrier. On January 23, the company announced that the Kızılelma, its newest and potentially most promising product, had successfully conducted its second flight test. The test is another step forward for what may become the company's crown jewel and the high point of Turkey's burgeoning drone industry. The KızılelmaThe Kizilelma drone during its first flight test, in Istanbul on December 14. The Kizilelma during its first flight test on December 14.

☆ Taiwan warns of China military's 'sudden entry' close to island
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI, March 6 (Reuters) - Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned on Monday the island has to be on alert this year for Chinese military's "sudden entry" into areas close to its territory amid the rising military tensions across the sensitive Taiwan Strait. China has stepped up its military activities around Taiwan in recent years, including almost daily Air Force incursions into the island's air defence identification zone. He said the PLA might make a "sudden entry" into Taiwan's contiguous zone and get close to its territorial space, which the island defines as 12 nautical miles from its coastlines. Taiwan has vowed to exercise its right to self-defence and counterattack if Chinese armed forces entered its territory. China claims self-governed Taiwan as its own and has not renounced the use of force to bring the island under Chinese control, if needed.

☆ International drug bust nets $677 mln of cocaine bound for Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, March 4 (Reuters) - A joint U.S. and Australian law enforcement operation busted an international drug ring after intercepting 2.4 tonnes of cocaine aboard a vessel off the coast of South America that had been bound for Australia. Western Australian police substituted the cargo with identically packed fake cocaine and dropped it roughly 40 nautical miles west of state capital Perth on Dec. 28. Three suspected members of the "Australian arm of a drug syndicate" with 1.2 tonnes of fake cocaine were arrested on Dec. 30, after allegedly making three trips out through rough seas to collect the packages. Hailing the success of "Operation Beech" Western Australia police commissioner Col Blanch in a statement: "The operation sends a message to international drug traffickers – your deadly drugs are not welcome here." ($1 = 1.4775 Australian dollars)Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Boeing says MQ-28 drone could be a fit for U.S. Air Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jamie Freed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat fighter-like drone is kept on display at the Australian International Airshow, in Avalon, Australia February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Jamie FreedAVALON, Australia Feb 28 (Reuters) - Boeing Co's (BA.N) MQ-28 Ghost Bat fighter-like drone developed in Australia could fit the U.S. Air Force's requirements for a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), the company's defence division head said on Tuesday. "We're developing the MQ-28 to fit into a set of requirements that fit into that category of CCA and hopefully there is an intersection there," Boeing Defense, Space and Security Chief Executive Ted Colbert said on the sidelines of the Australia International Airshow. Boeing is developing the MQ-28 in Australia alongside the Royal Australian Air Force, in what is the country's first homegrown combat aircraft to be manufactured in more than 50 years. The MQ-28, which made its first flight in 2021, was on public display at the air show.

☆ Heinz plans to give a new boat to a man who says he survived 24 days stranded at sea by eating ketchup after tracking him down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elvis Francois says he survived being stranded at sea for more than three weeks by eating ketchup. Elvis Francois told Insider on Saturday he'd heard from many people that Heinz was trying to find him, but he didn't have a phone. He says he survived by eating ketchup three times a day with garlic powder and stock cubes for 24 days. Colombian Navy personnel attend castaway Elvis Francois after he was rescued in January. Colombian Navy/APEating ketchup for 24 days hasn't put him off the condiment, as Francois told Insider he still used it.

☆ Migrant crossings in Mediterranean leave thousands dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

2021Dec. 17: 9 dead, 93 missing, 8 survivors after boat sinks off Sabratha, Libya. 2020Nov. 12: 57 dead, 18 missing, 48 survivors after boat sinks off the coast of Al Khums, Libya. July 25: 75 dead, 75 missing, 134 survivors when boat sinks off Al Khums, Libya. 2018Sept. 1: 2 dead, 128 missing, 55 survivors when boat sinks off the coast of Al Khums, Libya. June 29: 3 dead, 101 missing, 16 survivors when boat sinks off the coast of Tripoli, Libya.

☆ A first-of-its-kind fighter jet landing shows India's big ambitions for its growing aircraft carrier fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Two fighter jets landed on and took off from India's new aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, this month. The continued growth of India's carrier fleet reflects New Delhi's ambitions in the region. Indian carriersA naval variant of India's Tejas fighter jet lands on INS Vikrant on February 6. Indian navyThough Vikrant is India's first domestically built carrier, it is actually the fourth to enter service with the Indian Navy. The third carrier, INS Vikramaditya, is a modified Kiev-class carrier India purchased from Russia in 2004.

☆ Israeli-linked ship attacked last week in Arabian Sea, manager says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 18 (Reuters) - An Israeli-linked tanker was lightly damaged in an attack last week by an airborne object while sailing through the Arabian Sea, the ship's manager confirmed on Saturday. Regional defence and security sources suspect the assault was carried out by Iran, which did not comment on the incident. Shipping databases linked the tanker to Zodiac Maritime, which is controlled by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. We have made the necessary notifications to the relevant authorities," the manager said. British maritime security company Ambrey Intelligence said unmanned aerial systems had attacked two tankers and one bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea and assessed that Tehran had mounted the attack.

☆ Rising tensions with Russia have NATO militaries worried about the revival of a Cold War-era submarine threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

A top concern is that those subs could be used to attack or interfere with undersea cables and pipelines. Ander Gillenea/AFP/Getty ImagesConcern about Russia's expanding underwater capabilities and the danger they pose to critical underwater infrastructure has risen since Russia seized Crimea in 2014. Since then, Russian submarines have deployed more often and for longer and their activity close to critical undersea infrastructure has increased. Recent Russian submarine activity does suggest an increasing focus on being able to get into the Atlantic and closer to the US East Coast. At a Senate hearing in February 2020, the head of US European Command was asked if US forces have "sufficient visibility" on Russian submarines in the Atlantic.

☆ Philippines urges China to prevent any 'provocative act' after complaint over laser
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China should restrain its forces to prevent them committing any "provocative act," the Philippine military said on Monday, after Manila accused China's coast guard of using a laser to try to disrupt a resupply mission to troops in the South China Sea. "I think it's time for the Chinese government to restrain its forces so that it does not commit any provocative act that will endanger the lives of people," military spokesperson Medel Aguilar told reporters. Aguilar quoted the Philippine defense chief as saying the Chinese action was "offensive" and unsafe. The incident took place at the Second Thomas Shoal, 105 nautical miles (120.83 miles) off the Philippine province of Palawan. The shoal is home to a small Philippine military contingent on board a rusty ship.

☆ Philippines files protest to China over use of laser, "aggressive activities" by vessels
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The Philippines on Tuesday filed a diplomatic protest calling on Beijing to ensure its vessels cease "aggressive activities" after Manila accused China's coast guard of trying to block one of its ships in the South China Sea using a laser. The Philippine coast guard said on Monday a Chinese coast guard ship directed a "military-grade laser" at one of Manila's vessels supporting a resupply mission to troops in the disputed waterway on Feb. 6, temporarily blinding its crew on the bridge. The actions of China's coast guard vessel were a threat to Philippine sovereignty and security and the country had a prerogative to conduct legitimate activities within its exclusive economic zone, the ministry said. "We urge the Philippines to avoid such actions, and the actions of China's staff are professional and restrained," China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, told a regular briefing. The Philippines has filed 203 diplomatic notes against China since last year, foreign ministry data showed.

☆ Philippines urges China to halt any "provocative act" after laser aimed at vessel
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Aguilar also quoted the Philippine defence chief as saying the action of the Chinese coast guard was "offensive" and unsafe." Images supplied by the PCG showed a green light emanating from a Chinese vessel with bow number 5205. China has said it was ready to manage maritime issues "cordially" with the Philippines during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's visit to Beijing in January. In February last year, Australia accused Beijing of an 'act of intimidation' after a Chinese navy vessel directed a laser at an Australian military surveillance aircraft. The VFA provides rules for the rotation of thousands of U.S. troops in and out of the Philippines for exercises.

☆ U.S. FAA reopens Montana airspace shut for defense activities
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said late Saturday it had reopened some airspace in Montana after it was briefly closed for undisclosed Defense Department activities. The FAA had issued a notice temporarily barring flights in an area about 50 by 50 nautical miles around Havre, Montana, near the Canadian border and classifying the area as "national defense airspace." The FAA declined to say whether the directive was related to another suspected balloon or object. The FAA issued similar actions in response to a suspected Chinese spy balloon that crossed the continental United States from Montana to South Carolina and was shot down earlier this month. Reporting by David Shepardson, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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