World

The first shipment of Ukrainian grain since the Russian invasion in February left the port of Odessa on Monday under a landmark deal to lift Moscow’s naval blockade in the Black Sea.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, who brokered the plan with Turkey, welcomed the announcement. Kyiv said it would bring “relief for the world” if Moscow held up its side of the accord.

The five-month halt of deliveries from war-torn Ukraine — one of the world’s biggest grain exporters — has contributed to soaring food prices, hitting the world’s poorest nations especially hard.

Officials said the Razoni cargo ship, registered in Sierra Leone, was making its way through a specially cleared corridor in the mine-infested waters of the Black Sea with 26,000 tonnes of maize on board.

“It is expected in Istanbul on August 2. It will then continue its journey after it has been inspected in Istanbul,” the Turkish foreign minister said in a statement.

Other convoys would follow, respecting the maritime corridor and the agreed formalities, the statement said.

Last month, Ukraine and Russia signed the breakthrough pact — the first signficant accord involving the warring sides since the invasion — with Turkey and the United Nations aimed at getting millions of tonnes of trapped Ukrainian grain to world markets.

But Russian strikes on the Odessa port the day after the deal was signed sparked outrage from Ukraine’s allies and cast doubt over the accord.

Guterres said he hoped the Razoni would be the first of many commercial ships to depart from Ukraine and that “this will bring much-needed stability and relief to global food security, especially in the most fragile humanitarian contexts”.

“Ensuring that existing grain and foodstuffs can move to global markets is a humanitarian imperative”.

– Ships ‘waiting to leave’ –

He also said the World Food Programme was planning to “purchase, load and ship an initial 30,000 metric tons of wheat out of Ukraine on a UN-chartered vessel,” with more details in the coming days.

EU spokesman Peter Stano said the departure Monday was a good “first step” but that Brussels still expects the “implementation of the whole deal and resumption of Ukrainian exports to the customers around the world.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Monday marked a “day of relief for the world, especially for our friends in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, as the first Ukrainian grain leaves Odessa after months of Russian blockade.”

And the Kremlin hailed the “very positive” development, saying it was a “good opportunity to test the effectiveness of the mechanisms” agreed in in Istanbul.

The long-awaited consignment however is just the beginning and Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said 16 more ships — blocked since the start of the invasion — were “waiting for their turn”.

“We are planning to reach full efficiency at of shipments of agricultural products during the following weeks,” he added.

Ukraine had worked to boost grain deliveries by train, road and up the river Danube, but those efforts still left a large shortfall compared to what it was previously able to export by sea.

Although Monday was the first formal export of Ukrainian grain from Odessa, Kyiv has accused Russia repeatedly of seizing and illegally exporting cereals from regions it occupies. 

– Kherson counter-offensive –

The departure of the Razoni comes one day after Ukrainian agricultural magnate Oleksiy Vadatursky, 74, was killed by a Russian missile in the battle-scarred city of Mykolaiv in the south.

Vadatursky owned major grain exporter Nibulon and was previously decorated with the prestigious “Hero of Ukraine” award.

Mykolaiv — which has been attacked frequently — is the closest Ukrainian city to the southern front where Kyiv’s forces are looking to launch a major counter-offensive to recapture territory lost after Russia’s February invasion.

Ukraine said Monday its forces had retaken more than 40 settlements in the key southern region of Kherson.

The governor of Mykolaiv meanwhile said that three people had been injured in the city in “massive” Russian shelling overnight that damaged homes and damaged humanitarian supplies.

Despite progress on the grain exports, there was also Russian shelling in the war-scarred east of the country, where Russian troops have been fighting deeper into the Donbas region.

The head of the industrial Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russian shelling over the past 24 hours had killed three people.

The Razoni’s departure came after Russian authorities in the Crimean Black Sea peninsula — seized by Moscow from Ukraine in 2014 — said a small explosive device from a commercial drone, likely launched nearby, hit the navy command in Sevastopol.

The local mayor blamed “Ukrainian nationalists” for the attack that forced the cancellation of festivities marking Russia’s annual holiday celebrating the navy.

Ukraine’s navy accused Russia of staging the attacks as a pretext to cancel the festivities.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday kicked off an Asia tour that has been shrouded in secrecy following an escalation in tensions with China over Taiwan.

With no word if Pelosi will visit the island, she stopped first in Singapore, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged her at a meeting to strive for “stable” ties with Beijing.

Her itinerary also includes Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, but a possible Taiwan visit has dominated attention in the run-up.

Reports about a plan to visit the island have enraged Beijing and caused unease in the White House with President Joe Biden trying to lower the temperature.

Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan its territory — to be seized one day, by force if necessary — and said it would regard a Pelosi visit as a major provocation.

Pelosi’s office confirmed her Asia trip in a statement Sunday once her plane was in the air, following days of US media speculation and the speaker refusing to confirm her itinerary.

“The trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region,” it said, referring to the Asia-Pacific.

The statement did not mention Taiwan. But visits by US officials there are usually kept secret until delegations land.

And as speculation mounted, both CNN and Taiwan’s TVBS cited unnamed sources Monday to report that Pelosi does indeed plan to include the island on her Asia tour.

– ‘Bury all enemies’ –

The Global Times, China’s state-run tabloid, suggested that Pelosi might use “emergency excuses like an aircraft fault or refuelling” to land at a Taiwanese airport.

“If she dares to stop in Taiwan, it will be the moment to ignite the powder keg of the situation in the Taiwan Straits,” Hu Xijin, a former Global Times editor and now commentator, tweeted.

And the Chinese army’s Eastern Theater Command shared footage on social media site Weibo featuring a combat-ready army with fighters and helicopters taking off, amphibious troops landing on a beach and a stream of missiles raining down on various targets.

“We will bury all enemies who invade our territory,” a short text accompanying the footage read. 

“We’re ready to fight,” it added. “Advance towards a joint combat and a victorious war.”

Taiwan’s 23 million people have long lived with the possibility of an invasion but the threat has intensified under Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The United States maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity” over whether it would militarily intervene were China to invade.

While it diplomatically recognises Beijing over Taipei, it also backs Taiwan’s democratic government and opposes any forced change to the island’s status.

American officials often make discreet visits to Taiwan to show support but a Pelosi trip would be higher-profile than any in recent history.

Taiwan’s government has remained silent on the prospect of a Pelosi visit and there has been minimal local press coverage. 

“I really hate what the Chinese are doing,” Hsu Ching-feng, a fruit vendor in Taipei, told AFP.

“But there’s nothing us common folks can do about it but ignore them. I will just ignore them.”

– ‘Wrong target’ –

As House speaker, Pelosi is second in line to the US presidency and one of the country’s most powerful politicians.

The last House speaker to visit was Newt Gingrich in 1997.

Biden and Xi had a tense phone call last week clouded by disagreements over Taiwan.

Xi issued an oblique warning to the United States not to “play with fire” over the island.

Speculation about Pelosi’s Taiwan plans has coincided with an uptick in military activity across the region.

US officials have sought to downplay the significance of a Pelosi visit, urging calm from Chinese leaders.

Kharis Templeman, a Taiwan expert at the Hoover Institution, said Beijing “misread US politics and screwed their signalling up” with its intense reaction.

“They picked the wrong target. Biden doesn’t control the Speaker or any other member of Congress,” he tweeted Sunday.

“They’ve drawn the line at the Speaker of the House, on a visit rich in symbolism but of limited practical value. And now it will be politically costly for either Pelosi not to go, or Xi not to respond with something dramatic.”

In Taiwan, there have been mixed views about the prospect of Pelosi visiting, but figures from both the ruling party and the main opposition have said the island should not cave to Chinese pressure.

“If Pelosi were to cancel or postpone the trip, it would be a victory for the Chinese government and for Xi as it would show that the pressure it has exerted has achieved some desired effects,” Hung Chin-fu, from Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University, told AFP. 

A US envoy on Monday expressed optimism that Lebanon and Israel could move towards a maritime border deal to settle competing claims over offshore gas fields.

The dispute escalated in early June after Israel moved a production vessel near the Karish offshore field, which is partly claimed by neighbour Lebanon.

This prompted Beirut to call for the resumption of US-mediated negotiations on the demarcation dispute.

“I remain optimistic that we can make continuous progress as we have over the last several weeks and I look forward to coming back to the region and being able to make the final arrangements,” Amos Hochstein told reporters after meeting Lebanon’s top leaders.

Hochstein, on his second visit in less than two months, is carrying an Israeli proposal in response to a demarcation offer made by Lebanon.

On Monday, he met with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at the presidential palace.

Lebanon is looking to clinch “a deal that preserves its rights and its wealth and that could provide, as soon as negotiations are over, an opportunity to revitalise the economy,” Aoun said before Monday’s meeting.

Lebanon and Israel have no diplomatic relations and are separated by a UN-patrolled border. 

They had resumed maritime border negotiations in 2020 but the process was stalled by Beirut’s claim that the map used by the United Nations in the talks needed modifying.

Lebanon initially demanded 860 square kilometres (330 square miles) in the disputed maritime area but then asked for an additional 1,430 square kilometres, including part of the Karish field.

Israel claims that the field lies in its waters and is not part of the disputed area subject to ongoing negotiations.

– ‘Pay dearly’ – 

A Lebanese official in mid-June said Beirut had made a new offer to Hochstein, holding back on demands for territory where Israel planned to imminently extract gas.

Beirut was pushing for the country’s maritime border to exclude Karish and include the whole of a nearby field instead, the official told AFP at the time.

An Israeli official on Sunday said Israel’s offer, which related to the original disputed zones, was a “compromise to both sides” and would allow Lebanon to develop “the Sidon reservoir”, known as the Qana field, while safeguarding Israel’s interest.

On July 2, Israel said it had downed three drones launched by Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah that were headed towards the Karish gas field.

The Iran-backed Shiite Muslim movement on Sunday released a short video it said showed surveillance of several Israeli-chartered energy infrastructure ships, including the production vessel sent to Karish which is operated by London-listed firm Energean.

Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah had threatened attacks if Israel proceeds with gas exploration in the disputed area.

On Sunday, he said he was trying to “strengthen” Lebanon’s negotiating power and said that his party will determine its next step based on the outcomes of Monday’s talks.

“We’re paying no attention to Nasrallah’s threats and they’re not a factor in the negotiations,” Ram Ben Barak, head of the Israeli foreign and defence committee told public broadcaster Kan radio on Monday.

“But if Nasrallah dares to do anything to Israel’s gas rigs, Lebanon –- and Hezbollah -– will pay dearly.”

Israel and Hezbollah last fought a devastating war in 2006.

K-pop sensations BTS may be allowed to continue performing and preparing for international concerts even while they undertake their mandatory military service in South Korea, the defence minister said Monday.

All South Korean able-bodied young men under the age of 30 must perform around two years of military service, mainly due to the fact that the country remains technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea.

The spectre of conscription has long hovered over BTS, with its seven male stars ranging in age from 24-year-old Jungkook to Jin, 29, who must sign up by next year or risk jail time.

Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup said during a parliament session that it could be in the national interest to find a way to keep the global stars on stage during their time in South Korea’s military.

“I think there will be a way to give them time to practice in the military and to allow them to perform together if there is an overseas performance scheduled,” he said.

“Since many people value the fact of serving in the military itself very highly, it could be more helpful for their popularity,” he added, responding to a lawmaker’s question on the topic.

South Korea grants exemptions from military service to some elite athletes, such as Olympic medallists, and classical musicians — but pop stars do not qualify.

The lack of exemptions for BTS, who are credited with generating billions of dollars for the South Korean economy, has sparked fierce debate in the past.

Who does — and does not — undertake military service is a highly-charged issue in South Korea.

Refusing to serve is a crime, and can lead to imprisonment and social stigma, but even so some South Koreans go to extreme measures — trying to gain weight or having unnecessary surgery, for example — to evade service, AFP has reported.

BTS have not shown any signs of trying to evade the draft. 

“As a South Korean young man, I believe military service is a natural course. And as I have always said, I will answer the country’s call whenever it comes,” Jin said in 2020.

The group had already benefited from a 2020 revision to South Korea’s conscription law, which moved the age limit for some entertainers to sign up from 28 to 30 years old.

A majority of South Koreans — 59 percent — favour expanding military service exemptions, but there is staunch opposition from young men who have already done it, local reports say.