Latest News
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Manager says that the tanker near Saudi Arabia's coast was not damaged and is under the captain's control, despite Houthis claiming attack.
The manager of a chemical tanker with Liberian flag said that the vessel was undamaged, and its captain is still in command, despite reports of an attack on the coast of Saudi Arabia by the Houthi militia of Yemen. Eastern Pacific Shipping, based in Singapore, said that it was aware of reports claiming that the vessel Scarlet Ray had been targeted by a suspected Houthi-inspired attack. We confirm that the vessel is not damaged and that it continues to be operated under the master's command. All crew members are safe and well. Yemen's Houthis claimed on Monday that they fired a missile at what they described as an Israeli-owned Scarlet Ray ship near the Saudi Arabian port city of Yanbu, located along the Red Sea. Eastern Pacific Shipping, owned by Israeli businessman Idan Ofer whose father Sami Ofer founded Israel's maritime industry, is owned and operated by Israeli magnate Idan Ofer. (Reporting and editing by Jonathan Saul)
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Royal Mail's first results after change of ownership show a profit for the operator
Royal Mail's International Distribution Services (IDS), a subsidiary of Royal Mail, reported its first profit in three year on Monday. The growth in parcel volume at its British operations and efforts to reduce costs were the main factors. Royal Mail has tried to modernise their business by shifting its focus from letters to parcels. They have hinted at increased automation and price increases to reduce costs in the difficult UK market. IDS reported an adjusted operating profit of 278 million pounds (375.55 millions dollars) for the fiscal year that ended on March 30, compared to 28 million pounds loss the prior year. Revenue increased 4.8% to 13,14 billion pounds. The positive results are a great boost for one of the oldest postal groups in the world. The EP Group, owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, closed the acquisition of IDS in this year. They made commitments to safeguard the Royal Mail's more than 500 years of history and the futures of thousands of employees and customers. IDS's international parcels network GLS - its cash cow - reported a slight drop in adjusted annual operating profit because of challenges in Germany, Italy and other countries. IDS did not mention in its results report the ending of U.S. Tariff Exemptions for Low-Value Packages, which caused chaos in global postal services.
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Ukraine will increase its gas imports Monday
The national gas transmission company said that Ukraine will increase its natural gas imports from 22 million cubic meters on Sunday to nearly 24 mcm by Monday. In recent weeks, Ukraine has imported about 22 mcm per day of gas. The country must store at least 13 billion cubic meters of gas underground for winter heating. Operator data indicated that Ukraine will increase its gas imports to Poland from 7,7 mcm Sunday, up to 10,4 mcm Monday. The country will also import gas in Hungary and Slovakia. Since Russian missile attacks this year, the domestic gas production in Ukraine has been severely reduced. In recent weeks, despite the efforts of U.S. president Donald Trump to resolve the conflict, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure for gas imports and production. (Reporting and editing by David Goodman)
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Greece and Germany bust cocaine smuggling rings across Europe
Police said that Greek and German officers had dismantled an illegal ring smuggling drugs hidden in trucks coming from Spain to Greece and other European nations. In a police statement, they said that two suspected members of this gang had been arrested in Greece last week and three others in Germany. In Spain and Germany, more suspected gang members are still at large. The statement stated that the estimated profit for the gang is over 5 million euros (5,85 million dollars). Members hid the drugs in trucks that transported goods internationally, or they used trucks to legally enter Spain to obtain the drugs. The statement said that the vehicles were registered in Bulgaria primarily for Greek companies, and the drivers were Greeks and Bulgarians. During raids conducted in Greece and Germany, more than 300 kg cocaine were confiscated. Police officials confirmed that the two countries joined together following an investigation launched by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In recent years, Greece has intensified its fight against drugs trafficking as Europe has grown to be a major market for cocaine.
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The incident was reported by maritime agencies southwest of Yanbu, the Red Sea port in Saudi Arabia
On Sunday, maritime agencies reported that they had received reports about an incident south of Yanbu, a port city on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that a vessel had reported hearing a loud bang and a splash from an unknown projectile. It added that all the crew members were safe and the vessel was proceeding to its next journey. Ambrey, a British maritime security company, also confirmed that it was aware of the incident just a few days after UKMTO reported it. UKMTO, the authorities investigating the incident said that neither firm could identify the person responsible. Yanbu is located along the Red Sea Coast of Western Saudi Arabia. Yemen's Houthis, who are Iran-aligned, have attacked vessels in the Red Sea since 2023 that they believe to be associated with Israel and support Palestinians in Gaza. It wasn't immediately clear whether the Houthis had been involved. The Houthis didn't immediately comment on this reported incident. Saudi Arabia led the coalition that began a military operation in Yemen in early 2015. The campaign was launched to support the Gulf-backed Government against the Houthis who had taken over the capital Sanaa, in 2014. (Reporting and editing by Nia William and Diane Craft; Ahmed Tolba and Jaidaa TAH)
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Kremlin claims that Europe is hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
The Kremlin claimed that European powers are hindering U.S. president Donald Trump's attempts to achieve peace in Ukraine. It also said that Russia will continue its operations in Ukraine until it sees real signs that Kyiv is ready for peace. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, told reporters from Russian state-run media that the "European Party of War" continued to impede U.S. efforts and Russian efforts in Ukraine. Peskov stated, "We are prepared to solve the problem through diplomatic and political means." Peskov said, "We have not seen Kyiv reciprocating in this regard." We will continue our special military operation." After eight years of fighting between separatists backed by Russia and Ukrainian troops in the east of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens-of-thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022. According to the United States, more than 1.2 million people were killed or injured during the war. Russia controls just under one fifth (or a little less) of Ukraine. European powers claim that they don't believe Putin is interested in peace for Ukraine. Putin has said that he's willing to talk about peace, but that Russia won't give up any land it has seized in Ukraine. Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov On Friday, it was reported that the Russian Army had increased its pace of advance in Ukraine. It now controls 600-700 sq km (502 sq miles) per month as opposed to 300-400 sq km at the beginning of the year. Guy Faulconbridge (Reporting)
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Sources: Belize bulk carrier damaged by blast in Black Sea near Ukraine Odesa
Two sources said on Sunday that a civilian bulk carrier, flying the flag for Belize, suffered minor damage when it struck an unidentified explosive device near the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk. Chornomorsk, a major seaport of strategic importance in southern Odesa in Ukraine, is one of the three Ukrainian ports that operate in the maritime transport corridor connecting the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. The crew of the NS PRIDE was reported to be uninjured and the ship continued its journey. Local media reported there was no cargo aboard at the time of explosion. Odesa Governor said earlier on Sunday that Chornomorsk was subjected overnight to an attack by Russian drones, and that part of the area had no electricity because of strikes on energy infrastructure. (Reporting and editing by Yuliia Dyesa and Pavel Polityuk)
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Archbishop criticises Farage of Reform over UK asylum policies
Stephen Cottrell has condemned Nigel Farage as the leader of Britain’s populist Reform UK Party, calling his plans to deport asylum seekers in mass numbers an "isolationist" and "short-term" reaction. Cottrell is the Church of England’s second-most senior clergyman, who performs some functions of Archbishop of Canterbury until a new leader of the Church has been selected. He told Sky News Brexit veteran Farage "didn't offer any long-term solutions to the major issues that are wreaking havoc on our world". In a pre-recorded Sunday interview, he said that people should "actively oppose the type of isolationist, quick-term, kneejerk,... send them back" policies. Richard Tice (Deputy leader of Reform UK) responded by saying that "the Archbishop's role is not to interfere with the international migration policy, which is determined by government". Cottrell’s criticism is part of a growing dispute in Britain about how to handle the large number of asylum seekers who arrive in boats. This issue has been the subject of weeks of protests in the summer outside hotels that house some of these asylum seekers. Labour says it's tackling the problem left behind by previous Conservative administrations. It is trying to process asylum requests more quickly, and brokering deals for return with other nations. But, there is increasing pressure on them to act. Reform UK, with a strong lead in the opinion polls ahead of an expected election in 2029 took the initiative last week to take the lead on this issue when Farage revealed his party's plan to remove asylum seekers through the repeal or disapplying of treaties that block forced deportations. Cottrell said that these plans didn't address the primary issue of why asylum-seekers wanted to travel to Britain and that "if you think this is the solution, you will find out in due time that you have only made the problem worse". (Reporting and editing by Timothy Heritage, Elizabeth Piper)
InPost, a parcel locker company, acquires a stake in Bloq.it
InPost, a Polish company, announced on Monday that it will buy a majority stake in Bloq.it's parcel locker network along with over 20,000 locker units in order to enhance its last-mile service in Europe.
Why it's important
InPost has established a dominant position on its native market of Poland, and has increased its international expansion in recent years. Bloq.it follows the acquisitions of Spanish courier company Sending and Yodel, both in Britain.
KEY QUOTES
In a press release, InPost CEO Rafal Brzoska stated that "our strategic investment in Bloq.it will have a positive effect on our growth trajectory as well as our long-term profitability."
CONTEXT
InPost announced that it would install battery-operated locks in its key European market over the next five year. In July, the first units were installed in France and Britain. By the end of this year, new locations will be added in Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
It has more than 88,000 points of delivery outside the home in nine European countries. This includes more than 54,000 automated parcel lockers (APMs) that let customers collect or drop-off packages at their convenience.
(source: Reuters)