KYIV: Kyiv said Thursday that it had seized a foreign cargo ship and detained its captain, alleging that the vessel had illegally exported Ukrainian grain from the annexed Crimean peninsula.
Since Russia’s capture of swaths of agricultural land in Ukraine in early 2022, Kyiv has accused Moscow of illegally harvesting and shipping grain produced on occupied territory to third countries.
The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office said it had “seized” a foreign vessel in the Odesa region that had earlier exported agricultural products via the Crimean port of Sevastopol — a key military hub for Russia in the Black Sea.
The Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) said in a separate statement that it had detained the ship’s captain, accusing him of violating rules on entering occupied territory.
It also claimed that the grain exported by the vessel — Usko Mfu — had been produced in southern Ukraine.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison, the SBU said, while prosecutors identified the captain as a citizen of Azerbaijan, an ex-Soviet country in the South Caucasus.
Prosecutors said 12 other foreign crew members were also on board at the time of the vessel’s seizure, without elaborating on their nationality or whether they too would face charges.
The Cameroonian-flagged vessel illegally docked at Sevastopol in November 2023 and was loaded with more than 3,000 tons of agricultural products “intended for a Turkish company,” prosecutors said.
“To conceal the illegal activity, the ship’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) was turned off before entering the port of Sevastopol, which is a gross violation of maritime safety requirements,” their statement added.
Prosecutors said the ship returned to Sevastopol a second time in May this year.
It was seized at the Ukrainian port of Reni, they added, where they discovered documents issued by Sevastopol port authorities.
Igor Delanoe — deputy director of the Franco-Russian Observatory — said this was the first time Ukraine had seized an internationally-flagged vessel over the shipments.
“The signal is that they want to make third countries face up to their responsibilities,” he said.
“From the Ukrainian point of view, these countries are supporting Russia by their silence, while at the same time benefiting from grain that Ukrainians consider stolen,” he added.
The European Union in May imposed “prohibitive” duties on grain imports from Russia in a bid to cut off revenues to Moscow for its war on Ukraine.
The bloc’s trade commissioner said the measure would “tackle illegal Russian exports of stolen Ukraine grain into EU markets.”
The head of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia, said Thursday that Russian forces caused fires on dozens of hectares of Ukrainian land growing grain.
He also said that Russian forces had struck a grain storage facility in the region and attacked firefighters who arrived to extinguish the fire with drones.
Ukraine says seized cargo ship used for Crimea grain exports
https://arab.news/5ezgh
Ukraine says seized cargo ship used for Crimea grain exports
- Kyiv has accused Moscow of illegally harvesting and shipping grain produced on occupied territory to third countries
- Prosecutors say 12 other foreign crew members were on board at the time of the vessel’s seizure
Two prison officers stabbed by Manchester bombing plotter in stable condition
- Two male officers sustained life-threatening injuries including burns, scalds and stab wounds in the attack
- A female officer was released from the hospital on Saturday
LONDON: Two prison officers allegedly stabbed by one of the plotters of a deadly bomb attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, eight years ago are in a stable condition in the hospital, the union representing them said Sunday.
Hashem Abedi, who in August 2020 was convicted of 22 counts of murder and sentenced to at least 55 years in prison for helping plan the 2017 attack, threw hot cooking oil over three officers on Saturday before stabbing them with “home-made weapons,” according to the Prison Officers Association.
Two male officers sustained life-threatening injuries including burns, scalds and stab wounds in the “unprovoked” and “vicious” attack at Frankland prison in the northeast of England, it added.
A female officer was released from the hospital on Saturday.
The union’s national chairman, Mark Fairhurst, said the attack was carried out in a separation center where inmates are allowed to use cooking facilities.
“To allow that type of prisoner to access the kitchen and use of the utensils that can be used as weapons against staff, and can inflict serious harm on staff, that needs to be removed immediately,” he told the BBC. “We’re now worried about the knock-on effect of this and copycat incidents.”
Abedi was convicted of assisting with the Manchester terror plot, in which his suicide bomber brother Salman Abedi killed 22 people by detonating a a bomb hidden in a knapsack as fans were leaving the Grande concert. In addition to those killed, more than 260 people were wounded and hundreds of others were left with psychological injuries.
Counterterrorism officials are leading the investigation into the attack, with assistance from local police.
Indonesia, Egypt upgrade ties to strategic partnership on Prabowo’s Cairo visit
- Jakarta, Cairo established diplomatic ties in 1947
- Prabowo was on a multi-day tour to Middle East
Jakarta: Indonesia and Egypt elevated their ties to a strategic partnership during President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Cairo, his office said on Sunday.
Prabowo and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi signed the joint declaration following their meeting in the Egyptian capital on Saturday, the Cabinet Secretariat said in a statement.
“The signing of the joint declaration is an important milestone in diplomatic ties between the two countries, signifying Indonesia and Egypt’s strong commitment to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic level,” the statement reads.
“Through this strategic partnership, Indonesia and Egypt are committed to (strengthening) cooperation in various priority fields. From politics, economy, security, defense, culture and education ties, as well as people-to-people relations.”
Subianto was in Cairo as part of his multi-day tour to the Middle East and has visited the UAE and Turkiye. This was his second time in Egypt since taking office in October.
Egypt was one of the first countries to recognize Indonesia’s independence, with the two nations establishing diplomatic ties in 1947.
Both Jakarta and Cairo believe that their “strong and historic partnership” will provide “real benefits” for the country and their peoples, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Egypt ranks third among Indonesia’s top export destinations in the Middle East and North Africa, just after the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
With bilateral trade volume worth around $1.7 billion in 2024, Egypt is Indonesia’s top trade partner in North Africa alone. Palm oil, coffee beans, and coconut oil are some of Indonesia’s main exports to Egypt.
“President Prabowo’s visit to Egypt is very important. The strategic partnership that resulted from it is quite broad and will be beneficial for the future of both countries,” Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations expert from Padjadjaran University in West Java, told Arab News.
While trade has been a big aspect of bilateral ties, defense cooperation will likely be a focus of the strategic partnership, he said.
“The most likely area of focus will be defense cooperation … since Egypt has experience in facing different kinds of challenges at the border,” Rezasyah said, referring to Egypt’s shared land borders with a number of states, including Libya, Sudan, and the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza.
Through the partnership, Jakarta may be seeking to learn more closely from Cairo’s experience in dealing with various issues in the Middle East, alluding to Prabowo’s ongoing trip to the region that was aimed at boosting Indonesia’s role in ending Israel’s war on Gaza.
A staunch supporter of Palestine, the Indonesian government and people see Palestinian statehood as being mandated by their own constitution, which calls for the abolition of colonialism.
“(Learning from) Egypt’s experience might allow Indonesia to have an active role when crises occur in the Middle East, and there’s a big chance that Indonesia might get a mandate from the UN to do so,” Rezasyah said.
Russian strike on city center of Ukraine’s Sumy kills 32
SUMY: A Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy killed at least 32 people, including two children, and wounded dozens on Sunday, Kyiv said, in the deadliest attack in months.
European leaders expressed indignation at Moscow’s attack on Sumy’s city center, while Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, pointed out it happened on Palm Sunday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said it showed Russia’s “blatant disregard for human lives, international law and the diplomatic efforts of President (Donald) Trump.”
The strike came two days after US envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin and push Trump’s efforts to end the war.
Sumy lies close to the Russian border and has come under increasing attack for weeks.
The local emergency service said on social media that the latest toll was that “32 people died, including two children” and that “84 people were injured, including 10 children.”
An AFP reporter saw bodies covered in silver sheets strewn in the center of the city, with a destroyed trolleybus. Rescuers were seen working on the rubble of a building.
One woman told AFP she heard two explosions.
“This second blow... A lot of people were very badly injured. A lot of corpses,” she said, struggling to speak.
It was the second Russian attack with a large civilian death toll this month. Trump has voiced anger at Moscow for “bombing like crazy” in Ukraine.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow launched a ballistic missile on Sumy and called on the world to put pressure on Russia to end the three-year war.
He called for a “strong response” from Europe and the United States, saying: “Talking has never stopped ballistic missiles and bombs.”
He added that the deadly attack occurred “on a day when people go to church: Palm Sunday, the feast of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem.”
Macron said the Russian attack showed what “everyone knows: this war was initiated by Russia alone. And today, it is clear that Russia alone chooses to continue it.”
In a statement on social media, he added: “Strong measures are needed to impose a ceasefire on Russia. France is working tirelessly toward this goal, alongside its partners.”
European Council chief Antonio Costa condemned the “criminal attack,” saying that “this war exists and endures only because Russia chooses so.”
Local authorities in Sumy published footage of bodies strewn on the street and people running for safety, with cars on fire and wounded civilians on the ground.
Russia has relentlessly attacked Ukraine in recent weeks, extending the violence wrought by its all-out invasion that has gone on for more than three years.
In early April, a Russian attack on the central city of Kryvyi Rig killed 18 people, including nine children.
Russia has refused a US-proposed unconditional ceasefire and been accused by Ukraine and its European allies of dragging out the war and seeking to stall efforts for peace negotiations.
Sumy has been under increasing pressure since Moscow pushed back many of Ukraine’s troops from its Kursk region inside Russia, across the border.
The eastern Ukrainian city so far has been spared the kind of fighting seen farther south, in the Donetsk region. But Kyiv for weeks has warned that Moscow could mount an offensive on Sumy.
Russia in recent weeks has claimed the capture of a village in the Sumy region, for the first time since the early days of its 2022 invasion.
Russia launched its invasion partially through the Sumy region and briefly occupied parts of it before being pushed back by Ukrainian forces.
Moscow has not yet commented on the strike.
On Sunday, it said it captured another village in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
China’s Xi vows to Indonesia’s Prabowo to deepen partnership, Xinhua says
SHANGHAI: Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to deepen his country’s strategic partnership with Indonesia in a call with President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Xi told Prabowo the bilateral partnership had strategic significance and impact globally, as the two exchanged congratulations over the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, Xinhua said.
Beijing is trying to persuade other nations to hew to a common line against US import tariffs announced by President Donald Trump.
Xi will visit Indonesia’s fellow Southeast Asian nations Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia from Monday, aiming to consolidate ties with some of China’s closest neighbors as trade tension escalates with the United States.
South Korea’s ex-president Yoon to face insurrection trial
SEOUL: Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol will face his first criminal trial on Monday for insurrection after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, which plunged the democratic country into political turmoil.
Yoon sought to impose military rule on the country when he ordered the suspension of political activity and the censorship of media on December 3. The decree lasted just six hours as it was voted down by opposition MPs.
The disastrous attempt led to Yoon’s impeachment by the National Assembly shortly thereafter, with the Constitutional Court fully stripping him of his presidential duties on April 4.
Although he has lost all presidential privileges, Yoon still faces a criminal trial on insurrection charges, which will kick off Monday.
During a preliminary hearing in February, Yoon’s lawyers argued that his detention had been procedurally flawed, an argument accepted by the court, leading to his release 52 days after his arrest.
He was detained in January in a dawn raid after holding out against police and prosecutors for weeks, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested.
If convicted, Yoon could face life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
On Friday, the 64-year-old former leader vacated the presidential residence and returned to his private home in Seoul, greeting supporters along the way.
“Now, I return to being an ordinary citizen of the Republic of Korea, and I will seek a new path in service of our country and our people,” he said in a statement.
With Yoon’s removal, South Korea is set to hold a snap election on June 3 to elect his successor. Until then, the country is governed by acting president Han Duck-soo.
