Ukraine Ports Have Shipped around 5.3 Mln T of Food under Grain Deal

Trucks being filled with Ukrainian corn from the ship AK Ambition, sailing under the flag of Panama at Tripoli seaport, in Tripoli, north Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. (AP)
Trucks being filled with Ukrainian corn from the ship AK Ambition, sailing under the flag of Panama at Tripoli seaport, in Tripoli, north Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. (AP)
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Ukraine Ports Have Shipped around 5.3 Mln T of Food under Grain Deal

Trucks being filled with Ukrainian corn from the ship AK Ambition, sailing under the flag of Panama at Tripoli seaport, in Tripoli, north Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. (AP)
Trucks being filled with Ukrainian corn from the ship AK Ambition, sailing under the flag of Panama at Tripoli seaport, in Tripoli, north Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. (AP)

A total of 231 ships with 5.3 million tons of agricultural products on board have left Ukraine so far under a deal brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye to unblock Ukrainian sea ports, the Ukrainian infrastructure ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry said nine ships with 345,300 tons of agricultural products had left Ukrainian Black Sea ports on Tuesday, including capsize ship MARAN EXCELLENCE loaded with 115,000 tons of food.

Ukraine's grain exports slumped after Russia invaded the country on Feb. 24 and blockaded its Black Sea ports, driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East.

Ukraine, a major global grain producer and exporter, shipped up to 6 million tons of grain per month before the war.

Three Black Sea ports were reopened under a deal signed on July 22 by Moscow and Kyiv and the ministry has said these ports are able to load and send abroad 100-150 cargo ships per month.



US Wants to 'Divide Europe', EU's Kallas Tells FT

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
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US Wants to 'Divide Europe', EU's Kallas Tells FT

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the US wants to "divide Europe" and doesn't "like the European Union" in an interview published by the Financial Times on Friday, after more than a year of turmoil in transatlantic relations.

"What I think is actually important for everybody to understand is that the US has been very clear that they ‌want to divide ‌Europe. They don't like the ‌European ⁠Union," Kallas told the ⁠FT.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly targeted the European Union in his second term, imposing tariffs on member countries and others and talking about annexing Greenland - a move that could effectively end the NATO alliance.

This week, Trump's administration ⁠launched trade investigations into the EU and ‌other countries, including ‌China, India, Japan, South Korea and Mexico, over what ‌it said were unfair trade practices. Under the ‌investigation, the countries could face new tariffs by this summer, after the US Supreme Court tore down much of Trump's tariff program last month.

Kallas said ‌the United States' approach to the EU echoed tactics used by the bloc's ⁠adversaries, ⁠according to the FT.

EU countries should not be looking to deal with Trump bilaterally, she said, and instead should deal with him together, "because we are equal powers when we are together," the FT reported.

On defense, however, Kallas said the bloc needed "to buy from America because we don't have the assets or the possibilities or the capabilities that we need," adding that Europe needed to invest in its own defense industry.


Israelis Demand Netanyahu Clarify War’s Exit Strategy

Israelis take shelter in a subway station as sirens warn of incoming Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on March 7 (AP)
Israelis take shelter in a subway station as sirens warn of incoming Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on March 7 (AP)
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Israelis Demand Netanyahu Clarify War’s Exit Strategy

Israelis take shelter in a subway station as sirens warn of incoming Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on March 7 (AP)
Israelis take shelter in a subway station as sirens warn of incoming Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on March 7 (AP)

Growing public unease in Israel over the war with Iran has prompted mounting calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to clarify the conflict’s objectives and trajectory.

The demands follow conflicting statements about when the war might end, coupled with Netanyahu’s continued refusal to answer questions from the press. Instead, the prime minister has released daily video statements as the conflict entered its 13th day. Government ministers have also reportedly been instructed not to speak with journalists.

Media outlets sharply criticized the government on Thursday, arguing that the public is being left in the dark about the war’s goals or its possible duration.

Some commentators say both Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump entered the conflict without a clear exit strategy. Trump has suggested that the war’s objectives have largely been achieved, while Netanyahu has said the fighting will continue “as long as necessary,” without specifying a timeline.

Tensions ran high overnight Wednesday after rumors spread of a major coordinated missile attack by Iran and Hezbollah. Israeli journalists who investigated the reports found that the information appeared credible. However, attempts to publish the story were blocked by Israel’s military censor.

Reporters initially assumed the censorship was intended to protect intelligence sources. But within an hour, the same information appeared on the American network CNN, citing security sources in Tel Aviv, prompting anger among Israeli journalists.

As rumors circulated, fear among residents quickly escalated into panic, with some people rushing to shelters even though no air-raid sirens had sounded.

The incident triggered sharp criticism of the military censor in Israeli media. Journalists and analysts accused authorities of withholding critical information from the public.

Nitzan Shapira, a correspondent for Channel 12 whose report was blocked, said the decision deprived citizens of the opportunity to prepare calmly for incoming missiles.

“Instead of Israeli citizens receiving timely information that would allow them to move to shelters in an orderly way, the censor intervened and withheld the information until people heard it from foreign sources,” he said. “This is an absurd situation.”

A military commentator on the right-leaning Channel 14 went further, accusing the army of weakness. He argued that intelligence warnings about a potential wave of Hezbollah rocket fire should have prompted stronger military action, including strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut.

Meanwhile, Israeli social media circulated statements attributed to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps claiming Tehran could launch large-scale attacks using Kheibar, Qader, and Khorramshahr missiles capable of striking wide-ranging areas for hours.

Israeli military officials said they had no evidence that simultaneous activity from Iran and Lebanon was part of a coordinated campaign. Still, the possibility of attacks on two fronts heightened public concern.

Local leaders in Israel’s northern Galilee region, returning from a meeting with Home Front Command, urged residents to remain close to shelters and maintain heightened readiness.

There has also been growing unease along Israel’s northern border. Since Hezbollah joined the conflict, it has carried out repeated rocket attacks. Although fewer in number than earlier barrages before the last ceasefire, some reportedly included precision missiles with ranges of up to 165 kilometers.

Yet, Israeli army spokesman Effie Defrin sought to calm the public, saying the military was aware of concerns about a possible escalation.

“There is no change in the protective guidelines issued by the Home Front Command,” Defrin said, urging Israelis to follow civil defense instructions.

In Israeli media, Defrin has become the main official voice addressing the public, while many journalists say they remain constrained by censorship.

Some now openly question whether such restrictions are appropriate for what they describe as a Western democracy in 2026.


Iran Guards Vow ‘Stronger’ Response Than in January if New Protests Erupt

A security personnel stands guard as Iranians take part in a protest marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A security personnel stands guard as Iranians take part in a protest marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Iran Guards Vow ‘Stronger’ Response Than in January if New Protests Erupt

A security personnel stands guard as Iranians take part in a protest marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A security personnel stands guard as Iranians take part in a protest marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the country's military, warned on Friday that any new protests against the authorities would be met with a stronger response than in January, when several thousand people were killed.

"The evil enemy, failing to achieve its field battle goals, is once again pursuing the instillation of fear and street riots," the Guards said in a statement broadcast on TV, promising "a stronger blow than on January 8" in the event of new unrest.

The warning comes two weeks into Iran's war with the United States and Israel in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says one of the aims is to "create, for the Iranian people, the conditions to bring down" the Iranian government.

US President Donald Trump has also called for Iranians to rise up and overthrow their government.

In December, protests against the high cost of living in Iran turned into a broad protest movement against the authorities.

It reached its peak on January 8 with what Iranian authorities called "riots" blamed on "terrorists" working on behalf of Israel and the United States.

The official death toll from Iranian authorities stands at more than 3,000, with the government saying the vast majority were members of security forces or passers-by.

NGOs based abroad have accused the security forces of deliberately firing on demonstrators.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, based in the United States, says more than 7,000 people were killed.