Israel, Colombia announce mutual visa exemption from September
Israel and Colombia will waive advance visa requirements for travellers from 1 September as the two countries move to restore diplomatic and econom...
Eight more suspected cases of African swine fever have been found near Barcelona as Spain battles to contain growing damage to its multi-billion-euro pork exports.
Eight additional wild boar showing signs of African swine fever were detected near Barcelona, La Vanguardia reported on Sunday, citing sources close to the Catalan agriculture ministry. Two infections have been confirmed, while 12 further animals are awaiting test results. If verified, the total number of infected boar would rise to 14.
Reuters could not reach the Catalan government for comment.
Taiwan has banned all pork products and live pig imports, while China has stopped pork imports from Barcelona province, according to a Chinese Customs document seen by Reuters. Britain has temporarily halted pork imports from Catalonia, and Mexico has suspended imports of pork products from Spain.
Spain’s agriculture minister said on Saturday that about one-third of the country’s pork export certificates had been blocked following the first outbreak of the disease since 1994 in Europe’s largest pork-producing nation.
“Of the 400 export certificates to 104 countries, a third are blocked. We are working to open them as quickly as possible,” Agriculture Minister Luis Planas told reporters. He said Spain’s pork exports are worth 8.8 billion euros a year, adding: “Our task is to keep international markets open.”
African swine fever does not affect humans but spreads quickly among pigs and wild boar. Several countries have already introduced restrictions in response to the cases in Spain.
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
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Russian ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has killed at least sixteen people and injured more than forty others, Ukrainian officials said, with fires reported across the city and Poland activating defensive air operations.
South African human rights and environmental groups have urged the government to block Israeli-linked Navitas Petroleum from acquiring a stake in a major offshore oil block, citing concerns over the war in Gaza and environmental risks.
Israel and Colombia will waive advance visa requirements for travellers from 1 September as the two countries move to restore diplomatic and economic relations following years of tensions over the war in Gaza.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Hezbollah on Thursday, redesignating the Lebanese group over what Washington described as its actions on behalf of the Iranian government and targeting 10 people accused of moving cash for the group.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
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