August 1, 2022

*) First shipment of Ukraine grain leaves Odessa under Türkiye-brokered deal As part of a recent deal brokered by Türkiye, the first ship carrying Ukrainian grain has departed from the port of Odessa to Lebanon. Loaded with corn, the Sierra Leone-flagged dry cargo ship Razoni left Odessa on Monday morning, Türkiye’s Defence Ministry said in a statement. The ship is carrying over 26,000 tonnes of corn, the Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Centre said. An earlier statement by the Turkish Defence Ministry said other convoys would follow "along the (maritime) corridors as the "procedures are completed". *) NATO-led KFOR ready to intervene amid Kosovo-Serbia tensions NATO's forces in Kosovo are prepared to intervene if stability is endangered in the north of Kosovo, KFOR has said in a press release. The commander of KFOR is in contact with all of his main interlocutors, as well as Serbian and Kosovar senior defence officials, to calm the tensions, the statement said. Tensions between Pristina and Belgrade are running high as air raid sirens were heard for more than three hours in the small border town of Mitrovica. *) ​​UN chief urges de-escalation amid tensions over Iraqi PM nomination UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Iraqi parties to de-escalate the situation and avoid violence amid tension over the nomination of a new prime minister. In a statement on Saturday, Guterres’ spokesperson said the UN chief is "following with concern" the ongoing protests in Iraq that left many people injured. The spokesperson urged Iraqi parties and actors "to rise above their differences and form, through peaceful and inclusive dialogue, an effective national government". *) Moscow strikes Ukraine's south, drone hits Russian Crimean fleet Ukraine said the "brutal" shelling by Moscow so far of the southern city Mykolaiv killed a grain tycoon. Meanwhile, Russia claimed an attack from a drone wounded six personnel at the headquarters of its Black Sea fleet. Russian bombardment of the eastern town