Reuters reported that Ukraine proposed a deal to Russia to stop their attack on civilian vessels in the Black Sea. This was an attempt by both parties to reopen a vital grain corridor.
Kyiv reportedly made its offer via a third-party. Moscow is yet to reply, according to the news agency. This busy waterway, which is used by both Russia and Ukraine to export grain and essential foodstuffs around the world, has yet to be responded.
Ukraine effectively shut down the commercial Russian shipping route since July. The drones of Ukraine have targeted nearly 220 ships in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, including grain cargo vessels, passenger ferries, and oil tankers.
A Russian river system connects the Caspian Sea to the Sea of Azov. The Russian campaign forced Russia suspend all shipping in the canal. This route runs through the Kerch Strait, which connects occupied Crimea with Russia. It then leads to the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey.
In the same time period, Russia intensified its attack on Ukraine’s south ports, causing a serious blow to Ukraine’s agriculture sector. Odesa and its neighbouring ports of Chornomorsk, Pivdenne and Pivdenne are the origin of 90% of all grain and sunflower exports.
The Golden Leo grain ship, owned by Turkey, left Odesa in July. The majority of victims came from India and Syria. In other recent attacks, 16 more port workers and sailors were killed.
The reported offer from Kyiv appears pragmatic and allows both parties to resume vital shipments for international food safety. The move comes just as harvesting season in Ukraine begins, and shipping out of Ukrainian ports is at a standstill.
This offer follows a report by the Financial Times that US Vice-President JD Vance had requested from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop some of the attacks against the Russian Black Sea Port of Novorossiysk.
Vance, in a telephone call made on the 31st of July, complained about Ukrainian attacks on oil tankers transporting oil from Kazakhstan that were harming US firms and destabilising prices for oil. The newspaper reported that he told Zelenskyy, who was not named, to stop the strikes.
Zelenskyy’s office did not comment, but Kyiv has been in delicate negotiations with Trump administration. The US is making Patriot interceptors for Ukraine to protect its cities against Russian drone and ballistic missile swarms.
Ukraine’s unmanned system forces did not attack any ships transporting oil to the Caspian Pipeline consortium terminal since the telephone call. They have, however, continued to attack other targets around Novorossiysk which houses the Black Sea fleet of Russia.
Zelenskyy, a Zelenskyy, praised a combined “massive attack” on the port that included rockets, sea drones and jets. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has destroyed Russian warships including two frigates and a large landing vessel, as well as a corvette, among others. He wrote in Telegram that they had “hidden” themselves in Novorossiysk Bay.
Two major terminals for grain export were also reported as targets. Russian officials confirmed that three people were killed, among them a child. It is perfectly justified for Ukraine to respond to Russia’s conflict, but it is Russia who can and must end this war,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Both sides had previously agreed to an agreement that was mediated by the UN and Turkey, which aimed at stopping maritime attacks. Black Sea grain initiative ran from July 20,22 until July 2023. The Kremlin, claiming that Western sanctions are damaging Russia’s agriculture sector, refused to renew the initiative.

Tennessee executed death-row inmate Anthony Darrell Hines on Thursday morning. This was less than three month after Tennessee’s previous execution attempt had to be called off due to difficulties establishing IV access for the lethal injection.
Hines was 66 when he died at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville, for the 1985 murder of Catherine Jean Jenkins. Darrell Hines died at 10:43 am.
Jenkins’s four children, as well as her husband and father-in-law have suffered the loss of her for decades. She was killed while working at a hotel.
Jean, 54 years old at the time of her death in March 1985 was working as a motel clerk. Melissa Jenkins, her daughter at the time was 22, died in March 1985.
Immediately after the execution, Jenkins’ family and witnesses spoke with the media. Dennis Jenkins’ son, Jenkins Jenkins, spoke first.
Dennis told those who were concerned about whether this animal (Hines) suffered. “Let me tell you how he treated my mother.”
The murder of Hines’ mother is recounted by the son. He claims that Hines killed his mother with the same knife and sexually abused her.
Dennis concluded his remarks by expressing satisfaction with the way Hines’ execution went.
Dennis replied, “Yes I do hope that he suffered because the abuse he gave to my mom is not comparable to the pain he has just endured.”
Melissa Jenkins Jenkins also made remarks after the execution.
Melissa expressed her feelings for her family’s ability to recover from the death of her mother.
Melissa said, “We’ll always remember the great person that our mother was…This is the day of justice.” After so many years we can finally close this chapter in our lives.
Witnesses from media also described Hines’ death as it unfolded. Witnesses said that the curtain was opened at or about 10:30 am and Hines on the gurney in the death chamber.
Karen Aguilar of FOX 17 News described Hines’s son as “visibly distraught” at his execution.
Hines was covered in his hands and had one of his arms bent due to a stroke. Hines declined to make any final statements when asked.
Witnesses said that Hines was also unable to speak clearly and could not understand what he had been saying at the start of the execution. Witnesses report that the spiritual adviser who stood beside Hines repeatedly repeated, “You are a beautiful son or daughter of God”, throughout his execution.
Media witnesses reported that Hines screamed and groaned loudly as the discoloration appeared on his face.
The death time was 10:43 am.
Decades after her mother’s life was taken, daughter of Mrs. Jenkins prepares for execution
Katherine Dix released a press release expressing her sympathy to the family of Jean Jenkins while condemning Tennessee for executing Hines.
Below is the full Dix statement.
“I would like to begin by expressing my sorrow for Catherine Jean Jenkins’ family. God bless you.
I also mourn the violence that the State of Tennessee has inflicted upon us today. Darrell was, of course poisoned just moments before. We are all required to watch passively as Darrell is murdered. Prison guards, officials and others who are required to take part in their jobs. Darrell’s father, who had just met Darrell for the first-time four days earlier and witnessed his death this morning. The cruelty we saw today was not something that happens every day. I ask everyone to remain alert and not to become indifferent or numb to it.
Darrell’s legal team and family cared deeply for him. His childhood was filled with poverty and violence. He was not provided with enough food and had a stable and safe home by his family or community. Darrell was scarred by years of abuse, but he could still make people laugh. Darrell was an expert storyteller. He was a fantasy book lover and enjoyed the stories that provided an escape. He is funny. He was loyal. He followed a strict code. He was God’s child.
The leaders of the state have repeatedly invoked the sacredness of life. But today, the State executed a blind man, paralyzed in his left leg, who could not walk and suffered from constant pain. Then they lifted him onto a wheeled gurney, and rolled him into the chamber of death. “May God have mercy upon us all.”
Hines spent over four decades in Tennessee’s Death Row before his execution. Darrell Hines was denied clemency by Governor Bill Lee on Tuesday.
Attorneys tried to stop today’s execution, regardless of whether the Governor granted clemency. They argued that Hines’ health condition and the unanswered question about the state execution team created a danger of problems similar to those seen in the May attempted execution of Tony Carrruthers.
The medical team spent over an hour trying unsuccessfully to set up the backup IV access during Carruthers’ May 21 attempt at execution.
The execution of the sentence was then called off.
Darrell Hines’ attorneys files new challenge hours before scheduled execution
Hines’ lawyers argued that his condition could have made it more difficult to establish IV access. Hines was partially paralyzed by strokes he suffered in January and December 2026. The attorneys for Hines say that his medical conditions and age increase the risk of complications as the execution team attempts to set up IV access.
Hines breathed his last Thursday, despite the efforts of the lawyers to stop it.

Overnight Thursday, clashes between Iran-backed Houthi Rebels and Yemeni government forces raged as violence spreads. This is fueling fears of a resurgence in Yemen’s civil conflict and a possible new Middle East front.
Check out the most recent developments regarding the Iran War and Middle East in general. You can find the full coverage here.
Yemeni soldiers killed during clashes between Iranian-backed Houthi Rebels
Yemeni officials confirmed to The Associated Press that at least one soldier of the Yemeni government was killed in clashes with Houthi rebels in the mountains province Taiz and another had been critically injured.
Fighting broke out as a result of the Houthis’ recent assaults on areas held by the government across the entire country. The Yemeni army said that dozens of government soldiers have died in attacks carried out since last Monday.
The Houthi controlled SABA reported on Thursday that drones were used by Houthi forces to attack an Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia for the second day in a row. An anonymous military source was cited.
Saudi officials have not commented on the reported attack at a refinery in Jazan. Last weekend, the Houthis fired drones at the refinery. The Saudi Energy Ministry said there was a fire in the facility but that no one had been injured.
Houthis claim to have targeted military and storage facilities and have used drones and rockets against government-held zones. The Houthis have been targeting oil installations in Saudi Arabia which is a neighboring country that supports the Yemeni Government, as well as the shipping of the Kingdom in the Red Sea.
Hans Grundberg is the U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen. He told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday in a briefing video that Yemen faces a greater threat of a return to war than any other time since the 2022 ceasefire ended almost a decade-long conflict.
Tom Fletcher, the U.N.’s humanitarian chief, has said that Yemen is facing “catastrophe”, due to rising hunger levels and health services crumbling in the midst of fighting. Tom Fletcher said that 6 million Yemenis face food insecurity at a level bordering on famine. This is “the largest number in the world.”
Iran and Oman work together to clean up oil spills on their coasts
As Iran has been fighting the U.S., Israel and other countries over oil supplies, spills are causing environmental harm.
Iran announced Thursday that it is working to clean an oil spill in the Strait of Hormuz off Qeshm Island. The semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA published images of oil smearing the beaches on Qeshm Island.
The Iranian government has not said the cause of the oil spill. However, TankerTrackers.com believes it was caused by an Iranian attack against a bulk ship off Oman.
Oman has responded to a second spillage in the Arabian Sea caused by a grounded tanker off its southern coastline. Since June, the tanker Caroline Bezengi – a vessel sanctioned by Russia and believed to belong to its “shadow fleet” – has been grounded after reporting an explosion. The cause of the explosion is not known and no party has claimed to be responsible.
The British company, which specializes in maritime response and risk management, announced on Thursday that it had been contracted to stop the leak and salvage the tanker off the coast of Oman. The oil from the tanker has spread for several weeks and reached shores thousands of kilometers north of the ship.
Two Israeli attacks in Gaza, including the death of a chief police officer, have killed two people
Health officials reported that Israeli airstrikes on Gaza Strip killed two and injured others.
According to Gaza’s interior ministry, Jamal Abu Kamil was fatally injured when his car was hit southwest of Gaza City. His body and that of another victim were taken by Shifa Hospital.
Israeli Military didn’t respond immediately to an inquiry about this strike.
According to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis where the two were treated, a separate Israeli attack killed one man and wounded another.
Israel’s military claimed it had struck the Hamas commander of a company in Khan Younis, who was “planning to carry out terror attacks against troops”.
The American Ambassador to Israel condemned the siege on Palestinian homes by settlers
U.S. Ambassador to Israel, John Bolton, condemned the siege of an American-Palestinian family in the Israeli-occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers. He called it “a horrific act of terror.”
Mike Huckabee’s comments on X were an unusually harsh rebuke by the Trump Administration of the most recent episode in a period when clashes have increased between settlers in the area and Palestinians.
Three homes were targeted by settlers in Qusra village on Sunday. They threw stones at the occupants and prevented them from leaving, even though supplies had run out.
Qusai Ab Rida, the brother of the Palestinian American homeowner who was holed up with his teenage son in the home to defend it on Thursday said that Israel’s army had moved them to another house but they still could not leave the neighborhood.
—

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – Wholesale inflation fell last month after gas prices reversed their Iran War spike. Other costs also cooled down. This is a sign of consumer inflation that could continue to fall in the coming months.
In July, the Labor Department’s Producer Price Index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers — increased by 4.7% compared to a year earlier. This is down from an increase of 5.5% in June. Wholesale prices remained unchanged on a monthly level from June to the following month, despite a slight decline of 0.1% in the preceding month.
These figures follow the consumer price report released by the government on Wednesday. It also indicated a slight cooling in prices last month. Consumer prices rose faster than wages in the last four months. This highlights the difficulty many Americans face to afford necessities like rent and utilities. In the future, if prices keep rising faster than wages, consumers will be forced to reduce their expenditure.
Advertisement
In July, the core wholesale price inflation rate fell to 4.2% from 4.7% a year ago, excluding volatile categories such as food and energy. Core prices fell 0.2% on a monthly level, from 0.4% in May and June.
Gas prices rose in August after falling at the beginning of July. This could cause inflation to rise again when August’s figures are released next month.
The cooling last month gives Federal Reserve officials more flexibility to avoid an interest rate increase when they meet next, in September. Fed officials debate whether to raise the key interest rate in order to fight inflation or to keep it at its current level, hoping that inflation will continue to fall on its own.
Advertisement
Wholesale prices are a good indicator of consumer inflation. The Fed uses the PCE index to gauge inflation. Economists are also interested in this data because it includes some components of the wholesale price index, such as healthcare and financial service. This price index is expected to be published later in the month.
Fed officials have been considering raising rates, after keeping them at the same level for most of this year. The government announced last week that employers had actually reduced jobs in July. This could be a sign of an economic slowdown, which would discourage the Fed from increasing borrowing rates.

The cost of doing business hasn’t risen as quickly as it did in recent months. This could mean that prices will slow down for consumers.
In the 12-month period that ended July, the Producer Price Index (which tracks price changes among producers and manufacturers) increased by 4.7%. This was down from 5.5%, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday.
Prices were flat on a monthly level after they fell by 0.1% in the month of June. Both were higher than expected by economists.
PPI is a measure that’s closely monitored to gauge wholesale inflation. It can be a good indicator of what the consumer could expect in the future. However, higher prices paid by businesses are not always passed through the entire supply chain.
After the spike in prices of oil, gas and other commodities caused by the Iran war, wholesale inflation has slowed down. In May, producer-level inflation reached a record high of 5.9% before energy prices fell in June and in July.
The wholesale food price also fell for the second consecutive month.
Since oil and gas can fluctuate widely monthly and be subject to sudden shocks, especially after a conflict, economists pay close attention to “core” measures of inflation that exclude volatile components. The Core PPI (which excludes energy and food prices) rose by 0.2% and then slowed down to just 4.2%. This is the lowest level in 4 months.
The Consumer Price Index for July showed on Wednesday that the inflation rate for commonly bought goods and services has slowed to 3.4% annually, which is the second consecutive month of lowering.
However, prices are rising faster than usual. This has been happening for over five years, which is having a negative impact on the household budget and affordability.
Ben Ayers is a senior economist at Nationwide. He noted that the latest PPI may indicate a slower rate of inflation for the end of summer. However, fuel prices are still unpredictable because the conflict in Iran continues.
While the report on Thursday paints a picture that wholesale inflation is easing, it also highlights localized pressures due to massive AI investment and build-out.
Storage and memory providers are putting a priority on high-performance chips for data centres because of the trillions being invested in AI-related components. This has diverted production from consumer goods and increased costs for manufacturers.
Prices for semiconductors and electronic components, such as those used in computers, have risen 27.1% from a previous year, down from the rate of 27.7% that was recorded in June.