Chinese ships transit Hormuz Strait
Three Chinese vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz following coordination with relevant parties, according to China’s Foreign Ministry, AP reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the transit was conducted with assistance from unnamed parties. “We appreciate the assistance provided by the relevant parties,” she stated, without offering further details.
Mao reiterated China’s call for an immediate ceasefire, emphasizing the strategic importance of the strait as a key route for global goods and energy trade, according to AP.
China expresses ‘gratitude’ after three ships transit Strait of Hormuz
China expressed “gratitude” on March 31 as it said three Chinese ships had transited the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has all but closed during the war in the Middle East, Reuters reported.
Two of the vessels passed through the strait, crucial for transporting oil and gas, on March 30 as they exited the Gulf, tracking data showed.
The CSCL Indian Ocean crossed the strait at around 0914 GMT on March 30, followed by the CSCL Arctic Ocean 27 minutes later, according to data from MarineTraffic, according to Reuters.
Three UN peacekeepers killed in Lebanon as Israeli strikes pummel south
Three United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon after a bloody weekend in which Lebanese journalists and medics were killed in Israeli strikes, Reuters reported.
Two peacekeepers were killed on Monday after an explosion from an unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan in south Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL said in a statement. Two other soldiers were wounded in the blast.
Another Indonesian soldier was killed overnight Sunday into Monday when a projectile exploded near one of the group’s positions close to the southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr. Another peacekeeper was critically injured at the time, according to Reuters.
Korean Air takes emergency action as fuel prices soar
Korean Air says it is moving into emergency management mode to buffer the impact of surging jet fuel costs as the global economy is rocked by the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran, BBC reported.
A spokesperson for the national flag carrier said on Tuesday that it will implement "internal cost-reduction measures" to manage its finances to ensure the firm's "stability amidst rising fuel prices and global economic uncertainty".
It is the latest Asian airline to announce measures to deal with the economic impact of the Iran war.
