Trade News & Birr Rates
Headlines on world trade, policy and shipping from public feeds. Each story opens on the publisher's own site.
EU Retreats From Arctic Oil Ban Language In Strategy Draft
By Heidi Taksdal Skjeseth and Alberto Nardelli Oct 19, 2026 (Bloomberg) –The European Union looks to be relaxing its opposition to oil and gas production in polar areas, while still calling...
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Venture Global Begins Supplying Plaquemines Customers Under Long-Term LNG Contracts
By Curtis Williams HOUSTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) – Energy major Shell SHEL.L was the first customer to receive LNG under a long-term sales contract from Venture Global’s VG.N Plaquemines export plant in…
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Shipping Strikes In Hormuz Leave Both Sides With Economic Pain
By Gerry Doyle Oct 31, 2026 (Bloomberg) –As US President Donald Trump threatens renewed attacks against Iran, Tehran’s intermittent strikes on commercial vessels have left the two sides locked in a…
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Taiwan Says China Harassing Shipping With East Coast Patrol
TAIPEI, Nov 1 (Reuters) – China’s Coast Guard is harassing shipping with its latest patrol off Taiwan’s east coast and trying to exert a fictional jurisdiction, the Taiwanese Coast Guard said, adding…
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Russia Extends Ban On Most Diesel Exports Through January
By Bloomberg News Oct 31, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Russia’s government has extended a general ban on diesel exports by producers until the end of January while still allowing some volumes to flow...
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Iran’s IRGC Navy Says Four Tankers Catch Fire In Strait Of Hormuz
DUBAI, Oct 30 (Reuters) – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Friday that four oil tankers had caught fire and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, while attempting to use what it described as…
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Strike Threat at Los Angeles, Long Beach Ports Delayed as Union and Employers Extend Talks
A potential strike threatening operations at some of the busiest container terminals in the United States has been pushed back after the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International…
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How MARAD Cut Years Off Deepwater Port Reviews Without Changing Environmental Standards
As gCaptain reported earlier this week, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced its approval of the $8.2 billion Texas ST LNG export port application, a major development for U.S. energy…
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Hanwha Philly Shipyard Wins $269 Million U.S. Navy Landing Ship Contract
Hanwha Philly Shipyard has secured a $269 million contract to build a Medium Landing Ship (LSM) for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, marking a major milestone in the South...
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Grimaldi Warns U.S. Port Fees Could Force Ships Out of American Trades
Italian shipping giant Grimaldi Group is warning that reinstating U.S. port fees on foreign-built vehicle carriers could force it to redeploy vessels away from American trades, potentially disrupting…
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Global Review concludes with a declaration on partnerships for trade and development
Marking the 20th anniversary of the Aid for Trade Initiative, WTO members adopted a declaration on 30 October repositioning the initiative as "Aid for Trade: partnerships for trade and development".…
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AI is changing the way we think. The question is whether we’ll notice in time
Artificial intelligence promises to make life easier. With a few keystrokes, it can write emails, summarize reports, generate ideas and answer complex questions in seconds. For many people, it feels…
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Afghanistan opium production jumps fivefold as farmers find ways round Taliban ban
Opium production in Afghanistan has risen fivefold in a year. According to a UN survey released on Thursday, it’s the first significant increase since the Taliban banned poppy cultivation in 2022.
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New report looks at role of South-South and triangular cooperation for trade development
The growing importance of trade between developing economies - South-South trade - is highlighted in a joint publication launched on Day 1 (29 October) of the 10th Global Review of Aid for Trade by…
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Global Review 2026 spotlights partnerships for trade and development
"Developing economies seeking trade success need stronger partnerships with all stakeholders," WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said in her opening remarks at the 2026 Global Review on 29…
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Côte d'Ivoire President: Re-globalization an opportunity to move beyond traditional trade
"Re-globalization presents an opportunity for developing countries to move beyond their traditional areas of specialization in exporting primary products, and to occupy a more prominent place in the…
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WHO, WIPO and the WTO to hold 13th Joint Technical Symposium on 25 November 2026
The World Health Organization (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) will hold the 13th Joint Technical Symposium on Enabling Ecosystems for…
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Members review regional trade agreements, confirm meeting frequency, adopt annual report
At a meeting of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) on 29 October, WTO members considered five regional trade agreements (RTAs) among members as well as three involving non-members.…
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Backing for UN call to end Cuba embargo falls to 20-year low
The UN General Assembly on Wednesday called for the 34th time for an end to the US economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba – but with the weakest backing for the resolution in two decades.
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Trade Policy Review: Democratic Republic of the Congo
The third review of the trade policies and practices of the Democratic Republic of the Congo takes place on 28 and 30 October 2026. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a…
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General Assembly weighs US embargo against Cuba ahead of 34th vote
The General Assembly opened its annual debate on the US economic embargo against Cuba on Tuesday. On Wednesday, 28 October, Member States will vote for the 34th time on a resolution calling for it to…
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Four in five domestic workers lack formal job protections, UN finds
An estimated 66.5 million domestic workers – representing more than four out of five domestic workers worldwide – were informally employed in 2025, a new report by the UN’s labour organisation has…
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WTO members discuss proposals on key trade and development issues
At meetings of the WTO's Committee on Trade and Development on 26-27 October 2026, members continued discussions on proposals covering trade as an engine for economic growth and the integration of…
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Members review notifications, anti-dumping actions at committee meeting
The WTO’s Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices met on 27 October 2026 to review members’ latest notifications of new, amended or previously reviewed anti-dumping laws and regulations as well as…
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