Turkey has suspended trade with Israel because of the country’s ongoing military action in Gaza, Turkey’s trade ministry announced last week, according to an unofficial translation. It said it has “decided to move to a new phase in economic relations with Israel,” including restrictions on exports and imports, until Israel reaches a “permanent ceasefire” with Hamas and allows “uninterrupted access of aid” to Gaza.
Israel's Supreme Court earlier this month overturned a lower court decision that ordered Mizrahi Tefahot Bank to transfer a donation Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich sought to make to Israeli humanitarian group ZAKA Search and Rescue, according to Israeli newspaper Globes. The bank refused to process the transaction, which totaled over $213,000, due to the risk of EU and U.K. sanctions being levied against the bank for circumvention of sanctions on Abramovich.
Madagascar opened a safeguard investigation Dec. 27 on polypropylene woven sheaths and bags, the island nation told the World Trade Organization's Committee on Safeguards, the WTO announced. Madagascar said interested parties should tell the investigating authority within 30 days from the date of the initiation of the investigation, which was Dec. 27, if they wish to submit comments on the proceeding.
International shipping companies are being forced to "reroute their vessels" around the Cape of Good Hope amid a rise in attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group on ships transiting the Red Sea, "adding significant cost and weeks of delay to the delivery of goods," the U.S. and 12 other countries said in a joint statement Jan. 3 (see 2312200045). They said the Houthi attacks on ships are "jeopardizing the movement of critical food, fuel, and humanitarian assistance throughout the world."
South Africa recently lifted a ban on poultry imports from 27 U.S. states, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report this month. South Africa originally imposed the ban on U.S. poultry after highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in February 2022, USDA said. The agency said it worked with industry for “a year and half” to urge South Africa to remove the ban, which is allowed after the U.S. veterinary health authority has cleared the poultry. USDA estimated U.S. export sales for poultry could grow by $50 million as a result of lifting the ban. However, South African import restrictions on poultry and "other products derived from poultry" remain for 10 states: Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Utah.
The Dubai Maritime Authority recently ended the temporary freeze on container charges it introduced in May, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 19. Container service providers can now change their charges by filing an application through the Dubai Trade single‑window platform, and they must publish previous charges filed with Dubai on their corporate website within 30 days, the report said. Service providers without a website must give customers a list of container charges in advance. The authority also introduced a new system to allow service providers to charge for their services directly and the local port operator to “issue invoices separately for services provided, such as terminal handling” and truck loading, HKTDC said.
Turkey recently announced a three-month export ban on bulk olive oil shipments, including in barrels, due to shortages of olive oil products in the Mediterranean, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report last week. The restrictions apply until Nov. 1.
The Dubai Maritime Authority recently issued new rules designed to increase transparency surrounding container charges, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported June 2. Under the new rules, new service providers licensed with the agency must submit “a list of current local sea container charges within 30 days” of receiving their license, and service providers are “prohibited from raising their sea container charges, other than to match any new or increased authority, port operator, or government charges.”
Nigeria recently announced new import taxes and bans on a range of products, including alcohol, vehicles and pharmaceuticals, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported May 25. New taxes apply to imports of all alcoholic beverages, motor vehicles with engines, single-use plastics and certain telecommunication services. An import ban now applies to motor vehicles over 12 years old, certain pharmaceutical products -- such as paracetamol, vitamin B‑complex, aspirin and multivitamins -- and certain fertilizers.
Turkey set new import duties on wheat, barley, corn and other grains, which were previously tariff-free but became subject to a 130% duty on May 1, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a recent report. USDA said the duty was likely introduced to protect farmers from a potential influx of cheap grain imports caused by a “widening price gap between domestic and Black Sea grain.” The tariff was also “higher than was originally expected and surprised some local grain traders,” the agency said, adding that the rate is the maximum it can set on grains under World Trade Organization rules.