Ship with Ukrainian grain cleared to travel to Lebanon

A boat with Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN officials heads to the Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, to check if the grain shipment is in accordance with a crucial agreement signed last month by Moscow and Kyiv, at an inspection area in the Black Sea off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey (Emrah Gurel/AP)

The first grain ship to depart Ukraine under a wartime deal is poised to cross through the Bosporus Strait and sail to Lebanon after its cargo was checked and approved, Turkish and Ukrainian authorities said.

An inspection team spent about 90 minutes conducting checks aboard the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, which was carrying Ukrainian corn and anchored off Istanbul, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said.