MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping after it seized three Ukrainian naval ships nearby, the RIA news agency cited a port official as saying on Monday.

Russia blocked the strait off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday and seized two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat, which Moscow said had illegally entered Russia’s territorial waters.</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping after it seized three Ukrainian naval ships nearby, the RIA news agency cited a port official as saying on Monday.

Russia blocked the strait off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday and seized two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat, which Moscow said had illegally entered Russia’s territorial waters.</s>MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine on Monday imposed martial law for 30 days in parts of the country most vulnerable to an attack from Russia after President Petro Poroshenko warned of the “extremely serious” threat of a land invasion.

Poroshenko said martial law was necessary to bolster Ukraine’s defenses after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval ships and took their crew prisoner at the weekend.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not like what was happening between Russia and Ukraine and was working with European leaders on the situation.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Russia’s seizure of the Ukrainian vessels “a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law” and called for restraint from both countries.

“The United States condemns this aggressive Russian action. We call on Russia to return to Ukraine its vessels and detained crew members, and to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Pompeo said in a statement.

The State Department said Pompeo spoke by phone with Poroshenko and reiterated strong U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian “aggression”.

The Ukrainian parliament approved the introduction of martial law after Poroshenko reassured some skeptical lawmakers that it would not be used to curb civil liberties or delay elections scheduled for next year.

It came at the end of a day when Ukraine and Russia traded accusations about Sunday’s standoff and Kiev’s allies weighed in to condemn Moscow’s behavior.

With relations still raw after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the crisis risked pushing the two countries into open conflict.

“Russia has been waging a hybrid war against our country for a fifth year. But with an attack on Ukrainian military boats it moved to a new stage of aggression,” Poroshenko said.

In a phone call with Poroshenko, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg offered the alliance’s “full support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.” Ukraine is not a NATO member though it aspires to membership.

Washington’s envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said Russia’s actions were an “outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory” and sanctions on Russia would remain in place.

The European Union, Britain, France, Poland, Denmark, and Canada all condemned what they called Russian aggression. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the need for dialogue.

The stand-off in the Azov Sea is more combustible now than at any time in the past four years as Ukraine has rebuilt its armed forces, previously in disarray, and has a new generation of commanders who are confident and have a point to prove.

(Map of the Kerch Strait bridge: tmsnrt.rs/2PRMbqh)

“PROVOCATION”

Russia’s foreign ministry blamed Kiev for the crisis.

“It’s obvious that this painstakingly thought-through and planned provocation was aimed at igniting another source of tension in the region in order to create a pretext to ramp up sanctions against Russia,” it said in a statement.

Such a policy was “fraught with serious consequences,” it said, adding that Kiev was acting in coordination with the United States and the European Union.

Russia summoned the ranking diplomat at Kiev’s embassy in Moscow over the incident, the foreign ministry said.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks during a parliament session to review his proposal to introduce martial law for 60 days after Russia seized Ukrainian naval ships off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea, in Kiev, Ukraine November 26, 2018. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

In Kiev, Poroshenko said intelligence data suggested there was an “extremely serious threat” of a land-based operation against Ukraine by Russia.

“I have a document of intelligence in my hands ... Here on several pages is a detailed description of all the forces of the enemy located at a distance of literally several dozens of kilometers from our border. Ready at any moment for an immediate invasion of Ukraine,” he said.

Martial law would allow Ukraine to respond swiftly to any invasion and mobilize resources as quickly as possible, he said.

He dismissed “dirty speculation” by critics that he wanted to use the proposed measure to delay elections next year, where he faces a tough re-election fight and opinion polls show him trailing his opponents. Ukrainian lawmakers held a second vote to confirm the polls would take place as scheduled on March 31.

UKRAINIANS WOUNDED, VESSELS HELD

Russia's rouble currency RUB= weakened 1.4 percent against the dollar in Moscow on Monday, its biggest one-day fall since Nov. 9, while Russian dollar-bonds fell.

Markets are highly sensitive to anything that could trigger new Western sanctions, and therefore weaken the Russian economy. A fall in the price of oil LCOc1 - Russia’s biggest source of revenue - has made its economy more vulnerable.

The crisis erupted when border patrol boats belonging to Russia’s FSB security service seized two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat after opening fire on them and wounding three sailors on Sunday.

The Ukrainian vessels had been trying to enter the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea via the narrow Kerch Strait that separates Crimea from the Russian mainland.

Interfax news agency quoted Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, as saying on Monday that 24 Ukrainian sailors were being detained. Three of the sailors were wounded but were not in a serious condition and were recovering in hospital.

The FSB said the Ukrainian ships had ignored warning shots, forcing Russian vessels to open fire for real, after they illegally entered Russian territorial waters.

Slideshow (17 Images)

A Reuters witness in Kerch, a port in Crimea, said the three Ukrainian vessels were being held there on Monday.

Domestic politics in Moscow also add to the combustibility of the situation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has seen his high approval rating fall because of unpopular domestic policies. In the past, successful military action beyond Russia’s borders has buoyed his popularity.

Tensions have long been brewing over the Azov Sea. Crimea, on the western shore, is now controlled by Moscow, the eastern shore is Russian territory, and the northern shore is controlled by Ukraine.</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping after it seized three Ukrainian naval ships nearby, the RIA news agency cited a port official as saying on Monday.

Russia blocked the strait off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday and seized two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat, which Moscow said had illegally entered Russia’s territorial waters.</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping after it seized three Ukrainian naval ships nearby, the RIA news agency cited a port official as saying on Monday.

Russia blocked the strait off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday and seized two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat, which Moscow said had illegally entered Russia’s territorial waters.</s>It has been a month and a half (7 weeks, to be more precise) since the Pixel Slate was unveiled at Google’s hardware event. When we ventured up to NYC for the event, I was hopeful that we’d not only see ‘Nocturne’ in the flesh, but that we’d also be rolling out of the event with a review unit.

I was pumped about the idea of filming some initial footage with the device in Manhattan and what sort of video content may have come from those interesting New York settings. My bubble was burst pretty quickly, however, when I quickly realized the Slate was not only going to be absent from our review kit, but also absent from our office for weeks.

This wasn’t exactly anyone’s fault. I made some assumptions and had my hopes up and that was clearly a mistake. The past 7 weeks, because of this anticipation, have been long if I’m being honest. I personally like Apple’s way of announcing and shipping things, where only days exist between a product announcement and shipping dates. I know Google’s still learning their way around the whole hardware scene, but 7 weeks from announcement to shipping seems a bit long to me.

Either way, as of today, The Pixel Slate is now shipping out from Google and Amazon. We’ve not only received emails confirming this: my personal Pixel Slate has finally been marked as shipped. We’d fully assume that other outlets are shipping as well, but would love to hear from you all to confirm this.

After Google’s little slip up on shipping dates, it is good to finally see this device actually rolling out to consumers. There’s a lot to talk about with the Pixel Slate, so keep checking back here later today for more Pixel Slate fun!</s>DENVER — The holidays are upon us and that means it’s a busy time for retailers and shipping companies as people look to get gifts or ship them off before the holidays.

But to avoid any trouble, you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss any of the important holiday shipping deadlines.

So, if you want your package to arrive before Christmas, take note of the dates below for the three major U.S. shipping carriers.

All of these are to ship within the U.S.

Visit the USPS website for more information, including deadlines for international shipping.

UPS Second Day Air: Dec. 20 (for delivery on Dec. 24)

UPS Next Day Air: Dec. 21 (for delivery on Dec. 24)

More information can be found on the UPS website.

More information and international shipping is on the FedEx website.</s>Both Amazon and Target have responded to upset customers, saying that two-day shipping refers to the time an order takes once it's in the package carrier's hands to the time it arrives at its destination.

DAYTON, Ohio — If you haven’t yet received your free two-day delivery from several days ago, you’re not alone. Dozens of shoppers have taken to Twitter since Thanksgiving with complaints that “free two-day shipping” isn’t what it seems.

During the busiest shopping season of the year, Adobe Analytics forecasts online sales will increase 15 percent for holiday shopping. Consumers who tried to skip the Thanksgiving and Black Friday lines have used Twitter to express dissatisfaction with the free two-day shipping that Amazon, Target and Walmart offered over the last few days in what has come to be termed the “delivery wars.”

“So Walmart offers free two-day shipping to compete with amazon, so instead of supporting amazon for once I’m like eh screw it ill order what I need from wally … 2 WEEKS to have my stuff shipped to me … never again Walmart,” one user said.

But shoppers aren’t happy with Amazon Prime’s free two-day shipping, either.

“Placed my #CyberMonday2018 order on @amazon with my prime two-day shipping. Too bad that’s two days from when the item ships, not two days from order date. I miss the good old days,” another user tweeted Monday.

Both Amazon and Target have responded to upset customers, saying that two-day shipping refers to the time an order takes once it’s in the package carrier’s hands to the time it arrives at its destination. The two days do not include additional processing time.

“I’m sorry for the frustration! Prime One-Day and Two-Day Shipping refers to transit time, in business days, once shipped. This doesn’t include any processing time,” the Amazon Help account responded to shoppers.</s>The Shipping Deputy Ministry to the President and the Cyprus Marine Club with the support of Cyprus’ Photographic Society are delighted to officially launch a photo competition with the topic: “Cyprus: The Shipping Star of the Mediterranean”.

The photo competition has the dual purpose of further raising public awareness regarding Cyprus shipping, while at the same time enriching the archive of images available by the Shipping Deputy Ministry for its upcoming promotional campaigns.

The photo competition is open to everyone above 18 years old, with the clear understanding that any images submitted for consideration (regardless of whether or not they receive an award) will be available for use indefinitely and with no restriction by the Shipping Deputy Ministry in its promotional material and/or any other publications and communications.

Each participant is free to submit up to five (5) images taken by himself/herself with the general theme of shipping and maritime. Participants are kindly requested to avoid submitting photographs with an overly touristic theme. Please submit images along with the participation form, to the following address: [email protected].

The photo competition is open until 11 January 2019, following which an evaluation committee comprising two members of the Shipping Deputy Ministry, two members of Cyprus Marine Club and one member of the Cyprus Photographic Society will evaluate the photographs and determine the winners (first, second and third prize).

A photo exhibition will follow on 4 and 5 February 2019 presenting the winning images as well as a series of other selected images which will take part in the competition. The winners will receive their awards during the Annual Reception of the Shipping Deputy Ministry, which will be held on 4 February 2019 in Limassol in conjunction with the exhibition.

The Shipping Deputy Ministry expresses its sincere appreciation to Fleet Management Limited, Nicosia and ÖL Shipping Group, Limassol for sponsoring the prizes.

More information regarding the terms and conditions of the contest can be found here: www.shipping.gov.cy.</s>Schneider Capital Management Corp trimmed its position in Ardmore Shipping Corp (NYSE:ASC) by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 745,616 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 31,193 shares during the quarter. Ardmore Shipping accounts for approximately 0.9% of Schneider Capital Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Schneider Capital Management Corp owned about 2.25% of Ardmore Shipping worth $4,847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Eqis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Ardmore Shipping by 46.7% during the 2nd quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. now owns 30,578 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 9,735 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Ardmore Shipping by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 891,430 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $7,310,000 after purchasing an additional 12,808 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Ardmore Shipping by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 389,396 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,193,000 after purchasing an additional 15,492 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Ardmore Shipping by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,606,539 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,443,000 after purchasing an additional 21,978 shares during the period. Finally, WealthTrust Axiom LLC increased its position in Ardmore Shipping by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. WealthTrust Axiom LLC now owns 124,100 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $806,000 after purchasing an additional 35,500 shares during the period. 90.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ASC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Fearnley Fonds raised shares of Ardmore Shipping from a “reduce” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $6.70 to $9.30 in a research report on Tuesday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Ardmore Shipping from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 1st. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Ardmore Shipping from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 9th. Finally, ValuEngine raised shares of Ardmore Shipping from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Ardmore Shipping presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $10.22.

NYSE:ASC opened at $5.64 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.68 million, a PE ratio of -15.24 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Ardmore Shipping Corp has a 1-year low of $5.30 and a 1-year high of $9.00.

Ardmore Shipping (NYSE:ASC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 7th. The shipping company reported ($0.37) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.33) by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $48.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.84 million. Ardmore Shipping had a negative return on equity of 7.85% and a negative net margin of 14.94%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.14) earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Ardmore Shipping Corp will post -1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: “Schneider Capital Management Corp Has $4.85 Million Position in Ardmore Shipping Corp (ASC)” was originally reported by Macon Daily and is the property of of Macon Daily. If you are viewing this news story on another site, it was illegally copied and republished in violation of international copyright law. The legal version of this news story can be viewed at https://macondaily.com/2018/11/26/schneider-capital-management-corp-has-4-85-million-position-in-ardmore-shipping-corp-asc.html.

Ardmore Shipping Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the seaborne transportation of petroleum products and chemicals worldwide. The company operates a fleet of 28 double-hulled product and chemical tankers. It serves oil majors, oil companies, oil and chemical traders, and chemical companies.

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The Kerch Strait is re-opened to commercial shipping.