Top Headlines: Exporters scan back-up routes to Russia; Mariupol resists

Russian military offers Ukrainian troops defending the strategic port of Mariupol to lay down arms. More on that in our morning wrap.

Exporters are readying back-up routes to send their shipments to the nations belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), including Russia, as the war in Ukraine continues to intensify. More on that story in our top headlines.

Exporters explore 3 back-up routes to Russia, CIS nations

Three routes are being explored. The first is the China route using Qingdao port. The second is the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) route that connects Mumbai to Moscow via Iran and Azerbaijan. The other is the one that traverses between Hamburg in Germany and Poti port in Georgia, industry sources said.