Category: General

A number of EU states have begun blocking imports of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products in an attempt to mitigate the threat faced by local farmers due to their domestic markets being flooded with supplies. RT explores concerns over Ukrainian grain and what the measures could mean for global food security.

What’s the issue?

Some EU states have been citing the need to protect local markets from “destabilization” caused by an influx of cheap goods from Ukraine. Local farmers in a number of countries claim to have suffered substantial financial losses due to the glut of Ukrainian grain. The Polish Agriculture Ministry said a ban on grain imports from Ukraine was necessary to “open the eyes of the EU to the fact that further decisions are needed that will allow products from Ukraine to go deep into Europe, and not stay in Poland.”

Which EU countries have stopped importing the grain?

The problem has been felt most acutely by the members of the bloc that share a border with Ukraine, although several other states have joined in demanding action from the European Commission over Ukrainian agricultural exports. In particular, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria have been lobbying for the reintroduction of tariffs. Meanwhile, Warsaw was the first to announce a “temporary ban” on some imports from its neighbor, while Slovakia warned on Monday it would do the same. Several other Central and Eastern European countries have indicated that such a step was under consideration.

Why was the grain being shipped to those countries?

The EU allowed imports of Ukrainian agricultural goods to help Kiev financially amid the ongoing conflict in the country. All tariffs and quotas were lifted on Ukrainian grain exports to the bloc’s 27 member states in order to enable the further transit of the grain to global markets. However, much of the supply has ended up getting stuck in Eastern European countries, where it ends up in competition with local produce.

What’s the EU’s stance on its members’ import bans?

Brussels has rejected the bans, calling unilateral action on trade by EU member states unacceptable. The European Commission earlier said it had approved an aid package worth €56 million ($61 million) to support farmers in frontline countries who have to deal with the consequences of a large amount of agricultural and food goods from Ukraine entering the bloc. However, that money will not be enough. According to European Commission estimates, farmers from Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia have lost some €417 million ($451 million) over the past year due to the oversupply of grain caused by Ukrainian supply.

How would the bans affect Ukraine’s export of its grain?

The protective measures being taken by a number of EU states could exacerbate global food shortages, particularly if the Black Sea grain deal is not extended. The agreement, which was reached last July between Russia and Ukraine and brokered by the UN and Türkiye, was intended to help resume shipments of grain from Ukrainian ports. The deal was already extended once but now is set to expire on May 18, and there is significant uncertainty about the prospects for an extension.

How could that affect the global market?

Experts say the combined impact of the bans and the potential failure to agree an extension to the deal would leave millions of tons of grain stranded inside Ukraine, potentially causing food shortages in poor countries. The reduced supply to markets could lead to a jump in prices. The UN warned earlier this month that food insecurity remains at unprecedented levels.

Source: Russia Today

Trkiye’s Zeugma Mosaic Museum, one of the world’s largest mosaic museums, will reopen to visitors on Thursday after the recent earthquakes in the country. The museum, home to the iconic ‘Gypsy Girl’ mosaic, survived the earthquakes that hit southern Trkiye on Feb. 6 undamaged. The historical Roman-era columns still stand strong in the ruins of the ancient city of Zeugma in Gaziantep, one of the 11 provinces hit hardest by the quakes. More than 13 million people in Trkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes as well as many in northwestern Syria. The museum has attracted over 2.02 million visitors since its opening in July 2011.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Descendants of slaves, the Polish government, and native Americans who were sterilized by the state are just a few of the different groups around the world who are demanding reparations for past injustices against their ancestors. On this addition of 360 View, international correspondent Roxana Solano looks back at how reparations have been used throughout history. Then, host Scottie Nell Hughes discusses with American historian, Gerald Horne, which groups around the world are asking for reparations and what countries are making plans to pay them.

Source: Russia Today

The UN chief on Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of the agreement which ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, saying that with conflicts around the world, there is a continued need for its spirit. “Your joint achievement, the Good Friday or Belfast agreements is rightly celebrated and studied by other communities in the grip of conflict, because peace was far from inevitable,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video address to a commemorative event at Queen’s University Belfast. Guterres also praised all who devoted themselves “to finding a pathway to peace.” “And as conflicts rage around the globe, including in Europe, we need the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement more than ever,” he said. Stressing the value of the agreement, Guterres said that it shows the importance of continued engagement and efforts “even in the most adverse conditions.” “Today we recognize and thank those who opened up those horizons, creating a brighter future for all the people of Northern Ireland and an inspiring example of peace for the world,” he added. The agreement was signed April 10, 1998, by then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Unionist and Republican politicians in Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA, and the Irish government. As it brought peace to Northern Ireland after three decades of the violence, also known as “the Troubles,” the landmark deal became a model studied by peacemakers around the world.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Almost 600 million people in Africa don’t have access to electricity and live in countries without adequate funding for power generation. One tenth of them live in South Africa, a nation rich in resources and technology but which increasingly finds itself in the dark – in the biggest energy crisis it’s ever faced. This week the Africa Now team examines why this is the case and why South Africa is on track to beat last year’s record of 205 days of rolling blackouts. The team visits Mozambique and Zimbabwe, home to the two largest hydroelectric schemes in Africa, which are assisting their neighbor.

Source: Russia Today

The death toll from road accidents during the two-week Nowruz (New Year) holidays in Iran this year was 1,168, higher than the previous year, according to health officials. Abbas Masjidi Arani, the head of Iran’s forensic medicine organization, on Tuesday said during the period between March 16 and April 4, a total of 1,168 people lost their lives in traffic accidents. He said the maximum number of fatalities was recorded on March 17 and April 2 during the holidays, with the provinces of Fars, Sistan-Baluchistan, Kerman, and Tehran topping the list. Iran’s calendar year starts on March 21, which sees people traveling within or outside the country. Last year, the number of casualties from traffic incidents during the holiday season was 1,083. Road accidents have become a common feature of annual Nowruz holidays in Iran, which experts mostly attribute to reckless driving, lack of adherence to traffic rules as well as poor road safety standards. The holiday rush is mostly seen in northern Iran’s Gilan and Mazandaran provinces, which are located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, as well as southern Fars province and central Isfahan province. Earlier this month, Iran’s police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said road trips witnessed a surge during this year’s New Year holidays compared to previous years, with travelers mostly heading to northern Iran. He said most road accidents during this period were the result of sleep deprivation and high speed. Iran is known for having one of the highest rates of fatalities from traffic accidents in the world. In September last year, a senior police official said at least 600 people die and more than 20,000 are injured in road accidents every year in the Iranian capital Tehran alone. He said the number of vehicles plying on the roads in Tehran is almost eight times more than the capacity, which makes these roads prone to accidents. In July last year, Iran’s state-run Legal Medicine Organization said one person dies in a road accident every half an hour across the country, taking the annual death toll to 17,000. Iran’s state-owned car firms have also faced criticism in recent years over the decrease in safety standards.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Russian Ministry of Economic Development expects solid growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the next three years, due to a partial resumption of consumer demand against the backdrop of rising wages, business daily RBK reported on Monday.

According to the ministry’s data, seen by the news outlet, the economy will grow 1.2% this year, following a decline of 2.1% in 2022. Next year, the GDP growth rate will be 2%, accelerating to 2.8% by 2026.

The report also indicated that the growth rate of investments in fixed assets by 2026 will be 4.5%, retail trade turnover will rise 3.6%, while real-wages growth was forecast to be 2.5%.

The ministry expects Russian oil and gas exports to grow annually by an average of 2.9%.

Earlier this month, both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised their growth forecasts for the Russian economy, the IMF saying Moscow was “able to maintain quite a bit of momentum in the economy by taking very strong fiscal measures.”

The Russian government maintains a positive outlook for the economy in the coming years. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has predicted that, by 2024, the Russian economy will be able to overtake developed countries in terms of growth.

President Vladimir Putin has also stated that the Russian economy is in better shape than previously expected and is on course for further stabilization. He added that Western sanctions and international pressure have failed to cause it serious harm, and that the figures have shown this.

Source: Russia Today

New Zealand on Tuesday said the country has extended its intelligence mission to the Operation Gallant Phoenix multinational intelligence in Jordan until 2025. In a joint statement, Minister of Defense Andrew Little and Minister of Police Ginny Andersen said the Cabinet has approved the mandate extension for two years as the number of deployed New Zealand personnel remains less than 10. ‘As we tragically saw in Christchurch and West Auckland, New Zealand is not immune to threats from violent extremism,’ Little said. “New Zealand is made safer by working with countries around the world to understand and respond to current, evolving, and future terrorist and violent extremist threats,” he added. Established in 2013, Operation Gallant Phoenix is a platform where partners collect and share information about potential and existing terrorist threats, irrespective of threat ideology. The mission is made up of a large number of countries and agencies, including law enforcement, military and civilian personnel, according to the statement. ‘It [deployment in Jordan] helps us to build and strengthen relationships with international partners, and gain experience for our Police officers and other personnel in ways that cannot be achieved elsewhere. ‘The public can feel reassured that this government is prioritizing their safety with the renewal of this commitment over the coming two years,’ said Andersen.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Warsaw wants to host a NATO artillery school that would train all US allies in Europe in the use of HIMARS rocket artillery, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Tuesday.

“We want Himars Academy to be established in Poland, where training on the use of this artillery system will take place,” Blaszczak tweeted. He added that the details of the project would be discussed at the European Rocket Artillery Summit, which began earlier in the day in Torun, home to the Polish Artillery Museum.

The conference aims to “increase interoperability of rocket artillery and sustainment of long range fires systems,” according to the US Army’s V Corps and the 4th Infantry Division, which are organizing the event.

The proposed academy would train Polish and presumably other NATO soldiers in operating the Lockheed Martin-made rocket launchers. According to Polish media, it would also bolster the country’s economy by training local technicians and engineers. A similar “academy” for training Polish soldiers on the US-made M1 Abrams tanks was opened last summer near Poznan.

Warsaw signed a $414 million contract for 18 combat and two training launchers back in 2019, long before the Ukraine conflict escalated. Those launchers are expected to arrive by the end of this year. In February, the US government approved the sale of another 484 launchers, valued at $10 billion, with a delivery date to be determined.

Around the same time, the commander of the US Army’s V Corps, deployed in Eastern Europe, revealed the idea of the artillery academy. “We’re still in the preliminary stages here, but it would be an area that we would maybe pull in several countries to one location,” Lieutenant General John Kolasheski told Voice of America in February. Kolasheski also brought up Poland’s Abrams academy as a blueprint for the project.

The Polish government has eagerly turned the country into a NATO logistics hub for supplying weapons, ammunition and supplies to Ukraine. The US-led bloc has funneled billions of dollars to Kiev, while insisting it was not in direct conflict with Russia.

Visiting the US earlier this month, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country wanted to “build the strongest army in Europe,” and once again called for a permanent US military presence in Poland.

Morawiecki also made a pitch for a “service center” for Abrams tanks, and even a factory for the controversial depleted uranium ammunition. The dense metal, used by the US and UK for armor-penetrating tank rounds, is highly toxic when inhaled and has been suspected of causing cancer in places such as Iraq and the former Yugoslavia.

Source: Russia Today

An Irish climber died while descending from the 8,091-meter (26,540-foot) Mount Annapurna in Nepal, local media reported on Tuesday. Noel Hanna, 56, one of Ireland’s most successful mountaineers, breathed his last on Monday night at Camp IV on Mount Annapurna, the 10th tallest mountain on Earth, after he returned from the summit point, local English daily Himalayan Times reported. His body was brought to the capital Kathmandu from Camp IV on Tuesday, the newspaper reported citing expedition organizers. He was an experienced climber, having scaled Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, 10 times in his career. In 2018, he became the first person from Ireland to successfully summit and descend K2, the second-tallest mountain on Earth. Hanna had scaled the Annapurna peak on Monday. Baljeet Kaur, the record-holding Indian woman climber, who went missing near Camp IV while descending from the summit point, has been rescued alive. ‘She has suffered from frostbite and is now being rushed to CIWEC Hospital from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu,’ Pasang Sherpa, chairman at Pioneer Adventure, which organized the expedition, was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Another four climbers, including two Pakistanis, who were part of an eight-member team that scaled Annapurna peak on Monday, were also evacuated from the high camps after they complained of mountain illness while descending. Pakistani climbers Shehroze Kashif, and Naila Kiani along with their Indian teammate Arjun Vajpai were evacuated after they fell ill while descending from the summit point, Karrar Haidri, Secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan, the country’s official mountaineering association, told Anadolu. Tucked between China and India, Nepal is home to eight of the 14 peaks above 8,000m.

Source: Anadolu Agency