The blockade of grain exports from Ukraine could lead to a “catastrophic scenario” of rising prices and food shortages in Africa, European leaders heard on Tuesday.
Macky Sall, chairman of the African Union and president of Senegal, spoke of a worrying food crisis and said “the worst may be ahead of us”, in an address to the European Union as it discussed the fallout of the war.
Mr Sall said fertiliser prices had trebled since last year and that grain yields in Africa were poised to slump by between 20 and 50 per cent this year. Ukraine and Russia are two of the world’s biggest agricultural producers and the war has brought exports via the Black Sea to a standstill.
An EU official said Mr Sall had expressed a desire to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the crisis, after African leaders urged him to contact the Kremlin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Mr Sall called on Europe and Africa to speak with one voice at a time when the Kremlin is pointing the finger at western sanctions for the food crisis, the official said.
But the African leader told EU presidents and prime ministers that sanctions against international payments system Swift were making it more complicated to buy food.
Western leaders reject the Russian narrative and say Moscow is responsible for bringing food exports to a halt by bombarding Ukrainian warehouses and blocking its Black Sea ports.
“This crisis affects our countries particularly because of their strong dependency on Russian and Ukrainian wheat production,” said Mr Sall, according to a written copy of his remarks.
“We want everything to be done to free the available cereal stocks and ensure transportation and access to the market, to avoid the catastrophic scenario of shortages and widespread price rises.”
UN agencies have spoken of alarming food insecurity resulting from the war. The World Food Programme has said it is rationing supplies to displaced people, and the EU blames the crisis for runaway bread prices in Lebanon.
EU leaders were discussing ways to unblock Ukraine’s ports at their meeting in Brussels. Ukraine has rejected as blackmail a Russian demand that western sanctions be lifted before it can release its own food stocks to ease shortages.
European Council President Charles Michel said the bloc was “sparing no efforts” to find alternative export routes.
“Russia is using food as a weapon of war,” he said, by “destroying crops, blocking tonnes of grain, risking global famine.”
The leaders of Germany and France on Saturday said they had won assurances from Mr Putin that Russia would not exploit a gap in Ukraine’s defences if shipping corridors are established on the Black Sea.
Talks on food security came alongside discussions about energy and defence in the wake of Russia's invasion. The EU late on Monday agreed to block Russian oil imports by sea.
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
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Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
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Cutting red tape on import and export of food
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
Background: Chemical Weapons
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