The UN's top aid chief has called for the “critical” continuation of a deal allowing Ukrainian grain exports to pass through the Black Sea, with Moscow threatening to exit the agreement later this week.
Under the July 2022 initiative, Ukraine is allowed to export grain and other agricultural products from three Black Sea ports, helping offset a food supply shock triggered by Russia's invasion.
The deal is set to expire on Thursday. Russia has repeatedly threatened not to renew it, citing concerns that its own exports are being hampered.
“The continuation of the Black Sea initiative is critical, as is recommitment by the parties to its smooth and efficient operation,” Martin Griffiths, undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, told a Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Monday.
The deal was extended in November for 120 days and then in March for 60 days.
A failure to renew the UN and Turkey-brokered deal could cause wheat prices to soar at a time of worsening food shortages in vulnerable countries such as Somalia, Yemen and Sudan.
Mr Griffiths called on all parties to meet their responsibilities and said “efforts” to extend the grain deal would continue “over the coming days”.
“In recent weeks, we have engaged in intensive discussions with the parties to the Black Sea initiative to secure agreement on its extension and the improvements needed for it to operate effectively and predictably,” Mr Griffiths said.
Moscow has been using the agreement to pressure the West into restarting a pipeline that delivers ammonia to a Ukrainian Black Sea port, returning the Russian Agricultural Bank — Rosselkhozbank — to the Swift international payment system, and unblocking the accounts and financial activities of fertiliser companies.
Russia, which has questioned the deal before, says it will not approve the agreement's extension if its demands are not met by May 18.
“The Secretary General [Antonio Guterres] has no authority over Swift,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said last week.
“He has no authority over member states that impose unilateral sanctions. He has no authority over insurance companies, shipping companies. He can't tell them what to do.”
Mr Griffiths, who met senior officials from Russia, Ukraine and Turkey in Istanbul last week, said the UN “engaged in intensive discussions” to secure agreement on the deal’s extension and the improvements needed for it to operate effectively and predictably”.
“Just under 600,000 metric tonnes of wheat [have been] transported by the World Food Programme, in direct support of humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen,” the UN aid chief said.
Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s ambassador to the UN, highlighted the vital significance of the Black Sea grain deal.
She commended the “earnest efforts” of the UN and Turkey in enabling negotiations and reiterated a call for the full implementation of the agreement with regard to Russian fertilisers and food products.
While the practical benefits of the initiative are widely acknowledged, Ms Nusseibeh noted its potential as a trust-building mechanism.
“Reaching an agreement again on these initiatives and other successful negotiated outcomes such as exchanges of prisoners of war, demonstrate that there remains some degree of willingness to negotiate a pathway forward,” she said.
Russia’s UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya accused the West of “cynicism” in its approach to food security.
In March, Moscow had already warned if there was no progress on the “systemic issues” blocking Russian agricultural supplies, the Kremlin could not guarantee that the deal would be extended.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 5 employees
Stage: Looking for seed funding
Investors: Self-funded and seeking external investors
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWafeq%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJanuary%202019%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadim%20Alameddine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Esoftware%20as%20a%20service%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERaed%20Ventures%20and%20Wamda%2C%20among%20others%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
