DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Renewing Black Sea grain deal critical for Africa, WFP boss says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Negotiations will start in a week on extending the trade agreement, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday. "It's critical," World Food Programme (WFP) Director David Beasley told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Forum. "With all the crises we are facing around the world with climate change, droughts, flash floods, we can't afford the Black Sea Grain initiative to fall through at all," Beasley added. The grain deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July allowed exports from three Ukrainian ports. He warned Moscow that shutting down the ports would be catastrophic, notably in Africa, where millions of people are facing famine.

☆ WFP boss criticises northwestern Syrian authorities for slowing quake aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Emirates Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent distribute boxes of humanitarian aid in response to a deadly earthquake in Jableh, Syria, February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Amr AlfikyMUNICH, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) on Saturday pressured authorities in northwestern Syria to stop blocking access to the area as it seeks to help hundreds of thousands of people ravaged by earthquakes. "The problems we are running into is the cross-line operations into northwest Syria where the northwestern Syrian authorities are not giving us the access we need," Beasley told Reuters. Our operation is about $50 million a month for our earthquake response alone so unless Europe wants a new wave of refugees, we need get the support we need," Beasley said. I will call them out and will not be silent about this," Beasley said, referring to the authorities in northwestern Syria.

☆ North Korean food shortage seems to be worsening, South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, Feb 15 (Reuters) - A North Korean food crisis appears to have deteriorated, South Korea said on Wednesday, as a newspaper reported that North Korea has cut rations to its soldiers for the first time in more than two decades. North Korea has effectively acknowledged serious food shortages, South Korea's unification ministry said, referring to a North Korean state media report this month about plans for an "urgent" ruling party meeting on agriculture. "Its food situation seems to have deteriorated," the South's unification ministry, which handles relations with North Korea, said in a statement. South Korea's DongA Ilbo newspaper said on Wednesday that North Korea has reduced daily food rations to its soldiers for the first time since 2000, citing an unidentified senior South Korean official. The WFP, which has helped North Korea over the years, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

☆ Elon Musk donated $1.9 billion of Tesla stock to charity last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave 11.5 million shares of his stake in the electric automaker to an undisclosed charity last year, shares worth about $1.9 billion at the time they were donated. Musk’s net worth at the end of 2022 stood at $137 billion, according to Forbes’ real time billionaire tracker, so the $1.9 billion represented about 1.4% of his net worth at that time. Then in 2022 he sold $22.9 billion worth of Tesla shares as he raised cash for his purchase of Twitter. Given Tuesday’s closing price, the 11.5 million shares that Musk donated last year are worth $2.4 billion. The typical US household has a net worth of about $121,700, according to the most recent estimate from the Federal Reserve.

[1/6] Rescue workers try to rescue a 15-year-old girl trapped under the rubble, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 10, 2023. The death toll exceeded 24,150 across southern Turkey and northwest Syria a day after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said authorities should have reacted faster to Monday's huge earthquake. Earlier, the World Food Programme said it was running out of stocks in rebel-held northwest Syria as the state of war complicated relief efforts. A similarly powerful earthquake in northwest Turkey in 1999 killed more than 17,000 killed in 1999. In the Samandag district of Turkey, rescuers crouched under concrete slabs and whispered "Inshallah" - "God willing" - as they carefully reached into the rubble and plucked out a 10-day-old newborn.

☆ World Food Programme warns of stock shortage in quake-hit northwest Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The World Food Programme (WFP) is running out of stocks in northwest Syria and called to open more border crossings from Turkey after both countries were ravaged by earthquakes, the U.N. food aid organisation said on Friday. "Northwest Syria, where 90% of the population depends on humanitarian assistance, is a big concern. The border crossing is open now, but we need to get new border crossings open." Currently, there is only one open crossing, at Bab al-Hawa, between Turkey and the opposition-held northwest Syria. Fleischer stressed that opening a second border crossing was essential to getting aid to northwest Syria.

☆ Some UN Afghan aid delivered by men only, donors voice alarm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

PRECEDENT TO REGRETAny potential change to the U.N. approach to food aid following the ban has alarmed some donor nations and aid groups. Ambassador to the United Nations, Lisa Carty, said on Wednesday during a briefing by Griffiths to U.N. member states. Griffiths stressed that Afghan women need to work in food aid distribution to ensure supplies reached the most vulnerable - women and girls. The United Nations has appealed for $4.6 billion to fund the aid operation in Afghanistan in 2023. Griffiths and the heads of some international aid groups met Taliban officials last week to push for more, including in the areas of cash and food aid distribution.

☆ World Trade Organization head wants to 'double or triple' Africa's share of global trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The World Trade Organization (WTO) projected in October that after growing by 3.5% in 2022, trade volumes will increase by just 1% in 2023. Either way, Africa may start to reap the benefits of a free trade deal that came into effect in 2021. The landmark African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement created the world’s largest new free trade area since the establishment of the WTO. What do they need and what are they telling you in terms of doing cross-border trade on the African continent? What we’ve seen during the pandemic is that Africa needs to get its own manufacturing capacity, and this falls right back into what can make the continental free trade area work.

☆ Pope Francis to visit two fragile African nations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Pope Francis attends the Vespers prayer service to celebrate the conversion of St. Paul at St. Paul's Basilica in Rome, Italy. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneVATICAN CITY, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Pope Francis starts a trip on Tuesday to two fragile African nations often forgotten by the world, where protracted conflicts have left millions of refugees and displaced people grappling with hunger. Both countries are rich in natural resources - DRC in minerals and South Sudan in oil - but beset with poverty and strife. DRC is getting its first visit by a pope since John Paul II travelled there in 1985, when it still was known as Zaire. Trott, a former ambassador in South Sudan, said he hoped the three Churchmen can convince political leaders to "fulfil the promise of the independence movement".

☆ Afghan malnutrition rates at record high, U.N. food agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Malnutrition rates in Afghanistan are at record highs — with half the country enduring severe hunger year-round — a spokesman for the U.N.'s World Food Program said. “Half of Afghanistan endures severe hunger throughout the year, regardless of the season, and malnutrition rates are at a record high for Afghanistan,” said Phillipe Kropf, a spokesman for the United Nations food agency in Kabul. The Taliban takeover in August 2021 drove millions into poverty and hunger after foreign aid stopped almost overnight. Ebrahim Noroozi / APAid agencies have been providing food, education and healthcare support to Afghans, including heating, cash for fuel and warm clothes. “Since the Taliban have come, the economic condition is so bad and people don’t have food to eat.

☆ Russia’s war in Ukraine sparked a historic food crisis. It’s not over
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“All the major causes of the food crisis are still with us — conflict, Covid, climate change, high fuel prices,” Cary Fowler, the US special envoy for global food security, told CNN. But high food prices mean that funding can’t go as far, and Russia’s war continues to generate volatility. “The Ukraine crisis has had this ongoing negative impact on world food prices and [added] even more volatility,” said Abby Maxman, CEO of Oxfam America. Russia “is not assisting in alleviating the food crisis in slowing down the grain inspections,” Fowler said. Oxfam’s Maxman, who traveled there in September, said disruptions to food supplies were obvious in markets.

☆ U.N. halts some programs in Afghanistan after ban on women aid workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday that some "time-critical" programs in Afghanistan have temporarily stopped and warned many other activities will also likely need to be paused because of a ban by the Taliban-led administration on women aid workers. "Banning women from humanitarian work has immediate life-threatening consequences for all Afghans. But we foresee that many activities will need to be paused as we cannot deliver principled humanitarian assistance without female aid workers." The ban on female aid workers was announced by the Islamist Taliban-led administration on Saturday. Four major global groups, whose humanitarian aid has reached millions of Afghans, said on Sunday that they were suspending operations because they were unable to run their programs without female staff.

☆ EU members fail to reach agreement on new Russia sanctions - diplomats
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (Reuters) - European Union member states failed to agree on a ninth package of Russia sanctions in talks late on Wednesday, diplomats said as EU leaders gathered in Brussels on Thursday for their last summit of the year. Fresh sanctions on Moscow have been held up by disagreement over whether the EU should make it easier for Russian fertiliser exports to pass through European ports, even in the case when the fertiliser companies are owned by blacklisted oligarchs. Some say EU restrictions pose a food security threat to developing countries, while others argue that relaxing them would allow Russian oligarchs who own fertiliser businesses to dodge EU sanctions against them. Some member states want the World Food Programme involved on authorisation for exports of fertilisers to countries that need it. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and John Chalmers Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Lawmakers explain why they went to Qatar for the World Cup despite human rights concerns: 'There are no perfect countries'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup has been controversial, given the country's human rights record. The congresswoman also suggested that the 2026 World Cup may prompt similar conversations about human rights abuses in North America. "We are slated to host the World Cup next with Mexico and Canada," she said, referring to the 2026 World Cup. "The spotlight of the World Cup has caused Qatar to make a lot of important reforms to their employment law." According to Human Rights Watch, LGBTQ people have been subjected to arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment in detention.

☆ 'The worst is yet to come': the curse of high inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

While wealthier consumers can rely on savings built up during pandemic lockdowns, others struggle to make ends meet and a growing number rely on food banks. Workers have taken strike action in sectors from healthcare to aviation to demand that wages keep pace with inflation. But if things are tough in industrialised economies, rocketing food prices are worsening poverty and suffering in poorer countries, from Haiti to Sudan and Lebanon to Sri Lanka. The world's central banks have embarked on steep interest rate hikes to cool demand and tame inflation. From U.S. Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell to the European Central Bank's Christine Lagarde, there is growing talk that rate-hike medicine may taste bitter.

☆ Inflation in 2023: experts predict ‘worst is yet to come’ as recession looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

His children's school expenses are mostly covered by a charity and a portion of his medicine is subsidised by the state. Before, we used to plan for a month or a year or two ... now, we've lost that ability," he said. The government says it remains committed to implementing reforms that would pave the way for an IMF deal. While Lebanon had long relied on remittances, the flow has increased as some 200,000 people had emigrated since 2019, he said. Meanwhile, basic state functions are increasingly propped up by international donors seeking to prevent total state failure.

☆ Hunger-struck Africa needs liquidity, debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Joe Bavier | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It's not just been these macroeconomic fallouts, but also, heart-wrenchingly, the food insecurity issue," said Abebe Aemro Selassie, director of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Africa Department. "Food insecurity has shot up like never before." The number of East Africans facing acute food insecurity has jumped by 60% to 82 million in the past year. But Razia Khan, Middle East and Africa Chief Economist at Standard Chartered Bank, questioned whether simply providing more liquidity would be enough. Easing their debt burdens would allow governments to focus on pressing problems including food insecurity.

☆ 5G-enabled farms could ward off food insecurity and unlock $100 billion in global profits by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Clara Mcmichael | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

There lies Swans Trail Farms, a family-owned operation that focuses on agritourism and events with apple orchards, a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, and strawberry fields. Swans Trail FarmsSnohomish County and the 5G Open Innovation Lab launched sites to pilot 5G-enabled agricultural tech on two farms— Swans Trail and Andrew's Hay. CARES Act funding for the initiative dried up last year, but the 5G Open Innovation Lab continues to fund the project. The 5G Open Innovation Lab and Innov8.ag are working to expand to eastern Washington, an area of the state that's more agricultural. We've had our hiccups," Jim Brisimitzis, the head of the 5G Open Innovation Lab, said.

☆ Kenya drought: Hundreds of elephants, wildebeests and zebras reported dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Idris Mukhtar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Hundreds of elephants, wildebeests, and zebras have died across Kenya amid the nation’s longest drought in decades. “The Kenya Wildlife Service Rangers, Community Scouts, and Research Teams counted the deaths of 205 elephants, 512 wildebeests, 381 common zebras, 51 buffalos, 49 Grevy’s zebras, and 12 giraffes in the past nine months,” a report released Friday by the country’s Ministry of Tourism said. An elephant keeper rests next to a month-old calf at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Samburu, Kenya on October 12, 2022. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images“The drought has caused mortality of wildlife, mostly herbivore species,” Malonza said. According to the ministry, Kenya had just 36,000 elephants left last year.

☆ Russia abandoned its plan to block food exports leaving Ukraine after ships ignored Putin and kept sailing anyway
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia pulled out of its grain export deal with Ukraine over the weekend. The grain export deal, brokered by Turkey and the UN, is vital to the global food supply. But despite the country's withdrawal, a UN official said Tuesday that they would press ahead with their plans to let authorized ships leave Ukraine. The World Food Programme warned earlier this year that Russia's invasion could result in a "hunger catastrophe" if such a food export deal was not struck. The head of the European Council in June also accused Russia's troops of burning Ukrainian fields and stealing wheat, compounding food shortages.

☆ Russia rains missiles on Kyiv, other cities after pulling out of grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Instead of fighting on the battlefield, Russia fights civilians,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. “Don’t justify these attacks by calling them a ‘response.’ Russia does this because it still has the missiles and the will to kill Ukrainians.”Foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said missiles had hit energy infrastructure in Kyiv and other cities, causing electricity and water outages. Russia and Ukraine are both among the world’s biggest food exporters, and a Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain shipments caused a global food crisis earlier this year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of “blackmailing the world with hunger” by pulling out of the food export deal negotiated by the United Nations and Turkey. The United Nations said it had agreed with Turkey and Ukraine on a transit plan for Monday for 16 ships to move Black Sea grain — 12 outbound and four inbound.

☆ Grain ships sail from Ukraine ports as Russian missiles knock out power across country
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

However, the ministry did not say what Russia would do if ships continued to sail the route. Meanwhile on the 250th day of a war that has ground on since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Russian missiles rained down across the country. International officials had feared that Moscow would reimpose a blockade on Ukrainian grain. MISSILE STRIKES[1/4] Smoke rises on the outskirts of the city during a Russian missile attack, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 31, 2022. After Russia suspended its participation in the grain shipping programme, the United States accused Russia of using food as a weapon.

☆ Zelenskyy accuses Russia of creating 'artificial famine' after Moscow suspends crucial grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Hyder Abbasi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of creating “conditions of artificial famine” and suggested it should be expelled from the G-20 group of nations on Saturday after Moscow withdrew from a crucial grain export deal. “How can Russia be among the G-20 if it is deliberately working for starvation on several continents?” Zelenskyy said during an address on Ukrainian television. President Joe Biden warned that global hunger could increase because of Russia’s decision to suspend the deal. The U.N. negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it.”Secretary of State Antony Blinken also accused Russia of weaponizing food. The grain deal had restarted shipments from Ukraine, allowing sales on world markets, targeting the prewar level of 5 million metric tons exported from Ukraine each month.

ISTANBUL, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday it was pulling out of a deal aimed at unlocking Ukrainian grain and fertiliser exports from Black Sea ports and easing global food shortages. TIME FRAMEThe deal signed on July 22 was valid for 120 days and the United Nations expected it to be renewed unless the war had ended by then. Under the deal, Ukrainian pilots guide the ships along safe channels in its territorial waters, with a minesweeper vessel on hand but no military escorts. Monitored by the JCC, the ships then transit the Black Sea to Turkey's Bosphorus strait and off to world markets. He added the deal had been successful in bringing food prices down and boosting export quantities.

Search resuls for: "World Food Program"

25 mentions found