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CNN —The Nigerien military has backed coup leaders who have reportedly seized the president of the West African country, prompting warnings from international leaders over further unrest in a region plagued by political volatility. President Bazoum was apparently taken by members of the presidential guard on Wednesday, although his precise whereabouts remain unknown. Niger’s presidential office said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday: “The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, pictured on December 13, 2022, was reportedly seized by members of the presidential guard on Wednesday. 1,000 US troopsWorld leaders and humanitarian bodies issued stark warnings against the coup leaders.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, insurgencies, Bazoum, Evelyn Hockstein, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Abdramane, Jake Sullivan, Washington, Volker Türk, ” Türk, General Antonio Guterres, Bazoum “, African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, “ Organizations: CNN, Nigerien, Twitter, country’s Ministry of Defense, Interior Ministry, National Guard, White, US, Air Base, United Nations, Human, UN, African Union Commission Locations: West, ” Niger, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, France, Niger, Niamey, Washington, Agadez, The

And earlier this week, Russia targeted a Ukrainian port on the Danube River near NATO ally Romania. Now, Russia’s defense ministry has warned that ships sailing to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports will be viewed as military targets. Two thirds of the wheat that left Ukraine via the Black Sea ports went to developing countries, said Power. Russian drones attacked Ukraine's port infrastructure on the Danube river, targeting Ukrainian grain stocks and destroying storage hangars, the Ukrainian Army said. “We believe its targeting might also include attacks against civilian shipping in the Black Sea.

Persons: Barbara Woodward, Moscow’s, United Nations Linda, Thomas Greenfield, “, ”, Samantha Power, Antony Blinken, António Guterres, Bulgaria –, Power, Kees Huizinga, Huizinga, ” Katherine Brucker Organizations: CNN, United Nations, NATO, European, US Agency for International Development, UN, Romania, European Commission, Aspen Security, AP, U.S . Agency for International, Biden, Ukrainian Army, Ukraine Operational Command, European Union, Organization for Security, Cooperation Locations: Ukraine, United, Russia, Odesa, Ukrainian, Turkey, Kerch, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, West, United States, Europe

☆ A decaying oil tanker posed a 'catastrophic' risk. Now, a major operation is underway to avert disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A view of decaying FSO Safer oil tanker anchored 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the port of Hudaydah, Yemen on July 15, 2023. The UN has begun a 19-day operation to extract oil from a 47-year-old decaying supertanker as it seeks to end a race against time to avoid a catastrophic oil spill. This led to growing concerns about a potential oil spill four times the size of 1989's Exxon Valdez leak, which was the second-largest oil spill in U.S. history. The oil aboard the tanker began being transferred to a U.N.-owned vessel Yemen, previously known as Nautica, at 10:45 Yemen time Tuesday. "The @UN has begun a complex operation to transfer 1 million barrels of oil from a decaying tanker off the coast of Yemen.

Persons: Exxon Valdez, Bab, Antonio Guterres, David Gressly, Ghiwa Nakat Organizations: UN, Exxon, Greenpeace MENA Locations: Hudaydah, Yemen, Suez, Red

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kyiv faces sixth attack this month; Zelenskyy says Ukraine grain export ban 'unacceptable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Mykola, 50, the deputy commander of a Ukrainian volunteer unit, poses with a night vision scope at a position used by the unit to counter threats during air raid sirens, in a suburb of Kyiv. Kyiv faced its sixth air attack this month early Tuesday, the Kyiv City Military Administration wrote on Telegram, but all drones were detected and destroyed "in a timely manner," according to a Google translation. There were no casualties and the city was not damaged, KCMA head Serhiy Popko wrote. External forces have continued to urge Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which it abandoned on July 17, prompting a surge in wheat prices. "With the termination of the Black Sea Initiative, the most vulnerable will pay the highest price," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. food summit on Tuesday.

Persons: Mykola, Serhiy Popko, Antonio Guterres Organizations: Kyiv, Kyiv City Military Administration, Initiative, Black Sea Initiative Locations: Ukrainian, Kyiv, Ukraine, Odesa, Russia

☆ UN starts removing oil from decaying tanker near Yemen in Red Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.N. officials have been warning for years that the Red Sea and Yemen's coastline was at risk as the Safer tanker could spill four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska. "The ship-to-ship transfer of oil which has started today is the critical next step in avoiding an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe on a colossal scale." The oil transfer is expected to take 19 days to complete, the United Nations' Development Programme (UNDP) said in a statement. "We are obviously very cautious – it's only the beginning of a transfer," UNDP spokesperson Sarah Bel told a Geneva press briefing when asked about the operation's risks. "The cost of an oil spill is estimated to be approximately $20 billion, and it will take years to clean up," she added.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Sarah Bel, Nadine Awadalla, Nayera Abdallah, Emma Farge, Clauda Tanios, Louise Heavens, Jan Harvey Organizations: United Nations, Programme, UNDP, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, GENEVA, Alaska, Yemen, Geneva, Dubai

☆ Russia-Africa summit to discuss Moscow's grain and fertiliser exports - RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 25 (Reuters) - Russia and nations taking part in this week's Russia-Africa summit will discuss Moscow's grain and fertilisers exports, Oleg Ozerov, ambassador at large at the Russian foreign ministry, told the state RIA news agency in remarks published on Tuesday. Last week, Russia withdrew from the year-long Black Sea grain deal that ensured the safe export of Ukrainian grains, saying that Russia's conditions for the extension of the deal had been ignored. The U.N-brokered grain deal had allowed Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports, despite the war, to alleviate a global food crisis. This week, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow can replace Ukrainian grain both commercially and free of charge. On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Russia on Monday to return to the Black Sea grain deal.

Persons: Oleg Ozerov, Ozerov, Vladimir Putin, Antonio Guterres, Lidia Kelly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Russian Federation, UN, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Ukraine, Melbourne

☆ UN chief urges Russia to return to Black Sea deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russia quit the agreement a week ago, saying that demands to improve its own food and fertilizer exports had not been met, and that not enough Ukraine grain had reached the poorest countries under the Black Sea deal. "With the termination of the Black Sea Initiative, the most vulnerable will pay the highest price," Guterres told the U.N. Food Systems summit in Rome on Monday. Since Russia quit the deal and began attacking Ukrainian food-exporting ports on the Black Sea and Danube river, global wheat and corn futures have risen sharply. "I call on the Russian Federation to return to the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative, in line with my latest proposal," Guterres said. The Black Sea grain deal was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey a year ago to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, Guterres, Putin, SWIFT, Russia's, Michelle Nichols, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Black Sea Initiative, . Food Systems, Russia's Agricultural Bank, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Russia, Rome, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Moscow, Turkey

☆ Vladimir Putin's latest economic assault on the West is fueling fears of a global food crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

On Monday, Russia pulled out of an agreement that allowed Ukraine to export grain. It then started bombing Ukrainian ports and threatened to attack ships. Putin's latest economic assault on the West has sent wheat prices soaring and sparked fears of a global food crisis. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. When international grain prices rise, it becomes more expensive for poorer countries to import those commodities – so Russia's withdrawal from the UN's initiative has fueled policymakers' fears that there could be a worldwide food crisis.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, António Guterres, Josep Borrell, Hargreaves, Sophie Lund, Yates, Jamie Dimon, Putin Organizations: Service, Initiative, United Nations, UN, JPMorgan, NATO Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Europe, European

☆ Wheat prices soar for a third day as Russia-Ukraine tensions stoke fears of major food crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Known as the world's "bread basket," Ukraine grows far more wheat than it consumes and it's exports contribute to global food security, especially in African countries, which now fear food shortages. Wheat prices rose on Thursday after Russia threatened to treat ships heading for Ukrainian ports as military cargo carriers, deepening fears of a global food security crisis. It follows a jump of 8.5% in the previous session, the biggest daily gain in more than a year, on mounting geopolitical tensions. Wheat prices remain well below the peak levels of 1,177.5 cents per bushel reached in May of last year, however. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Thursday that Russia's decision to pull out of the pact would imperil global food security.

Persons: António Guterres, Josep Borrell, Borrell Organizations: Chicago Board of Trade, Initiative, Union Locations: Ukraine, Russia, EU

☆ Russia and Ukraine just turned much of the Black Sea into a dangerous no man's land
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged threats this week to ships sailing through the Black Sea. The Kremlin then went much further, warning it may attack any vessels it believes are bound for Ukraine, effectively turning the Black Sea into a no man's land. They added that Moscow even published a video claiming to have detected and detonated an alleged Ukrainian sea mine. "Our information indicates that Russia laid additional sea mines in the approaches to Ukrainian ports. Turkish-flagged bulker TQ Samsun, carrying grain under UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, transits Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey July 18, 2023.

Persons: Biden, Adam Hodge, António Guterres, —, Matthew Miller, Lasalle, Mark Duncan, Washington didn't Organizations: Service, United Nations, AP, White, Security, REUTERS, Black Sea Initiative, UN, US State, US Naval Institute Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Kremlin, Odesa, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Crimea, Azov, Samsun, Istanbul, Turkey, Iran, Persian, Iraq, Hormuz, Kuwait, Soviet, Iraqi, American

☆ As Russia Strikes on Ukraine's Ports, White House Warns Ships May Be Next
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Safak Timur | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Russia’s moves have profound implications for the export of Ukraine’s grain, a commodity vital for its own economy and world grain markets. How have Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian ports affected the situation? Since Monday’s announcement, Russia has launched a series of nightly aerial attacks on Ukrainian ports, killing and wounding civilians. Six nations have a Black Sea coastline and it is a main conduit for Russia’s grain exports. Last summer, the European Union took steps to smooth a path for Ukraine’s overland grain exports, given the Russian Black Sea blockade.

Persons: Sal Gilbertie, Oleksandr Gimanov, Volodymyr Zelensky, António Guterres, Chris Mcgrath, Vladimir V, Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Reni, Benoît Fayaud, Arif Husain, ”, Maciek, Mateusz Morawiecki, ” Monika Pronczuk Organizations: Ministry of Defense, Initiative, World Food, ., Agence France, United Nations, Getty, Strategie, European Union, The New York Times Ministers Locations: Kushuhum, Ukraine’s, Zaporizhzhia, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, U.S, Chornomorsk, Odesa, Turkey, Istanbul, China, Poland, Izmail, Romanian, Constanta, Russian, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia

ISLAMABAD, July 20 (Reuters) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday called for the Black Sea grain initiative to be restored to meet the challenge of global food insecurity. "It is not only in our interest but in the world's interest that this grain initiative is restored," Zardari said. The Black Sea grain deal expired on Monday after Russia quit, despite a U.N. offer to President Vladimir Putin to re-establish access for a Russian bank to the SWIFT international payment system in return for an extension. The U.N. estimates the grain deal lowered food prices globally by 20%. Russia has warned that ships sailing to the Ukrainian Black Sea ports from Thursday will be seen as potential military targets.

Persons: Dmytro Kuleba, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, General Antonio Guterres, Zardari, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Kuleba, Asif Shahzad, David Evans, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Ukrainian, United Nations, Thomson, Reuters Locations: ISLAMABAD, Islamabad, Kyiv, Russia, Moscow, Pakistan, Russian, Chornomorsk, China, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Shahid, Karachi

☆ Top economists urge bolder action on ‘crisis of extreme inequality’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reducing inequality by 2030 was one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals adopted by most governments in 2015. But five years later, global inequality — measured as the difference in average incomes between countries — saw the largest annual rise in three decades, driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the World Bank. The goal to reduce inequality “remains largely ignored,” Monday’s letter said. We ask you to seize this opportunity to back stronger goals.”A spokesperson for the World Bank welcomed the ideas proposed in the letter. At a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York Tuesday, due to be attended by representatives from governments, a group that includes Oxfam and UNAIDS will launch a “call to action” on global inequality.

Persons: London CNN —, António Guterres, Ajay Banga, Ban, Helen Clark, Joseph Stiglitz, Jayati Ghosh, Thomas Piketty, ” Guterres, —, ”, “, Vasco Cotovio Organizations: London CNN, United Nations, World Bank, UN, New Zealand, Sustainable, CNN, Oxfam, UNAIDS Locations: Russia, Ukraine, New York

☆ UN Security Council meets for first time on AI risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] The U.N. Security Council holds a meeting on Artificial intelligence at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., July 18, 2023. "Both military and non-military applications of AI could have very serious consequences for global peace and security," Guterres said. Ambassador Zhang Jun described AI as a "double-edged sword" and said Beijing supports a central coordinating role of the U.N. on establishing guiding principles for AI. "No member states should use AI to censor, constrain, repress or disempower people," he told the council. Russia questioned whether the council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, should be discussing AI.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, James, Britain's, Antonio Guterres, Jack Clark, Zeng Yi, Guterres, U.N, Zhang Jun, Zhang, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Michelle Nichols, Aurora Ellis Organizations: . Security, REUTERS, Brendan McDermid UNITED NATIONS, United Nations Security Council, Britain's, U.N, China -, Research Center, AI, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Civil Aviation Organization, U.S, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, China, United States, Beijing, Russia

☆ Russia strikes Ukraine grain port after exiting export deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine and Russia are both among the world's biggest exporters of grain and other foodstuffs. If Ukrainian grain is again blocked from the market, prices could soar around the world, hitting the poorest countries hardest. Russia says it could return to the grain deal, but only if its demands are met for rules to be eased for its own exports of food and fertiliser. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for the grain deal to continue without Russia, effectively seeking Turkey's backing to negate the Russian blockade. Any attempt to reopen Ukrainian grain shipments without Russia's participation would depend on insurance companies agreeing to provide coverage.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Antonio Guterres, Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Tayyip Erdogan, Ukraine's counterassault, Hanna Maliar, Serhiy Cherevatyi, Peter Graff, Angus MacSwan, Alex Richardson Organizations: UN, United Nations, Local, Kyiv, Russian Federation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, KYIV, Ukrainian, Odesa, Ukraine, Crimean, Mykolaiv, Crimea, Russia's, Kupiansk, Kyiv, Bakhmut, Turkey, Russian, Kharkiv

☆ UN says ideas 'floated' on how to get Ukraine, Russia grain to world
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, July 18 (Reuters) - There are a "number of ideas being floated" to help get Ukrainian and Russian grain and fertilizer to global markets after Moscow quit a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Ukraine and Russia are among the world's top grain exporters. However, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "will continue to explore all possible avenues to ensure that Ukrainian grain, Russian grain, Russian fertilizer are out on the global market," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said an alternative to the Black Sea grain deal had to be found and "there are very active discussions now." He said the export of Ukrainian grain through Europe would not be able to "compensate for the absence of deliveries from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea."

Persons: Russia's, Antonio Guterres, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Dmytro Kuleba, Kuleba, Michelle Nichols, Tim Ahmann, William Maclean Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Moscow, United Nations, Ukraine's, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, Moscow, U.N, Europe

☆ U.N. Officials Urge Regulation of Artificial Intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | More About Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The U.N. Security Council for the first time held a session on Tuesday on the threat that artificial intelligence poses to international peace and stability, and Secretary General António Guterres called for a global watchdog to oversee a new technology that has raised at least as many fears as hopes. Mr. Guterres warned that A.I. On Tuesday, diplomats and leading experts in the field of A.I. laid out for the Security Council the risks and threats — along with the scientific and social benefits — of the new emerging technology. Much remains unknown about the technology even as its development speeds ahead, they said.

Persons: General António Guterres, Guterres, — Organizations: . Security, Security

☆ UN Secretary General embraces calls for a new UN agency on AI in the face of ‘potentially catastrophic and existential risks’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The UN has an opportunity to set globally agreed-upon rules of the road for monitoring and regulating AI, Guterres said Tuesday at a first-ever meeting of the UN Security Council devoted to AI governance. Its creators themselves have warned that much bigger, potentially catastrophic and existential risks lie ahead. “China firmly opposes these behaviors.”Zhang’s remarks come on the heels of reports that the US government may seek to limit the flow of powerful artificial intelligence chips to China. Addressing the security council via teleconference, Jack Clark, the co-founder of the AI company Anthropic, urged member states not to allow private companies to dominate the development of artificial intelligence. “We cannot leave the development of artificial intelligence solely to private sector actors,” Clark said.

Persons: António Guterres, Guterres, ”, James, Zhang Jun, ” Zhang, Zhang’s, Jack Clark, ” Clark Organizations: CNN, United, UN, Council, ”, Tech Locations: United Nations, China, United States, teleconference

☆ CNBC Daily Open: The long-awaited recession might not arrive
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Waiting for earningsU.S. stocks made slight gains Monday, but trading volume was lower than average as investors braced for second-quarter earning. Merger bonanzaWarren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway reduced its stake in Activision Blizzard from 6.7% last year to 1.9% yesterday, according to a securities filing released Monday. Buffett previously revealed Berkshire added to its initial Activision stake in a bet the deal would close and cause shares to rise.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, Jim Jordan, Mark Zuckerberg, Ed Yardeni Organizations: CNBC, Initiative, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Activision, Twitter, Yardeni Research Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Berkshire

☆ Putin’s ruthless power play may not preclude a revival of Ukraine grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Guterres said that he’d sent Russia proposals to keep the grain deal alive but that he was “deeply disappointed” that his efforts went unheeded. The UN chief’s comments reinforced a view that, for now, Russia sees a point of leverage in refusing to renew the Black Sea grain deal. Erdogan won prestige and the gratitude of his fellow NATO leaders and developing nations for brokering the original grain deal. So it may risk damaging its own priorities by triggering widespread food shortages, especially since much of Ukraine’s grain is used in World Food Programs to alleviate famine in Africa. While the end of the grain deal would cause significant global hardship, its worst effects may be weeks away – so there could be time for diplomacy to work.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Antony Blinken, it’s, ”, There’s, Dmitry Peskov, General António Guterres, Guterres, he’d, “, autocrats — Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, cannily, He’d, Michael Kimmage, ” Kimmage, Kimmage, “ That’s, ” John Kirby, Nicolay Gorbachov, Isa Soares Organizations: CNN, United Nations, NATO, Kremlin, UN, Putin, State Department, Catholic University of America, National Security Council, Ukrainian Grain Association, CNN International Locations: Ukraine, Africa, United States, Crimean, Russian, Turkey, Russia, West, Eurasia, Moscow, Turkish, Europe, Washington

☆ Black Sea grain deal to expire Monday if Russia quits
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's February 2022 invasion and blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports sent global grain prices soaring. The United Nations has argued that the arrangement has benefited those states by helping lower food prices more than 20% globally. Russia has agreed three times in the past year to extend the Black Sea deal, but also briefly suspended its participation at the end of October in response to a drone attack on its fleet in Crimea. To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea deal, a three-year deal was also struck in July 2022 under which U.N. officials agreed to help Russia get its food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a final effort on Tuesday to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend the Black Sea grain deal for several months in exchange for the EU connecting a subsidiary of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT for grain and fertilizer transactions, sources said.

Persons: Russia's, Sergei Lavrov, James, Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, Guterres, Putin, Michelle Nichols, Will Dunham Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United, United Nations, . Security, British, Food, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, European Union, EU, JPMorgan Chase &, reassurances, U.S ., The United Nations, African Export, Import Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine's, Britain, Afghanistan, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Yemen, Asia, Western Europe, Africa, Eastern Europe, Crimea, Moscow, SWIFT, Rosselkhozbank

☆ Russia halts grain deal in what UN calls blow to needy people everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres signalled that Russia's withdrawal meant that the related pact to assist Russia's grain and fertilizer exports was also terminated. Moscow said it would consider rejoining the grain deal if it saw "concrete results" on its demands but that its guarantees for the safety of navigation would meanwhile be revoked. REUTERS/StringerUkrainian forces have been striking Russian supply lines as it pursues a counteroffensive to drive Russian forces out of its south and east. On Monday it reported two more civilians killed by Russian forces, which it said had begun a major push in the northeast. The grain deal was hailed as preventing a global food emergency when brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last year.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Antonio Guterres, Moscow, Antony Blinken, Saraf, Halima Hussein, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Stringer, Hanna Maliar, Serhiy Cherevatyi, Vladimir Putin, Marat Khusnullin, Putin, Artem Dekhtyarenko, Max Hunder, Michelle Nichols, Abdi Sheikh, Ron Popeski, Lidia Kelly, Peter Graff, Philippa Fletcher, Alex Richardson, Grant McCool Organizations: UN, Russian Federation, International Rescue, REUTERS, Stringer Ukrainian, Lyman, Ukrainian Armed Forces, TV, Reuters, Ukraine's Security, Ukraine, United, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Crimea, Ukraine, Russian, KYIV, Russia, Moscow, Ukrainian, Washington, AFRICA Ukraine, East Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia's, Mogadishu, Kyiv, Turkey, Kerch, Kupiansk, Kharkiv, United Nations, New York

☆ How the Black Sea grain deal collapse could impact global food prices and hunger
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —Wheat and corn prices on global commodities markets jumped Monday after Russia pulled out of a crucial deal allowing the export of grain from Ukraine. The collapse of the pact threatens to push up food prices for consumers worldwide and tip millions into hunger. The White House said the deal had been “critical” to bringing down food prices around the globe, which spiked after Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. Food pricesThe global food price index complied by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization hit an all-time high in March 2022, but has fallen steadily since then. “A renewed rise in agricultural commodity prices would obviously push up retail food prices but perhaps not by as much as you think, particularly in developed economies,” she said.

Persons: “, ” Adam Hodge, —, Vladimir Putin, General Antonio Guterres, Shashwat, ” Saraf, Richer, Caroline Bain, ”, Rob Picheta, Hanna Ziady, Mick Krever, Anna Chernova, Priscilla Alvarez Organizations: London CNN —, US National Security Council, Chicago Board of Trade, United Nations, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, Gro Intelligence, Food Security Information Network, European Union, Rescue, East, Agriculture Organization, Capital Economics, CNN Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Istanbul, Kyiv, Moscow, United States, Sevastopol, Russian, Crimea, East Africa, East, Africa

The agreement, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, was struck a year ago, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, to alleviate a global food crisis after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia had blockaded Ukrainian ports, blocking ships from carrying its grain and sending global prices soaring to record highs. The deal has been extended three times, most recently in May. Russia has repeatedly complained about the agreement, which it calls one-sided in Ukraine’s favor. Moscow has said that Western sanctions, imposed because of Moscow’s devastating war, have restricted the sale of Russia’s agricultural products, and Moscow has sought guarantees that free up those exports.

Persons: upending, António Guterres, “, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr Organizations: Initiative, United, United Nations Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Africa, United Nations, Turkey, Ukrainian, Ukraine’s, Moscow

☆ UN warns that implanting unregulated AI chips in your brain because could threaten your mental privacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The United Nations is warning about "potentially harmful" advances in neurotechnology. Some tech could allow AI to compromise a person's mental privacy, UNESCO officials said. "It's like putting neurotech on steroids," Mariagrazia Squicciarini, an economist from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, told the AFP. I didn't like it at all," Galvin, who eventually had the device removed, told UNESCO. It could threaten our rights to human dignity, freedom of thought and privacy," UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay said in June, when she proposed a "common ethical framework at the international level."

Persons: Gabriela Ramos, Ramos, Antonio Guterres, Hannah Galvin, Galvin, " Galvin, Squicciarini, Audrey Azoulay Organizations: UNESCO, UN, Morning, United Nations, Agence France, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, AFP Locations: neurotechnology

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