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CNN —Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and 2024 Republican presidential contender, sharply criticized the party’s top-polling candidates in a CNN town hall in Iowa on Sunday. “This is bigger than Ukraine,” Haley said during the CNN town hall, “this is a war about freedom and it’s one we have to win. “I don’t trust the government to deal with red flag laws. Red flag laws or “extreme risk protection orders,” as Michigan Gov. On the trail, Haley has called for raising the retirement age for people currently in their 20s and limiting Social Security and Medicare benefits for wealthier Americans.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, ” Haley, Haley, “, DeSantis, Vladimir Putin –, that’s, Trump, Kim Jong, don’t, ”, Biden, “ We’ve, CNN Haley, you’ve, Gretchen Whitmer, we’re, ’ Haley, I’ll, DeSantis ’, –, we’ve, China Haley, Joe Biden’s, Michael’s, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, South, Sunday, United Nations, Capitol, Florida Gov, Disney, United, Trump, Ukraine, Russia, North, Health, WHO, Putin, Democratic, Republicans, Michigan Gov, Social Security, GOP, Medicare, Congress, Democratic National, Republican, Florida Republicans, South Carolina Army National Guard Locations: South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, United States, Russia, Haley’s, Ukraine, Afghanistan, ”, China, Taiwan

The West Coast is home to the busiest U.S. container port complex at Los Angeles/Long Beach. Pacific Coast ports are an important engine of the U.S. economy and handle everything from apparel and furniture to agricultural products and automobiles. Some Port of Los Angeles terminals were affected by labor shortages, a spokesperson there said. Meanwhile, West Coast ports have lost cargo to rival ports on the East and Gulf Coasts as shippers worry that a breakdown in talks could strand cargo on ships or in docks. Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Will Dunham and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Willie Adams, Adams, Mario Cordero, Cordero, Friday's, Lisa Baertlein, Will Dunham, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S . West, Pacific Maritime Association, Warehouse Union, ILWU, Twitter, Long Beach, Walmart, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, U.S . West Coast, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, California, Tacoma, Seattle, Washington, Coast, Pacific Coast, U.S, Port, Long, West Coast, Gulf Coasts

☆ Risks the global economy still faces as threat of US debt default recedes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN —With the threat of an unprecedented US debt crisis receding fast, the global economy looks to have dodged a huge shock. While an immediate crisis has likely been avoided, the litany of problems that had been temporarily overshadowed by the specter of a US default — among them, high inflation, rising interest rates and sluggish growth — haven’t gone away. Bloomberg/Getty ImagesInflation still too highAgainst that backdrop, inflation has eased in Europe’s second biggest economy, mimicking falls in Germany, Spain and Italy. But it could still arise from two longstanding threats: the Ukraine war and the climate crisis, both of which pose risks to global supply chains and food prices. The war helped drive international food prices to an all-time high last year.

Persons: specter, haven’t, ”, Carsten Brzeski, “, Charlotte de, Neil Shearing, Vladimir Putin, Michael Bociurkiw, Bociurkiw, Marcelo del Pozo Organizations: London CNN —, ING, Charlotte de Montpellier, Bloomberg, Getty, Data, United, Deutsche Bank, Capital Economics, Atlantic Council, Isla Mayor, ” Gro Intelligence Locations: United States, China, Germany, France, Beijing, Europe’s, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Russia, Isla, Europe

☆ Opinion: The war on Russia’s doorstep just got uncomfortably close
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Then on Tuesday morning a drone attack on the Russian capital brought the conflict to Russian soil with fresh clarity. The aim here appears not to actually occupy Russian land – but to send a message to Putin and the Russian public that the Ukraine war is a waste of blood and treasure. What is perhaps likely in the short term, is that Russia will use a hybrid strategy to attack Ukraine and make life uncomfortable for the West. It is reasonable to assume that Putin will not end this war voluntarily, by submitting to a ceasefire or peace deal. And with the war he started getting uncomfortably close, I believe Putin’s days in office could be numbered as well.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, CNN —, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Putin, David, Goliath, Kyiv’s, ”, Zelensky, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Rather Organizations: Atlantic Council, Organization for Security, Cooperation, CNN, Russia, Putin, Kremlin, Kyiv, Russian Volunteer Corps, of Russia, Ukraine, Legion, Armed Forces of, New York Times, Nazi, Twitter Locations: Odesa, Europe, Iraq, United States, Putin Russian, Belgorod, Ukrainian, Berdiansk, Moscow, Ukraine, ”, Russia, Kyiv, Washington, Armed Forces of Ukraine

[1/10] Municipal workers remove debris of a traffic light broken by a part of a missile which landed on a street during a Russian strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 29, 2023. A Ukrainian presidential aide said on Monday any post-war settlement should include a demilitarised zone of 100-120 km (62-75 miles) inside Russia along the border with Ukraine. After months of attacks on energy facilities, Russia is now targeting military facilities and supplies to try to disrupt Ukraine's preparations for its counterattack, Kyiv says. Moscow says Ukraine has stepped up drone and sabotage attacks against targets inside Russia as it prepares for the offensive. The governor of Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said several frontier settlements were shelled simultaneously by Ukrainian forces on Monday.

☆ Russia predicts trade with China will hit record $200 billion in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Trade between Russia and China is expected to hit a new record level of $200 billion this year, according to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin during his trip to China, as Moscow faces growing isolation from the West. Last year, bilateral trade jumped nearly 30% to a record $190 billion, mainly boosted by China buying Russian energy. This year, their trade continued to surge, up 41% in the first four months, according to Chinese customs figures. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang attend a welcoming ceremony in Beijing on May 24, 2023. The two countries have also planned to build the Power-of-Siberia 2 pipeline to deliver more Russian gas to China via Mongolia.

Vadym Boychenko, mayor of Mariupol, at his office in the city hall of Mariupol, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. Russian service members work on demining the territory of Azovstal steel plant during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine May 22, 2022. A view shows the building of a theatre destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 10, 2022. Before Russia's invasion last February, Mariupol was affectionately known as the mighty Ukrainian city with a fierce, steel heart. A local resident reacts while speaking outside a block of flats heavily damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 18, 2022.

☆ Israel-Gaza violence: Islamic Jihad targets Jerusalem for the first time in current conflict as it fires barrage of rockets at Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Elliott Gotkine Ibrahim Dahman Abeer Salman Richard Allen Greene Alex Stambaugh Sana Noor Haq | Elliott Gotkine | Ibrahim Dahman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad said in a statement shortly after the rocket fire: “The launching towards Jerusalem is a message, and everyone should understand its purpose. Talks to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Islamic Jihad in Gaza are “on ice right now,” a diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations told CNN Friday. One command center was used by senior Islamic Jihad operative Muhammad Abu Al Ata for “the planning and command of terrorist activity against Israel,” the IDF said. The Israel Defense Forces said that IDF fighter jets also struck four military posts belonging to Islamic Jihad. ‘Shield and Arrow’The IDF began unleashing waves of airstrikes on Tuesday on what it says are Islamic Jihad operatives and infrastructure along the strip.

☆ Geopolitical grains: Utilizing agricultural ETFs in a time of oversupply
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Kevin Schmidt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"There's an oversupply of wheat in Russia right now," he said. The Teucrium Wheat Fund (WEAT) , for example, spreads futures contracts across multiple maturities instead of concentrating holdings in front-month futures. In addition to WEAT, Teucrium offers four other ETFs with agricultural exposure: CORN , CANE and SOYB , as well as the Teucrium Agricultural Fund (TAGS) . "And so, without [the Black Sea Grain Initiative], shipping will become uncertain, because you'll be in a war zone." However, prolonged conflict or expansion of the conflict could continue to harm Ukraine grain production, he said, underpinning valuation uncertainty for the commodity regardless of the current oversupply.

☆ Explainer: Why the EU is restricting grain imports from Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Poland, meanwhile, received 2.08 million tonnes of corn, 579,315 tonnes of wheat and 44,114 tonnes of barley in 2022. They have, however, faced increased competition in local markets from Ukrainian grain and oilseeds. Ukrainian grain was shipped to 95 countries that season with major buyers including China, Egypt, Pakistan, Spain and Libya. This is partly because Russian wheat exports have actually risen following a record harvest last summer. A decline in Ukraine's corn exports has also been offset by a jump in shipments from Brazil.

Farmers in Poland and other eastern European countries who held out for higher prices have been hit by a perfect storm. A jump in exports from Brazil and Russia helped to drive global grain prices lower while the EU opened its borders to tariff-free Ukrainian grain imports in a show of solidarity after Russia blocked the country's Black Sea ports. After opening its borders to Ukrainian grain, Poland imported 2.08 million tonnes of maize and 579,315 tonnes of wheat last year, up from just 6,269 tonnes of maize and 3,033 tonnes of wheat in 2021. If the grain corridor due to expire this month were to collapse, Ukrainian farmers would have little option but to send all their grain exports through eastern Europe. European wheat prices hit post-harvest highs in October 2022 of more than 350 euros a tonne but since then prices have dropped to pre-invasion levels of about 235 euros.

[1/5] An agricultural worker operates a tractor with a tiller in a field near the village Kyshchentsi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Cherkasy region, Ukraine May 1, 2023. Around 40 of his 350 workers have signed up to fight in the war, and the replacements he has found lack their experience. Huizinga fears this could mean a fall in grain and milk yields, and with them a drop in his income. His farm, in a village in the rolling hills and green flat plains of the Cherkasy region in central Ukraine, is not the only one losing valued farmhands to the war. Marchuk said farmers were prioritising some employees, bringing in more women workers, recruiting those people displaced by the war and by retraining other workers.

☆ Taiwan’s Trade Clash with China Could Benefit the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Yuka Hayashi | Joyu Wang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. and the Philippines have carried out the largest-ever annual military exercises amid an escalation of Chinese military activity around Taiwan. WSJ’s Shelby Holliday explains what makes this year’s drills different. Photo: Jes Aznar/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON—Taiwan has begun preparing for a sharp rise in economic tension with China, stepping up efforts to encourage businesses to look for investments in the U.S. and other countries. Businesses from the island are facing a sprawling Chinese trade investigation involving nearly 2,500 goods, including agricultural products, metals, plastics, chemicals and minerals. The probe, which Beijing has said is in response to “trade barriers,” threatens to disrupt commerce to Taiwan’s top export destination.

UNITED NATIONS – The basic food security of tens of millions across the globe is hanging by a thread as Russia mulls whether it will preserve a deal that has permitted Ukrainian grain to move through the Black Sea. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday renewed threats of abandoning the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement that allows the safe wartime export of agricultural products from besieged Ukrainian ports. Lavrov also said that the deal is currently one-sided since Russian fertilizers have not been able to transit the same way Ukrainian grain has. "It was not called the grain deal it was called the Black Sea Initiative and in the text itself the agreement stated that this applies to the expansion of opportunities to export grain and fertilizer," Lavrov told reporters during a press conference. Lavrov said there are dozens of Russian cargo vessels carrying some 200,000 tons of fertilizer stuck at European ports.

☆ South Korea March producer inflation eases to weakest in 25 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, April 21 (Reuters) - South Korea's producer inflation slowed in March to the weakest level in 25 months, central bank data showed on Friday, led by agricultural and petroleum products. The producer price index stood 3.3% higher in March than a year before, compared with 4.8% in February, according to the Bank of Korea. The index rose 0.1% on a monthly basis, marking the third straight monthly rise, but that was slower than gains of 0.2% and 0.4% in February and January. Prices of agricultural products fell 4.6% from the previous month, while coal and petroleum products were down 1.3%, contributing to the slowdown in inflation. Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine's cheap grain exports are causing an awkward rift with its European neighbors and staunch allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The move to ban Ukraine's agricultural imports has angered the European Union given that the bloc has sought to help Kyiv maintain its exports as an economic lifeline for the war-torn country. Slovakia's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development told CNBC that despite its temporary ban on Ukrainian imports, the country continued to be open for "solidarity transit," meaning that Ukrainian grain could still pass through its territory to other countries. The ministry added that "we would appreciate the whole-European solution [to] the Ukrainian grain because the topic is relating to the protection of the whole internal European market." It also said it recognized the impact of the "oversupply" of Ukrainian imports on EU farmers, particularly those in bordering nations. Ships, including those carrying grain from Ukraine and awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the Istanbul coastline on November 02, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.

☆ Ukraine says Black Sea grain deal risks being shut down
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, April 17 (Reuters) - Kyiv said on Monday a U.N.-brokered initiative allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain was in danger of "shutdown" after Russia blocked inspections of participating ships in Turkish waters. Ukrainian Black Sea ports were blockaded after Russia's invasion last year, but access to three of them was cleared last July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv that was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey. Russia did not respond to Brink's or the ministry's comments, but the Kremlin said prospects for a renewal of the grain deal were "not so bright". Moscow says a separate deal, under which the U.N. agreed to help Russia with its food and fertilizer exports, is not working. "Ukraine categorically rejects Russia's latest demands and opposes its interference in the operation of Ukrainian ports," the ministry said.

Inside these boxes: Approximately $20 million worth of detained solar panels by U.S. Customs & Border Protection over suspected ties to forced labor. Shipments coming directly from China represented about $80 million worth of goods, while Malaysia accounted for $461 million and Vietnam accounted for $370 million. "UFLPA allows us to presume [goods] were produced with forced labor, and therefore they'd be excluded from the United States," said Fox. "The cotton commodity coming out of the Xinjiang region has typically been tied to forced labor," Fox told CNBC. The companies then had 30 days to come back to CBP and prove that the items were produced without forced labor.

Managed money net position in Chicago wheat futures and optionsMost-active CBOT wheat futures had shed 2.5% in the period. They also reduced their net long in Minneapolis wheat to 245 futures and options contracts from 694 a week earlier. wheat rose 1.2% and CBOT wheat gained 1.3%. CBOT wheat has also displayed considerable weakness versus CBOT corn, as front-month wheat’s advantage to corn slipped below 15 cents per bushel Thursday, the lowest since July 2021 and below long-term averages. The record net long is 154,550 contracts set in April 2019, and it is very rare for funds to be short cattle.

☆ Polish ban on Ukrainian grain and food imports includes transit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, April 16 (Reuters) - A Polish ban on imports of Ukrainian grain and other food will also apply to the transit of these products through the country, the development and technology minister said on Sunday. The Polish ban came into effect on Saturday evening. Ukraine's ministry of agrarian policy and food said on Saturday that the Polish ban contradicted existing bilateral agreements on exports, and called for talks to settle the issue. Ukraine's state-run Ukrinform news agency said Ukrainian and Polish ministers are due to meet on Monday in Poland and the transit arrangement would be focused on in the talks. Around 3 million tonnes of grain left Ukraine every month via the Black Sea grain corridor while only up to 200,000 tonnes are moving to European ports through Polish territory, according to the Ukrainian ministry.

Under the pact to create a safe shipping channel, Ukraine has been able to export some 27.7 million tonnes of agricultural products, including 13.9 million tonnes of corn and 7.5 million tonnes of wheat. The leading destinations have been China (6.3 million tonnes), Spain (4.8 million) and Turkey (3 million). Ukraine's grain exports are forecast to fall in the 2023/24 season after the war has meant farmers planted less corn and wheat. The International Grains Council has forecast that Ukraine's corn crop will fall to 21 million tonnes, down from the prior season's 27 million, with exports expected to drop to 15 million tonnes from 20.5 million. CAN UKRAINE EXPORT MORE GRAIN THROUGH LAND ROUTES?

BEIJING, April 13 (Reuters) - China's exports unexpectedly surged in March, with officials flagging rising demand for electric vehicles, but analysts cautioned the improvement partly reflects suppliers catching up with unfulfilled orders after last year's COVID-19 disruptions. Exports in March shot up 14.8% from a year ago, snapping five straight months of declines and stunning economists who predicted a 7.0% fall in a Reuters poll. "Sluggish external demand and geopolitical factors will bring greater challenges to China's trade development," he added. Factory surveys showed export orders falling in March, a contrast to more upbeat readings for the services sector, which has benefited from China's reopening. Reporting by Joe Cash and Ellen Zhang; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

BEIJING, April 13 (Reuters) - China's exports unexpectedly surged for March, driven by strong shipments of solar products, new-energy vehicles and lithium batteries and as supply chain conditions continued to improve from their COVID paralysis. This came as a surprise to the market," said Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management. Lv Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs, attributed the upside surprise to strength in demand for electric vehicles, solar products and lithium batteries. "Sluggish external demand and geopolitical factors will bring greater challenges to China's trade development," he added. Reporting by Joe Cash and Ellen Zhang; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine farmers say protests in EU over Ukrainian grain are political
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Inquam Photos/George Calin via REUTERSKYIV, April 12 (Reuters) - Protests by European farmers are political and shipments of Ukrainian grain are not reducing the profitability of their business, Ukrainian food producers' union UAC said on Wednesday. Poland last week said it would temporarily halt Ukrainian grain imports after farmers' protests led Poland's agriculture minister to resign, but transit would still be allowed. "The political nature of the European farmers' strikes is obvious. "However, certain forces need to demonstrate that this is due to an oversupply of Ukrainian grain," he said, noting that the country faced elections later this year. Ukrainian officials this month said, however, the country may export a further 15.6 million tonnes of grain in the April-to-June quarter, which would lift this season's exports to nearly 53 million tonnes.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy heads to Poland to deepen ties with key Western ally
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kacper PempelKYIV, April 5 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected shortly in neighbouring Poland, a close ally that has played a big role in galvanising Western military and political support for Kyiv against Russia's full-scale invasion. Poland has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees over the past 13 months of war. The NATO member has also played an important role in persuading other Western powers to supply battle tanks and other weaponry to Ukraine. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Tuesday that Kyiv was grateful to Poland for clearing the way for deliveries of MiG fighter jets. "During talks with President Zelenskiy, we will certainly discuss Ukrainian grain and various agricultural products, because we want any trade with Ukraine not to destabilise our market," Morawiecki said.

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