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☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

☆ UN Security Council to hold first talks on AI risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council will hold its first formal discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) this week in New York, with Britain to call for an international dialogue about its impact on global peace and security. Governments around the world are considering how to mitigate the dangers of emerging AI technology, which could reshape the global economy and change the international security landscape. Britain holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council this month and has been seeking a global leadership role in AI regulation. In June, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backed a proposal by some artificial intelligence executives for the creation of an international AI watchdog body like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Reporting by William James Editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: James, Antonio Guterres, William James, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: United Nations Security, UN Security, British, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: New York, Britain, U.N

Talks over the renewal of a deal that allows Ukraine to export its grain across the Black Sea in wartime were set to go down to the wire again, as the United Nations waited on Sunday for a response from Russia on a proposal that could revive the agreement and help keep global grain prices stable. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, is one of the very few areas of wartime cooperation between Ukraine and Russia. It was first agreed in summer last year, allowing Ukraine to restart the export of millions of tons of grain from its ports on the Black Sea despite Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began in February. But Russia has repeatedly threatened to pull out of the agreement, which has only been renewed for short periods. The latest deadline for expiry is midnight Monday.

Persons: António Guterres, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: United Nations, Initiative, United Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United Nations, Turkey

☆ Last ship leaves Ukraine port ahead of Black Sea grain-deal deadline
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, July 16 (Reuters) - The last ship to travel under a U.N.-brokered deal that allows the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain left the port of Odesa early on Sunday ahead of a deadline to extend the agreement, according to a Reuters witness and MarineTraffic.com. A United Nations spokesman said on Friday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was waiting for a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin on a proposal to extend the deal. Russia has repeatedly threatened to quit the deal, brokered by the U.N. and Turkey in July 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on whether the ship, the Turkish-flagged TQ Samsun, had left Odesa. Ukraine and Russia are among the world's top grain exporters.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Iryna Nazarchuk, Dan Peleschuk, Barbara Lewis Organizations: United Nations, South, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Turkey, Ukraine, Turkish, Samsun, Odesa

☆ A landmark agricultural deal that guarantees food security for tens of millions is set to expire on Monday as Russia debates its renewal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Black Sea deal has allowed Ukraine to ship more than 30 million tons of produce from three major ports, helping to bring down global food prices down after they spiked following Russia's invasion. Last week, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin outlining proposals to salvage the deal. REUTERS/Nacho Doce Nacho Doce | ReutersBefore Russian troops poured over Ukraine's borders in late February 2022, Kyiv and Moscow accounted for almost a quarter of global grain exports. Those agricultural shipments came to a halt for nearly six months until representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the U.N. and Turkey agreed to establish a humanitarian sea corridor under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. One of Moscow's top demands though is for the Russian Agricultural Bank, or Rosselkhozbank, to return to the SWIFT banking system.

Persons: Akos Stiller, Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Sean Gallup, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, That's, SWIFT Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images WASHINGTON, Kremlin, REUTERS, Reuters, Russian, Food, Sea Initiative, Russian Agricultural Bank, Society, Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication Locations: Bicske, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Ukrainian, UN, Turkey, Odesa, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Yuzhny, Moscow's

☆ Nearly half the world's population lives in countries where the government spends more on debt than education or healthcare
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Almost 40% of the developing world is in serious debt trouble, especially in Africa. In addition to the growing debts, developing countries are also facing higher interest rates. According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, 3.3 billion people live in countries where the government spends more on debt interest payments than education or health. According to the UN report, countries facing "high levels of debt" more than doubled from 22 in 2011 to 59 in just 11 years. Another issue is that more and more debt in developing countries is held by private lenders who charge much higher interest rates.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Al Organizations: Service, UN Locations: Africa, Wall, Silicon, Al Jazeera, skyrocketing, Nigeria, States, Europe

☆ UN waits for Russian answer as Black Sea grain deal deadline looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Guterres wrote to Putin on Tuesday asking him to extend the Black Sea deal in return for connecting a subsidiary of Russia's Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the international payment system SWIFT, sources told Reuters. The last ship traveling under the Black Sea deal is loading its cargo at Ukraine's Odesa port. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday pushed for Russia to extend and expand the Black Sea deal, accusing Russia of using the agreement "as a weapon" by threatening to end it. To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea deal, a three-year memorandum of understanding was struck in July 2022 under which U.N. officials agreed to help Russia get its food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets. The EU is considering connecting a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to SWIFT to allow for grain and fertilizer transactions, sources familiar with discussions said on Wednesday.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, Guterres, Putin, SWIFT, We're, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Tayyip Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Michelle Nichols, Will Dunham Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Russia's Agricultural Bank, Reuters, Kremlin, TASS, U.S, Ukraine, EU, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Turkey, Jakarta, EU

☆ EU helping UN, Turkey in bid to extend Black Sea grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A Kremlin spokesman later said that Russia had not taken a final decision on whether to exit the grain deal. The European Commission's priority is to ensure that Ukrainian grain can reach the world market and it calls on all parties to extend the Black Sea deal, a European Union spokesperson in Brussels said on Thursday. Russia has threatened to ditch the Black Sea grain deal because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertilizer abroad have not been met. The last ship traveling under the Black Sea agreement is currently loading its cargo at the Ukrainian port of Odesa ahead of the Monday deadline. Britain has also "worked very closely with the City of London to enable a very complex payment system" for Russian grain, Britain's U.N. ambassador, Barbara Woodward, has said.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, SWIFT, Guterres, Putin, Ursula von der Leyen, Putin's, U.N, Barbara Woodward, Woodward, Michelle Nichols, Foo Yun Chee, Angus MacSwan, Leslie Adler Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, European Commission, United, Black, European Union, Russian Agricultural Bank, Reuters, United Nations, Kremlin, JPMorgan Chase &, reassurances, U.S ., The United Nations, African Export, Import Bank, City, Thomson Locations: United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, EU, U.N, Moscow, Brussels, Russian, Odesa, Africa, Britain, London

☆ Putin says Russia may quit Black Sea grain deal if demands not met
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, July 13 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia was set to withdraw from a deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea unless its own demands are met, reaffirming Moscow's tough stance ahead of the deal's expiry next Monday. We will immediately rejoin this deal," Putin said. A Kremlin spokesman later clarified that Russia had not taken a final decision on whether to exit the grain deal. The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to help alleviate a global food crisis that worsened after Moscow sent forces into Ukraine and blockaded Ukrainian ports. To convince Putin to agree to the deal, U.N. officials also agreed to help Russia get its food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets - something Moscow says they have failed to do.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Antonio Guterres, SWIFT, Gareth Jones, David Evans, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Russia, United Nations, Kremlin, United, Reuters, European Union, Russian Agriculture Bank, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Russia, United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian

☆ Global public debt hits record $92 trillion, UN report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, July 12 (Reuters) - Global public debt surged to a record $92 trillion in 2022 as governments borrowed to counter crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, with the burden being felt acutely by developing countries, a United Nations report said. Developing countries owe almost 30% of the global public debt, of which 70% is represented by China, India and Brazil. Fifty-nine developing countries face a debt-to-GDP ratio above 60% - a threshold indicating high levels of debt. Private creditors, such as bondholders and banks, represent 62% of developing countries' total external public debt. Reporting by Jorgelina do Rosario, additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, editing by Karin Strohecker and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Jorgelina, Michelle Nichols, Karin Strohecker, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Global, United, UN, United Nations, Monetary Fund, Group, Thomson Locations: United Nations, China, India, Brazil, Africa, America, Paris, Rosario

☆ UN asks Putin to extend Black Sea grain deal in return for SWIFT access -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has threatened to ditch the grain deal, which expires on Monday, because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertilizer abroad have not been met. The last two ships traveling under the Black Sea agreement are currently loading cargoes at the Ukrainian port of Odesa ahead of the deadline. A key demand by Moscow is the reconnection of the Russian agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT international payment network. Guterres has proposed to Putin that Russia allow the Black Sea grain deal to continue for several months, giving the EU time to connect a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to SWIFT, two of those sources familiar with discussions told Reuters. The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to help alleviate a global food crisis worsened by Moscow's invasion and blockade of Ukrainian ports.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, Guterres, Putin, SWIFT, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, JPM.N, Michelle Nichols, Kanishka Singh, Mark Heinrich, Diane Craft Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, European Union, European Commission, EU, Russian Agricultural Bank, Russian Federation, Kremlin, United, JPMorgan Chase, reassurances, U.S ., The United Nations, African Export, Import Bank, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Odesa, Moscow, EU, SWIFT, Rosselkhozbank, United Nations, Turkey, Ukrainian, Africa

☆ Russian veto signals end of Turkey-based UN aid operation in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia suggested that the council mandate for the aid operation could not be salvaged. Security Council votes on the issue have long been contentious - in both 2022 and 2020 the mandate expired, only to be renewed a day later. The Security Council initially authorized aid deliveries in 2014 into opposition-held areas of Syria from Iraq, Jordan and two points in Turkey. 'UTTER CRUELTY'Russia and Syria have argued that the aid operation violates Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. China abstained on the vote for the nine-month compromise renewal of the aid operation authorization drafted by Switzerland and Brazil, while the remaining 13 Security Council members voted in favor.

Persons: Vassily Nebenzia, Nebenzia, we're, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, Bashar al, Assad, Bassam Sabbagh, Sabbagh, Thomas, Michelle Nichols, Rami Ayyub, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Nations, . Security, Russia U.N, Security, United, United Nations, Reuters, Ten Security, U.S, Thomson Locations: Russia, Turkey, Syria, United States, Damascus, Moscow, Iraq, Jordan, China, United Nations, Switzerland, Brazil, Britain, France, Washington

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