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☆ Factbox: BRICS summit 2023: What's likely to be discussed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Putin will participate in the summit virtually and will be represented in Johannesburg by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. BRICS EXPANSIONThe leaders are divided over the expansion of the bloc by adding new members, including the admission criteria. BRICS BANKThe group is also expected to discuss how to boost local currency fundraising and lending within the New Development Bank (NDB), or so-called BRICS bank. While the NDB, which was established in 2015, is still looking at the potential use of alternative currencies, there will be no talk about a common BRICS currency during the summit, South Africa's senior BRICS diplomat said. 'FRIENDS OF BRICS'The last day of the summit is expected to focus on talks with leaders from other countries.

Persons: Aly, Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Enoch Godongwana, BRICS, Naledi Pandor, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Pandor, Anait Miridzhanian, Olivia Kumwenda, Tim Cocks, Nick Macfie Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Indian, International, Africa's Finance, Federal Reserve, United Arab, South African Foreign, Ukraine, Continental Free Trade Area, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Johannesburg, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, BRICS, United States, South, Bangladesh, Uruguay, Algeria, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, Caribbean, France, Russian

[1/2] China's President Xi Jinping takes his seat at the first closed session of the leaders of the BRICS summit meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 26, 2018. China's interactions with African leaders will follow last month's Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, where Russian President Vladimir Putin held court with the 17 African heads of state who attended out of the 54 African countries invited. Chen said Xi and African leaders will draw up a blueprint for cooperation to create jobs and improve livelihoods in Africa. It is not clear yet how many heads of state will attend the Aug. 22-24 BRICS summit, but South African officials said more than 70 had been invited. Between 2000 and 2020, Chinese lenders, mostly state-owned banks, agreed to lend $160 billion to African countries, according to Boston University, and Chinese companies have also invested heavily in mining on the continent.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Gianluigi, Chen Xiaodong, Xi, Cyril Ramaphosa, Vladimir Putin, Chen, Macky Sall, Azali Assoumani, Carien du Plessis, Rachel Savage, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Rights, Forum for China Africa Cooperation, Union, Boston University, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights PRETORIA, China, Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, South, Pretoria, St Petersburg, Comoros

CNN —South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma was returned to prison on Friday to comply with a ruling that his release on ill health was unlawful – but was freed after just an hour under a remission process to address overcrowding in jail. In September 2021 the government’s correctional services department said Zuma, then 79, had been released from prison on medical parole due to ill health. The department announced that Zuma had been released from prison in October 2022. But South Africa’s Court of Appeal ruled in November that Zuma should return to prison, saying the decision to release him on medical parole was unlawful. To comply with the ruling, Zuma returned to prison on Friday, but benefited from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s policy of granting remission to nonviolent offenders in South Africa, in order to reduce overcrowding in prisons.

Persons: Jacob Zuma, “, Makgothi Thobakgale, Zuma, Cyril Ramaphosa’s, Ronald Lamola, ” Organizations: CNN, Correctional Services, ” Correctional Locations: South Africa, Africa’s

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Second Summit Economic And Humanitarian Forum Russia Africa on July 27, 2023 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin is weighing whether to attend his first in-person meeting with Western leaders since his forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, a Kremlin source tells NBC News. In 2014, after Russia's annexation of Crimea, Putin was publicly shunned and sidelined during the G20 meeting in Australia. Next month's G20 summit is already set to be the most contentious in years and an important litmus test of many countries' true positions on Ukraine. "And some of the leaders, including President Biden, already decided to ignore President Putin and not take any picture with him."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, hasn't, Xi Jinping, Alexey Maslov, Maslov, Jonathan Eyal, Dmitry Peskov, Nirmala Sitharaman, Cyril Ramaphosa, Andrei Fedorov, Russia's, Putin's, Fedorov, Biden, Jamal Khashoggi, Modi, Eyal Organizations: Russia Africa, Summit ., Western, NBC News, Kremlin, Institute of, Studies, Moscow State University, Royal United Services Institute, International, ICC, United Nations, Washington Post, Mr Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Ukraine, New Delhi, Russian, Belarus, China, Central, London, Crimea, Australia, Bali , Indonesia, France, Bali, Russia's, Johannesburg, Brazil, India, South Africa, Rome, United States, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

☆ Factbox: Key facts about the BRICS 2023 summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some key facts about the summit. It will be the first in-person BRICS summit since the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps the most important and controversial issue the leaders are expected to discuss is BRICS expansion by adding new members, including the admission criteria and guiding principles. But divisions among BRICS members over criteria for admitting new members may preclude any major announcements at the summit, as the bloc operates by consensus. Twenty three countries have formally applied to become new BRICS members, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Naledi Pandor, Wendell Roelf, Olivia Kumwenda, Alistair Bell Organizations: WHO, Indian, International, Russian, South African Foreign, United Nations, African Union Commission, New Development Bank, Business, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Johannesburg, Africa, Ukraine, Moscow, Latin America, Asia, Caribbean, South, United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia

☆ Surprise winners, shock losers in 32-team World Cup group stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The stunning upsets sent twice German champions packing in their first exit from the group stage in nine editions of the World Cup. Revived Norway were a big group stage winner, brushing off a turbulent two weeks to squeeze into the knockout rounds on goal difference over New Zealand. Norway's advancement sealed New Zealand's fate, despite the Football Ferns having edged the Norwegians 1-0 for their first win at a World Cup at the tournament's opening match. South Africa are not used to dominating outside their own continent and the nation erupted in celebration after the Banyana Banyana knocked out Italy, quarter-finalists four years ago, to progress with their first ever World Cup win. China's Steel Roses, once titans of women's soccer with silver medals from the 1996 Olympics and 1999 World Cup, were shock losers in the group stage, bowing out in a 6-1 thumping by England.

Persons: Deneisha Blackwood, Read, Lorne Donaldson, we'll, Anissa Lahmari, Marta, Canada's, Christine Sinclair, Sam Kerr, Matildas, Tony Gustavsson, Kailen Sheridan, Winger Caroline Graham Hansen, Hege Riise, Banyana, Cyril Ramaphosa, Shui Qingxia, Shui, Lori Ewing, Michael Perry Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Jamaica, Brazil, Melbourne, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, ARM, Olympic, Football Ferns, U.S, United, debutants, England, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Jamaica, Brazil, Melbourne, Australia, SYDNEY, Morocco, South Africa, Norway, Germany, Canada, China, Perth, South Korea, Brisbane, Korea, New, Eden Park, Portugal, United States, debutants Portugal, Italy, England

☆ South Africa's recognition of sign language signals new hope for the deaf
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Thando Hlophe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Before it was an official language... there was absolutely no access" to communicating with other people, he signed. Still, South Africa only has about 40 deaf schools and one tertiary institution that is fully accessible to deaf people, meaning there is still work to be done to improve that access. "It is a very rich, beautiful language but we need people who are going to be equipped enough to develop it even more," said Andiswa Gebashe, a South African Sign Language activist and former interpreter for Ramaphosa. World Atlas, an online site that studies demographics, says only 41 countries recognise sign language as an official language, just four of them in Africa - Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. "Now that it's an official language, I know that I can go to university and I can make my dreams come true," he said in sign.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Manana, Andiswa Gebashe, Wilma Newhoudt, Thando, Tannur Anders, Alexander Winning, Nick Macfie Organizations: inclusivity, Sizwile School, Thomson Locations: Pretoria, Read, JOHANNESBURG, Johannesburg, Dobsonville, Soweto, South Africa, Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe

☆ Niger: Africa's latest coup is a headache for the West and an opportunity for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

An important Western allyThe coup in Niger has deprived Western nations, particularly France and the United States, of a key ally in a troubled region. The largest country in West Africa, Niger had been touted as a democratic success story on the continent and Bazoum was seen as a crucial partner in the fight against Islamist jihadists in the region. Carley Petesch/AP/FileThe French military also maintains two permanent bases in the Sahel region, one of which is in Niamey. “The former colonizers are trying to keep the people of African countries in check. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa shake hands on the sideline of the Russia Africa Summit.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Putin, France ”, Emmanuel Macron, “, Bazoum, Joe Biden, Washington “, Stringer, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, jihadists, Carley Petesch, ” Maman Sani, Oluwole Ojewale, …, ” Ojewale, ” Françafrique, Remi Adekoya, ” Adekoya, ” Wagner, Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Republic of South Africa Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, Mikhail Metzel, Ibrahim Traore, ”, ” Traore, Ojewale Organizations: CNN, West, Kremlin, ISIS, Africa Center, Strategic Studies, European Union, World Nuclear Association ., Institute for Security Studies, Central African, CFA, Banque de France, UK’s York University, Russia Africa Summit, ISS Locations: Niger, Niamey, France, Paris, United States, Western, Africa, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Mali, West Africa, Nigerien, al Qaeda, US, Agadez, Sahel, Burkina Faso, West, Central Africa, China, Ukraine, Sudan, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Libya, St . Petersburg, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Republic of South Africa

☆ South Africa's joy at Women's World Cup win brings hope of change
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Nick Said | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa said on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. South Africa's domestic women’s league is an amateur competition while its male equivalent is cash-rich with many players earning more than they would receive in several European nations. It has been a thorny issue for SAFA, who have battled to attract significant corporate sponsorship to take the women's league professional. "Professionalising the women’s league is in order. South Africa are up against Brazil plus joint bids from Mexico and the United States, and Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.

Persons: Kgatlana, Amanda Perobelli, Banyana, Cyril Ramaphosa, SAFA, Janine van Wyk, Tumi Dlamini, Nick Said, Clare Fallon Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Wellington Regional, Italy, Sunday, South African Football Association, South, Wednesday’s, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Wellington , New Zealand, Amanda Perobelli CAPE, Netherlands, France, South, Wellington, Sydney, Africa, Brazil, Mexico, United States, Belgium, Germany

☆ Brazil now main holdout against BRICS expansion, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

An attendant is stands next to South African, Indian, Russian, Brazilian and Chinese flags during a plenary session of BRICS Summit, in Xiamen, China September 4, 2017. "An expansion could transform the bloc into something else," said a Brazilian official, who asked not to be named. Russia said expansion would be high on the agenda of the upcoming BRICS summit. A government official told Reuters: "India has reservations about the expansion ... South Africa, the first beneficiary of a BRICS expansion in 2010, now supports inclusion of new members, though South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the expansion formula requires "closer scrutiny and understanding."

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Cyril Ramaphosa, Oliver Stuenkel, Stuenkel, Lisandra, Laurie Chen, Krishn Kaushik, Carien du Plessis, Tim Cocks, Wendel Roelf, Anthony Boadle, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio Our Organizations: BRICS, REUTERS, Tyrone, Reuters, Brazilian, Diplomats, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Thomson Locations: Xiamen, China, Tyrone Siu BRASILIA, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, United States, Ukraine, Brasilia, Algeria, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Beijing, BRICS, Africa, São Paulo, Indonesia, Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, New Delhi

And it can only end on the basis of justice and reason," African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat told Putin and African leaders in St Petersburg. Putin gave it a polite but cool reception when African leaders presented it to him last month. Putin responded by arguing, as he has in the past, that rising world food prices were a consequence of Western policy mistakes long predating the Ukraine war. On Thursday, he promised to deliver free Russian grain in the next several months to six of the countries attending the summit. Mali's Assimi Goita told Putin: "You have shown pragmatism and realism in efforts to reach agreement with Ukraine."

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Macky Sall, Cyril Ramaphosa, Pavel Bednyakov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Russia's Wagner, Faustin Archange Touadera, Assimi Goita, Kevin Liffey, Joe Bavier, Alexander Winning, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Kremlin, Union, Reuters, South, Sputnik, Central African, CAR, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, St Petersburg, Russian, Belarus, Congo, Europe, Kyiv, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Ukrainian, Western, Mali, Central, Central African Republic

☆ South Africa’s stance on Russia puzzles many. Could a mine in the desert hold answers?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( David Mckenzie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Johannesburg, South Africa CNN —To many observers, South Africa’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine is puzzling. This week, while many African leaders stay away, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is attending a Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg along with key ministers. So, why is South Africa putting this important relationship at risk? The US had long treated South Africa with kid gloves, he said, mindful of not risking an important relationship. Officials have denied that anything was loaded up, but the claim is now subject to a sealed South African government inquiry.

Persons: South Africa CNN —, Cyril Ramaphosa, Viktor Vekselberg, Vladimir Putin, Byron Blunt, Chancellor House, Mogopodi Mokoena, Mokoena, UMK, ”, Karam Singh, Steven Gruzd, Reuben Brigety II, Brigety, Mikhail Metzel, Chancellor House’s, Putin, Yuri Trutnev, Konstantin Zavrazhin, Vekselberg, “, “ Mr Organizations: South Africa CNN, Russia, United Nations, Russian Navy, National Congress, Soviet Union, AmaBhungane, Investigative Journalism, CNN, Chancellor House Holdings, ANC, Mail & Guardian, Chancellor House, Corruption Watch, Chancellor, South African Institute of International Affairs, US, South, AP Mokoena, International Criminal Court, ICC, Getty, Treasury, FBI, Renova Group Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Ukraine, Africa, United States, Russian, Russia, St . Petersburg, States, St, Petersburg, Cape Town, African, Cape Town , South Africa, Mallorca, UMK, Cyprus, South

CNN —A summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders began in St. Petersburg on Thursday, with a far lower turnout than previous years. Just 17 heads of African states are attending this year, the Kremlin has confirmed, less than half of the 43 heads of state that attended the 2019 conference. And some African politicians – further than simply not attending the summit – have expressed grave concerns about Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine. Putin makes free grain pledgeThe African states being represented at the St. Petersburg summit will be keen to sway Russia into rejoining the grain deal, and Putin has courted African leaders for years in a deliberate effort to broaden Moscow’s global influence. Russia’s Wagner mercenaries have also been deployed in some African states.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, William Ruto, –, “, ”, Raila Odinga, ” Odinga, Putin, Russia’s Wagner, ” Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Cyril Ramaphosa’s, Maria Lvova Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Kenyan, Putin, Russian, ”, Criminal Court, ICC Locations: St . Petersburg, United States, Moscow, Africa, Russia, Ukraine, St, Petersburg, Russian, Johannesburg, South Africa, Rome, Hague

☆ BRICS bank NDB says not considering new projects in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, July 26 (Reuters) - The New Development Bank (NDB), the multilateral bank set up by the BRICS states, is not considering new projects in Russia as it operates in line with restrictions imposed in financial and capital markets, its head said on Wednesday. Dilma Rousseff said in a statement posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that any speculations concerning the discussion of new operations of the bank in Russia were "unfounded". BRICS countries, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, are scheduled to gather in the African country next month. The BRICS group of emerging countries launched the Shanghai-headquartered bank in 2015. Rousseff was appointed to head it earlier this year by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Persons: Dilma Rousseff, Rousseff, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gabriel Araujo, Steven Grattan Organizations: SAO PAULO, New Development Bank, South, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Russia, Brazil, Africa, St . Petersburg, India, China, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Egypt, Shanghai

Chicago wheat futures , a benchmark of global prices, have risen around 20% since Russia ended the deal on July 17. It's absolutely an important national security issue for a lot of these African countries," he said. Putin says Russia is expecting a record harvest this year and is ready to fill the gap for African countries by supplying grain both commercially and for free. Dizolele said, noting that Russia backed African countries at the U.N., had defence and security agreements with some of them and gave scholarships to their students. But Putin's response, when Ramaphosa and other African leaders presented the proposal to him last month, was to repeat a familiar list of accusations against Ukraine and the West.

Persons: Anton Vaganov, Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Mvemba Dizolele, Samuel Ramani, RUSI, Dizolele, WAGNER, Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramani, Mark Trevelyan, Joe Bavier, Carien du, Tom Balmforth, Michelle Nichols, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Saint, REUTERS, Putin, Kremlin, U.S, Africa, Washington -, Strategic, International Studies, International Criminal Court, Treasury, Central African, Ukraine, South, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Isaac's, central Saint Petersburg, Black, Russian, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Chicago, Washington, Turkey, Qatar, Moscow, United States, Kenya, Somalia, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, West, London, Johannesburg, Carien du Plessis

☆ BRICS summit: Putin will not attend conference in South Africa, as ICC arrest warrant overshadows key talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( David Mckenzie Catherine Nicholls Sana Noor Haq | David Mckenzie | Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said Putin will not attend the conference “by mutual agreement,” adding that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would visit instead. In the months following, South African lawmakers have made contradictory statements over the country’s obligation to arrest Putin should he attend the summit. As a signatory to the Rome statute, the treaty governing the Hague court, South Africa is compelled to arrest individuals indicted by the ICC. Western diplomats have criticized South African lawmakers for their perceived solidarity with Russia since the start of that conflict. “I must highlight, for the sake of transparency, that South Africa has obvious problems with executing a request to arrest and surrender President Putin,” Ramaphosa said, according to the court’s document.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa’s, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Maria Lvova, Ramaphosa, “, ” Ramaphosa, Dmitry Peskov, Ramaphosa’s, ” Peskov, ”, Omar al, Bashir Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian, Criminal Court, ICC, Hague, United Nations General, Cape Town Locations: Johannesburg, Ukraine, Brazil, India, China, Russian, Russia, Rome, South Africa, Cape, Africa, Darfur

☆ South Africa says Putin agreed not to attend BRICS summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, July 19 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in South Africa in August "by mutual agreement", South Africa's presidency said on Wednesday. Russia will instead be represented by its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Johannesburg summit, alongside the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa, the presidency said in a statement. South Africa faced a dilemma in hosting the summit because, as a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), it would theoretically be required to arrest Putin for alleged war crimes if he were to attend. The ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting children from Ukraine. On Wednesday, the Kremlin said Russia did not tell South Africa that arresting Putin on an ICC arrest warrant would mean "war".

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Dmitry Peskov, Nellie Peyton, Anait, Alexander Winning, William Maclean Organizations: Criminal Court, ICC, South, African National Congress, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, South, Russia, Johannesburg, Brazil, India, China, Ukraine, Moscow, Kremlin

☆ South Africa’s President Says Putin Will Not Attend Diplomatic Summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( John Eligon | More About John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin will not attend a diplomatic summit in Johannesburg next month, South Africa’s president announced on Wednesday, a decision that allows the host nation to avoid the difficult predicament of whether to arrest the Russian leader, who is the subject of an international warrant. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa had said in a court affidavit made public on Tuesday that his country would risk war with Russia if it arrested Mr. Putin at the summit. The decision for Mr. Putin not to attend was made “by mutual agreement,” according to a statement released by Mr. Ramaphosa’s office. Russia will instead be represented by its foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, the statement said. South African officials were forced to weigh that alliance against its relationship with Western partners, which has been strained lately because of South Africa’s refusal to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa of, Mr, Sergey V, Lavrov Organizations: South Locations: Johannesburg, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Russia axes landmark Ukraine grain deal just hours before deadline
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

First inked in July 2022, the U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative has been repeatedly elongated in short increments, amid increasing discontent from Russia over perceived restrictions that limit the full dispatch of its own grain and fertilizer exports. The Black Sea grain initiative was set up to abate a global food crisis, after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of fellow key grain exporter and neighbor Ukraine. "The Black Sea agreements ceased to be valid today. Unfortunately, the part relating to Russia in this Black Sea agreement has not been implemented so far. "I strongly condemn Russia's cynical move to terminate the Black Sea Grain Initiative, despite UN & Türkiye's efforts," European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen said on Twitter on Monday.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Dmitry Peskov, Maria Zakharova, Peskov, Ursula van der Leyen Organizations: Initiative, South, Russian Federation, Google, Foreign Ministry, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Facebook, European, UN, Twitter Locations: Odessa, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Istanbul, Ankara, Kyiv

☆ Wheat prices surge after Russia axes grain deal. And it's not good news for the world's food supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Farmers use harvesting vehicles to harvest grain in Stavropol Krai, one of Russia's most important agricultural lands is seen in Stavropol, Russia on July 16, 2023. Hours before the agreement's expiry, Russia said Monday that it would not renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The Black Sea Grain Initiative has been repeatedly elongated in short increments, amid increasing discontent from Russia over perceived restrictions that limit the full dispatch of its own grain and fertilizer exports. Wheat prices remain well below the peak levels of 1177.5 cents per bushel reached in May last year, however. Corn futures soared to a high of 526.5 cents per bushel, while soybean futures surged to a high of 1,388.75 cents per bushel.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa Organizations: United Nations, Initiative, South Locations: Stavropol Krai, Stavropol, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Russian

☆ 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

CNN —A crucial deal allowing the export of grain from Ukraine is set to expire Monday unless Russia agrees to an extension. The last ship to travel under the Black Sea deal left the port of Odesa early on Sunday, Reuters reported. “Moreover, the main goal of the deal, namely the supply of grain to countries in need, including those on the African continent, has not been realized,” it said. Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis-flagged bulker TK Majestic, carrying grain under the UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, waits in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. Mehmet Emin Caliskan/ReutersThe deal, which was first brokered by Turkey and the United Nations following the outbreak of Russia’s war on Ukraine in July 2022, creates procedures to ensure the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Putin, “, Mehmet Emin Caliskan Organizations: CNN, Sunday, Reuters, South, UN, United Nations, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Saint, Kitts, Nevis, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, Black, Moscow, Sevastopol, Crimea

Russia said at the time that the warrant was "outrageous" and legally void because Russia is not an ICC member. The Kremlin has yet to say publicly if Putin intends to go to the summit. In Saturday's statement it said Ramaphosa had briefed Putin about preparations for the event, but did not give details of their exchange. On the grain deal, which expires on Monday unless Russia agrees to extend it, Putin reiterated to Ramaphosa that commitments to remove obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser exports had not yet been fulfilled, the Kremlin said. Russia has threatened to quit the deal before, however, only to renew it at the last minute.

Persons: Ramaphosa, Putin, S.Africa, Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kopano, Clelia Organizations: Kremlin ICC, South, Kremlin, Putin, International Criminal Court, ICC, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Russia, South Africa, Brazil, India, China, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ South Africa to host BRICS summit despite Putin arrest warrant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Carien Du Plessis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Africa has a duty as a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest Putin if he attends the talks between the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China, due to an arrest warrant over the deportation of children from Ukraine. "South Africa will host the 15th BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg, from 22 to 24 August 2023," the Department of International Relations said in a statement. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed to Reuters in a text message that this meant the whole summit, including the main part involving the BRICS heads of state, would take place in South Africa. He and a spokesperson for the international relations department declined to comment on whether or not Putin will attend. On Tuesday, South Africa's Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor said Putin had not yet replied to an invitation, sent before the ICC charged him on March 18.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Vincent Magwenya, International Relations Naledi Pandor, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Pandor, Sergey Lavrov, Tim Cocks, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: International Criminal Court, ICC, African National Congress, ANC, Department of International Relations, Reuters, South Africa's, International Relations, India's, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, China, Brazil, Russia, India, Ukraine, Africa, Sandton, Johannesburg

☆ Hunting for returns, savers dash for euro zone government debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Leading the way is Italy, which sold a record 18.2 billion euro retail bond this month to increase domestic holdings of its debt. This means around 15% of outstanding Portuguese government debt now sits with retail investors, versus 10% in recent years. Belgium meanwhile has issued 390 million euros of state notes to retail investors this year, the highest since 2011. But individuals still only hold 1% of its 1.3 trillion euro public debt overall, a spokesperson said. Italy first launched retail bonds in 2012 amid the euro zone debt crisis, reducing reliance on international investors as borrowing costs surged.

Persons: that's, Rui Amaral, Amaral, Banks, Maric, Post, Jorge Garayo, Cyril Rousseau, Rousseau, Yoruk, Dhara Ranasinghe, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Spanish Treasury, Spanish, European Central Bank, ECB, Treasury, Generale, Germany, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Spanish, Italy, Belgium, Europe, Spain, France, Germany

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