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Russia’s threat to pull out of Ukraine grain deal raises fears about global food security

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Concerns are growing that Russia will not extend a United Nations-brokered deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to parts of the world struggling with hunger, with ships no longer heading to the war-torn country’s Black Sea ports and food exports dwindling.Turkey and the U.N. negotiated the breakthrough accord last summer to ease a global food crisis, along with a separate agreement with Russia to facilitate shipments of its food and fertilizer. Moscow insists it’s still facing hurdles, though data shows it has been exporting record amounts of wheat.Russian officials repeatedly say there are no grounds for extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is up for its fourth renewal Monday. It’s something they have threatened before — then have twice gone on to extend the deal for two months instead of the four months outlined in the agreement.The U.N. and others are striving to keep the fragile deal intact, with Ukraine and Russia both major sup...

Thailand’s Election Commission says top candidate for prime minister may have broken election law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s state Election Commission said Wednesday it concluded there is evidence that the top candidate to become the country’s next prime minister, Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, violated election law and referred his case to the Constitutional Court for a ruling.The commission’s decision, announced in a press release, means the court could order Pita to be suspended from his duties as a Member of Parliament until the ruling is issued. In theory it does not rule out him being nominated to become prime minister by Parliament on Thursday, because the post does not have to be held by a lawmaker. But it makes his confirmation by a vote in Parliament, which was already uncertain, even less likely.The Move Forward Party swept to a surprise first-place finish in May’s general election, capturing 151 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives and the most popular votes. Move Forward has assembled an eight-party, 312-seat coalition it had planned to take...

Iran’s president begins a rare visit to Africa ‘to promote economic diplomacy’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world.President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Kenya on Wednesday is the first to the African continent by an Iranian leader in more than a decade. He is also expected to visit Uganda and Zimbabwe and meet with the presidents of all three countries.Raisi’s visit is meant to “promote economic diplomacy, strengthen political relations with friendly and aligned countries, and diversify the export destinations,” Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement upon his arrival.Last month, Iran’s leader made his first visit to Latin America, stopping in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties in a major diplomatic breakthrough.Iran is in a growing standoff with Western nations over its nuclear program, which has made major advances in the five years since then-U.S. P...

Ukrainian forces advance in south, hold 'initiative' says Zelenskyy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

Ukrainian troops pressed on with their campaign to recapture Russian-held areas in the southeast on Sunday (9 July) as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in broadcast comments that his country's forces had "taken the initiative" after an earlier slowdown.Russian accounts said heavy fighting gripped areas outside the eastern city of Bakhmut, captured by Russian mercenary Wagner forces in May after months of battles. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said one of his units was deployed in the area.Equipped with increasingly sophisticated Western weaponry after more than 500 days of war, Ukraine has launched an anticipated counter-offensive focusing so far on capturing a cluster of villages in the southwest. Its forces have also been trying to retake areas around Bakhmut.Ukraine's deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said heavy fighting raged in two areas of the southeast."We are consolidating our gains in those areas," she wrote.Russian troops, she ...

Kazakhstan is top target for foreign investment in post-Soviet countries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released its report on global investments for the year 2022. The net inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Kazakhstan amounted to $6.1 billion, the highest figure in the past five years and 83% higher than in 2021. It surpasses the level achieved by any other post-Soviet country, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.In terms of net foreign direct investment, Kazakhstan holds the first place in the post-Soviet space, attracting $6.1bn last year. Three other countries achieved at least $2bn in net FDI, Uzbekistan with $2.5bn, Lithuania with $2.2bn and Georgia with $2bn. The worst negative ranking was for Russia, with a net withdrawal of foreign investment amounting to -$18.7bn.Central Asia as a whole is increasingly attractive to foreign investors, with the net FDI inflow to the region up by 39% and totalling $10bn, with Kazakhstan accounting for 61% of that. Additionally, Kazakhstan ranks fifth among all develo...

Apologetic armed robber holds up L.A. County sandwich shop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

Police in Chatsworth are searching for a particularly remorseful armed robbery suspect who held up a popular sandwich shop last week while repeating just how sorry he was about it.  In security footage of the robbery, the suspect can be seen wearing a white mask with a black scarf around his head as he walked up to the counter at Capriotti’s on De Soto Avenue last Wednesday afternoon.  The man placed an order and then pulled out a gun, demanding money from the register.  The store employee told KTLA that the armed robbery suspect appeared especially nervous and said he repeatedly apologized for the crime, saying he was sorry, but that he desperately needed money for his family.  An armed robber, who reportedly continued to apologized, robbed a popular sandwich shop on July 5, 2023. An armed robber, who reportedly continued to apologized, robbed a popular sandwich shop on July 5, 2023. An armed robber, who reportedly continued to apologized, robbed a popular sandwich s...

Filipinas determina que no hay base para prohibir la película “Barbie” por mostrar un mapa de China Meridional

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

(CNN) — Filipinas dictaminó que no hay base para prohibir la película “Barbie” por incluir un mapa que supuestamente muestra la “línea de nueve guiones”, que marca los reclamos territoriales de China en el Mar de China Meridional, dijo la Junta de Clasificación y Revisión de Películas y Televisión (MTRCB) de Filipinas en un comunicado este miércoles.“La escena polémica no representa la ‘línea de nueve guiones’. En cambio, el mapa mostraba la ruta del viaje ficticio de Barbie desde Barbie Land hasta el ‘mundo real’, como parte integral de la historia”, dijo MTRCB.Vietnam prohíbe la película “Barbie” por presentar un mapa del mar de China MeridionalEl senador Francis Tolentino pidió la semana pasada a la MTRCB que prohibiera la película “Barbie” debido a una escena en la que aparecía un mapa que supuestamente mostraba la “línea de nueve guiones”.“Si la línea invalidada de 9 guiones se representó ...

Here’s the EU’s plan to get Ukraine ‘sustained’ military aid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

BRUSSELS — The EU wants to commit itself to defending Ukraine for the long haul. The EU’s diplomatic service has drafted a plan, obtained by POLITICO, that recommends the bloc make a full slate of “security commitments to Ukraine” for years to come as it fends off Russia’s onslaught.The suggestions from the European External Action Service run the gamut, including everything from ensuring a “sustained” flow of weapons to Kyiv, to continuing military education and training, to sharing intelligence and helping connect Ukrainian and EU defense companies.And down the road, the draft document adds, “Ukraine’s EU membership would be in itself a security commitment.” To help it get there, it argues, the EU must craft “long-term and predictable financial support” so Ukraine can rebuild.The recommendations are mostly a summary of the EU efforts already underway to support Ukraine. But taken together, they are notable in their breadth and suggested longevity, essentially outlining billio...

North Korea fires its first ICBM in 3 months after making threat over alleged US spy flights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile in three months on Wednesday, two days after it threatened “shocking” consequences to protest what it called provocative U.S. reconnaissance activity near its territory.Some experts say North Korea likely launched its developmental, road-mobile Hwasong-18 ICBM, a type of solid-fuel weapon that is harder to detect and intercept than its liquid-fuel ICBMs. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un previously called the Hwasong-18 his most powerful nuclear weapon.The missile fired from North Korea’s capital region around 10 a.m. flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) at a maximum altitude of 6,000 kilometers (3,730 miles) before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to South Korean and Japanese assessments. They said the missile was launched on a high angle, in an apparent attempt to avoid neighboring countries.South Korea’s military called the launch “a grave provocation...

Bank of England says UK banks are resilient enough to offer struggling households support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England warned Wednesday that households across the U.K. are facing increasing problems from the sharp increase in interest rates but found that the country’s biggest banks are resilient enough to offer more help than they were able to before the global financial crisis 15 years ago..In its regular health check of the economy, the central bank said British households are facing higher debt burdens as a result of rising interest rates, particularly those whose fixed-rate mortgage deals have come to an end or soon will be. However, it said there are several factors that should limit the number of people who have to default on their mortgages. It noted, for example, that the country’s banks have more capital than they did 15 years ago to allow them to offer struggling households more financial options such as allowing borrowers to vary the terms of their loans.The bank lifted its main interest rate by half a percentage point to a 15-year high of 5%...