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WTO chief warns of global food crisis in wake of Ukraine conflict

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According to the head of the World Trade Organization, a food crisis sparked by the Ukraine war could last for years if no action is taken. Wheat and fertiliser shortages could be particularly damaging to African countries, according to WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Because of the war, millions of tonnes of grain are sitting in warehouses and Ukrainian ports, unable to be exported. As grain prices rise, she described it as “really sad.” Ukraine is a major global wheat exporter, accounting for 9% of the global market. It also controls 42 percent of the global sunflower oil market and 16 percent of the global maize market.

Between 20 and 25 million tonnes of wheat are stuck in Ukraine due to gridlock caused by a Russian blockade of Black Sea ports and Russian and Ukrainian mines along the coast, while global grain prices continue to rise. Wheat prices were up 59 percent from last year, sunflower oil was up 30%, and maize was up 23 percent, according to Ms Okonjo-Iweala.

The UN is leading efforts to establish a “grain corridor” for tankers leaving Odessa and other Ukrainian ports, with a Turkish naval escort. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on the other hand, has stated that Ukraine must clear mines from its Black Sea ports.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has stated that it requires “effective security guarantees” before it can begin shipments, citing concerns that Moscow could use the potential corridor to launch a sea attack on Odessa. Ukraine produces enough food to feed 400 million people on a regular basis, but Russia is accused of turning it into a stealth missile, with blockaded ports reducing exports to a trickle.

Several countries in the Middle East and Africa, in particular, will be affected by supply shortages. Libya and Eritrea import more than 40% of their wheat from Ukraine, while Lebanon imports more than 60%.

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EU blames Russia for the food crisis, prompting a walkout

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After the European Council president blamed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for causing a global food crisis, Russia’s UN ambassador stormed out of a UN Security Council meeting. Russian food supplies are being used as a “stealth missile” against the developing world, according to Charles Michel, forcing people into poverty.

Mr Michel was accused of spreading lies by Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia. Food has become stranded at Ukrainian ports as a result of the conflict. Ukraine exports a lot of cooking oil as well as grains like maize and wheat. Russia also exports a large quantity of grains and fertiliser. Because of the lack of these exports, the cost of alternatives has skyrocketed.

“Let’s be honest, Mr. Ambassador of the Russian Federation, the Kremlin is using food supplies as a stealth missile against developing countries,” Mr Michel said during a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.

“The devastating effects of Russia’s war are reverberating around the world, raising food prices, pushing people into poverty, and destabilising entire regions.” “Russia is solely to blame for the current food crisis.”

He went on to say that he had seen for himself the millions of tonnes of grain stuck in the Ukrainian port of Odesa due to a Russian naval blockade.

Because of its military activities in Ukraine, Mr Michel also accused Russia of stealing grain and preventing crop planting and harvesting.

Mr Nebenzia stormed out as a result of his remarks. “You may leave the room,” Mr Michel said as he walked away. “Perhaps it’s easier not to listen to the truth. Mr Nebenzia told Reuters that he couldn’t stay because “Charles Michel came here to spread lies.”

In a separate meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia was preventing Ukrainian grain exports from leaving the country and accused Russian forces of destroying agricultural infrastructure in Ukraine.

“There’s somewhere around 20 million tonnes of wheat trapped in silos near Odesa, and in ships literally filled with grain that are stuck in the Odesa port because of this Russian blockade,” Mr Blinken said during a virtual roundtable with philanthropists, non-governmental organisations, and private sector entities.

He agreed with Mr Michel that there were credible reports that Russia was “pilfering” Ukraine’s grain to sell for profit.

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Russian man accused of the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko dies from Covid

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Covid-19 has claimed the life of one of the main suspects in the assassination of former Russian spy and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko.

Mr Litvinenko was fatally poisoned in London in 2006, according to UK authorities. Dmitry Kovtun was one of two men accused of poisoning him. Mr Kovtun died on Saturday at a hospital in Moscow, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.

Andrei Lugovoi, another suspect in the murder, posted on social media that his “faithful friend” had died.

Mr Litvinenko, a former KGB officer turned British citizen and outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was poisoned with a radioactive substance at a London hotel where he met the two men.

Shortly after the meeting, he became ill and was admitted to the hospital. His condition deteriorated, and he died on November 23, a few weeks later. The killing was “probably approved” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a UK public inquiry conducted ten years later. Mr Litvinenko accused President Putin of ordering his assassination from his deathbed. Russia has consistently denied any involvement in the assassination.

Mr. Kovtun was born in 1965 and attended Moscow’s Soviet command academy before joining the KGB’s protection unit. As the Soviet Union fell apart, he was serving in East Germany and fled to Hamburg with his first wife to seek political asylum. Mr Kovtun later returned to Russia, where Mr Lugovoi is said to have recruited him.

Mr Kovtun told the Interfax news agency after the UK report was released: “I had nothing to do with the death of Litvinenko. On the basis of the falsified and fabricated evidence, the outcome of the public inquiry published in London could not have reached any other conclusions.”

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At least three people have died in a train accident in Bavaria, Germany

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According to police, a train derailed in Germany’s south-eastern state of Bavaria, killing at least three people and injuring about 60 others. Three carriages of the train, which was carrying a large number of students, came off the tracks near Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

According to a police spokesperson, the cause of the accident is unknown. Several crumpled train carriages lie on their sides, according to images published by local media. A spokesperson for the Garmisch-Partenkirchen local authority told reporters that sixteen of the injured were in critical condition.

As rescue efforts continue, six helicopters have been dispatched to the scene, including three from the Austrian region of Tyrol. “People are being dragged through the windows,” according to police. It is not impossible, according to police, that a number of students celebrating the start of the summer vacation were among those injured.

The train had just left Garmisch-Partenkirchen for Munich when the accident occurred around 13:15 local time (11:15 GMT). According to Deutsche Bahn, a section of the route between Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen has been closed and traffic has been diverted.

When the train derailed, a US soldier stationed at a nearby air base was driving by. He told local media that the accident was “just awful – the train overturned suddenly.”

In 1998, a high-speed train derailed in Eschede, Lower Saxony, killing 101 people, making it Germany’s deadliest rail accident in modern times. The country’s most recent fatal crash occurred in February, when two trains collided near Munich, killing one person and injuring 14 others.

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Ukraine round-up: Long-range rockets and Kherson torture claims

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After President Joe Biden announced that his administration would supply Kyiv with new long-range missiles in the coming weeks, Russia accused the US of purposefully prolonging the war in Ukraine.

Mr. Biden wrote in the New York Times that the lethal aid would strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position against Russia and increase the likelihood of a diplomatic solution. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, accused the US of wanting to “fight Russia to the last Ukrainian” and said the move discouraged Kyiv officials from seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The weapons, which Ukraine has long requested, will help strike enemy forces within Ukraine more precisely and from a greater distance, according to President Biden.

Ukraine had promised not to use the new missiles to strike inside Russia, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who warned of a long conflict ahead.

The intervention comes as fighting in the eastern Donbas region heats up, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Russia of “madness” after striking a chemical factory in the city.

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In response to rising energy prices, Germans will receive a €9 monthly travel allowance

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In an effort to combat rising living costs, Germans will be able to travel the country for just €9 per month for the next three months.

The government’s initiative covers all local and regional transportation via trains, buses, and metro, but not intercity trains. The low-cost tickets are also intended to encourage people to abandon their automobiles.

However, the fuel tax has been reduced by around 30 cents per litre, bringing petrol prices below €2. For the next three months, the tax has been reduced to the EU minimum, which means diesel prices will drop by around 14 cents per litre.

The €9-a-month tickets, according to Transport Minister Volker Wissing, are a fantastic opportunity: “We’ve already sold seven million tickets, which is a huge success.”

However, Deutsche Bahn is already experiencing overcrowding, delays, and cancellations, and the plan’s prospect of millions of additional passengers has sparked criticism. In April, fewer than 70% of long-distance trains arrived on time, but Mr Wissing claims the rail network is only operating at 80% capacity. In the hours following the scheme’s implementation on Wednesday morning, no major rail issues were reported.

The federal government, which includes the Green Party, has promised €2.5 billion in compensation to Germany’s 16 state governments to cover the expected increases in staffing and fuel costs. Although the €9 ticket does not include intercity travel, regional trains can be used to travel across the country.

The scheme prompted German social media users to debate whether they should use the ticket to go to work or to the beach on Sylt, a North Sea holiday island. The library in Cologne made a witty announcement: “The social media team meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow in Sylt. FYI”.

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Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, a journalist for BFMTV in France, was killed in Ukraine

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A French journalist working in Ukraine was killed near the eastern city of Severodonetsk, which has been hit by fighting. Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, 32, was killed while covering an evacuation operation for BFMTV.

Officials say shrapnel pierced the armoured vehicle he was riding in, inflicting a fatal neck wound. According to reports, his colleague Maxime Brandstaetter was also hurt. Mr. Leclerc-Imhoff was in Ukraine for the second time to cover the conflict. For the previous six years, he had been employed by BFMTV.

“This tragic event reminds us of the dangers faced by all journalists who have been reporting this conflict at the risk of their lives for more than three months now,” BFMTV said in an online tribute to him. Graphic images of what appears to be the aftermath have been circulated online, according to BBC correspondent James Waterhouse, showing a badly damaged lorry with a smashed windscreen and blood on the interior.

A local Ukrainian journalist who was travelling with Mr Leclerc-Imhoff was not hurt. “I would like to reiterate France’s unconditional support,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter in a tribute to Mr. Leclerc-Imhoff and other journalists reporting on the frontlines from war zones.

“Journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff travelled to Ukraine to document the war’s reality. He was fatally shot on board a humanitarian bus, alongside civilians forced to flee Russian bombs.”

Meanwhile, France’s foreign ministry has demanded a “transparent investigation” into what happened as soon as possible. Brent Renaud, a US journalist, was the first foreign journalist killed while covering the conflict in Ukraine in March.

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Man disguised as old woman smears cake on Mona Lisa portrait at Louvre

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A man dressed as an elderly woman in a wheelchair threw a cake at the iconic Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci, which is on display at the Louvre in Paris. The painting, however, was unaffected due to the protective glass that encased it.

Witness testimony revealed that the perpetrator was a man in a wheelchair wearing a large wig, according to the Spanish newspaper Marca. To everyone’s surprise, he suddenly stood up and attempted to smash the Mona Lisa’s bulletproof glass before smearing cake on the glass.

Even as the crowd continued to photograph the situation, the museum’s security staff rushed to eject the man from the room shortly after the incident.

As seen in the viral videos, museum employees were seen removing the assailant and cleaning the tarnished glass.

The Mona Lisa, an Italian Renaissance half-length portrait painting by Leonardo da Vinci, is regarded as the archetypal masterpiece. It is housed in the Louvre’s largest room, the Salle des États, which also houses other notable Venetian paintings such as Veronese’s The Wedding Feast at Cana. It is described as “the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world.”

Several attempts to steal or destroy the painting have been made over the years. An employee stole it from the museum in 1911, and Bolivian Ugo Ungaza Villegas threw a rock at it while it was on display in 1956. In the years that followed, several more incidents occurred. The subject’s mysterious identity, her enigmatic expression, and the painter’s unmatched art techniques draw thousands of visitors each year.

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Heard’s team has changed their mind about Johnny Depp’s testimony

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According to a source close to Amber Heard, her team will not call Johnny Depp to the stand in the high-profile trial’s final days.

Ms. Heard’s team had planned to question Mr. Depp further on Monday, but at midday, they abruptly changed course. Mr Depp, 58, is suing his ex-wife for $50 million (£40 million) over a column she wrote in which she claimed to have been the victim of domestic abuse. Ms. Heard, 36, has filed a counterclaim.

This week is expected to be the end of the case. In the remaining days of the defamation trial, British supermodel Kate Moss, a former girlfriend of Mr Depp, is expected to testify.

Ms Heard’s team called several witnesses, including psychologist David Spiegel, to testify in court on Monday in Fairfax, Virginia.

Mr. Depp, according to Dr. Spiegel, “has behaviours that are consistent with both someone who has substance use disorder and someone who is a perpetrator of intimate partner violence.” Dr. Spiegel told jurors that 40-60% of intimate partner violence is committed while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

On cross-examination, Mr. Depp’s lawyers tried to discredit this testimony by pointing out that Dr. Spiegel reached his conclusions without speaking with Mr. Depp.

On Monday, a hand surgeon testified that Mr Depp’s finger was unlikely to have been cut in the way he described during a fight with Ms Heard in Australia.

When Ms Heard threw a vodka bottle at him, Mr Depp claims the tip of his middle finger was severed. Dr. Richard Moore told the jury that the damage to Mr. Depp’s finger was more consistent with being pinched by a closing door.

At the time of the accident, Dr Moore did not examine Mr Depp physically. Mr Depp’s team is expected to rest its case early this week, giving Ms Heard’s team one last chance to persuade the jury.

Mr Depp, according to Ms Heard, was prone to alcohol and drug binges, was easily triggered by jealousy, and was frequently consumed by violent rages.

Mr Depp, for his part, claimed he was a victim of Ms Heard’s erratic behaviour, telling jurors he was subjected to her verbal, emotional, and physical abuse on a regular basis.

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Miss. Tic, a 66-year-old French street artist, has died

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Miss. Tic, a well-known French street artist, died in Paris at the age of 66, according to her family. Her family said in a brief statement that the artist, whose real name was Radhia Novat, died on Sunday after suffering from an undisclosed illness.

Miss. Tic is regarded as a pioneer of stencil art, and her enigmatic female figures became a common sight in Paris thanks to her graffiti. In 1997, she was briefly detained on charges of vandalism to public property. Her work, however, was eventually shown in galleries in France and abroad. She’s also worked with fashion houses like Kenzo and Louis Vuitton.

From all over France, tributes have been paid to the artist.

Miss. Tic’s “iconic, resolutely feminist” work “will continue to poetize our streets for a long time,” France’s newly appointed Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak wrote on Twitter.

Christian Guemy, aka C215, a street artist, was hailed as “one of the founders of stencil art.” He wrote on Twitter that the walls of Paris’s 13th arrondissement, where her images are common, “will never be the same again.”

Miss. Tic was born in 1956 in Paris’s Montmartre neighbourhood to a Tunisian immigrant father and a Normandy mother.

Before moving to California, she studied applied arts and street theatre. In an interview with AFP in 2011, she said, “I had a background in street theatre, and I liked this idea of street art.”

“At first I thought, ‘I’m going to write poems’. And then, ‘we need images’ with these poems. I started with self-portraits and then turned towards other women,” she said.

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