Category: Lifestyle

Food commodity prices across the World made a significant leap in March to reach the highest-ever levels, as war in the Black Sea region spread shocks through markets for staple grains and vegetable oils, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 159.3 points in March, up 12.6 percent from February when it had already reached its highest level since its inception in 1990. The Index tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of commonly-traded food commodities. The latest level of the index was 33.6 percent higher than in March 2021.

The FAO Cereal Price Index was 17.1 percent higher in March than in February, driven by large rises in wheat and all coarse grain prices largely as a result of the war in Ukraine. The Russian Federation and Ukraine, combined, accounted for around 30 percent and 20 percent of global wheat and maize exports, respectively, over the past three years. World wheat prices soared by 19.7 percent during the month, exacerbated by concerns over crop conditions in the United States of America. Meanwhile, maize prices posted a 19.1 percent month-on-month increase, hitting a record high along with those of barley and sorghum. Contrasting trends across the various origins and qualities kept the March value of FAO’s Rice Price Index little changed from February, and thus still 10 percent below its level of a year earlier.

The FAO VEGETABLE OIL PRICE INDEX rose 23.2 percent, driven by higher quotations for sunflower seed oil, of which Ukraine is the world’s leading exporter. Palm, soy and rapeseed oil prices also rose markedly as a result of the higher sunflower seed oil prices and the rising crude oil prices, with soy oil prices further underpinned by concerns over reduced exports by South America.

The FAO SUGAR PRICE INDEX rose 6.7 percent from February, reversing recent declines to reach a level more than 20 percent higher than in March 2021. Higher crude oil prices were a driving factor, along with currency appreciation of the Brazilian Real, while favorable production prospects in India prevented larger monthly price increases.

The FAO MEAT PRICE INDEX increased by 4.8 percent in March to reach an all-time high, led by surging pig meat prices related to a shortfall of slaughter pigs in Western Europe. International poultry prices also firmed in step with reduced supplies from leading exporting countries following avian flu outbreaks.

The FAO DAIRY PRICE INDEX rose 2.6 percent and was 23.6 percent higher than in March 2021, as quotations for butter and milk powders rose steeply amid a surge in import demand for near and long-term deliveries, especially from Asian markets.

FORECASTS FOR CEREALS

FAO also released its new Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, which includes a forecast for global wheat production in 2022 of 784 million tonnes, a 1.1 percent increase from 2021. That estimate factors in expectations that at least 20 percent of Ukraine’s planted area to winter crops, notably winter wheat, may not be harvested due to direct destruction, constrained access or a lack of resources to harvest crops, reports from Russia of continued conducive weather conditions, as well as prospective production trends in China, the European Union, India, North America and elsewhere. Coarse grain production prospects remain favorable in Argentina, Brazil and South Africa.

The 1 Billion Meals initiative, which aims to provide food support to the underprivileged and undernourished in 50 countries around the world, announced that it has started distributing foodstuffs, food parcels in Lebanon, India, Jordan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The initiative, which was launched at the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan and organized by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), has started distribution in the four countries in cooperation with the Food Banking Regional Network (FBRN), the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH).

The FBRN has started distributing long-term food items and food parcels with storable ingredients to the beneficiaries of the 1 Billion Meals initiative. Whereas MBRCH is distributing food parcels containing basic staples such as flour, rice, oil, sugar and dates to beneficiaries.

Accurate Databases

The 1 Billion Meals initiative provides beneficiaries with basic necessities needed for the preparation of nutritious meals or instant electronic vouchers for food supplies in cooperation with relevant local authorities in beneficiary countries. This coordination ensures the efficiency of distribution operations and, by taking advantage of technology applications, also provides direct access to the communities most in need based on comprehensive and accurate databases.

Donations Continue

The distribution of food parcels coincides with the arrival of contributions and donations to the 1 Billion Meals initiative from individuals, institutions, companies, businessmen and pioneers of charity and humanitarian work. These donations embody the values of the UAE and its generous society, which is keen to express solidarity with those in need without discrimination between race, religion or geographical region.

The launch of the 1 Billion Meals initiative and the start of its distribution operations are part of the message of MBRGI, whose humanitarian goals are based on giving without any exception on the basis of gender, race, belief or region. The initiative falls under the pillar of Humanitarian Aid and Relief, one of the five main themes focused on by MBRGI.

Turkey on Thursday held the final stage of the trial in absentia of 26 suspects linked to the killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi before transferring the case to Riyadh, a decision that has angered rights groups.

The 59-year-old journalist was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018 in a gruesome murder that shocked the world.

A Turkish court began the trial in 2020 with relations tense between the two Sunni Muslim regional powers.

But with Turkey desperate for investment to help pull it out of economic crisis, Ankara has sought to heal the rift with Riyadh.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said last week that he would greenlight a Turkish prosecutor’s request to hand the case over to Saudi Arabia.

The prosecutor said the case was “dragging” because the court’s orders could not be carried since the defendants were foreigners.

But Human Rights Watch slammed Ankara, saying the decision will “end any possibility of justice”.

Getting ‘away with murder’

Transferring the trial would also “reinforce Saudi authorities’ apparent belief that they can get away with murder,” said Michael Page, the group’s deputy Middle East director.

Amnesty International, whose head Agnes Callamard had investigated the murder in 2019 when she was a UN special rapporteur, also strongly rebuked the Turkish government.

“Turkey will be knowingly and willingly sending the case back into hands of those who bear responsibility,” she said.

Boycott

To Riyadh’s dismay, Turkey pressed ahead with the Khashoggi case and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had at the time said the order to kill him came from the “highest levels” of government.

In the years that followed, Saudi Arabia sought to unofficially put pressure on Turkey’s economy, with a boycott on Turkish imports.

Last year, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited Riyadh to mend fences with the kingdom.

The transfer of the case to Riyadh would remove the last obstacle to normalising ties.

But Khashoggi’s Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz urged Ankara to insist on justice despite rapprochement with Saudi in an interview with AFP in February.

“In order for such a thing to not happen again…(Turkey) should not abandon this case,” said Cengiz.

She was left waiting outside the consulate for Khashoggi when he was murdered. He had gone there to obtain paperwork to marry her. His remains have never been found.

Erdogan has sought to improve ties with regional rivals including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in the face of increasing diplomatic isolation that has caused foreign investment to dry up — particularly from the West

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has claimed that Pakistan has reported zero Covid-19 deaths across the country during the past 24 hours.

The NIH officials informed that a total of 141 new cases of the viral disease were reported during 27,000 samples were tested during the past 24 hours. The nationwide tally of confirmed cases stands at 1,526,234 while the death toll is 30,361.

The country’s positivity rate was recorded at 0.52 per cent, the NIH said, adding the number of patients in critical care in various hospitals across the country has fallen to 280.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan last month announced the withdrawal of all Covid-19 related restrictions.

The Henley Passport Index has ranked the Pakistani passport as the fourth worst to hold in the world. It evaluates different countries on the basis of international mobility enjoyed by their holders.

According to details, the International Passport ranking authority Henley Global has issued the passport rankings for 2022, in which Japan and Singapore top the list.

Pakistan, with a score of 31, ranked 109 on the list. Only, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan rank lower than Pakistan on the list. Henley Global has released the ranking of 112 passports in the world in 2022.

All the world’s passports were ranked according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

Japan unsurprisingly, and Singapore topped the list with access to 192 destinations without a prior visa.

It is to be noted that there are no Muslim countries in the top 10 ranking for the strongest passports in the world.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) with access to 175 destinations is the top-ranked Muslim country on the list.

Ukraine, despite the military conflict with Russia, sits at 34th position while Russia, after a 3 rank decline from the last year, ranks 49th with a score of 117.

Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan ranked last on the list as its citizens can visit only 26 destinations without a prior visa.

Henley & Partners firm’s “Henley Passport Index” has been regularly monitoring the world’s most travel-friendly passports since 2006.