Focus on Arts and Ecology

April 29, 2022 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday that no one wants to see the outbreak of World War III and that China supports the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine through diplomacy.

Wang said, "All parties should first support dialogue and negotiation to prevent the conflict from escalating, to avoid Europe and the world paying a greater price."

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to lawmakers on Wednesday that the goals of the country's military operation in Ukraine will be achieved. Putin also warned that Russia will respond to any intervention. The Russian leader said that the military would not hesitate to use the most modern weaponry.

Catch up with the latest headlines: 

• U.S. President Joe Biden requested Congress to approve an additional $33 billion in new military funds for Ukraine, saying “we’re not attacking Russia; we’re helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression.”
• Ukrainian rescue workers on Friday recovered the body of a Radio Liberty producer from under the rubble of a building in Kyiv that was hit by a missile, the U.S. broadcaster said. The death was the first reported in Thursday's missile strike as the UN chief visited Kyiv
• A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the UK on Thursday expressed firm opposition to the remarks of British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss over China. Truss in a recent speech launched an unprovoked attack on China, criticizing it for not condemning Russia's action in Ukraine and claiming that if China did not play by "the rules," the West would unite to prevent its rise. 
• Russia declares nearly 600 Canadians including Trudeau as persona non grata
• Russia has raised the alarm over "acts of terrorism" in Moldova's Moscow-backed breakaway region of Transnistria after separatist authorities reported several attacks there this week
• Why the region of Transnistria is important?
• UN chief visits Ukrainian towns, Borodyanka and Bucha before meeting Zelenskyy
• Russia withdraws from UN’s World Tourism Organization
• Russia's temporary takeover of the Chernobyl site was "very, very dangerous" and raised radiation levels but they have now returned to normal, the head of the UN atomic watchdog said on Tuesday
• Beijing has slammed "concerns" of U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander John Aquilino regarding China's close ties with Russia, calling out Washington for its "inescapable responsibility" to the Ukraine crisis.

Russia-Ukraine conflict hits African agriculture, aquaculture
 

The World Food Programme recently warned that "2022 will be a catastrophic year of hunger, with an estimated 44 million people in 38 countries teetering on the brink of famine."

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict will bring inevitable risks to global food security.

Russia and Ukraine, known as the "granary of Europe," are key exporters of wheat, corn, barley, sunflower oil, and other grain products. They are also major global suppliers of agricultural fertilizers.

FYI: Global military spending reached an all-time high in 2021, passing $2 trillion, according to a report from a Swedish think-tank, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The increase was an 0.7% increase from the previous year’s data.

A new U.S. program is helping Ukrainian refugees stranded in Tijuana. Find out here.

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(Sources: China Report)