The European Union has agreed to expand its third round of sanctions being imposed on Russia to target a larger number of oligarchs and officials close to President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

The French Presidency of the European Council said in a series of tweets on March 9 that the new sanctions added would apply to “Russian leaders and oligarchs and their family members implicated in the Russian aggression against Ukraine.”

The third round of sanctions being imposed on Russia, the largest EU package agreed since the invasion began on February 24, includes a freeze on the Russian central bank’s assets in the bloc and a ban on Kremlin media in the European Union.

The French Presidency said the new sanctions approved on March 9 also include targeting the maritime sector and measures aim at excluding three Belarusian banks from the SWIFT financial payment messaging system, while also clarifying the issue of cryptocurrencies and giving a complete list of technologies and goods that cannot be sold between Russia and the bloc.

It did not detail which banks in Belarus, which has assisted Moscow in the invasion, are affected or which technologies and goods are included in the sanctions.

“These sanctions will be formally adopted by the Council by written procedure with a view to their rapid publication in the Official Journal of the European Union,” it said.

The EU has now sanctioned 680 people and 53 entities since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, recognized the independence of the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, and invaded the country in February.
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Protests erupted Wednesday in Iraq’s impoverished south over a rise in food prices that officials attributed to the conflict in Ukraine.   

For about a week, the price of cooking oils and flour have skyrocketed in local markets as government officials have sought to address growing anger with various statements and measures.   

More than 500 protesters gathered in a central square in the southern city of Nasiriyah — a flashpoint of anti-corruption protests that gripped the country in 2019.   

“The rise in prices is strangling us, whether it is bread or other food products,” retired teacher Hassan Kazem said. “We can barely make ends meet.”   

On Tuesday, the Iraqi government announced measures to confront the increase in international prices.   

These included a monthly allowance of about $70 for pensioners whose income does not exceed one million dinars (almost $700), as well as civil servants earning less than 500,000 dinars.   

The authorities also announced the suspension of customs duties on food products, basic consumer goods and construction materials for two months.   

Trade Ministry spokesman Mohamed Hanoun attributed the rise in cooking oil prices to the conflict in Ukraine.   

“There’s a major global crisis because Ukraine has a large share of [the world market in cooking] oils,” he said. 

On Tuesday, a protester was seriously injured in a demonstration in the central province of Babil that was marred by violence, a security source said.   

The Interior Ministry announced it had arrested 31 people accused of “raising the prices of food commodities and abusing citizens.”

A protester in Nasiriyah on Wednesday denounced the “greed of traders who manipulate prices.”

Both Russia and Ukraine are major producers of foodstuffs, including sunflower oil and wheat, and the Middle East is particularly dependent on imports from the two countries.   

Iraq was rocked by nationwide protests in 2019 against rampant corruption, a lack of job opportunities and poor living conditions.   

More than 600 people were killed and tens of thousands injured during the demonstrations. 
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Пониження відображає думку Fitch «про неминучість суверенного дефолту» Росії
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Раніше про вихід з російського ринку заявив конкурент Pepsi – компанія Coca-Cola
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Global oil prices soared Tuesday as President Joe Biden announced that the United States will ban imports of Russian energy — a move that could have a dramatic impact in punishing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime for its invasion of Ukraine. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
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Банк Росії запевняє, що правила – тимчасові, і діятимуть пів року – з 9 березня до 9 вересня
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«Наші серця з людьми, які зараз страждають від неймовірних наслідків цих трагічних подій в Україні», – прокоментували в компанії
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Like in much of Africa, women in Kenya own only a small fraction of property, and less than 14% of Kenya’s real estate brokers are women. For VOA, Juma Majanga reports from Nairobi on the challenges women face in the real estate industry.
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Виплати малозабезпеченим сім’ям, самотнім матерям, важкохворим дітям та переселенцям продовжать без необхідності звертатися до органів соцзахисту
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The U.S. is banning all imports of Russian oil and gas, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday — a move that he said “will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine” as the Russian army continues its assault on Ukraine.

This step, outlined in an executive order, is the latest move by Washington to squeeze Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, accused by critics of filling his pockets with ill-gotten gains from his energy-exporting nation. Under the executive order, the U.S. is also banning all imports of crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, coal and coal products and banning any American from investing in Russia’s energy sector.

Last year, the U.S. imported nearly 700,000 barrels per day of crude oil and refined petroleum products from Russia — a far cry from the some 4.5 million barrels of Russian oil that Europe imports each day.

“We’re moving forward on this ban understanding that many of our European allies and partners may not be in a position to join us,” Biden said. “The United States produces far more oil domestically than all the European countries combined. In fact, we’re a net exporter of energy. So we can take this step when others cannot.”

Meanwhile, Britain on Tuesday said it would phase out imports of Russian oil and oil products by the end of this year.

Biden also announced Tuesday that International Energy Agency members agreed to a collective release of 60 million barrels of crude oil from strategic petroleum reserves, with the United States committing half of that amount.

Biden said he has received support from his political allies and critics, with Republican U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, of North Dakota, saying “this action is a necessary step for the world. Vladimir Putin’s war chest is dependent on revenue [that] comes from selling energy — some of it to Americans when we have more than enough oil and gas for ourselves and most of the rest of the world.”

He added “Because of this, oil is a weapon for Putin. It’s about time the Biden administration recognized this weaponization of energy. This import ban is designed to further cripple Putin’s financial stream to wage war on the freedom-loving people of Ukraine and a host of other mischief.”

Biden has repeatedly said he has no intention to send U.S. troops to Ukraine, and that these economic moves are a strong deterrent for Putin.

“Yesterday I spoke with my counterparts in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom about how Russia is escalating violence against Ukraine and the steps that we’re going to take together with our allies and partners around the world to respond to this aggression,” Biden said.

“We are enforcing the most significant package of economic sanctions in history and it’s causing significant damage to Russia’s economy.” 

This report contains information from Reuters.
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A growing number of Western businesses are either halting operations in Russia or exiting altogether over that country’s military incursion of neighboring Ukraine.

The major hit to Russia’s economy will likely come from the crucial oil and gas industry. British-based BP announced Sunday that it is divesting its $14 billion stake in Russian state-owned oil and gas company Rosneft.  

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden of Britain-based Shell Oil Company issued an apology Tuesday for buying Russian crude oil last week, and said it would end all of its operations in Russia, including pipeline gas and liquid natural gas. Shell previously announced it was abandoning its joint venture with state-owned Gazprom and the now-suspended Nord Stream 2 pipeline, built to carry natural gas from Russia to western Europe. 

Japanese automakers Toyota and Nissan have announced plans to suspend production at their plants in the western port city of St. Petersburg and end all vehicle exports to Russia. A third Japanese automaker, Honda, has also halted all exports to Russia, including motorcycles and engines.  

Another major manufacturing firm cutting ties with Russia is U.S.-based aviation giant Boeing, which has suspended buying titanium for use in building airplanes. 

In the clothing sector, legendary U.S.-blue jeans maker Levi Strauss announced Monday that it is suspending sales of its products and ending any new investments in Russia, saying that any business considerations “are clearly secondary to the human suffering experienced by so many.” Levi Strauss said it would donate $300,000 to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine launched by the International Rescue Committee and CARE.  

Financial services companies are also cutting ties. Credit card companies Visa and Mastercard, along with payments company PayPal, all announced last week they were suspending operations in Russia, with high end rival American Express announcing on March 1 that it is halting relationships with Russian banking partners. U.S.-based Vanguard, the world’s top mutual fund investment firm, says it has ended purchases of Russian securities from its actively managed funds and is working to exit its holdings across all of its index funds.  

Tech and entertainment companies are also turning their backs on Russia over Ukraine. U.S.-based streaming video service Netflix has suspended all services in Russia and is ending all future projects and acquisitions there, while Hollywood giants Warner Brothers, Disney and Sony Pictures are all delaying the release of new films in Russia. Apple has blocked Russia-based RT News and Sputnik News from its app store outside of Russia, while Google and TikTok have blocked Russian state media channels from their platforms.

Meanwhile, Apple has stopped selling iPhones and other devices inside Russia, while U.S.-based computer maker Dell Technologies has suspended sales of its products in both Russia and Ukraine.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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The tension between nature and modern development is being played out in Kenya. Along Nairobi Expressway’s construction site, workers can be seen wrapping marigolds and other greenery onto industrial beams, a contrast to ongoing welding and excavation activities.

“It’s been nice working with some greenery for a change,” said 32-year-old Julian Wandera, who has been working on the expressway since May 2021. “Especially as the weather gets hotter,” he added.

Aside from the greenery, Kenyan authorities are asking for more trees to be planted by the China Road and Bridge Corporation.

The Nairobi Expressway is Kenya’s first major public-private partnership, which started in October 2019. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has collaborated with the Chinese company, China Road and Bridge Corporation, for the design, construction, and financing of the 27-kilometer road.

Kenya hopes the $600 million toll road sparks modernization and increases tourism as it links Jomo Kenyatta International Airport east of the capital city with the Nairobi-Nakuru highway west of the capitol. In an interview with state outlet Kenya Broadcasting Corportation (KBC), Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said the road will cut down on the city’s notorious traffic from as long as three hours during rush hour to as fast as 20 minutes. Macharia added it would save money lost in bad traffic and create more jobs.

Wandera is one of an estimated 6,000 Kenyans employed by the project. “We should be done by September 2022,” he told VOA. “I’ve learned a lot in the process, and we’ve all gotten along [with the Chinese] for the most part.”

Throughout the construction, CRBC felled an estimated 2,500 trees, according to the National Environment Management Authority’s (NEMA) environmental impact assessment. Trees are needed to mitigate air pollution, improve water quality, provide urban habitats for birds, small invertebrates, and insects, and cultivate the overall livability standard of a city. On Feb. 17, the Director-General of NEMA, Mamo Boru Mamo, ordered CRBC to plant at least 3,000 assorted tree seedlings to not only replace those uprooted during the construction process, but also to contribute to Nairobi’s beautification process.

Mamo also noted that the seedlings must be in compliance with Kenya Forest Service guidelines to prevent the introduction of invasive species.

Lestan Kimiri, the project manager of the Mukogodo Forest Association, believes that the Kenyan government is right to demand replanting as they have evidence that biodiversity was affected. In an email response to VOA, he says that this is part of the construction company’s corporate social responsibility.

“In the modern era, everyone is working to green our cities and towns. Nairobi being Kenya’s capital, it’s right to green it,” Kimiri says. “Remember the polluter pay principle where the company releasing carbon emissions pays for it? Planting of trees and other vegetation is part of it.” He believes that NEMA’s order will set a precedent for the environmental standards expected from foreign contractors.

As China’s engagement with African nations deepens, particularly in the infrastructure development sector, questions about China’s level of commitment to advocating for environmental standards arise.

Elijah Munyi, an assistant professor of International Relations at the United States International University-Africa, focuses on the politics and regimes development in foreign direct investment, particularly in the context of China-Africa relations. In a phone interview with VOA, he said that as African countries are developing internal infrastructure and environmental regulations, the convergence of development and sustainability goals remains a critical matter.

Munyi doubts whether China is committed to upholding high environmental standards. “I’m not completely convinced. Since this is just on Waiyaki Way, it’s super visible. It could be an aesthetic coup over the government and [the] Chinese,” he says. “I wouldn’t think of this as a groundbreaking development. It’s a little addition to mark a very politically important project.”

The major anticipated users of the expressway include embassy employees, politicians, and other high-level individuals, given the tolls that will be required for expressway access.

Neither the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi nor CRBC responded to multiple requests for comments. The beautification process is part of their compliance to the Kenya government’s greening orders.

Last October, China announced a Second Belt and Road initiative which aims to bring a more environmentally friendly approach to building land and sea infrastructure projects from Asia to Africa.
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