WORLD VIEW: Ukraine Seeks Re-Opening of Grain Transit, Deadly Civil War in Sudan, 25 Years for Putin Critic, More

April 17, 2023

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The week begins with a move by Poland and Hungary to ban grain and other food imports from Ukraine
The harshest sentence in years for a Kremlin critic,
And the deadly fighting between rival military factions in Sudan
Plus, G7 ministers set big new targets for solar and wind capacity.

Today’s Top News

A general view of a grain terminal at the port in Odessa, Ukraine, April 10, 2023. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrup via REUTERS

Kyiv will aim to secure the re-opening of food and grain transit via Poland as a “first step” at talks in Warsaw, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on some imports from Ukraine to protect their local agricultural sectors. EU member countries’ envoys in Brussels will discuss the move this week. Unilateral action on trade by member states is unacceptable, the bloc’s executive said.
Outspoken Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was jailed for a quarter of a century by a Moscow court, the harshest sentence of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine. State prosecutors had accused him of treason and of discrediting the Russian military.
Follow developments in the war here.

The United States called for a ceasefire in Sudan as the capital was bombarded for a third day in a bloody power struggle between rival military factions. At least 97 civilians had been killed since the fighting started on Saturday. The Reuters World News podcast spoke to an American eyewitness on the ground.
The fighting erupted between army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s transitional governing Sovereign Council, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who is deputy head of the council. Here is a timeline of the country’s political upheavals in recent years.

In India, at least 11 people died after suffering from sunstroke at an award function on the outskirts of Mumbai. Hundreds of thousands of people attended the event on Sunday afternoon where federal home minister Amit Shah presented an award to a well-known social activist.
In the US, at least four people were killed and 28 wounded in a shooting that erupted during a late-night “Sweet 16” birthday celebration at a dance studio in the small town of Dadeville, Alabama. Officials said there was no longer any threat to the community but did not say whether a suspect has been killed or arrested.
And in Japan, the Group of Seven rich nations set new collective targets for solar power and offshore wind capacity, agreeing to speed up renewable energy development and move toward a quicker phase-out of fossil fuels. But they stopped short of endorsing a 2030 deadline for phasing out coal and left the door open for continued investment in gas. These are some key extracts from their communique.

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