UK PM Johnson to visit Europe next week to discuss situation around Ukraine
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is going to visit Europe next week to discuss the escalation of tensions on the Ukrainian-Russian border, a source told Sputnik.
Due to depart in August, the 56-day trip, which is available for up to 30 passengers, will span 22 countries, taking travellers from Turkey’s largest city, through the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and western Europe, to the UK capital. A ferry crossing on the Gulf of Finland, a visit to the North Cape (or Nordkapp) – the northernmost point in continental Europe and a cruise along the Norwegian Fjords – are listed among the highlights of the 12,000-kilometer journey.
AUG 27: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is reviewed by its 191 signatories every five years, aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
Russia objected to a draft text citing "grave concern" over military activities around Ukraine's nuclear plants, in particular Zaporizhzhia.
Participants in the last review in 2015 also failed to reach an agreement.
The 2022 meeting, which had been due in 2020, was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The failure to agree a joint declaration followed a four-week conference in New York.
The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said she was "deeply disappointed" at the lack of agreement.
"Russia obstructed progress by refusing to compromise on proposed text accepted by all other states," she said.
The US representative, Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, said the US "deeply regrets this outcome, and even more so on Russia's actions that led us here today".
Russia was opposed to a section of the text expressing "grave concern" over military activities around Ukrainian power plants - including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which Russia seized early on in the war in Ukraine.
The draft section also remarked on "the loss of control by the competent Ukrainian authorities over such locations as a result of those military activities, and their profound negative impact on safety".
Russia's representative, Igor Vishnevetsky, said the draft final text lacked "balance".
"Our delegation has one key objection on some paragraphs which are blatantly political in nature," he said - adding that other countries also disagreed with the text.
The final document needed approval of all countries at the conference. A number of countries, including the Netherlands and China, expressed disappointment that no consensus had been reached.
The Dutch said they were "content with the useful discussions", but "very disappointed that we have not reached consensus".
Chinn's ambassador, meanwhile, said despite the lack of agreement, the process was "an important practice of common security and genuine multilateralism".
The Non-Proliferation Treaty, backed by 190 countries in 1970, commits countries which signed up - including the US, Russia, France the UK and China - to reducing their stockpiles and bars others from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Last week, the Zaporizhzhia plant was temporarily disconnected from the power grid, raising fears of a possible radiation disaster.
Russia's military took control of the plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, in early March, but it is still being operated by Ukrainian staff under difficult conditions.
The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is expected to organised a trip to the Zaporizhzhia plant in the coming days to inspects facilities there.
Last week, Russia said it would allow IAEA inspectors to visit the plant.
JUNE 3: In the UK there have been 190 confirmed cases in recent weeks.
Infections are usually mild and the risk to the general population is low, but the UK government has bought stocks of smallpox vaccine to guard against monkeypox.
How common is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe and experts say chances of infection are low.
It occurs mostly in remote parts of central and west African countries, near tropical rainforests.
There are two main strains of virus - west African and central African - and it's the milder one from west Africa which is now circulating in other regions of the world.
The unusually high numbers of people infected with monkeypox outside of Africa with no travel links to the region, means the virus is now spreading in the community.
The UK Health Security Agency says anyone concerned they could be infected should phone NHS 111 or contact their local sexual health clinic, but call or email ahead of a visit.
It is also advising those infected not to have sex while they have symptoms and use condoms for eight weeks after an infection, as a precaution.
What are the symptoms?
Initial symptoms include fever, headaches, swellings, back pain, aching muscles.
Once the fever breaks a rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body, most commonly the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
The rash, which can be extremely itchy or painful, changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off. The lesions can cause scarring.
The infection usually clears up on its own and lasts between 14 and 21 days.
How do you catch it?
Monkeypox can be spread when someone is in close contact with an infected person. The virus can enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract or through the eyes, nose or mouth.
It has not previously been described as a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by close contact.
New guidance is advising anyone with the virus to abstain from sex while they have symptoms.
While there is currently no available evidence that monkeypox can be spread in sexual fluids, people confirmed to have the virus are advised to use condoms for eight weeks after infection as a precaution.
It can also be spread by contact with infected animals such as monkeys, rats and squirrels, or by virus-contaminated objects, such as bedding and clothing.
How dangerous is it?
Most cases of the virus are mild, sometimes resembling chickenpox, and clear up on their own within a few weeks.
Monkeypox can sometimes be more severe, however, and has been reported to have caused deaths in west Africa.
Are gay men at greater risk?
Although some of the cases have been seen in gay and bisexual men, anyone who comes into close contact with someone who has monkeypox could potentially get the virus.
The UK Health Security Agency has said "a notable proportion" of the recent cases in the UK and Europe have been found in gay and bisexual men "so we are particularly encouraging them to be alert to the symptoms and seek help if concerned".
How common are outbreaks?
The virus was first identified in a captive monkey and since 1970 there have been sporadic outbreaks reported across 10 African countries.
In 2003 there was an outbreak in the US, the first time it had been seen outside Africa. Patients caught the disease from close contact with prairie dogs that had been infected by small mammals imported into the country. A total of 81 cases were reported, but none resulted in deaths.
In 2017, Nigeria experienced the largest known outbreak. There were 172 suspected cases and 75% of victims were men between 21 and 40 years old.
What is the treatment?
Outbreaks can be controlled by infection prevention.
Vaccination against smallpox has been proven to be 85% effective in preventing monkeypox.
The UK has bought doses of the smallpox vaccine, but it is not clear how many jabs might be given.
Antiviral drugs may also help.
Should the public be concerned?
Experts say we are not on the brink of a national outbreak and, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the risk is low.
Prof Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology, University of Nottingham, said: "The fact that only one of the 50 contacts of the initial monkeypox-infected patient has been infected shows how poorly infectious the virus is.
"It is wrong to think that we are on the brink of a nationwide outbreak."
UKHSA is following up those who have had close contact with patients to offer advice and to monitor them.
With inputs from BBC
APRIL 27: The Indian government has defended the move to buy Russian oil, and said what it buys from Russia in a month is less than what Europe buys from Russia in an afternoon.
Why is India buying more Russian oil?
India has taken advantage of discounted prices to ramp up oil imports from Russia at a time when global energy prices have been rising.
The US has said that although these oil imports do not violate sanctions, "support for Russia...is support for an invasion that obviously is having a devastating impact".
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also urged India to reduce its dependence on Russia during a trip to Delhi in March, which took place at the same time as a visit by the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov.
Mr Lavrov told his Indian counterparts that Russia was willing to discuss any goods that India wanted to buy and urged that payments be made in roubles.
Where does India get its oil?
After the US and China, India is the world's third-largest consumer of oil, over 80% of which is imported.
But in 2021, only around 2% of its total oil imports (12 million barrels of Urals crude) came from Russia, according to Kpler, a commodities research group.
By far the largest supplies last year came from oil producers in the Middle East, with significant quantities also from the US and Nigeria.
In January and February, India didn't import any oil from Russia.
But so far, the amount of Urals oil contracts made for India covering March, April, May and June - around 26 million barrels - is higher than the quantity purchased during the whole of 2021, according to Kpler.
What's the deal India is getting?
Following its invasion of Ukraine, there are now fewer buyers for Russia's Ural crude oil, with some foreign governments and companies deciding to shun Russian energy exports, and its price has fallen.
While the exact price of the sales made to India is unknown, "the discount of Urals to Brent crude [the global benchmark] remains at around $30 per barrel", says Matt Smith, an analyst at Kpler.
These two types of crude normally sell at a similar price.
At one point in March, as the price of Urals crude continued to drop, the difference between them reached an all-time record, he adds.
So "India is likely to purchase at least some of this [Russian] crude at a significant discount," he says.
What's the impact of financial sanctions?
Although the price is attractive, India's big refining companies are facing a challenge trying to finance these purchases, because of sanctions on Russian banks.
It's a problem facing trade in both directions.
One of the options India is looking at is a transaction system based on local currencies, where Indian exporters to Russia get paid in roubles instead of dollars or euros.
The US has made clear its reservations with this, saying it could "prop up the rouble or undermine the dollar-based financial system".
Where else is India looking to buy oil?
India's oil imports from the US have gone up significantly since February, according to analysts at Refinitiv.
However, market analysts say this may not be sustainable in the future as the US seeks to use its domestic oil production to replace supplies from Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
There are also suggestions that trade with Iran could resume under a barter mechanism which Indian oil refiners could use to buy its oil. This arrangement stopped three years ago, when the US re-imposed sanctions on Iran.
But this is unlikely to resume without a wider deal reached in international negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme.
With inputs from BBC
