Page 7 - aruba-today-20220625

A7
WORLD NEWS Saturday 25 June 2022
Romanian port struggles to handle flow of Ukrainian grain

By VADIM GHIRDA This enabled the port over
Associated Press the past four months to ship
CONSTANTA, Romania (AP) close to a million tons of
— With Ukraine’s seaports Ukrainian grain, most of it
blockaded or captured by arriving by barge down the
Russian forces, neighboring Danube River.
Romania’s Black Sea port But with 20 times that
of Constanta has emerged amount still blocked in
as a main conduit for the Ukraine and the summer
war-torn country’s grain ex- harvest season fast ap-
ports amid a growing world proaching in Romania itself
food crisis. and other countries that
It’s Romania’s biggest port, use Constanta for their ex-
home to Europe’s fastest- ports, Dolghin said it’s likely
loading grain terminal, the pace of Ukrainian grain
and has processed near- shipping through his port
ly a million tons of grain will slow.
from Ukraine — one of the “As the summer harvest in
world’s biggest exporters Romania gathers momen-
of wheat and corn — since tum, all port operators will
the Feb. 24 invasion. turn to Romanian cereals,”
But port operators say that he warned.
maintaining, let alone in- Ukraine’s deputy agricul-
creasing, the volume they An employee of the Romanian grain handling operator Comvex oversees the unloading of tural minister, Markian Dmy-
handle could soon be im- Ukrainian cereals from a barge in the Black Sea port of Constanta, Romania, Tuesday, June 21, trasevych, is also worried.
2022.
possible without concerted Associated Press In an address to the Eu-
European Union support ropean Parliament earlier
and investment. will become redundant Other alternatives include could face food crisis or this month, Dmytrasevych
“If we want to keep helping once the war ends,” he road and rail shipments worse levels of hunger this said that when Constanta
Ukrainian farmers, we need added. across Ukraine’s western year in connection with the operators turn to European
help to increase our han- Comvex can process up border into Poland and its Ukraine war. grain suppliers in the sum-
dling capacities,” said Dan to 72,000 tonnes of cere- Baltic Sea ports. Just days into the Russian mer “it will further compli-
Dolghin, director of cereal als per day. That and Con- Efforts to lift the Russian invasion, Comvex invested cate the export of Ukraini-
operations at the Black Sea stanta’s proximity by land blockade have got no- in a new unloading facility, an products.”
port’s main Comvex opera- to Ukraine, and by sea to where, and the U.N. Food anticipating that the neigh- Romanian and other EU
tor. the Suez Canal, make it the and Agriculture Organiza- boring country would have officials have also voiced
“No single operator can best current route for Ukrai- tion projects up to 181 mil- to reroute its agricultural concern, lining up in recent
invest in infrastructure that nian agricultural exports. lion people in 41 countries exports. weeks to pledge support.q

Protesters in Ecuador attack military,

police convoy

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The demonstrations are Police tweeted that officers
Authorities in Ecuador on part of a national strike that were also injured by pellets.
Friday accused a mob of the Confederation of Indig- Quito is experiencing food
attacking a military and enous Nationalities began and fuel shortages be-
police convoy, seriously in- June 14 to demand that cause of roadblocks and
juring 17 soldiers and burn- gasoline prices be cut by other disruptions from the
ing three trucks near the 45 cents a gallon to $2.10, unrest. Production Minister
country’s capital, where In- price controls for agricul- Julio José Prado said that
digenous protesters block- tural products and a larger nearly 600 private vehicles
ing roads have brought the budget for education. Pro- and food-carrying trucks A demonstrator hurls a tear gas canister back at police during
city to a near halt. tests have been especially are trapped in Nanegali- protests against President Guillermo Lasso’s economic policies
Army Gen. Edwin Adatty, violent in six provinces in to, a community about 40 and demanding a fuel price cut, in downtown Quito, Ecuador,
Thursday, June 23, 2022.
commander of the Quito the north-central part of miles (65 kilometers) north- Associated Press
task force, said protesters the South American coun- west of Quito.
shot rifles and fireworks and try. In the capital, groups of members were physically to issue a public statement
carried other weapons dur- The confederation on protesters have roamed attacked and robbed while expressing concerns about
ing Thursday’s attack. Thursday said a demonstra- the city attacking vehicles “carrying out research and “the fundamental rights
“This is not a social protest. It tor died of pellet wounds and civilians and forcing verification work on the of all citizens,” and calling
is an exaggerated, dispro- in the chest and abdomen the closure of businesses, protests” in Quito. for the parties to negoti-
portionate social violence while protesting near the some of which were looted. “We reject these actions, ate and reach “concrete
for political purposes,” National Assembly in Qui- They have also punctured and we call for dialogue,” agreements.”
he said. The convoy had to, where about 100 other the tires of buses, forcing that organization tweeted. The U.S. Department of
been trying to free private people suffered a variety passengers to walk. The situation prompted State issued an advisory
vehicles and food-carry- of injuries. The organization Human several embassies, includ- Wednesday warning trav-
ing trucks that had been Two other deaths were pre- Rights International said ing those of Germany, Brit- elers about the widespread
blocked by protesters. viously reported. that that four of its staff ain, Canada and the U.S., protests.q