World
Ukraine sues Poland, Hungary and Slovakia over unilateral grain bans

Ukraine has launched legal action against Poland, Hungary and Slovakia over their unilateral bans on grain exports, which it considers to be a “violation of their international obligations.”
“It is fundamentally important for us to prove that individual member states cannot ban the import of Ukrainian goods. That is why we are filing lawsuits against them,” said Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister, in a statement.
“At the same time, we hope that these countries will lift their restrictions and we will not have to settle the matter in court for a long time. We need solidarity with them and the protection of farmers’ interests.”
Svyrydenko said Ukrainian traders were already suffering from additional transport costs and difficulties in fulfilling foreign contracts. “Unilateral actions of EU member states in the field of trade are unacceptable,” the statement added.
The lawsuit, filed on Monday evening before the World Trade Organization (WTO), is meant to launch “consultations” with the three Eastern countries, the minister said.
The news comes three days after the European Commission struck a deal with Kyiv and lifted the temporary restrictions it had imposed on Ukrainian cereals.
The prohibitions were first enacted on 2 May and applied to five European Union member states located in Ukraine’s periphery: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. The countries had said the unexpected surge in tariff-free, low-cost grain from Ukraine was depressing prices for local farmers and wreaking economic havoc.
Under the restrictions, four Ukrainian agricultural products – wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed – were allowed transit through the five Eastern counts but could not stay inside their markets for domestic consumption or storage.
Kyiv repeatedly denounced the bans as contrary to the spirit of European solidarity shown towards the country since Russia launched the full-scale war. Several member states, including Germany, France and the Netherlands, raised “serious concerns” about the temporary measures and their detrimental impact on the single market.
The European Commission promised to phase out the bans by 15 September, despite the Eastern coalition publicly threatening to go it alone and slap their own prohibitions.
Hours before the deadline expired, the Commission announced an agreement under which the bans were lifted with immediate effect. In return, Kyiv committed to tightening control over its commerce and avoiding sudden spikes in agricultural products.
But the solution failed to satisfy Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, which swiftly announced their intentions to impose nationwide bans on a unilateral basis, the very uncoordinated scenario that Brussels wanted to avoid at all costs.
“We will extend this ban despite their disagreement, despite the European Commission’s disagreement,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a rally on Friday. “We will do it because it is in the interest of the Polish farmers.”
The new bans are dissimilar in scope and duration, and target different sets of foodstuffs. Hungary, for example, has closed its market to 24 Ukrainian products, including meat, eggs and honey, which were not covered under the previous blacklist.
The Slovakian prohibition runs until the end of the year while the Polish measure has been introduced for an “indefinite” period of time.
For its part, Romania has said it would wait for Kyiv to submit its action plan to the European Commission before making any moves. Bulgaria announced last week the restrictions were no longer necessary to protect its national economy.
A spokesperson for the European Commission declined to comment on Monday on the national bans and possible next steps, saying an internal analysis was underway.
“Trade policy is an exclusive competence (of the Commission) so any action has to be taken at the EU level,” the spokesperson said.
Member states, however, were more vocal in expressing their displeasure.
Luis Planas, the Spanish agriculture minister, criticised the unilateral restrictions as a “mistake” that risked fuelling food insecurity.
“These measures are incompatible with EU law,” Planas said on Monday morning before heading to a ministerial meeting in Brussels. “We cannot lose the focus. The focus is support for Ukraine to contain the illegal and unjustified aggression of Russia.”
Germany’s Cem Özdemir accused the three Eastern countries of practicing “part-time solidarity” and urged the bloc to “shy away” from boosting Vladimir Putin’s narrative.
“We regret a number of unilateral measures taken by border countries, which are not the first time,” said his French counterpart, Marc Fesneau. “It seems to me that you can’t have solidarity without unity. And to have unity, you also need to express solidarity.”

World
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku burned on face, arm in home accident while lighting fire pit
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku suffered burns to his face and arm in an accident at home while lighting a fire pit.
Njoku was added to the injury report on Saturday and listed as questionable for Sunday’s home game against the Baltimore Ravens.
It’s not immediately known when the accident took place or the severity of Njoku’s injuries. However, his agent Malki Kawa, posted on social media that the 27-year-old tight end “is OK.” Kawa thanked “everyone for reaching out.”
Njoku, who is in his seventh season with Cleveland, has 10 catches for 92 yards this season. He’s a solid blocker and coach Kevin Stefanski noted that Njoku has been a major contributor on several big plays through three games.
Njoku’s injury further complicates things for the Browns (2-1), who could be without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson against the Ravens. Watson was limited in practice this week with a shoulder injury and is also questionable.
If Watson can’t play, rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round pick from UCLA, will make his first NFL start. Thompson-Robinson, who had a strong training camp and preseason, took the majority of snaps with Cleveland’s starting offense this week.
The Browns elevated tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden from the practice squad in case Njoku is inactive.
Quarterback P.J. Walker was also brought up from the practice squad as insurance for Watson’s situation.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
World
Russian Paralympians cannot use flag at Paris games

Russian athletes competing at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris will not be allowed to use their nation’s flag.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) voted Friday on the eligibility of Russian athletes, allowing individuals to compete under neutral banners.
Russia has been banned from the Olympic and Paralympic communities since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The specific parameters for athletes from Russian ally Belarus are also yet to be decided.
RUSSIA, BELARUS NOT OFFICIALLY INVITED TO 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS, IOC SAYS
Paris Olympics 2024 logo on the one of the official t-shirts on display in a shop at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy-en-France, France. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The IPC voted Friday not to fully ban Belorussian athletes but has not yet decided if they can compete representing their country.
The Russian Olympic Committee is not boycotting the Paris games and has voiced support for athletes wishing to compete as neutral individuals.
INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE OVERTURNS SUSPENSION OF RUSSIA, BELARUS MEMBERSHIPS, ATHLETES STILL BARRED

Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee speaks during the Opening Ceremony on day one of the Para Athletics World Championship Paris 2023 at Stade Charlety in Paris, France. ((Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images))
“Boycotting the Games leads to nowhere,” said Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov, according to The Moscow Times.
He added, “We live together in a free state. Every person can, if they so wish, take the path.”
International bodies have struggled to accommodate Russian and Belorussian athletes’ participation in the games since their ban was imposed.

This photograph shows the Olympic Phryges mascots on the Alexandre III bridge ahead of the 2023 World Para Triathlon – duathlon format Olympic Games Test Event in Paris. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)
In anticipation of the Olympic and Paralympic games, the Ukrainian government loosened restrictions on participating in sporting events with Russian athletes.
In a July decision, the Ukrainian government said it would be narrowing the focus of its ban on sports matches against Russian competitors.
Moving forward, Ukrainian athletes will be allowed to compete against Russian athletes not representing their home country.
World
More than 80 percent of ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh

An ethnic Armenian exodus has nearly emptied Nagorno-Karabakh of residents since Azerbaijan attacked and ordered the breakaway region’s fighter groups to disarm, the Armenian government has said.
Nazeli Baghdasaryan, the press secretary to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, said on Saturday that 100,417 people had arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, which had a population of approximately 120,000 before Azerbaijan reclaimed the region in a lightning offensive last week.
A total of 21,043 vehicles have crossed the Hakari Bridge, which links Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, since last week, Baghdasaryan said. Some lined up for days because the winding mountain road that is the only route to Armenia became jammed.
“The speed of it has caught everyone, including the Armenian authorities and the UN by surprise,” said Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith.
The departure of more than 80 percent of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population raises questions about Azerbaijan’s plans for the enclave that was internationally recognised as part of its territory.
“[In Nagorno-Karabakh] we’re seeing scenes of eerie silence, empty streets, empty shops, and vacant homes,” said Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Horadiz. “Just a fraction of the population remains in this enclave where people have been assured that they will not be persecuted by Azerbaijani forces as they take control of these areas.”
The region’s separatist ethnic Armenian government said Thursday it would dissolve itself by the end of the year after a three-decade bid for independence.
‘Ethnic cleansing’
Pashinyan has alleged the ethnic Armenian exodus amounted to “a direct act of an ethnic cleansing and depriving people of their motherland”.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly rejected the characterisation, saying the mass migration by the region’s residents was “their personal and individual decision and has nothing to do with forced relocation”.
However, Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former ICC chief prosecutor, told Al Jazeera that it is “obvious” what is happening is ethnic cleansing, saying that “the legal description is called genocide.”
“It’s an excuse that the Azerbaijan government saying, ‘oh, [leaving] was voluntary’ after they were bombing them and were starving them to death for months,” Ocampo said.
During three decades of conflict in the region, Azerbaijan and the separatists backed by Armenia have accused each other of targeted attacks, massacres and other atrocities, leaving people on both sides deeply suspicious and fearful.
While Azerbaijan has pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, most are fleeing because they do not trust Azerbaijani authorities to treat them humanely or guarantee their language, religion and culture.
“None of the people we’ve spoken to have confidence in the Azerbaijan government’s claim that their security would be guaranteed if they decided to stay,” said Smith, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Yerevan.
“They’re frightened because they fear, despite Azerbaijan’s assurances, they fear they will be treated as the losers and the Azerbaijanis will come in as the victors,” he said.
The office of Italy’s prime minister said on Saturday that Armenia has asked the European Union for assistance to help it deal with refugees arriving from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Years of fighting
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence said later on Saturday that one of its servicemen was killed by sniper fire from Armenian forces in the border district of Kalbajar, but the alleged incident was swiftly refuted by Armenia.
Interfax news agency cited the Armenian Ministry of Defence as saying the report was incorrect, without giving further details.
After six years of separatist fighting ended in 1994 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Then, during a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan took back parts of the region in the South Caucasus Mountains along with surrounding territory that Armenian forces had claimed earlier.
In December, Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, accusing the Armenian government of using it for illicit weapons shipments to the region’s separatist forces.
Weakened by the blockade and with Armenia’s leadership distancing itself from the conflict, ethnic Armenian forces in the region agreed to lay down arms less than 24 hours after Azerbaijan began its offensive. Talks have begun between officials in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist authorities on “reintegrating” the region into Azerbaijan.
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