Global food prices rose 26.5% year-on-year in February, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday. 

The food price index increased for the ninth consecutive month by 2.4% on a monthly basis, averaging 116.0 points last month, the FAO said.

The index was driven by jumps in sugar and vegetable oils price sub-indices, while dairy, cereal, and meat prices were also up.

This figure is a trade-weighted index that tracks the international market prices of five major food commodity groups.


The sugar price index in February was up 6.6% from the previous month as production declines in key producing countries together with strong import demand from Asia.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index in February also posted a sharp 6.2% monthly rise, hitting its highest level since April 2012.

Dairy products climbed 1.7% month-on-month in February, led by international export quotations for butter, where firm imports by China met limited supplies from Western Europe, the FAO noted.

Last month, the cereal prices went up 1.2%, while the meat price index marked a 0.6% increase due to tight supplies of bovine and ovine meats in key producing regions./aa

Less than six weeks into his term, US President Joe Biden appears to have embraced a radically different approach to Iran and the Middle East than what his campaign speeches suggested.

From dragging his feet on rejoining the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, to ordering a military strike targeting Iran-backed militias in Syria, the Biden administration has already ruffled a few feathers in Tehran.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh made his country’s exasperation known on Monday, suggesting that some moves by Biden were “worse” than his predecessor Donald Trump, who in 2018 launched the “maximum pressure campaign” against Tehran.

“Up to now, Biden's security policy regarding the Middle East, as compared to Trump's policy, has been one more defined by continuity than change,” Ali Ahmadi, a foreign policy analyst with focus on Iran-US relations, told Anadolu Agency.

Biden’s reluctance to rejoin the 2015 nuclear pact as a precursor to de-escalation of tensions, Ahmadi says, has made Iranian officials "very suspicious" and implies that there is a "strategic calculation that Biden is not being honest about."

Trump’s policy

The continuation of Trump's Iran policy by Biden so far has not gone down well with Tehran, which expected a different approach from the new US administration.

The US strike carried out in the wee hours of Friday morning in Syria-Iraq border region, the first authorized by Biden since taking office, reportedly killed one militia fighter and injured several others.

Iran condemned the attack, terming it “illegal aggression” and warning that it could “exacerbate military conflict and further destabilize the region”.

Abas Aslani, a journalist and policy analyst, said the strike indicates that the Biden administration's policy isn't much different from Trump's.

"The Biden administration seems to be more leaning toward American presence in the region," he told Anadolu Agency.

"The recent strike and the tendency to maintain military presence in several parts of the region can provoke tensions and decrease the chance of de-escalation."

Javad Heirannia, Director at the Scientific Research and Middle East Strategic Studies Center, said the attack was aimed to show that the US will “act hard to protect its interests in the region”.

“Biden wants to show that while he seeks to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomacy, he will also react strongly to any Iranian behavior in the region that threatens US interests,” he said, referring to a series of attacks on US forces in Iraq.

The attacks have intensified since the assassination of Iran’s top military commander Qasem Soleimani in a US airstrike in January last year. US officials have often blamed the attacks on Iran-allied groups inside Iraq. Tehran, however, has rejected the claims.

Regional activities

Heirannia said Iran’s nuclear issue is tied to its regional issues, as Tehran rejected calls for linking the revival of the 2015 to its missile program.

“The way out of this situation is that while focusing on resolving nuclear issue, regional issues should also be resolved within the framework of a regional dialogue,” he said, while asserting that Iran is unlikely to negotiate if it feels the balance of power will be to its detriment.

The Iranian government, while open to talks with the West on its nuclear program, has categorically ruled out any negotiations on its missile program and regional activities.

On the other hand, the new US administration finds itself in a quandary with pressure from its key regional allies, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, to contain Iran's influence in the region.

Political naivety

Some, however, are of the view that Biden will not follow his predecessor’s policy on Iran, a line of thinking they term “political naivety”.

“The recent US military strike in Syria should be analyzed against the backdrop of missile attacks in Erbil and within the framework of Biden’s new Middle Eastern policy,” Sadrodin Moosavi, a senior journalist and analyst, told Anadolu Agency.

He said the new US president is expected to introduce a “new Middle Eastern foreign policy” under which Washington will “contain [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammad Bin Salman’s ambitions” and simultaneously make a “balance between Iran and Saudi Arabia”.

“As a matter of fact, both Iran and the US are keen on reviving the nuclear deal, but both sides are moving ahead cautiously to take more but give fewer in the process of give and take,” Moosavi said.

What has apparently complicated matters further is Iran's recent measure of stopping implementation of the additional protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which limits the UN nuclear watchdog's access to Iranian nuclear sites.

The US is reportedly pushing an anti-Iran resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) governors meeting in Vienna this week, which has drawn strong reactions from Tehran.

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Monday warned Washington and its European allies against adopting the resolution, saying Iran has provided "necessary explanations" about recent measures to the UN watchdog.

"We hope that reason will prevail, and if that does not happen, we have solutions," Zarif said, without specifying Iran's probable response./aa

Through the Turkish Red Crescent, 54,807 aid trucks or vehicles have made it to the Idlib region in Syria, as well as Turkey's cross-border operation zones in the country's north and northwest, the head of the aid organization said on Wednesday. 

Addressing lawmakers on the projects that have been implemented for asylum seekers in Turkey and in the northwestern region of Idlib in Syria, Ibrahim Altan underlined that Red Crescent's field coordinator for Syria continues to serve people from the war-torn country residing in seven camps and 14,209 containers in the Adana, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kilis and Osmaniye provinces in southern and southeast Turkey.

Altan noted that the organization had coordinators for children's programs, cash-based support programs and community-based initiatives on migration, explaining to legislators in the parliament's human rights committee that they were working with 1,193 personnel in 110 centers across 22 provinces.

Hospitals, health centers, camps, playgrounds and orphanages have also been in Idlib, as well as Turkey's cross-border operation in northern and northwestern Syria, he said, adding that 548 domestic and international non-governmental organizations, as well as 2,763 donors, contributed to the relief efforts.

On the organization's cross-border operations, Altan said 111,000 tents, 2.7 million hygiene kits, 38 million liters of water, 8 million food parcels, 116 million loaves of bread, 61 million articles of clothing, 523 ambulances and 3.6 million blankets have been shipped to the region.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Altan underlined that the aid group had brought various kinds of protective equipment worth about $7 million to the region with UN and EU resources.

UN, EU funding

All the resources that the Turkish Red Crescent uses in providing debit cards for Syrians in Turkey, as well as for social adaptation efforts, conditional education support and language support, come from the UN and EU, the head of the organization said on Wednesday.

Addressing lawmakers on the projects that have been implemented for asylum seekers in Turkey and in the northwestern region of Idlib in Syria, Ibrahim Altan underlined that the Turkish Red Crescent had first started issuing the debit cards, known as Red Crescent cards, to Syrians after April 2011, later expanding the initiative to all other foreign nationalities. The cards contain 120 Turkish liras ($16) per person.

He stated that the group attached great importance to coordinating cash-based support programs, adding that 99% of these resources were from the EU and UN.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates./aa

A new study has revealed that people previously infected with the 501Y.V2 variant of COVID-19 that has been dominant in South Africa have developed antibodies that could prevent them from being infected with other variants.    

“We have found out through our scientists that the new variant 501Y.V2 is able to generate its immune responses that neutralize itself and other SARS-CoV-2 lineages,” Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande said Wednesday during a joint webinar on the latest COVID-19 variant findings.  

South Africa first reported the existence of the 501Y.V2 variant in mid-December during its second wave of the pandemic, leading to many infections and deaths.  

Some countries even imposed travel bans on arrivals from South Africa, fearing they could bring the new variant to their shores.  

Nzimande said the new scientific discovery means that vaccines likely to generate neutralizing agents against the current variant can be developed.  

“This is a highly significant finding by our scientists,” he added.  

The study which led to the discovery was conducted by a consortium of scientists from various institutions but led by the Kwazulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform.  

Speaking at the same webinar, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize congratulated the scientists, saying South Africa has emerged as one of the global leaders in surveillance genomics.  

He said the country has included several scientists on its COVID-19 Ministerial Advisory Committee which has guided the government’s decisions on how to respond to the fight against COVID-19 based on science.  

South Africa has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths on the continent with 1,514,815 confirmed infections, 50,271 deaths and 1,433,320 recoveries recorded. It is the 16th most-affected country worldwide./aa

The US said Wednesday it is appalled by the Myanmar military's deadly crackdown on mass anti-coup demonstrations and called for worldwide unity to promote accountability. 

"We are appalled and revulsed to see the horrific violence perpetrated against the people of Burma [Myanmar] for their peaceful calls to restore civilian governance," said State Department Spokesperson Ned Price at a news conference.

Price said the US is calling on "all countries to speak with one voice to condemn brutal violence" by the Myanmar military against its own people and "to promote accountability for the military’s actions that have led to the loss of life of so many people in Burma.”

Earlier in the day, the UN's special envoy on Myanmar said the military's violent response has led to the deaths of 38 people Wednesday, marking the deadliest day since the junta took power on Feb. 1.

Christine Schraner Burgener told reporters during a virtual news conference that the killings have raised to more than 50 the number of those have who have died, and "many" others have been wounded amid ongoing mass demonstrations against the military's power grab.

So far, more than 1,200 people have been detained, and the whereabouts of many of them remain a mystery to their family members, according to the UN./aa

Health ministers from the West African country of Guinea and neighboring countries have agreed on a unified front to combat the deadly Ebola virus that resurfaced about three weeks ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Office said on Wednesday.

In a statement, it said the agreement was reached during a meeting in Guinea's capital Conakry, chaired by the prime minister of Guinea, Dr Ibrahima Kassory.

“If in 2014 Guinea and the neighboring countries were victims of Ebola, this time around Guinea and the region are resolutely facing up to Ebola,” Kassory said.

WHO said the ministers agreed to set up a coordination mechanism, enhance cross-border collaboration, work with communities, and support efforts in containing the deadly virus.

First discovered in 1976, the disease caused global alarm in 2014 when the world's worst outbreak began in West Africa, killing more than 11,000 people and infecting an estimated 28,600 as it swept through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The health ministers also agreed to facilitate import regulations for vaccines and drugs as well as promote measures that were effective in bringing the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa under control.

“We are greatly encouraged by the common front taken by Guinea’s neighbors to tackle this outbreak. We know from experience how much this is critical in fighting Ebola,” said Dr Abdou Salam Gueye, the regional emergency director at WHO Office for Africa.

“With close cross-border trade and social ties, we cannot ignore the importance of regional approaches against health crises,” he added.

A new Ebola virus outbreak was declared in the West African country on Feb. 14. The country has recorded several cases and deaths and over 500 contacts of which 100% are being monitored, and vaccinated 1,317 people, according to the UN health agency.

Early February, authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo also announced the reappearance of the Ebola virus, a tropical fever that is transmitted to humans from wild animals, in the eastern part of the Central African country, more than two months after the end of the last outbreak./aa

At least eight people were injured in a knife attack in southern Sweden on Wednesday, according to local police.

The attacker, identified as a 20-year-old male by the Jonkoping county police department, was shot and wounded by police in the Vetlanda locality, where the incident took place.

Authorities did not give further details on the attacker or the condition of the eight people who were injured.

An investigation into the attack was launched by police under suspected terrorism.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven released a statement condemning the incident.

"I condemn this terrible violence," he said, adding that the attack and its motive were "unclear"./aa

The Zionist's central court of Beersheba extended on Wednesday the solitary confinement of Palestinian resistance icon Raed Salah for another six months, according to his defense lawyer.

“Depending on the Zionist legislation, the solitary confinement must be limited, but it is unlimited for Sheikh Raed Salah,” Khaled Zabarqa told Anadolu Agency.

“He’s in isolation since six months ago, and today the court extended it for another six months which means he will spend a whole year in solitary confinement,” he said.

Salah, the leader of the northern branch of Islamic Movement in Zionist entity, was detained in August 2017 and indicted for incitement over his criticism of the erection of metal detectors at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

He was sentenced to 28 months in prison by an Zionist entity’s court. He served 11 months in jail, half of which in solitary confinement before he was moved to house arrest.

In August, Salah returned to prison after two years under house arrest.

“The Zionist entity’s court session today was just a formality. It approved what the security services wanted and ignored any real checks for the efficacy of the decision or the truth of their allegations and didn’t care about the effect of the isolation on Salah’s health,” the defense lawyer said.

“Zionist entity is prosecuting Salah for his Ideology and religious beliefs, not because of any criminal offence.”

Born in 1958, Salah is a poet and father of eight children. He started his public work as mayor of Umm al-Fahm, an Arab city in Zionist entity.

As his activities expanded and his anti-occupation speeches were disseminated widely among the Arab citizens of Zionist entity, he was subject to arrests by the Zionist entity’s authorities several times.

In 2003, Salah was arrested on suspicion of funding Palestinian resistance group Hamas. Two years later, he was banned by Zionist entity from travel.

In 2010, the Palestinian icon was sentenced to five months in prison for allegedly assaulting Zionist entity police.

A strong defender of the Palestinian people, Salah has staged a number of protests against Zionist entity’s policies and campaigned against the expansion of Zionist settlements in the occupied territories.

“We believe that Salah is coming under a deliberate psychological torture by Zionist authorities,” Zabarqa said.

Salah’s family was allowed to visit him once monthly, but the Zionist entity’s authorities halted the visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also deprived from calling his old mother, 82, since his detention.

“Salah is fully aware of the real goal of the Israeli occupation. Despite their attempts to destroy his spirit and connections, Salah remains strong,” Zabarqa said.

In Wednesday’s ruling, the court judge said that the emblem “Al-Aqsa in danger”, which was released by Salah in 1996, was to blame for attacks against Zionist entity forces.

“We were surprised by this allegation. The Israeli policies against holy places and Palestinians are the real reason for the Palestinian anger. Salah just described that fact,” Zabarqa said.

“Today’s trial was a piece of clear evidence that the verdicts against Salah are made by the Zionist government not the judicial system,” Zabarqa said.