IIT Kharagpur outreach network launches Texas AI Learning Centre in Houston, US

<p>Houston (US), Aug 23 (PTI): Texas AI Learning Centre, set up in collaboration with the IIT Kharagpur Outreach Network, was inaugurated at the Tagore Centre here to advance artificial intelligence education, skill development, and industry solutions.</p><p>Coinciding with India’s 80th Independence Day and IIT Kharagpur’s 75th anniversary, the facility was jointly launched by India’s Consul General in Houston, DC Manjunath, Tagore Centre Foundation co-founder and IIT Kharagpur Foundation President Dr Asoke Deysarkar, and IIT Kharagpur Director Prof. Suman Chakraborty.</p><p>Consul General Manjunath highlighted the expanding India–US tech partnership, noting that AI cooperation is opening new avenues for institutional synergy. Recalling the year-long groundwork behind the effort, he expressed optimism that the facility would scale into a full-fledged overseas IIT Outreach Centre.</p><p>Prof. Chakraborty envisioned the centre transforming into a broader Pan-IIT platform for alumni and global stakeholders to offer professional development courses and address complex industry challenges.</p><p>In a video message, US Consul General in Kolkata Kathy Giles-Diaz lauded the academic collaboration, while HCL Tech co-founder and IIT alumnus Arjun Malhotra pledged support for expanding its reach.</p><p>The centre commenced operations with a two-day AI certificate bootcamp coordinated by Texas A&M University professor Dr Debyajoti Banerjee.</p><p>The inauguration drew strong participation from IIT alumni, tech professionals, Indian diaspora leaders, and representatives from Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones’s office. PTI SHK SHS</p><p><i>(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)</i></p>

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Bangladesh open to joining Saudi-Pak-Turkiye defence pact: ministers

<p> Dhaka, Aug 22 (PTI): Bangladesh is open to joining the recently formed defence alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, two junior ministers have said, while stressing that any decision would be guided by the country's national interests.</p><p> Signed in Makkah on August 7, the pact establishes a framework for collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three.</p><p> “Bangladesh maintains a positive approach towards the possibility of joining an economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, taking into account its own interests and the changing dynamics of the global economy and trade,” newly appointed state minister for foreign affairs Humayun Kobir said.</p><p> In an interview with the Bangla service of state-run BSS on Friday, Kobir said the government was pursuing a “Bangladesh First” policy and a balanced foreign policy with national interests at its core, which might lead Dhaka to join the defence pact.</p><p> He said Bangladesh would also strengthen bilateral ties with Pakistan through normal diplomatic engagement, focusing on trade and people-to-people connectivity.</p><p> Kobir, appointed as the second state minister for foreign affairs on Friday, said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to visit Riyadh at Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's invitation and the tour schedule is likely to be finalised after the summer.</p><p> Another state minister for foreign affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, in a separate media interaction on Friday, supplemented Kobir’s comments, saying Bangladesh's national interest and the interests of its people would determine Dhaka’s stance on joining the pact.</p><p> "Whether we join any pact or any multilateral body will be decided primarily on whether Bangladesh's interests and the interests of the Bangladeshi people are protected," she said when asked whether Bangladesh would be part of the trilateral framework.</p><p> The two junior ministers' comments came two days after Rahman’s finance and planning adviser Professor Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir said a “Bangladesh First” policy marked a “paradigm shift” in the country’s foreign policy.</p><p> He said the policy placed national interest, sovereignty, mutual respect and regional harmony at the centre of Bangladesh’s engagement with the international community by maintaining constructive and mutually beneficial relations with all countries.</p><p> “The Bangladesh First policy means putting Bangladesh’s interests first, but Bangladesh for all,” Titumir said. PTI AR GRS GRS GRS</p><p><i>(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)</i></p>

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Kazakhstan's Post-Election Future: Russia, EU Or China?

<p>On August 23, Kazakhstan, a former Soviet country that has recently adopted a new constitution, will hold elections to its parliament.</p> <p>The legislative body will be transformed from a two-chamber to a single-chamber system. Citizens will elect 145 members of parliament via party lists. All seven registered parties have been admitted to the election, including the ruling party, Adilet (which translates to "Justice").</p> <p>But the election result is the least of the campaign's intrigues. Experts DW interviewed agree that no party other than President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's Adilet stands a chance of winning.</p> <h2>Consolidation of power in the president's hands</h2> <p>Luca Anceschi, Professor of Eurasian Studies at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, suggests that the new parliament will do the same as the previous one, "which is pretty much to represent whatever the regime wants them to do."</p> <p>In his view, one should not expect representatives of the genuine opposition to be elected to parliament.</p> <p>Stefan Meister, Head of the Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), shares this assessment. He says the ruling party is likely to win the election, a scenario also reflected in recent opinion polls.</p> <p>Both experts agree that these elections are intended to consolidate Tokayev's power and further weaken the bloc led by Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country's president from 1991-2019.</p> <p>Constitutional amendments approved earlier allow Tokayev to seek another seven-year presidential term in 2029 and replace the two-chamber parliament with a single-chamber assembly called the Kurultai.</p> <p>According to former Kazakhstani senator Zauresh Battalova, who now heads the NGO Foundation for the Development of Parliamentarism in Kazakhstan, what matters is not the number of chambers in parliament, but "the scope of its powers, its autonomy and its ability to oversee the executive branch of government."</p> <p>The new constitution has changed not only the structure of parliament but also the way its members are elected. Independent candidates are no longer allowed to run under the current electoral system. Zauresh Battalova sees this as one of the factors limiting voters' political choice.</p> <p>"The election will be held exclusively on the basis of party lists, in the absence of a political opposition and with limited party competition. The scope for genuine political choice remains extremely narrow," she told DW.</p> <h2>Kazakhstan's democratic backlash: Will Europe react?</h2> <p>Meister and Anceschi both say that one should not expect any reaction from European Union members or the European Commission to the deterioration in political freedoms in Kazakhstan.</p> <p>Meister points out that, since the start of the war in Ukraine, the EU has adopted a more pragmatic approach towards Central Asian states. Europe is now interested in developing trade routes as an alternative to those via Russia, as well as in the region's abundant resources. In his view, the only bodies likely to react to the current situation in Kazakhstan are civil society organizations, the European Parliament or the Council of Europe.</p> <p>"The days when the European Union and individual EU member states were more critical of the rule of law and governance in Central Asia are gone, unfortunately," Anceschi says.</p> <p>The University of Glasgow professor notes that an authoritarian backslide is taking place not only in Kazakhstan but also in other EU partner countries.</p> <p>As for Kazakhstan itself, says Meister, it remains the least repressive authoritarian country in the region, with at least some space for civil society, albeit one that is narrowing.</p> <p>"Wherever you buy your oil and gas from, you are never going to buy it from a democracy ― unless it is Norway. So, in that sense, there is not much of a choice," Anceschi says.</p> <p>In 2025, Kazakhstan became the second-largest oil exporter to the EU, with a total share of 12.8%, amounting to 55.8 million tons of crude oil, surpassed only by the United States, according to the European Council of the EU.</p> <h2>The future of Kazakhstan's foreign policy</h2> <p>Experts acknowledge that Kazakhstan has managed to remain neutral in the standoff between Russia and Europe against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Maintaining this course may prove difficult.</p> <p>"They are affected by the conflict, but they are not participating," says Anceschi, describing the country's current position as a "geopolitical comfort zone."</p> <p>Kazakhstan has not officially opposed the European sanctions against Russia, nor has it joined them.</p> <p>"Of course, it is a task with only one ultimate goal, which is the preservation of authoritarian rule," Anceschi says. "So even in this case, foreign policy is becoming an instrument for achieving internal stability."</p> <p>Meister, in turn, draws attention to the increasing level of cooperation between the Central Asian states, which, facing significant external pressure, tend to act as a single bloc while actively seeking to reduce tensions among themselves. He suggests that Kazakhstan is interested in diversifying its external relations not only with the EU, Russia and China, but also with other world powers, such as Arab or East Asian states.</p> <p>According to Meister, Kazakhstan "does not want to be too dependent on Russia ― it has seen what Russia is doing in Ukraine ― and it does not want to be dependent on China."</p> <p>So, the country is looking for alternatives, and Europe could be one of them, both as a market for its resources and as a potential investor in Kazakhstan's economy.</p> <p><em>This article was adapted from Russian.</em></p> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <p><em><strong>(&ldquo;Disclaimer: This article uses information originally published by Dalal Street Investment Journal (DSIJ). The views expressed are those of the original authors and not necessarily of ABP Network Pvt. Ltd. This content is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, financial, legal or tax advice. Readers are advised to conduct their own research and/or consult a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be treated as investment advice. ABP Network, its employees and associates shall not be responsible or liable for any losses or damages arising directly or indirectly from the use of or reliance on this article or any information contained herein.&rdquo;)</strong></em></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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Nigeria Mosque Attack: Gunmen Abduct Dozens During Friday Prayers

<p><em>Edited by: Sean Sinico</em></p> <p>Extremists attacked and abducted a number of worshipers in Nigeria's Niger State, authorities said on Saturday.</p> <p>Police said the armed men attacked the villages, including Gidan-Zana and Kpenya, before storming the latter village's mosque during Friday prayers.</p> <p>"Soon after finishing the normal Friday prayer, the armed group [...] in their hundreds, wielding guns, knives and machetes, began to attack us," one survivor told the AFP news agency. "They slaughtered some of our people, saying we are not practicing the true teachings of Islam."</p> <p>Local residents told the AFP and Reuters news agencies that dozens of people &mdash; as many as 60 &mdash; were kidnapped.</p> <p>Witnesses also told AFP that the armed men killed several people, although according to police, "the developing report indicated that no life &zwnj;was ​lost."</p> <h2>Who was responsible for the attack?</h2> <p>Police have not confirmed which group was responsible for Friday's attack.</p> <p>One witness told AFP that the gunmen belonged to Lakurawa &mdash; an increasingly radical outfit that researchers link to the "Islamic State Sahel Province" group.</p> <p>Another resident told AFP that the attackers were Ansaru, which split from Boko Haram and is now aligned with al-Qaeda.</p> <p>Witnesses also said that a third, rival jihadi group known as Mahmuda clashed with the attackers and allowed some of the abductees to escape.</p> <p>Although jihadi attacks have declined in Nigeria since the height of Boko Haram's insurgency last decade, the military and police remain overstretched as they face multiple, sometimes overlapping conflicts.</p> <p>In addition to jihadist insurgency in the north, parts of Nigeria also face violence and kidnappings from non-ideological gangs known locally as "bandits."</p> <p><em>Disclaimer: This report first appeared on <strong>Deutsche Welle,</strong> and has been republished on <strong>ABP Live</strong> as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by <strong>ABP Live.</strong></em></p>

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Trump Calls Hormuz ‘American Territory’, Says Iran Ready For Deal But Not The ‘Right’ One

<p class="PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer" data-start="1180" data-end="1443">US President Donald Trump called the Strait of Hormuz &ldquo;American territory&rdquo; and warned that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue over the strategic waterway.</p> <p data-start="1445" data-end="1575">Addressing a rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Friday, Trump said the US could not allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon.</p> <p data-start="1577" data-end="1712">"We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon; we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, or you will see some very bad things," Trump said.</p> <p data-start="1714" data-end="1799">"We went down, and we stopped them; they will never have a nuclear weapon," he added.</p> <p data-start="1714" data-end="1799"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EyXJ42Yxh90?si=FUitdswN1wMVYPbw" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <h2 data-start="1801" data-end="1846">Trump Claims Control Over Strait Of Hormuz</h2> <p data-start="1848" data-end="2011">Trump said Iran wanted to reach an agreement but questioned whether Washington would accept a deal, while asserting that the Strait of Hormuz was under US control.</p> <p data-start="2013" data-end="2200">"They want to make a deal so badly, we don't even know if we want [a deal] because I view the Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now, it's an American territory," Trump said.</p> <p data-start="2202" data-end="2446">Earlier, while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before leaving for Myrtle Beach, Trump claimed that the United States had &ldquo;total control&rdquo; over the Strait of Hormuz and backed the idea of declaring the strategic waterway US territory.</p> <p data-start="2448" data-end="2700">"We're just going to sort of see what happens, and we have total control, as you know, of the border; we have total control -- if you look at the blockade, we have total control of that entire region having to do with the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said.</p> <p data-start="2702" data-end="2794">He also said Iran wanted a deal but was not ready for what he described as the &ldquo;right deal&rdquo;.</p> <p data-start="2796" data-end="2904">"So they would love to make a deal, but they're not ready to make the right deal in my opinion," Trump said.</p> <p data-start="2796" data-end="2904"><strong>ALSO READ: <a href="https://news.abplive.com/news/world/iran-president-pezeshkian-says-better-to-end-war-today-amid-us-pressure-1863236">Iran President Pezeshkian Says &lsquo;Better To End War Today&rsquo; Amid US Pressure</a></strong></p> <h2 data-start="2906" data-end="2936">Iran Rejects Trump&rsquo;s Claims</h2> <p data-start="2938" data-end="3107">Trump's remarks came amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global energy supplies passes.</p> <p data-start="3109" data-end="3315">Trump had earlier shared an AI-generated image on his Truth Social platform depicting the strategic waterway as "NEW U.S. Territory", while continuing to assert that the United States controlled the region.</p> <p data-start="3317" data-end="3515">Iran rejected Trump's claims.</p> <p data-start="3317" data-end="3515">Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the US president's assertions about the Strait of Hormuz would be &ldquo;corrected&rdquo; either by circumstances or by Iran.</p> <p data-start="3517" data-end="3747">"Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, soon his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will either be corrected or we will correct the delusions of this deluded man," Gharibabadi said in a post on X.</p> <p data-start="3749" data-end="3841">Iran's Supreme National Security Council head Mohsen Rezaei also criticised Trump's remarks.</p> <p data-start="3843" data-end="4101">"The gap between America's inability to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and its claim to own it is greater than the 7,000-mile distance between Washington and the Strait itself. Welcome to the post-American order in the Persian Gulf," Rezaei said in a post on X.</p> <p data-start="3843" data-end="4101"><strong>ALSO READ: <a href="https://news.abplive.com/news/india/26-11-trial-mumbai-police-move-mha-to-serve-interpol-notices-to-hafiz-saeed-lakhvi-1863233">26/11 Trial: Mumbai Police Move MHA To Serve Interpol Notices To Hafiz Saeed, Lakhvi</a></strong></p> <h2 data-start="4103" data-end="4142">Trump Warns Of Economic Consequences</h2> <p data-start="4144" data-end="4257">Trump had recently announced what he described as the "most crushing economic operation ever taken" against Iran.</p> <p data-start="4259" data-end="4384">He also warned countries providing financial, business or government support to Tehran of "tremendous economic consequences."</p> <p data-start="4386" data-end="4588">Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States fulfils commitments under a 14-point memorandum of understanding.</p> <p data-start="4590" data-end="4693" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">The commitments include lifting the blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets and easing oil sanctions.</p>

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Indian national arrested in US over multi-million-dollar fraud targeting elderly

<p> New York, Aug 22 (PTI): An Indian national has been arrested and charged in the US for his alleged role as a “money mule” in a multi-million-dollar scheme targeting elderly victims.</p><p> Jay Sunilbharthi Goswami, 21, a Gujarat native who lived in Jersey City, New Jersey, was detained in Canada while attempting to flee to Qatar.</p><p> He was charged by criminal complaint with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo said Friday.</p><p> Goswami appeared before US Magistrate Judge Mark Pedersen on August 17 and was released under conditions. A day later, he crossed into Canada. Law enforcement learned he had booked a flight from Toronto to Doha, Qatar, on the evening of August 18.</p><p> Canadian authorities detained Goswami at Toronto Pearson International Airport and arrested him on August 20 following a US request for provisional arrest pending extradition.</p><p> According to the criminal complaint, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division learned in January 2026 of an internet- and telephone-based fraud scheme targeting elderly victims in the Western District of New York and elsewhere in the US.</p><p> The perpetrators allegedly told victims that their bank accounts, funds or personal information had been compromised. They then persuaded them to liquidate assets into cash, gold or gift cards before posing as law enforcement officials or other figures to further the fraud.</p><p> When cash or gold was involved, the conspirators allegedly used “money mules” to collect the valuables from victims and deliver them to other members of the conspiracy, the Justice Department said.</p><p> Goswami allegedly acted as a money mule, personally collecting or conspiring to collect cash and gold from elderly victims in New York and New Jersey on at least nine occasions. The nine victims, aged between 59 and 87, lost approximately USD 7.5 million in total, according to the complaint.</p><p> The complaint also states that Goswami opened a bank account in the US and deposited more than USD 90,000 in cash between August 1, 2025, and April 6, 2026.</p><p> Investigators believe the deposits were consistent with payments Goswami received for acting as a money mule in the scheme. PTI YAS APL APL</p><p><i>(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)</i></p>

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Ukraine Farmers Struggle To Sell Harvest Amid War, Drought

<p>Russian attacks on civilian ships have effectively brought the ports in the greater region of Odesa to a standstill. Until recently, they handled about 90% of Ukraine's agricultural exports.</p> <p>The Ukrainian government has been working on finding alternative routes via rail, road and other waterways. It is also currently in negotiations about an export corridor that would go via Moldova.</p> <p>But many experts have pointed out that these temporary alternatives cannot replace the ports, and warn that the current blockade of the Black Sea is an even greater threat to the Ukrainian economy than that posed by Russia's full-scale invasion of 2022.</p> <p>The strained security situation in the Black Sea is already having a palpable effect on Ukraine's domestic market. According to Denys Marchuk, the deputy chairman of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, Ukrainian farmers have already harvested more than 28 million tons of grains and pulses.</p> <p>But a large part of this harvest cannot be sold, which has led to a shortage of the cash needed to complete the harvest and to plant winter crops. Planting usually begins at the end of August in Ukraine's southern regions.</p> <p>"Right now, we can barely sell our harvest. Instead, we're storing what we have harvested &mdash; that's if we find storage space. At the same time, we are wondering what to do because we need money, especially so we can plant in fall," Marchuk told DW.</p> <p>He predicted that the situation would continue to worsen in the coming weeks and months when grain and oilseed crops, which are usually harvested later, compounded the crisis.</p> <h2>Farmers plan to leave corn in the fields</h2> <p>The corn harvest alone could reach about 33 million metric tons this year. Yet in the coming months, there could be a shortage of storage capacity totaling up to 10 million tons. Regions on the front, where most silos have been destroyed amid the ongoing war, are particularly affected.</p> <p>"You often hear that farmers want to leave their corn in the fields to be harvested in spring. It still needs to be dried, which needs a lot of electricity that is very expensive. They don't have the money," said Marchuk. "There aren't enough places where they can sell it, nor are the prices reasonable, so for them it makes more sense to leave it in the fields as that's cheaper."</p> <h2>Domestic prices falling</h2> <p>Maksym Hopka, an analyst at the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, estimates that Ukraine's agricultural output totaled about 3.7 million metric tons in July, of which about 2.7 million metric tons comprised grain. That was a decline of about a quarter in comparison to the previous month. He expected an additional fall of over 50% in August.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hc4ev7WPQwA?si=qnCjqbEVqHiD5p5t" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Hopka added that domestic prices were falling, with the price of food-grade wheat declining by 30 to 35%. This meant increasingly difficult economic conditions for production, he explained.</p> <p>Prices have fallen so sharply because farmers cannot export all of their harvest, and can no longer cover even their production costs.</p> <p>Some farms are already operating at a loss. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, annual losses from unsold agricultural produce could amount to approximately $20.5 billion (approx. &euro;18 billion).</p> <h2>Ukrainian government vows to provide support</h2> <p>The Ukrainian government has insisted it will do everything in its power to find new ways to export Ukrainian agricultural produce by rail or road through neighboring countries or through ports on the Danube.</p> <p><strong>ALSO READ: <a href="https://news.abplive.com/news/world/iran-president-pezeshkian-says-better-to-end-war-today-amid-us-pressure-1863236">Iran President Pezeshkian Says &lsquo;Better To End War Today&rsquo; Amid US Pressure</a></strong></p> <p>However, extreme heat and drought have severely reduced the Danube's transport capacity and are also hampering Ukrainian exports. There are also problems with rail and road transport. European railways are already operating at full capacity during harvest season, and transporting large quantities of grain by road is expensive.</p> <p>For Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotsky, the top priority remains restoring safe shipping routes to the ports in the Odesa region with the help of Ukraine's military and those of its partners. He told DW that there was no comparable medium-term alternative and that rail connections and dry ports could only serve as temporary measures until the Black Sea ports reopened.</p> <h2>Less help from EU than in 2022</h2> <p>Oleg Nivievskyi from the Kyiv School of Economics said Ukraine today had fewer ways of offsetting losses in maritime trade than it did at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In 2022, the European Union provided support to Ukraine by establishing "solidarity lanes," and import duties and quotas were temporarily suspended to ease trade.</p> <p>Nivievskyi pointed out that the conditions were different now. "If we look at trade with the EU, we have gone from a free system to the pre-war trade regime with customs restrictions and quotas," he said.</p> <p>He added that there were also significant shortcomings in the infrastructure, with the Ukrainian railway currently running 30% fewer trains than before 2022. Russia's constant attacks on rail infrastructure have hampered operations and necessitated regular repairs. Transport via road is also limited due to shortage of truck drivers, not least because many had been mobilized to fight in the war.</p> <h2>Export strategies need rethink</h2> <p>Nivievskyi said the current crisis could help to encourage the government to rethink Ukraine's export policies. He said the country should have developed a long-term strategy right from the beginning of the Russian invasion in order to ensure that its exports could reach global markets.</p> <p>He explained it wasn't only a question of finding temporary alternatives to the ports of Odesa; the government needed to put in place logistics to ensure that the blockade of one route did not paralyze the entire sector.</p> <p>Hopka has calculated that Ukraine's exports of agricultural produce will drop by about 9 million metric tons between August and October, and that losses could amount to about $1.9 billion.</p> <p>In response to pressure from farmers, the government has already extended a loan program to farmers and has also applied for &euro;220 million in aid from the European Commission. The idea is to help small and medium-sized agricultural businesses in particular to cover their payments.</p> <p><em>This article was originally written in Ukrainian. </em></p> <p><em>Disclaimer: This report first appeared on&nbsp;<strong>Deutsche Welle</strong>, and has been republished on&nbsp;<strong>ABP Live</strong>&nbsp;as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by&nbsp;<strong>ABP Live</strong>.</em></p> <div class="trending-video-player"> <div class="section-heading"> <div class="section-heading-wrap"><strong>ALSO READ: <a href="https://news.abplive.com/news/world/operation-sindoor-jem-rebuilds-headquarters-in-pakistan-rs-11-crore-spent-on-central-hall-repair-1863230">Operation Sindoor: JeM Rebuilds Headquarters In Pakistan, Rs 11 Crore Spent On Central Hall Repair</a></strong></div> </div> </div>

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