By AFP 26 July 2023 | 2:40 pm European Union member states agreed Wednesday to toughen sanctions on Belarus for helping Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and for Minsk’s crackdown on the opposition, officials said. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with his aide and inspector for the Grodno Region Yuri Karayev and Governor of the Grodno Region Vladimir Karanik in Minsk, Belarus November 22, 2021. Nikolai Petrov/BelTA/Handout via REUTERS European Union member states agreed Wednesday to toughen sanctions on Belarus for helping Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and for Minsk’s crackdown on the opposition, officials said. Spain, which holds the bloc’s rotating presidency, said EU ambassadors at a meeting had backed new measures, including adding more Belarus officials to a visa-ban and asset-freeze blacklist. Multiple European diplomats told AFP the new sanctions mainly looked to curb dual-use equipment that can be used on the battlefield, and stopping aviation parts going to Belarus. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is the closest ally of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and has allowed his country to be used as a staging post for Moscow’s assault on Ukraine. The EU has already imposed repeated rounds of sanctions on Minsk over Lukashenko’s brutal repression of the opposition since 2020 and the war in Ukraine. Those include blacklisting the Belarusian leader and his family members. EU states have been arguing over bolstering sanctions on Belarus since the start of the year, with the aim of aligning measures with those imposed on Russia. The move has been held up by a disagreement over calls by some countries to remove fertiliser producers from the blacklist amid worries over global food supplies. Officials complain that the failure to tighten sanctions on Belarus leaves a major loophole in the EU’s measures against Moscow, as sanctioned goods can be diverted to Russia from its neighbour. A diplomat said the sanctions agreed on Wednesday — set to be formally adopted in the coming days — were a “first step” and there could be more discussions on further Belarus listings later this year. Latest 24 mins ago The Federal Government has been urged to increase the sugar-sweetened beverage tax (SSB tax) to 20 percent and utilise the revenue to better fund Nigeria’s health sector and boost nutrition among the poor. 57 mins ago Nigerian musician, Wizkid, has once again talked about how he feels about the old and new cats saga that seems never ending any moment from now. Wizkid disclose this in an interview with “Capital Xtra” according the superstar, he said he believe stars like Fireboy, Rema, are still the new cats in the music industry,… 1 hour ago Nollywood actor Deyemi Okanlawon has teamed up with Southern Gents for a video production and photoshoot and that has taken Instagram by storm. 1 hour ago Pep Guardiola declared Manchester City’s “new generation is coming” after a trio of academy graduates shone in the European champions’ second win of a pre-season tour in Japan against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. 1 hour ago King the Land, a South Korean drama series, has become the most-watched show on Netflix for the week of July 17-23. The series recorded an impressive 4.7 million views and 65.1 million viewing hours, making it the most-watched non-English TV show on the platform. Even when English content is taken into account, King the Land…
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