UNITED NATIONS: Global prices for food commodities such as rice and vegetable oil have risen for the first time in months after Russia pulled out of a wartime agreement allowing Ukraine to ship grain to the world and India restricted some of its rice exports, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said today.

The FAO Food Price Index increased 1.3 per cent in July from the June level, driven by higher costs for rice and vegetable oil. 

UNITED STATES: Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 election defeat, responding the first time to federal charges that he orchestrated an unsuccessful attempt to block the peaceful transfer of power.

The former president appeared in Washington’s federal courthouse two days after being indicted by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith. 

INDIA: The country’s top court temporarily halted the criminal defamation conviction of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s surname. 

His party said it would now seek to have Mr Gandhi reinstated as a member of parliament after he was barred in March.

SOUTH AFRICA: Vehicles were set on fire in Cape Town today after a dispute between taxi drivers and local authorities earlier in the week sparked days of disorder.

Local media reported that the driver of a city bus had been shot and wounded in the unrest, although this was not confirmed by police.

The drivers have been protesting all week against allegedly heavy-handed tactics by the police and city authorities.