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G20

US TREASURY Secretary Janet Yellen has urged Group of 20 major economies to take urgent action to address a shortterm food insecurity crisis exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine, and avoid market-distorting export restrictions and stockpiling. Yellen, speaking at a meeting of G20 finance officials in Indonesia on Friday, said countries should target fiscal support measures to help those most in need, rather than adopting costly and regressive blanket subsidies. She also called on G20 members to boost their spending to address food security challenges linked to conflict, climate change, and Covid-19. | Reuters

Saudi Arabia

SAUDI Arabia announced on Friday it was lifting restrictions on “all carriers” using its airspace, an apparent gesture of openness towards Israel ahead of US President Joe Biden’s arrival. The Saudi civil aviation authority “announces the decision to open the Kingdom’s airspace for all air carriers that meet the requirements of the authority for overflying”, it said on Twitter. The decision was made “to complement the Kingdom’s efforts aimed at consolidating the Kingdom’s position as a global hub connecting three continents”. | AFP

United Kingdom

THE UK Met Office, the national weather service, issued a red warning for extreme heat this weekend, the highest-level alert, that covers parts of England until Tuesday. The alert, issued for the first time ever, is an upgrade from an amber warning that has been put in place until the end of Tuesday. “Exceptional, perhaps recordbreaking, temperatures are likely on Monday, then again on Tuesday,” it said. The highest temperature recorded in the UK so far was 38.7°C at Cambridge Botanic Garden in July 2019. | Xinhua

Aviation

BRITAIN and Japan are close to an agreement to merge their next-generation Tempest and F-X fighter jet programmes, with the two countries aiming for a deal on a new joint project by year-end, three sources said. It would be the first time Japan has sought a non-us partner for a large military programme and the first major collaboration between Tokyo and London, going beyond what had been expected when industrial talks began five years ago. | Reuters

Ukraine

PAUL Urey, a British man captured by pro-russian forces in Ukraine, has died in detention, Moscow-backed separatists said on Friday. “He died on July 10,” Darya Morozova, of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, said on Telegram, adding that Urey had diabetes. NGOS describe Urey as a humanitarian who worked as a volunteer in Ukraine. But the separatists insist he took part in fighting and recruited and trained mercenaries before his capture in April. | AFP

Film Fest

US ACTRESS Julianne Moore will be jury president for the 2022 Venice Film Festival in September, organisers said on Friday. Moore, who won a best actress Oscar for 2014’s Still Alice, will preside over a six-person jury at the 11-day festival on Venice’s glamorous Lido. The Venice Film Festival is the world’s oldest, and one of the most prestigious, rivalling with Cannes and Berlin. Its 79th edition is scheduled for August 31 through September 10. | AFP