LONDON -- Britain's departure from the EU will be just the starting point in a rocky and uncertain journey that may continue for years, and almost certainly into the second half of the 2020s, said Ivan Rogers, Britain's former Permanent Representative to the EU, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"All we have done so far is the Brexit withdrawal agreement which just covers money, citizens rights, the Irish border question. It's cleverly marketed as if it's a great negotiating success, but actually Britain's present Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given something that previously he would always have opposed," said Rogers.

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MOGADISHU -- The UN agencies and other partners said Monday they have scaled up humanitarian response, providing food to address the short-term nutrition needs of flood-affected families across Somalia.

"This is food that doesn't need preparation and can support children, mothers, and everybody else who will need immediate response," said Caesar Arroyo, director of WFP in Somalia said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

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NUR-SULTAN -- Asia Waters is one of the 30 Kazakh food producers attending this year's China International Import Expo (CIIE). Several of the company's signature products are up for sale, including mineral water, sparkling water and vodka.

"China has the world's largest market, or one of the largest. Chinese customers have great appetite for quality food. We are very interested in the Chinese market and hope to export our products to China," said Nygman Saduov, deputy manager of the marketing department of Asia Waters, to Xinhua in a recent interview.

"Our mineral water ... is popular among Chinese tourists. We hope that we can find Chinese partners who are interested in our products at CIIE," he said.

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NAIROBI -- The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said Monday it has launched a campaign to raise funds for learning materials for some 150,000 pre-primary and primary students in Kenya's refugee camps.

"We believe that the private sector, including individuals, companies, and foundations, can play a large role in ensuring refugees' access to education so that no child is left behind," Fathiaa Abdalla, UNHCR representative in Kenya, said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

"This situation becomes even more serious as the rollout of the new curriculum requires all existing learning materials to be replaced," she added.

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ZAGREB -- Enlargement of the European Union (EU) to southeast Europe is one of the priorities of Croatia's EU presidency, said the country's foreign minister on Monday.

"The countries of Southeast Europe deserve a European perspective and Croatia must lend a hand, and supporting that part of Europe, our immediate neighborhood, also guarantees our security," Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman said at a working meeting with ambassadors of EU member states. Enditem

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