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A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 19 March 2022
U.N. food agency official alarmed by Afghan food, fuel prices

By KATHY GANNON ly $28 and most Afghans
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) are now below the pov-
— An official with the U.N. erty line, which means they
food agency warned Fri- earn $1.90 a day or less.
day that with Russia's war in Thakral said 80% of Afghans
Ukraine taking an increas- are in debt because they
ing toll on the global econ- have had to borrow to pay
omy, the ripples of that for food or medicines and
conflict will further increase even working Afghans look
food and fuel prices in the to the WFP for food aid
desperately poor Afghani- because they don't make
stan. enough to be able to af-
Since the Taliban takeover ford the food on the mar-
in mid-August, Afghanistan ket.
has been sinking deeper A Human Rights Watch re-
into poverty and economic port released Thursday said
crisis. As many as 95% of the that since January, about
country's 38 million people 13,000 newborns have
don't have enough to eat died from malnutrition and
or money to buy the food. hunger-related diseases in
Shelley Thakral, a spokes- Afghanistan and 3.5 million
woman for the World Food children need nutritional
Program, said that food support.
prices in Afghanistan rose "If the countries we import
nearly 40% over the last Shelley Thakral, spokeswoman for the World Food Program, speaks during an interview with The food from face a chal-
eight months. The WFP has Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, March 18, 2022. lenge, we face a chal-
spent $1 billion feeding mil- Associated Press lenge," said Masihullah.
lions of Afghans this year "There is war between Rus-
but needs another $1.6 bil- 3.2 million refugees who could cripple humanitarian than 80% percent of Af- sia and Ukraine, so we are
lion, Thakral added. have fled Ukraine since efforts. ghanistan's bills, dried up affected ... there is a high
"The worrying thing, I think Russia launched its invasion While most of Afghanistan's and the country's economy increase in prices of oil and
and this includes Afghani- Feb. 24. wheat supplies come from went into free fall. wheat."
stan as well as all the other Thakral's remarks echoed Kazakhstan and Uzbeki- There was food on Kabul A U.K. pledging summit to
hunger spots across the those of U.N. refugee chief stan, Thakral said the in- markets on Friday but Masi- be held later this month ex-
world, is the rise in food and Filippo Grandi, who warned creasing food and fuel cost hullah, standing by his small pects to raise $4.4 billion to
fuel prices," said Thakral. during a visit to Kabul on as a result of the war could grocery stall, said no one stave off a worsening hu-
So far, donor countries Tuesday that the war in add up to 20% to the costs has money. Most people manitarian crisis in Afghani-
have not sidelined Af- Ukraine war could siphon of providing humanitarian don't have jobs, Masihul- stan, said Thakral.
ghanistan but she said they off money from humanitar- assistance. lah said. Like many Afghan "Right now in Afghanistan,
"have to dig deeper" as Eu- ian crisis elsewhere, includ- When the Taliban swept to men, he uses only one what we need to sustain is
rope deals with the shock- ing in Afghanistan, and power, international donor name. the attention on the peo-
waves of the war and the that soaring food prices money, which paid more A sack of flour costs near- ple here," she said.q

Turkey builds massive bridge linking Europe and Asia

world's longest suspension 107th anniversary of Tur- and South Korean compa-
bridge, Turkish President Re- key's World War I naval vic- nies, will also strengthen the
cep Tayyip Erdogan said. tory over a joint British and bonds between Turkey and
It connects the town of French fleet attacking the South Korea, Kim said.
Gelibolu, located in the Dardanelles. The failure of The "1915 Canakkale
European side of Turkey's the naval campaign led to Bridge" cost 2.5 billion euros
northwestern province of the ill-fated 1915 landings ($2.7 billion) to build but Tur-
Canakkale, with the town on the Gallipoli peninsula key will save 415 million eu-
of Lapseki on the Asian by the allies led by Britain ros ($458 million) per year
side. The bridge allows trav- and France along with from a reduction of fuel
elers to cross the Darda- troops from Australia and consumption and carbon
nelles — which connects New Zealand. emissions, Erdogan said.
the Aegean Sea with the "The 1915 Canakkale He announced the bridge's
Sea of Marmara — in just Bridge will leave this his- toll will be 200 Turkish lira
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan poses for photos in
front of the 1915 Canakkale Bridge, in Çanakkale, western Tur- six minutes compared to tory of collision and con- ($13.60).
key, Friday, March 18, 2022. the previous 1 1/2 hours by flict behind and will be a The bridge's architecture is
Associated Press ferry, the president said. bridge between East and awash with symbolism. It's
"Turkey has overtaken Ja- West, starting a new era central span of 2,023 me-
By SUZAN FRASER the Dardanelles Strait that pan, which has the longest of peace and prosperity," ters (6,637 feet) is in rec-
Associated Press connects the European bridge in the world in terms South Korean Prime Minister ognition of the year 2023,
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — and Asian shores of the key of the midspan, and has Kim Boo-kyum said during when Turkey celebrates the
The president of Turkey, waterway. taken the first place," Erdo- the ceremony, in reference centenary of the founding
South Korea's prime min- With a a 2,023-meter (6,637 gan said during the inaugu- to the Canakkale region's of the Turkish Republic fol-
ister and other officials in- feet) span between its tow- ration ceremony. historic battlefields. lowing the collapse of the
augurated a massive sus- ers, the "1915 Canakkale The inauguration was The bridge, which was build Ottoman Empire, Erdogan
pension bridge Friday over Bridge" becomes the timed to coincide with the by a consortium of Turkish said. q