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A30 world news
Diabierna 19 augustus 2022

High-level talks in Ukraine yield little reported progress

nian negotiators, but the effort to end Zelenskyy and the U.N. chief agreed
the hostilities failed. Thursday on arrangements for an
On the battlefield, meanwhile, at IAEA mission to the plant, according
least 17 people were killed overnight to the president's website. But it was
in heavy Russian missile strikes on not immediately clear whether the
Ukraine's Kharkiv region, Ukrainian Kremlin would consent to the terms.
authorities said Thursday.
Russia's military claimed that it As for a pullout of troops, a Russian
struck a base for foreign mercenar- Foreign Ministry official said earlier
ies in Kharkiv, killing 90. There was that that would leave the plant "vul-
no immediate comment from the nerable."
Ukrainian side. Fears mounted Thursday when Rus-
sian and Ukrainian authorities ac-
In the latest in a series of incidents cused each other of plotting to attack
on Russian soil near the border with the site and then blame the other side.
Ukraine, an ammunition dump
caught fire in the Belgorod region, Guterres used the talks in Lviv to
the regional governor said. No casu- name Gen. Carlos dos Santos Cruz of
alties were reported. Brazil to lead a previously announced
Heightening international tensions, U.N. fact-finding mission to the
Russia deployed warplanes carrying Olenivka prison where 53 Ukrainian
state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles POWs were killed in an explosion in
(AP) — Turkey's leader and the exchanges of prisoners of war and ar- to its Kaliningrad region, an enclave July. Russia and Ukraine have blamed
U.N. chief met in Ukraine with ranging for U.N. atomic energy ex- surrounded by NATO members each other for the blast.
President Volodymr Zelenskyy on perts to visit and help secure Europe's Lithuania and Poland.
Thursday in a high-powered bid biggest nuclear power plant, which is Also on the agenda Thursday: an in-
to ratchet down a war raging for in the middle of fierce fighting that One major topic at the talks in Lviv crease in grain exports. Earlier this
nearly six months. But little im- has raised fears of catastrophe. was the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in summer, the U.N. and Turkey bro-
mediate progress was reported. southern Ukraine. Moscow and Kyiv kered an agreement clearing the way
Erdogan has positioned himself as have accused each other of shelling for Ukraine to export 22 million tons
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Er- a go-between in efforts to stop the the complex. of corn and other grain stuck in its
dogan said he would follow up with fighting. While Turkey is a member of Black Sea ports since the Russian in-
Russian President Vladimir Putin, NATO, its wobbly economy is reliant Condemning the Kremlin for what vasion.
given that most of the matters dis- on Russia for trade, and it has tried he called "nuclear blackmail," Zel-
cussed would require the Kremlin's to steer a middle course between the enskyy has demanded that Russian The blockage has worsened world
agreement. two combatants. troops leave the plant and that a team food shortages, driven up prices and
from the U.N.'s International Atomic heightened fears of famine, especially
With the meetings held at such a The Turkish president urged the in- Energy Agency be allowed in. in Africa. Yet even with the deal, only
high level — it was the first visit to ternational community after the talks "The area needs to be demilitarized, a trickle of Ukrainian grain has made
Ukraine by Erdogan since the war not to abandon diplomatic efforts to and we must tell it as it is: Any po- it out — some 600,000 tons by Tur-
began, and the second by U.N. Sec- end the war that has killed tens of tential damage in Zaporizhzhia is sui- key's estimate.
retary-General António Guterres — thousands and forced more than 10 cide," Guterres said at a news confer-
some had hoped for breakthroughs, million Ukrainians from their homes. ence. Zelenskyy said Thursday that he
if not toward an overall peace, then at He repeated that Turkey is willing to proposed expanding the shipments.
least on specific issues. But none was act as "mediator and facilitator" and Erdogan likewise expressed concern Guterres, for his part, touted the op-
apparent. added, "I remain convinced that the over the fighting around the plant, eration's success but added, "There is
war will end at the negotiating table." saying, "We don't want to experience a long way to go before this will be
Meeting in the western city of Lviv, another Chernobyl" — a reference to translated into the daily life of people
far from the front lines, the leaders In March, Turkey hosted talks in Is- the world's worst nuclear accident, in at their local bakery and in their mar-
discussed such things as expanding tanbul between Russian and Ukrai- Ukraine in 1986. kets."

Turkey lowers interest rate even as inflation soars to 80%

(AP) — Turkey's central flation. That contradicts es- January. The cuts triggered is "impacting us negatively." started, recently defended his
bank on Thursday low- tablished economic thinking, a currency crisis and further "People cannot afford to take policy to lower interest rates,
ered its key interest rate with rate increases the tradi- fueled rising consumer pric- out insurances. It has become insisting that it had helped
despite inflation surging tional tool to target inflation. es, while Russia's invasion of too costly," he said. save 10 million jobs. He has
to nearly 80% and making Ukraine and soaring energy Erdogan, who visited promised to lower inflation,
it difficult for people to Central banks worldwide are costs aggravated the situation. Ukraine on Thursday for asking for the public to show
buy what they need, fall- raising interest rates as rising the first time since the war patience.
ing in line with the un- food and energy prices drive The Turkish lira weakened
orthodox economic views inflation to decades-high lev- by nearly 1% against the dol-
of the country's president. els. Even then, inflation fig- lar shortly after Thursday's
ures in the U.S. of 8.5%, the central bank decision.
In a statement following a United Kingdom of 10.1%
monetary policy commit- and the 19-country euro area In the capital Ankara, shoe
tee meeting, the bank said it of 8.9% come nowhere close shop owner Abdullah Erbec-
decided to reduce the policy to Turkey's eye-popping rate er said the weakening curren-
rate from 14% to 13%. of nearly 80%, with skyrock- cy has affected his business.
eting food, housing and ener- "What we used to import for
President Recep Tayyip Er- gy prices hitting people hard. 10 lira — we now have to pay
dogan has pressured the bank 50 lira," he said. "I haven't
into lowering borrowing Turkey's central bank made a sold anything all morning."
costs in a bid to boost eco- series of interest rate cuts last
nomic growth, investment year despite high inflation, Murat Kocak, an insurance
and exports, insisting that dropping rates by 5 percent- broker, questioned the cen-
interest rate hikes cause in- age points before pausing in tral bank's decision, saying it