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world news Diahuebs 1 september 2022

UN inspectors head to Ukraine nuclear plant in war zone

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A team of Atomic Energy Agency has sought
U.N. inspectors made its way to- access to the plant for an unprec-
ward Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nu- edented wartime mission, and world
clear power plant Wednesday on leaders have demanded that the U.N.
a perilous, long-sought mission watchdog be allowed to inspect it.
to safeguard the site and prevent
a catastrophe from the fighting With the convoy of vans and U.N.-
raging around it. marked SUVs finally arriving in the
afternoon in Zaporizhzhia city, still
Underscoring the danger, Kyiv and some 120 kilometers (70 miles) by
Moscow again accused each other of road from the plant, IAEA chief and
shelling the area around the complex mission leader Rafael Grossi said the
overnight. Zaporizhzhia is the biggest "real work" will start on Thursday. He
nuclear plant in Europe. underscored the challenges ahead.

Fighting in early March caused a brief "It's a mission that seeks to prevent a
fire at its training complex, and in re- nuclear accident and to preserve this
cent days, the plant was temporarily important — the largest, the biggest
knocked offline because of damage to — nuclear power plant in Europe,"
a transmission line, heightening fears he said.
of a radiation leak or a reactor melt-
down. Officials have begun distrib- He said an initial tour will take a
uting anti-radiation iodine tablets to few days, after which "we will have a Borrell renewed a call to Russia to They said drone strikes hit the plant's
nearby residents. pretty good idea of what's going on." fully demilitarize the area around the administrative building and training
Grossi said he had received "explicit plant. center.
The complex has been occupied by guarantees" from Russia that the 14
Russian forces but run by Ukrainian experts would be able to do their "They are playing games. They are Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of the ad-
engineers since the early days of the work. gambling with the nuclear security," ministration in the Ukrainian-held
6-month-old war. Ukraine alleges Borrell said. "We cannot play war city of Nikopol, across the Dnieper
Russia is using the plant as a shield, Grossi said he is hoping the IAEA games in the neighborhood of a site River from the plant, charged that the
storing weapons there and launching will be able to establish a "continued like this." attacks were carried out by the Rus-
attacks from around it, while Mos- presence" at the plant to safeguard it sians in a bid to make Ukraine look
cow accuses Ukraine of recklessly against an accident. While the inspectors were on their like the culprit.
firing on the place. way, Russia-backed local authorities
The world watched the mission's accused Ukrainian forces of repeat- Kyiv is seeking international assis-
For months, as the fighting has played progress with anxiety. European edly shelling the plant grounds and tance in taking back control of the
out, the head of the International Union foreign policy chief Josep city where it is situated, Enerhodar. area.

Inflation hits 9.1% in countries using euro currency

LONDON (AP) — In- European Union statistics other countries as Russia's people fed up with the high in an analyst note. "The gas
flation in the European agency Eurostat. war in Ukraine grinds on, cost of living. supply crisis and droughts are
countries using the euro triggering unprecedented in- adding to persisting supply-
currency hit another re- Inflation is at the highest lev- creases for energy and food Inflation in Britain, Den- side pressures on inflation at
cord in August, fueled els since record-keeping for that are squeezing house- mark and Norway, which the moment."
by soaring energy prices the euro began in 1997. The hold finances. Disruptions to have their own currencies,
mainly driven by Russia's latest figures add pressure on global manufacturing supply is also surging, according to Russia, a major energy pro-
war in Ukraine. European Central Bank of- chains caused by the coro- official data released earlier ducer, has been reducing
ficials to continue raising in- navirus pandemic have also this month. U.K. residents the flow of gas to European
Annual inflation in the eu- terest rates, which can tame played a role in pushing up face an 80% jump in annual countries that have sided
rozone's 19 countries rose to inflation, but also stifle eco- prices. This summer has seen household energy bills, regu- with Ukraine in the war, a
9.1%, up from 8.9% in July, nomic growth. a wave of protests and strikes lators warned last week. move that's wreaked havoc
according to the latest figures around the world by workers with prices.
released Wednesday by the Prices are rising in many pushing for higher wages and Inflation is also high in the
U.S., adding urgency for the At the same time, nearly half
Fed to keep raising interest of Europe has been afflicted
rates. Prices were up 8.5% by an unprecedented drought
in July compared with a year that's hurting farm econo-
earlier, thought that was low- mies, crimping production
er than 9.1% in June. of staple crops like corn, and
driving up food prices.
In the euro zone, energy
prices surged 38.3%, though Price rises for manufactured
the rate was slightly lower goods like clothing, appli-
than the previous month, ances, cars, computers and
while food prices rose at a books accelerated to 5%, and
faster pace of 10.6%, accord- the cost of services rose 3.8%.
ing to Eurostat's preliminary
estimate. The agency's final The euro's weakness is an-
report, released about two other factor keeping pric-
weeks later, is usually un- es high. The currency has
changed. slipped below parity with
the dollar, which can make
"Specific European problems imported goods more cost-
continue to push inflation ly, particularly oil, which is
higher," ING Bank senior priced in dollars.
economist Bert Colijn wrote