August 18, 2022

*) Erdogan heads to Ukraine for trilateral summit with Zelenskyy, Guterres Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has embarked on a visit to the Ukrainian city of Lviv where he will meet his Ukrainian counterpart and the UN chief. Erdogan will hold a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Potocki Palace and discuss aspects of Türkiye-Ukraine relations at the strategic partnership level. The bilateral talks will be followed by a trilateral summit with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss steps for an end to the Ukraine-Russia conflict. *) US says it doesn't support Taiwan's independence The US remains committed to the "One China" policy and is not supporting Taiwan's formal independence, Washington's top diplomat said. China has been carrying out military drills around Taiwan this month to show its anger at a visit to Taipei by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Kritenbrink said China used the trip as an excuse to increase pressure on Taiwan. *) NATO calls for ‘urgent’ inspection of Ukraine nuclear plant NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned that the UN's atomic watchdog must be allowed to inspect the Russian-held nuclear power plant in Ukraine as soon as possible. Russia's seizure of the plant "poses a serious threat to the safety and the security of this facility (and) raises the risks of a nuclear accident or incident," he said. "It is urgent to allow the inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency and to ensure the withdrawal of all Russian forces," he added. *) Bus crash in Morocco's Casablanca A bus crash east of Morocco's economic capital Casablanca has left 23 people dead and another 36 injured, marking one of the deadliest accidents in recent years. The bus overturned on a bend of a motorway in central-western province, local authorities said. An investigation has been opened into the accident. The bus was travelling between Casablanca and the rural region of Ait Attab, near the town of Beni Mellal at the foot of the High Atlas mountains. And finally… *