Zelensky visits the front line
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine visited Bakhmut, a city in the eastern Donbas region that has been under attack by Russia for months. It was arguably his most dangerous journey to the front lines since the war began.
“The East is holding out because Bakhmut is fighting,” Zelensky told troops there yesterday. “This is the fortress of our morale. In fierce battles and at the cost of many lives, freedom is defended here for all of us.”
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, also signaled that he would not stop his military campaign, now in its 10th month, as he presided over an awards ceremony at the Kremlin honoring Russian occupation figures and propaganda leaders. He said these were “difficult, unusual times” and praised Russian soldiers as “heroes”.
Context: Russia’s attacks on Bakhmut have been relentless. The besieged city is at the center of the battle for control of the entire Donbas. Zelensky’s visit came as Ukrainian troops said they had driven the Russians out of some positions on the outskirts of the city, although the situation there is far from stable.
Japan’s central bank surprises markets
When central banks raised interest rates this summer in an effort to fight inflation, only the Bank of Japan stood its ground and kept interest rates extremely low. Yesterday seemed to be a turning point.
The bank suddenly eased its bond interest rate policy, which could open the door to future rate hikes. The change surprised investors in Asia, who had not expected such a move until next year.
After the announcement, the yen rose 3 percent. Earlier this year, the currency traded at a decades-long low against the dollar. Japan intervened to keep the currency afloat.
A stronger yen could ease inflationary pressures on Japan’s shrinking economy. In October inflation was 3.6 percent. That is much lower than in other parts of the world. But households and businesses are still struggling with higher food and energy prices.
Interest Rates: The bank’s insistence on keeping interest rates ultra-low has provided households and businesses with a steady stream of cheap money, but has also exacerbated yen weakness. The bank said the policy would not change.
A new chapter for Fiji
After six days of turmoil over the island’s general elections, Sitiveni Rabuka, the opposition leader, is poised to become the next prime minister. The shift could lead Fiji to pull away from China and align itself more closely with the West.
Rabuka would replace Frank Bainimarama, who embraced Beijing during his 16-year tenure. Rabuka favors close ties with Australia and New Zealand, the region’s allies with the US. His party has ruled out a proposed security agreement with Beijing, such as the one signed by the Solomon Islands this year.
The island nation has recently become a major player in the struggle for influence in the Pacific between the US and China. This month’s vote was Fiji’s third general election since democratic voting was reintroduced in 2013.
A History of Coups: The country experienced four coups between 1987 and 2006. Rabuka originally seized power in Fiji’s first coup and Bainimarama in the latter.
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The toll of Ukrainian culture
In addition to the tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions, the Russian invasion of Ukraine dealt a severe blow to Ukrainian culture. The Times’ Visual Investigations team has tracked the war’s toll on museums and monuments, theaters and libraries, historic churches and more. The team checked the damage of nearly 340 cultural sites.
Times reporters found that pro-Russian forces deliberately attacked some of the sites. Long before the invasion began, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, claimed that Ukraine had no culture of its own and called the Ukrainian nation a fiction.
The research takes an in-depth look at several damaged or destroyed cultural sites, including a monastery that predates Catherine the Great and a library that bridged the linguistic communities of Ukraine, whose books have now been burned. See evidence of destruction.
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