Turkey hosts talks between Russia and Ukraine

Ukraine is hoping to secure an immediate ceasefire. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Turkey hosts talks between Russia and Ukraine [Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech to welcome the Russian and Ukrainian delegations ahead of their talks, in Istanbul, Turkey, March 29, 2022.] Credit: Turkish Presidency via AP Turkey Russian and Ukrainian delegates are [in Istanbul for talks](. Ukraine is hoping to secure an immediate ceasefire. The two countries’ foreign ministers also met for a trilateral meeting earlier this month in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, after which Turkey’s foreign minister visited both Moscow and Kyiv. Turkey has increasingly been criticizing the West, but at the same time, is a member of many Western institutions. Plus, it also has [maritime borders with both Ukraine and Russia](, and is a major Black Sea power. Israel and China have also expressed interest in mediating the conflict. Yemen The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has convened a meeting on the war in Yemen. Houthi rebels, however, are [boycotting the summit]( because its venue is in Saudi Arabia, instead of a neutral country. The GCC’s secretary general spoke with the British ambassador to Yemen on Monday, along with Yemeni officials allied with Yemen’s internationally recognised and exiled government. Meanwhile, the [spokesman for the Houthis tweeted](: “The Saudi regime must prove its seriousness towards peace … by responding to a ceasefire, lifting the siege and expelling foreign forces from our country.” The UN has called for a ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as in previous years. China The staggered lockdown of Shanghai, one of China’s largest cities, has become [the latest blow]( to the country’s economy. The measures first closed the eastern section of the city for a five-day quarantine that began on Monday, before doing the same in the western part of the city, in an attempt to contain a surge in cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19. Officials said the move would allow for mass testing of residents. Shanghai accounts for about 4% of China’s total economic output and is home to the country’s largest port. It’s also the [regional headquarters]( of hundreds of multinational companies. Disruption by the pandemic of the city’s production has also slowed down global supply chains. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [West remains divided on sanctions, weapons to Ukraine, former amb to Russia says]( [A woman walks past a destroyed tank in the town of Trostsyanets, Ukraine, Monday, March 28, 2022. Trostsyanets was recently retaken by Ukrainian forces after being held by Russians since the early days of the war.]( Credit: Felipe Dana/AP "The West, in order to help diplomacy, needs to help President [Volodomyr] Zelenskiy produce a stalemate on the battlefield," former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said. He joined The World's host Marco Werman to discuss [the West's diplomatic push]( to end the war in Ukraine. [This Colombian company is trying to convince farmers to use beetle poop fertilizer]( [Poop from the rhinoceros beetle makes for cleaner fertilizer.]( Credit: Manuel Rueda/The World Human-made fertilizers boost crop production, making it easier to feed more people with the same land. But chemical fertilizers made from ammonia and other chemicals can cause pollution. Beetle poop is cleaner and helps farmers [reduce their carbon footprint](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot A five-star hospital — for falcons! 🏥 In Qatar, these desert birds are [among the nation’s most pampered residents](. Falconry continues to be passed down through the generations. The hospital that treats them has nurses, doctors and specialists, along with radiology and operating rooms, complete with high-tech tools for modern surgery. [A peregrine falcon waits to be seen for a procedure at the Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital in Doha, Qatar, March 15, 2022.] Credit: Lujain Jo/AP/File photo --------------------------------------------------------------- [In case you missed it from The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.