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Ukraine: UN chief calls for safe passage from conflict zones, rights body records 1,123 civilian casualties, WHO outlines health concerns

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Ukraine: UN chief calls for safe passage from conflict zones, rights body records 1,123 civilian casualties, WHO outlines health concerns
UN chief António Guterres called on Sunday for a pause in fighting to allow civilians to escape conflict zones in Ukraine, as the UN rights body (OHCHR) announced it had recorded 1,123 civilian casualties since the beginning of Russia’s armed attack on the country.
In a Tweet, the UN Secretary-General declared that it is absolutely essential to establish a pause in the fighting that continues unabated in Ukraine, to allow for the safe passage of civilians from all conflict zones, and also to ensure that life-saving humanitarian aid, such as the UN supplies that began arriving on Saturday, can move in to help those who remain.

Mr. Guterres singled out the cities of Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy as examples of hotspots where civilians are at particular risk. Attempts to allow some 200,000 civilians to safely leave Mariupol continue to be thwarted, with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reporting “devastating scenes of human suffering” in the city.

The ICRC reported on Sunday that, whilst their teams remain on standby to help with the evacuation, they need security guarantees in order to operate. These guarantees have so far not been forthcoming, and the humanitarian organization called on the warring parties to agree to specific terms that would allow for safe passage out of the city.

© UNICEF/Viktor Moskaliuk

Destruction caused by a rocket in western Ukraine is captured on a cell phone image.

Real fatality figures ‘considerably higher’ than recorded

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) warned on Sunday that the casualty figures it has reported – for the period between 04:00 local time on 24 February 2022, when the Russian Federation’s armed attack against Ukraine started, to midnight on 5 March 2022 – are likely to be a considerable underestimate of the true numbers.

OHCHR said that 1,123 civilian casualties in Ukraine have been verified: 364 killed, including 25 children, and 759 injured. Most of the casualties have been caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes. 

However, OHCHR believes that the real figures are considerably higher, especially in Government-controlled territory, and especially in recent days, as information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration. In the town of Volnovakha, for example, OHCHR is aware of allegations of hundreds of civilian casualties. 

© UNICEF/Viktor Moskaliuk

On 5 March 2022 in western Ukraine, children and families make their way to the border to cross into Poland.

‘Fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since WW2’

The Ukraine conflict has created the fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War, the head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), declared in a Tweet on Sunday.

Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, noted that more than 1.5 million people have crossed into neighbouring countries in just 10 days. 

Mr. Grandi’s comments follow warnings from the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) on Friday of “unprecedented” numbers of children and families fleeing their homes, and humanitarian needs “growing by the hour”.

A mother holds her newborn baby at a hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine. © UNICEF/Andriy Boiko

A mother holds her newborn baby at a hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine.

WHO releases priority healthcare concerns for Ukraine

The UN health agency (WHO) released its first Ukraine situation report on Saturday, outlining its health priorities for the country.
These include mental health care, due to what the agency calls “significant stress due to acute conflict”, and conflict-related trauma and injuries, exacerbated by lack of access to health facilities due to insecurity.

WHO is also concerned about excess death from common illnesses, due to disruption in services, and acute maternal, new-born and child illnesses, as well as the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, measles, polio, TB, and HIV.

Diarrhoeal diseases are also on the list of priorities, due to the widespread destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, inadequate vaccination coverage, population movements, and crowding.

Moscow Patriarch Kirill: War has a metaphysical significance against gay parade

By
Jan Leonid Bornstein
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Putin with Patriarch Kirill siting together
premier.gov.ru, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

On March 6, 2022, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. At the end of the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church delivered a sermon.[1]

In his sermon, Kirill, who has already been heard several times defending and justifying war since the first day it started, has explained why “this spring has been overshadowed by grave events related to the deterioration of the political situation in the Donbas”.

His explanation, which is aligned with anti-West rethoric to justify war, goes like this:
“For eight years there have been attempts to destroy what exists in the Donbass. And in the Donbass there is rejection, a fundamental rejection of the so-called values ​​that are offered today by those who claim world power. Today there is such a test for the loyalty of this government, a kind of pass to that “happy” world, the world of excess consumption, the world of visible “freedom”. Do you know what this test is? The test is very simple and at the same time terrible – this is a gay parade. The demands on many to hold a gay parade are a test of loyalty to that very powerful world; and we know that if people or countries reject these demands, then they do not enter into that world, they become strangers to it.”

He adds that: “If humanity recognizes that sin is not a violation of God’s law, if humanity agrees that sin is one of the options for human behavior, then human civilization will end there. And gay parades are designed to demonstrate that sin is one of the variations of human behavior.”

So the war “has not only political significance. We are talking about something different and much more important than politics. We are talking about human salvation, about where humanity will end up, on which side of God the Savior, who comes into the world as the Judge and Creator, on the right or on the left…All of the above indicates that we have entered into a struggle that has not a physical, but a metaphysical significance.”

And which side you choose “is today a test for our faithfulness to the Lord, for our ability to confess faith in our Savior.”

And he ends up by praying for soldiers, which we guess are not the “evil forces” of the Ukrainian army: “let us pray that all those who are fighting today, who are shedding blood, who are suffering, will also enter into this joy of the Resurrection in peace and tranquility.”

Is that a good day to die?

Happy crusades!

[1] https://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/5906442.html

War in Ukraine: the latest news on Sunday

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EuropeanTimes
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Ukrainian map of Russian troop advance on 6 March 2022

Published on 06 March 2022 at 12:26, updated at 18:30 – Image: Twitter

The Russian army attacked the strategic port of Mariupol again on Saturday and advanced elsewhere in Ukraine, with heavy fighting still going on around Kiev and thousands of civilians fleeing the shelling, as Vladimir Putin issued warnings.

The Ukrainian general staff in a statement on Facebook reported “heavy fighting” against Russian forces for control of the towns of Mykolayev in the south and Chernigury in the north, it said. A Ukrainian military operation was also underway in the Donetsk region.

Mariupol: the evacuation of civilians due to take place on 6 March has been halted.

The strategic port of Mariupol, under siege, continues to resist Russian forces.

“Amid devastating scenes of human suffering in Mariupol, a second attempt today to begin evacuating some 200,000 people from the city has been halted,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.

“The main efforts are focused on the city of Mariupol,” the military said. The mayor, Vadim Boichenko, had confirmed that a humanitarian evacuation would take place today at noon. He spoke of a “humanitarian blockade”. “We have been living without electricity for five days, we have no heating or mobile phone network,” he said on You Tube.

Kiev

During the night of Saturday to Sunday, the capital has suffered little bombing, but Russian soldiers are approaching Kiev, while meeting a tenacious resistance. Intense fighting is taking place on its outskirts, according to the Ukrainian regional administration, especially around the road leading to Jytomyr (150 km west of Kiev), “the hottest spot”.

In the vicinity of Kiev, thousands of inhabitants are fleeing the hostilities, the shelling is intense and makes us fear the worst.

Putin threats

On Saturday, Vladimir Putin made new statements threatening anyone who imposes an exclusion zone in Ukrainian skies.

At 4am this morning, President russe threatened to deprive Ukraine of its “statehood” while comparing the international sanctions against Russia to a “declaration of war”.

The Ukrainian authorities “must understand that if they continue to do what they are doing, they are putting the future of Ukrainian statehood in question. And if that happens, they will be fully responsible,” he said on Saturday.

Erdogan offers to host talks

Erdogan will also call for “leadership-level” talks between Russia and Ukraine that could take place in Turkey, the spokesman said.

French president to hold talks with Putin again

Emmanuel Macron “is getting ready to have President Putin on the phone,” the French presidency said on Sunday, without giving further details.

Restoring safety and dignity to women in Malawi, displaced by Tropical Storm Ana

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Restoring safety and dignity to women in Malawi, displaced by Tropical Storm Ana
Tropical Storm Ana left a trail of destruction in its wake in Malawi, particularly in hardest-hit southern districts, after it struck the country in late January. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has been at the forefront of efforts to help pregnant women and mothers by providing medical supplies, and reproductive services.
“The prospect of another cyclone was scary,” says Monica, who lives in Mbenje in Malawi’s Nsanje District. “We lived through the same experience with Cyclone Idai and then Cyclone Kenneth. We had to rebuild from scratch.”

Word had spread through the village during the day that a powerful cyclone had hit neighbouring Mozambique, and on that Sunday evening two weeks ago the weather suddenly changed. For almost six hours, torrential rain and strong winds pummelled Mbenje; Tropical Storm Ana had made landfall in Malawi.  

“I looked outside and saw the water levels rising. From previous experiences, I knew we had to move to safety,” said Monica, who is six months pregnant. “I alerted my husband who quickly gathered the kids.” 

Monica and her family trudged through the rain and mud all night to Nyambese camp, one of 27 temporary disaster sites that have sprung up across Nsanje, and which are now sheltering people affected by the storm.

The following day, Monica and her husband made the five-kilometre trek back to their village to see whether they could salvage anything from their home. Their worst fears were confirmed. There was now a deep pool of water filled with rubble where their house had once stood, the food grain was gone and their animals had been washed away. “After seeing the destruction, I knew Nyambese camp would be our home until the flood water subsided,” Monica said wearily.

© UNFPA

Monica, who already had to rebuild after 2019 Cyclones Idai and Kenneth and lost everything to Tropical Storm Ana, holds her two children close at her new temporary home at Nyambese camp, Nsanje District.

Lives and homes destroyed

Tropical Storm Ana has left a trail of destruction in its wake in Malawi, particularly in the hardest-hit southern districts of Nsanje, Phalombe, Mulanje and Chikwawa. Flooding has cut off roads, hampering relief efforts, while damage to the country’s electricity infrastructure is causing frequent power outages.

In Nsanje District, more than 55,000 people are now living in temporary camps. Among them are Monica, who is expecting her third child in May, and approximately 1,500 pregnant women. Forced to share latrines, and with little privacy, women and girls are at increased risk of physical and sexual violence in a country where one in three women are subjected to gender-based violence.

Restricted mobility due to floodwaters and electricity blackouts are affecting the delivery of sexual and reproductive health care; the vast majority of health facilities in Nsanje district – 21 out of 24 – are struggling to provide services. Three newborns have already died in the district when incubators were left inoperable due to a lack of power. Fuel for the generator at the district hospital, as well as supplies including lifesaving maternal health medicines, are running low.

UNFPA/ Joseph Scott

UNFPA Malawi Deputy Representative, Masaki Watabe helping out with dignity kits distribution at Sekeni Primary School Camp

Restoring sexual and reproductive health services  

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners were on the ground within days of the disaster. To date 6,600 dignity kits containing basic hygiene items such as menstrual pads, soap and underwear, have been distributed to women and girls in Nsanje and Chikwawa. Repairs to the generator at Nsanje District Hospital have been completed, restoring power to the facility. Plans are also underway to deliver reproductive health kits containing medical and non-medical supplies, maternal health medicines and contraceptives to affected communities in the two districts. 

“Our immediate priority is to restore quality sexual and reproductive health and protection services in the aftermath of the disaster,” said Young Hong, UNFPA Representative in Malawi. “As extreme weather events become more frequent in the region, UNFPA’s support to the recovery must focus on strengthening systems and building the resilience of affected communities, particularly women and girls.” 

For Monica, the road ahead will be challenging. She faces the prospect of rebuilding both her home and her life again. But, for now, her most pressing concern is her unborn child. “I lost everything, even my health passport,” she says, cupping her face in her shaking hands. “I was supposed to go to an antenatal clinic this week, but travelling to the health centre is not possible. The roads are bad and still flooded.”
 

Russia media crackdown during Ukraine war, draws global Christian communication group’s flak

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Newsdesk
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Russia media crackdown during Ukraine war, draws global Christian communication group's flak
(Photo: © Peter Kenny)Red Square and the Kremlin in summer.

The World Association for Christian Communication has called for an end to the attacks on freedom and democracy in Ukraine, the loss of life, and an end to the disinformation and propaganda fueling the conflict triggered by Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.

“Communication rights are severely threatened in Russia, where independent media are being closed as the government tightens its grip on news and information sources,” WACC said in a statement.

President Vladimir Putin has wineesed growing protests against his invasion of Ukraine and the flattening of civlian targets in cities, and does not want Russians at home to know about it.

On March 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law threatening jail time for journalists who challenge the Kremlin’s Ukraine narrative, CBC News reported as the heavy artillery moved into the information spehere.

Russia claims that a Ukrainian nuclear facility is now under Kremlin protection after a fire caused global anxiety, but few western nations believe Russia’s version of events.

“WACC adds its voice to that of PEN International calling for an end to the attacks on freedom and democracy in Ukraine, the loss of life, and an end to the disinformation and propaganda fuelling the conflict,” it said in a statement on its website.

The war on Ukraine is a tragedy said the Chrisitan communications group.

“It is matched by a war on trust as disinformation and lies are used to silence ordinary Russians.”

Despite the horrific situation, WACC said it urges independent media outlets in Russia and Ukraine to do whatever they can to keep people fully informed and urges organizations and individuals outside Russia to share the news and information coming from independent media.

“Communication rights are severely threatened in Russia, where independent media are being closed as the government tightens its grip on news and information sources,” said WACC.

Novaya Gazeta, known for its reporters’ investigative work and whose editor-in-chief Dimitry Muratov received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, has closed.

The online television station Dozhd (TV-Rain), and the radio station Ekho Moskvy, which reaches millions of people in many regions of Russia, have been forced to stop broadcasting.

BANNED SITES

Fortunately, websites of independent media that are banned in Russia, but still active, can be accessed from abroad as well as within the country via virtual private networks (VPNs).

However, TV news, which is firmly in state hands, remains the main source of (dis)information for many Russians, especially older people.

“We are standing on the brink of a global disaster whose consequences can only further damage an already fragile world,” said WACC.

“On behalf of communication rights activists worldwide, WACC adds its voice to that of PEN International calling for an end to the attacks on freedom and democracy in Ukraine, the loss of life, and an end to the disinformation and propaganda fuelling the conflict.”

The World Association for Christian Communication is a non-governmental organization that builds on communication rights in order to promote social justice.

(Photo: © Peter Kenny)Russia World War II memorial near Red Square in Moscow.

Global Financial Crisis: How Can Crypto Help Ukrainians Survive Through Tough Times

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News desk
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Global Financial Crisis: How Can Crypto Help Ukrainians Survive Through Tough Times
How Can Crypto Help Ukrainians Survive Through Tough Times

LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA, March 4, 2022 – According to the last estimates from CitiBank, the Ukrainian economy will continue to decline, with a significant risk of another default. Ukrainians are already facing difficulties and the financial crisis is just making things harder. According to experts, the best way for Ukrainians to get out of the problems is through the development of a cryptocurrency sector. Citizens all over the world have raised more than $52,000,000 worth of crypto to fund resistance efforts.

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has already taken a huge toll on the Ukrainian nation. The entire world is flooded with images from shelters packed with women, children, and the elderly, who are taking sanctuary while their cities are being bombed by the Russian troops. Brave men and women are fighting for their freedom, for their country, and for their families, who are waiting for them in those dark underground spaces and other sanctuaries abroad.

The whole world is shocked that, in the 21st century we have all of this happening to one country.

During a war, it’s not just the bombs that are killing people, it is a variety of things that can lead to that state. But let’s focus on the primary food and shelter. The problems are massive, the distribution channels are broken, the stores are closed, and even those who are open have a problem with market fluctuations, as the official state currency during these tough times only decreases in value.

Fear of banking sector breakdown

It’s hard to imagine that in such desperate times one needs to think about money as well. News about rows of people waiting in line for ATMs took over recent headlines. People were even violating curfew to get their money withdrawals.
Ukrainian citizens are afraid that their banks will cease to function. This is why they are scrambling to take out as much cash as possible. But these massive withdrawals could destabilize banks to the point of bankruptcy. Banks in Ukraine are attempting to mitigate this economic havoc by imposing limits on withdrawals. The National Bank of Ukraine imposed a temporary cash withdrawal limit of 100,000 Ukrainian hryvnias per day, which equals approx. €3,000, while Donetsk in eastern Ukraine limited withdrawals from ATMs to 10,000 rubles, €77,50 per day.

However, banks represent only one part of the financial troubles in Ukraine right now. Their national currency hryvnia has decreased in value by more than 6% in February and is currently trading at roughly 29.70 each relative to the US dollar. The currency dropped to its lowest level since 2015, according to Reuters. Ukraine’s central bank halted exchanges for Ukrainians trying to obtain foreign currencies as it is trying to fix the official hryvnia exchange rate. Credit and debit cards were still functional as of last week.

Similar historical events all led down the same path – banks started failing, lending declined, business slowed down, and the unemployment rate started rising. Banks believed that they should accumulate reserves and people preferred to store their cash at home which then led to deflation.

Crypto community help initiatives

The Crypto community was among the first who have reached out to Ukraine. Crypto organizations, like Binance, donated to the cause, and the Ukrainian government itself started raising funds to support its civilians and troops. The country has now started accepting donations in Bitcoin, Ether, and Tether. Another initiative, UkraineDAO, released a nonfungible token (NFT) of the Ukrainian flag to raise funds for Ukrainian civilian organizations working to help those suffering from the war. It is safe to say that the Crypto community has reached out to Ukrainian citizens on an unprecedented scale.
The Ukrainian government has received more than $52 million in cryptocurrency donations, with at least $14 million already deployed, as the country begins to accept a wider range of tokens and digital assets, including earnings from the sale of one of the world’s most valuable non-fungible tokens.

GoCrypto

The GoCrypto team immediately knew how we could contribute to the cause. We reorganized our global crypto payment scheme to enable free access to GoCrypto for all Ukrainian merchants. By joining the GoCrypto network, merchants will be able to accept payments and settlements in over 50 supported cryptocurrencies. If they decide to choose settlements in stable coins, like Tether (USDT), they will avoid all potential market fluctuation – both in terms of their national currency and crypto. They will be able to continue their business and will not be limited to their bank’s status. Joining the network will also be beneficial for the entire Ukrainian community since Merchants will give their customers the chance to buy their products with crypto, while business owners will be able to continue making an income.

Merchants who are interested to join our initiative will need to follow a short and simple procedure to open their GoCrypto account. When their account is confirmed, they will get access to the Manager dashboard where they will see all their crypto transactions. The next step of onboarding will be the KYB (Know Your Business) procedure where merchants will make a short call with our support team. This step is necessary to follow the Anti-Money Laundering Law. Once this last step is done, Merchants will be able to accept payments and make withdrawals to their preferred crypto wallets. The GoCrypto support team will be by their side through the entire process.

Our services will function with zero setup costs, zero transaction costs, and zero withdrawal costs indefinitely.

The Ukrainian nation is not alone in this war. Even though we cannot support the brave men and women on the streets of Ukraine, we are following their every move and finding new ways to help them out in the short and the long run. Through food, water, sanitary supply, clothes and blankets, and last but not least, finances.

GoCrypto stands with Ukraine!

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Ukraine: Crisis chief calls for ‘humanitarian pause’, urgent UN aid arrives, WHO condemns healthcare attacks

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Newsroom
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Ukraine: Crisis chief calls for ‘humanitarian pause’, urgent UN aid arrives, WHO condemns healthcare attacks
Amin Awad, the United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine, called on Saturday for an “immediate humanitarian pause” in fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, as UN aid supplies arrive in the country.
Mr Awad, who is in the country with his team, attempting to find ways to scale up humanitarian operations, said in a statement that his immediate aim was to “urgently prioritize geographical areas, and sectors, where there are pressing humanitarian needs to scale up the delivery of lifesaving aid”, in extremely challenging circumstances.

The Crisis Coordinator welcomed the outcome of the second round of talks between Ukraine and Russia on the ceasefire, and called for the “urgent translation of the letters of the agreement into action on the ground”, so that relief can be provided to millions trapped or on the move and also to allow for people to reach safety.

UNICEF supplies arrive in Western Ukraine

Mr. Awad’s calls were echoed by the UN children’s agency (UNICEF), which noted on Saturday that a humanitarian pause would allow families in the worst affected areas of Ukraine to leave bunkers and other shelters to find food and water, seek medical care, or find safety elsewhere.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the talks between the two sides, and the ongoing fighting, the UN continues to send in humanitarian aid to the country. On Saturday, the first batch of UNICEF supplies arrived in Lviv, western Ukraine. It is part of a six-truck convoy, containing an estimated 62 tonnes of equipment, including medical supplies such as medicine, first aid kits, midwifery kits and surgical equipment, and early childhood and recreational kits. An additional batch of supplies including 17,000 blankets and warm winter clothing for children are also en route via Poland.

“The situation for children and families in Ukraine is increasingly desperate,” said Murat Sahin, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine. “These supplies will help provide much needed support to women, children and health care workers.” 

Since the conflict in Ukraine escalated, families have been sheltering underground, cut off from basic services. Hospitals and maternity wards have moved their patient to basements and, across the country, hundreds of thousands of people are without safe drinking water. The country is running low on critical medical supplies and has had to halt urgent efforts to curb a polio outbreak.

WHO condemns attacks on health workers and facilities

The healthcare crisis has been compounded by attacks on hospitals, clinics, and health workers, the UN health agency, WHO, said on Saturday.

Six verified reports of healthcare attacks have been verified by the agency, resulting in six deaths and 11 injuries. The WHO insisted that health workers must be allowed to provide care in a safe & protected environment, without disruption from acts of violence.

The information is published on the WHO’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care data hub, which provides a comprehensive list of attacks, deaths and injuries to health workers, and the countries in which they occur. 

Statement by President von der Leyen with Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez

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European Commission
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President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez

European Commission Statement Madrid, 05 Mar 2022

Thank you so much Prime Minister, dear Pedro,

I am very glad to be here in Madrid. Spain, indeed, is a key partner for me and I am here to prepare with you the informal Summit that we are going to have next week.

Indeed, first of all, we discussed today the extremely difficult situation created by Putin’s war. The number of refugees already exceeds 1.2 million people. And the number is likely to increase multiple times in the days and weeks to come. These are innocent women, men and children, who are fleeing Putin’s ruthless and brutal war. They need our immediate assistance. All Member States are showing a big heart and helping as much as they can. And many thanks, Pedro, for the offer that you just did in our discussions, but also here. We know very well that we can count on you, there is a long tradition, and many thanks for that. I also want to commend the frontline countries, like Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary, but also Moldova, for their outstanding solidarity. They deserve our solidarity and support, as do all European countries that welcome refugees.

The European Union is providing EUR 500 million in a first tranche to help Ukrainians. And we made sure this week that Ukrainian refugees of this terrible war get residency rights in the European Union immediately for at least a year. So this includes not only the access to the labour market but, for example, also access to schools, access to medical care, many things that are now desperately needed. Let me say how proud I am of the European Union today. Our unity, our determination and the solidarity – that is really Europe at its best.

We have imposed three packages of hard-hitting sanctions on the Russian leadership. Many thanks, Pedro, here too, for the very close cooperation. By this, we are drastically limiting Putin’s ability to finance this atrocious war. But Putin’s war, as you said, and its consequences will also impact our citizens and our economies here in the European Union. We have also discussed that today.

One of the most critical topics is, indeed, energy. One thing is very clear: The European Union must get rid of the dependency from Russian oil, gas and coal. For that, we have to diversify the supply, we have to get better at energy efficiency, and we have to massively invest in renewables. Because this is a strategic investment in our security of supply, but also in the health of our planet. And I am glad to say that Spain is a real front-runner. With your impressive share of renewables – and in the national energy mix, the renewable energies play the major role. With the large LNG capacities. But also with the impressive know-how and the industrial players in the field of renewables.

So Spain can and will play an important role in supplying Europe. For that, we must work, indeed, on the interconnections between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of the European Union. And we have discussed that we will work hard on that. This is one of the major priorities. A second priority, right now, is, of course, that we need to help the consumers, the households and the businesses that have, indeed, problems with the high energy bills. We discussed that intensively and it will certainly be a topic at the informal Summit in Versailles.

Dear Pedro,

This war unleashed by Putin is not only atrocious, it is also a fight of our democracies against autocracies. It is a defining moment in our history, and Spain knows very well that democracy is priceless and that we have to stand up for it.

I am very much looking forward to seeing you at the Summit. And many thanks for hosting me this afternoon.

Thank you so much.

800 rarest monkeys need to be rescued in Sumatra

By
Gaston de Persigny
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Living in the Indonesian forest of Batang Toru, orangutans are the rarest monkeys on the planet, and they are threatened with extinction. Only recently have scientists discovered that these creatures are representatives of the tapanuli species and differ from their more common counterparts in more curly hair, a slightly different shape of the skull and unusual taste preferences.

Today, there are only about eight hundred such orangutans left. Not only males, but also females can boast of a beard. And besides foliage, animals love to feast on caterpillars.

Tanapuli study author Eric Meijaard argues that these orangutans may be the first example of a species extinction entirely due to modern humans. In the forests of Batang-Toru, they did not find themselves entirely of their own free will: they were driven there by hunters. Now monkeys are deprived of access to various habitats, and at the same time, the chances of survival have decreased.

And the biggest danger for tapanuli was the construction of a hydroelectric power station on the nearest river, which will occupy 122 hectares and prevent the monkeys from reproducing.

So far, the financing of the project has been stopped, but it may resume at any time. In the meantime, animal rights activists are looking for resources and opportunities to save the rare species.

War in Ukraine: the evacuation of the besieged city of Marioupol “postponed”

By
EuropeanTimes
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the queue for evacuation in Marioupol
the queue for evacuation in Marioupol

A ceasefire had been announced this morning by Russia, and should start at 10 am. The evacuations are postponed, according to the city hall.

According to the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Irina Verechtchuk, the objective was to evacuate 200,000 people from Mariupol and 15,000 from Volnovakha, a town located about 60 km north of the port city.

The humanitarian corridor for Mariupol and Volnovakha is still not working. The shelling of the city has not stopped. According to residents, cars gathered near Port City, but the enemy started shelling. Cars were forced to leave the collection point. Reports the editor of the independent website 0629.com.ua based in Mariupol.

“There is no ceasefire in the Zaporizhia region, on the roads on which the evacuation was planned.
The country’s authorities are negotiating with the enemy. We have no information yet. But the situation is very tense.”

Official information. Source – the press service of the city council of Mariyupol. (0629.com.ua)

“We ask all residents of Mariupol to disperse and go to places of accommodation. More information about the evacuation will be published soon. At present, negotiations are underway with the Russian Federation to establish a ceasefire and ensure the safety of the humanitarian corridor. The police will also inform the city’s residents through loudspeakers.

Photo: 0629.com.ua

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