Thousands of Turks, as well as tourists from Bulgaria and Greece, gathered in the border town of Edirne to take part in the spring holiday Kakawa Hadrelles, BTA reports. This is one of the most picturesque and colorful holidays, dedicated to spring in the western districts of Turkey – Edirne and Kirklareli.
In 2017, the holiday was included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Turkey and in the Republic of Northern Macedonia. It coincides with the Christian St. George’s Day, which in Bulgaria is celebrated on May 6 as the Day of Courage.
A record number, about 100,000 people, took part in the celebrations yesterday and today in Edirne, which have resumed after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic and are therefore more crowded and more lively than before.
It is a holiday not only for Turkey, but for all humanity, said the city’s governor Ekrem Janalp.
The culmination of the holiday is the lighting of the Kakawa fire, around which various entertainments take place. A jumping fire is also organized.
Many Turks, Bulgarians, Greeks took part in the entertainment, danced to the rhythms of Roma music, had a great time, according to Edirne media.
The name of the traditional holiday, which is rooted in antiquity, comes from the legend of the two brothers – Hudder and Elijah, who were patrons of humans, animals and fertility. The two brothers traveled to different places and only once a year – on May 6 – gathered at a rich table, where they told what good deeds they have done for people, animals, nature. Therefore, it is considered a holiday of spring, after which the fertile summer begins. In a number of countries are says Hudrelles, Kakawa, Haftamal, Egridje, Edirlez and others.
Three brutal killings of women have rocked Turkey during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, Turkish media reported.
The killings took place on May 1st, 2nd and 4th in Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul.
Dilek Ceylan, 32, who wanted to break up with her fiancé, was killed in Ankara on May 1st. Ceylan was brutally killed by her partner, who did not agree to the two to separate, informs NTV television.
A Syrian citizen shot dead his (Syrian) wife in Izmir on May 2 after a scandal broke out between them, CNN-Turk reported.
Another brutal murder of a woman in Istanbul was reported today. According to CNN-Turk, 19-year-old Asie Atalay was killed yesterday on a street in the Esenler district. The brutal crime was filmed on security video cameras. Police managed to catch the killer, who escaped after the murder.
Violence against women in Turkey continues to be a huge problem in the country. In March last year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the country was withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention, an important tool in combating violence against women.
According to the Federation of Women’s Associations in Turkey, 367 women were killed in the country in 2021, compared to 409 in 2020. However, the number killed last year shows that the country commits a similar crime every day. .
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a meeting of the UN Security Council that food and fertilizers from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine must be returned to world markets despite the conflict.
“Let me be clear – a serious solution to the threats to global food security requires the reintegration of agricultural production in Ukraine and food and fertilizer production in Russia and Belarus on world markets,” he said.
Gutierrez added that this should be done despite military action.
“I will do my best to ensure dialogue and implement these measures,” Guterres added.
After world food prices rose to a historic record in March due to the war in Ukraine, which caused shocks in the grain and vegetable oils markets, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), quoted by AFP.
The FAO’s Food Price Index, which reflects monthly changes in the price of a basket of staple foods, set a record in February, reaching its highest level since its inception. In March, the indicator increased by another 12.6 percent to an average of 159.3 points.
The increase comes in much of the cereals sub-index, which jumped 17.1 percent from February, mainly because of the war in Ukraine.
The overall increase was also contributed by vegetable oils, which rose by as much as 23.2 percent against the background of rising sunflower oil, for which the world’s largest exporter is Ukraine.
At the same time, the prices of palm, soybean and rapeseed oil are rising sharply due to the increase in global demand for imports due to disruptions in the supply of sunflower oil.
Astronaut Matthias Maurer will miss such antics on Earth
SpaceX Crew-3 crew members had some fun on the International Space Station before returning home.
Astronaut Matthias Maurer tweeted a video of himself and his partners dancing in zero gravity to Johann Strauss’ “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” waltz.
Maurer admitted that this is how astronauts test their space suits and call it “the waltz of suit fitting.” He added that he would miss microgravity and these antics.
NASA’s Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, along with the European Space Agency’s Maurer, are scheduled to leave the International Space Station on Wednesday and land in the sea off Florida the next day.
Cruise companies are changing routes due to the war in Ukraine and excluding St. Petersburg from possible ports of call, the Spanish newspaper ABS reported, quoted by TASS.
Among the companies changing their programs is MSC Cruises, which organizes many trips to Northern Europe. Instead of going to St. Petersburg, we will take our clients through the fjords, which are of great interest, says the company’s CEO Fernando Pacheco.
Royal Caribbean also canceled all stops of its cruise ships in Russian ports during the year. “The safety of our passengers and crews is a top priority. We are constantly monitoring the situation around the world, especially in Ukraine,” the company said.
Norwegian Cruise Line liners will not dock in St. Petersburg this year. The company’s website offers walks to the city only next year.
Old magazine reproduction of the portrait of Nostradamus - high resolution scan of 104 years old publication ("Niva" illustrated magazine, Russia, 1904).
An ancient Latin manuscript by astrologer Nostradamus, who disappeared years ago in Italy, has been found in Germany and returned to the library in Rome to which he belonged, AFP reported, citing Italian police.
The rare manuscript was stolen at an “unknown time” from the shelves of a religious research center in Rome belonging to a religious community, the Carabinieri said in a statement.
The investigation began when Italian police learned that the manuscript was about to be put up for auction in Germany.
On one of its pages, shown on the auction house’s website, carabinieri see a stamp certifying that the manuscript belongs to the religious library in Rome, where it disappeared.
The auction of the manuscript, scheduled for May 2021, has been blocked due to judicial cooperation between Italy and Germany. He remained with the Stuttgart police until today, when he was returned to the library.
Michel de Nostradamus – a French astrologer who lived in the early 16th century and better known as Nostradamus, is the author of famous prophecies, whose poetic form allows for many interpretations.
This week, the European Parliament’s plenary adopted a report, which, after many years, could have taken a strong action in defence of freedom of religion of minorities suffering persecution. “Instead, the ideological ‘pressure’ of the radicalising European left has undermined the original intention of the report. It has prevented the document from effectively condemning religious persecution in line with its initial aim and undermined the report from drawing attention to religious persecution in general but also to the plight of Christians who are the most persecuted for their faith”, underlined the Christian Democrat MEP Gyorgy Hölvényi on the vote of the report.
The MEP said, “There is a great need for EU action against religious persecution, and this is why the report has been put to the agenda. I myself have been involved in the work with 18 amendments to underline the need of the fight against Christian and religious persecution and to recognise the undeniable role of faith-based organisations in humanitarian work in the text”.
“However, the original intention of the report has been reversed, and instead of protecting religious minorities who are suffering from persecution, they are the ones who are blamed for abusing religious freedom and being against normality. The political left in the European Parliament has used the document to blame religious leaders for violating human rights and misusing the religion to impose discriminatory policies to undermine the rights of LGBTIQ people, the rights of women and girls, and to restrict their access to education and sexual and reproductive health and rights,” stressed MEP Gyorgy Hölvényi in a press released issued by his office.
The Christian Democrat MEP emphasized, “It is outrages that this radicalism has gone so far as to undermine freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and to open the door to discrimination against religious communities and religious leaders. These false ideologies make it impossible to protect the victims of religious persecution, leaving women and girls belonging to religious minorities in an even more vulnerable situation”. This approach ignores the importance of religious actors in the protection of human rights and human dignity.
“The left is putting pressure on the European Parliament to degrade religious freedom. This is discrimination against fundamental human rights, a serious violation of freedom of speech regardless of belief or non-belief. We are witnessing a restriction of freedom of expression unprecedented even in Communist times, which cannot be supported under any circumstances. It is an unfortunate fact that during the vote, keeping in mind the original goal of the report, many did not notice the leftist trap against freedom of religion and freedom of speech,” the MEP added.
When Christians in Belarus take responsibility to stand up for justice as individuals as their churches remain silent, they take on consequences for their own lives, says the Orthodox moderator of an ecumenical group.
Natallia Vasilevich, Orthodox theologian and human rights lawyer, and moderator of the ecumenical group Christian Vision in Belarus told the World Council of Churches.
She said Christians in Belarus, Russia’s ally in its war on Ukraine, do not fear to be messengers of justice and peace
Vasilevich prefers to speak of the role of Christians rather than the role of churches in Belarusian society.
“Many Christians are more motivated, and are taking responsibility—and also take consequences for their lives—when they join the democratic movement…the movement for fair elections, for human rights, for justice and peace,” said Vasilevich in an interview.
She prefers to speak about the role of Christians because, in the current Belarusian context, she said institutional churches often fail to stand up for human rights while individual Christians at the grassroots are bringing a prophetic voice with seeds of hope.
Vasilevich serves as moderator of the ecumenical group Christian Vision, which unites Belarusian theologians, clerics and active laity of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Anglican and Evangelical churches.
The group promotes respect to human dignity and rights, rule of law, justice, peace, and Christian witness in social and political life.
Given the high level of oppression by the Belarusian government, even so-called small voices make a big impact, Vasilevich.
“People can go to prison just for saying a few words,” she said, adding that Christians engaged in the human rights movement in Belarus “bear a lot of burden on themselves and they are ready to sacrifice.”
From a small picture on Facebook to laying flowers at a rail station, from displaying a sticker on a vehicle to simply gathering in prayer—these are all manifestations of the voices of Christian human rights advocates.
“That’s why they are probably not always visible as Christians but I think it’s very important to give them this vocality because the small signs should be promoted,” said Vasilevich.
She shines a light on the example of Orthodox priest Mikhail Marugo from Minsk who, after standing with flowers at a railway station in one of days when the Russia’s war with Ukraine started, was imprisoned for 13 days.
IMPRISONED FOR FACEBOOK PHOTOS
Vasilevich lifts up priests who were imprisoned for posting profile pictures on Facebook with the Ukrainian flag, such as Catholic priest Aliaksandr Baran.
She lifts up Greek-Catholic priest Vasil Yahorau who had a sticker on his car that read “Forgive us, Ukraine”—and was imprisoned for it.
“In this shrunken public space, it’s very difficult to witness for churches,” said Vasilevich.
“Orthodox women, mothers came to pray together, to the Mother of God before her Minsk icon in the Orthodox cathedral, and while entering the cathedral they were filmed. Four women, after the service, were taken to the police station and asked why they were praying to the Mother of God against the war.”
Even if the message of institutional churches is unable to be strong, the message of the individual Christians is shining, insists Vasilevich.
“It shows Christians have this moral motivation inspired by the gospel,” she said. “They do not fear. They try to be messengers of justice and peace in Belarusian society.”
Parliament backs giving more powers to Europol, but with supervision
On Wednesday, the European Parliament plenary gave its final green light to granting new powers to Europol.
With 480 in favour, 143 against, and 20 abstaining, MEPs endorsed the deal reached in February by Parliament and Council negotiators on strengthening the mandate of Europol, the EU’s police agency, which supports police investigations carried out by the member states.
Under the new rules, Europol will be able to pursue research and innovation projects, process large datasets, and help national authorities screen foreign direct investment in security-related cases. When dealing with terrorist content or child sexual abuse material, Europol will be able to receive data from private companies, for example communication services.
New Fundamental Rights Officer and ensuring respect of EU data protection rules
To balance the police agency’s new powers with appropriate supervision, the co-legislators agreed that the agency will create a new post for a Fundamental Rights Officer. In addition, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) will oversee Europol’s personal data processing operations, and work together with the agency’s Data Protection Officer. Citizens will be able to consult personal data related to them by contacting authorities in member states, or Europol directly.
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After the vote, rapporteur Javier Zarzalejos (EPP, ES) said: “This Regulation, and the new mandate for Europol, mark a substantial leap forward in the capabilities of the Agency, in its ability to support member states, in its governance framework and, last but certainly not least, in the enhanced system of safeguards we have put in place.”
Next steps
The legal text now needs to be formally adopted by the Council, before it is published in the EU’s official journal and enters into force.
Humanitarian needs continue to rise in war-torn Ukraine where an estimated now 7.7 million people displaced inside Ukraine, UN emergency relief chief Martin Griffiths said on Thursday.
Mr. Griffiths was addressing the International Donor Conference for Ukraine in Warsaw. Co-hosted by Poland and Sweden, in cooperation with the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.
According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, more than 5.7 million people have now fled across Ukraine’s borders seeking shelter, in the two and a half months since the Russian invasion on 24 February.
In a tweet, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said that in his briefing to the conference, he had stressed priorities for the millions of refugees and internally diplaced, the importance of cash programmes, shelter and accommodation, and protection of the vulnerable.
He also made clear that planning needs to begin now, for their eventual return home, and solutions to make that a reality.
Cash injection
World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley, also addressed the conference, following the announcement yesterday by the UN emergency food relief agency that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, to scale up cash transfers to half a million people across Ukraine.
The agreement with the Government will support people displaced by the war, and expand the assistance already provided to 170,000 people through cash assistance.
“This partnership will expand our efforts to support the Social Protection system that is already in place in Ukraine,” said Samir Wanmali, WFP Deputy Emergency Coordinator.
Since the beginning of April, WFP has transferred nearly $11 million in local currency, to more than 170,000 people In Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv and other cities. Those eligible are receiving between $75 and $225 per month, depending on family size.
Cash allows people to buy the items and services that they consider most important. It is extremely useful to families with a variety of needs in a volatile environment, when they may be moving locations.
Every dollar spent by a family in Ukraine is directly injected into the local economy, said WFP.
Millions traumatized, needing help: UN rights experts
UN independent human rights experts together with the Coordinator of the international non-governmental group known as the Global Protection Cluster, issued a statement on Thursday, highlighting the “appalling” humanitarian situation facing millions in Ukraine
“Multiple forms of gender-based violence are being reported such as sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual violence, including conflict-related sexual violence. Women and girls on the move – at border crossing points or transit and collective centres and in bomb shelters – experience particularly high insecurity and risk of violence, including trafficking in persons”, they said.
“Numerous families have been separated during displacement, and unaccompanied and separated children are particularly vulnerable to the risks of trafficking, violence, abuse and exploitation.”
The also expressed deep concern over the plight of older people and those with disabilities in the war zone.
“Many of them are still in conflict zones because of mobility limitations or reliance on others for care, and face challenges in accessing bomb shelters or safe areas. We are especially concerned about those persons with disabilities, including children, living in institutions for persons with disabilities who face barriers to access humanitarian assistance and evacuation on an equal basis with others.”
Support to save lives
The independent experts called on the international community and donors to provide sustained and increased support for the response to internal displacement and the Ukraine Flash Appeal, and other critical efforts to protect the human rights of all civilians who remain in Ukraine.
“We urge the parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law to protect civilians, the statement said.
“We reiterate our call for accountability for the horrific crimes already documented and our support for the initiatives established to investigate these allegations.”
UN Special Rapporteurs are independent experts, appointed by the Human Rights Council. They work on a voluntary basis, are not UN staff, and are not paid for their work.
