Day: March 13, 2022

A rabbi under investigation for helping Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich get Portuguese citizenship has been barred from leaving Portugal, news agency Lusa reported Saturday.

Police confirmed Friday that authorities detained and questioned Porto Rabbi Daniel Litvak surrounding possible irregularities related to Jewish ancestry claims.

Since 2015, Portugal has granted nationality to descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Portugal and Spain in the 15th century.

It was through that system that Abramovich, who was sanctioned Thursday by the UK for connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin, became a Portuguese citizen in April 2021.

With a fortune of €14 billion ($15.3 billion), he also became the single richest person in Portugal at the time, according to the Publico newspaper.

Although Abramovich has not been sanctioned in the EU, Portuguese officials have been looking into possible corruption surrounding his ancestry claims since January.

The investigation centered around the Jewish community in Porto, which may have benefited from falsely vouching for the Sephardic origins of individuals such as Abramovich.

In December, Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny also accused Portuguese officials of taking bribes in exchange for granting citizenship to the billionaire.

The soon-to-be former owner of the Chelsea football club in the UK also holds Israeli, Lithuanian and Russian citizenships.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The UK is preparing to ramp up support for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war with Russia as authorities are expected to announce a fresh scheme to allow more people into the country, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said on Sunday.

Speaking to BBC on Sunday morning, Gove said more than 3,000 visas had been issued so far under the existing family scheme in which Ukrainians with family members settled in the UK are eligible.

Gove also confirmed that the government’s new Homes for Ukraine scheme would start on Monday.

The new scheme offers £350 ($456) every month to UK households that would host Ukrainians with no ties to the UK for a minimum period of six months.

“Tomorrow (Monday, March 14) we’ll be launching a portal, a website, which will allow anyone who wants to help to register their interest,” Gove said.

“And then from Friday, we will have a process set up whereby we can match named individuals, families, from Ukraine, with individuals here. And I would hope that within a week, there’ll be people who can benefit from that scheme.”

Describing the initiative as the “fastest way” to get people out of danger and into the UK, Gove said there were “hundreds of thousands of people potentially who are willing to take Ukrainians into their home.”

“However, it is a big commitment and that’s why we’re providing £350 per month for every household,” he added.

“And of course (Ukrainian) people, when they’re here, will be able to work as well and to contribute to society.”

Gove also said that starting on next Tuesday, Ukrainians who would like to come to the UK would “no longer need to go to a visa application center.”

He said: “If you have a valid Ukrainian passport, you can simply apply online, have your application turned round relatively rapidly, then you will get a notification.

“There’ll be a PDF you can have on your phone or you can print out and then you can come to this country.”

The UK’s slow response to the unfolding Ukrainian refugee crisis has come under criticism, including by members of parliament from the leading Conservative Party as Britain has allowed relatively fewer Ukrainians into the country compared to other European states.

A survey by the Opinium market research company on 2,007 British people between March 9-11 show that 9% of respondents would “definitely” accept Ukrainians in their homes, whereas 20% would consider having them.

More than 2.6 million Ukrainians have so far fled the war-torn country, according to UN figures, with a great majority taking refuge in neighboring countries.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Iran on Sunday claimed an overnight attack on what it said were Israeli facilities in the region of Erbil in northern Iraq with precision-guided missiles.

In a statement on Sunday, the public relations wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for Saturday’s strike in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), saying it came in response to last week’s Israeli attack in Syria that killed two IRGC members.

The IRGC warned Israel that it would face a “harsh, decisive, and destructive response” if such strikes continue, vowing to avenge the Syria strike.

In the statement, the IRGC said the attack that occurred late at night targeted Israel’s “strategic center of conspiracies” in Erbil.

It underlined that the security of Iranian nationals was “the red line” of the country’s armed forces.

In a statement on Sunday, the KRG’s counterterrorism unit said a dozen ballistic missiles that hit Erbil after they were launched from outside the country.

It said the attack was “directed from the east,” targeting an affluent neighborhood in the direction of the US consulate, adding that there had been no fatalities.

Separately, the KRG Interior Ministry announced that one person was slightly injured as a result of the missile attack.

Some buildings and houses were also damaged in the attack, it said.

“Numerous attacks in Erbil tonight were carried out with missiles and none of the missiles hit the new US Consulate in Erbil, which is under construction,” Lawk Ghafuri, KRG’s head of Foreign Media Relations said on Twitter.

“However, the areas around the campus were hit by missiles,” he added.

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw had earlier told Erbil-based broadcaster Rudaw that there had been a terror attack against the US Consulate.

The two IRGC members slain in the Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus were identified as Col. Ehsan Karbalaipur and Col. Morteza Saeednejad.

“Without a doubt, the Israeli occupation will pay the price for this crime,” the IRGC said after the incident.

The prime minister of northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) condemned the attack in Erbil.

In a post on the KRG’s official Twitter account, Masrour Barzani said: “Erbil will not bow down to cowards. I strongly condemn the terrorist attack on several places in Erbil.”

Moreover, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said on social media that the attack targeted the safety of the people, adding that officials would launch investigations on the attack.

Kadhimi added: “Our security forces will investigate this attack. We will resist attacks targeting the security of our cities and the well-being of our people.”

Turkiye on Sunday also condemned the attack.

“Such acts aiming to disrupt peace and stability in Iraq are totally unacceptable,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Turkiye will continue to stand by Iraq in its fight against terrorism,” it added.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A Russian missile strike on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv killed at least 35 people, local sources said on Sunday.

Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said in a statement that Russian forces fired more than 30 cruise missiles at the Yavoriv military range area, located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of Lviv and 35 kilometers from Ukraine’s border with Poland.

The Yavoriv military range was home to the International Peacekeeping and Security Center which was used by the US and NATO to train the Ukrainian military.

In a separate incident, another Russian missile attack in southern province of Mikolayiv killed nine people, said Governor Vitali Kim.

Meanwhile, Said Ismagilov, mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, joined the ranks of Ukrainian army.

Sharing pictures in Ukrainian military fatigues with troops from the Kyiv Territorial Defense Forces, Ismagilov said

patriotic people in peacetime turned into brother-in-arms when war breaks out.

Since Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, more than 2.5 million people have fled to other countries, with some 2 million more displaced within the country.

At least 564 civilians have also been killed and 982 injured in Ukraine, according to UN estimates.

While the EU, US and others have imposed sanctions on Moscow, many companies and global brands have also suspended operations in Russia.

* Written and contributed by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara

Source: Anadolu Agency

An American journalist has been killed and another wounded by Russian troops in the Irpin city, located near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, local media reported on Sunday.

The 51-year-old video journalist, identified as Brent Renauld, was shot dead, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Andriy Nebitov, chief of the police in the Kyiv region, as saying.

Earlier, it was reported in different sections of media that the deceased was currently working for The New York Times.

However, The New York Times said in a statement: “Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine. Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Time press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago.”

Brent was a “talented photographer and filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years,” the statement added.

Since Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, more than 2.5 million people have fled to other countries, with some 2 million more displaced within the country.

At least 579 civilians have also been killed and 1,002 injured in Ukraine, according to UN estimates.

While the EU, US, and others have imposed sanctions on Moscow, many companies and global brands have also suspended operations in Russia.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Several Arab countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain and Yemen, on Sunday condemned a missile attack that struck Erbil in northern Iraq.

Voicing solidarity with Iraq, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned “in the strongest terms” the missile attack that targeted Erbil.

Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for Saturday’s strike in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), saying the missile targeted Israeli facilities in the region.

Meanwhile, Jordan described the assault as a “terrorist attack.”

The Bahraini Foreign Ministry in a statement “denounced the missile attack on the city of Erbil” and expressed “full support for the Republic of Iraq in all the measures it takes to maintain its security and territorial integrity.”

The Yemeni Foreign Ministry decried “the terrorist attack that targeted the security and stability of Iraq.”

Nayef Al-Hajraf, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), also condemned the assault, describing it as a “terrorist attack.”

Arab League’s Secretary-General Ahmed Abuol-Gheit, for his part, voiced “full support for the Iraqi efforts in confronting such criminal acts that targeted Iraq’s stability and security.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on social media condemned the attack and announced opening an investigation on the attack.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Thousands of people took once again to the streets in downtown Berlin on Sunday, rallying against Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Young and old were among the demonstrators, as well as families with children.

Some held balloons in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, while others had peace signs in their hands.

Some of the protesters were carrying self-written banners that read “Stop War”, “Peace”, “Where is the vaccination against war” as well as insults against Russian President Vladimir Putin.?

Hundreds of police officers were on duty while the mood at the demonstration was peaceful.

An alliance of organizers made up of trade unions, churches, environmental protection initiatives, and peace groups had again called for the protests across Germany.

The slogan of the demonstration was: “Stop the war. Peace and solidarity for the people of Ukraine.”?

More anti-war demonstrations were also reported from Hamburg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Leipzig.

On Feb. 27, three days after Russia launched a war on Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Berlin and several other major German cities.

Germany has been the scene of mass anti-war protests in recent weeks in the wake of the war.

Tens of thousands of war refugees, mostly women and children, from Ukraine have arrived in Germany.?

Since the Russian attack began on February 24, 122,837 people have come to Germany from Ukraine, the Interior Ministry announced on Saturday.

However, since there are no fixed border controls at Germany’s borders, the number of war refugees entering the country could actually be significantly higher.

According to the UN, more than 2.5 million people from Ukraine have already sought refuge abroad. Most initially stayed in neighboring countries.

Berlin reacted to the Russian war in Ukraine by drastically increasing its military spending.?

Germany is committing €100 billion to a fund for its military and will raise its defense spending above 2% of its gross domestic product.

Source: Anadolu Agency

“Today, we call for an immediate cessation of all attacks on health care in Ukraine,” said the WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

“In Ukraine, since the start of the war, 31 attacks on health care have been documented via the WHO’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care,” the UN agencies said, adding: “These attacks have led to at least 12 deaths and 34 injuries and affected access to and availability of essential health services.”

They said that in 24 incidents, health care facilities were damaged or destroyed, while in five cases, ambulances were damaged or destroyed.

They said that to attack the most vulnerable – babies, children, pregnant women, and those already suffering from illness and disease, and health workers risking their own lives to save lives – “is an act of unconscionable cruelty.”

WHO said it is verifying further reports of attacks despite the calls for health care protection.

“Attacks on health care and health workers directly impact people’s ability to access essential health services – especially women, children, and other vulnerable groups,” said the statement.

The UN agencies said that more than 4,300 births have occurred in Ukraine since the start of the war, and 80,000 Ukrainian women are expected to give birth in the next three months.

Oxygen and medical supplies, including the management of pregnancy complications, are running dangerously low, the UN agencies warned.

“The health care system in Ukraine is clearly under significant strain, and its collapse would be a catastrophe. Every effort must be made to prevent this from happening,” they said.

“It is critical that humanitarian actors have safe and unimpeded access to reach ALL civilians in need wherever they may be,” the UN agencies added.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Authorities received a distress call after the boat carrying migrants went adrift off the northern coast of the Aegean island.

The coast guard said that their destination was Italy.

A coordinated operation was conducted by the Municipality of Paros Island and the Shipping Ministry to rescue the migrants.

The rescued migrants are said to be in good health and were transported to a temporary reception center in Leros Island.

Source: Anadolu Agency