Day: March 15, 2022

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that Ukraine’s southern Kherson region fell completely under the control of the Russian army.

The Russian military, together with the rebel forces of Donbas, continue to develop the offensive, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing in Moscow.

Over the past day, six Ukrainian fighter jets, seven helicopters, and 13 unmanned aerial vehicles were hit, Konashenkov added.

Two fighter jets, Su-24 and Su-25, along with one Mi-8 helicopter, were hit by means of air defense systems, while four Su-25 fighter jets, one Mi-24, and five Mi-8 helicopters were destroyed in a hangar on an airfield near the city of Kramatorsk, the spokesman said.

Since Monday, the Russian aviation hit a total of 136 Ukrainian military facilities, including seven control and communication centers, four anti-aircraft missile systems, three multiple rocket launchers, four radar stations, some elements of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, one electronic warfare station, four ammunition depots, and 72 places of accumulation of military equipment, Konashenkov continued.

“Since the beginning of the special military operation, 156 unmanned aerial vehicles, 1,306 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 127 multiple rocket launchers, 471 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 1,054 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed,” he said.

According to Konashenkov, the Russian airborne forces also captured a base of Ukrainian nationalists and mercenaries, taking as a trophy some pieces of weapons supplied by the Western countries to Ukraine, including 10 Javelin portable anti-tank missiles.

All captured weapons were handed to the rebel forces of Donetsk and Luhansk, he noted.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 636 civilians have been killed and 1,125 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN, while noting that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.

Over 2.9 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, said the UN refugee agency.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The suicidal trend among women in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic has escalated, with over 7,000 women taking their lives last year.

According to Health Ministry data released on Tuesday, 7,068 women committed suicide in 2021, marking the second consecutive year that the number of women suicide cases increased.

However, the overall number of suicides in the country saw a slight decrease by 74.

“The effect of the coronavirus pandemic appears to manifest in various ways,” an unnamed Health Ministry official told Kyodo News.

The coronavirus outbreak hit the world in December 2019, which negatively affected daily life and severely battered livelihood as governments imposed lockdowns to halt the spread of the deadly infection.

Overall, 21,007 people ended their lives in Japan, 838 higher than the number of suicides recorded in 2019.

The country of over 126 million people is also grappling with an ageing population, accounting for 28.5% of its total population.

The Health Ministry said reasons for women’s suicides “were the most common,” including family problems such as “marital discord and pessimism about the family’s future.”

“Those citing problems related to economic and life issues increased 29 to 454, with 185 women killing themselves over difficulties making a living,” data showed.

“Among students, 11 elementary school, 148 junior high school and 314 high school students committed suicide in 2021, citing such reasons as mental illness including depression, poor academic performance and discord in relationships with their parents,” the report added.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Kyrgyzstan is in favor of a “peaceful resolution” of the Russia-Ukraine war through “political and diplomatic means,” said the country’s foreign minister.

“If some peacekeeping mechanisms are no longer working, we must find new formats for effective dialogue together,” Ruslan Kazakbaev, foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan, told Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye.

“Isn’t our common goal to achieve peace?” he said.

On a trilateral meeting of Turkish, Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers held last Thursday in Antalya, Kazakbaev said he welcomes Turkiye’s mediation efforts and organizing tripartite talks.

He added that Kyrgyzstan is also ready to prepare such a platform if necessary.

“I already mentioned this on my last visit to Moscow (on March 5),” he said.

“The world is at a fragile stage, on the brink of a global catastrophe, and this dialogue between Russia and Ukraine is of paramount importance in launching a possible peace process,” he said, calling on all countries to help achieve this objective.

“Imposing sanctions and further escalation of tensions in the world will cause serious economic and humanitarian disasters,” he said.

He said it was sad to see two brotherly nations Russia and Ukraine involved in a conflict.

“Our peoples have a common history. We went through difficult times together. Therefore, we never had, and could not have had, the option of taking sides in this conflict,” he said.

Asked about how the Russia-Ukraine war will affect Kyrgyzstan, Kazakbaev said: “The negative consequences of the sanctions will worsen the quality of life for our people as well as adversely affect our economy.”

“Kyrgyzstan has also recently experienced tragic events on its border and lost innocent citizens. Therefore, there is no doubt that we defend the territorial integrity of states and observe the UN Charter.”

Organization of Turkic States

Asked about the reasons behind the Turkic Council’s changing of its name to the Organization of Turkic States last November, Kazakbaev said that “undoubtedly, this decision is the result of close and mutually beneficial cooperation based on a shared history, language and culture reaching a new level.”

“I believe that the transformation of our council into a full-fledged organization will further consolidate the cooperation of the Turkish states in the regional and international arena.”

Noting that he welcomes the adoption of the “Turkish World Vision 2040,” he said: “Our first definitive decision in the new age should be the decision to get closer and join forces to achieve common goals.”

“The deep transformations in the world today offer us a historical opportunity to rebuild our relations, to make them more humane, and to highlight the fundamental Turkish values, such as honor,” he said.

“These new relations in the Turkic world should become an example for the interstate relations of the new age.”

Asked about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s call for Turkish Cypriot membership in the Organization of Turkic States, the Kyrgyz foreign minister said: “Of course, such issues are evaluated in accordance with the conceptual documents of our organization, taking into account the basic principles of international law and the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.”

“As members of the Organization of Turkic States, we are in favor of finding a fair, permanent, sustainable and mutually acceptable solution to the Cyprus issue,” he said.

Turkiye-Kyrgyzstan trade

On bilateral trade between Turkiye and Kyrgyzstan, he said the leaders of the two countries have set an aim of increasing it to $1 billion.

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute, trade volume between Kyrgyzstan and Turkiye reached $507.5 million in 2020.

“We are moving very fast towards reaching that target,” he said, adding the areas of cooperation include trade, agriculture, mining, energy and tourism.

Cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Turkiye in military training and military-technical fields has also been developing for many years, he added.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russia will target other European countries if it is not stopped, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday.

Speaking via videocall to a Joint Expeditionary Force summit held in London, Zelenskyy appealed for more support for his country’s struggle against Russia.

“We can still stop the Russian war machine, we can still stop the killing of people,” he said.

Zelenskyy said stopping Russia would be “easier to do it together.”

“Because else (otherwise), they will come to you.”

Zelenskyy warned that if European countries do not act now, Russia will target other countries on the continent.

“We all are the targets of Russia … help yourself by helping us,” he said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, hosting the leaders of the JEF countries – a group including Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, with several bordering Russia – agreed that we now face a “desperate, desperate moment,” adding that European leaders “must try to do more to support you.”

Johnson is hosting the JEF leaders to discuss the almost three-week-old Russia-Ukraine war and further steps to assist Ukraine.

Johnson said prior to the meeting that “European security has been shaken by the attack of Russia on Ukraine, and alongside our partners, we will take action to ensure we emerge stronger and more united than before.”

“Ensuring we are resilient to Putin’s threats needs to go beyond our military footing – together alongside our North and Baltic Sea partners we must ensure we are insulated from Russia’s interference and impact on our energy supplies, economy and values.”

The JEF leaders are also “expected to agree to an enhanced program of integrated JEF exercises and activities at sea, on land and in the air in the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea the member nations deepen military ties and interoperability.”

The Joint Expeditionary Force is a northern European security coalition of the UK, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The UN said on Tuesday that the number of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine has now reached 3 million.

“We have now reached the 3 million refugees and among them 157,000 are third-country nationals,” said International Organization for Migration (IOM) spokesman Paul Dillon at a news briefing in Geneva.

He said at least 1.8 million of the refugees have gone to Poland, 453,000 to Romania, 337,000 Moldova, 263,000 Hungary, and 213,000 to Slovakia. Russia has also received around 143,000 refugees.

1.5 million children forced to flee

Meanwhile, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said as many as 1.5 million children have also fled Ukraine.

“More than 75,000 children have become refugees every day. That’s around 55 children every minute of this war” which began on Feb. 24, Elder said. “This refugee crisis is in terms of speed and scale, unprecedented since World War II, and is showing no signs of slowing down.”

He added: “Like all children driven from their homes by war and conflict, Ukrainian children arriving in neighboring countries are at significant risk of family separation, violence, sexual exploitation, and trafficking.”

Situation in Mariupol

Ewan Watson, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said the situation for hundreds of thousands of people in the southeastern port city of Mariupol is “dire and desperate” and the people there are “being suffocated.”

“We are still not able to get aid into Mariupol and the situation remains dire and desperate,” said Watson, referring to a reported Russian military siege of the port city.

“The bottom line is that hundreds of thousands of people are still suffering. With no aid, the people in Mariupol are being suffocated.”

The Red Cross spokesman said there is no specific agreement for the desperately needed safe passage for civilians out of the city.

“This is an extreme situation of life and death where people are facing impossible choices to feed their families,” he said. “We urgently need an agreement between the parties to bring aid in and to ensure the safe passage out for those wishing to leave.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

US producer prices were up 10% in February on an annual basis, according to Labor Department figures released on Tuesday.

The Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures changes in the price of goods and services from a producer perspective, came in line with market expectations.

The annual gain in producer prices for January was revised upwards from 9.7% to 10%.

On a monthly basis, the PPI rose 0.8% in February from the previous month, coming in lower than market expectations of 0.9%.

Its monthly increase in January, however, was also revised upwards from 1% to 1.2%.

The prices for final demand goods rose 2.4% in February, the largest gain since data were first calculated in December 2009.

Core producer prices, which exclude food, energy, and trade, moved up 0.2% in February compared to the previous month.

Core PPI in February increased 6.6% on an annual basis.

Record high inflation has become a major problem for the American economy, and the Federal Reserve is expected to start taming it with a rate hike of 25 basis points on Wednesday.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russia got written guarantees under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that will protect its cooperation with Iran against the recent US and EU sanctions, noting that the guarantees are included in the text of the agreement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Lavrov said Russia causes no obstacles for the restoration of the deal.

“We got written guarantees, they are included in the text of the agreement of the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iran nuclear program and in those texts, a reliable protection is provided to all projects and directions of activities falling under the JCPOA,” said the minister.

According to Lavrov, the protection extends to all companies and individuals taking part in the joint projects with Iran, including the construction of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.

Lavrov said the information that Russia is trying to hinder achieving the agreement on the Iran nuclear deal is “a lie,” adding that the document drafted in Vienna needs to be approved by “some capitals” to come into force.

For his part, Amir-Abdollahian said Moscow does not impede the restoration of the JCPOA and noted that “there is no connection between the Ukrainian events and the talks (on the JCPOA restoration) in Vienna.”

“If we agree with the American side about some issues that are red lines for the Islamic Republic of Iran, then a final agreement will be achieved at the talks in Vienna.

“Russia has been playing a very important and constructive role at the talks from the very beginning and Russia will stand with the Islamic Republic of Iran till the end to achieve durable, stable agreements, and will support Iran in achieving this agreement,” minister said.

Amir-Abdollahian expressed hope that the US “will abandon its excessive demands” especially when the restoration of the deal is so close.

About the Russia-Ukraine war, Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran “understands the roots” of the conflict but war is not a solution to any problem.

Iran, which has been experiencing “illegal unilateral sanctions” for years, opposes the sanctions against Russia.

The top Iranian diplomat said Iran supports peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and expressed hope that the negotiations will lead to a cease-fire.

The Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2015 by Iran, the US, China, Russia, France, the UK, Germany, and the EU.

Under the agreement, Tehran committed to limit its nuclear activity to civilian purposes and in return, world powers agreed to drop their economic sanctions against Iran.

The US, under former President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to stop complying with the nuclear deal.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A symposium in Turkiye’s capital Ankara was held to mark the third anniversary of terror attacks at two mosques in New Zealand that killed 51 people.

On March 15, 2019, Brenton Tarrant, an Australian white supremacist, killed his victims and injured 40 others at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch.

He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last year in the first such ruling ever handed down on the island nation.

Organized by the International Knowledge and Perception Association and Haci Bayram Veli University under the auspices of Turkiye’s Culture and Tourism Ministry, the “Hello Brother: World Peace Symposium” was attended by victims’ families and activists.

“The 15th of March 2019, marks the dark day in history around the world,” said Yama Nabi, son of Davud Nabi who greeted the shooter at the gate of the mosque with, “Welcome brother.”

“Fifty-one martyrs showed the beauty of Islam,” said Nabi, who was a guest of honor at the symposium.

“Hello brother, was the last words of my father to the shooter. This is what we represent,” he added.

Activist Osama Qashoo said being discriminated against puts Muslims in a powerful position. “That is something that should empower us and make us unique,” he said.

Qashoo said he is in favor of action and information is nothing without action.

“There is Islamophobia. There is injustice. There is prejudice. What are we going to do about it? Very easy and very simple. Action,” he said. “You can take action if you’re a butcher, if you’re a farmer, if you’re a teacher, if you are an imam, if you are a student, if you are disabled, if you’re able, you can take any action.”

Source: Anadolu Agency