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.
As the protracted conflict in Syria continues to push millions deeper into poverty and increase their vulnerability to health risks, UN agencies and their partners met on Friday to spur action to revitalize the country’s embattled healthcare system.
The online meeting was held ahead of a European Union conference next week to ensure ongoing international support for Syria and neighbouring countries hosting millions of Syrian refugees.
11 years of suffering and a humanitarian crisis endured by over 15 million of our fellow humans in Syria, increasing by the day, with no foreseeable end in sight.
The needs inside Syria are staggering. This year, 12.2 million people will require health services, including some 4.4 million who are internally displaced, according to an emergency appeal launched by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The delivery of health services to those most in need remains extremely challenging; not only due to the COVID-19 pandemic but also because more than half the healthcare facilities have closed or function partially,” said Dr. Akjamal Makhtumova, the agency’s Representative to Syria.
WHO hosted the virtual meeting, together with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, Director of WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, said keeping global attention on Syria can be a challenge, given that the war has raged for more than a decade and other crises continue to emerge, including the pandemic and the Ukraine conflict.
“While it’s true – television crews that once documented children pulled from rubble and hospitals bombed into ruins aren’t documenting Syria’s plight as they once were – the suffering of the Syrian people still exists,” he said.
Dr. Al-Mandhari recently concluded a mission to Syria. He shared heartbreaking examples of suffering, including the story of a single mother of two blind boys who waited two years for heart surgery.
Syria has lost over half of its medical professionals since the war started, and hospital equipment is stretched.
Healing and empowering
Dr. Al-Mandhari said WHO is collaborating with partners “to heal Syria and empower it to become a country of peace and prosperity – to build resilient communities, protect health rights and reduce social inequities”.
He underscored how improving health in Syria aligns with global efforts to achieve sustainable development that benefits all people and the planet.
This requires new international cooperation that would sustain both the resilience and health of the Syrian people, with focus placed on areas such as investment, knowledge sharing, policy and legislation.
“Equitable and peaceful future of Syria depends on the renewed commitment of the international community, member states and partners,” he said. “We need new multilateralism towards attaining health for the people of Syria and ensuring social and economic stability, and shared prosperity.”
End the suffering
While acknowledging the enormous needs and suffering, Dr. Al-Mandhari said he returned from Syria with optimism, pointing to signs of resilience and hope.
“Despite scarce financial and human resources, I also saw medical professionals moving mountains to serve their people. Despite the pain I felt, I met the wonderful people behind these devastating numbers,” he said.
“Let us not forget the Syrian people. Let us end their suffering. Let us give them our attention, especially now when the declining socio-economic situation has left millions in need for help.”
Already reeling from COVID-19, the fighting in Ukraine has introduced significant and worrying new risks likely to heavily impact Africa, UN development experts warned on Friday.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will effect food security on the continent, both through availability and pricing of imported food, along with rising uncertainties in global financial markets and supply chains.
Russia and Ukraine, both often referred to as the world’s breadbasket, are major players in the export of wheat and sunflower to Africa.
Between them, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan and South Africa, account for 80 per cent of all wheat imports, which are projected to reach 76.5 million tonnes by 2025.
At a media briefing in Geneva on the impacts on Africa of the war in Ukraine, Ahunna Eziakonwa, Director of the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Africa bureau, said that the COVID-19 pandemic had already created “immense discontent” across the continent.
COVID has pushed tens of millions of people into poverty and “pushed back” democracy in parts of Africa, she added.
Greatest challenges
The pandemic has also complicated efforts to overcome insecurity and violence, the UNDP regional director continued, referring to the violent extremism and climate shocks that have destabilized vast areas of the Sahel region in recent years.
Drawing attention to the “global pandemic that upended the world and changed it forever, the bureau chief said, “we have never experienced greater pressure and challenge in our ability to sustain peace and development and a healthy planet, as we experience today.”
“We saw how COVID-19 complicated the effort to maintain or to overcome the insecurity that’s created by many forces including violent extremism and the impact of this, the consequence, affected live and livelihoods but also creating an immense discontent about the population which is led to a regression in democracy”.
It has also resulted in a surge of “pre-existing conditions, rising poverty and inequality,” she added.
‘Unprecedented crisis’
UNDP’s senior Africa economist Raymond Gilpin, noted that the continent’s dependence on imports of food, fuel, medicines and consumer goods made it particularly vulnerable to rising global inflation.
Describing the situation as an “an unprecedented crisis for the continent, he explained that Africa is facing a trifecta of “ongoing effects of COVID…newly felt effects of the Russia-Ukraine war and…climate related challenges and pressures”.
“As the cost of fuel becomes more expensive, energy sources, energy prices, don’t fall in African countries, we are going to see millions of households going back to unsustainable energy sources, and this in many fragile environments, in particular looking at places like the Sahel,” Mr. Gilpin said.
“We are going to see a lot more deforestation and a roll back of a significant progress that had been made in the greening of the Sahel.”
Moreover, tensions would likely rise, with a “distinct possibility” of spilling over into violent protests, he added.
UN chief’s visit
Meanwhile, during a visit to Senegal last Sunday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “when discussing the socio-economic situation, it is impossible not to mention the war in Ukraine and its impact on Africa,” which was aggravating a “triple food, energy and financial crisis” across the African continent.
When good hand hygiene and other infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are followed, 70 per cent of infections can be prevented in health care settings, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report published on Friday.
The coronavirus pandemic and other disease outbreaks have highlighted the extent to which healthcare settings can contribute to the spread of infections.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many challenges and gaps in IPC in all regions and countries, including those which had the most advanced IPC programmes,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General.
Today, out of every 100 patients in acute care hospitals, seven in high-income countries and 15 in low and middle-income nations will acquire at least one healthcare associated infection (HAI) during their hospital stay – one in 10 of whom will die.
Newborns and patients in intensive care are particularly at risk, the report reveals, and almost half of all sepsis cases with organ dysfunction in adult intensive-care units are linked to healthcare.
“It has also provided an unprecedented opportunity to take stock of the situation and rapidly scale up outbreak readiness and response through IPC practices, as well as strengthening IPC programmes across the health system,” said the WHO chief.
Making a case
The impact of healthcare linked infections and antimicrobial resistance on people’s lives is incalculable, says WHO.
Over 24 per cent of patients affected by health care-associated sepsis and 52.3 per cent of those treated in an intensive care unit die each year.
Moreover, deaths are increased two to threefold when infections are resistant to antimicrobials.
With regional and country focuses, the new WHO report provides a situation analysis of how IPC programmes are being implemented globally.
While addressing the harm that HAIs and antimicrobial resistance pose to patients and healthcare workers, it also highlights the impact and cost-effectiveness of infection prevention and control programmes as well as the strategies and resources available for States to improve them.
Data analysis
In the last five years, WHO conducted global surveys and country joint evaluations to assess the implementation status of national IPC programmes.
Comparing data from the 2017-18 to 2021-22 surveys, the percentage of countries with a national IPC programme did not improve; and in 2021-22, only 3.8 per cent of countries had all IPC minimum requirements in place at the national level.
In healthcare facilities, only 15.2 per cent met all the IPC minimum requirements, according to a 2019 WHO survey.
Our challenge now is to ensure that all countries are able to allocate the human resources, supplies and infrastructures – WHO chief
Heartening developments
However, some encouraging progress has been made, with significantly more countries appointing IPC focal points; dedicated budgets for IPC and curriculum for front line healthcare workers’ training; national IPC guidelines and programmes for HAI surveillance; and hand hygiene compliance established as key national indicators.
Strongly supported by WHO and others, many countries are scaling-up actions to put in place minimum requirements and core components of IPC programmes.
Sustaining and further expanding this progress in the long-term is a critical need that requires urgent attention and investments.
Investments needed
“Our challenge now is to ensure that all countries are able to allocate the human resources, supplies and infrastructures this requires,” said Tedros.
WHO is calling on every nation to boost investments in IPC programmes – not only to protect patients and health workers, but also to improve health outcomes and reduce health-care costs and out-of-pocket expenses.
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.”
