Tag Archives: Ukraine

Sinn Féin Bundoran councillor Michael McMahon

Bundoran councillor, Michael McMahon, has launched a stinging attack on the group of members of the travelling community who have arrived in the town in recent days from outside the area. He says it’s a flagrant breach of the Covid 19 restrictions in place and the matter needs to be dealt with by the authorities.

Vulgarity, intimidation, threatening behaviour – Cllr lashes Bundoran group influx (Ocean FM, April 15, 2020)

Meanwhile…

Cllr McMahon welcoming families from Ukraine to Bundoran last night

Last night.

Via Donegal Live:

Bundoran  received the first group of Ukrainian refugees, who arrived in the seaside resort….The first busload of what are expected to be about 60 refugees arrived in rainy conditions and are staying at a number of different premises.

County councillor Michael McMahon who was one of the first people to greet the arrivals said that it was a sad situation to be offering the hand of friendship in such trying circumstances. But he was glad that the town had reached out to help those in need.

Good times.

Upwards of 60 Ukrainian refugees arrive in Bundoran (Donegal Live)

Pics: Thomas Gallagher

Meanwhile…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and attendees applaud after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force in London yesterday

This morning/afternoon.

Russia said parts of a possible peace deal with Ukraine were close to being agreed after Kyiv agreed to discuss military neutrality, raising hopes of an end to conflict.

Via Independent.co.uk:

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told RBC news that neutrality was being “seriously discussed” along with security guarantees for Ukraine outside of Nato membership.

He said it was his view that certain solutions were “close to agreement”.

Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday said Ukraine should accept it will not be part of Nato, hinting at a concession on a key Russian demand.

Meanwhile a Russian siege at a hospital in Mariupol continued with more than 400 hostages trapped amid heavy artillery fire, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Russia claims parts of peace deal ‘close’ as troops ‘take 400 hostage in hospital (Independent.co.uk)

CNN

Meanwhile…

Um.

Meanwhile…

Oh.

This afternoon.

Over to you, China…

…ah.

Official Chinese state telly this afternoon calls on the US to open the fake labs that don’t exist or contain bio weapons.

To the Chinese Embassy!

Meanwhile…

Yikes.

Tonight.

Earlier…

Pierre Zakrzewski, left with Fox News correspondent Steve Harrigan and senior field producers Yonat Frilling and Ibrahim Hazboun in Kyiv

This afternoon.

Fox News photographer Pierre Zakrzewski – a London-based, Irish passport holder – has been killed in Ukraine from injuries sustained yesterday when the vehicle he was traveling in with reporter Benjamin Hall was struck by incoming fire. Mr Hall remains in hospital.

Irish journalist Pierre Zakrzewski killed in Ukraine while working with Fox News (Irish Examiner)

Fox

This afternoon.

Belgrave Square, London, England

Squatters briefly occupied the central London mansion of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, owner of the Aughinish Alumina refinery in Limerick.  A group of five protesters broke into the property saying they wished to open it to refugees from Ukraine.

Downing Street said it is exploring whether Ukrainian refugees could be housed in the mansions of sanctioned Russian oligarchs.

Friday: Some Oligarchs Are More Equal Than Others

Pic: MailOnline

This morning.

Hmm.

Meanwhile…

More than 20,000 offers to provide accommodation to Ukrainian refugees have been made, the Irish Independent understands.

There have been over 15,000 offers made through the Government’s pledge portal which includes spare rooms and vacant second homes.

However, a further 5,000 housing offers have been made through other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), bringing the total to over 20,000 offers.

The Red Cross will begin contacting “small numbers” of people who have made some of the 15,000 pledges this week to start the process of housing incoming refugees.

Fiche míle fáilte – More than 20,000 offers of accommodation for fleeing Ukrainians (Independent.ie)

Getty

Meanwhile…

Saturday.

Orwell Road, Rathegar, Dublin 6.

Labour Party TD Ivana Bacik addresses protesters from the Irish Syria Solidarity Movement who joined with members of the Ukraine Solidarity to mark the 11th anniversary of the Syrian Revolution with a protest vigil outside the embassy of the Russian Federation in Ireland.

Meanwhile…

Proposals to rename Orwell Road in Dublin as Independent Ukraine Road look set to be dropped, with Dublin city councillors reversing plans to pursue the name change.

Changing the name of the road, where the Russian embassy is located, was unanimously supported by a sub-committee of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council last week.

….The city council’s southeast area committee was expected to consider the renaming proposal on Monday, but the motion has been dropped.

Labour councillor Dermot Lacey who chairs the committee had initially put forward a motion to change the name to Volodymyr Zelenskiy Road, and later amended it to match the Dún Laoghaire motion. However, he said, he would not be tabling either motion.

Proposal to change name of Orwell Road to Independent Ukraine Road to be dropped (Irish Times)

Sam Boal/RollingNews

Russian President Vladimir Putin and billionaire, businessman Oleg Deripaska, owner of the Aughinish Alumina refinery in Limerick

This morning.

Translation:

‘I have just been informed informally that the Russian oligarch, Wolf partner and Strabag major shareholder Oleg Deripaska has been REMOVED FROM THE EU sanctions list at the request of Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, among others.’

Anyone?

Yesterday: Billionaire Oleg Deripaska, owner of Aughinish Alumina in Limerick, hit with sanctions (Irish Examiner)

Oleg Deripaska: Putin ‘favourite’ with strong ties to UK politics (The Guardian)

European leaders met in Versailles, Paris, France to discuss Russia’s invasion, as well as EU membership for Ukraine

This morning.

RTÉ reports the Government supported the fast-tracking of Ukraine’s application to join the European Union during talks at an informal EU summit in France.

Via RTÉ News:

However, the application for a swift accession procedure was blocked by several larger states, including France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Eastern states, including Lithuania, supported an expedited process.

In the early hours of this morning, EU leaders meeting in Versailles, issued a declaration on Ukraine which once again condemned Russian aggression.

However, it stopped far short of agreeing to the Ukrainian request to urgently begin the accession procedure.

Govt supported fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU bid (RTE)

Meanwhile…

 

This morning.

The 96FM Opinion Line with PJ Coogan.

Fiona Corcoran writes:

PJ talks to Minister Simon Coveney (above) on the pain for listeners from shortages and price rises and the government efforts to help.

RollingNews

30 bio-weapons labs were commissioned by the Pentagon in Ukraine, The Russian MOD has claimed

This morning.

Via AP:

The U.N. Security Council scheduled a meeting today at Russia’s request to discuss what Moscow claims are “the military biological activities of the U.S. on the territory of Ukraine,” allegations vehemently denied by the Biden administration.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said  that the World Health Organization, which has been working with the Ukrainian government, “said they are unaware of any activity on the part of the Ukrainian government which is inconsistent with its international treaty obligations, including on chemical weapons or biological weapons.”

Meanwhile…

A network comprised of some 30 bioweapons laboratories was formed in Ukraine, with the activities conducted in these labs being commissioned by the US Ministry of Defense, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed.

UN council to meet on Russian claim of US labs in Ukraine (AP)

Meanwhile..

Via Reuters:

The World Health Organsation advised Ukraine to destroy high-threat pathogens housed in the country’s public health laboratories to prevent “any potential spills” that would spread disease among the population, the agency told Reuters on Thursday.

Biosecurity experts say Russia’s movement of troops into Ukraine and bombardment of its cities have raised the risk of an escape of disease-causing pathogens, should any of those facilities be damaged.

In response to questions from Reuters about its work with Ukraine ahead of and during Russia’s invasion, the WHO said in an email that it has collaborated with Ukrainian public health labs for several years to promote security practices that help prevent “accidental or deliberate release of pathogens.”

“As part of this work, WHO has strongly recommended to the Ministry of Health in Ukraine and other responsible bodies to destroy high-threat pathogens to prevent any potential spills,” the WHO, a United Nations agency, said.

The WHO would not say when it had made the recommendation nor did it provide specifics about the kinds of pathogens or toxins housed in Ukraine’s laboratories. The agency also did not answer questions about whether its recommendations were followed.

Anyone?

Exclusive: WHO says it advised Ukraine to destroy pathogens in health labs to prevent disease spread (Reuters)

Yesterday: “In The Words Of My Irish-Catholic Grandfather, A Bunch Of Malarkey”