Zelensky praises UK’s phasing out of Russian oil as sending ‘powerful signal’ – Newstrends
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Zelensky praises UK’s phasing out of Russian oil as sending ‘powerful signal’

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PA Wire Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv (Peter Nicholls/PA) - PA Wire

Britain’s move to punish Vladimir Putin by phasing out Russian oil by the end of the year will send a “powerful signal” to the world, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Mr Zelensky welcomed the announcement coordinated between the US and UK on Tuesday to hurt Russia financially over its invasion of Ukraine.

He earlier received standing ovations during a virtual speech to the House of Commons, during which he called for the UK to “make sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe”.

The historic address came shortly after ministers announced the UK will phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of the year.

In his daily address to Ukraine, Mr Zelensky went on to say: “This is a powerful signal to the whole world.

“Either Russia will respect international law and not wage wars, or it will have no money.”

However, in a move likely to draw criticism from campaigners against the climate crisis, ministers were considering steps that could lead to a fracking rethink in the UK.

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Amid concerns over soaring energy costs, it was understood two Cuadrilla sites in Lancashire may be handed over to the Royal Geographical Society rather than being concreted over.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, has been under a “moratorium” for over two years but the move could allow for the sites to be opened up at a later date.

US President Joe Biden ordered a ban on Russian oil imports, while the European Union was also expected to announce a phasing out of dependence on Moscow’s energy.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng urged businesses to “use this year to ensure a smooth transition so that consumers will not be affected”, with 8% of UK oil demand coming from Russia.

Meanwhile, the UK was also tightening its aviation sanctions to make it a criminal offence for Russian planes to enter UK airspace.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told airports he can order them to detain Russian aircraft and has the power to order the Civil Aviation Authority to terminate registration of planes owned by sanctioned individuals.

The ownership of one plane at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire was understood to be under investigation.

A Government source told the PA news agency the aircraft “was transporting a wealthy Russian and the ownership of the aircraft is now the subject of an investigation”.

“The aircraft will only be allowed to leave Farnborough if the inquiry shows it is not a Russian owned or controlled jet,” the source added.

In the Commons speech, Mr Zelensky evoked an inspiring wartime speech from Sir Winston Churchill as he made a comparison to the situation Britain faced during the Second World war.

“We will fight until the end, at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost,” the Ukrainian leader said.

“We will fight in the forest, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.”

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Mother kills daughters, commits suicide amid in-laws’ torture for not bearing son

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Sangita Yadav

Mother kills daughters, commits suicide amid in-laws’ torture for not bearing son

Two minor girls lost their lives after their mother killed them and hanged herself to death on Tuesday, as her her in-laws tortured her mentally due to her inability to bear a son in Bhopal. Tragically, the woman and two of her daughters have succumbed to the ordeal, while her three-year-old daughter fights for her life in the hospital.

The woman, identified as Sangita Yadav, was 28 years old, her daughters Aradhya was 5 years old, and Shristi was 2. The incident occurred in Roadiya village, located 35 kilometers from Bhopal in the Gunaga police station area. The matter came to light on Tuesday afternoon. The bodies of the victims were taken to Hamidia Hospital. According to Gunaga police station in-charge Arun Sharma, initial investigations suggest that the woman committed suicide and murdered her three daughters. However, further investigation is underway to confirm the circumstances.

According to Dainik Bhaskar, the deceased woman’s brother, Neeraj Yadav, has accused the in-laws of harassing his sister. Neeraj revealed that Sangita had sent distressing messages to him at night. In one of the messages, she stated that she was feeling unwell. She mentioned that she was taking poison as nobody would survive, and everyone would die.

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“Neeraj said, “After that, I tried calling her on her mobile phone, but I didn’t get any response. I also called Sangita’s brother-in-law, but he didn’t pick up the phone twice. When he finally answered the third time, I asked him if everything was fine at home. He said yes, everything was fine. I didn’t trust him.” Then, he asked his relatives, who stayed nearby, to go and check once. Thet reached and confirmed, that the bodies of all three kept inside.

Neeraj revealed that his sister was troubled by her in-laws. Whenever she visited her maternal home, Sangita’s husband, Rajat Yadav, would threaten her, saying, ‘If you don’t come back, I will die in an accident. I will electrocute myself.’ On March 4th, there was a wedding in the family, where they drank alcohol and created a ruckus. They took his sister back with them that night. After the wedding, everyone collectively harassed her, which left her distraught, leading her to hang herself along with her daughters.

The authenticity of the suicide note is questionable. Relatives alleged that when Sangita was found hanging, there was a letter stuck to her back, presumed to be a suicide note. In it, she purportedly wrote about a lump in her stomach preventing her from bearing more children and not being able to give birth to a son for her family. However, some family members directly denied the existence of any such letter. Nevertheless, according to the present police officers, a letter has been recovered from the scene.”

Mother kills daughters, commits suicide amid in-laws’ torture for not bearing son

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‘Fake pastor’ with at least 10 wives jailed for marrying two at same time

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Orlando Coleman

‘Fake pastor’ with at least 10 wives jailed for marrying two at same time

A fake pastor who had at least 10 wives has been thrown in jail after marrying two women.

Orlando Coleman trawled black churches across the US under the guise of a travelling bishop, collecting spouses as he went. The 51-year-old would introduce himself to new congregations as a member of the clergy, and was able to dupe at least 10 different women into exchanging vows with him.

Coleman from Houston had presented himself as the founder of several churches as well as a Pentecostal preacher on social media. Despite pleading guilty to bigamy in July 2023 and being placed on probation for marrying two women simultaneously, he wedded another woman two months later.

Now, he has been put behind bars for three years for marrying multiple women since 2019.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said: “At the heart of this repeat offender’s schemes was a plan to defraud women and take advantage of them for financial gain.

“This man used the church to camouflage his scams and hide from any accountability or responsibility.”

Coleman’s web of deceit started to unravel in 2021 when he married a woman in Houston, but his new wife saw he was receiving money from another woman in Virginia.

When his then current wife contacted the woman from Virginia it was revealed that she too was married to Coleman.

Coleman’s Houston wife then contacted the Harris County Sheriff’s Office with the revelation, who in turn launched an investigation and filed bigamy charges.

In July 2023, Coleman pleaded guilty to bigamy in exchange for three years of deferred adjudication probation.

However, just two months later, while still married to the woman in Virginia, Coleman tied the knot again with another woman in Kentucky, committing another offense of bigamy.

Upon learning about Coleman’s new marriage, prosecutors from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office moved to revoke his probation. In a hearing on March 11, a judge sentenced Coleman to three years in prison.

Prosecutors say Coleman married the women for housing and financial security.

After introducing himself as a Protestant pastor or bishop, Coleman would propose marriage.

If a woman accepted, he would move in with her and allow her to foot the cost of his housing and food.

“That’s the only thing he had to offer and to validate his word – the proposal to marry – that was something big,” Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Goussen told The New York Times.

“Getting proposed to was a big gesture for these women, and that corroborated his guise that he’s a godly person.”

Some of the women filed for divorce after Coleman fled to another state.

Coleman is currently being held at the Harris County Jail.

‘Fake pastor’ with at least 10 wives jailed for marrying two at same time

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Ecuador’s youngest mayor, 27, assassinated along with aide

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Brigitte Garcia

Ecuador’s youngest mayor, 27, assassinated along with aide

Ecuador’s youngest mayor and an aide were shot dead on Sunday, police in the South American country have said.

Brigitte Garcia, 27-year-old mayor of San Vicente, and her communications director Jairo Loor, were found dead in Manabi province, officers said.

Police added that the pair had both suffered gunshot wounds and that the gunfire had come from within the car, which was rented.

Ms Garcia – a member of former president Rafael Correa’s left-wing Citizen Revolution Movement party – is the latest political figure assassinated in Ecuador.

Presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed last August while leaving a campaign event two weeks before the election. He was a vocal critic of corruption and organised crime.

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Mr Correa and Luisa Gonzalez, the party’s presidential candidate in the recent elections, called Ms Garcia’s killing an assassination on social media platform X.

“I’ve just found out they’ve assassinated our fellow mayor of San Vicente Brigitte Garcia,” Mr Gonzalez said on social media.

“I have no words, in shock, nobody is safe in Ecuador NOBODY.”

In a statement, Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa’s government condemned the killings and said it was working with police and the prosecutor’s office to ensure “immediacy in the investigation”.

He declared a state of emergency in January after armed men invaded a TV station during a live broadcast. Mr Noboa also designated 22 criminal groups as terrorist organisations.

The state of emergency was extended earlier in March.

Ecuador’s youngest mayor, 27, assassinated along with aide

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