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Nearly 680,000 refugees flee Ukraine

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Refugees from Ukraine walk a road after crossing the Moldova-Ukrainian border’s checkpoint near the town of Palanca on March 1, 2022. Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP

Approaching 680,000 people have fled Ukraine since the Russian military invasion on February 24, with the number rising rapidly.

“The number of people who have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries has reached 677,000,” Filippo Grandi, who heads the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said on Twitter.

The UNHCR projected Tuesday that more than four million Ukrainian refugees may eventually need protection and assistance in neighbouring countries.

“We are looking at what could become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century,” said Grandi.

The European Union’s crisis management commissioner has said the figure could reach seven million.

More than 37 million people lived under the Kyiv government’s control before last week’s invasion.

Poland

More than half of those who have fled Ukraine have crossed into Poland.

The UNHCR said Tuesday that 377,400 people had done so, with refugees waiting up to 60 hours to cross the border. Most arrivals are women and children from all parts of Ukraine.

Poland’s border guards said Sunday that 90 percent of those arriving were being put up by friends or relations, but that reception centres were also being set up close to the frontier.

Poland was already home to 1.5 million Ukrainians before Russia invaded.

Poles are mobilising with offers of accommodation, money, clothes and work for the new arrivals.

Hungary

Some 89,561 people have so far crossed from Ukraine into Hungary, the UNHCR said.

Several border towns such as Zahony have set up public buildings as reception centres, with ordinary people donating food and clothes, the interior ministry said.

Arrivals are steady and waiting times vary, with ordinary Hungarians, local authorities and humanitarian agencies providing help.

Moldova

UNHCR said 65,391 people had fled Ukraine and were now in Moldova.

It is taking 24 hours to cover the 60 kilometres between the Ukrainian major port city of Odessa and the Moldovan border.

An airlift from Dubai is due to arrive on Wednesday bringing more emergency supplies for refugees.

Slovakia

The UNHCR said 54,304 had fled across Ukraine’s shortest border to Slovakia.

“The government is maintaining an open and welcoming policy towards refugees, and has rapidly changed asylum laws to help fast-track asylum procedures,” said the agency.

Romania

The UN Refugee Agency said 38,461 people who fled were now in Romania.

There are queues of up to 20 hours to cross the border.

“Local communities are generously helping with transport and accommodation, while private companies are paying for hotels,” the UNHCR said.

Many people are passing through Siret in the north, where a camp has been set up, along with a second site near Marmatiei.

Romanians have taken to social media to organise donations of food and clothing.

Belarus

More than 300 people had crossed from Ukraine into Belarus, the UNHCR said.

Russia

Grandi said a number of people had moved from eastern Ukraine into Russia.

The UNHCR does not have figures for the numbers of people who have crossed Ukraine’s longest border, though it is thought to be significant.

Onward movement

The UN Refugee Agency said Tuesday that around 51,800 of those who had fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries had already moved onwards towards other European states.

Grandi said refugees would head for established Ukrainian communities in other countries, with several thousand already in the Czech Republic.

Internally displaced

Karolina Lindholm Billing, the UNHCR representative to Ukraine, estimated that a million people had been internally displaced by the Russian invasion.

She cautioned that the agency still did not have reliable figures.

 

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Iran War Disrupts Oil Supply, Global Loss Hits $50bn

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The global oil market has recorded losses exceeding $50bn following massive supply disruptions triggered by the ongoing Iran war, which has now stretched to nearly 50 days.

Data from energy analytics firm Kpler showed that more than 500 million barrels of crude oil and condensate have been wiped off the global market since the crisis began in late February, making it the largest energy supply disruption in modern history.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, on Friday said the Strait of Hormuz had been reopened after a ceasefire agreement reached in Lebanon.

However, tensions escalated again on Saturday as Tehran warned it could shut the strategic waterway if the United States sustains its blockade of Iranian ports.

Also, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism that a deal to end the conflict could be reached “soon,” although he did not provide a definite timeline.

Analysts warned that the scale of disruption could have prolonged effects on global energy stability, with shocks expected to linger for months or even years.

Providing context, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, Iain Mowat, said the 500 million barrels lost is equivalent to grounding global aviation demand for 10 weeks, halting all road transport worldwide for 11 days, or shutting down the entire global oil supply for five days.

Further estimates showed that the lost volume is nearly equal to one month of oil demand in the United States or more than a month’s supply for Europe. It also represents about six years of fuel consumption by the U.S. military and could power global shipping activities for approximately four months.

The crisis has significantly affected oil-producing nations in the Gulf, with output losses reaching about eight million barrels per day in March—roughly equivalent to the combined production of two of the world’s largest oil companies.

Jet fuel exports from major producers, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman, dropped sharply from 19.6 million barrels in February to just 4.1 million barrels recorded across March and April combined. Analysts said the shortfall could have powered about 20,000 round-trip international flights.

With crude prices averaging around $100 per barrel since the onset of the conflict, the lost volumes translate to an estimated $50bn in revenue. Experts noted that this figure is equivalent to about one per cent of Germany’s annual Gross Domestic Product, or roughly the size of the economies of smaller European countries.

Meanwhile, global onshore crude inventories have declined by about 45 million barrels in April alone, while total production outages have risen to approximately 12 million barrels per day since late March.

Industry experts cautioned that unless a lasting resolution is reached, the disruption could intensify volatility in global oil markets, worsen inflationary pressures, and further strain fragile economies worldwide.

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Oseni Secures Prestigious City People Political Award Nomination

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A member of the House of Representatives representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency and Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Aderemi Oseni, has been nominated for a Special Award in Politics at the 2026 City People Political Awards.

The nomination was conveyed in a letter dated April 13, 2026, signed by the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of City People Magazine, Seye Kehinde.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued by Oseni’s media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Thursday.

According to the statement, the lawmaker earned the nomination in recognition of his “outstanding contributions to politics in Oyo State, particularly in Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency.”

The organisers noted that Oseni emerged as a nominee following a comprehensive review of performances across sectors by the award’s selection committee.

Part of the letter read, “Having performed creditably well in your sector last year, the Organising Committee presented you as a nominee in your sector.”

The award ceremony is scheduled to hold on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at Etal Hall, Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos, at 4pm.

The City People Awards is an annual event that recognises individuals who have distinguished themselves in governance, public service and other sectors of national development.

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Kaduna Electric to prosecute, expose attackers of staff

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The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company has announced a crackdown on individuals who assault its staff, warning that offenders will face prosecution and public exposure.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the company expressed concern over what it described as a “disturbing surge” in attacks on its field workers and third-party partners.

It noted that the affected personnel were mainly engaged in meter installation, revenue collection and maintenance of electricity infrastructure.

According to the firm, the increasing cases of harassment, physical assault and unlawful detention of its workers pose a serious threat to employee safety and the stability of electricity service delivery across its franchise areas.

The Deputy Managing Director, Abubakar Mohammed, said the company would no longer tolerate any form of aggression against its workforce.

“Let this serve as a clear warning to anyone who engages in the assault of our staff. Kaduna Electric will pursue every case to its logical conclusion,” he said.

“We will work closely with security agencies to ensure offenders are brought to justice and face the full weight of the law,” Mohammed added.

He further disclosed that the company would publicly reveal the identities of individuals found culpable.

According to him, names, photographs and other details of offenders would be published on the company’s official platforms as well as in national and local media.

“This measure is intended to ensure accountability and serve as a strong deterrent. Anyone who chooses to attack our personnel should be prepared not only to face prosecution but also public exposure,” he added.

The company stressed that assaults on utility workers attract serious legal and financial consequences, noting that offenders risk criminal charges that may lead to fines or imprisonment.

It added that perpetrators could also face civil liabilities, including compensation for medical treatment, psychological trauma and loss of work hours.
While condemning the attacks, Kaduna Electric urged customers to adopt peaceful and lawful means of resolving disputes.

It advised aggrieved customers to channel complaints through its customer service units or appropriate regulatory bodies.

The management reaffirmed its commitment to protecting its workforce and partners, stressing that a safe working environment is essential for delivering reliable and efficient electricity services.

Although disputes between electricity providers and consumers are often linked to billing issues, metering challenges and service delivery concerns, the company maintained that such matters must be resolved through dialogue, insisting that violence against its staff will no longer be tolerated.

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