عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Canada Offers Three Years of Temporary Residency to Ukrainians

Thousands of Canadians held rallies in cities across the country to protest Russia's invasion on Ukraine. Source: Andrej Ivanov/AFP
Thousands of Canadians held rallies in cities across the country to protest Russia's invasion on Ukraine. Source: Andrej Ivanov/AFP
TT
TT

Canada Offers Three Years of Temporary Residency to Ukrainians

Thousands of Canadians held rallies in cities across the country to protest Russia's invasion on Ukraine. Source: Andrej Ivanov/AFP
Thousands of Canadians held rallies in cities across the country to protest Russia's invasion on Ukraine. Source: Andrej Ivanov/AFP

Ottawa announced Thursday it is establishing a new immigration program that will offer Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion a temporary Canadian residence permit for up to three years.

Canada, which has a large Ukrainian diaspora, especially in the center and west of the country, said in a statement that "Ukrainians and their immediate family members of any nationality may stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to three years."

Applicants are required to apply online and provide their biometric data in the form of fingerprints and a photo, AFP said.

Ukrainian refugees can simultaneously apply for a work and study permit.

Ukrainians and their families already settled on Canadian soil will also benefit from the new measures and can "extend their visitor status or work permit for 3 years, apply for a new work or study permit, or extend their existing permit."

According to a United Nations count released Thursday, more than three million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the deadly Russian invasion on February 24, more than half of whom have taken refuge in Poland.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Spain Rules Out Participating in Military Operations in Strait of Hormuz

FILE PHOTO: An LPG gas tanker at anchor as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Shinas, Oman, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An LPG gas tanker at anchor as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Shinas, Oman, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
TT
TT

Spain Rules Out Participating in Military Operations in Strait of Hormuz

FILE PHOTO: An LPG gas tanker at anchor as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Shinas, Oman, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An LPG gas tanker at anchor as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Shinas, Oman, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Spain will not take part in any military mission in the Strait of Hormuz because it considers the US-Israeli war on Iran to be illegal, Madrid's defense and foreign affairs ministers said on Monday. The leftist coalition government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has criticized the offensive and banned participating US aircraft from using jointly operated bases in southern Spain.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles rejected a demand by US President Donald Trump for military support to secure the waterway - which Tehran has de facto blocked to oil tanker traffic - and his threats of a "very bad future" for NATO allies failing to do so.

"Spain will never accept any stopgap measures, because the objective must be for the war to end, and for it to end now," Robles said.

The situation in the strait is a matter of grave concern for Europeans, but the European Union's position should be that the war must end regardless of economic considerations, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said, Reuters reported.

"We mustn't do anything that would add even more tension or cause the situation to escalate further," he told reporters in Brussels.

Some EU members such as Germany, Italy or Greece have also signalled they will not join military operations in the strait, while others including Denmark have yet to make a decision.

 

 

 

World

UK PM Starmer Says Work to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Will Not Be NATO-led

13 March 2026, Ireland, Cork: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets student researchers at the Tyndall National Institute in Cork. Photo: Cathal Mcnaughton/PA Wire/dpa
13 March 2026, Ireland, Cork: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets student researchers at the Tyndall National Institute in Cork. Photo: Cathal Mcnaughton/PA Wire/dpa
TT
TT

UK PM Starmer Says Work to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Will Not Be NATO-led

13 March 2026, Ireland, Cork: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets student researchers at the Tyndall National Institute in Cork. Photo: Cathal Mcnaughton/PA Wire/dpa
13 March 2026, Ireland, Cork: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets student researchers at the Tyndall National Institute in Cork. Photo: Cathal Mcnaughton/PA Wire/dpa

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that ongoing work to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would not be a NATO mission but would involve a broad alliance ‌including Gulf ‌partners as well ‌as ⁠European countries and the ⁠United States.

"We are working with others to come up with a credible plan for the Straits ⁠of Hormuz to ‌ensure ‌that we can reopen shipping and ‌passage through the ‌Strait. Let me be clear, that won't be and it's never been envisioned ‌to be a NATO mission," Starmer told reporters.

"That ⁠will ⁠have to be an alliance of partners, which is why we're working with partners, both in Europe, in the Gulf, and with the US."

World

Kremlin Dismisses FT Report that Ukraine Peace Process is Fizzling Out

People gather on a bridge in front of the Kremlin during sunset on a warm and sunny day in Moscow, Russia, 13 March 2026. EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY
People gather on a bridge in front of the Kremlin during sunset on a warm and sunny day in Moscow, Russia, 13 March 2026. EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY
TT
TT

Kremlin Dismisses FT Report that Ukraine Peace Process is Fizzling Out

People gather on a bridge in front of the Kremlin during sunset on a warm and sunny day in Moscow, Russia, 13 March 2026. EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY
People gather on a bridge in front of the Kremlin during sunset on a warm and sunny day in Moscow, Russia, 13 March 2026. EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY

The Kremlin on Monday dismissed a report by the Financial Times which suggested that the Ukraine peace process was fizzling out because US President Donald Trump's attention was now on Iran and he was losing interest in Ukraine as a result.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had noted such media reports, but had reached ⁠a different conclusion ⁠about Trump's attitude towards Ukraine peace talks.

"President Trump's frequent references to Ukraine in his recent statements suggest the opposite," Peskov told reporters, according to Reuters.

"Judging by his statements, President Trump has ⁠lost no interest whatsoever. Furthermore, he is strongly urging (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy to strike a deal."

Trump expressed frustration with Zelenskiy in an interview with Politico earlier this month, saying the Ukrainian president "has to get on the ball, and he has to get a deal done."

Trump also rejected Zelenskiy's offer ⁠to ⁠help the US with downing drones over the Gulf states, telling NBC's Meet the Press that the "last person we need help from is Zelenskiy."

Peskov said Russia was still interested in continuing talks to end the war, but that a venue and date for the next round of negotiations remained unclear.