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Live news updates: Troops launch missile attack on a large Ukrainian military facility near the Polish border.
 "Live news: 35 die in Russia air strike on Ukraine military base near Poland")
1 min read Last Updated : Mar 13 2022 | 11:02 PM IST
11:02 PM
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday announced making the movie 'The Kashmir Files' tax free in Karnataka.
The film directed by Vivek Agnihotri is based on the killings and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley by Islamic extremists.
"Kudos to @vivekagnihotri for #TheKashmirFiles, a blood-curdling, poignant & honest narrative of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their home land. To lend our support to the movie & encourage our people to watch it, we will make the movie tax-free in Karnataka," Bommai tweeted.
Besides, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh governments have also decided to make the movie tax-free.
10:52 PM
Dozens of cars drove through the Serbian capital of Belgrade on Sunday in support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The occupants waved Russian and Serbian flags, honked horns and chanted pro-Putin slogans. Some cars had the letter Z painted on them a symbol of support for the Russian president.
The protest was organised by a small far-right group.
Serbia has refused to join international sanctions against its ally Russia despite formally seeking EU membership and voting in favour of the U.N. resolution condemning Moscow's aggression.
Serbia's dominant state-controlled media are daily carrying Moscow's war propaganda, creating a strong pro-Putin mood among Serbia's ultranationalists and far-right groups.
10:27 PM
The Trinamool Congress on Sunday constituted a committee to review the party's dismal performance in the recently held assembly elections in Goa, where it drew a blank.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, in a statement, said that the party will convene a series of internal review meetings to introspect its role in Goa.
The review committee, headed by the party's Haryana leader Ashok Tanwar, will also comprise Sushmita Dev, and Sourav Chakraborty, he said.
"We are convening a series of internal review meetings and the first conclave will be held on March 26 where candidates, their core team members and individual members of the party will be invited," the Diamond Harbour MP, who had visited Goa several times in past four months to build the party's organisation, said.
"We began our mission in Goa to fill the void created due to lack of an efficient, robust opposition. Over the next five years, we recommit ourselves to playing that role," Banerjee said.
The party secured a little over five per cent of the votes but failed to win a seat. Several senior Congress leaders including former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro, had joined the party ahead of the elections.
10:20 PM
Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti, who has been demanding total prohibition in the party-ruled Madhya Pradesh, walked into a liquor shop in Azad Nagar area of Bhopal on Sunday evening and hurled a stone at alcohol bottles kept on a shelf there.
A video of the incident, which Bharti shared on her Twitter handle, went viral on social media.
The former Union minister said that through her act, she has warned the local administration to get the liquor shop shut within a week.
In the video, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, surrounded by her supporters and local residents, is seen entering the liquor shop, lifting a stone and hurling it at some bottles kept on the shelf. After that, her followers raise slogans in her support and also chant 'Bharat Mata ki jai'.
The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has recently unveiled a new excise policy, under which it has permitted setting up of home bars and slashed retail prices of liquor by 20 per cent.
Bharti had earlier announced that she would run an anti-liquor campaign in the state. But she had also clarified that her campaign for liquor ban was not against the state government.
While sharing the video of her act at the outlet, Bharti said in a tweet, "There are a number of liquor shops situated in a colony of labourers at Barkheda Pathani area, where liquor is served in 'ahata' (enclosed space)."
"The money of these labourers gets drained out in these shops. The residents and women have objected and protested as the liquor shop is against the government's policy. The administration had given assurances several times in the past that it would close the shop, but this has not happened for many years," she said.
"Today, I gave a warning to the administration to get it closed in a week," she added.
10:18 PM
China's high-tech Shenzhen city, which has a population of over 17 million, was the latest to shut down to control the surge of COVID-19 cases, as the government scrambled to contain the worst outbreak of virus cases in the last two years.
Shenzhen will seal all communities, villages and suspend bus and metro services from Monday to Sunday due to the latest COVID-19 outbreak, state-run China Daily reported on Sunday.
Shenzhen which has been battling an Omicron surge since late February, will carry out three rounds of citywide COVID-19 tests next week.
In a statement, city authorities urged the residents to work from home and to step out only to buy daily necessities.
After topping 1,000 new cases for two days in a row, new locally transmitted cases in China surged to more than 3,100, the National Health Commission reported on Sunday. This is the highest in two years.
All outbound travellers from Shenzhen must submit negative nucleic acid test results taken within the previous 24 hours, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
The situation is such that China is on the brink of its biggest COVID-19 crisis since Wuhan, the Post report said.
The coronavirus first broke out in Wuhan in December 2019 before it spread to almost all parts of the world, claiming over 6 million lives so far.
It is significant that cases in China are on the rise when most of the countries are opening up following decrease in cases.
China's Zero COVID-19 case policy is coming increasingly under stress in the past few weeks as several cities including Shanghai and Beijing are witnessing fresh wave of cases.
10:08 PM
Dozens of Russian nationals joined Ukrainians in the coastal resort town of Limassol, home to a sizeable Russian expatriate community, to protest the war in Ukraine.
About 50 Russians converged on Limassol's promenade prior to joining with other protesters Sunday to chant slogans including Stop the war, stop Putin and Russia without Putin."
They waved blue and white flags that they said were the Russian national flag without the red stripe that represented blood and violence.
Protester Evgeniya Shlikava, who has been living and working in Cyprus for five years, told The Associated Press that despite Russian propaganda, Ukraine didn't deserve this action from our government and that protesters are demanding an immediate end to the war that we don't support.
I do believe that the person who did the most to make Russia weak and not united is Putin himself, said Shlikava, who faulted the Russian president and his supporters for bringing the world's wrath on Russia that is proud of its humanistic values and culture.
But now Russia is the aggressor for the whole world, and we protest it, Shlikava said.
9:58 PM
A ruckus erupted outside the Inox multiplex here in sector 4 of the millennium city, screening the critically acclaimed film The Kashmir Files', on Sunday over the cancellation of tickets of some visitors.
Incensed over the denial of entry to the movie hall despite having tickets booked in advance with them, some of the audiences entered into a scuffle with the cinema hall's security personnel, necessitating intervention by police.
The trouble began when some visitors were denied entry to the hall despite having tickets while the movie hall managers said they had to cancel the tickets to reissue them without tax after the Haryana government made the movie tax-free, said police.
The situation was brought under control after the movie-goers and cinema hall owner reached a compromise over cancelled tickets, it added.
"To implement the revised tax-free pricing for the movie as per the Haryana government's order and to ensure that the benefit of the same is passed on to the maximum number of guests with immediate effect, the tickets which were already issued with the tax amount, had to be reissued, Inox Cinema said in an official statement.
This process required reprogramming of the existing tickets and the same was communicated to guests so that they can rebook the ticket and enjoy the movie at a lower tax-free price, the statement explained.
We are extremely heartened by the response we have received for the movie across the country and are looking forward to welcoming guests to enjoy it in coming days," it added.
9:55 PM
After securing almost 90 per cent of the zilla parishad seats in Odisha, the ruling BJD headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday scripted history by forming councils in all the 30 districts of the state.
As per the ruling party, 70 per cent of the ZP presidents are women. They are heading ZPs in 21 of the 30 districts. Large districts such as Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Bolangir and Sambalpur are headed by women zilla parishad presidents.
"For the first time in the history of Odisha, and probably across the country, a single party has formed zilla parishads in all the districts of the state," BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said.
While the average age of ZP presidents is 41 years, Patnaik selected younger and educated candidates with clean records to head the zilla parishads in all the districts, he said, adding that 67 per cent of ZP president seats (unreserved/women) were filled by OBC members.
As many as 15 of the 30 districts (or 50 per cent) now have zilla parishad president aged below 40 years, while 23 of the 30 districts (or 76 per cent) have ZP presidents aged below 50 years.
Apparently keeping an eye on the next general elections in 2024, Patnaik, in a major decision, has chosen young, educated and talented party workers as zilla parishad presidents with a long-term strategic view to mentor them for leadership positions.
For instance, 23-year-old Saraswarti Majhi, a science graduate, has been selected as the youngest zilla parishad president from tribal dominated Rayagada district.
"I will stress on education of children and health of elderly persons," she said.
Patnaik has also selected 26-year-old Samari Tangul of Swabhiman Anchal (a former cut-off area) as the zilla parishad president of Malkangiri.
9:54 PM
Health Minister Parsadi Lal Meena on Sunday said more than 10 crore vaccines against COVID-19 have been administered across the state.
He praised the healthcare staff and the public for cooperating with the government in fighting the pandemic.
The health minister said so far, 98.4 per cent of the people have been administered first dose of the vaccine and more than 84 per cent have been administered both doses.
Till Sunday evening, more than 10 crore vaccine doses were administered 9.33 crore jabs to people above 18 years and 53.33 lakh doses to those aged between 15 and 18 years.
As many as 13.73 lakh people have also received precautionary doses, making Rajasthan only the sixth state to achieve the feat, the minister said.
Further elaborating on the numbers, Meena said 5.06 crore people have been administered the first dose and 4.26 crore people have received both doses.
Cent percent of the population in more than 20 districts, including Pratapgarh, Kota, Jaipur-I and II, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Alwar and Sikar, have been administered the first dose of the vaccine.
The minister said Rajasthan is on the seventh position after Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, to have vaccinated such large population.
9:29 PM
A US journalist being treated at a hospital in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv says that he and a US colleague were shot after they were stopped at a checkpoint just after a bridge in Irpin, a town near Kyiv.
Juan Arredondo told Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli in an interview from the hospital before being taken for surgery that the colleague who was with him was hit in the neck and remained on the ground earlier on Sunday.
Camilli told The Associated Press that she was at the hospital when Arredondo arrived and that Arredondo had himself had been wounded, hit in the lower back when stopped at a Russian checkpoint.
Arredondo told Camilli he didn't have further information on the fellow U.S. journalist, whom he identified as Brent Renaud, a friend. He told Camilli they were filming refugees fleeing the area when they were shot at while in a car approaching a checkpoint. The driver turned around but the firing at them continued, Arredondo added.
A statement from Kyiv regional police said that Russian troops opened fire on the car, and that one journalist died. Arredondo said that an ambulance brought him to the hospital and that Renaud was left behind.
9:23 PM
Russian President Vladimir Putin is "frustrated" by the progress his forces have made in Ukraine, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday, as he vowed "every inch of NATO territory" will be defended.
"Vladimir Putin is frustrated by the fact that his forces are not making the kind of progress that he thought they would make against major cities, including (capital) Kyiv; that he is expanding the number of targets, that he is lashing out, and that he is trying to cause damage in every part of the country (reflects that), Sullivan told CNN in an interview.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, leading to intense battles in all major cities and towns of the country. Fragmented cease-fire talks are yet to bear results.
The United States, Sullivan said, has been warning since well before the invasion begun in February that the Russian plans involve attacking all over Ukraine - north, south, east and west.
"So, this (country-wide attack) does not come as a surprise to the American intelligence and national security community," he said.
America, he reiterated, will not have US military forces operating in Ukraine, and there are none operating there now.
"But we will defend every inch of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) territory, even as we seek to provide military assistance to the Ukrainian fighters who are bravely defending their homes and bravely defending their cities, he said.
US President Joe Biden, he said, has been in close contact with the Ukrainian leadership and speaks to his counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy regularly.
9:22 PM
Two elected councillors of the TMC and Congress were shot dead in separate incidents in Panihati and Jhalda areas of West Bengal on Sunday, police said.
Anupam Dutta, the TMC councillor of ward number eight of Panihati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district, was shot at from a close range by unidentified motorcycle-borne youths while he was visiting a park on North Station Road in Agarpara in the evening, a police officer said.
The councillor sustained serious head injuries and was rushed to a private hospital in the area where doctors declared him brought dead, he said, adding that a police contingent has been deployed as the situation was tense.
In Jhalda Municipality of Purulia district, four-time Congress councillor Tapan Kandu was shot dead by unidentified assailants, another police officer said.
The councillor was shot at by three motorcycle-borne youths when he went for a walk near his residence in his ward number two in the evening, he said.
Kandu, who slumped to the ground, was lifted up by locals even as the assailants escaped the spot. He was rushed to a private hospital in Ranchi in neighbouring Jharkhand, where doctors declared him brought dead.
9:21 PM
The Indian voter has always been capable of throwing up surprises and the BJP will also get to know about it one day, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Sunday.
His remarks came in the backdrop of the party's debacle and drubbing in the just-concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur.
The Congress could have done much better in Uttarakhand, and in Goa, "we had very good chances of being the single largest party", Tharoor said at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF).
"But mind you in both the states the number of voters are relatively small, and that perhaps contributed," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.
9:20 PM
8:24 PM
BJP MLA Nitesh Rane has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray requesting that the recently-released film 'The Kashmir Files' be exempted from entertainment tax in the state.
Rane stated in his letter sent on Saturday that the tax break will enable people to see for the first time the correct and true depiction of atrocities inflicted by Muslim terrorists on the Hindu community in Jammu and Kashmir.
'The Kashmir Files' movie, which depicts Hindus who fell prey to Muslim terrorism, should be declared tax-free in the state, Rane stated in the letter written in Marathi.
Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Zee Studios, the film depicts the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir following systematic killings of people from the community by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
It stars Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi among others.
On Sunday, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh governments decided to make 'The Kashmir Files' movie tax-free.
8:08 PM
As the term of five Rajya Sabha members elected from Punjab is going to expire in April, the Election Commission (EC) has announced the schedule for the biennial election to the Upper House of Parliament from the state.
The term of office of Rajya Sabha members Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (Shiromani Akali Dal), Partap Singh Bajwa (Congress), Shwait Malik (BJP), Naresh Gujral (SAD) and Shamsher Singh Dullo (Congress) is due to expire on April 9.
Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju on Sunday said according to the schedule, the notification for the biennial election will be issued on Monday (March 14).
The last date for filing nominations is March 21, while a scrutiny of the nominations will be carried out on March 22, according to an official release.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature has been fixed on March 24.
Polling will be held from 9 am to 4 pm on March 31 and the counting of votes will be taken up at 5 pm on the same day.
The poll process shall be completed before April 2, Raju said.
8:08 PM
The AAP will on Monday stage a protest against the BJP for allegedly forcing the State Election Commission to defer the conduct of municipal polls in the national capital, the party said.
Upping the ante over the issue, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party on Sunday alleged that the poll panel was scheduled to announce the dates for the election to three municipal corporations but deferred it after it was threatened and blackmailed by the ruling BJP.
Election was supposed to be held this month but they (BJP) threatened and blackmailed the SEC and got the elections deferred. The BJP feels that it can do anything in Delhi and nobody would say anything to them, AAP leader Durgesh Pathak said in a video message.
Tomorrow at 10 am, the Aam Aadmi Party workers and the people of Delhi will assemble at our party office and then move to gherao the BJP headquarters against their (BJP) dictatorship and to demand the conduct of MCD (municipal corporations) elections, he said.
The AAP will prepare its strategy for a big fight against the BJP's dictatorship, he added.
8:06 PM
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said Pakistan could have responded to India after its missile landed in his country's Punjab province but it observed restraint.
On March 9, an unarmed Indian supersonic missile entered Pakistani territory, endangering several airliners during the course of its flight before hitting a private property (cold storage) near Mian Channu, some 275-km from Lahore. No loss of life was reported.
Speaking for the first time on the incident, Prime Minister Khan said, "We could have responded after an Indian missile fell in Mian Channu but we observed restraint."
He was addressing a public rally in Punjab's Hafizabad district on Sunday afternoon in the face of a no-confidence motion moved against him by the joint opposition.
Khan also talked about the country's defence preparedness, saying "we have to make our defence and country strong."
Earlier, Pakistan's Foreign Office on Saturday said it was not satisfied with India's "simplistic explanation" on the "accidental firing" of a missile that landed in Pakistan's Punjab province and demanded a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident.
"Pakistan has proposed to New Delhi a joint probe into the incident to establish facts since the missile had landed into Pakistani territory," Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO)said and asked why India failed to inform Pakistan immediately about the accidental launch' of the missile and raised questions regarding the Indian safeguards against such happenings.
"Pakistan demands a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident, the FO said.
India claimed that the missile was fired accidentally' during a routine maintenance operation because of a technical malfunction and said a high-level court of enquiry' had been ordered into the incident.
8:04 PM
President Joe Biden is sending his national security adviser for talks with a senior Chinese official in Rome on Monday as concerns grow that China is amplifying Russian disinformation in the Ukraine war and may help Russia evade punishment from economic sanctions.
The talks between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi will center on efforts to manage the competition between our two countries and discuss the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on regional and global security," said Emily Horne, speaking for the White House national security council.
The White House has accused Beijing of spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support. U.S. officials said China was attempting to provide cover for a potential biological or chemical weapons attack on Ukrainians by the Russian military.
Sullivan said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that when Russia starts accusing other countries of preparing to launch biological or chemical attacks, it's a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves.
He also said China and other countries should not try to help Russia work around the sanctions and the U.S. has made it clear that other countries should not bail out the Russian economy. We will ensure that neither China nor anyone else can compensate Russia for these losses, Sullivan said.
7:10 PM
The Indian Army on Sunday said that one terrorist has been eliminated in Ganderbal district in Jammu and Kashmir and recovered a "warlike store".
Following, the area was cordoned and contact was established with the terrorists.
A joint operation by security forces was launched at midnight on March 12 under the name of 'Operation Kaubagh' in Ganderbal. The area was cordoned and contact established. The firefight ensued and one terrorist was eliminated. Warlike stores recovered. The joint operation is over," reads a tweet by the Chinar Corps of Indian Army.
Earlier in the day, the Army said two terrorists were eliminated in Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.
More details are awaited.
7:09 PM
Former Maharashtra chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, whose statement was recorded in the phone tapping case said that he had submitted the documents of the case to the Union Home Secretary and not media.
Speaking to media persons after recording his statement with Mumbai Cyber Police on Sunday, Fadnavis said that he is the "whistleblower" of this case.
Slamming the Maharashtra government, he alleged that they had been brushing aside the case for the past six months.
"A police team recorded my statement in the transfer posting case (which pertains to phone tapping case). I answered all questions. Maharashtra government had been brushing aside the case for the past six months. I am a whistleblower of this case," the BJP leader said.
"I submitted the documents regarding State's transfer case to Union Home Secretary. I have not shared the documents with the media," he added.
A team of Mumbai Police visited his residence to record his statement.
"I was asked questions as if I am the accused in the case. I clearly told them that I did not give these documents to the press. I made an announcement in the press but gave the documents to the competent authority," he said.
Fadnavis further alleged that the state government was hiding these documents and he pulled them out and handed them over to the competent authority.
6:12 PM
A team of Mumbai Cyber Police on Sunday recorded the statement of former Maharashtra Chief Minister and leader of Opposition in state Assembly Devendra Fadnavis in connection with the transfer posting case.
Speaking to the media Fadnavis said, "A police team recorded my statement in the transfer, posting case. I answered all questions. Maharashtra government had been brushing aside the case for the past six months. I am a whistleblower of this case."
Fadnavis was questioned for two hours in the case on Sunday by the Mumbai police. Cyber cell's ACP Nitin Jadhav and two other officers went to Fadnavis' house to record his statement. DCP Hemraj Singh Rajput and ACP Nitin Jadhav arrived.
All BJP leaders were present at Fadnavis's house.
"I have submitted the documents regarding the state's transfer case to Union Home Secretary. I haven't shared the documents with the media", added Fadnavis.
The police tightened security outside the residence of the BJP leader.
6:11 PM
A rivalry with Russia. A proxy battleground. Nuclear brinksmanship. For many generations of Americans, it's just like old times.
The invasion of Ukraine has rapidly returned echoes of a Cold War mentality to the United States, with a familiar foe in Russia. Bars have poured out their Russian vodka. McDonald's, a symbol of the end of the Soviet Union when it first opened in Moscow, has shuttered its Russian locations. Once again, a U.S. president sees a pitched ideological battle. We will save democracy, President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address.
For an America where Russia never quite went out of style as an evergreen villain in film and television, revived tensions with the Kremlin have drawn from a well-worn geopolitical script. A familiar, chilly East-West wind is blowing again.
It's very much a Cold War echo, says James Hershberg, professor of history and international affairs at Georgetown University and former director of the Cold War International History Project of the Woodrow Wilson Center.
Hershberg sees much that's different about today's inflamed tensions with Russia. Vladimir Putin's aggressions, he says, don't seem driven by ideology the way communism was for the Soviet Union. A transformed media landscape, too, has helped turn Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into a global protagonist.
But in a crisis that pits two nuclear superpowers on opposing sides, history is repeating in other ways. A Russian strategic overreach, Hershberg says, is again sparking a potentially perilous moment in international order.
We are in a second Cuban Missile Crisis in many ways in terms of the danger of escalation, says Hershberg, whose books include Marigold: The Lost Chance for Peace in Vietnam. Putin is acting so irrationally he makes Nikita Khrushchev appear like a rational actor in comparison.
The largest land conflict in Europe since World War II, Russia's two-plus weeks of war in Ukraine has rallied Western alliances like few events before it. In repudiating Putin's invasion, the U.S. and its European allies have enacted crippling economic sanctions on Russia -- which Biden on Tuesday extended to Russian crude oil -- while still drawing the line on military engagement with Russia.
If we're talking about a capitalized Cold War, I don't think I could call this Cold War II, says Fredrik Logevall, professor of history and international affairs at Harvard and Pulitzer-Prize winning author most recently of JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956.
6:08 PM
As Congress' top brass met to deliberate on its recent electoral debacle, its leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday pointed to the party having the largest number of MLAs in the country in the Opposition camp and asserted that it was "worth reforming and reviving".
Taking to Twitter, Tharoor shared a list of the number of MLAs that respective parties in the county have nationwide. According to the list shared by him, the Congress has over 750 MLAs, the most after the BJP which has over 1,400 legislators.
It was not clear when this list was compiled as the Samajwadi Party, which won 111 seats in the recent Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, did not figure, though it did have some parties with less than 100 legislators.
''This is why incindia remains by far the most credible of the national opposition parties. It's also why it's worth reforming & reviving,'' he said sharing the list.
The Congress lost Punjab to the AAP, could not wrest Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur from the BJP and gave its worst performance in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress Working Committee met on Sunday to discuss the outcome of the assembly elections in five states as the opposition party reels from the latest electoral debacle.
After the crushing defeat in the assembly polls, party MP Shashi Tharoor had on Thursday said it is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and reform the party's organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people.
Tharoor, who was among the Group of 23 leaders, who wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking an organisational overhaul, also said "change is unavoidable" for the party to succeed.
5:50 PM
Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather Sunday in cities across Europe to protest against the ongoing war in Ukraine, with small rallies taking place in Russia as well despite a crackdown by authorities against such demonstrations.
Trade unions called a protest in Berlin where sunny weather was expected to boost the turnout. Organizers planned to march from the city's Alexanderplatz a large square named after Russian Tsar Alexander I to a site near the Brandenburg Gate.
Protests were also planned in Warsaw, London, Madrid, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Stuttgart.
In Russia, where protests against the war in Ukraine have typically met with a heavy police response, rights group OVD-Info said 135 people had been detained in 20 cities as of early afternoon Moscow time.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian nationals in Taiwan and supporters staged a march Sunday in Taipei to protest the Russian invasion.
5:40 PM
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday (Local Time) held talks with the Polish President Andrzej Duda and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov where he discussed the current situation in Ukraine calling Russia an "aggressor" committing crimes against the country.
Taking to Twitter, Zelesnkyy wrote, "Held talks with President @AndrzejDuda and Prime Minister @KirilPetkov. Informed on the course of Ukraine's defence, the crimes of the Russian aggressor. We appreciate the assistance provided and the support of for Ukraine's integration."
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republic requested help in 'defending themselves.'
The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. The West, however, denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine.
5:38 PM
Just three days after AAP marked its maiden stupendous victory in Punjab, party convener Arvind Kejriwal, accompanied by Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann, on Sunday paid obeisance at the holiest Sikh and Hindu shrines in the city and later in a victory road show thanked the people for giving thumping win to the party.
Stressing that three crore Punjabis have ushered in an "inquilab" (revolution), the Delhi Chief Minister said for the first time after so many years, Punjab has got an honest Chief Minister.
"'Tusi kamaal kar dita' (you did wonders). I love you Punjab. The whole world knew that Punjabis bring revolution, but still could not believe that such an incredible 'inquilab' could sweep. All were defeated, Sukhbir ji, Parkash Singh Badal ji, Manpreet Badal got defeated, Channi defeated on both the seats, Majithia ji, Navjot Singh Sidhu ji tasted defeat," he said.
"Now all the money will be spent on Punjab and its people. We will fulfill all the guarantees and make a 'rangla' or happy Punjab," he added.
5:32 PM
AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for successfully evacuating Indians, especially students from war-hit Ukraine.
In a letter to the Prime Minister on Sunday, he noted that 'Operation Ganga' was highly successful and even students from Bangladesh and Pakistan were evacuated by Indians.
He said that the safe evacuation of students who were caught in Sumy through a humanitarian corridor with the cooperation of both Russia and Ukraine was remarkable, and said that this was due to the personal rapport that Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys with the foreign leaders and the Indian diplomacy working at its best.
5:31 PM
At least nine people were injured as supporters of a political party allegedly attacked them for voting against their candidate here, police said on Sunday.
Seventeen people have been booked in connection with the incident that occurred in Nagmalpur village under Suriyawan police station limits, eastern Uttar Pradesh, here on Saturday evening, they said.
The case was registered based on a complaint by one Suresh Kumar Gupta, Station House Officer of Suriyawan police station Bhuvneshwar Kumar Pandey said.
A group of men attacked another group on Saturday evening. Several police teams were rushed to the spot to maintain law and order. We have lodged a case regarding the matter and investigation is underway, he said.
The injured were sent to the nearby government hospital for treatment, he said.
The 17 accused have been booked under Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code, the official said.
The area comes under Bhadohi assembly seat, where Zahid Beg of the Samajwadi Party defeated BJP's Ravindra Nath Tripathi recently.
5:30 PM
Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai has summoned the session of the state legislative Assembly on March 15 for new MLAs to take oath.
A circular issued in this regard also said MLA-elect Ganesh Gaonkar will be administered oath as pro-tem speaker on March 14 at Raj Bhavan by the governor after which the former would conduct the oath taking ceremony for other legislators.
The BJP won 20 seats in the polls to the 40-member Assembly, voting for which was held on February 14 and the results were declared on March 10.
The BJP, which has been promised support by three Independent MLAs, will stake claim to form a government in the coastal state on Monday, sources said.
Topics :CoronavirusArvind KejriwalRussia Ukraine ConflictUP electionsCWC meetCongressBJPAAPAssembly electionsRahul GandhiNarendra Modi
First Published: Mar 13 2022 | 6:30 AM IST
