Live: Ukraine now seen as a war of attrition amid new bombings
Live news updates: Chinese says NATO shouldn't expand east; India's forex reserves record biggest drop in 2 years.
 "Live: Ukraine now seen as a war of attrition amid new bombings")
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Live news updates: Chinese says NATO shouldn't expand east; India's forex reserves record biggest drop in 2 years.
1 min read Last Updated : Mar 20 2022 | 11:48 PM IST
11:48 PM
Pakistan said on Sunday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi would attend the conference of foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) here.
Pakistan is hosting the 48th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the OIC here on March 22-23, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Foreign Ministers and high-level dignitaries from OIC Member and Observer States are attending the CFM. They will also witness the Pakistan Day Parade on March 23 as Guests of Honour.
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi of the People's Republic of China will attend as a Special Guest, said the FO.
Senior officials from non-OIC countries, senior representatives from the United Nations system, regional and international organisations, including the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council will also participate in the conference.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will deliver the keynote address at the Inaugural Session on March 22.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will chair the CFM.
The FO said that the CFM assumes special significance given the backdrop of opportunities and challenges before the Muslim world in the political, security, social and economic spheres.
Apart from an appraisal of the global and regional landscapes, the CFM will inter alia reaffirm the long-standing solidarity and support of its membership with the people of Palestine; reiterate its resolve to combat rising Islamophobia; and discuss strategies to counter the effects of climate change, vaccine inequity and erosion in progress towards SDGs.
11:34 PM
Pakistan on Sunday signed an agreement with a Canadian company to develop one the world's largest gold and copper mining projects in the country's restive Balochistan province.
Popularly known as the Reko Diq project in Chagai area of the province, the project would be developed by the Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada.
According to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Imran Khan witnessed the signing ceremony between the Government of Pakistan, the Government of Balochistan and the Canadian company.
The signing was made possible after successfully resolving the longstanding dispute with Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) concerning the development of copper and gold mines in Chagai, popularly known as the Reko Diq dispute.
A new agreement was signed today by representatives of the federal and Balochistan Governments with a delegation of Barrick Gold, led by Chief Executive Dr Mark Bristow, according to the statement.
The new project company shall be owned 50 per cent by Barrick Gold. The remaining 50 per cent shareholding shall be owned by Pakistan, divided equally between the federal and the provincial government of Balochistan.
11:32 PM
Samajwadi Party (SP) is set to celebrate the 112th birth anniversary of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia on March 23, stated a letter by State President Naresh Uttam on Sunday.
The letter urged the SP leaders to organize programmes at all district level offices on March 23. The letter also stated, "the party workers and leaders should have a discussion on the principles and policies of Dr Lohiya and should take motivation to walk on his foot-steps.
11:31 PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleeps for only two hours every day and is doing an experiment so that he will not have to sleep and can work for the country for 24 hours, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil has claimed.
Patil made these remarks recently while addressing BJP workers in Kolhapur ahead of the Kolhapur north Assembly bypoll.
PM Modi sleeps for only two hours and works for 22 hours every day. He is experimenting now so that he need not have to sleep, Patil claimed, adding the prime minister works every minute for the country.
Patil said that Modi is trying to prevent sleep so that he can stay awake for 24 hours and work for the country. "He doesn't waste a single minute," he added.
The BJP leader said the prime minister works very efficiently and is aware of happenings in any party in the country.
11:29 PM
Nearly 13 million children in Afghanistan are in dire need of international assistance, said communications chief for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Afghanistan, Sam Mort, according to a media report.
"Afghanistan is a tough place to be a child, there are huge challenges right now in being a child. There are 13 million in need of humanitarian aid, there are 4 million out of school. We know that 8 out of 10 people in Afghanistan are drinking water that is infected with bacteria. We need to do better for the children of Afghanistan," Tolo News quoted Mort as saying.
The UNICEF communications chief called on donors to provide USD 2 billion in aid as soon as possible for providing educational and health services for Afghan children. However, she added that it is only 15 per cent funded.
Meanwhile, Afghan brother-sister duo-- Ahmad and Zainab-- have expressed worries that they might have to leave school to be the breadwinners of their family.
"I do not have the money to buy pen and a notebook to go to school, I work to find bread for my family. My father has a disability and cannot work," the media outlet quoted Ahmad, a child labourer as saying.
"Some nights we sleep hungry, we do not have anything to eat," said Zainab, who is also a child labourer.
Notably, children's rights institutions have expressed concern regarding the challenges faced by Afghan children, which, according to UNICEF, have risen to unprecedented levels due to the recent developments in the country and the economic crisis in Afghanistan, according to Tolo News.
Mass poverty in Afghanistan that is triggered by people's displacement, unemployment, conflicts, and now political transformation have led millions of people to starve.
Children are the most affected among them as they are now suffering from the spread of measles in the country, Khaama Press reported.
11:12 PM
TMC candidate for by-election to the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency Shatrughan Sinha on Sunday took a jibe at the BJP for labelling him as an outsider, wondering what the saffron party makes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi contesting from Varanasi.
Sinha, who would be filing his nomination on Monday, told reporters at Andal Airport in Paschim Bardhaman district that he was sure the electorate of Asansol would root for Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who always stood for the development of Bengal.
If for national figures like the PM, contesting the Lok Sabha polls from anywhere is accepted, then the same holds true for me as well, the actor-turned-politician said.
Bengal BJP leaders like Sukanta Majumdar and Agnimitra Paul had recently labelled Sinha as an outsider in the state.
Sinha said he was touched by the love and warmth of the people of Asansol, pointing towards the cheering crowd at the airport.
The BJP would be trounced by the people of Asansol, who will vote for insaf' (justice), he asserted.
Sinha is pitted against BJP's Agnimitra Paul.
11:10 PM
After the Cabinet expansion of the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Punjab government, party's national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the party's Punjab affairs co-in-charge Raghav Chadha on Sunday held a meeting with all their party MLAs in the states.
Kejriwal, attending the meeting through video conferencing, briefed the MLAs on the party's objectives and working methods.
He said that after winning elections in four states, BJP's new Chief Ministers haven't taken oath, let alone do any work of the people.
"Our Bhagwant Mann sahib became the Chief Minister and has also taken many historic decisions for the people. CM Mann has done tremendous work for the people of Punjab in the last three days. In his first cabinet meeting, 25,000 government jobs have been announced for the youth of Punjab, this has raised hope among the people.
"I am not congratulating all my MLAs and ministers of Punjab, I am wishing them all the best, so that they can serve the public with full dedication and can live up to the expectations of the people," he said.
On many senior MLAs not becoming ministers, Kejriwal said that those MLAs who are not given ministerial berths should not underestimate themselves.
10:53 PM
Farooq Khan, an advisor to Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, submitted his resignation on Sunday evening, officials said here.
Khan, a retired IPS officer who was instrumental in curbing terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s, is being given "important assignment" in the BJP, the officials said.
He is likely to be assigned the responsibility of preparing the party for assembly elections in the union territory.
He had earlier served as a national secretary of the BJP and held various posts in the party's minority cell.
Though the poll schedule has not been announced yet, the officials expect that the elections will be held after October following completion of the ongoing delimitation exercise by May.
10:24 PM
Senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy on Sunday said all those in the party were responsible for its debacle in the five States that went to Assembly polls recently.
In his virtual press meet, Narayanasamy said, "it is not correct to say that the poor showing of the party in the five States was attributable to the party leadership. All are responsible for the debacle of the Congress in one way or the other." He said, "Party men should not be demoralized by the defeat of the party in five States. Failures are stepping stones to success and hence Congress should evolve a strategy to emerge victorious in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, although the verdict in the polls in the five States was a shock and disappointment." Narayanasamy also wanted the Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy to ensure that a full-fledged budget for the fiscal 2022-2023 was presented on the floor of the Assembly as there was likelihood of only interim budget (vote on account) for the next fiscal.
"When Rangasamy is heading an NDA government which includes BJP, he can procure sufficient funds from the NDA government at the Centre," he said. Narayanasamy also wanted the territorial government to ensure that there was fair selection of candidates to various posts in government departments.
10:22 PM
Yemen's Houthi rebels unleashed a barrage of drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia that targeted key facilities including natural gas and desalination plants early Sunday, sparking a small fire at one site and temporarily cutting oil production at another.
The salvo marked the latest escalation in the rebels' attacks on the kingdom as the war in Yemen rages into its eighth year and peace talks stall.
The attacks did not cause casualties, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen said, but damaged nearby civilian vehicles and homes.
In a separate incident, the coalition also said it destroyed a remotely piloted boat packed with explosives dispatched by the Houthis in the busy southern Red Sea.
Hours after oil giant Aramco's CEO told reporters the attacks had no impact on oil supplies, the energy ministry acknowledged that a drone strike targeting the Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company caused a temporary reduction in the refinery's production."
The disruption, coming as oil prices spike in an already-tight energy market, will be compensated for from the inventory," the ministry said in a statement, without elaborating.
10:22 PM
A 36-member delegation from the gulf countries has arrived in Jammu to explore investment opportunities
in the union territory, officials said on Sunday.
The delegation arrived following an invitation by J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the Dubai Expo in January this year, the officials said.
The delegation includes top businessmen from real estate, hospitality, telecom, import-export, and other sectors, and has also among it a member of the ruling family in Sharjah.
The delegation also includes one diplomat, a few educationists, and one journalist, they said.
As part of the four-day programme, the UT administration will apprise the party of investment opportunities in the region, with a focus on tourism and hospitality sector, the officials said.
The delegation will also visit the famous tourist spots of Pahalgam and Gulmarg to explore investment opportunities there, they said.
10:21 PM
There will be consequences for China if it decides to provide substantial military or financial support to the Russians that allow them to escape sanctions, a top American diplomat warned on Sunday.
In a call with China's President Xi Jinping on Saturday, US President Joe Biden detailed the implications and consequences if Beijing were to provide material support to Russia in its attacks against Ukraine, the White House has said.
Biden spoke at length with China's leader to dissuade Beijing from providing aid to Moscow.
US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told CNN in an interview that Biden was clear about his discussion with Xi, in which he made our position very well-known that there will be consequences if China decides to provide substantial military or financial support to the Russians that allow them to avoid the sanctions.
The conversation was two hours long, but it was extraordinarily frank, it was detailed and substantive. And we made our position clear to the Chinese, she said.
They're in an uncomfortable position. They have been put in a position of defending Russia against our principles of sovereignty and integrity of borders. So, they have to decide where they will go from this point, and not sit on the fence, and call out the Russian aggression for what it is, and not put themselves in the position of defending what is indefensible, Thomas-Greenfield said about Beijing.
Accusing Russia of invading Ukraine in violation of all international norms, she said it is unconscionable for Russia to force Ukrainian citizens into Russia, and put them in what will basically be concentration and prisoner camps.
Scores of Ukrainians from the besieged port city of Mariupol, who were forcibly deported to Russia are "disturbing" and "unconscionable" if true, Thomas-Greenfield asserted.
So, this is something that we need to verify. Russia should not be moving Ukrainian citizens against their will into Russia, she said.
10:17 PM
Ukrainian authorities said Sunday that Russia's military bombed an art school sheltering some 400 people in the port city of Mariupol, where heavy street fighting was underway weeks into a devastating Russian siege.
The fall of Mariupol would allow Russian forces in southern and eastern Ukraine to link up. But Western military analysts say that even if the surrounded city is taken, the troops battling for control there a block at a time may be too depleted to help secure Russian breakthroughs on other fronts.
Three weeks into the invasion, Western governments and analysts see the conflict shifting to a war of attrition, with bogged down Russian forces launching long-range missiles at cities and military bases as Ukrainian forces carry out hit-and-run attacks and seek to sever their supply lines.
Ukrainians have not greeted Russian soldiers with a bunch of flowers, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN, but with weapons in their hand.
Moscow cannot hope to rule the country, he added, given Ukrainians' enmity toward the Russian forces.
10:15 PM
J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday thanked people for their participation in the year-old radio programme Awaam Ki Awaaz and making their positive suggestions for the multilateral growth of the Union Territory.
Awaam Ki Awaaz completes one year. This radio programme for public participation is committed to strengthen Jan Bhagidari at the grass-root level and establish accountable, transparent, responsive, effective, efficient, equitable and inclusive governance, Sinha said.
Through Awaam Ki Awaaz, which is aired on all local and primary channels of All India Radio (AIR) and broadcast on Doordarshan Kashir, he said we have received numerous suggestions for reforms in health, education, rural-urban development, cultural rejuvenation and balanced regional development.
Sinha said the administration has taken concrete steps on suggestions received from the listeners to meet the needs of the community and make the system accountable to the public.
I also thank Jammu and Kashmir All India Radio and Doordarshan for their continuous support, he said.
During this month's episode, Lt Governor Sinha highlighted the transformation taking place on the ground as a result of good administrative practices.
The ambitious plan to develop Budgam's Kanihama village, famous for its Kani shawls, into a Craft Tourism Village is now in its final stage. Also, the scheme to provide affordable accommodation at Doodhpathri that was pending for many years have been completed, he said.
Sinha also praised the Bandipora district administration for innovative digital intervention to track developments in Panchayats and said every district must replicate the good practices of other districts and make concerted efforts to bring about a positive change in the lives of people.
10:12 PM
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan on Sunday said he would definitely watch "The Kashmir Files" as it is a part of Indian history that breaks the hearts of all.
He was speaking at a fan event for the S.S. Rajamouli film "RRR" here in the national capital.
"Jo Kashmir main hua Kashmiri panditon ke saath woh yakeenan bahut dukh ki baat hai," he noted. "Aesi ek film jo bani hai us topic main woh yakeenan har Hindustani ko dekhna chahiye aur har hindustani ko yaad karna chahjye (What happened to Kashmiri Pandits is a matter of great sorrow. Such a film must be watched by all Indians so that they can remember what occurred)."
"This film has touched the emotions of all people who believe in humanity and that is what is so beautiful about it," Aamir said. "I will definitely watch the film and I am happy to see that the film is successful," he added.
"The Kashmir Files", helmed by Vivek Agnihotri, and starring Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumaar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi, has been breaking one box office record after another since its March 11 release.
10:10 PM
The COVID-19 pandemic has not gone away, Indian-origin US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned on Sunday, saying that cases may rise and fall in the months to come.
Murthy also expressed his concern over the lack of funding to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
When we look at what's happening around the world and over the last two years, we recognise that when cases increase in one part of the world, that often leads to increases in the other part of the world. And we should be prepared that, you know, COVID hasn't gone away, he told Fox News in an interview.
There may be rises and falls in cases in the months ahead. But here's the key, our goal is to keep people out of the hospital, it's to save their lives, and we have more tools to do that than ever before. So our focus should be on preparation, not on panic. And if we get people these tools, vaccines, boosters, treatments, then we can actually get through waves that may come and go.
The thing that concerns me right now is that as much work as we've done in the last two years to get the right tools, we've got to continue funding them and supporting them so they are available to people across the country. That's what Congress moving to provide that funding is so cortical, Murthy said.
During the last wave of the omicron variant, most sick were unvaccinated.
So, the bottom line is those vaccinations and boosters work and the treatments that we now have in greater quantities than ever before, those also help to reduce our risk, but you'd rather prevent an infection than get it and treat it. That's why these vaccines and boosters are essential, he asserted.
10:09 PM
The Maharashtra government has issued guidelines ahead of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's birth anniversary (celebrated as per Hindu tithi) on Monday and asked people to observe it while adhering to COVID-19 norms.
The state home department's guidelines said cultural programmes must be organised keeping in mind pandemic norms and rules as laid down by the local administration and police.
Maharashtra has been witnessing a sharp drop in COVID-19 cases over the past few days, with the addition to the tally being 113 on Sunday.
It has a caseload of 78,72,413, which includes 1,43,767 deaths.
9:56 PM
Cyclone Asani is projected to move along and off the Andaman Islands towards Myanmar and south Bangladesh coast, India Meteorological Department Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Sunday.
He clarified that the cyclone will not make a landfall in Andaman Islands.
The weather system is expected to intensify first into a deep depression and later into a cyclonic storm on Monday.
As per our forecast, the weather system would move nearly northward along and off Andaman Islands towards Myanmar and adjoining south Bangladesh coast, Mohapatra said.
It is clearly evident from the forecast track as shown in our forecast track graphics. However, it is likely to have continued impact in terms of rainfall wind and waves as predicted and mentioned in the bulletin, he said.
According to a special bulletin issued by the IMD, the depression over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining south Andaman Sea moved north-northeastwards at a speed of 12 kmph and lay centered at 17.30 hours (5.30pm) IST on Sunday over north Andaman Sea.
It is likely to move nearly northwards along and off Andaman and Nicobar Islands, intensify into a deep depression during the next 12 hours and into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 12 hours, the IMD bulletin said.
9:40 PM
Alona Fartukhova has been coming to Berlin's Ukrainian Orthodox Christian community every day since she arrived in Germany five days ago from war-torn Kyiv.
The 20-year-old refugee has been attending daily prayers for peace and helped organise donations for her compatriots back home.
On Sunday, Fartukhova joined dozens of other Ukrainian worshippers at a red brick stone church in the German capital who sang together, lit candles, and received blessings from the head of the community, Father Oleh Polianko.
Later they put medical crutches, sleeping bags, diapers, big boxes of gummi bears and countless jars of pickles which were piling up everywhere inside the church into big cardboard boxes to be send to Ukraine.
It's some help for our army, and it is ... a lot of things for children said the university student, who fled by herself and is now living at a hotel in Berlin, as she stacked boxes onto the church pews.
"It is so good that a lot of people support us, we really appreciate it.
Across Europe, Ukrainians gathered for church services on Sunday to pray for peace in their war-torn country.
Newly arrived refugees mingled with long-time members of Europe's 1.5 million-strong Ukrainian diaspora at houses of worship all over the continent from Germany to Romania to Moldova.
9:24 PM
The code of ethics for news publishers, over-the-top (OTT) platforms and digital media has helped in bringing about "a lot of discipline" in the sector, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Joint Secretary Vikram Sahay said on Sunday.
The joint secretary was speaking at a roundtable on news broadcasting at the India Pavilion during the EXPO2020 Dubai here.
In India, there's no permission required to launch an OTT platform, Sahay said.
"There are about 40-50 OTT platforms in India, none of them have to either register or seek prior permission. All of them have evolved in their own way depending on their business models and plans.
"Not only international platforms like Netflix and Amazon, but also a lot of OTT channels domestically have come up, including the ones in the regional languages. Only on content we have a code of ethics that we evolved a year back," he added.
Last year, the Indian government said a code of ethics and three-tier grievance redressal mechanism would be applicable for news publishers, OTT platforms and digital media.
9:23 PM
Jammu and Kashmir has the second highest unemployment rate in the country at 46 per cent, the National Conference said on Saturday, citing a report which, it said, contrasts the government's claims on job creation post Article 370's abrogation.
The "Periodic Labour Force Survey April-June 2021" released by the statistics and programme implementation ministry is in stark contrast to the "false realities" projected by the Centre on fostering employment in Jammu and Kashmir after the article was revoked, party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said.
The data published by the premier government agency flies in the face of the central government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration's claims on swelling employment opportunities in the union territory, he said, adding it has punctured their claims.
"The report hasn't caught us by surprise. We have been saying this all this while that the unemployment charts have soared since the reading down of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. What is worrying here is that the figures have made a quantum jump from previous levels," Dar said.
The article, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated and the state was bifurcated into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The magnitude of the joblessness can be assessed by the fact that key recruiting agency JKSSB has collected Rs 77 crore as examination fee between March 2016 and September 2020 from job hunting candidates, according to an RTI application, he said.
9:21 PM
The gate was demolished by the Public Works Department on March 15 for widening of road.
Opposition BJP condemned the Ashok Gehlot-led state government for the action, while several right wing organisations have threatened to protest against the action.
"Demolishing Ram Darbar and entry gate to Salasar Balaji in the name of development is unfortunate and condemnable. Is this the only development of Congress government?" former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said in a tweet.
BJP Rajasthan tweeted, 'Nocturnal act' of Gehlot government in Sujangarh! In the dark night, the Gehlot government ran a bulldozer on the idols of Lord Ram and his Darbar. Gehlot ji, we will not forget...
Churu MLA Rajendra Rathore threatened to agitate and raise the matter in the assembly, while demanding action against all the guilty officials.
Other BJP leaders including state president Satish Poonia and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also targeted the state government.
Reacting on the issue, Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra said that BJP is trying to make an issue out of a non-issue.
"BJP wants to do politics in the name of religion. The gate was removed as it was coming in the way of road widening," he told reporters.
"They want to make an issue out of a non-issue. They are the people who had demolished 370 temples in Jaipur during their rule."
He said that Lord Ram belongs to everyone and that the Congress has always honoured Gods and Godesses.
He accused the BJP of indulging in hypocrisy because elections are near.
8:47 PM
Congress leader Manish Tewari on Sunday urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to consult the state's advocate general on the Bhakra Beas Management Board issue to explore legal options against the recent change in rules for selection of its members.
The change in appointment rules for top officers to the board has raked up a storm with many political parties in Punjab and Haryana criticising the Centre.
The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which is a statutory body under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, and manages the water resources of Sutlej and Beas, has a whole-time chairman and two members for irrigation and power.
Political leaders have claimed that according to the BBMB Rules, 1974, the member (power) in BBMB was from Punjab and the member (irrigation) was from Haryana but the requirement has been removed in the amended rules.
"Request Chief Minister Punjab @BhagwantMann to consult with his advocate general to explore the possibility of filing an original suit under Article 131 of COI (Constitution of India) challenging BBMB (Amendment) Rules. 2022, as they discriminate against Punjab," Tewari, the MP from Anandpur Sahib, said.
He also said that as an MP from Punjab, he will file objections.
8:44 PM
The war between Russia and Ukraine has galvanized Taiwanese as a poll shows that more than 70 per cent of Taiwanese citizens are willing to militarily defend the country in the event of war against China.
Asia Times reported that there is also growing public support for overhauling military reservists' training and, if necessary, extending mandatory military service in order to ensure "total defense" against any prospective invasion by Taiwan's giant neighbour in the future.
It's almost a month into Russia's action in Ukraine, there is still no definitive end in sight Russia's bombardment of major Ukrainian cities continues unabated, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis that is spilling into Eastern Europe.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke virtually for approximately two hours on the "Ukraine situation." Xi told Biden that the action "is not something we want to see," according to Chinese summations of the discussion, and that "the events again show that countries should not come to the point of meeting on the battlefield."
Biden reportedly requested the call after some Chinese officials issued conflicting statements concerning their support for Ukraine and Russia. He also warned of "consequences" if China is found to provide material support to Russia's military action in Ukraine.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war.
8:43 PM
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has taken an initiative to serve food free of cost to attendants of patients admitted at six hospitals in the national capital.
According to a Lok Sabha Secretariat statement, Birla will flag off six "Prasadam Raths" (food trucks) from his official residence in the national capital on Monday.
These trucks, made available by Birla to 'Aao Sath Chale' organisation, have facilities for cooking and heating food.
Hot, hygienic and nutritious food will be served from these trucks to attendants of patients admitted at six hospitals, including Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and Lady Hardinge Hospital.
Till now the organisation was providing food in packets to the attendants of 1,000 patients admitted at four hospitals every day. The initiative has now been expanded on the initiative of Birla, according to the statement.
There are plans to extend the service to other hospitals in the national capital, it added.
8:42 PM
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday accused the BJP of pushing the country towards another division by dividing people on religious lines.
The former J&K chief minister hurled the allegation while praising first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru for his secular credentials and steering India on the path of development and prosperity.
(Pakistani founder Muhammad Ali) Jinnah divided this country in the past but today every attempt is being made to divide the country once again on communal lines. These people (BJP) want another division, Mehbooba said, addressing party workers in R S Pura near here.
The former chief minister said the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, was killed by Nathu Ram Godse and his ideology is being practised today by hundreds and thousands of Godse's followers.
She said the people have to fight the nefarious designs of the BJP and other fascist forces unitedly.
If we allow this religious division to happen, the sacrifice of freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh will go in vain. Therefore, do not allow Gandhi to die once again, she said, adding her party would not allow the Gandhian ideology to die.
8:41 PM
Tamil Nadu on Sunday added 56 new coronavirus cases, pushing the overall caseload to 34,52,390.
Recoveries outnumbered new infections with 106 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 34,13,745 leaving 620 active infections, a medical bulletin said.
The toll remained unchanged with 38,025 fatalities. Chennai was leading with 22 new cases while the 16 districts reported infections in single digit. The state capital also leads with 7,50,900 cases overall.
Ariyalur, Karur, Mayiladuthurai and Villupuram recorded zero active infections, each.
A total of 35,500 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined to 6.52 crore, the bulletin said.
8:41 PM
Karnataka on Sunday registered 109 fresh coronavirus cases and two related fatalities thereby taking the total case count in the state to 39,44,714 and toll to 40,037, respectively.
As many as 143 patients got discharged on the day and the number of recoveries across the state has now reached 39,02,640, according to a health bulletin.
Of the new cases, 91 were from Bengaluru Urban that also recorded 125 recoveries and one death, the bulletin said.
The number of active cases across the State was 1,995.
While the positivity rate for the day was 0.39 per cent, the case fatality rate was 1.83 per cent.
The two deaths reported today were from Bengaluru Urban and Hassan.
8:40 PM
With the aim to empower and provide children across geographies with equal learning opportunities, BYJU's has collaborated with Coimbatore-based Isha Vidhya, a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Under the partnership, Isha Vidhya and BYJU's would provide digital learning tools to underprivileged children in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
This initiative of BYJU's would make the nation known for high-quality school education that is accessible and affordable to all, especially children in rural areas, a press release said here on Sunday.
8:38 PM
Australia on Sunday said that the Quad member countries have accepted India's position on the crisis in Ukraine and it is evident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been using his contacts to call for an end to the conflict in that country.
The comments by Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell came a day before a virtual summit between Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during which they are set to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
"The Quad countries have accepted India's position. We understand that each country has a bilateral relationship and it is clear from the comments of the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) and Prime Minister Modi himself that he has used his contacts to call for the end of the conflict and no country will be unhappy with that," he told reporters.
The Australian envoy was asked about increasing disquiet in the West over India's position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its purchase of discounted crude oil from Russia.
Separately, diplomatic sources said India's position on the Russian attack on Ukraine appeared to be driven by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's policy in 1957 that India was not in the business of condemnation and it focuses on creating a space for resolution of conflicts.
"No one has ever accused India of supporting what is going on in Ukraine. What India seems to be doing is trying to operate within the policy outlined by Nehru 65 years back," said a source.
Topics :CoronavirusVladimir PutinVolodymyr ZelenskyRussia Ukraine ConflictIndia economyToday News
First Published: Mar 20 2022 | 6:26 AM IST
