Page 125 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Russia launches first drone strike on Ukraine's capital Kyiv in 12 days

After a relative lull, Russia launched a drone attack early Sunday on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, officials said. It was the first such attack of the war in 12 days. All of the Iranian-made Shahed exploding drones were detected and shot down, according to Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv city administration. In addition to the city itself, the surrounding Kyiv region was targeted. Kyiv regional Gov. Ruslan Kravchenko reported that one person was wounded by falling debris from a destroyed drone. Officials in the Ukrainian capital didn't provide an exact number of drones that attacked the city. But Ukraine's air force said that across the country, eight Shaheds and three Kalibr cruise missiles were launched by the Russians. Further south, a 13-year-old boy was wounded in overnight shelling of Ukraine's partially occupied southern Kherson province, said Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, spokesman for the Ukrainian administration of the province. The child was wounded when the Russian army shel

3 killed, 17 wounded by Russian shelling in Ukraine, Spain PM visits Kyiv

Ukrainian officials reported more civilian casualties from Russian shelling in the country's east and south on Saturday, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Snchez began a visit to Kyiv as a show of continuing support from Madrid and the European Union for Ukraine's fight to dislodge invading Russian forces. In an address to Ukraine's parliament that received several standing ovations, Snchez said, We'll be with you as long as it takes. I am here to express the firm determination of the European (Union) and Europe against the illegal and unjustified Russian aggression to Ukraine, he said on the day that Spain took over the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU. At a later news conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sanchez announced Spain would deliver more heavy weaponry to Ukraine including four Leopard tanks and armoured personnel carriers, as well as a portable field hospital. He also said Spain will provide an additional 55 million euros to help with ...

Putin, PM Modi agree to further boost ties, discuss Ukraine war over phone

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a "meaningful" conversation over the phone, and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership while exchanging views on the conflict in Ukraine, the Kremlin said. The telephone conversation between the two leaders came days ahead of the virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which is being hosted by India on July 4. "The conversation had a meaningful and constructive character. The leaders reiterated mutual commitment to strengthening the privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India and agreed to continue communication, the Kremlin press service said. Russian President Putin informed Modi of Ukraine's categorical refusal to settle the conflict through diplomacy, it said about the raging war in Eastern Europe since February last year. "The two leaders discussed the situation around Ukraine. The Russian president assessed the ...

Ukraine to receive $1.5 bn from World Bank to support reconstruction

Ukraine is rebuilding schools, hospitals, roads and bridges and implementing repairs in the energy sector despite continued fighting in the south and east of the country

Ukraine holds drill at Zaporizhzhia plant to prepare for radiation leaks

Dressed in white and yellow protective suits and armed with devices to detect radiation levels, Ukrainian emergency workers took part in a drill on Thursday to prepare for a potential risk of radiation leakage from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Dozens of civilians joined the drill on the outskirts of the city of Zaporizhzhia, located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the nuclear power plant, Europe's largest. In a tent set up to provide first aid, emergency workers practised hosing people down with soap and going through the motions of administering treatment to individuals who play-acted victims from possible radiation-affected areas. Russia occupied the plant in the early stages of the war. Over the past year, it has become a focal point of concern as Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the plant. Ukraine's military intelligence recently claimed, without providing evidence, that Russia is planning a large-scale provocation at the nuclear

Mike Pence makes a surprise visit to Ukraine, meets President Zelenskyy

Former Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Thursday, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and touring the war-torn country as it fights Russian aggression. Pence, who this month launched his campaign for the Republican nomination for president, has been deeply critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. He has called on the US to deliver more military aid to the country and criticised GOP rivals who have questioned the ongoing US involvement, saying there is no room in the party for Putin apologists" and pushing back against those who want the US to take on a more limited role on the world stage. Pence spent roughly 12 hours in the country on Thursday, according to an adviser, with stops in Moshchun, Bucha and Irpin, according to NBC News, which travelled with him. I'm here because it's important that the American people understand the progress that we've made and how support for the Ukrainian military has been in ou

Russia's Wagner mutiny weakened Vladimir Putin, but not his ruling system

Russia under Putin's leadership is easy to see as a personalist dictatorship. The president has almost unlimited powers under Russia's much-rewritten, much-abused constitution

Latest Live: TS Sing Deo to takeover as next deputy CM of Chhattisgarh

Catch all the latest news updates live from across the globe

Belarus leader approved forced transfers of Ukrainian children: Opposition

A Belarusian opposition activist says that he has provided the International Criminal Court with materials allegedly detailing President Alexander Lukashenko's involvement in the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus, accusations angrily rejected by Minsk. Lukashenko has been Moscow's closest ally, allowing the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine, welcoming a continued Russian military presence in Belarus and the deployment of some of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons there. The authoritarian leader has also agreed to a union state project that has seen Moscow and Minsk tighten their economic, political and defense ties, while so far stopping short of a full merger. Pavel Latushka, a former Belarusian culture minister, said Tuesday that the materials he has handed over to the ICC indicate that more than 2,100 Ukrainian children from at least 15 Russia-occupied Ukrainian cities have been forcibly taken to Belarus with Lukashenko's

Can India continue with purchasing spree of Russian oil as discounts narrow

The shift to date has suited the Kremlin, looking for new markets as Western buyers and established oil traders pull back. It's worked for India too, eager to snap up cheaper fuel

LIVE: Supertech promotor RK Arora arrested by ED in money laundering case

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Russia tortured, executed Ukraine civilians; Kyiv also abused detainees: UN

Russian forces carried out widespread and systematic torture of civilians who were detained in connection with its attack on Ukraine, summarily executing dozens of them, the United Nations human rights office said Tuesday. The global body interviewed hundreds of victims and witnesses for a report detailing more than 900 cases of civilians, including children and elderly people, being arbitrarily detained in the conflict, most of them by Russia. The vast majority of those interviewed said they were tortured and in some cases subjected to sexual violence during detention by Russian forces, the head of the UN human rights office in Ukraine said. Torture was used to force victims to confess to helping Ukrainian armed forces, compel them to cooperate with the occupying authorities or intimidate those with pro-Ukrainian views, said Matilda Bogner. The report, which covers a 15-month period from the start of the Russian invasion to May 2023, also documented 75 cases of arbitrary detention

Russia drops charges against Prigozhin, others who took part in rebellion

Russian authorities said Tuesday they have closed a criminal investigation into the armed rebellion led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, with no charges against him or any of the other participants. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, said its investigation found that those involved in the mutiny ceased activities directed at committing the crime. Over the weekend, the Kremlin pledged not to prosecute Prigozhin and his fighters after he stopped the revolt on Saturday, even though President Vladimir Putin had branded them as traitors. The charge of mounting an armed mutiny carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison. Prigozhin escaping prosecution poses a stark contrast to how the Kremlin has been treating those staging anti-government protests. Many opposition figures in Russia have received length prison terms and are serving time in penal colonies notorious for harsh conditions. The whereabouts of Prigozhin remained a mystery Tuesday, The Kremlin has said Prigozhin w

War shadow on Bengal foundries as stocks pile up, economies slow down

Export orders have been slowing down since Jan, impacting SMEs and depriving workers of overtime pay, a crucial wage component

Whereabouts, fate of Russian mercenary leader remain mystery after revolt

The whereabouts of mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin remained a mystery Tuesday after Russian President Vladimir Putin once again blasted organisers of a weekend rebellion as traitors who played into the hands of Ukraine's government and its allies. The Kremlin has said Prigozhin would be exiled to neighbouring Belarus, but neither he nor the Belarusian authorities have confirmed that. An independent Belarusian military monitoring project Belaruski Hajun said a business jet that Prigozhin reportedly uses landed near Minsk on Tuesday morning. The media team for Prigozhin, the 62-year-old head of the Wagner private military contractor, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Prigozhin's short-lived insurrection over the weekend the biggest challenge to Putin's rule in more than two decades in power has rattled Russia's leadership. Putin on Monday night sought to project stability and control in a short, nationally televised address, in which he criticised the uprisi

Nepali Gurkhas joining Wagner group for Russian citizenship, better life

While the prospect of Russian citizenship lures the Nepali Gurkhas, the discontinuation of recruitment to the Indian Army also appears to have played a role in this

EU foreign ministers allocate over 3 bn euro for military aid to Ukraine

Following a meeting in Luxembourg, Foreign Ministers of 27 EU member states have approved a 3.5 billion euro increase in the European Peace Facility

US to send $500 million in weapons, military aid to Ukraine, say officials

The Pentagon will announce it is sending up to USD 500 million in military aid to Ukraine, including more than 50 heavily armored vehicles and an infusion of missiles for air defense systems, U.S. officials said Monday, as Ukrainian and Western leaders try to sort out the impact of the brief weekend insurrection in Russia. The aid is aimed at bolstering Ukraine's counteroffensive, which has been moving slowly in its early stages. It wasn't clear Monday if Ukrainian forces will be able to take advantage of the disarray in the Russian ranks, in the aftermath of the short-lived rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner mercenary group that he has controlled. An announcement on the aid package is expected Tuesday. This would be the 41st time since the Russian invasion into Ukraine in February 2022 that the U.S. has provided military weapons and equipment through presidential drawdown authority. The program allows the Pentagon to quickly take items from its own stocks and deliver them

Amsterdam's Hermitage museum to be renamed after Russia's war on Ukriane

An Amsterdam museum that severed ties with St. Petersburg's Hermitage collection after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year has been renamed and on Monday announced partnerships with renowned galleries in London, Paris and Washington, D.C. Starting in September, the Hermitage Amsterdam will be called H'ART Museum. It has established partnerships with the British Museum, Centre Pompidou and the Smithsonian American Art Museum to bring art to the historic building on the banks of the Dutch capital's Amstel River. It's an exciting new step for us, a contemporary and future-proof model, museum director Annabelle Birnie said in a statement. She said the museum's programme will be multi-voiced reflecting the times we live in and will range from major art exhibitions to smaller presentations. The first major show scheduled to open midway through 2024 will be a partnership with Paris' Centre Pompidou focused on Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian-born artist who became a French citizen and

Denmark to start training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s amid war with Russia

Denmark's government said Monday that the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jets has started and the retirement of Scandinavian country's fleet of aging US fighters has been moved up two years. The replacement fighters, F-35s, will be operative by 2025, acting Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said. Initially, the switch was planned for 2027. Lund Poulsen said that NATO-member Denmark has taken the step of starting a training and further education effort for the Ukrainian pilots." We will also consider whether we should make a concrete donation to Ukraine of the Danish F-16 fighters, and how many there should be," he said. Ukrainian pilots must spend six to eight months of training before a possible donation of Danish F-16 aircraft can become a reality, Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR. This does not mean that you cannot make a decision beforehand. But (the F-16 planes) will be in Denmark until 2024, Lund Poulsen said. Denmark has ordered 27 F-35A fighter jets, which