LIVE: Ukraine officials come under shelling attack on front

Top Ukrainian military officials came under a shelling attack during a tour of the front of the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.

12:33 PM

Hong Kong on the verge of witnessing worst ever COVID outbreak: Report

Hong Kong has been facing its worst-ever COVID-19 outbreak, as the people are suddenly witnessing a severely overstretched healthcare system, depicting China's unsuccessful "zero-Covid" policy.

Even as COVID-19 flooded the world, Hong Kong believed that its pandemic policies had kept the city safe, Al Jazeera reported.

In the wake of the imposition of national security law, Hong Kong pursued a zero-tolerance plan that aimed to keep the virus at bay by keeping people apart. The city barred visitors, imposed the world's longest and most stringent quarantines on travellers, and pursued aggressive contact tracing tactics with sudden lockdowns and mandatory tests.

12:12 PM

Biden extends state of Emergency in US amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

US President Joe Biden has announced his decision to extend the state of emergency, which was declared in the country almost two years ago, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has been causing significant risk to the public health.

"The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause significant risk to the public health and safety of the Nation. For this reason, the national emergency declared on March 13, 2020, and beginning March 1, 2020, must continue in effect beyond March 1, 2022," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

12:10 PM

CM Kejriwal inaugurates over 12,000 smart classrooms in 240 govt schools in Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday inaugurated 12,430 new smart classrooms in 240 government schools of the national capital at Rajkiya Kanya Vidyalaya in Rajokri.

Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia and Delhi's Home Minister Satyendar Jain were also present on the occasion.

Notably, this comes a day ahead of the Assembly polls in Punjab where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is contesting.

12:10 PM

WHO chief calls for cooperation, financing to end Covid pandemic

The World Health Organization's (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called for cooperation and collaboration in the face of common threats from the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The WHO chief made the remarks on Friday at a panel discussion titled "Get Well Soon: Finding a Way Out of the Pandemic" during the ongoing Munich Security Conference (MSC) here, reports Xinhua news agency.

 

He described as "dangerous" the narrative that the pandemic was over with high vaccine coverage in some countries and denied claims that the Omicron variant was less severe.

 

11:53 AM

We plan to try out as many options as possible before T20 World Cup: Pant

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant says the team is looking at exploring as many options as possible in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, which is to take place in eight month's time.

Pant, who was appointed vice-captain in the absence of KL Rahul for the ongoing T20 series against the West Indies, smashed a brisk half-century in the team's win in the second game here on Friday night.

11:35 AM

59 assembly constituencies to vote in third phase of UP polls; 627 candidates in fray

Voting for 59 assembly constituencies spread across 16 districts of Uttar Pradesh will take place on Sunday in the third phase of the polls.

Campaigning for the third phase of the state elections ended on Friday, with senior leaders of the parties making a final effort to woo voters.

As many as 627 candidates are in the fray in this phase, in which over 2.15 crore people are eligible to vote.

Districts where polling will be held are Hathras, Firozabad, Etah, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Mahoba.

11:07 AM

Ladakh records 51 fresh COVID-19 cases

Ladakh's COVID-19 caseload increased to 27,746 on Saturday as 51 more people tested positive for the viral disease, officials said.

The death toll remained unchanged at 228, they said.

While Leh district reported 38 fresh cases, Kargil reported 13, the officials said.

Of the total 228 deaths, 168 were in Leh and 60 in Kargil.

11:04 AM

Jaishankar meets German counterpart; discusses bilateral and global issues

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock and held a wide range of discussion covering bilateral and global issues, including the Indo-Pacific, the developments surrounding Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan.

Jaishankar also met his Iranian counterpart H. Amirabdollahian and held productive discussions on bilateral economic cooperation, Afghanistan and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal.

11:04 AM

PM Modi assures support for emerging drone market in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the government will draft policies to ensure that no hindrance comes in the path of the emerging new drone market in the country.

The Prime minister flagged off 100 Kisan drones in different cities and towns of India to spray pesticides in farms across India. He virtually addressed to a group of farmers gathered at Manesar from where the "Drone Kisan Yatra" was flagged off.

"This occasion is the best example of how far the country can fly if policies are drafted with the right spirit," he said while adding, "Till recently, there was a conception that drones were meant for armed forces and fighting enemies. However, the Kisan Drone Suvidha has added a new chapter in the direction of modern agricultural facilities of the 21st century."

10:36 AM

US Surgeon General, family members test Covid positive

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said that he and his family have tested positive for Covid-19.

Taking to Twitter on Friday, he said: "My 5 year old son, my wife Alice, and I have all tested positive for Covid-19. Our son has a runny nose and low grade fever but is otherwise eating, drinking, playing with his sister, and watching his favourite cartoons.

"Alice and I have mild symptoms. She has a headache and fatigue. I'm experiencing muscle aches, chills, and sore throat... Our breathing is fine, thankfully."

10:22 AM

PM Modi flags off 100 Kisan drones to spray pesticides in farms across country

In a special drive aimed at helping farmers, Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off 100 Kisan drones in different cities and towns of India to spray pesticides in farms across India.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, "This is a new chapter in the direction of modern agricultural facilities of the 21st century. I am confident that this beginning will not only prove to be a milestone in the development of the drone sector but also will also open the sky to unlimited possibilities."

During the Budget 2022-23 announcement, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a major stimulus for the agriculture and farming sector.

10:20 AM

Satellite imagery suggests ongoing operation at N Korean nuke reactor

North Korea's plutonium-producing nuclear reactor appears to be in operation, two US monitoring websites have said, citing recent satellite imagery that observed snowmelt at the facility.

Beyond Parallel, a project of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, reported on Friday thermal infrared satellite imagery from January 27 and February 4 showed the discharge of warm water from the 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon nuclear complex, suggesting the reactor and its cooling system are in operation.

10:08 AM

Over 111.7 mn unutilized COVID-19 vaccine doses available with states, UTs

The Centre on Saturday said that more than 111.7 million unutilized COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and Union Territories.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, "More than 1.72 billion (1,720,492,970) vaccine doses have been provided to states/UTs so far through Central government (free of cost channel) and direct state procurement categories."

"More than 111.7 million (111,710,731) unutilised COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states/UTs to be administered to the eligible people," it added.

10:07 AM

Powerful explosion hit Luhansk amid escalating tensions between Russia, Ukraine

Amid escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, a "powerful explosion" hit Luhansk, Sputnik reported.

The blast was said to occur at gas pipeline "Druzhba" and lead to a massive fire.

Local gas infrastructure managing "Lyhanskgas" said in a statement that emergency crews are now present on the site, reported Sputnik.

10:00 AM

Kejriwal to inaugurate over 12,000 smart classrooms in 240 govt schools in Delhi today

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will inaugurate over 12,000 smart classrooms in 240 government schools in the national capital on Saturday.

This comes a day ahead of the Assembly polls in Punjab where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is contesting.

A total of 12,430 new smart classrooms will be inaugurated today following which the tally of new classrooms built by the Kejriwal government will reach 20,000 which is synonymous with 537 new school buildings, said a statement issued by the Delhi government.