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.

7:59 AM

Recovering from third wave: As cases fall, Covid wards start clearing out

As daily fresh Covid cases show a steady decline, the Covid-19 wards in hospitals across the country are now almost vacant. While 25,920 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours (as on February 18 morning), 66,254 patients have recovered during the same time. This reflects the story in the Covid wards.

7:45 AM

President Kovind to visit Odisha, Andhra Pradesh

President Ram Nath Kovind will visit Odisha and Andhra Pradesh from February 19 to February 22.

On February 20, the President will inaugurate the three-year-long celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupad, the founder of Gaudiya Math and Mission in Puri, the Rashtrapati Bhavan informed on Friday.

On February 21, the President will witness the Fleet Review and Flypast at Visakhapatnam.

7:45 AM

PM Modi to inaugurate Bio-CNG plant in Indore today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the "Gobar-Dhan (Bio-CNG) Plant" in Indore on Saturday at 1 pm through video conferencing.

According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), PM Modi recently launched the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0, with the overall vision of creating "Garbage Free Cities". The Mission is being implemented under the overarching principles of "waste to wealth" and "circular economy" for maximizing resource recovery - both of which are exemplified in the Indore Bio-CNG plant.

7:42 AM

Biden 'convinced' Putin's decided to further invade Ukraine

US President Joe Biden said Friday he's "convinced" that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to launch a further invasion in Ukraine, saying he has "reason to believe" it will occur in the "coming days" and will include an assault on its capital, Kyiv.

 

After weeks of saying the US wasn't sure if Putin had made the final decision to launch a widespread invasion, Biden said that assessment had changed.

 

"As of this moment I'm convinced he's made the decision," Biden said. "We have reason to believe that." He cited the United States' "significant intelligence capability" for the assessment.

7:42 AM

COVID surge has settled but can't lower our guards, says NITI Aayog's VK Paul

VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog on Friday advised all the citizens not to lower the guard against the COVID-19 pandemic as the current surge has settled and added that the government has invited other vaccine manufacturers to collaborate with scientists and develop vaccines in the country.

 

"We can see that the surge has settled, but we must also know that there are cases at a significant number. Hopefully, it will be sustained but we cannot lower our guards. There should be a complete watch that we are ready for any eventuality," Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog told ANI.

 

"We invited other vaccine manufacturers to collaborate with our scientists and develop vaccines on our soil. Later, they manufactured vaccines and offered us to buy them demanding sovereign immunity waiver, but this was not acceptable to the government," he added.

7:41 AM

Covid-19 vaccination best bet as country returns to normalcy: Experts

As India lifts coronavirus (Covid-19) curbs amid declining cases with almost a sense of deja-vu, experts agree that lessons in the last two years must push the government towards a no-regrets policy. While there is consensus on the Omicron’s mild nature and lesser hospitalisations, public health experts said going, forward vaccination is our best defence and booster doses for the vulnerable need to be speeded up.

7:40 AM

Kiev must hold dialogue with Donbas to restore peace in Ukraine: Putin

Kiev authorities have to hold dialogue with representatives from Donbas to restore peace in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a briefing following talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow on Friday.

 

"The President of Belarus and I agreed that the key to restoring civil peace in Ukraine... is the implementation of the Minsk agreements," Putin said, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

"All Kiev needs to do is sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of Donbas and agree on political, military, economic and humanitarian measures to end the conflict," he added, pointing out that there were growing tensions in the region.