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People leaving Ukraine as Russian forces continue to move in
EC announces RS poll schedule for 5 seats in Punjab
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.
AAP to gherao BJP HQ on Monday for 'delay' in Delhi civic polls
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.
Could've responded to after Indian missile landed in Pak, but observed restraint: Imran
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.
US, China officials to meet as tensions mount over Russia
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.
One terrorist killed in encounter in J-K's Ganderbal
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.
Phone tapping case: Devendra Fadnavis denies submitting documents to media
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.
Mumbai Police record Devendra Fadnavis' statement in transfer-posting case
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.
In Russian invasion of Ukraine, Cold War echoes reverberate
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.
Cong most credible among national opposition; worth reforming, reviving: Tharoor
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.
Anti-war protests across Europe, small rallies in Russia
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.
Zelenskyy speaks to Polish, Bulgarian premiers over Ukraine situation
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.
Punjabis usher in 'inquilab', have got 'honest CM': Kejriwal
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.
Panneerselvam thanks PM for evacuating Indians from Ukraine
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.
UP polls: 9 people attacked for supporting rival candidate
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.
Goa Guv calls session of Assembly on Mar 15 for MLAs to take oath
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.
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First Published: Mar 13 2022 | 6:30 AM IST
