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.

8:06 PM

Modi discusses govt formation in UP, U'khand, Goa with BJP leaders

A meeting of the top BJP leadership was held here on Sunday at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official residence to discuss the government formation in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Goa.

Sources said that the key agenda of the meeting was to discuss the names of the chief ministers as well as ministers in the three states.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda, Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, and party national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh were present in the meeting.

In the results of the Assembly polls announced on March 10, the BJP emerged winner in four states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

On Sunday, the BJP announced the name of incumbent N. Biren Singh as the Chief Minister of Manipur.

Also, Yogi Adityanath is likely to continue as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and he is expected to take charge on March 25, sources said, adding Pramod Sawant is also likely to be retained as the Chief Minister of Goa.

7:49 PM

Shooting at Arkansas car show kills at least 1, wounds 24

At least one person was killed and 24 others wounded, including children, in a shooting outside a car show in southeast Arkansas, police said.

Arkansas State Police said in a news release Sunday that one person was in custody and authorities were searching for others who may have fired into the crowd Saturday evening.

Additional information, including conditions of the wounded, wasn't immediately available.

State troopers were dispatched at around 7:25 pm to Dumas, located about 90 miles south of Little Rock, following a report of gunfire outside a business where the car show was underway, Arkansas State Police spokesperson Bill Sadler said.

The car show is part of a community event held each spring to raise funds for scholarships and school supplies, according the website of the Delta Neighbourhood Empowerment Youth Organisation.

Wallace McGehee, the car show's organiser, expressed condolences to the victims' families and the community.

For something like this to happen, it's a tragedy, McGehee told KATV at the scene. We did this here for 16 years without a problem.

7:14 PM

Punjab: AAP govt set up new SIT to probe drug charges against SAD leader Bikram Majithia

Days after the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, the state police have formed a new special investigation team (SIT) to probe the charges in the drugs case against former cabinet minister and Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia.

A new SIT team consisting of four members has been formed to be headed by Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) S Rahul, for the investigation of the drug case.

Speaking to reporters today, Punjab state police chief Viresh Kumar Bhawra said, "A new SIT team consisting of four members has been formed to be headed by AIG S Rahul, for the investigation of a drug case involving SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia."

"Senior officers of the Bureau of Investigation will supervise the probe," he said.

On March 8, Mohali District Court extended Majithia's judicial custody till March 22, in a drugs case. On February 24, Majithia was sent to judicial custody till March 8 by the court.

The SAD leader had surrendered in the court and applied for regular bail in a drug case registered against him in December last year.

Majithia has been booked under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, on the allegations of his alleged involvement in a drug racket in the state.

7:13 PM

Ukraine war is backdrop in US push for hypersonic weapons

Lagging behind Russia in developing hypersonic weapons, the US Navy is rushing to field its first, with installation on a warship starting as soon as late next year.

The United States is in a race with Russia and China to develop these weapons, which travel at speeds akin to ballistic missiles but are difficult to shoot down because of their maneuverability.

The Russian military says it already deployed hypersonic missiles and claimed Saturday to have used one for the first time in combat against a target in Ukraine.

The Pentagon couldn't confirm a hypersonic weapon was used in the attack.

The American military is accelerating development to catch up.

The US weapon would launch like a ballistic missile and would release a hypersonic glide vehicle that would reach speeds seven to eight times faster than the speed of sound before hitting the target.

In Maine, General Dynamics subsidiary Bath Iron Works has begun engineering and design work on changes necessary to install the weapon system on three Zumwalt-class destroyers.

The work would begin at a yet-to-be-named shipyard sometime in fiscal year that begins in October 2023, the Navy said.

Hypersonic weapons are defined as anything travelling beyond Mach 5, or five times faster than the speed of sound.

That's about 3,800 mph. Intercontinental ballistic missiles far exceed that threshold but travel in a predictable path, making it possible to intercept them.

 

7:12 PM

27 Covid cases in Mumbai, no death; 44 recoveries take active tally to 298

Mumbai on Sunday recorded 27 COVID-19 cases, which took the tally to 10,57,561, while the death toll remained unchanged at 16,693, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.

So far, 10,37,686 people have recovered from the infection, including 44 in the last 24 hours, leaving the metropolis with 298 active cases, he said.

With 16,533 samples examined in the last 24 hours, the number of tests in Mumbai reached 1,64,92,470, BMC data showed.

It also revealed that the city's recovery rate was 98 per cent, while its caseload doubling time stood at 18,821 days.

6:57 PM

Russia fires Kalibr cruise missiles to destroy Ukraine facility

The Russian Defence Ministry said that the country's armed forces used Kalibr missiles to destroy workshops for the repair of damaged Ukrainian armoured vehicles.

"In the evening of March 19 and in the morning of March 20, strikes were carried out with long-range precision weapons on Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities. From the waters of the Black Sea, Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles destroyed workshops for the repair of Ukrainian armoured vehicles damaged in combat operations," the statement says, RT reported.

At the same time, it is reported that Kalibr missiles from the waters of the Caspian Sea, as well as from the airspace over the Crimea, the Kinzhal complexes destroyed a large fuel and lubricants storage base near the village of Konstantinovka, Mykolaiv region.

The 3M-54 Kalibr, also referred to it as 3M54-1 Kalibr is a family of Russian cruise missiles developed by the Novator Design Bureau. There are ship-launched, submarine-launched and air-launched versions of the missile, and variants for anti-ship, anti-submarine and land attack use.

Earlier, the United States officially confirmed that Russia used Dagger hypersonic missiles during hostilities in Ukraine. It is reported that this is the first recorded case of the use of such missiles during hostilities, CNN reported.

6:55 PM

BJP using ED, CBI for political gains: TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress MP and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday said the BJP government at the Centre is using the ED and CBI for its political interests, unable to accept the setback in the 2021 West Bengal assembly polls.

Banerjee and his wife Rujira left for Delhi to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with a probe into a money laundering case linked to a coal scam in West Bengal, a well-placed source said.

"As I had said at a public meeting in 2020 November, if anyone can prove that I had misappropriated even 10 paise, I will walk up the podium and get myself hanged publicly. No need to put ED and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) behind me," Banerjee told reporters at the airport here.

"The BJP is using CBI and ED in its interests. They are yet to accept the drubbing and the rebuff to the brazen flaunting of money and muscle power in the assembly polls," Banerjee, the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed.

Without naming anyone, Banerjee also alleged that the central agencies had never taken any action against someone who was seen taking wads of currency notes wrapped in a towel and now is a front-ranking leader of state BJP."

This is the reason the impartiality of Central agencies comes into question, he said.

"I have been summoned by ED tomorrow. And I have faith in the judicial system. We (TMC) will not surrender," the Diamond Harbour MP vowed.

Both Abhishek Banerjee, and his wife are scheduled to face the ED sleuths for interrogation in the national capital on March 21 and 22, a highly placed source said.

6:54 PM

Telangana: Section 144 in Nizamabad after tension over Shivaji statue installation

Tension prevailed in Bodhan Town in Nizamabad district over the installation of a Shivaji statue on Saturday night and section 144 has been imposed in the area.

The Commissioner of Police, Nizamabad, K R Nagaraju stated, "There is a process that has to be followed and permission from the Collector has to be taken."

Nagaraju added, "The Shivaji statue was brought in the night due to which a commotion was created. Various groups came out on roads saying that their sentiments have been hurt and started pelting stones."

"In retaliation, we had to take refuge of lathi-charge and section 144 has been imposed," he added.

Police constables have been hurt in the incident and cases will be registered against the accused in the matter.

6:53 PM

Uttarakhand: Rajnath, Meenakshi Lekhi to visit Dehradun for legislature party meet, CM's name tomorrow

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi will be visiting Dehradun tomorrow for the BJP Legislature Party meeting where the Chief Minister's name will be declared, said the party's State media in-charge Manveer Chauhan.

Earlier today, Uttarakhand BJP chief Madan Kaushik on Sunday informed that all newly elected members of the Legislative Assembly will take oath in the Vidhan Sabha on Monday.

Kaushik had also informed that the name for Uttarakhand Chief Minister will be decided after today's Legislative Party meeting.

"All newly elected members of the Legislative Assembly will take oath at 11 am in Vidhan Sabha, tomorrow," he had said.

"The meeting of Legislative Party will be held in the evening. Thereafter, the Chief Minister's name will be announced," Kaushik had said.

Earlier today, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Kaushik, and former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence in the national capital to discuss government formation.

BJP President JP Nadda and party leaders BL Santhosh and Uttarakhand minister Satpal Maharaj were also present at Shah's residence.

6:52 PM

SP declares candidates for Legislative Council polls

Samajwadi Party on Sunday declared its candidates for the biennial state Legislative Council elections due to be held on April 9.

Barring Meerut-Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr seats, which have been left for ally Rashtriya Lok Dal, the party has declared its candidates on all the remaining 34 seats, SP spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury said.

Among those given tickets included Dr Kafeel Khan from Deoria, Mashkoor Ahmad from Rampur-Bareilly, sitting MLCs Sunil Kumar Sajan, Rajesh Kumar, and Udayveer Singh from Lucknow-Unnao, Barabaki, and Mathura-Etah-Mainpuri seats respectively.

The last date for filing nominations is March 21. The counting will be held on April 12.

Currently in the council, the BJP has 35 MLCs, SP has 17, and the BSP has four MLCs.

Congress, Apna Dal (Sonelal), and NISHAD party have one member each.

The Teachers' group has two MLCs, while the Independent group ('Nirdal Samooh'), and Independents have one MLC each.

At present 37 seats, including 36 on which elections are being held, are vacant in the 100-member council. A third of its members retire every two years.

6:37 PM

Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee to join ED probe in coal scam case on Monday

Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress MP and nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and his wife Rujira Banerjee will on Monday join the investigation in a Prevention of Money Laundering case pertaining to alleged coal scam being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The anti money laundering agency had asked Banerjee and his wife to join the investigation on March 21 and 22.

Banejree had earlier on September 6 recorded his statement before the ED officials. He was interrogated for around six hours, but the probe agency was not satisfied with his answers and he has been issued fresh summon again along with his wife.

In September last year Banerjee and his wife, through their counsel, had moved a plea before the Delhi High Court against the ED summon, but they didn't get any relief. Their plea was dismissed by the High Court on March 11.

Abhishek and his wife had sought relief on the ground that they are residents of West Bengal. However, their contention was challenged by Tushar Mehta, the Solicitor General, who was appearing for the ED. He told the court that the ED is not confined by any area under the PMLA.

This case is being probed parallel by the CBI and the ED. The CBI's case was lodged in November last year.

 

6:35 PM

Vaccination only solution to keep Covid-19 off: TN Health Minister

Getting vaccinated to protect oneself from Covid-19 is the only solution in the event of the fourth wave of the coronavirus, said Tamil Nadu Minister Ma Subramanian on Sunday.

The Minister for Medical and Family Welfare, here to inspect the schemes of the Department of Health, said one cannot take things easy as there could be yet another wave of Covid-19. Several countries, particularly those in South Asia, have reported an increase in new infections, he said.

"A study undertaken by IIT-Kanpur suggests India may witness the fourth wave of Covid-19 in June-July. Though the new cases in Tamil Nadu have gone down below 100, countries like Singapore have reported 10,000 new cases, Malaysia 20,000... We cannot ignore that," he told reporters.

"The only solution to contain the spread of the pathogen is to get vaccinated. Vaccination holds the key. Along with Tamil Nadu Minister for Information Technology Mano Thangaraj, we will be inspecting schemes of the health department and the status of vaccination here, as there is a some kind of hesitancy among some people to receive the jab," he said.

On students who have returned to Tamil Nadu from Ukraine, he said most of them say they'd like to continue their medical education in universities in India. "Though the Centre has to take a call on this, the Tamil Nadu government will continue to press the Union government in the matter in the interest of the students," he said.

6:23 PM

Yemen rebels launch wide strikes on Saudi sites; no one hurt

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, Saudi state-run media reported, temporarily cutting oil production at one site.

The pre-dawn 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.

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.

The assaults came as Saudi Arabia's state-backed Aramco, the world's largest oil company, announced its profits surged 124% in 2021 to $110 billion, a jump fuelled by renewed anxieties about global supply shortages and soaring oil prices.

 

6:14 PM

Kerala records 596 fresh COVID-19 cases, 24 deaths

Kerala on Sunday recorded 596 fresh COVID-19 infections which raised the total caseload to 65,27,194.

The southern State reported 24 deaths and took the fatalities to 67,339 so far, according to an official press release.

Of the deaths, four occurred in the last few days but were not recorded due to late receipt of documents and 20 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court, the release said.

No deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, it said.

With 908 more people recovering from the virus since Saturday, the total recoveries reached 64,53,172 and the active cases dropped to 5,812, the release said.

As many as 18,590 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.

5:53 PM

Protest in Poland snarls Belarus-bound trucks

Trucks headed for Belarus are backed up for 40 kilometres while they wait to reach the Koroszczyn border point as a group of protesters block the road there, Polish officials say.

According to the officials, the protesters are calling for a ban on trade with Russia and its ally Belarus.

The Ukrainians and Poles have been blocking access to the crossing -- on and off for some two weeks -- to pressure Moscow into ending its war on Ukraine.

The latest round of the NO Trade with Russia! protest in eastern Poland began early Saturday.

Some 950 trucks were waiting to cross into Belarus early Sunday, according to spokesman for the local tax office, Michal Derus. The waiting time was 32 hours, he said.

The road leading to the border point has been closed and the police were separating the protesters from the trucks and the drivers, road infrastructure authorities said.

The pressure of truck traffic on the Koroszczyn border point increased after Poland's largest crossing into Belarus, in Kuznica, was closed in November, following border guard clashes with Middle East migrants who were trying to illegally cross into Poland, a European Union member.

Commenting on Saturday's protest, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called on the EU to halt all land and sea trade with Russia.