10:32 AMRussia hits Ukrainian cities, pours more troops into war
Russia hurled its military might against Ukrainian cities and towns and poured more troops into the war, seeking to slice the country in two in a potentially pivotal battle for control of the eastern industrial heartland of coal mines and factories.
The fighting on Tuesday unfolded along a boomerang-shaped front hundreds of miles long in what is known as the Donbas. If successful, it would give President Vladimir Putin a victory following the failed attempt by Moscow's forces to storm the capital, Kyiv, and heavier-than-expected casualties.
In Mariupol, the now-devastated port city in the Donbas, Ukrainian troops said the Russian military dropped heavy bombs to flatten what was left of a sprawling steel plant and hit a hospital where hundreds were staying.
10:04 AMActive COVID-19 cases in country rise to 12,340
With 2,067 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,30,47,594 while the active cases increased to 12,340, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The death toll climbed to 5,22,006 with 40 fresh fatalities being reported from Uttar Pradesh, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate remained at 98.76 per cent, the ministry said.
10:01 AMIndia records 2,067 new coronavirus infections, 40 fatalities in a day
With 2,067 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 43,047,594 while the active cases increased to 12,340, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
The death toll climbed to ,22,006 with 40 fresh fatalities being reported from Uttar Pradesh, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases comprise 0.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate remained at 98.76 per cent, the ministry said.
An increase of 480 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
9:47 AMSri Lanka protests: Curfew to continue in Rambukkana after violence; 3 critical
The police in Sri Lanka on Wednesday said that curfew will continue in the southwestern region of Rambukkana where one person was killed and 13 others were injured in violence after the police opened fire at unarmed anti-government protestors demonstrating against the latest fuel price hike.
At least three of the 13 hospitalised protesters at Rambukkana, some 90 kilometers northeast of Colombo, were critical at the Kegalle hospital, according to officials. Fifteen police personnel have also been injured.
Police chief Chandana Wickremaratne told reporters that the police curfew imposed in the area would continue.
9:15 AMShanghai allows 4 million out of homes as virus rules ease
A health official says 4 million more people in Shanghai have been allowed to leave their homes as anti-coronavirus quarantine rules ease.
The official, Wang Ganyu, said Wednesday a total of almost 12 million people are allowed to leave their homes as China's most populous city tries to contain virus outbreaks.
Authorities imposed rules that confined most of Shanghai's 25 million people to their homes starting March 28 following a surge in infections.
8:59 AMWith surge in fresh infections, China logs 2,753 new COVID-19 cases
Witnessing a surge in new COVID-19 cases, China on Tuesday reported 2,753 locally transmitted confirmed cases, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday.
Of these new locally transmitted cases, China's economic hub Shanghai reported 2,494 cases and 16,407 local asymptomatic infections, Xinhua reported.
Across China, cities are locking down their residents, supply lines are rupturing, and officials are scrambling to secure the movement of basic goods, with its largest-ever recorded outbreak of COVID-19 threatening to spiral into a national crisis of the government's own making.
8:35 AMShell pulls out staff from Russia projects as exit plan starts
Shell Plc started to withdraw staff from its joint ventures with Russia’s Gazprom PJSC as it moves forward with plans to exit investments in response to the war in Ukraine.
Dozens of Shell employees on temporary assignment at the Sakhalin-2 liquefied natural gas export project in Russia were removed over the weekend to be relocated back to other offices, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Operations at the facility are unlikely to be affected by the move, the people said, requesting anonymity to discuss private details.
8:11 AMIMF official identifies regulating crypto assets and digital currency as priority mid-term issues for India
Regulating crypto assets along with digital currency, addressing the remaining regulatory concerns in the banking sector and integrating with the global economy are among the few mid-term structural issues for India, a top official from the International Monetary Fund has said.
Overall, the IMF is looking at India in a very positive fashion, Tobias Adrian, Financial Counselor and Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department told PTI on Tuesday.
"I think there are many opportunities and growth (in India is coming back). There's a recovery. There's a lot of excitement around new growth opportunities, new developments, he said on the sidelines of the annual spring meeting of the IMF and the World Bank.
8:04 AMFinancial stability risks risen amid Russia-Ukraine conflict: IMF
Financial stability risks have risen along many dimensions, although no global systemic event affecting financial institutions or markets has materialized so far, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.
"Global financial conditions have tightened notably" and downside risks to the economic outlook have increased as a result of the Russian-Ukraine war, according to the newly released Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR).
The tightening has been "particularly pronounced" in eastern Europe and Middle East countries with close ties to Russia, reflecting lower equity valuations and higher funding costs, the IMF report was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
8:01 AMIndia at UNSC reiterates call for cessation of violence in Ukraine
India on Tuesday (local time) stressed on the importance of the United Nations Guiding Principles of Humanitarian Assistance and reiterated its call for immediate cessation of violence and hostilities in Ukraine.
Speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Ukraine's humanitarian situation, India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, R Ravindra said: "Humanitarian action must always be guided by the principles of humanitarian assistance. i.e., humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. These measures should never be politicized."
He further said that India continues to remain deeply concerned at the worsening situation and reiterates its call for an immediate cessation of violence and hostilities.
7:48 AMS Korea reports 111,319 new Covid-19 cases
South Korea recorded 111,319 new Covid-19 cases as of midnight Tuesday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 16,583,220, the health authorities said Wednesday. The daily caseload was slightly down from 118,504 recorded in the previous day and far lower than 195,393 a week earlier, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The health authorities believed that the daily caseload has been on the decline following the resurgence, driven by the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus and its subvariant BA.2, which peaked in mid-March.
7:46 AMSitharaman meets CFLI vice chairman, discusses her vision of developing GIFT City
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Mary Schapiro, vice chairman of the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI) on Tuesday (local time) and spoke about her vision of developing GIFT City, India's First Operational Smart City.
According to the Indian finance ministry, Schapiro who is also the former chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission concurred that it is an opportune time for India to play a leadership role in shaping global climate finance trends.
"Union Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman met Ms. Mary Schapiro, Vice of the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI) and the first woman to serve as @SECGov Chair, in Washington D.C., today," the Indian finance ministry said in a Tweet.
7:33 AMUkraine receives fighter planes, spare parts to increase fleet size: Pentagon
Ukraine has received additional aircraft and spare parts to increase its fleet size amid the conflict with Russia, US Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday (local time).
"They have received additional platforms and parts to be able to increase their aircraft fleet size," Kirby said during a press briefing, adding that "platform is an airplane in this case. They have received additional aircraft and aircraft parts to help them get more aircraft in the air."
Kirby also said that the United States has not delivered any whole aircraft to Ukraine.
7:30 AMRussia urges US to abandon 'futile policy' of blockade, sanctions
Russia urged the United States to abandon its "futile policy" of blockade and sanctions in foreign policy, the Russian Embassy in Washington said on Tuesday (local time).
The diplomatic mission's comment was timed to the announcement of a new round of high-level dialogue between the United States and Cuba on migration on April 21. The Russian Embassy welcomed the step.
"Dialogue is always better than its absence. It is high time for the #US to abandon the futile policy of blockade and sanctions in foreign affairs," the embassy tweeted.
7:18 AMUkraine receives fighter planes, spare parts to increase fleet size: Pentagon
Ukraine has received additional aircraft and spare parts to increase its fleet size amid the conflict with Russia, US Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday (local time).
"They have received additional platforms and parts to be able to increase their aircraft fleet size," Kirby said during a press briefing, adding that "platform is an airplane in this case. They have received additional aircraft and aircraft parts to help them get more aircraft in the air."
Kirby also said that the United States has not delivered any whole aircraft to Ukraine.
 "Putin")
