LIVE: Civilian killings in Bucha deeply disturbing, says India at UN

India reiterates its call for immediate cessation of violence and end to hostilities, says India's Ambassador to UN on Ukraine conflict

6:43 PM

Kremlin says expulsions of Russian diplomats will prompt response

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the expulsions of Russian diplomats by European countries will prompt a response from Moscow and will complicate international relations.

 

Germany, France, Italy and Spain are among the countries which have expelled diplomats since Monday.

 

Peskov said that “we view negatively, we view with regret this narrowing of possibilities for diplomatic communication, diplomatic work in such difficult conditions, in unprecedent crisis conditions.”

6:35 PM

EU Commission proposes banning Russian coal imports, ships from entering EU ports

The European Commission proposed on Tuesday new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including a ban on buying Russian coal and on Russian ships entering EU ports, and said it was working on banning oil imports too.

 

"We all saw the gruesome pictures from Bucha and other areas from which Russian troops have recently left. These atrocities cannot and will not be left unanswered," the head of the European Union's executive, Ursula von der Leyen, said.

 

"The four packages of sanctions have hit hard and limited the Kremlin's political and economic options. In view of events we need to increase our pressure further," she said in a speech posted on Twitter.

 

She said the proposal entailed an EU ban on imports of coal from Russia worth 4 billion euros per year, and a full transaction ban on four key Russian banks, including the country's second-largest, VTB.

6:18 PM

Moscow and Kiev exchange prisoners, both sides delivering 86 people: Report

6:00 PM

NATO says Russia regrouping to try to take Ukraine's Donbas

Russia is not giving up on its offensive in Ukraine but will try to refocus on completely taking the Donbas region in the coming weeks, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

 

"We now see a significant movement of (Russian) troops away from Kyiv to regroup, re-arm and re-supply and shift their focus to the east," Stoltenberg told a news conference.

 

"In the coming weeks, we expect a further Russian push in eastern and southern Ukraine to try to take the entire Donbas and to create a land bridge to occupied Crimea," he said before Wednesday's meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

 

5:58 PM

Ukraine, Russian-backed separatists trade accusations over acid tank explosion

Ukraine and Russian-backed separatist forces both reported on Tuesday that an industrial acid tank had been blown up in eastern Ukraine, creating a serious potential hazard for local people, and each pinned the blame on the other.

 

"In Rubizhne, Luhansk region, Russian troops hit a tank with nitric acid," David Arakhamia, a member of Ukraine's negotiating team at peace talks with Russia, said on Telegram.

 

Luhansk region governor Serhiy Haidai told residents in a message on Facebook: "Do not leave bomb shelters. If you are indoors - close windows and doors."

 

Luhansk is part of the Donbas region where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian army since 2014.

5:39 PM

Sebi chairperson appears before parl panel

Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch on Tuesday appeared before the parliamentary standing committee on finance over regulatory issues concerning the capital market.

 

According to sources, Buch is also expected to be questioned about the recent National Stock Exchange (NSE) scam.

 

The panel chaired by former minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha has called Buch to deliberate upon regulatory issues related to initial public offerings, international financial services centres and alternate investment fund, according to a notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

 

5:28 PM

UN says 11 million people fled homes in Ukraine

The UN migration agency on Tuesday estimated that more than 11 million people had fled their homes in Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

 

The International Organisation for Migration, in its first such full assessment in three weeks, reported that more than 7.1 million had been displaced within Ukraine as of April 1.

 

The latest numbers came on top of the figure of more than four million people who fled abroad, reported by the UN refugee agency.

 

IOM said more than 2.9 million others were actively considering "leaving their place of habitual residence due to war".

5:17 PM

ED provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to Satyendar Jain, his family

5:16 PM

SL temporarily closes its embassies in Oslo, Norway, Baghdad, Iraq, and other places

4:52 PM

Kremlin says Bucha is a 'monstrous forgery' aimed at smearing Russia

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that allegations Russian forces committed war crimes by executing civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha were a "monstrous forgery" aimed at denigrating the Russian army.

 

"It is a simply a well-directed - but tragic - show," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "It is a forgery aimed at denigrating the Russian army - and it will not work." "We once again urge the international community: detach yourself from such emotional perceptions and think with your head," Peskov said. "Compare the facts and understand what a monstrous forgery we are dealing with."

 

Asked about U.S. President Joe Biden's call for President Vladimir Putin to be put on trial for war crimes, Peskov said such remarks were unacceptable and unworthy of a U.S. leader.

4:52 PM

Germany would back EU ban on Russian coal with phaseout: Report

Germany would support a European Union embargo on coal imports from Russia if it's done gradually, a government source said on Tuesday.

 

"Germany would support an EU coal embargo with a phaseout," said the official, who declined to be named.

4:50 PM

Delhi environment min Gopal Rai urges Centre to call meeting of environment ministers of NCR state, experts

4:46 PM

Kremlin says Biden's war crime comment on Putin unacceptable

The Kremlin said on Tuesday a remark by U.S. President Joe Biden that Vladimir Putin should be tried for war crimes was unacceptable and unworthy.

 

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said the United States was likely to impose further sanctions on Russia.

 

"Americans are unlikely to give up their favourite practice," Peskov said.

 

4:41 PM

Crimes committed in war in Ukraine should be tried in separate court, says Ukrainian official

A Ukrainian presidential adviser said on Tuesday a separate court should be set up to handle crimes committed during the war in Ukraine along the lines of the Hague-based court that prosecuted war crimes committed in former Yugoslavia.

 

Speaking on national television, adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said the court would need to handle cases including the alleged killing of civilians by Russian troops in the Kyiv region town of Bucha. Russia has described the allegations as "fake news".

4:36 PM

Road link open between Kyiv and Chernihiv in north Ukraine after Russian pull back: Governor

The departure of Russian troops from around the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine has reopened its direct road link to the capital Kyiv, Governor Viacheslav Chaus said on Tuesday.

 

Speaking on national television, Chaus said people could now travel freely to and from Chernihiv, but he said it was not yet safe enough in the city for residents who had fled to return.