Live: Ukraine says explosion aboard Russian warship was missile strike

Live news updates: US official says the stricken vessel was still trying to put out a fire.

11:16 AM

Russian defence ministry says missile cruiser of Black Sea fleet damaged by blast

Russia on Thursday said the flagship of its Black Sea fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser, was badly damaged in a blast, the country's Defence Ministry said.

"A fire onboard the Moskva missile cruiser caused a blast of the broadside munitions. The ship received serious damage. The crew was evacuated," the ministry said in a statement.

However, the cause of the fire was not elaborated, but said investigation is underway, Xinhua reported citing Tass news agency.

11:06 AM

President, VP, PM pay tributes to Dr Ambedkar on Jayanti

President, Vice-President and Prime Minister on Thursday paid homage to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on his Jayanti.

Remembering Dr Ambedkar, President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted: "A strong advocate of social justice, as architect of the Indian Constitution Babasaheb laid the foundation of modern India. Let us do our part in building an inclusive society following his ideal of 'Indian first, Indian later and Indian last'."

In a tweet, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu said: "My humble tributes to the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary today. Babasaheb was a multi-faceted genius- a legal luminary, visionary statesman, outstanding constitutional expert, brilliant parliamentarian & social reformer."

11:05 AM

Australia imposes new sanctions against 14 Russian companies

The Australian government has imposed targeted financial sanctions against 14 Russian-state-owned enterprises while calling upon Russia to withdraw its military forces immediately from Ukraine.

As per an official statement, the list includes defence-related entities such as transportation company Kamaz, and shipping companies SEVMASH and United Shipbuilding Corporation.

"Sanctions extend to electronic component company Ruselectronics, which is responsible for the production of around 80 per cent of all Russian electronics components. They also target Russian Railways, which is one of the world's largest transportation companies and one of the largest single contributors to Russia's GDP," read the statement.

10:47 AM

US should help India address its defence needs says Republican Senator

The US should help India address its defence needs so as to reduce its dependence on Russia, an influential Indian-American community leader has quoted a top Republican Senator as saying.

According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, since 2010, Russia has been the source of nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of all Indian arms imports and India has been the largest Russian arms importer, accounting for nearly one-third (32 per cent) of all Russian arms exports.

10:17 AM

Global Covid caseload tops 501.5 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 501.5 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 6.18 million and vaccinations to over 11.12 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Thursday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 501,512,915 and 6,188,577 respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 11,129,301,590.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 80,518,050 and 987,331 respectively, according to the CSSE.

India accounts for the second highest caseload at 43,038,016.

10:12 AM

India logs 1,007 new coronavirus infections, death toll climbs to 521,737

India logged 1,007 new coronavirus infections, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 43,039,023, while the active cases rose to 11,058, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

 

The death toll climbed to 521,737 with one fatality reported from Maharashtra, 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 188 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

10:06 AM

Amazon adds 5% 'fuel and inflation surcharge' to seller fees

Amazon is taking a step to offset its rising costs, announcing Wednesday it will add a 5% fuel and inflation surcharge to fees it charges third-party sellers who use the e-commerce giant's fulfillment services.

The Seattle-based company said on its website that the added fees, which take effect April 28, are subject to change and will apply to both apparel and non-apparel items.

The latest fee hike follows one announced in November and went into effect in January. Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for further details on the recent move. But in a notice sent to sellers Wednesday, the company said its costs had gone up since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic due to increases in hourly wages, the hiring of workers and construction of more warehouses.

9:28 AM

PM Modi greets people on Mahavir Jayanti, other festivities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday greeted people on the birth anniversary of Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism.

"Mahavir Jayanti greetings to you all. We recall the noble teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir, especially the emphasis on peace, compassion and brotherhood," he tweeted.

Modi also greeted people on various festivals, including new years and harvest festivities being celebrated in many states.

9:27 AM

PML-N leader says Nawaz Sharif may return to Pakistan before elections

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday said that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to return to Pakistan before the elections, reported local media.

The cases filed against Nawaz Sharif were politically motivated and some people were imposed as the rulers by using the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), ARY News quoted PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry as saying during its news programme.

Noting the importance of Nawaz Sharif in the party, Chaudhry claimed that the former Prime Minister will lead the campaign in Pakistan whenever the country goes to the polls.

9:05 AM

China reports 2,999 new local COVID-19 cases

China on Wednesday reported 2,999 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said on Thursday.

Of these new locally transmitted cases, Shanghai reported 2,573 cases, Xinhua reported.

China's financial hub, Shanghai, has been facing the worst COVID-19 outbreak and has been desperately seeking medical care and basic supplies like food.

8:38 AM

White House says report of AUKUS parties asking Japan to join alliance 'inaccurate'

The report that Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS) have informally asked Japan to join the AUKUS partnership is not accurate, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

"The reporting is inaccurate," Psaki said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun reported that the AUKUS parties informally invited Japan to join the alliance to help develop hypersonic weapons, which is one of the pact's initiatives.

8:35 AM

Russia, contesting elections to 4 UN committees, loses all

 

Russia, contesting elections to four UN committees, lost all of them, including one to Ukraine, a verdict being seen as Moscow's isolation on the global stage.

 

Elections were held in the United Nations Economic and Social Council on Wednesday to fill various vacancies in subsidiary and related bodies.

 

Russia was contesting elections to the Committee on Non-Governmental Organisations, UN Women Executive Board, UNICEF Executive Board and Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

8:07 AM

Singapore reports 3,535 new Covid-19 cases

Singapore reported 3,535 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, bringing the total tally to 1,148,656.

 

Of the new cases reported on Wednesday, 449 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 3,086 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.

 

Among the PCR cases, 438 were local transmissions and 11 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, 2,972 were local transmissions and 114 were imported cases, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

7:36 AM

US congratulates new Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif

The United States congratulated the newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif and hoped to keep cooperating with the new government, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

"The United States congratulates newly-elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and we look forward to continuing our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan's government," Blinken said in the statement on Wednesday (local time)

The United States values its relationship with Pakistan and recognizes its role as an important partner on a wide array of mutual interests for nearly 75 years, the statement said, adding that a strong, prosperous and democratic Pakistan is essential for the interests of both countries.

7:35 AM

Suspect in NYC subway shooting arrested

The man suspect of shooting 10 commuters on a subway train in Brooklyn, New York City, was arrested after a 30-hour manhunt, authorities said. The suspect, Frank James, was taken into custody without incident on Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan after police received a tip, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a press conference.
 

James, 62, is suspected of setting off smoke grenades and firing a handgun at least 33 times in the subway during Tuesday morning rush hour, police said.