LIVE: Three powerful explosions heard near Ukraine's Lviv, says governor

'There were three powerful explosions near Lviv from the direction of Kryvchytsy, now there is an air raid warning, so keep calm and take shelter,' said regional Governor in an online post

10:45 AM

Policy makers, academicians in TN oppose CUET for admission to central varsities

The policy makers and academicians of Tamil Nadu have strongly opposed the University Grants Commission's (UGC) proposed move to conduct a common entrance test for admission to various courses across 45 central universities in the country.

M.R. Ayyappan, a retired professor from a Government College in Tamil Nadu told IANS: "Just like NEET had created damage to the rural students of Tamil Nadu, the common entrance test for admissions to central universities will also bring in an urban, rural divide and poor students from rural background will be left out in the race. The government of Tamil Nadu and the people of the state must object staunchly against this draconian move."

Objecting the UGC's decision, Tamil Nadu teachers association's State President, P.K. Illamaran, said: "With the introduction of the Central University Entrance Test (CUET), there will not be any value for the Class XII marks and students will have to depend on entrance coaching centres for capsule format coaching to get into these institutions. The focus of the students will be to clear the entrance test and there will not be any stress on the foundations of the subject.

10:36 AM

Biden again calls Putin 'war criminal'

US President Joe Biden again called his Russian counterpart a "war criminal" due to the Moscow's continued invasion of Kiev.

Biden made the remarks during a joint briefing on the humanitarian efforts for Ukraine with Polish President Andrej Duda on Friday in Rzeszow, located close to the Poland-Ukraine border.

In his opening remarks, Biden, who arrived in Poland on Friday, said the "single-most important thing that we can do from the outset is keep the democracies united in our opposition and our effort to curtail the devastation that is occurring at the hands of a man who, quite frankly, I think is a war criminal".

10:19 AM

COVID-19: India records 4,100 more fatalities, 1,660 fresh cases

India's COVID-19 death toll climbed to 5,20,855 with 4,100 fatalities recorded in a day and Maharashtra reconciling the number of deaths caused by the viral disease in the state, the Union health ministry said on Saturday.

A total of 1,660 fresh cases have pushed the country's COVID-19 tally to 4,30,18,032, while the number of active cases has fallen below 20,000, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The number of active cases of the infection has declined to 16,741, the lowest in 702 days and accounting for 0.04 per cent of the total caseload. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.75 per cent, the ministry said.

10:19 AM

PM Gati Shakti entails geospatial mapping of everything, says Piyush Goyal

Union Minister for Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal on Friday said PM Gati Shakti entails the geospatial mapping of everything in the country, different layers of maps which talk to each other, leading to integrated planning, with better optimization of time and cost, said a press release by Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

 

While addressing the Forbes India Leadership Awards 2021-22 in Mumbai today, he said, "One of the examples is that we are now able to remove the situation of projects getting stuck due to crossing of forest and rail line," added the statement.

10:18 AM

PM Modi hails initiative to set up WHO Global Centre for traditional medicine in Gujarat

A day after the Government of India signed an agreement with World Health Organization for establishing the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the move saying it will contribute towards making a healthier planet and leveraging the country's rich traditional practices for global good.

"India is honoured to be home to a state-of-the-art WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. This Centre will contribute towards making a healthier planet and leveraging our rich traditional practices for global good," the Prime Minister tweeted on Saturday.

10:15 AM

72 attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities since February 24: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has registered a total of 72 attacks targeting Ukrainian healthcare facilities since Russia launched its war on February 24.

According to the WHO's Surveillance System for Attacks on Healthcare (SSA), of the 72 attacks, 58 impacted facilities, 11 transportation, 16 personnel, 10 patients, eight supplies and one impacted a warehouse.

There were a total of 71 deaths and 37 injuries as a result of these attacks, the SSA added.

10:00 AM

Ukraine war: Over 400 firms stopped operations in Russia after US sanctions

More than 400 firms have stopped their business activities in Russia, as a result of the severe US sanctions on the country for its invasion of Ukraine, founder of a US-based software company Bobby Balachandran said on Friday.

"The last I heard, more than 400 companies have decided to support the government to stop doing business with Russia," said Balachandran adding that his own company Exterro has stopped its activities in Russia.

Balachandran made the observations while speaking to ANI in the Coimbatore office of the company.

9:59 AM

Ukraine crisis: Music streaming giant Spotify suspends service in Russia

Swedish music streaming giant Spotify is suspending its services in Russia after Moscow passed a new law earlier this month to crack down on free press and speech.

Spotify said it had no choice but to leave the Russian market, citing the law that essentially outlaws independent journalism.

"Spotify has continued to believe that it's critically important to try and keep our service operational in Russia to provide trusted, independent news and information in the region," a Spotify spokesperson told TechCrunch.

9:51 AM

Sri Lanka facing ‘clear solvency problem,’ says IMF report

Sri Lanka faces “solvency” issues because of risks stemming from unsustainable debt levels that jeopardize the nation’s economy, according to International Monetary Fund staff.

 

“Based on staff analysis, the fiscal consolidation necessary to bring debt down to safe levels would require excessive adjustment over the coming years, pointing to a clear solvency problem,” the IMF said in its Article IV consultation report, released Friday in Washington.

 

The full report provides further analysis of the South Asian island nation’s debt and finances. A summary of the report released earlier in the month said Sri Lanka faced unsustainable debt levels and needed a “credible and coherent” strategy to restore stability. 

9:28 AM

UK to provide Ukraine with 2 million pounds in essential food supplies

The United Kingdom will provide Ukraine with essential food supplies worth 2 million pounds, the UK Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

 

"The UK is set to provide £2 million in vital food supplies for areas of Ukraine encircled by Russian forces, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirmed today," the statement read.

 

According to the Ministry it is estimated over 12 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance across Ukraine, with the actual figure likely to be much higher.

9:15 AM

Shanghai Adds Record Covid Cases as Authorities Increase Testing

Shanghai’s new Covid-19 cases jumped over 40% in a single day, hitting a fresh record as authorities scramble to contain China’s worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic in Wuhan. 

 

There were 2,269 infections reported, with the majority of cases asymptomatic. Only 38 cases had symptoms, data from the municipal health commission showed. 

 

The Chinese financial hub has seen case numbers grow rapidly in the past month, with scores of buildings and apartment blocks locked down and residents confined at home. While Shanghai officials have ruled out fully isolating the city, parts of it will be sealed off and further tested in a move some fear will plunge the financial hub into a de-facto lockdown. Frustrated residents are struggling to secure fresh food, while accessing medical care gets harder as select hospitals prioritize Covid patients and close out-patient services.

9:04 AM

Pentagon claims Russia sending troops from Georgia to Ukraine

A senior US defence official told reporters that the Pentagon has seen indications of Russia sending troop reinforcements from "Georgia" to Ukraine to support its offensive in the Donbas region.

 

"We've seen our first indications that they are trying to send in some reinforcements from Georgia. We have seen the movement of some number of troops from Georgia. We don't have an exact number," the official said during a press briefing on Friday.

8:48 AM

Petrol, diesel prices hiked again; total increase of Rs 3.20 per litre in five days

With the hike of 80 paise in prices of petrol and diesel on Saturday, the rates have been increased by Rs 3.20 per litre in five days.

After the latest price revision, petrol in Delhi will be sold at Rs 98.61 per litre and diesel at Rs 89.87 per litre.

The petrol will cost Rs 113.35 after an increase of by 84 paise and after the hike by 85 paise diesel will be sold at Rs 97.55 in the finance capital Mumbai. In Mumbai, the prices are the highest among all the metros cities.

After November last year, on March 22 the fuel prices were hiked for the first time. Since then the prices are continuously increasing.

8:46 AM

Ukrainian forces have dealt powerful blows to enemy: Zelenskyy

As Moscow's invasion of Kiev has been underway for more than a month now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy said that his country's forces "have dealt powerful blows to the enemy", adding that there were "significant losses" on the Russian side.

In a video address posted on Facebook early Saturday morning, the President said: "Over the past week, our heroic Armed Forces have dealt powerful blows to the enemy, significant losses."

Zelenksyy also made a reference to the reported disappearance of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was last seen in public on March 11.

"They say that the M

8:35 AM

Pentagon claims Russia sending troops from Georgia to Ukraine

A senior US defence official told reporters that the Pentagon has seen indications of Russia sending troop reinforcements from "Georgia" to Ukraine to support its offensive in the Donbas region.

 

"We've seen our first indications that they are trying to send in some reinforcements from Georgia. We have seen the movement of some number of troops from Georgia. We don't have an exact number," the official said during a press briefing on Friday.