LIVE: 'US committed to do all necessary to make Ukraine war stop'

Washington is committed to doing every needed to stop the war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday as he went into a meeting with his EU counterparts

3:13 PM

Nissan to halt output at Kyushu factory for 5 days due to chip shortage: Nikkei

Nissan Motor Co will halt production at its factory in Kyushu, southern Japan, for five days due to a chip shortage, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Friday.

 

The stoppage will start from Monday, while another production line there will be suspended from March 14-17, resulting in lost output of more than 9,000 vehicles, according to the report.

 

3:02 PM

Bomb explodes at mosque in northwestern city of Peshawar, Pakistan, nearly 30 people killed: Report

2:54 PM

Defence Expo 2022 postponed due to logistics problems: Defence Ministry spokesperson

2:36 PM

China industry ministry tells rare earths companies not to hoard amid surging prices

China's industry ministry said on Friday that instructed rare earths companies including China Rare Earth Group, China Northern Rare Earth Group and Shenghe Resources not to speculate or hoard the products amid soaring prices.

 

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also urged them to promote a mechanism to bring prices back to a reasonable range.

 

2:27 PM

We don't seek conflict with Russia but we are ready for it, says US

NATO will defend all its allies and territory against a Russian attack, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, as he arrived for a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels.

 

"Ours is a defensive alliance. We seek no conflict. But if conflict comes to us we are ready for it and we will defend every inch of NATO territory," he told reporters, while condemning what he called Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine.

 

"And overnight, we've also seen reports about the attack against a nuclear power plant. This just demonstrates the recklessness of this war and the importance of ending it and the importance of Russia withdrawing all its troops and engaging in good faith in diplomatic efforts."

2:27 PM

Ukraine says it will not share details of any Russia talks in advance

Ukraine will not share details on the timing or location of any talks with Russia in advance, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said in a video broadcast on Friday.

 

On Thursday, negotiators said a third round of ceasefire talks could take place early next week.

2:12 PM

Nearly 400 people have left, 2 flights to go today and one more flight tomorrow: India Ambassador to Slovakia

2:05 PM

Difficult to believe Russian attack on nuclear plant not deliberate: UK's Raab

It is very difficult to believe a Russian attack on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was not deliberate, British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Friday.

 

Ukraine said Russian military forces had seized the plant - Europe's largest - after attacking it in the early hours of Friday, setting an adjacent five-storey training facility on fire.

 

"It's very difficult to believe that it wasn't done deliberately. But in any event, it is unlawful to attack a site like this and not to do your due diligence on it and to keep bombarding it," Raab told BBC Television.

1:56 PM

Ukrainian authorities say fire at nuclear plant due to Russian shelling has been extinguished: Report

1:46 PM

Airbnb suspends operations in Belarus, Russia

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine entered the ninth day, Airbnb suspended all its operations in Belarus and Russia amid the bombing at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

 

The US-based Airbnb has decided to suspend all operations in Belarus and Russia, The Kyiv Independent reported quoting the company's CEO, Brian Chesky.

 

Chesky tweeted on March 3, "Airbnb is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus."

 

Moreover, US President Joe Biden on Thursday imposed new sanctions on eight members of the Russian elite and their families, including Dmitry Peskov, Putin's press secretary.

1:42 PM

Pakistan signs trade deal with Russia amid war--how will the IMF react?

Pakistan has become the first country to officially sign a huge trade deal with Russia at a time when Moscow has come under severe criticism for invading Ukraine. As part of the agreement, Pakistan will import two million tonnes of wheat and natural gas from Russia.

 

Will this impact Pakistan's assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?

 

Not only have the US and European Union thrashed out stringent sanctions against Russia, the World Bank and the IMF, too, have issued a joint statement condemning Moscow while promising to provide assistance to Ukraine and other countries that have opened their doors to Ukrainian refugees. Read on...

1:40 PM

Putin alleges Ukrainian 'neo-Nazi' units preventing foreigners from leaving

Amid heavy fighting with Ukrainian forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that nationalist "neo-Nazis" units of Ukraine are preventing foreigners, including Indians from leaving the war zone and are using them as human shields.

 

In a video address, Putin on Thursday said, "The fact that we are fighting neo-Nazis is proved by how the hostilities are going, nationalist neo-Nazi's units are using foreign mercenaries from the Middle East. Also, they use civilians as human shields, hiding behind their backs and we have facts, pictures of how they deploy heavy weapons in residential areas."

 

He alleged that Ukrainian forces are taking them hostage. Putin said, "That's how gangsters act, from the kindergartens, from hospitals, they put their guns, tanks, cannons and they are taking foreign citizens as hostages from thousands of students studying in Ukraine colleges." Read on...

1:39 PM

Centre sticks to borrowing plan amid impact from Ukraine fallout: Report

India has no plans to borrow more this fiscal year and will keep its budget deficit target despite a potential negative shock to the nation’s finances from oil prices and delay in the biggest share sale, according to people familiar with the development.
 

The government’s market borrowings for the fiscal are over and there is no plan to borrow against the auctions that were canceled last month, the people said asking not to be identified as the discussions are private.

 

India had canceled two previous auctions citing its comfortable cash position as bond yields surged after the government unveiled a record borrowing plan for the next fiscal year. Still, the government last week said it will raise its borrowings through Treasury bills to 1.86 trillion rupees in March, from an earlier aim of 1.26 trillion rupees. Read on...

1:37 PM

IAEA puts Incident & Emergency Centre in full 24/7 response mode

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday said that it has decided to launch a 24-hour Centre for Incidents and Emergencies in the wake of the now-extinguished fire at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine caused by Russian shelling.

 

In a tweet, the IAEA said: "IAEA puts its Incident and Emergency Centre in full 24/7 response mode due to serious situation at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine."

 

Nuclear safety at the plant, which is the largest in Europe, was threatened, reactors were in danger due to shelling by the Russian military and subsequent fire. Read on...

1:07 PM

US Senator Lindsay Graham calls for Putin's assassination amid Ukraine war

Calling for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asked whether there is a Brutus or a "more successful" Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military.

 

Julius Caesar, a Roman general, was assassinated by Brutus while Colonel Stauffenberg, a German army officer, had attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944.

 

In a series of tweets, Graham said, "Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service." Read on...