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

12:14 PM

Russia War: Fighting stops in Ukraine's power plant, radiation level normal

Fighting has stopped near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on Friday and radiation levels are currently normal.

 

Zaporizhzhia power plant spokesperson Andrey Tuz said the plant has not sustained any critical damage, although only one power generation unit out of six is operational as the fire continued at the facility.

 

As per Eastern European media, NEXTA, there was no threat of radiation spread.

 

"According to Andrey Tuz, spokesman of the press service of the nuclear power plant, there is no threat of radiation spread," tweeted NEXTA. Read on...

11:56 AM

Russia seizes TV broadcasting tower in Kherson

Amid intense fighting between Russia and Ukraine, the Russian military on Friday seized a TV broadcasting tower in the southern city of Kherson.

 

"The Russian military seized a TV broadcasting tower in the southern city of Kherson. As a result, there are concerns that it will be used to disseminate misinformation across this city," tweeted The Kyiv Independent.

 

Meanwhile, an air raids alert was issued in Zhytomyr. "Air raid alerts in Zhytomyr. Residents should go to the nearest shelter," tweeted The Kyiv Independent.

 

New videos posted to social media show the horrific aftermath of Russian military strikes that hit an apartment complex in the northern city of Chernihiv on Thursday.

11:31 AM

BlackRock halts purchases of Russian securities in active and index funds

BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset manager, said it had halted purchase of all Russian securities in its active and index funds as of Monday after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
 

It has "proactively advocated" with "index providers to remove Russian securities from broad-based indices," Rich Kushel, head of the portfolio management group and Salim Ramji, global head of iShares and index investments, said in a joint statement on Thursday. Russian securities account for less than 0.01% of their clients' assets, they said.

 

Western sanctions on Moscow after it invaded Ukraine last week have prompted a wave of investors to announce they were cutting positions in Russia. Canadian asset manager Purpose Investments said on Thursday it had divested all direct holdings of Russian companies as of Feb. 28 and pledged to stop new investments as long as Russia's invasion continued. Read on...

11:15 AM

Russia-Ukraine war LIVE: Fire at Ukrainian nuke plant extinguished, fighting stops

Ukrainian officials on Friday claimed that the fire at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which erupted after Russian troops shelled the complex, has been extinguished and the fighting in the area also stopped.

 

Dmytro Orlov, the Mayor of Energodar city which is about 120 km from Zaporizhzhya, told a local broadcaster that the fighting has stopped near the plant site after several hours of "continuous enemy shelling of (the plant's) buildings and units", the BBC reported.

 

In a statement, the country's State Emergency Services said that at about 6.20 a.m., the fire in the training building was extinguished, adding that "there are no victims".

 

According to the Services, the fire was reported on the third, fourth and fifth floor of the building.

 

Following initial hindrance from Russian troops, the fire responders finally entered the affected area at about 5.20 a.m.

 

Shortly after the fire broke out at the largest nuclear plant in Europe, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged leaders across the continent to "wake up" and take "immediate action" against Russia.

10:58 AM

Rupee slumps 11 paise to 76.05 against US dollar in early trade

The rupee declined 11 paise to 76.05 against the US dollar in the opening trade on Friday, tracking the surge in international crude prices amid the intensifying Russia-Ukraine conflict.

 

Unabated foreign fund outflows and a weak trend in domestic equities also weighed on investor sentiment, forex traders said.

 

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened weak at 76.06 against the US dollar, then gained slightly to 76.05, registering a decline of 11 paise from the last close.

 

On Thursday, the rupee had settled at 75.94 against the US dollar.

 

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.14 per cent to 97.92.

10:20 AM

Fire put out at Ukraine nuclear plant after Russian attack

Ukraine's state emergency service said on Friday that fire has been put out near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Ukraine said in the early hours of Friday Russian forces had attacked the plant and a five-story training facility building next to it was on fire.

10:20 AM

Fire put out at Ukraine nuclear plant after Russian attack

Ukraine's state emergency service said on Friday that fire has been put out near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Ukraine said in the early hours of Friday Russian forces had attacked the plant and a five-story training facility building next to it was on fire.

10:06 AM

Fighting stops at nuclear plant: Ukraine town mayor

The mayor of Enerhodar, a town located about 150km south-east of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, has said fighting at the plant has stopped, according to BBC Ukrainian, citing a local broadcaster. The news comes after the plant reportedly sustained several hours of heavy shelling and a fire which broke out on the third, fourth and fifth floor of a building at the complex, according to Ukrainian emergency officials, the Guardian reported.

9:53 AM

Airbnb suspends operations in Russia, Belarus

 Home rental company Airbnb Inc is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus, Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky said in a tweet on Thursday. 

1. Airbnb and https://t.co/enqjlQB0rH are working with our Hosts to house up to 100,000 refugees fleeing from Ukraine, for free

— Brian Chesky

9:48 AM

Queen Elizabeth shows support for Ukraine, makes 'generous donation' to aid victims

Amid the deepening crisis in Ukraine, British Queen Elizabeth II has come out in support of the victims.

 

According to People, the 95-year-old monarch has recently made a donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine appeal to help civilians affected by Russia's military operation.

 

The update about Queen's donation was shared on DEC's Twitter handle.

 

"Many thanks to Her Majesty The Queen for continuing to support the Disasters Emergency Committee and for making a generous donation to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal," the organization said.

9:31 AM

US senator urges Ukrainian govt to end racial discrimination at its border

A top American Senator has urged the Ukrainian government to end racial discrimination at its border, a prickly issue that has been pointed out by numerous students who have been frantically trying to flee the war-ravaged country.

 

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine intensified, foreign students, especially Africans and Asians, who are attempting to flee the country have been complaining that they have been experiencing racist treatment by Ukrainian security forces at border check-posts.

 

I want to call attention to a growing body of disturbing reports along Ukraine's western borders, which allege discriminatory treatment and processing of certain non-Ukrainian individuals in particular, individuals from African nations, Senator Mark Warner said in a letter to Oksana Markarova, Ambassador of Ukraine to the US on Thursday. Read on...

8:07 AM

A fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukrain breaks out near plant's perimeter in Ukraine

A fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine, the largest of its kind in Europe, broke out in a training building outside the plant's perimeter after an attack by Russian troops, the state emergency service said in a statement on Friday.
 

Separately, the plant's director told Ukraine 24 television that radiation security had been secured at the site.

8:04 AM

Ukraine officials say fire at nuclear power plant erupted outside the perimeter

A fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine, the largest of its kind in Europe, broke out in a training building outside the plant's perimeter after an attack by Russian troops, the state emergency service said in a statement on Friday.
 

Separately, the plant's director told Ukraine 24 television that radiation security had been secured at the site.

7:37 AM

A look at how the West is punishing Russia for its invasion on Ukraine

The United States and European allies are stepping up sanctions to make Russia pay for invading Ukraine, and while the penalties are hurting Russia's economy, they have failed so far to stop the fighting.

 

The White House announced additional financial sanctions Thursday aimed at people in President Vladimir Putin's inner circle, and the State Department said it was imposing travel bans on 19 Russian oligarchs and dozens of their family members and associates.

 

Earlier this week, the White House announced new sanctions against Russia and its ally, Belarus, including export controls aimed at Russia's oil refiners. Read on...

7:27 AM

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Another Indian student shot in Kyiv, hospitalised

 An Indian student has been hospitalised after he was shot with a bullet in the capital city of Ukraine, a few days after an Indian student lost his life in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

 

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Minister of State (MoS) for Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) General VK Singh revealed the information at Poland's Rzeszow airport on Thursday.

 

"A student from Kyiv was reported to have been shot and was immediately admitted to the hospital in Kyiv," General (retd) Singh told ANI.