Highlights: Russia suspends sale of foreign currencies until Sept 9

Russia-Ukraine crisis highlights: Ukraine and Russia held the third round of negotiations on Monday after which Ukraine claimed of making a progess, while Moscow said their expectations from "were not fulfilled".

Local residents cross a destroyed bridge as they evacuate from their town in Irpin, near Kyiv, Ukraine.(Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS)

Russia-Ukraine crisis highlights: Russia-Ukraine crisis highlights: As the Ukraine crisis deepened on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is no longer pressing for NATO membership for Ukraine, a delicate issue that was one of Russia's stated reasons for invading its pro-Western neighbour. ...Read More

 

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• Mar 09, 2022 03:39 am IST

  Russia suspends sale of foreign currencies until Sept 9
• Mar 09, 2022 02:42 am IST

  Russia announces humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine for today

  The Russian government has announced a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine for Wednesday morning in order to carry out evacuation of civilians, AFP reported citing Russian news agencies. 

Mar 09, 2022 02:16 am IST
Starbucks to suspend operations in Russia
American coffee chain Starbucks announced that it will suspend all operations in Russia. 
"We have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia, including shipment of all Starbucks products," the company said. 
Mar 09, 2022 01:07 am IST
Ukraine president Zelensky thanks Joe Biden for banning Russia energy products
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday thanked his American counterpart Joe Biden for banning Russian energency products and urged other nations to follow suit.
Mar 08, 2022 11:54 pm IST
McDonald's to temporarily close 850 restaurants in Russia
McDonald’s said on Tuesday it is temporarily closing all of its 850 restaurants in Russia in response to the country’s full-sclae attack on Ukraine.
Mar 08, 2022 11:35 pm IST
At least 27 killed in Kharkiv in last 24 hrs
The Ukrainian regional police said on Tuesday that at least 27 civilians died in the Kharkiv city in last 24 hours. The total number of fatalities in the city have climbed to 170.
Mar 08, 2022 10:39 pm IST
Ukraine says no longer insisting on seeking NATO membership
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is no longer pressing for NATO membership for Ukraine, a delicate issue that was one of Russia's stated reasons for invading its pro-Western neighbor, reports AFP.
Mar 08, 2022 10:06 pm IST
US bans all imports of Russian gas, oil, and energy, reports AFP
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the U.S. will ban all Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia’s economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. Read more
 
Mar 08, 2022 10:00 pm IST
UK says it will phase out Russian oil imports by end of year
UK says that it will be phasing out its Russian oil imports by end of year, reports AFP.
Mar 08, 2022 09:48 pm IST
2,000 to 4,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine war: US Defense Dept
The US Defense Department told lawmakers on Tuesday that it estimates between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Moscow's nearly two-week-old invasion of Ukraine, reports AFP.
Mar 08, 2022 09:01 pm IST
EU plans two-thirds cut in Russian gas imports this year
The EU wants to vastly reduce Russian gas imports this year, a top official said Tuesday, as political pressure mounts to sever Russia's main economic lifeline over its invasion of Ukraine, reports AFP.
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, announced the goal as the United States was expected to impose an oil import ban on Russia in a step considered too far for the Europeans, who fear that the economic consequences would be too severe.
Mar 08, 2022 08:22 pm IST
German refinery limits fuel supplies, Continental halts Russianplants
Austrian oil and gas company OMV AG is limiting the supply of heating oil and diesel from its refinery near Munich in southern Germany in a fresh sign of strains in energy supplies. The company has also stopped its normal practice of releasing daily spot prices, reports Bloomberg.
Continental AG is halting operations in Russia where it employs about 1,300 people, DPA reported. All shipments to and from Russia have also been stopped, the agency said.
Mar 08, 2022 08:20 pm IST
China 'willing to coordinate with Europe' on Ukraine
 
President Xi Jinping said China is willing to coordinate with Europe on the crisis in Ukraine, holding a video call Tuesday with the leaders of France and Germany, news agency Bloomberg reported.
Mar 08, 2022 08:06 pm IST
EU urged to vaccinate Ukrainian refugees for Covid
EU countries should work to help vaccinate Ukrainian refugees against Covid-19 and other preventable diseases, the bloc’s infectious diseases agency said in a report Tuesday. The report noted that only 35% of Ukraine’s population was fully vaccinated against Covid, well below the EU’s average of more than 70%.
“Vaccination acceptance also needs to be assessed and addressed among those fleeing Ukraine,” the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said.
Mar 08, 2022 08:04 pm IST
Spain opens probe of Russian actions in Ukraine
The Spanish public prosecutor's office said Tuesday it had opened a probe into possible "serious violations of international humanitarian law by Russia in Ukraine", news agency AFP reported.
The aim is to "determine the criminal nature" of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the office said in a statement, just hours after Germany's federal prosecutors opened a similar probe.
Mar 08, 2022 07:31 pm IST
Biden to announce ban on Russian oil imports: US media
President Joe Biden is expected to announce a ban on US imports of Russian oil on Tuesday, in the latest sanction in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, according to US media.
Mar 08, 2022 07:28 pm IST
474 civilian deaths in Ukraine; 861 hurt, says UN
The UN human rights office says it has confirmed 474 civilian deaths in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb 24. The office said Tuesday that the number of confirmed civilian injuries now stands at 861, reports news agency AP.
The UN office uses strict methodology and only reports casualties it has been able to verify.
It acknowledges that the real figures are much higher, in part because intense fighting has delayed its receipt of information and many reports still have to be corroborated.
Mar 08, 2022 07:05 pm IST
Biden set to ban US import of Russian oil soon
The Biden administration is poised to impose a ban on U.S. imports of Russian energy as soon as Tuesday without the participation of its European allies, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter.
Mar 08, 2022 07:02 pm IST
Belarus may send troops to Ukraine: Media quotes Ukrainian General Staff
Belarus has regrouped its forces and deployed some of them to the Ukrainian border near the city of Brest and the village of Aleksandrovka in Gomel Oblast, the Ukrainian media outlet Kyiv Independent reported quoting Ukrainian General Staff.
Mar 08, 2022 06:17 pm IST
Over two million are refugees, have fled Ukraine: UN
More than two million people have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion less than two weeks ago, the United Nations said Tuesday, after Moscow agreed to a brief respite from missile strikes to allow civilians to leave Sumy and other cities.
Mar 08, 2022 06:15 pm IST
'Putin is Cain (who killed his brother)', Priest says
'Russian President (Putin) is today's Cain!" says a Ukrainian priest, referring to the Old Testament figure who murdered his brother, Abel. The Kremlin's war against Ukraine has pushed some priests in the country to call for a break from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Mar 08, 2022 06:02 pm IST
18,000 Indians evacuated since Feb 22: Civil Aviation Ministry
Mar 08, 2022 05:54 pm IST
Attacks on Ukrainian hospitals and ambulances rising rapidly, WHO warns
Attacks on hospitals, ambulances and other health care facilities in Ukraine have increased rapidly in recent days and the country is running short of vital medical supplies, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday as per news agency Reuters.
Mar 08, 2022 05:29 pm IST
'Situation uncertain', says government, urges Indians to leave
“The Humanitarian Corridor for evacuation of stranded people has been announced in various parts of Ukraine from 1000 hrs on 8 March 2022. Considering the security situation, establishment of the next humanitarian corridor is uncertain. All stranded Indian nationals are urged to make use of this opportunity and evacuate using trains/vehicles or any other available means of transport giving due consideration to safety,” the advisory read.
Mar 08, 2022 05:23 pm IST
United Airlines suspends two flights to India after halting services that flew over Russia last week
America's United Airlines has indefinitely suspended two flights to India after halting services that flew over Russia last week. The Chicago-based airline said it had stopped services between San Francisco and Delhi, and between Newark, New Jersey and Mumbai. The airline said it plans to continue flying to Delhi from both Chicago and Newark.
Mar 08, 2022 05:06 pm IST
Ukraine's Foreign Minister says Russia holding 3 lakh civilians hostage
Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Minister has accused Russia of holding 300K civilians hostage in Mariupol.
Mar 08, 2022 04:53 pm IST
600 Indian nationals have left Ukraine’s northeastern city Sumy
600 Indian nationals have left Ukraine’s northeastern city Sumy, and are en route to Poltava. Read more
Mar 08, 2022 04:37 pm IST
Shell says it will stop buying Russian oil, natural gas
Energy giant Shell says it will stop buying Russian oil, natural gas and shut service stations in Russia, reports AP.
Mar 08, 2022 04:37 pm IST
All 694 Indian students in Ukraine's Sumy have left: Govt
Union minister Hardeep Singh Singh Puri on Tuesday confirmed the transportation of Indian students stranded in the war-torn Ukrainian city of Sumy had been completed. "Last night, I checked with the control room, 694 Indian students were remaining in Sumy. Today, they have all left in buses for Poltava (another Ukrainian city)," Puri told reporters in Delhi.
Mar 08, 2022 04:35 pm IST
Mission to evacuate Indian sailors stranded in Ukraine underway
Mar 08, 2022 04:25 pm IST
More than 2 million people have fled Ukraine war as refugees: UN
More than 2 million people have fled Ukraine war as refugees, reports AFP News Agency quoting United Nations
Mar 08, 2022 04:02 pm IST
Death toll from air strike in Ukraine's Sumy rises to 21
At least 21 people have died in an air strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, some 350 kilometres east of Kiev, news agency AFP reported quoting local officials.
Mar 08, 2022 03:55 pm IST
West did not save our cities from bombing: President Zelenskyy
"While Russians are to blame for the killings, responsibility is shared by those who for 13 days in their Western offices haven’t been able to approve an obviously necessary decision, who didn’t save our cities from these bombs and missiles – although they can," Ukrainian media outlet The Kyiv Independent quoted Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, as saying.
Mar 08, 2022 03:34 pm IST
Number of refugees to cross 2 million in 48 hours, says UN
The head of the UN's refugee agency on Tuesday said that he expects the number of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine to top two million in the next two days, reports AFP.
Mar 08, 2022 02:31 pm IST
Russia growing desperate, bombing civilians: UK Defense Secretary
Britain’s defense secretary said Tuesday that there are reports Ukrainian special forces destroyed over 20 Russian helicopters on the ground overnight as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to face logistical problems and fierce resistance, reports AFP.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Russian forces are becoming more and more desperate in the face of such military and supply holdups, leading to “indiscriminate shelling” of civilians.
Mar 08, 2022 01:57 pm IST
Evacuation of civilians from Ukraine's Sumy underway: Report
Evacuation of civilians from Ukraine's Sumy underway, reports Reuters citing presidential official.
Read more
Mar 08, 2022 12:34 pm IST
At least 9 dead in Sumy bombing
At least nine people, including two children, have died in an air strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, some 350 kilometres east of Kiev, the rescue services said Tuesday.
"Enemy planes insidiously attacked apartment buildings" on Monday night, the rescue services said on Telegram after arriving on the scene at 11 pm. Sumy, near the Russian border, has been the scene of heavy fighting for days.
Mar 08, 2022 11:31 am IST
Pakistan sends plane to evacuate 300 nationals
Pakistan sent an aircraft to Poland on Tuesday to evacuate more than 300 Pakistanis who escaped fighting in Ukraine.
Pakistan International Airlines says most of them are students.
Pakistan has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, even as it has denounced war as a solution to differences and called for negotiations and a cease-fire. Prime Minister Imran Khan met with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin just hours after the Russian leader sent tanks into Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Pakistan abstained from last week’s U.N. General Assembly vote condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mar 08, 2022 10:38 am IST
Reports of damage to 2nd nuclear plant, no radiation leak so far
Mar 08, 2022 10:18 am IST
Russia to declare ceasefire to open corridors for evacuation

Image courtesy: ANI
In order to conduct a humanitarian operation, from 10:00am. (Moscow time) on March 8, the Russian Federation declares ceasefire and is ready to provide humanitarian corridors, says Russian Embassy in India
Mar 08, 2022 09:32 am IST
Children among dead after Russian air raid on residential buildings in Sumy: Report
Mar 08, 2022 08:43 am IST
‘We really need support': Lviv struggles to feed people fleeing war
The mayor of Lviv said the city in far western Ukraine is struggling to feed and house the tens of thousands of people who have fled here from war-torn regions of the country. “We really need support,” Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said.
Mar 08, 2022 07:23 am IST
Ukraine says Russian general killed
A Russian general was killed in the fighting around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, which Russian forces have been trying to seize since the invasion began, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency said in AP report.
The general has been identified as Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov. He had fought with Russian forces in Syria and Chechnya and had taken part in the seizure of Crimea in 2014.
It was not possible to confirm the death independently. Russia has not commented so far.
Mar 08, 2022 06:54 am IST
Safe corridor for students stranded in Sumy did not materialise: India to UNSC
Despite our urgings to both sides, safe corridor for our students stranded in Sumy did not materialise, says India’s UN Ambassador to UN Security Council.
Mar 08, 2022 06:14 am IST
Oil keeps rising as Russian invasion reverberates across markets
Oil pushed higher above $121 a barrel after a wild open to the week as the U.S. considers a ban on Russian crude imports and global buyers continue to shun its shipments over the war in Ukraine.
Mar 08, 2022 05:59 am IST
New plan for evacuations 
Russia says it will open humanitarian corridors from 0700 GMT on Tuesday to allow civilians to evacuate from several Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv and the port city of Mariupol.
It lists evacuation routes from Kyiv as well as Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy -- all of which have been under heavy Russian attacks in recent days.