Russia Ukraine War LIVE Updates: United Nations General Assembly meets on Ukraine hours after Russian strikes
The UN General Assembly started debating on Monday whether to demand that Russia reverse course on annexing four regions of Ukraine — a discussion that came as Moscow’s most extensive missile strikes in months alarmed much of the international community anew.
The assembly’s special session was planned before Monday’s barrage, but countries spoke out on the widespread, Monday morning rush-hour attacks that killed at least 14 people and wounded scores.
Ukrainian Ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya said some of his own close relatives were imperiled in a residential building, unable to take cover in a bomb shelter.
“By launching missile attacks on civilians sleeping in their homes or rushing toward children going to schools, Russia has proven once again that it is a terrorist state that must be deterred in the strongest possible ways,” he said.
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UNGA: India votes to reject Russia’s demand for secret ballot on draft Ukraine resolution
India voted to reject Russia’s demand for a secret ballot in the UN General Assembly on a draft resolution to condemn Moscow’s “illegal” annexation of four regions of Ukraine, with New Delhi favouring a public vote on the text along with over 100 other nations.
The 193-member UN General Assembly on Monday voted on a motion by Albania that action on the draft resolution that would condemn Russia’s “illegal so-called referendums” and “attempted illegal annexation” of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine be taken by a recorded vote. Russia had demanded that the resolution be voted upon by secret ballot.
Weinstein sex assault trial opens in Los Angeles
Jury selection began Monday in the Los Angeles trial of disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, with five alleged victims expected to take the stand during the two-month case.
The 70-year-old “Pulp Fiction” producer is already serving 23 years in jail in New York after being convicted there of a series of sex crimes. He now faces 11 more charges, including sexual battery by restraint, forcible rape and forcible oral copulation against women in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles hotels between 2004 and 2013.
If convicted, Weinstein — who has pleaded not guilty to all counts — could be sentenced to more than 100 additional years behind bars.
Crypto giant Coinbase gets Singapore licence
Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange in the United States, said it has received approval from Singapore’s central bank to offer payment services in the city-state. The in-principle approval, which the central bank started giving out to crypto firms last year, means individuals and institutions can use digital payment token services and the firms are regulated by the central bank under its Payment Services Act.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to arrive in US for IMF-WB meeting
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will arrive here on Tuesday to attend an important meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The finance minister during her visit will also hold a bilateral meeting with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Sitharaman upon her arrival will participate in a fireside chat on “India’s Economic Prospects and Role in the World Economy” at the prestigious Brookings Institute think-tank and soon after hold a bilateral meeting with Yellen at the Department of Treasury.
At an official dinner hosted by India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, nearly 30 senior representatives of the US Administration, World Bank, IMF, and CEOs of the private sector are expected to participate.
Lucknow, several other UP districts order closure of schools on Tuesday
Several districts of Uttar Pradesh, including state capital Lucknow, have declared holiday for all schools and higher educational institutions on Tuesday in view of incessant rain. A statement issued by District Magistrate of Lucknow Suryapal Gangwar said that schools will remain closed on Tuesday.
A state government official said higher education institutions will also remain closed on Tuesday in the districts where the authorities have declared holiday in view of rain.
Jharkhand police bust tear gas shells, use water canons to disperse Tana Bhagats
Police burst tear gas shells and used water canons to disperse members of the Tana Bhagat tribal community on Monday when they gheraoed the civil court in Latehar, about 110 km from the Jharkhand capital Ranchi, and brickbatted it.
The tribals locked the chamber of the principal judge for about five hours demanding the closure of the court alleging that the district administration was ignoring the constitutional provisions in vogue in the area.
The adamant agitators refused to heed to the persuasions of the district administration and police officers, who had rushed to the site, and began brickbatting injuring seven police personnel. Among those injured were a police inspector and three women constables, deputy superintendent of police Santosh Mishra said.
From Feb 1, foreign food manufacturers need FSSAI registration for exporting milk, meat products
Food regulator FSSAI has made it mandatory for foreign food manufacturing facilities to register with it for exporting products such as meat, milk and infant foods to India. This will be effective from February 1, 2023.
In an order issued on Monday, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said that it has been decided that registrations of foreign food manufacturing facilities, falling under five food categories, who are intended to export these products shall be mandatory.
RSS-backed BKS announces farmer rally in Delhi
The RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) on Monday announced a protest rally of farmers in the national capital on December 19 to press their demands for increasing financial assistance under the PM-KISAN scheme and removing GST on agricultural equipment and fertilisers.
BKS all-India secretary K Sai Reddy said the national executive, at its meeting in the city on October 8 and 9, decided that financial stability of farmers is paramount and to ensure that necessary steps must be taken.
UP ATS arrests 8 suspects with links to terror outfits
Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested eight suspected terrorists having links with Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent and its affiliate Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen from different places, officials said on Monday.
Eight suspects have been arrested from different places in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, UP Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said in a statement.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Lukman, Mohammad Alim of Gagalhedi, Kari Mukhtar of Manoharpur, Kamil of Deoband, all hailing from Saharanpur district, Shahzad of Jhinjhana in Shamli district, and Mudassir of Haridwar (Uttarakhand), the statement said, adding that Ali Noor, a Bangladeshi national, and Nawazish Ansari of Jharkhand have also been arrested.