KYIV, March 24,2024: Russia struck critical infrastructure in Ukraine’s western region of Lviv with missiles early on Sunday, Kyiv said, in a major airstrike that saw one Russian cruise missile briefly fly into Polish airspace according to Warsaw.
Moscow launched 57 missiles and drones in the attack that also targeted the capital Kyiv, two days after the largest aerial bombardment of Ukraine’s energy system in more than two years of full-scale war, Kyiv said.
The strike used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, which are harder to shoot down, he added, without identifying the facility.
Air defences destroyed 18 of 29 inbound missiles and 25 of 28 attack drones, the air force said.
There was only minor damage from the attack, he said.
POLISH AIRSPACE
Poland’s armed forces said a Russian cruise missile launched at the region of Lviv had violated Poland’s airspace.
Poland’s army spokesperson, Jacek Goryszewski, told reporters that the missile travelled about 2 km (1.2 miles) into Polish airspace before returning to Ukraine.
There was no immediate comment from Russia. Warsaw said it would demand an explanation from Moscow.
New Delhi, Mar 20,2024: The Indian National Congress said on Tuesday that it is fully prepared for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and will soon come with the manifesto, which will not just be a manifesto but the party’s ‘Nyay Patra’ that will fulfill the five guarantees promised to the country.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here on Tuesday, party general secretary KC Venugopal, accompanied by party general secretary Jairam Ramesh, said, “The Congress Working Committee had a detailed discussion on the manifesto for the upcoming 2024 general elections. The CWC has authorized Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to grant final approval for the manifesto. A date for its final release would be made soon.”
Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh said, “The CWC meeting held today is not just for the manifesto but for our Nyay Patra.”
Earlier in the day, the CWC extensively discussed the party manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections that was chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The meeting was attended by Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former party president Rahul Gandhi, and members of the CWC.
In his inaugural speech, Kharge said, “The country has been fervently demanding a change. The guarantees currently being touted by the present government would have the same fate as that of the ‘India Shining’ slogan of 2004”.
He urged the party leaders to ensure that the manifesto gets the widest publicity in different states and that the party’s commitment is taken to every household across the country and to the to the people at large.
DUBAI, March 15,2024: Hamas has presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the U.S. that includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences, according to a proposal seen by Reuters.
Hamas said the initial release of Israelis would include women, children, elderly and ill hostages in return for the release of 700-1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, according to the proposal. The release of Israeli “female recruits” is included.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday a new Gaza truce proposal presented by Hamas to mediators was still based on “unrealistic demands”.
His office said an update on the issue would be handed to the war cabinet and extended security cabinet on Friday.
Egypt and Qatar have been trying to narrow differences between Israel and Hamas over what a ceasefire should look like as a deepening humanitarian crisis has one quarter of the population in the battered Gaza Strip facing famine.
Qatari officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Egypt is seeking to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, ramp up aid deliveries to the Strip and allow for displaced Palestinians in the south and centre of the enclave to move to the north, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Friday.
“We are talking about reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, meaning a truce, providing the biggest quantity of aid,” he told Egypt’s police academy.
Sisi also warned against the dangers of an Israeli incursion into Rafah, on the border with Egypt.
RELEASE OF ALL DETAINEES
Israel had rejected in February a draft proposal for a truce from Hamas, citing its long-held goal of not ending the war until it has destroyed the Islamist group that has run Gaza since 2006. Hamas insists an agreement should end the war.
According to the latest proposal, Hamas said a date for a permanent ceasefire would be agreed upon after the initial exchange of hostages and prisoners, as well as a deadline for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The group said all detainees from both sides would be released in a second stage of the plan.
The war was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel’s air, sea and ground assault on Gaza has killed more than 31,000 people and wounded over 71,500, according to Gaza health authorities.
The conflict has spread to other parts of the already volatile Middle East. Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah has frequently exchanged fire with Israel along the border.
Pro-Iranian armed groups in Iraq have attacked U.S. forces in the country and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have attacked ships in and around the Red Sea to show their solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Late on Thursday, Hamas said it presented to mediators a comprehensive vision of a truce based on stopping what it calls Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, providing relief and aid, the return of displaced Gazans to their homes and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
With the war now in its sixth month, the U.N. has warned that at least 576,000 people in Gaza are on the brink of famine and global pressure has been growing on Israel to allow more access for aid.
New Delhi, Mar 12,224: A Day after the government notified the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday launched a new portal for those who have been persecuted on religious grounds in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
Moreover, the government will soon be launching a mobile app called ‘CAA-2019’ to facilitate applications.
On social media handle X, the Home Ministry said that, through this portal, eligible persons under CAA-2019 can apply for citizenship.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to six minority refugees—Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians—who had sought shelter in India before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
It may be mentioned that ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the government on Monday notified the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Rio De Janeiro, Mar 12,2024: Brazil has registered 391 confirmed deaths from dengue so far this year with another 854 deaths under investigation, the Health Ministry said on Monday.
A total of 1,583,183 suspected cases of dengue have been reported nationwide, including 12,652 severe cases, the ministry said in its daily report.
The incidence rate of dengue fever in the South American country is currently 757.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Brazil has been afflicted with a dengue epidemic since the beginning of this year and the explosion of cases has led nine states to declare a public health emergency.
Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and can be fatal in severe cases.
Lisbon, Mar 11,2024: Portugal’s Democratic Alliance, led by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), stood out as the winner in the parliamentary elections on Sunday with a relative majority, exit polls show.
The center-right coalition, led by PSD leader Luis Montenegro, won with between 29 percent and 33 percent of votes, according to the projection carried out by Portugal’s Catholic University.
The coalition consists of the PSD, the CDS-People’s Party (CDS-PP), and People’s Monarchist Party (PPM).
BEIJING, March 5,2024: Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced an ambitious 2024 economic growth target of around 5% on Tuesday, promising steps to transform the country’s development model and defuse risks fueled by bankrupt property developers and indebted cities.
Delivering his maiden work report at the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp parliament, Li also flagged higher defence spending, while hardening the rhetoric on Taiwan.
In setting a growth target similar to last year, which will be harder to reach as a post-COVID recovery is losing steam, Beijing signals it is prioritising growth over any reforms even as Li pledged bold new policies, analysts said.