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Russia Ukraine War Live Updates: Russia attacks evacuation bus, three wounded, claims Ukraine

The war between Russia and Ukraine is now on its Day 13. A third round of negotiation talks was held between the two countries on Monday, March 7, which showed some tentative progress but failed to reach a deal on creating humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of citizens. Stay tuned for more updates.

Published

4 years ago

March 8, 2022

The war between Russia and Ukraine is now on its Day 13. The third round of negotiation talks was held between the two countries on Monday, March 7, which showed some tentative progress but failed to reach a deal on creating humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of citizens.

Russia has claimed that it will stop the ongoing invasion of Ukraine at once if its demand is met. Russia has demanded that Ukraine cease its military actions, modify its constitution to include neutrality, recognise Crimea as Russian territory, and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as sovereign states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held telephonic conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and sought continued support from both countries for the evacuation of Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine.

Russia Ukraine War Updates:

Russia attacks evacuation bus, three wounded, claims Ukraine

In an ongoing war, Russian troops have attacked an evacuation bus and a number of villages in the Kyiv region claimed authorities. According to the reports, three people were wounded in the attack.

Approximately 1.2 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland, says report

Since the Russian invasion on February 24, almost 1.2 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland, including 141,500 on Monday, according to the Polish Border Guard.

At least nine people dead in bombing of Ukraine city Sumy, says report

According to the rescue services, at least nine persons, including two children, were killed in an air strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, around 350 kilometres east of Kiev.

Russian offensive slows as residents flee bombed-out cities, says Ukraine

According to Ukrainian military and intelligence, Russia’s offensive in Ukraine still continues, but at a much slower pace as terrified residents fled bombed-out cities. Reports also state that a second senior Russian commander has been killed.

Australia, Japan announce new round of sanctions on Russia

Australia has imposed another round of sanctions against Russia for its unwarranted invasion of Ukraine and is targeting Moscow’s senior military officers, as well as state propagandists peddling pro-Kremlin disinformation. Meanwhile, following the invasion of Ukraine, Japan has blocked the assets of an additional 32 Russian and Belarusian officials and oligarchs, according to the Ministry of Finance. The newly added sanctions are aimed at 20 Russians, including deputy chiefs of staff for President Vladamir Putin’s administration, deputy chairs of state legislatures, the Chechen Republic’s president, and executives of companies with close ties to the government such as Volga Group, Transneft, and Wagner.

Despite repeated urgings, no safe corridor for students stranded in Sumy

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador T S Tirumurti, expressed deep concern at the UN Security Council meeting that the safe corridor for Indian students stranded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy did not materialise despite India’s repeated urgings to both Russia and Ukraine.

FIFA to suspend contracts of foreign players tied to Ukrainian, Russian clubs

After the suspension of Russian from international soccer games last week, FIFA has now announced that it will suspend the contracts of all those who are tied to Ukrainian and Russian clubs for the rest of 2021-22 season.

Russia declares ceasefire for humanitarian corridors in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mariupol

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that from 10 am (Moscow time) on March 8, the Russian Federation declares a ceasefire and is ready to provide humanitarian corridors in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol.

The statement also added that the Ukrainian side should also inform in accordance with the established procedure, about the planned humanitarian operation before 3 am (Moscow time) on March 8.

Oil prices will hit $300 a barrel if US, Europe ban imports, warns Russia

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that A ban on Russian oil will lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market. The surge in prices will be unpredictable, more than $300 per barrel, if not more.

Children among dead after Russia air raid on residential buildings in Sumy, says report

Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the head of the Sumy Regional State Administration, said in a video message on March 7 that at least ten people had been murdered as a result of Russia’s targeted bombings on Sumy.

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Delhi-NCR sees second spell of rain and thunderstorms in four days

Delhi-NCR experienced another spell of rain and thunderstorms on March 18, with IMD forecasting more showers over the next few days.

Published

4 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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Delhi and parts of the National Capital Region witnessed another spell of rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds on Wednesday evening, marking the second such weather event in the past four days.

The sudden change brought relief from unusually high temperatures recorded earlier this month. According to officials, the temperature at Safdarjung — the city’s base weather station — was recorded at 24 degrees Celsius at 7 pm.

The India Meteorological Department had earlier issued an alert predicting light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning on March 18. Several areas across the capital experienced gusty winds along with brief but intense showers.

More rain likely over next two days

The weather department has forecast partly cloudy skies for March 19 and 20, with chances of light rain or thundershowers occurring once or twice during the day. On March 21, skies are expected to remain cloudy with the possibility of light showers continuing.

Conditions are likely to stabilise from March 23 onwards, with forecasts indicating a return to partly cloudy to clear skies across the region.

Weather activity across India to intensify

The IMD has also indicated widespread weather activity across multiple regions of the country in the coming days. Rainfall is expected to intensify in several states, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds.

In the northeastern region, heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya during the early part of the week.

Meanwhile, the western Himalayan region is also set to witness a shift in weather patterns. Himachal Pradesh is likely to receive heavy rainfall on March 19 and 20, while Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir may experience heavy showers around March 20.

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Centre pushes states to cut levies to boost PNG adoption

The Centre has asked states to reduce local levies and streamline approvals to accelerate PNG adoption and city gas infrastructure growth.

Published

6 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has urged states and Union Territories to ease local levies and procedural barriers affecting City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects, in a bid to accelerate the adoption of piped natural gas (PNG) as a cleaner fuel alternative.

In a communication sent to Chief Secretaries, Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Neeraj Mittal highlighted that high right-of-way charges, road cutting fees, lease rentals and other local levies imposed by urban bodies are discouraging investments in CGD infrastructure.

High costs slowing expansion

The ministry pointed out that the CGD sector, particularly PNG supply to households and commercial establishments, does not receive direct subsidies. As a result, it depends heavily on viable returns, which are being impacted by excessive and inconsistent local charges across states.

It noted that these financial and procedural hurdles are slowing down infrastructure expansion and affecting the broader adoption of natural gas.

Gap between connections and usage

According to the government, while around 12.63 crore PNG connections have been recorded, only about 1.6 crore are currently active. The ministry stressed that improving ease of doing business at state and local levels could help bridge this gap and expand the consumer base.

Officials believe that rationalising levies may initially reduce local revenues but could lead to higher long-term gains through increased gas consumption and economic activity.

LPG shortage adds urgency

The push for PNG adoption comes amid supply constraints in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Oil marketing companies are currently supplying only 20 per cent of normal commercial LPG demand to states.

To address this, the ministry has proposed increasing LPG allocation to 30 per cent for states that implement reforms supporting PNG and CGD expansion.

Reform-linked incentives for states

The Centre has suggested a set of measures that states can adopt to qualify for higher LPG allocations. These include:

Setting up empowered state and district-level committees for faster approvals
Introducing single-window clearance with deemed approvals within 24 hours
Implementing a dig-and-restore model using bank guarantees instead of restoration charges
Eliminating annual rental or lease charges for CGD infrastructure

The ministry said compliance with these reforms would be verified before granting additional LPG allocations.

Industry support measures

The communication also noted that GAIL and its subsidiaries have already allocated full gas supply to the commercial PNG segment to support businesses affected by reduced LPG availability.

The government reiterated that expanding natural gas usage aligns with its broader push for cleaner and domestically sourced energy.

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BJP seals Assam seat-sharing pact, Modi to hold 3 rallies in April

BJP has finalised its Assam seat-sharing plan with allies and is gearing up for an intense campaign led by PM Modi and Amit Shah.

Published

6 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, firming up its strategy alongside National Democratic Alliance partners as campaigning gathers pace in the state.

Under the agreement, the BJP will contest 89 seats, while its allies — Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front — will field candidates in 26 and 11 constituencies respectively. The distribution has been decided after internal deliberations, with the focus now shifting to candidate announcements and campaign execution.

Campaign push led by top leadership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address three rallies in Assam during the final leg of the campaign. Tentative dates for the rallies are April 1, April 3 and April 6, with events likely to be held in key constituencies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also set to spearhead an extensive campaign across the state through March, aiming to energise party workers and strengthen voter outreach.

Candidate selection underway

The party’s Central Election Committee is currently meeting to finalise candidates. Sources indicate that approvals for most constituencies are expected soon, and the BJP may release its complete list of candidates within the next two days.

Ticket distribution remains a crucial exercise, with internal discussions highlighting its potential impact on local political dynamics. Party leaders have also touched upon the proposed delimitation exercise scheduled for 2027, which is expected to have long-term implications for Assam’s electoral landscape.