Category: NEWS

BRUSSELS  – The European Union banned Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik from broadcasting in the bloc, the EU s presidency said Tuesday, following a move by video-sharing platform YouTube to block the outlets  content in the EU. The EU s move, due to come into force Wednesday after publication in the official journal of the EU, comes as Brussels intensifies its sanctions regime on Moscow in response to Russia s invasion of Ukraine. Representatives of the 27 EU member states also agreed to ban “certain” Russian banks from the SWIFT…

ROME – Italy s government on Monday agreed to provide military equipment and materials to Ukraine following Russia s invasion, although it did not immediately say how much. Cabinet ministers approved a decree providing for “the transfer of military means, material and equipment to the governmental authorities of Ukraine”, a spokesman for Prime Minister Mario Draghi s office said. The United States, Canada and more than a dozen European countries have so far responded to Ukrainian appeals for military equipment. The announcement is separate from Sunday s news that Italy would immediately…

MOSCOW | Western sanctions following the occupation of Ukraine caused the Russian currency ruble to fall sharply. As a result, the lives of ordinary people are becoming unbearable. The Russian currency plunged about 30% against the U.S. dollar after Western nations announced moves to block some Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment system and to restrict Russia’s use of its massive foreign currency reserves. The exchange rate later recovered ground after swift action by Russia’s central bank. But the economic squeeze got tighter when the U.S. announced more sanctions later…

Thiruvananthapuram: When the pandemic hit, most of the people who were daily wage workers lost their jobs. It was during this time that women associated with Industree Foundation’s POWER project took charge and became the sole breadwinners for their families. These women are now also training other women from their areas to become financially independent and gain recognition in society. POWER (Producer Owned Women Enterprises) Project focuses on providing valuable training to women in rural areas and empowers them to become micro-entrepreneurs. The training program enables women to make beautiful…

BRUSSELS — Shocked by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to deploy troops to separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, world leaders moved quickly Tuesday to impose as forceful a response as possible in hopes of averting a full-blown war in Europe. Germany made the first big move, taking steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia — a lucrative deal long sought by Moscow, but criticized by the U.S. for increasing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy supplies. The rest of the European Union also…

New Delhi:”Bangladesh is historically an important trading and transport hub for our subcontinent,” said Harsh V Shringla, India’s foreign secretary. “India and Bangladesh” signed an agreement to transfer cargo to the northeastern part of India using the Chattogram and Mongla ports. Fully operationalizing this agreement will bring economic benefits to a range of stakeholders from both countries,” Shringla said during an interaction with the Bangladesh delegation at the 10th India-Bangladesh friendship dialogue. While North East India will benefit from a steady supply of goods, the transport and logistics sector in Bangladesh…

New Delhi: India denies allegations made by UN mission in Geneva against judicial harassment of journalist Rana Ayub. India’s permanent mission in Geneva dubbed the allegations as “baseless and unwarranted” asserting that the country upholds the rule of law and no one was above it. “Allegations of so-called judicial harassment are baseless & unwarranted. India upholds the rule of law but is equally clear that no one is above the law. We expect SRs to be objective & accurately informed. Advancing a misleading narrative only tarnishes @UNGeneva’s reputation,” tweeted India’s…

DUBAI | Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Saturday that the country was looking to schedule a fifth round of direct talks with rival Iran, although no significant progress had been made, and urged Tehran to change its behavior in the region. Saudi Arabia and Iran, which severed ties in 2016, began talks last year hosted by Iraq, and global powers sought to defend the nuclear deal with Tehran, blaming the Gulf states for failing to deal with Iran’s missile program and proxies network. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin…