Former Ukrainian beauty queen joins fight against Russian invasion

Covid-19 cases, India on Monday reported 1,270 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry updated data. The country's active Covid-19 cases witnessed a consistent decline at 15,859 in the last 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation or BIMSTEC — the regional organisation exclusive to the Bay, will open in Colombo on Monday (28).The Ministry of External Affairs noted that the conference will be held until the 30th of March 2022.President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will preside over the BIMSTEC Summit on 30th of March 2022.Senior officials and Foreign Ministers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Thailand are expected to attend the BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meeting and Cabinet Meeting to be held on Monday (28) and Tuesday (29).Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S.

Ukraine’s Deputy Health Minister Oleksii Iaremenko said on Sunday that the humanitarian aid being sent to the country is beginning to wane, even as Russia’s invasion continues.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: (L-R) Chris Rock and Will Smith are seen onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES - A 94th Academy Awards that steadily maintained a buoyant spirit was rocked by an unbelievable exchange after Will Smith took offense to a joke made by Chris Rock about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.After Rock joked to Smith that he was looking forward to a sequel to "G.I.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. She’s well aware that anyone who speaks out against the Kremlin could be in danger – but personal safety is the least of Baronova’s concerns. "The problem is, I know these people very well.

Ukraine on the advice of President Vladimir Putin’s top critic, Alexei Navalny.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the new sanctions while in the United Kingdom alongside British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte.The 10 individuals are “complicit in this unjustified invasion,” Trudeau said. Their identities were not immediately revealed.“This includes former and current senior government officials, oligarchs and supporters of Russian leadership,” he said.

The Chinese Foreign Minister on Monday called Russia Beijing’s “most important strategic partner” amid China’s continued refusal to condemn the invasion of Ukraine.

Queen Elizabeth, 95, made her first in-person appearance on Monday, March 7 after recovering from COVID-19. The British monarch was pictured graciously shaking hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 50, at her residence at Windsor Castle in England. The Queen looked healthy and had a big smile on her face. She was dressed in a stylish blue floral dress for the meeting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a “miscalculation” if he thinks the West will move on from his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, says Canada’s ambassador to the sovereign democracy.In an interview with The West Block guest host Eric Sorenson, Larisa Galadza spoke from Poland where the ambassador and Canada’s diplomatic staff are operating amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Galadza and the Canadian embassy staff had been based in Kyiv before relocating to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv as the invasion began, and subsequently left the country for Poland.“It’s like a sea of humanity. It’s people standing in lineups, many of them on foot, but a lot of them are still in cars coming over the border,” Galadza said in describing Ukrainians fleeing their country.She said any assumptions on the part of Putin that the West will move on or get over his invasion of Ukraine is just “another miscalculation.”“It’s not the first miscalculation, I think, that Russia has made,” she added.“The response that we’re seeing from our like-minded governments, the response that we’re seeing from Ukrainians themselves, is unprecedented.”Some 1.2 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee as a result of the first land war on the European continent since the Second World War.

As Russian troops closed in on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Anastasiia Yalanskaya insisted she would stay, even while her friends and family fled around her.

A Russian-born businessman is willing to pay $1 million to officers who arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin amid his invasion into Ukraine.Announced in a social media post from Alex Konanykhin, a citizen of Russia and an entrepreneur, the bounty will be paid to officers who comply with their "constitutional duty" and "arrest Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws.""Putin is not the Russian president, as he came to power as the result of a special operation of blowing up apartment buildings in Russia, then violated the Constitution by eliminating free elections and murdering his opponents," Konanykhin wrote. "As an ethnic Russian and a Russia citizen, I see it as my moral duty to facilitate the denazification of Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has survived at least one assassination attempt since Russia invaded his country over a week ago, according to official accounts, with media reports suggesting he may have dodged two more.Ukrainian officials have confirmed one of the attempts, which they say was to be carried out by a unit of Kadyrovites, an elite special forces team based in Chechnya that serves the country’s president Ramzan Kadyrov.Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, told a media briefing on Tuesday that the plot was foiled last weekend after anti-war agents of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) — the successor to the KGB — tipped the Ukrainians off.“We are well aware of the special operation that was to take place directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president,” Danilov said.“I can say that we have received information from the FSB, who today do not want to take part in this bloody war. And thanks to this, I can say that Kadyrov’s elite group was directly destroyed, which came here to eliminate our president.” Zelenskyy criticizes NATO for refusing to impose no-fly zone over Ukraine The Times of London reported Thursday that two more attempts to kill Zelenskyy have been carried out in recent days by members of the Wagner Group, a private mercenary group whose leader is tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin.Those attempts were also stopped by Ukrainian forces protecting the president, the paper reported, with the mercenary groups suffering losses.

Police officers detain a man during a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in central Moscow on March 3, 2022. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) DUSSELDORF, Germany - Russians could face prison sentences of up to 15 years for spreading information that goes against the Russian government's position on the war in Ukraine, a move that comes as authorities block access to foreign media outlets.The Russian parliament voted unanimously Friday to approve a draft law criminalizing the intentional spreading of what Russia deems to be "fake" reports.Russian authorities have repeatedly decried reports of Russian military setbacks or civilian deaths in Ukraine as "fake" reports.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit down for talks while urging the West to offer a stronger military assistance to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion.In a sarcastic reference to a long table Putin used for his recent meetings with foreign leaders and Russian officials, Zelenskyy said: "Sit down with me to negotiate, just not at 30 meters," adding, "I don’t bite. What are you afraid of?"During Thursday's news conference, Zelenskyy said that prospects for another round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiations don’t seem promising, but emphasized the need to negotiate, adding that "any words are more important than shots."RELATED: Who is Volodymyr Zelenskyy?: How this comedian became a wartime presidentHe said the world was too slow to offer support for Ukraine and prodded Western leaders to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine to deny access to the Russian warplanes.

Authorities in Germany this week seized a lavish $600 million yacht belonging to a Russian oligarch, according to reports.The Dilbar, a 512-foot vessel belonging to billionaire Alisher Usmanov, was taken over by authorities while it was being refitted in a German shipyard, Forbes reported.The business magazine learned about the move Wednesday, just two days after Usmanov was sanctioned by the European Union as part of its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the report said.The EU has accused Usmanov of being a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a supporter of Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, the Washington Examiner reported.Usmanov on Tuesday confirmed that financial actions had been taken against him."On 28 February 2022 I became the target of restrictive measures imposed by the European Union I believe that such decision is unfair, and the reasons employed to justify the sanctions are a set of false and defamatory allegations damaging my honor, dignity, and business reputation," he wrote Tuesday.The statement was posted on the website of the International Fencing Federation, where the former professional fencer served as president since 2008 until stepping down Monday, the Examiner reported.The Dilbar had been undergoing work at a shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, since October, according to Forbes. Employees of Blohm+Voss, the shipbuilding firm overseeing the project, were not at work Wednesday, the report said.German shipbuilder Lurssen, which built the Dilbar, claims it’s the world’s largest motor yacht by gross tonnage, weighing nearly 16,000 tons, according to Forbes.When operating, the ship has a crew of 96 people.

A new poll suggests almost two-thirds of Canadians believe the Russian invasion of Ukraine has the potential to develop into a world war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko hold a press conference following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on September 9, 2021. WASHINGTON - The White House released a fresh round of sanctions on Russia Wednesday as well as its ally, Belarus, for supporting Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Export restrictions on technology and software that are currently in place for Russia will be extended to Belarus, in a move that will "significantly degrade both countries’ ability to sustain their military aggression and project power," the White House said. Russian forces started invading Ukraine from the north through Belarus last week.

At least five superyachts owned by Russian billionaires were anchored or cruising on Wednesday in Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, ship tracking data showed.

Joe Biden announced Tuesday night in his State of the Union address that the U.S. is banning Russian flights from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.The move follows similar action by Canada and the European Union this week.

sent into Ukraine to hunt down and assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was "eliminated" by security forces, a top Kyiv defense official told national media.Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov reportedly told the Ukraine 24 TV channel that defense forces countered two death squads sent after Zelenskyy on Tuesday, according to a translation of his remarks.He said Ukrainian forces got intelligence about a planned attack on Zelenskyy and destroyed an elite Chechen unit. "The special operation that was to be carried out directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president is fully known to us today, and I can say that we received information from representatives of the FSB, who today have no desire to take part in this bloody war," he said. Ramzan Kadyrov is the leader of the Chechen Republic, which is a semiautonomous part of Russia. He is an ally of Vladimir Putin, and his commandos are considered fierce, highly skilled fighters.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Addressing a concerned nation and anxious world, President Joe Biden vowed in his first State of the Union address Tuesday night to check Russian aggression in Ukraine, tame soaring U.S. inflation and deal with the fading but still dangerous coronavirus.Biden declared that he and all members of Congress, whatever political differences there may be, were joined "with an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny." He asked the lawmakers crowding the House chamber to stand and salute the Ukrainians as he began his speech. They stood and cheered.Biden highlighted the bravery of Ukrainian defenders and the commitment of a newly reinvigorated Western alliance that has worked to rearm the Ukrainian military and cripple Russia’s economy through sanctions.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Addressing a concerned nation and anxious world, President Joe Biden vowed in his first State of the Union address Tuesday night to check Russian aggression in Ukraine, tame soaring U.S. inflation and deal with the fading but still dangerous coronavirus.Biden declared that he and all members of Congress, whatever political differences there may be, were joined "with an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny." He asked the lawmakers crowding the House chamber to stand and salute the Ukrainians as he began his speech. They stood and cheered.Biden highlighted the bravery of Ukrainian defenders and the commitment of a newly reinvigorated Western alliance that has worked to rearm the Ukrainian military and cripple Russia’s economy through sanctions.

New satellite images are providing a clear look at the sheer size of the Russian military convoy advancing toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Louis Tomlinson and HEALTH are among the latest to pull their Russian gigs, joining the likes of Yungblud, Green Day and Russian rapper Oxxxymiron.Tomlinson was due to perform in both Ukraine and Russia this year, with a show at Kyiv’s Stereo Plaza slated for Monday July 4, and at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall on Wednesday July 6.In a statement shared to social media overnight, the former One Direction singer wrote: “Due to the recent events in Ukraine, I have to sadly announce that my tour shows in Moscow and Kyiv are canceled until further notice. The safety of my fans is my priority and my thoughts go out to the people of Ukraine and all those suffering from this needless war.”A post shared by Louis Tomlinson (@louist91)HEALTH, on the other hand, were booked in to play two shows in Russia next month, taking to St.

In a statement Monday, Switzerland’s federal council said it would adopt sanctions against Russia effective immediately. The measures, it said, would match those of the European Union, of which Switzerland is not a member.The sanctions package targets various Russian companies and individuals, and involves freezing the personal assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.The federal council said it would also close its airspace to all flights from Russia and “all movements of aircraft with Russian markings,” bar people close to Putin from entering Switzerland, and send relief supplies to Poland to help with settling Ukrainian refugees.FULL STATEMENT:In view of Russia’s continuing military intervention in Ukraine, the Federal Council took the decision on 28 February to adopt the packages of sanctions imposed by the EU on 23 and 25 February.

KYIV, Ukraine - Outgunned but determined Ukrainian troops slowed Russia’s advance and held onto the capital and other key cities — at least for now. In the face of stiff resistance and devastating sanctions, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s nuclear forces put on high alert, threatening to elevate the war to a terrifying new level.Explosions and gunfire that have disrupted life since the invasion began last week appeared to subside around Kyiv overnight, as Ukrainian and Russian delegations met Monday on Ukraine’s border with Belarus.

rouble tumbled to a record low against the dollar on Monday, after Western nations announced a harsh set of sanctions over the weekend to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including curbs on the country’s currency reserves.The rouble fell as far as 119.50 per dollar in Asian trading, a record low for the currency and a steep drop of 30 per cent from Friday’s close. It subsequently recovered to around 110 per dollar.

The Ukrainian government says at least 200 people have been killed on its soil during the invasion by Russia. The country’s president wants peace and to get it through negotiation, not death, and would be willing to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not willing to bow to any Kremlin ultimatums.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday that Canada will be placing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - FEBRUARY 26: A protester holds a banner calling for imminent help for Ukraine during a demonstration against Russia's invasion of Ukraine held in front the building of the Permanent Mission of Russia to the E.U. on February 26, 20 The Rev.

The latest as of 2:20 p.m. ET Saturday:

In early November 2021, Crew-2 ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet photographed the space station from above during the return trip home aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour (NASA/ESA/SpaceX) In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden announced new sanctions Thursday targeting the Russian economy and attempting to cut off access to emerging technology, which could impact the Russian space program, Roscosmos. "Between our actions and those of our allies and partners, we estimate that will cut off more than half of Russia's high-tech imports and will strike a blow to their ability to continue to modernize their military," Biden said Thursday. "It'll degrade their aerospace industry, including their space program, and hurt their ability to build ships, reducing their ability to compete economically."While Russian and U.S.

PHILADELPHIA - Ukraine immigrants were among a crowd of Philadelphians who gathered near City Hall on Friday to rally support for Ukraine as it continues to fight a Russian invasion from Russia. Russian troops bore down on Ukraine’s capital Friday while the president grimly predicted that the conflict would soon intensify, and fears of wider war in Europe triggered new international efforts to make Moscow stop, including direct sanctions on President Vladimir Putin.Amid reports of hundreds of casualties — including shelling that sliced through a Kyiv apartment building and pummeled bridges and schools — there also were growing signs that Russia may be seeking to overthrow Ukraine’s government, which U.S. officials have described as Putin’s ultimate objective.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday that Canada will be placing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

KYIV, Ukraine - Ukraine is seeking financial support for its military defense and has launched a website to request logistical and medical support for their armed forces amid an ongoing Russian invasion. "Please donate the funds for logistical and medical support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in UAH to the bank account of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine," according to the website. The website adds: "Due to numerous requests from individuals and legal entities who are not residents of Ukraine and wish to make donations (in foreign currency) for the logistics and medical support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has set up a designated bank account." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that Sweden is providing military, technical and humanitarian assistance to the country. On Thursday he said any citizen who wanted a weapon to defend their country would receive one. "We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country.

KYIV, Ukraine - Russia pressed its invasion of Ukraine to the outskirts of the capital Friday after unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending in troops and tanks from three sides in an attack that could rewrite the global post-Cold War security order.Explosions sounded before dawn in Kyiv and gunfire was reported in several areas, as Western leaders scheduled an emergency meeting and Ukraine's president pleaded for international help to fend off an attack that could topple his democratically elected government, cause massive casualties and ripple out damage to the global economy.Among the signs that the Ukrainian capital was increasingly threatened, the military said Friday that a group of Russian spies and saboteurs was seen in a district on the outskirts of Kyiv, and police told people not to exit a subway station in the city center because there was gunfire in the area. Elsewhere in the capital, soldiers established defensive positions at bridges, and armored vehicles rolled down the streets, while many residents stood uneasily in doorways of their apartment buildings.U.S.

New satellite images are providing a clear view of the damage Ukrainian military infrastructure has already suffered after Russia’s military invaded the country on Thursday.

KYIV, Ukraine - Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early Friday as Russian forces pressed on with a full-scale invasion that resulted in the deaths of more than 100 Ukrainians in the first full day of fighting and could eventually rewrite the global post-Cold War security order.After using airstrikes on cities and military bases, Russian military units moved swiftly to take on Ukraine's seat of government and its largest city in what U.S. officials suspect is a brazen attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to dismantle the government and replace it with his own regime.Ukrainian leaders pleaded for help as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee, and hotels in Kyiv were being evacuated amid early indications of an assault.Ukrainian forces braced for more attacks after enduring for hours a Russian barrage of land- and sea-based missiles, an assault that one senior U.S.

KYIV, Ukraine - Several explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early Friday as Russian forces pressed on with their assault.Associated Press reporters heard several blasts in different parts of the city.Earlier on Thursday, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending in troops and tanks from three sides in an attack that could rewrite the global post-Cold War security order. Ukraine’s government pleaded for help as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee.Scores of Ukrainians, civilians and service members alike, were killed in the first full day of fighting, and the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv appeared to be increasingly threatened.

PHILADELPHIA - While the sovereign and free democratic country of Ukraine now faces an invasion from a world superpower, a Ukrainian father is praying for the safety of his daughter and mother."My daughter, my little daughter in Kyiv is with her mom, they spent all the day in the subway in the underground because there was alarm sounds all day," Yevhen Semekhin said.Semekhin’s family is trying to escape the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and meet in Western Ukraine, but so are many other frightened Ukrainians."They are in their car but there are a lot of cars in Kyiv. There is no gasoline at gas stations people with money go to the gas stations.

Canada is targeting members of the Russian elite and major banks in a series of new sanctions after Moscow ordered a invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.

NATO secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to order a “special military action” in Ukraine, saying “we are at a grave moment for the security of Europe.” He called the decision “barbaric” and accused Russia of “trying to turn back the clock by force.”

KYIV, Ukraine - Photos and videos showed long lines of traffic heading out of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Thursday after Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on the country, a move condemned by leaders around the world. Sirens rang out in Kyiv and people massed in train stations and took to roads, as Ukraine's government said it was seeing a long-anticipated invasion from the east, north and south and reported more than 40 soldiers had been killed and dozens wounded.Video showed residents sitting in gridlock traffic along the main Kyiv-Odessa highway as people tried to leave the capital. Other footage showed long lines of vehicles waiting to fill up at a gas station in northwest Ukraine."A full-scale war in Europe has begun," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said.

KYIV, Ukraine - The Russian military announced early Thursday morning that it has knocked out Ukraine’s air defense assets and airbases, according to the Associated Press.The Russian Defense Ministry said the Russian strikes have "suppressed air defense means of the Ukrainian military," adding that the infrastructure of Ukraine’s military bases has been incapacitated." It denied the claims that a Russian warplane was shot down over Ukraine.The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, reported that it has shot down five Russian aircraft while fending off the Russian attack on the country.Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he unleashed an attack on Ukraine in a televised address early Thursday, drawing international condemnation.In response to the initial attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will be imposing martial law in response to the Russian invasion of the country."This morning Russia launched a new military operation against our state. This is an unjustified deceitful and cynical invasion," Zelenskyy said.He continued:"There are strikes on military and other important defense facilities, border units are under attack, the situation in the Donbas has degraded.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine, telling the West not to intervene in what appeared to be the beginning of war in Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law and confirmed military strikes have been reported across the country.

There is a growing chorus of condemnation from world leaders and diplomats after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a special military operation into eastern Ukraine on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine, telling the West not to intervene in what appeared to be the beginning of war in Europe.Putin said in an early televised speech Thursday the action was in response to threats coming from Ukraine, yet insisted Russia doesn’t have a goal to occupy the country.He said the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime,” telling fighters there to lay down their arms and surrender — though Putin admitted clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces are “inevitable” and “only a question of time.”The Russian leader warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen.” Russia says rebels need help in possible war pretext as Ukraine president pleads for peace Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Putin’s move a “full-scale invasion of Ukraine” and said cities were being hit with military strikes.“This is a war of aggression,” he said on Twitter. “Ukraine will defend itself and will win.”Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

WASHINGTON - When Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized troops to cross Ukraine's border into regions controlled by Russian-backed separatists, the White House initially stopped short of calling it an invasion. That changed on Tuesday, and key allies in Europe joined in saying Putin had crossed a red line."This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine," President Joe Biden said.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was equally explicit."We saw last night that further Russian troops moved into the Donbas into parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, " he said Tuesday, referring to the two areas of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region controlled by Russian-backed separatists.