Judo Federation suspends Putin honorary status
Budapest: Russia's President Vladimir Putin has temporarily lost his most senior official position in world sports. The International Judo Federation on Sunday cited the ongoing war conflict in Ukraine for suspending Putin's honorary president status.
The Russian president is a keen judoka and attended the sport at the 2012 London Olympics.
The judo federation is rare among Olympic sports bodies for using the word war to describe Russia's invasion of Ukraine ordered by Putin since Thursday. Others have used phrases such as escalation of conflict.
A Kremlin-supporting oligarch and longtime friend of Putin, Arkady Rotenberg, remains on the IJF executive committee as development manager.
Kyiv: Ukraine's president says that Russia should be thrown out of the United Nations Security Council following its invasion of his country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message on Sunday that the Russian invasion of Ukraine amounts to an act of genocide, saying that Russia has taken the path of evil and the world should come to depriving it of its UN Security Council seat.
Russia is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, giving it veto power over resolutions.
Zelenskyy said that Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities should be investigated by an international war crimes tribunal and denounced the Russian invasion as state terrorism.
He dismissed as lies Russia's claims that it wasn't targeting civilian areas.
Tel Aviv: Israel's prime minister says the country is sending 100 tons of humanitarian aid to assist civilians caught up in the fighting in Ukraine.
Naftali Bennett told a meeting of his Cabinet Sunday that the aid includes medical equipment and medicine, tents, sleeping bags and blankets.
Bennett did not comment on a report by Israeli public broadcaster Kan which said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the Israeli leader to mediate talks on ending the crisis with Russia. Bennett's office confirmed there had been a call but declined to comment on the report. The Ukrainian embassy could not immediately be reached for comment.
Bennett has treaded carefully in his public comments on Russia's invasion. He has voiced support for Ukrainian civilians but has stopped short of condemning Russia. Israeli relies on Russia for security coordination in Syria, where Russia has a military presence and where Israel frequently strikes hostile targets.
London: Britain's defense ministry says overnight fighting in Kyiv was less intense than the night before, but battles are raging in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv.
The UK's Ministry of Defense has been posting intelligence updates on social media since Russia invaded.
It said Sunday that Ukrainian forces have engaged the remnants of Russian irregular forces within the city of Kyiv for the second night in a row, fighting has been at a lower intensity than the previous evening.
After encountering strong resistance in Chernihiv, Russian forces are bypassing the area in order to prioritise the encirclement and isolation of Kyiv," it said.
Intensive exchanges of rocket artillery overnight have been followed by heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv.
The ministry said Russian forces are continuing to advance into Ukraine from multiple axis but they are encountering stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.
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Deputy Lokayukta Justice B. Veerappa conducts surprise inspections in Udupi, pulls up officials
Udupi: Deputy Lokayukta Justice B. Veerappa carried out surprise inspections at multiple locations in Udupi early Friday morning and expressed dissatisfaction over shortcomings in maintenance and sanitation.
The inspection began at the wastewater treatment plant in Nittur, where Justice Veerappa observed what he described as serious lapses in its functioning. He questioned the concerned officials, including the Municipal Commissioner, over the alleged discharge of untreated wastewater into the sea.
“You, who receive Rs 3 lakh every month for the maintenance of the unit, are discharging the wastewater directly into the sea without treating it,” he said during the inspection. Officials from the Environment Department were also pulled up in connection with the matter.
The Deputy Lokayukta later visited Malpe Port to review sanitation conditions. He noted the presence of accumulated waste, sewage flow and foul smell in and around the port area, and directed the authorities to take immediate corrective steps to improve hygiene.
Justice Veerappa also inspected the KSRTC bus stand at Bannanje, including the cleanliness of the canteen premises. During the visit, women staff working at the canteen brought to his notice the absence of facilities such as ESI benefits. He directed the contractor to address the issue without delay and indicated that further action would be taken if compliance was not ensured.
