Beginning of Russian invasion, says US Secretary of State Blinken; cancels meeting with Lavrov
Washington(PTI): US Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Tuesday cancelled his scheduled meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov later this week in protest against what he said was the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who jointly addressed a news conference with Blinken at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, said that the world must respond with all its economic might to punish Russia for the crimes it has already committed and ahead of the crimes it plans to commit.
Hit Russia's economy now and hit it hard, he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed decrees to recognise Ukraine's regions of Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics as independent , escalating the tension in the region and increasing fears of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. He also ordered Russian troops into eastern Ukraine in what the Kremlin called a "peacekeeping" mission in the Moscow-backed regions.
Responding to questions, Blinken said that further renewed Russian invasion of Ukraine that has now begun means clearly that the idea of having a meeting this week with Foreign Minister Lavrov to pursue diplomacy, now rejected by Russia, does not make sense.
The two leaders were scheduled to meet in Europe on February 24.
But having said that, to the extent there is anything that we can do to avert an even worst-case scenario, an all-out assault on all of Ukraine including its capital, that would inflict horrific costs on the Ukrainian people, we will always pursue that, the secretary of state said, noting that the US and its allies remain open to diplomacy, but Moscow needs to demonstrate that it's serious.
Blinken alleged that Putin has all along planned to invade Ukraine, to control Ukraine and its people, to destroy Ukraine's democracy, which offers a stark contrast to the autocracy that he leads, to reclaim Ukraine as a part of Russia.
That's why this is the greatest threat to security in Europe since World War II. Ukraine is in danger.
President Putin is blatantly and violently breaking the laws and principles that have kept the peace across Europe and around the world for decades. Yesterday at an emergency session of the UN Security Council requested by Ukraine, the United States and many other countries condemned Russia's renewed attack on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity as a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, Blinken said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba said that the entire world stands today with Ukraine.
Putin wants much more than a war-torn piece of Ukrainian land and people living there. What stops him is only our unity and resolve, and we can still stop him. Ukraine continues the engagement with the United States, EU, and NATO in diplomatic efforts to ease tensions, he said.
Kuleba called for sustained pressure on Russia.
If that involves regular issuance of executive orders or new sanctions, we will be more than happy to see that, Kuleba added.
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Fact Check: Burn body fat by drinking water made from boiling garlic, cumin seeds? Let’s find out
Claim: An Instagram video suggests drinking a concoction prepared by boiling garlic and cumin seeds with lemon extract to burn fat.
Fact: The claim is misleading. The recipe alone cannot burn fat. A balanced diet and good exercise are essential.
An Instagram video about an ‘ancient method’ to burn body fat has gone viral. The video advises boiling two cloves of garlic and a teaspoon of cumin seeds mixed with lemon juice in two cups of water and drinking it on an empty stomach to burn fat.
View this post on Instagram
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading.
Dr Raghavendra Cherukku, an interventional cardiologist, explained if the method is useful for burning fat: “There is no single strategy to reduce fat. This strategy has to be supplemented with an intake of healthy food and regular exercise. The antilipidemic property of garlic can help reduce LDL and increase HDL but has no impact on triglycerides.”
Garlic has antioxidant and antibiotic properties, which can aid in other health benefits.
“Some studies done on rats and humans have proved the antilipidemic properties of garlic can help burn fat. However, taking the concoction on an empty stomach can be detrimental for those with gastric issues. Hence it can be taken after eating food,” Dr Raghavendra said.
A balanced diet with high protein and fibre, and low oil and low carbohydrates is essential to reduce triglycerides. Food containing carbohydrates, like maida, gets converted into triglycerides, which cannot be reduced by taking the concoction.
“Most South Indian diets use a lot of oil, around 10-15 tablespoons per day, against the maximum requirement of 2-3 tablespoons per day. Physical exercise for 150 minutes per week and a balanced diet are essential to reduce triglycerides and bad cholesterol,” Dr Raghavendra added.
(This story was originally published by newsmeter.in, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
