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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CM Siddaramaiah defends hike in petrol and diesel prices
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday defended the hike in petrol and diesel prices saying that it will ensure funding essential public services and development projects.
With the opposition BJP and its ally JD(S) coming down heavily on the Congress government for increasing the petrol and diesel prices by Rs 3 and Rs 3.5 per litre respectively, Siddaramaiah said even after the hike, taxes on fuel remains low compared to most southern states.
"The Government of Karnataka has increased VAT on petrol to 29.84 per cent and on diesel to 18.44 per cent. Even after this hike, our state's taxes on fuel remain lower than most South Indian states and similar economy-sized states like Maharashtra," the Chief Minister said in a statement.
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According to him, the VAT on petrol is 25 per cent plus Rs 5.12 additional tax, and on diesel in Maharashtra it is 21 per cent. Karnataka's revised rates are still more affordable, he pointed out.
"Karnataka's VAT adjustment ensures we can fund essential public services and development projects. The state remains committed to balanced and responsible governance," Siddaramaiah emphasised.
Stating that despite the VAT hike, diesel prices in Karnataka are still lower than in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the Chief Minister said, "We remain committed to keeping fuel prices reasonable for our citizens."
He also took a dig at the opposition BJP, which has decided to stage statewide protests on Monday.
"The then double engine BJP government collaborated to divert Karnataka's resources to other states. The state BJP govt kept reducing VAT on petrol and diesel while the Central govt increased its own taxes," the Chief Minister charged.
He alleged that this manipulation by the previous BJP government in the state led to reduced revenue for Karnataka, "while the Central government collected more for its coffers, cheating Kannadigas."
Siddaramaiah said that the Central Excise duty on petrol was Rs 9.48 per litre and Rs 3.56 on diesel before the BJP came to power in 2014. However, during the tenure of the BJP government, the Central Excise Duty on petrol and diesel was steeply increased, reaching a record high of Rs 32.98 and Rs 31.83, respectively, in May 2020.
Subsequently, the Excise duty on petrol and diesel was cut by Rs 13 a litre and Rs 16 litre, respectively, between November 2021 and May 2022, he added.
"Despite the reductions, the current Central excise duty on petrol is Rs 19.9 and on diesel is Rs 15.8. We urge the Union Government to reduce these taxes for the benefit of the people," the Chief Minister said.
