Page 4 - Russia

West puts spotlight on North Korea rights abuses; China, Russia oppose

The United States, its Western allies and experts shone a spotlight on the dire human rights situation and increasing repression in North Korea at a UN meeting on Friday that China and Russia denounced as a politicised move likely to further escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula. China blocked the US from broadcasting the informal Security Council meeting globally on the internet, a decision criticised by US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield as an attempt to hide North Korea's atrocities from the world. Webcasting requires agreement by all 15 council members. But the US envoy said Beijing's effort was in vain because the meeting will be made public, and the US and many others will continue to speak out against Pyongyang's human rights abuses and threats to international peace. James Turpin, a senior official in the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the ongoing tensions on the Korean peninsula pose a threat to regional and international peace and security

UN 'doing everything possible' for extension of Black Sea grain deal

The deal, initially in effect for 120 days, was extended in mid-November 2022 for another 120 days to March 18

Russia will extend Ukraine grain deal for 60 days not 120, says official

On the eve of the expiration of a deal enabling Ukraine to export grain, the United Nations' humanitarian chief on Friday called its extension crucial to ensuring global food supplies and keeping prices from spiralling as they did after Russia's invasion of its smaller neighbour. Russia's U.N. ambassador reiterated that Moscow is ready to extend the deal - but only for 60 days, just half the 120 days in the agreement. Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia's briefing to the U.N. Security Council, reiterating what a Russian delegation told senior U.N. officials at a meeting in Geneva on Monday, reinforced the Kremlin's insistence on reducing the duration of the deal to hold out for changes on how the package is working. The U.N. and Turkey brokered the deal between the warring countries last July that allows Ukraine - one of the world's key breadbaskets - to ship food and fertiliser from three of its Black Sea ports. A separate memorandum of understanding between the United Nations and Russi

Tea exports to Russia soar 21%, belying war worries; some lost share gained

Sri Lanka crisis, sanctions on Russia that made sourcing from other countries difficult help domestic industry post better numbers

India's Apr-Feb fertiliser imports from Russia highest in 3 yrs: Govt data

India imported 34.19 lakh tonnes of fertilisers, including urea and DAP, from Russia during April-February of the current fiscal, highest in the last three years, according to the data placed before Parliament. The imports have risen notwithstanding the Russia-Ukraine war. "....import of urea in the current year up to February (during the ongoing Ukraine war) is more than double as compared to the previous year," Minister of State for Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba said in his written reply to the Lok Sabha. Out of total fertiliser import of 34.19 lakh tonnes, about 6.26 lakh tonnes of urea was imported till February of the ongoing 2022-23 financial year, as against 2.80 lakh tonnes imported during the entire previous fiscal, he said. Apart from urea, Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP), Muriate of Potash (MoP) and NPK were the other fertilisers imported from Russia. DAP imports stood at 7.65 lakh tonnes, MoP at 0.43 lakh tonnes and NPK at 19.85 lakh tonnes during April-February period of th

Chinese President Xi to visit Russia from March 20 for talks with Putin

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin from March 20 to 22, the foreign ministry here announced on Friday. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying in a brief announcement said "at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from March 20 to 22. This will be Xi's first visit after getting endorsed for an unprecedented third five-year term as the President and head of the military early this month by the National People's Congress, (NPC). Speculation is rife that Xi, 69, a close ally of Putin for the past 10 years in power, is likely to make an attempt to initiate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He is also expected to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the phone.

Black Sea grain deal to get 120-day extension after Russia agreed: UN

The United Nations has said the Black Sea grain agreement would be extended for 120 days after Russia agreed to a 60-day extension of the deal after negotiations in Geneva, CNN reported

Pentagon releases footage of Russian aircraft dumping fuel on US drone

The Pentagon has released footage of what it says is a Russian aircraft conducting an unsafe intercept of a US Air Force surveillance drone in international airspace over the Black Sea. The 42-second video, released Thursday, shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 drone and beginning to release fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said. The US military said it ditched the MQ-9 Reaper in the sea Tuesday after the Russian fighter jet poured fuel on the unmanned aerial vehicle and then struck its propeller. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley have spoken to their Russian counterparts about the destruction of the US drone following the encounter with Russian fighter jets. The calls with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov on Wednesday were the first since October. While intercept attempts are not uncommon, the incident amid the war in Ukraine has raised concerns it cou

Russian hacker group Phoenix hit Indian health ministry website: CloudSEK

"The motive behind this target was the sanctions imposed against Russian Federation where Indian authorities decided not to violate the sanctions as well as comply with the price ceiling for Russia"

India using SWIFT payment system to settle dollar trade with Russia: Report

The West blocked several Russian banks' access to the international SWIFT payments system soon after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February last year

Banks from 18 nations open 30 special vostro accounts for trade in rupee

Several banks, including HDFC Bank and UCO Bank, have opened as many as 30 special vostro accounts as of date to facilitate overseas trade in the rupee, a top government official said on Wednesday. Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Santosh Kumar Sarangi said as of date, some 18 countries have already opened special vostro accounts with Indian banks. "About 30 banks from overseas countries have signed up with 30 banks on our side, so 30 accounts...The transaction has started in bits and pieces," he told reporters here. Sberbank and VTB Bank -- the largest and second-largest banks of Russia, respectively -- are the first foreign lenders to receive the approval after the RBI announced the guidelines on overseas trade in the rupee in July last year. Another Russian bank Gazprom, which does not have its unit in India, has also opened this account with Kolkata-based UCO Bank. The move to open the special vostro account clears the deck for settlement of payments in rupee for trade

British, German fighter jets intercept Russian plane near Estonia airspace

British and German air force fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian aircraft flying close to Estonian airspace, the U.K. defence ministry said Wednesday, amid mounting concerns about confrontation in the skies near Russia and Ukraine. The U.K. and Germany are conducting joint air policing missions in Estonia as part of NATO efforts to bolster its eastern flank in response to Russia. Britain's defence ministry said the Typhoon jets responded Tuesday after a Russian air-to-air refuelling aircraft failed to communicate with Estonian air traffic control. The Russian plane didn't enter the airspace of Estonia, a NATO member. UK and German planes are patrolling together as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission until the end of April. Wing Commander Scott Maccoll, Commander of the RAF's 140 Expeditionary Air Wing, said it was great to see the UK and German elements operate as one team. U.K. armed forces minister James Heappey said this joint UK and German deployment i

Russia wants to recover debris of US surveillance drone from Black Sea

Russian authorities say that they will try to recover the fragments of a US surveillance drone that American forces brought down in the Black Sea after an encounter with Russian fighter jets. Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia's Security Council, said in remarks televised Wednesday that Russia planned to search for the drone's debris. I don't know if we can recover them or not, but we will certainly have to do that, and we will deal with it, Patrushev said. I certainly hope for success. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the drone was flying in international airspace and over international waters when the encounter with the Russian fighter took place Tuesday. He stressed that the drone's presence over the Black Sea was not an uncommon occurrence. Kirby said the MQ-9 Reaper drone had not yet been recovered and it was unclear whether it would be. Patrushev claimed the drone incident underlined the U.S. engagement in the hostilities in Ukraine. Sergei

Naval forces from China, Russia, Iran conduct joint drills in Gulf of Oman

Naval forces from China, Iran and Russia all countries at varying degrees of odds with the United States are staging joint drills in the Gulf of Oman this week, China's Defence Ministry has announced. Other countries are also taking part in the Security Bond-2023 exercises, the ministry said Tuesday without giving details. Iran, Pakistan, Oman and the United Arab Emirates all have coastline along the waterbody lying at the mouth of the strategic Persian Gulf. This exercise will help deepen practical cooperation between the participating countries' navies ... and inject positive energy into regional peace and stability, the ministry statement said. The exercises scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday come amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China over a range of issues, including China's refusal to criticise Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine and continuing support for the Russian economy. The U.S. and its allies have condemned the invasion, imposed punishing economic

Ukraine war: Is India complying with the Russian crude oil price cap?

Uncertainty about how much India pays is part of the murkiness around Russian oil flows more generally, as the trade shifts from the Atlantic basin to Asia and from large traders to smaller entities

US says Russian jet caused spy drone crash, Moscow denies collision

Russia's defence ministry denied that its aircraft had come into contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which it said had crashed after "sharp manoeuvring"

Russian fighter jet collides with US drone amid tensions over Ukraine war

According to reports, the drone was on a routine mission in international airspace when two Russian jets tried to intercept it

UK boosts defense spending by $6 bn in response to Russia and China

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged Monday to increase military funding by 5 billion pounds (USD 6 billion) over the next two years in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the epoch-defining challenge posed by China. The increase, part of a major update to U.K. foreign and defense policy, is less than military officials wanted. Sunak said the U.K. would increase military spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product in the longer term, but didn't set a date. Britain currently spends just over 2 per cent of GDP on defense, and military chiefs want it to rise to 3 per cent. The extra money will be used, in part, to replenish Britain's ammunition stocks, depleted from supplying Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Some will also go towards a U.K.-U.S.-Australia deal to build nuclear-powered submarines. The world has become more volatile, the threats to our security have increased, Sunak told the BBC during a visit to the U.S. It's important that we protect ourselves ..

Russia remains India's main arms supplier but imports dip sharply

India has been the world's largest arms importer since 1993 and "tensions with Pakistan and China largely drive its demand for arms imports," the report added

Will Vladimir Putin attend India G20 summit? Russia clears diary

Kremlin defiance is growing as efforts by the US and its allies to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine are stalling in the face of reluctance among other countries to join