London: The UK has decided not to send invitations to Russia, Belarus and Myanmar for the funeral of queen Elizabeth II in London’s Westminster Abbey next week. Russia is fighting a war with its neighbor Ukraine and Belarus is supporting Russia in this war.

Myanmar, which is ruled by the junta, has also been asked not to send its representative on the occasion.

An invitation has been sent to 500 leaders from around the world for this largest and most important diplomatic gathering in the UK’s recent history. These include many kings and queens, heads of governments. Several top leaders are expected to grace the occasion. Such a last rites were earlier performed at the government level in 1965.

The funeral was of Winston Churchill, who was the Prime Minister of Britain during the war, which took place 57 years ago. A Royal Family source said, “Neither Russia nor Belarus has been invited by breaking protocol.”

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Moscow: German Chancellor Olaf Schulz said at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos today that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be able to conquer a war in Ukraine.

Schulz said Russia had already failed to achieve all their strategic goals. The Chancellor said Russia’s occupation of all of Ukraine is now far from reality. He said now more than ever Ukraine is looking for its future in Europe.

He said Sweden and Finland have also come closer to NATO after Russia’s brutal crackdown. The German chancellor said that Putin had made the mistake of thinking of NATO and the European Union as weak. British Foreign Minister Liz Truss also said that Russia’s defeat in Ukraine would be ensured while world is standing with Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

Russia also said that if western countries want food supplies from Ukraine to be restored to other countries, they will have to first lift some sanctions from Russia. Western countries are alleging that Russia is stopping supplies and this has led to shortages of food grains in Africa and elsewhere.

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Washington: Russia has agreed “in principle” to UN involvement in the evacuation of citizens from the last remaining holdout in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, following a meeting between Secretary-General António Guterres and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

During his “tête-a-tête meeting” with President Putin, Guterres reiterated the UN’s position on Ukraine, according to a readout issued by his Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric

“In Moscow, Secretary-General @antonioguterres met with Russian president Vladimir Putin and reiterated the UN’s position on Ukraine. They discussed proposals for humanitarian assistance & evacuation of civilians from conflict zones,”UN tweeted.

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New Delhi: Foreign Secretary of United Kingdom visited India as part of diplomatic push on Ukraine on Thursday.

In a meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Foreign Secretary said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underlines the importance of democracies working closer together to deter aggressors, reduce vulnerability to coercion and strengthen global security.

External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, held bilateral consultations with the visiting Minister and conducted the annual strategic review of the Roadmap 2030 agreed between the Prime Ministers during the India-UK Virtual Summit 2021. The two Ministers expressed satisfaction on the progress achieved so far and agreed to further intensify efforts to deliver results in priority areas of trade and investments, defence and security, migration and mobility, education, S&T, climate cooperation and green energy.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said, “Deeper ties between Britain and India will boost security in the Indo-Pacific and globally, and create jobs and opportunities in both countries.”

Interestingly, Foreign Secretary also visited the India on same day as Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov visited India in competing efforts to strengthen ties.

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Istanbul: Ukraine and Russia will resume its talk today for a possible peace agreement by video conferencing, sais a senior Ukraine official.

David Arakhamia, who is a member of the Ukrainian delegation, will lead the governing party’s group in Parliament.

Sources said that delegation had met in person on Tuesday and Ukraine would offer itself neutral hence not joining NATO, as Russia has demanded.

Ukraine is demanding security guarantees and Russia diplomats responded positively to Ukraine’s proposal, officials said.

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Lviv: Russian attacked western Ukrainian city of Lviv with rockets on Saturday as US President Joe Biden paid a visit to neighbouring Poland.

Officials said that it was a reminder from Russia that it can launch attack at anywhere in case other countries dare to intervene into their personal affairs. Two rockets were struck a fuel depot on the city’s by Russia.

Mayor Andriy Sadoviy said this attack has cause a significant damage to the infrastructure and local facilities including schools and hospital.

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Kyiv: In yet another appeal for peace, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Russia authorities to negotiate an end to the war.

He, however, clarified that Ukraine will not agree to give up any of its territory for the sake of peace.

In his latest video address to nation, Zelenskyy said that he appeared to Russian authorities to hold diplomatic talks and stop this war with a peaceful way.

Earlier, the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine controlled by the Russian forces and the forces are battling to take control over more region from Ukraine, including the besieged city of Mariupol.

Meanwhile, Mayor of Kyiv also announced to extend curfew from 8pm local time on Saturday till 7am on Monday.

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Ottawa: In response to Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced the launch of the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET).

The CUAET is a special, accelerated temporary residence pathway for Ukrainians seeking safe haven in Canada while the war in their home country continues.

With the CUAET, Ukrainians and their immediate family members of any nationality may stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to 3 years. Applicants who are overseas need to apply online for a Canadian visitor visa and provide their biometrics (fingerprints and a photo). Applicants are encouraged to apply for a 3-year open work permit at the same time as their visa application.

This permit will allow them to work in Canada.

Elementary and high school students can register for and start attending school as soon as they arrive in Canada, and anyone looking to study at the post-secondary level can apply for a study permit once on Canadian soil.

Under the program, applicants who do not have a valid passport may still apply, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will issue a single journey travel document on a case-by-case basis, where appropriate.

Moreover, Ukrainian workers, students and visitors and their family members who are already in Canada also benefit from these measures. They may either apply to extend their visitor status or work permit for 3 years, apply for a new work or study permit, or extend their existing permit. IRCC will waive all extension and work or study permit application fees.To ease the burden on applicants, IRCC is waiving all application fees for these programs.

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Merefa (Ukraine): At least 22 people were killed by Russian artillery that pull down a school and a community center in Merefa, near Kharkiv, officials said.

Merefa Mayor Veniamin Sitov said that an attack took just before dawn on Thursday and the region witnessed heavy bombardment as Russian forces attempt to advance in the Kharkiv region.

According to the information, in Chernihiv, northeast of Kyiv, a hostel was also shelled, which led to killing of five members of a family.

Earlier, perpetual bombing destroyed a 3-three story theater building in Mariupol. The situation is deteriorating amid Russia forces’ aggressive approach to take over the region.

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Ottawa: Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage today announced the launch of a special, targeted call for proposals totalling $2.5 million to fund initiatives that help people identify misinformation and disinformation online.

He said that amid Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine now threatens democracies around the world, we need to do more to counter the growing spread of harmful misinformation and disinformation.

Through the Government’s Digital Citizen Initiative (DCI), Canadians can respond and help in the global efforts to counter misinformation and disinformation. The DCI supports democracy and social cohesion in Canada by building citizen resilience against misinformation and disinformation, and building partnerships to support a healthy digital information society, he said.

Funded projects will help increase civic literacy, promote critical thinking when it comes to validating sources of information, and build capacity in Canada to fight disinformation online. The department will work closely with several targeted and specialized organizations who are already doing work in this area. Stakeholders will be contacted in the following days.

Meanwhile, since January 2020, Canadian Heritage’s Digital Citizen Contribution Program has provided $8.5 million in funding support to organizations undertaking research or citizen-focused activities.

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