WORLD
China's new-generation rocket sends 22 satellites into space
The rocket blasted off at 11.06 a.m. (Beijing Time) at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern Hainan Province before sending the satellites into preset orbits, Xinhua news agency reported. These satellites will be mainly used for commercial remote sensing services, marine environment monitoring, forest fire prevention and disaster mitigation.
China uneasy to defend Putin's methods
But there are tentative signs that China is uneasy at being seen to defend Putin's methods, and the potential disruption to the world economy, The Guardian reported. Putin may have shown his respect for China by delaying the invasion until after the Winter Olympics, but China was not consulted about the invasion. Chinese diplomats ridiculed forecasts of an invasion, and left many citizens in situ, the report said.
Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine is not quite going as per plan
It is too early to describe the Kremlin's operation to seize and subjugate Ukraine as a failure. The war has only just started. Putin may yet prevail. The Russian military enjoys overwhelming superiority over Ukraine's armed forces. It has numerous combat aircraft, a vast navy and 1,50,000 deployed troops. And yet by Saturday, it was clear Putin's blitzkrieg operation to remove Ukraine's pro-western government had run into unexpected difficulties.
Putin forgot a great WWII lesson that the best Soviet soldiers were Ukrainian
Ukrainian officials have pointed to the increasingly erratic behaviour of Putin himself. Speaking before the invasion, a senior Ukrainian intelligence official said Russia's president lived in a strange parallel reality. He had succumbed -- like dictators before him -- to believing his own version of the world, the report said. "Putin thinks that Ukraine's government is corrupt, western and irredeemably Russophobic," the official said.
Zelensky rejects talks in Belarus as Russian delegation arrives
Zelensky made the remarks in a video address posted on his Telegram channel shortly after the Kremlin announced that a Russian delegation has arrived in Belarus and will be ready to start negotiations with Ukraine in the city of Gomel, Xinhua news agency reported. "We're saying no to Minsk. Other cities can be a place to meet," the president said. "Of course, we want peace, we want to meet, we want for the war to end".
'Kiev still controlled by Ukrainian army'
"The situation in Kiev is calm, the capital is completely controlled by the Ukrainian army and defense. There were several clashes with sabotage groups at night," said Povoroznyk, first deputy head of the administration, Xinhua news agency reported. According to Ukraine's government-run Ukrinform news agency, a curfew is implemented here until 8 a.m, and the movement of private vehicles without special passes is prohibited.
Russia closes airspace for carriers from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania & Slovenia
"Due to the unfriendly decisions of the aviation authorities of Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Estonia, restrictions are being introduced on air carriers of these states and/or those registered there to operate flights to destinations on the territory of Russia, including transit flights through the airspace of Russia," it said. The four countries earlier introduced restrictions on Russian air carriers.
US scientists find Covid originated in Wuhan's wet market not lab
The studies, not yet peer-reviewed, revealed that the SARS-CoV-2 was very likely present in live mammals sold in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in late 2019. Scientists, including those from the University of Arizona, also suggested that the virus twice spilled over into people working or shopping there, the New York Times reported.
US, Europe allies expel Russian banks from SWIFT in a dramatic escalation to isolate Putin
The White House, along with the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and Canada, announced that they would expel certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world, pledging to "collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin", CNN reported. Targeting the central bank would strike at the heart of Putin's years-long efforts to insulate his economy from sanctions, CNN reported.
Musk activates Starlink satellites to give Ukraine data backup
Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has activated Starlink, his commercial internet network, in Ukraine, with "more terminals en route". According to Politico, Musk's SpaceX has thousands of Starlink satellites in orbit, which allow the company to beam broadband services around Earth, without the need for fiber-optic cables. The satellites could keep Ukraine online if its internet infrastructure is damaged by Russia's attacks, the report said.
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