Jessica Murphy
Posted at 21:3521:35
India under pressure to take a clear stand on Ukraine
Vikas Pandey
BBC News, Delhi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin
Indian PM Narendra Modi, left, shares good relations with Russian President Vladimir PutinImage caption: Indian PM Narendra Modi, left, shares good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin
India is coming under intense pressure to take a clearer stand on Ukraine.
It has so far abstained from UN votes against Moscow, while pushing for dialogue and diplomacy to solve the crisis. In its statements, Delhi has talked about the importance of territorial integrity but it stopped short of criticising Russia.
Delhi’s has the tough task of balancing its defence and diplomatic ties both with the West and Russia.
Moscow supplies nearly 50% of India’s defence imports and it has also been its time-tested partner on global issues. But at the same time, India’s relations with the US have grown significantly in the past two decades.
India’s challenges can be understood from starkly different statements coming from Washington and Moscow about its stand on Ukraine.
Russian Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, on Saturday welcomed what he called India’s independent foreign policy. At the same time, senior US diplomat Donald Lu said Washington had been trying to get India to take a clear stand on Ukraine.
As the conflict continues, it’s likely that the world’s largest democracy will find it difficult to continue practising its famed policy of non-alignment.
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Ukraine latest news: Visa, Mastercard say they will pull out of Russia - BBC News
The payment firms says they will be suspending operations in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
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Posted at 21:1921:19
'I don't cry anymore'
Marta Shokalo
BBCCopyright: BBC
Marta Shokalo from the BBC's Ukrainian Service describes life 10 days into the Russian invasion.
We are now well into the second week of this war, and I've noticed that I don't cry any more.
I start the day reading the overnight news, counting new blasts all around Ukraine. A couple of days ago, I woke up to reports of major rocket strikes in Kyiv, near where my dad lives. It took me 10 minutes to pluck up the courage to call him, to ask if he and his partner were all right. They were, and I experienced a wave of relief.
My mother is more worried about how to get food for her dog and cats than for herself, but she called me the other day just to happily announce that she had managed to buy two loaves of bread! This is in a city where food used to be available in great abundance.
The village where I am staying has two checkpoints, manned by local men. They are ready to protect their small communities with everything they have.
This sense of unity has never been so strong among Ukrainians. The country is full of activity like a beehive, producing hope for victory.
Read more from Marta
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Ukraine latest news: Visa, Mastercard say they will pull out of Russia - BBC News
The payment firms says they will be suspending operations in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
www.bbc.co.uk
Read more about these links.
Posted at 21:1321:13
IMF warns of 'severe impact' on global economy
The International Monetary Fund on Saturday warned of a "serious impact" to the global economy due to the war in Ukraine.
"While the situation remains highly fluid and the outlook is subject to extraordinary uncertainty, the economic consequences are already very serious," the fund wrote in a statement. "Should the conflict escalate, the economic damage would be all the more devastating."
Energy and commodity prices have surged, the statement said, adding to existing inflation. The sweeping sanctions now in place against Russia will also have wide-ranging consequences.
Countries with close economic links to Ukraine and Russia will be hit especially hard, the IMF said, with particular risk of scarcity and supply disruption on top of the strain caused by inflows of refugees.
The IMF's executive board met Friday to discuss the economic affects of the war. The board is expected to meet again next week to assess a request from Ukraine for $1.4bn (£1bn) of emergency financing.
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Ukraine latest news: Visa, Mastercard say they will pull out of Russia - BBC News
The payment firms says they will be suspending operations in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
www.bbc.co.uk
Read more about these links.
Posted at 21:1121:11
How to get around the BBC block in Russia
BBC HQ in London
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
As we've been reporting, Russian authorities have restricted access to the websites of dozens of western media companies, including BBC websites in Russian and English, as well as to Facebook and Twitter.
Moscow has accused the BBC of spreading "false information" and the speaker of Russia's parliament said western media outlets "are being used against us like weapons, spreading hatred and lies, and we should take care of them first of all".
A new bill passed by MPs in Moscow promises sentences of up to 15 years in prison for spreading "fake news", or reporting on information that challenges the state narrative.
The move to clamp down on independent journalism came after the BBC announced record numbers of people have read the corporation's Russian language service since the invasion of Ukraine began.
Here's a reminder of how to get around the BBC ban in Russia:
Download the Psiphon app from the AppStore or Google Play Store
Look for the dedicated BBC site on theTor Browserwhich can be found usingthis URL. Note that this URL only works using the Tor Browser or the Onion Browser (on iPhones)
If access to the apps is restricted then send a blank email to get@psiphon3.com or gettor@torproject.org. An email will be sent in response with a direct and safe download link
The BBC has also launched two new shortwave frequencies broadcasting World Service English news for four hours a day to Ukraine and parts of Russia:
15735 kHz from 14:00 GMT to 16:00 GMT
5875 kHz from 20:00 GMT to 22:00 GMT
BBC graphic
BBCCopyright: BBC
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Ukraine latest news: Visa, Mastercard say they will pull out of Russia - BBC News
The payment firms says they will be suspending operations in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
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Read more about these links.
Posted at 21:0921:09
Welcome to our continued live coverage...
Pro-Ukraine protesters in New York's Times Square
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Welcome to our continued live coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We'll keep bringing you all the latest developments as this conflict enters its 11th day. Here's the latest:
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeated a call for a no-fly zone to be established over his country during a video-call with over 300 US lawmakers
Nato leaders have repeatedly rejected the request, which they say would bring the west into direct confrontation with Russia
His call came as Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, having earlier offered to mediate between leaders in Moscow and Kyiv
The summit took place as heavy fighting continued across Ukraine, where Russian forces have been heavily shelling the southern city of Mariupol and the eastern cities of Kharkiv and Sumy
Meanwhile, there has been intense fighting to the north-west of the capital Kyiv around the strategic Hostomel airfield, while Russian forces have also been bombarding Irpin- a small town on the outskirts of Kyiv
Elsewhere, the payments giants Visa and Mastercard have announced that they are pulling out of the Russian market in protest at what Visa's CEO called "Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine"
And UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for a renewed effort among world leaders to ensure Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not successful, adding that Putin "must be seen to fail in this act of aggression