India could buy Russian oil

Today's headlines: China denies giving military assistance to Putin for Ukraine war; the Russian Orthodox Church in Amsterdam breaks relations with the Moscow Patriarchate; the Karnataka confirms ban on wearing the hijab; cyber attack on Israeli government sites; Vietnam reopens to tourists today, health saftey measures unknown; power cuts hit Yangon.

RUSSIA-INDIA

India's authorities are considering buying Russian oil and other raw materials, including fertilisers, at heavy discounts and accepting payments in roubles, theins.ru reports, based on various sources. India imports 80% of its oil, of which only 3% comes from Russia. The Russian proposal would lower energy costs.

CHINA

China denied US claims that Russia had asked Beijing for military assistance in the war in Ukraine. Analysts say it is plausible that a military agreement between Moscow and Beijing was struck before the invasion. Since China is not a member of the sanctions against Russia, it is not required to block exports, including arms exports.

RUSSIA

The Russian Orthodox Church in Amsterdam is the first of the foreign parishes to declare that it has broken relations with the Moscow Patriarchate because of the Ukraine war, according to the church's website, which states that "all the priests of the parish supported this decision, to protect the spiritual security of our faithful".

UKRAINE

In the Kiev metro, where masses of people are sheltering from the bombardments, the city's culture department, together with the Dovzhenko film centre, has organised screenings of entertaining films, which the besieged say "help a lot to resist". The screenings include archive films, but also new productions, and special films for young people and children, including cartoon series.

INDIA

After months of protests, tensions and hearings, the Karnataka High Court today issued a ruling on the Islamic veil, establishing that it is not an essential element of religion. This confirms the ban on Muslim students not being able to wear it in class. The students of Udupi University, where the controversy originated, said they would appeal to the Supreme Court.

MYANMAR

Residents of Burma's capital, Yangon, queued for water. Volunteers said they received between 150 and 200 calls a day from families with no water left in their homes. Last week, the military junta announced further electricity cuts due to rising gas prices. Myanmar used to face blackouts due to an outdated power grid, but since the coup on 1 February 2021 citizens have not been paying their bills in protest against the military.

VIETNAM

After two years of closure, Vietnam today reopens to tourists, but it is unclear whether there are any quarantine rules to be respected. In the last week, the country recorded an average of 165,000 new cases a day. Vietnam aims to host 18 million foreign travellers by 2026, equalling the number of tourists in the pre-pandemic period.

ISRAEL

The websites of the Israeli Ministries of Interior and Defence were hit by a hacker attack, Tel Aviv said, but proper functioning was restored. According to a source in Haaretz, this is the largest cyber attack ever launched against the Jewish state.asiatoday