Vol 2, Issue 2 Mar 1-15, 2022
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Kremlin has sent 400 mercenaries Ukraine claims more to Kiev to assassinate Zelensky than 5,000 Russian PRADEEP MADHURI: Bringing alive slice-of-life stories through short films- Page 5
Biden imposes sanctions as Russia begins ‘invasion of Ukraine’ - Page 4
Indian Cooking with Lata Modi -Page 7
New Delhi, Feb 28: More than 400 Russian mercenaries have been flown in from Africa to assassinate Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, Daily Mail reported. A private militia known as the Wagner Group allegedly has orders from Vladimir Putin to take out Zelensky - and 23 other government figures - to allow Moscow to take over its eastern European neighbour, the report said. According to the Times, UK, the army-for-hire, run by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin - a close ally of the Russian president who is often dubbed 'Putin's chef' - was flown in five weeks ago and is being offered a huge sum for the mission.
The highly-trained operatives are said to be waiting for the green light from the Kremlin to pounce, with their hit list also including Ukraine's prime minister, the entire cabinet, mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir - both boxing champions who have become iconic figures on the front lines of the capital. However, the plans were rumbled after they reached the upper echelons of the Ukrainian government on Saturday morning, the report said. It prompted Kyiv to declare a 36-hour 'hard' curfew, ordering everyone indoors so that soldiers could sweep the streets for Russian
saboteurs. Citizens were warned that they risked being 'liquidated' if they were spotted outside during the curfew hours, as they may be assumed to be the enemy. A source with knowledge of the Wagner Group's activities told the Times that between 2,000 and 4,000 mercenaries had actually arrived in Ukraine in January, but with different missions. Some were sent to the rebel-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east of the country - while the 400 tasked with taking out Zelensky headed to Kyiv from Belarus. The group are said to be tracking Zelesnky and his colleagues via their mobile phones - claiming to know where they are at all times, Daily Mail reported. Another source claimed the killersfor-hire have been told to put on the brakes while Putin holds 'peace talks' with Zelensky this week. But they have allegedly been informed that the Russian leader has no desire to reach a deal, branding the meeting on the Belarus border as 'smoke and mirrors', the report said. News of their assassination plans has not seemed to faze Zelensky, who admitted he was 'target number one' during an address to the nation, telling them Russian special forces were hunting him.
soldiers killed
The Gaurdian
New Delhi, Feb 28: Kiev's defence ministry claims that more than 5,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the first four days of fighting in Ukraine, BBC reported. In a statement posted to Facebook, Ukrainian officials said approximately 5,300 Russian troops have been killed, and claimed that 191 tanks, 29 fighter jets, 29 helicopters and 816 armoured personnel carriers have been destroyed by Ukraine's forces. The BBC has not been able to independently verify these claims, though the UK's Ministry of Defence believes Russia has taken "heavy"
casualties in the opening stages of the conflict. The claims follow acknowledgements by the Russian defence ministry on Sunday that its forces have suffered losses, though officials did not provide an exact figure, BBC reported. Meanwhile, UN observers said they had confirmed at least 94 civilian deaths during the first four days of fighting. It said the invasion had triggered "severe humanitarian consequences" and that casualties could be considerably higher.
Queensland floods claim 7 lives Indian dental firm Defence Industry Seminar held in Canberra -Page 8
Discover New Zealand’s secret landscapes -Page 22
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fter several days of downpours pummeled Queensland, with flooding worsening in Brisbane, the death toll stands at 7. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk described the wild weather as “waves of water just coming down.” The wild weather forced residents to evacuate and schools to close, while thousands of homes have been left inundated. Seven people have died from the flash flooding that has battered northeastern Australia in the past few days, the authorities said, with six in Queensland and one in the state of New South Wales. The latest was a 34-year-old Brisbane man who died trying to escape his submerged car on Sunday morning. Continued on page 10
wins at Ethnic Business Awards 2021
H
ealthy Smiles Dental Group won the Small Business category award at the 32nd edition of Ethnic Business Awards held on February 14. The awards recognise outstanding accomplishments of migrant and indigenous entrepreneurs. Dr Ved Berani, in a generous gesture, donated the whole award money of $10,000 to the charity organisation Sikh Volunteers Australia, which provides free meals to the needy. In a video message, Dr Berani also talked about his journey from being a student to a multiaward winning entrepreneur.
Continued on page 6
H.E. Manpreet Vohra receives stolen statue Maitri initiatives to provide assistance to Indian students at Australian universities
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Example of True DispassionPage 23
Trends Updates -Page 27
nited States' Chargé d’Affaires Michael Goldman returned a 500-year old stolen Indian statue to Indian High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra in February. U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Indian law enforcement agents worked together to recover the statue, which had been looted from a temple in Southern India, sold to Christie’s Auction House in New York, and acquired by a buyer in Australia. Christie’s Auction House and the buyer in Australia were originally unaware of the statue’s stolen origins, but after being alerted by law enforcement agents, cooperated fully with the U.S.-India law enforcement investigation to recover the stolen artifact. Continued on page 6
The Australian government declared a series of Maitri initiatives to strengthen its education and cultural ties with India, which is good news for Indian students planning to pursue their higher studies at Australian universities. The initiatives are known as the "Maitr," which means "friendship initiatives," according to Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Payne stated at a joint AustraliaIndia press conference on February 12, 2022 that the Maitri Scholars Program will provide more than $11 million for four years to support
Indian students studying at Australian universities. She commented that the Maitri Fellowships Programme will disperse $ 3.5 million over four years to forge links between potential leaders and further said that the programme would provide support to Indian-origin professionals and Australians, who are in the middle of their career, to join forces on strategic research projects. It will also provide more than $6 million over four years under a focus-driven initiative — the Maitri cultural Continued on page 10
Sharvari: Hope I get to dance next to Madhuri Dixit some day -Page 31
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