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A full-scale, no-holds-barred economic war pitting America and its European allies against Russia has begun. US President Joe Biden announced on Friday that Washington and its allies are ending normal trade relations with Russia, to the extent of even banning vodka imports, while Moscow signaled it would seize assets of western companies that have ended operations in Russia amid imminent debt default on its part.

In a White House announcement, Biden said the US and its partners would deliver "another crushing blow to the Russian economy" and "squeeze Putin" while rolling out a raft of measures to "further isolate Russia from the global financial system." They include revoking Russia’s Most-Favored Nation Status; denying borrowing privileges at Multilateral Financial Institutions; freezing assets and blocking travel of Russian elites; banning the export of luxury goods to Russia; and banning import from signature sectors of Russia’s economy – including seafood, spirits/vodka, and diamonds, which would deny Russia more than $1 billion in revenues.

As the war in Ukraine rages on for the 16th day, Ukrainians are digging trenches and guarding the fence as the Russian forces advance.

Ground report from the frontline in Ukraine where trenches have been dug up to stop the Russian invaders.

The soldiers said the local community helped them to build the bunker and the trenches. As the soldiers guard the frontline to ward off the Russian troops.

Reporters spoke to the Ukrainian soldiers who are taking shelter in a bunker as they rest and resume duties to guard the frontlines as the Russian troops charge towards the city.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who won a record second term today in India's most politically important state, celebrated his big triumph with holi colours and sweets at the BJP's office in Lucknow. It was a sea of saffron as Yogi Adityanath waved victory signs at hundreds of BJP workers gathered at the party office, many waving the party's flag. Before the counting of votes, the BJP had promised "early holi" celebrations.

The BJP confirmed its return to power in Manipur, with the party bagging 32 seats seats in the 60-member Assembly, according to the Election Commission website. As per the results, NPP, which is a part of the incumbent government,  bagged seven seats and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) won six seats. The Congress, on the other hand, decimated in its once-bastion. From being the single-largest party with 27 seats in 2017, the party managed to win only five seats.The Naga People’s Front  and the Kuki People’s Alliance  won five and two seats respectively.

The exit polls had predicted the ruling BJP would either emerge as the single largest party or cross the halfway mark. The 2017 Assembly polls in Manipur marked a crucial moment in the shift in power dynamics in the northeast. Though the  Congress had emerged as the single largest party as it won 28 seats in the 60-member house, the BJP with 21 seats got the support of four MLAs each from the Naga People’s Front and the National People’s Party and one from the Lok Janshakti Party and an independent to reach the magic figure of 31. Most polls predicted that the NPP and NPF could repeat or better their 2017 performance.

What was being predicted as a ‘close contest’ turned out to be a one-sided affair with BJP winning or leading in 47 out of the 70 assembly constituencies in Uttarakhand. Congress, which had been saying it was confident of securing a majority, had a win or lead in only 19 seats, while 2 seat each went to BSP and independents.

The victory came despite BJP facing anti-incumbency and several opinion polls also predicting a hung assembly. Incidentally, the ‘CM faces’ of all three major parties – Pushkar Singh Dhami of BJP, Harish Rawat of Congress and Col Ajay Kothiyal (retd) of AAP – lost.