Submit your Article

A key ally of Russia, authoritarian Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, has defended the war in Ukraine while indicating it has not gone to plan, BBC reported.

He told the AP news agency that the operation had "dragged on".

Belarus shares a border with Ukraine and Russia sent troops from there when it launched its invasion.

Russia's Vladimir Putin helped Mr Lukashenko cling to power in 2020 after his widely disputed presidential re-election sparked mass protests.

In turn, Belarus's long-time leader has given his backing to Russia's invasion and critics have said he is little more than a vassal and accomplice to Mr Putin.

In his interview with AP, Mr Lukashenko said that Russia's leader had no choice but to act because Ukraine was "provoking Russia".

But he added: "I am not immersed in this problem enough to say whether it goes according to plan, like the Russians say, or like I feel it, according to BBC.

"I want to stress one more time: I feel like this operation has dragged on."

Mr Lukashenko said he wanted the war to end, saying Belarus had "done and are doing everything" to stop it.

By calling it a war, he went further than Russia's own description of its invasion as a "special military operation". Moscow has justified the war as an effort to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine - which is considered a baseless pretext. 

Mr Lukashenko also said that any suggestion that Russia might use nuclear weapons against Ukraine was "unacceptable because it's right next to us", but added he did not know whether Moscow intended to use them.

Although Belarus has provided a platform for Russian forces it has not sent its own troops in. On Wednesday it began snap military drills which it said posed no threat to Ukraine, BBC reported.

Belarus was already under Western sanctions following the 2020 election, and faces further measures over its role in the conflict.

It was one of only a handful of countries to back Russia's invasion at an emergency UN vote.

Out of the 193 UN member states, 141 condemned the war, with some major countries like China and India choosing to abstain, according to BBC.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has apologised after his foreign minister said that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had "Jewish blood", Israel says, BBC reported.

Mr Putin made the apology in a call with Israeli PM Naftali Bennett, his office said in a statement.

Russia's account of the conversation did not mention an apology.

Sergei Lavrov made the initial comments to try to justify Russia's portrayal of Ukraine as "Nazi" despite the fact that its president is Jewish.

Mr Lavrov spoke to Italian TV on Sunday, days after Israel marked Holocaust Remembrance Day - one of the most solemn occasions in the Israeli calendar.

When asked how Russia can claim that it is fighting to "de-Nazify" Ukraine when President Volodymyr Zelensky is himself Jewish, Mr Lavrov said: "I could be wrong, but Hitler also had Jewish blood. [That Zelensky is Jewish] means absolutely nothing. Wise Jewish people say that the most ardent anti-Semites are usually Jews."

The comments sparked outrage in Israel. Nazi Germany murdered six million Jews in the Holocaust in World War Two, according to BBC.

Israel had demanded an apology, with Mr Bennett saying shortly after that "such lies are meant to blame the Jews themselves for the most terrible crimes in history and thus free the oppressors of the Jews from their responsibility". 

In Thursday's statement, Mr Bennett's office said that he had accepted Mr Putin's apology and "thanked him for clarifying his attitude towards the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust".

Russia said the two discussed the Holocaust, but did not say Mr Putin apologised. 

Israel has tried to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, but has also faced criticism for not taking a tougher line against President Putin.

Israeli media this week reported that Israel was considering boosting its military and civilian assistance to Ukraine, BBC reported.

CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), Nepali Congress and CPN-UML cadres clashed at Madi Rural Municipality-3, Talabang in Rolpa on Wednesday.

NC Ward-3 chairman candidate Min Bahadur Dangi was injured in the scuffle that was ensued when NC cadres were returning home after attending the electoral assembly at Talabang Bazaar.

Dangi was lethally attacked with an iron rod, said NC Constituency-2 President Gopal Gharti. Seriously injured Dangi was taken to Dang for further treatment.

Gharti accused that a group of people took the vehicle carrying Dangi under control and attacked him with the sharp-edged rod.

Secretary of Maoist Centre’s Madi rural municipality Bir Bahadur Gharti said they had retaliated against the targeted attack against their cadres.

Information Officer at District Police Office, Yaman GC shared that police reached the site immediately after the incident. “Situation now is normal”, he added.

Balen Shah, a rapper and structural engineer, is an independent mayoral candidate for the Kathmandu Metropolitan City. 

Shah became popular among the Nepali youths as a rapper after the Raw Barz, the first ever rap battle league in Nepal. 

He has recently made public his manifesto for the local level elections slated for May 13.

Here are the key highlights of his election manifesto: 

1.     To improve infrastructure, quality and environment of community schools and to give priority on technical education

2.     To start ambulance, having all kinds of facilities, services under the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and to operate the services through call center

3.     To conduct free home to home free health check-up for the people above 70 years of age

4.     Roads, drainages and sewages among others will be repaired by physical infrastructure ambulances through call center

5.     To connect GPS in all public transportation to track the location of vehicles

6.     To revive old water resources to bring stone spout, Dhungedhara in Nepali and Hiti in Nepal bhasa into use 

7.     To install CCTV in all public vehicles for security reasons

8.     To establish public toilets in all wards 

9.     To establish idea bank for employment and entrepreneurship promotion 

10. To launch one house one tree campaign

Also read: Balen Shah: I will implement only tried and tested plans