The Evening Wrap: Russia says it will cut back operations near Ukraine capital

Ukrainian negotiators participating in the talks with Russia in Turkey on Tuesday said they were calling for an international agreement under which other countries would serve as guarantors of Ukraine’s security. “We want an international mechanism of security guarantees where guarantor countries will act in a similar way to NATO’s article number five — and even more firmly,” David Arakhamia, a Ukrainian negotiator, told reporters after talks with a Russian delegation. Russia will “radically” reduce its military activity in northern Ukraine, including near the capital Kyiv, after “meaningful” talks in Istanbul, Moscow’s negotiators said. “Given that the talks on the preparation of an agreement on the neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine have moved into a practical field... a decision has been made to radically, by several times reduce the military activity in the areas of Kyiv and Chernigiv,” Russia’s deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin said. Chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said there had been a “meaningful discussion” at the talks and that Ukrainian proposals would be put to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in Istanbul on Tuesday marked the most significant progress in discussions to date. Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held the first face-to-face meeting between the sides in more than two weeks on Tuesday, amid Russia’s invasion of its neighbour, now in its fifth week. Speaking at the venue of the talks in Istanbul, Cavusoglu said Turkey welcomed the two countries reaching compromise and a common understanding on certain issues and said the war must end as soon as possible. He also said that “more difficult issues” were expected to be discussed between Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers at a later date, adding that the leaders of the two countries would meet subsequently. Indian power project replaces Chinese venture in Sri Lanka’s northern islands India will set up hybrid power projects in three Islands off Jaffna, effectively replacing the Chinese venture cleared by Colombo last year. The MoU for the project was among those signed during a meeting between visiting External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and his Sri Lankan counterpart G.L. Peiris late on Monday. It is the third Indian energy project coming up in Sri Lanka’s north and east, after the recent agreements for National Thermal Power Corporation’s solar venture in the eastern Sampur town, and the Adani Group’s renewable energy projects in Mannar and Pooneryn in the north. In January 2021, Sri Lanka’s Cabinet decided to award renewable energy projects in Nainativu, Delft or Neduntheevu, and Analaitivu islands to Chinese company Sinosoar-Etechwin, following an Asia Development Bank-backed competitive bid. India was quick to express concern to the Sri Lankan side over the Chinese project coming up in the Palk Bay, barely 50 km off Tamil Nadu. New Delhi offered to execute the same project with a grant rather than a loan. Unable to pick a side for over a year, Colombo kept the project in suspension, apparently putting off China. In a recent press briefing, the Chinese Ambassador in Colombo voiced rare criticism over the projects being interrupted for “unknown reasons”, and said it sent out the wrong message to potential foreign investors. Meanwhile, India and Sri Lanka have also agreed to set up a Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC), signalling greater defence sector collaboration between the neighbours. The initiative, involving Bharath Electronics and a $6 million Indian grant, obtained Cabinet approval last week. India will also help develop fisheries harbours in Point Pedro, Pesalai, and Gurunagar in the Northern Province, and Balapitiya, south of capital Colombo, in addition to supporting schools in the southern Galle district with computer labs and smart boards, extending a grant for Sri Lanka’s Unique Digital Identity project, and collaborating in diplomatic training, a statement said. On developments in regard to Sri Lanka’s long-pending Tamil question, India has welcomed the recent talks between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the largest grouping of legislators elected from the north and east. In a separate statement issued hours after Jaishankar’s meeting with a TNA delegation on Monday, the Indian High Commission said the Tamil leaders briefed the visiting EAM about their meeting with Rajapaksa on March 25. “They conveyed that the issues of release of political prisoners, land utilisation, missing persons, 13th Amendment implementation and diaspora investment were discussed in the meeting,” the statement said. Jaishankar discussed the same when he called on the President, the statement said, without mentioning the specifics of the discussion. The EAM has so far not publicly commented on the Tamil question or power devolution during this visit, while a tweet after his meeting with the TNA said he “discussed” the realisation of Tamil aspirations for equality, justice, peace, and dignity. During his last visit in January 2021, he conveyed a strong message to the Sri Lankan leadership that it was in “Sri Lanka’s own interest” that the expectations of the Tamil people are fulfilled. “That applies equally to commitments made by the Sri Lankan government on meaningful devolution, including the 13th Amendment,” he told a Colombo media conference then. The official statement issued on Monday said Jaishankar welcomed “the positive developments” regarding the issues on the Government-TNA agenda, adding that he emphasised that the Government of India was “consistently supportive” of the realisation of the aspirations of the Tamils of Sri Lanka for equality, justice, peace and dignity within the framework of a united Sri Lanka, in addition to its ongoing development partnership in the region. In last week’s meeting, the first between the TNA and Mr. Rajapaksa since his election in 2019, the government made fresh assurances to address long-pending Tamil concerns, promising to look into the release of long-detained suspects arrested under Sri Lanka’s widely-criticised terrorism law, land grabs by state agencies, enforced disappearances, and development of the north and east. However, the government postponed discussing the TNA’s core demand for a political solution through a new constitutional arrangement devolving more powers to the provinces. Jaishankar encouraged the TNA to pursue those matters that the government has agreed to address, rather than wait only for the new constitutional settlement that may take time, sources present at the discussion said. Lakhimpur Kheri case witness hurt in Holi squabble, U.P. tells Supreme Court A Lakhimpur Kheri case witness was hurt in a “sudden altercation” that broke out after miscreants threw Holi colours on him, the Uttar Pradesh government has told the Supreme Court. The State was responding to a plea made by the families of the farmers mowed down by an SUV in October 2021 that witness Diljot Singh was brutally attacked and threatened by his assailants in reference to the BJP’s win in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. “Some people were playing with Holi gulal near a school and threw it on Diljot Singh as well. He objected and an altercation broke out. One of the miscreants hit him with a belt and others kicked and punched him. None of the miscreants mentioned the ruling party winning the Assembly elections,” the State affidavit submitted. It said that every one of the witnesses is protected by an armed gunner and a personal security guard. CCTV cameras monitor continuously. So far, 98 victims have been provided security. The families, represented by senior advocate Dushyant Dave and advocate Prashant Bhushan, have also challenged the grant of bail to Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni and prime accused in the case. The allegation is that Mishra was part of the group that rammed the vehicle into the farmers who were participating in a rally against the controversial farm laws in Lakhimpur Kheri. The farmers stated that the government had not even bothered to challenge the grant of bail to him, forcing the families themselves to approach the top court for justice. Countering, the government said it had “vehemently opposed” the bail before the Allahabad High Court. It was still not late for it to appeal the bail order. The option to go in appeal was under consideration. Dave had argued before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana that the bail granted to Ashish Mishra was a “misguided” one. The bail order was passed despite the fact that the apex court took the gravity of incident into consideration while appointing a special investigation team, monitored by a retired High Court judge, for a time-bound probe of the case. The families have argued that the decision of the High Court to grant bail to Mishra was erroneous and based on “totally extraneous reasons”. The families have argued that Mishra was released on bail despite the heinous nature of the crime, the character of the overwhelming evidence against the accused in the charge sheet, the position and status of the accused with reference to the victim and witnesses, the likelihood of the accused fleeing from justice and repeating the offence and and the possibility of his tampering with the witnesses and obstructing the course of justice. Accused in Sulli Deals app case granted bail A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to Aumkareshwar Thakur, the alleged creator of the mobile app Sulli Deals, on the grounds that he was a “first-time offender and prolonged incarceration could be detrimental to his overall well-being”. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Kumar, while issuing the order, said the argument that replies from various intermediaries and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report are awaited cannot be grounds to deny Thakur bail as he cannot influence the FSL report. However, Thakur will not be able to walk out of jail now as he is named in another chargesheet filed by Mumbai Police in the matter. Thakur was arrested from his house in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore earlier this year for allegedly creating the app that “auctioned” several Muslim women online. FIRs were lodged against the app in Delhi and Noida. Thakur’s arrest was made following the disclosure statement of Neeraj Bishnoi, the creator of Bulli Bai, another application created on GitHub, where several prominent Muslim women were “auctioned” this year. According to senior police officers, Bishnoi, too, was granted bail by the same court on Monday. Substandard, fake medical products increased by almost 47% from 2020 to 2021 during pandemic: Report During the COVID-19 pandemic, incidents of substandard and falsified (SF) medical products increased by almost 47% from 2020 to 2021. Trade in pharmaceutical counterfeits during this period spiked majorly relating to COVID-19 products, including vaccines, medicines, test kits, antibiotics, face masks and sanitizers. This is according to the latest report released by the Authentication Solution Providers’ Association (ASPA), an organisation working against fake medical products. During the COVID-19 peak, incidents of SF medical were observed in 23 out of 29 States and seven Union Territories. The report pointed out that SF products were impacting every product sector, and the incidents of counterfeiting had risen with a 20% growth from January 2018 to December 2020. Globally also, pharmaceutical SF incidents rose 111% over the past 10 years, say experts. “Criminals saw the COVID-19 pandemic crisis as an opportunity to sell more substandard and falsified medical products, taking advantage of the vulnerability of the people in need,” ASPA president Nakul Pasricha said. The tremendous adverse impact of the huge increase in circulation of spurious medicine and medical essentials in the fight against the pandemic had almost gone unnoticed. “It is unfortunate, as criminals produce ineffective or harmful products in packaging that appear identical to genuine products to make them difficult to detect. The circulation and use of these SF medical products violate the Right to Health and slows down the pace of providing quality health services that people deserve. It’s high time for firm action to curb this menace. If preventive steps are taken now, we will be better positioned to deliver effective healthcare to patients,” he stated. The ASPA has studied the major counterfeit incidents noticed during the COVID-19 period and its impact in the country and released a report titled – “Substandard and falsified medical products, learning from COVID-19 Pandemic and Technological tools to ensure medicines and patient safety”. National authentication projects have been trending internationally for the last few years, with China, Brazil, Turkey, the U.S., and the EU being the pioneers in this area. It had helped them to reduce the shadow market in various industries, improve tax collection and significantly reduce losses incurred by businesses from counterfeit products and illegal trade. In brief As many as 156 personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) committed suicide in 2021, the highest in almost a decade, according to information provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The CAPFs that comprise various security forces such as the CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, BSF, NSG and Assam Rifles are deployed in various internal security and border guarding duties. From 2012, the total number of CAPF personnel who killed themselves stood at 1205. The incidents saw a sharp increase in the COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdown years, with 143 and 156 committing suicide in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 29 MARCH 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Russia says it will cut back operations near Ukraine capital Ukrainian negotiators participating in the talks with Russia in Turkey on Tuesday said they were calling for an international agreement under which other countries would serve as guarantors of Ukraine’s security. “We want an international mechanism of security guarantees where guarantor countries will act in a similar way to NATO’s article number five — and even more firmly,” David Arakhamia, a Ukrainian negotiator, told reporters after talks with a Russian delegation. [Russia will “radically” reduce its military activity in northern Ukraine]( including near the capital Kyiv, after “meaningful” talks in Istanbul, Moscow’s negotiators said. [Members of the Ukrainian delegation attend the talks with Russian negotiators in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via Reuters] “Given that the talks on the preparation of an agreement on the neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine have moved into a practical field... a decision has been made to radically, by several times reduce the military activity in the areas of Kyiv and Chernigiv,” Russia’s deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin said. Chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said there had been a “meaningful discussion” at the talks and that Ukrainian proposals would be put to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in Istanbul on Tuesday marked the most significant progress in discussions to date. Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held the first face-to-face meeting between the sides in more than two weeks on Tuesday, amid Russia’s invasion of its neighbour, now in its fifth week. Speaking at the venue of the talks in Istanbul, Cavusoglu said Turkey welcomed the two countries reaching compromise and a common understanding on certain issues and said the war must end as soon as possible. He also said that “more difficult issues” were expected to be discussed between Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers at a later date, adding that the leaders of the two countries would meet subsequently. Indian power project replaces Chinese venture in Sri Lanka’s northern islands India will set up hybrid power projects in three Islands off Jaffna, [effectively replacing the Chinese venture]( cleared by Colombo last year. The MoU for the project was among those signed during a meeting between visiting External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and his Sri Lankan counterpart G.L. Peiris late on Monday. It is the third Indian energy project coming up in Sri Lanka’s north and east, after the recent agreements for National Thermal Power Corporation’s solar venture in the eastern Sampur town, and the Adani Group’s renewable energy projects in Mannar and Pooneryn in the north. In January 2021, Sri Lanka’s Cabinet decided to award renewable energy projects in Nainativu , Delft or Neduntheevu , and Analaitivu islands to Chinese company Sinosoar-Etechwin, following an Asia Development Bank-backed competitive bid. India was quick to express concern to the Sri Lankan side over the Chinese project coming up in the Palk Bay, barely 50 km off Tamil Nadu. New Delhi offered to execute the same project with a grant rather than a loan. Unable to pick a side for over a year, Colombo kept the project in suspension, apparently putting off China. In a recent press briefing, the Chinese Ambassador in Colombo voiced rare criticism over the projects being interrupted for “unknown reasons”, and said it sent out the wrong message to potential foreign investors. Meanwhile, India and Sri Lanka have also agreed to set up a Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC), signalling greater defence sector collaboration between the neighbours. The initiative, involving Bharath Electronics and a $6 million Indian grant, obtained Cabinet approval last week. India will also help develop fisheries harbours in Point Pedro, Pesalai, and Gurunagar in the Northern Province, and Balapitiya, south of capital Colombo, in addition to supporting schools in the southern Galle district with computer labs and smart boards, extending a grant for Sri Lanka’s Unique Digital Identity project, and collaborating in diplomatic training, a statement said. On developments in regard to Sri Lanka’s long-pending Tamil question, India has welcomed the recent talks between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the largest grouping of legislators elected from the north and east. In a separate statement issued hours after Jaishankar’s meeting with a TNA delegation on Monday, the Indian High Commission said the Tamil leaders briefed the visiting EAM about their meeting with Rajapaksa on March 25. “They conveyed that the issues of release of political prisoners, land utilisation, missing persons, 13th Amendment implementation and diaspora investment were discussed in the meeting,” the statement said. Jaishankar discussed the same when he called on the President, the statement said, without mentioning the specifics of the discussion. The EAM has so far not publicly commented on the Tamil question or power devolution during this visit, while a tweet after his meeting with the TNA said he “discussed” the realisation of Tamil aspirations for equality, justice, peace, and dignity. During his last visit in January 2021, he conveyed a strong message to the Sri Lankan leadership that it was in “Sri Lanka’s own interest” that the expectations of the Tamil people are fulfilled. “That applies equally to commitments made by the Sri Lankan government on meaningful devolution, including the 13th Amendment,” he told a Colombo media conference then. The official statement issued on Monday said Jaishankar welcomed “the positive developments” regarding the issues on the Government-TNA agenda, adding that he emphasised that the Government of India was “consistently supportive” of the realisation of the aspirations of the Tamils of Sri Lanka for equality, justice, peace and dignity within the framework of a united Sri Lanka, in addition to its ongoing development partnership in the region.   In last week’s meeting, the first between the TNA and Mr. Rajapaksa since his election in 2019, the government made fresh assurances to address long-pending Tamil concerns, promising to look into the release of long-detained suspects arrested under Sri Lanka’s widely-criticised terrorism law, land grabs by state agencies, enforced disappearances, and development of the north and east. However, the government postponed discussing the TNA’s core demand for a political solution through a new constitutional arrangement devolving more powers to the provinces. Jaishankar encouraged the TNA to pursue those matters that the government has agreed to address, rather than wait only for the new constitutional settlement that may take time, sources present at the discussion said. Lakhimpur Kheri case witness hurt in Holi squabble, U.P. tells Supreme Court A [Lakhimpur Kheri case witness was hurt in a “sudden altercation”]( that broke out after miscreants threw Holi colours on him, the Uttar Pradesh government has told the Supreme Court. The State was responding to a plea made by the families of the farmers mowed down by an SUV in October 2021 that witness Diljot Singh was brutally attacked and threatened by his assailants in reference to the BJP’s win in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. “Some people were playing with Holi gulal near a school and threw it on Diljot Singh as well. He objected and an altercation broke out. One of the miscreants hit him with a belt and others kicked and punched him. None of the miscreants mentioned the ruling party winning the Assembly elections,” the State affidavit submitted. It said that every one of the witnesses is protected by an armed gunner and a personal security guard. CCTV cameras monitor continuously. So far, 98 victims have been provided security. The families, represented by senior advocate Dushyant Dave and advocate Prashant Bhushan, have also challenged the grant of bail to Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni and prime accused in the case. The allegation is that Mishra was part of the group that rammed the vehicle into the farmers who were participating in a rally against the controversial farm laws in Lakhimpur Kheri. The farmers stated that the government had not even bothered to challenge the grant of bail to him, forcing the families themselves to approach the top court for justice. Countering, the government said it had “vehemently opposed” the bail before the Allahabad High Court. It was still not late for it to appeal the bail order. The option to go in appeal was under consideration. Dave had argued before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana that the bail granted to Ashish Mishra was a “misguided” one. The bail order was passed despite the fact that the apex court took the gravity of incident into consideration while appointing a special investigation team, monitored by a retired High Court judge, for a time-bound probe of the case. The families have argued that the decision of the High Court to grant bail to Mishra was erroneous and based on “totally extraneous reasons”. The families have argued that Mishra was released on bail despite the heinous nature of the crime, the character of the overwhelming evidence against the accused in the charge sheet, the position and status of the accused with reference to the victim and witnesses, the likelihood of the accused fleeing from justice and repeating the offence and and the possibility of his tampering with the witnesses and obstructing the course of justice. Accused in Sulli Deals app case granted bail A Delhi court on Monday [granted bail to Aumkareshwar Thakur, the alleged creator of the mobile app Sulli Deals]( on the grounds that he was a “first-time offender and prolonged incarceration could be detrimental to his overall well-being”. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Kumar, while issuing the order, said the argument that replies from various intermediaries and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report are awaited cannot be grounds to deny Thakur bail as he cannot influence the FSL report. [Aumkareshwar Thakur.] However, Thakur will not be able to walk out of jail now as he is named in another chargesheet filed by Mumbai Police in the matter. Thakur was arrested from his house in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore earlier this year for allegedly creating the app that “auctioned” several Muslim women online. FIRs were lodged against the app in Delhi and Noida. Thakur’s arrest was made following the disclosure statement of Neeraj Bishnoi, the creator of Bulli Bai, another application created on GitHub, where several prominent Muslim women were “auctioned” this year. According to senior police officers, Bishnoi, too, was granted bail by the same court on Monday. Substandard, fake medical products increased by almost 47% from 2020 to 2021 during pandemic: Report During the COVID-19 pandemic, incidents of substandard and falsified (SF) medical products [increased by almost 47% from 2020 to 2021](. Trade in pharmaceutical counterfeits during this period spiked majorly relating to COVID-19 products, including vaccines, medicines, test kits, antibiotics, face masks and sanitizers. This is according to the latest report released by the Authentication Solution Providers’ Association (ASPA), an organisation working against fake medical products. During the COVID-19 peak, incidents of SF medical were observed in 23 out of 29 States and seven Union Territories. The report pointed out that SF products were impacting every product sector, and the incidents of counterfeiting had risen with a 20% growth from January 2018 to December 2020. Globally also, pharmaceutical SF incidents rose 111% over the past 10 years, say experts. “Criminals saw the COVID-19 pandemic crisis as an opportunity to sell more substandard and falsified medical products, taking advantage of the vulnerability of the people in need,” ASPA president Nakul Pasricha said. The tremendous adverse impact of the huge increase in circulation of spurious medicine and medical essentials in the fight against the pandemic had almost gone unnoticed. “It is unfortunate, as criminals produce ineffective or harmful products in packaging that appear identical to genuine products to make them difficult to detect. The circulation and use of these SF medical products violate the Right to Health and slows down the pace of providing quality health services that people deserve. It’s high time for firm action to curb this menace. If preventive steps are taken now, we will be better positioned to deliver effective healthcare to patients,” he stated. The ASPA has studied the major counterfeit incidents noticed during the COVID-19 period and its impact in the country and released a report titled – “Substandard and falsified medical products, learning from COVID-19 Pandemic and Technological tools to ensure medicines and patient safety”. National authentication projects have been trending internationally for the last few years, with China, Brazil, Turkey, the U.S., and the EU being the pioneers in this area. It had helped them to reduce the shadow market in various industries, improve tax collection and significantly reduce losses incurred by businesses from counterfeit products and illegal trade. In brief As many as [156 personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) committed suicide in 2021]( the highest in almost a decade, according to information provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The CAPFs that comprise various security forces such as the CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, BSF, NSG and Assam Rifles are deployed in various internal security and border guarding duties. From 2012, the total number of CAPF personnel who killed themselves stood at 1205. The incidents saw a sharp increase in the COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdown years, with 143 and 156 committing suicide in 2020 and 2021 respectively. 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