SUNDAY FOCUS

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday (March 15) said that India's oil purchases from Russia would not violate any of the sanctions imposed by the United States on that country. 

Recently, reports emerged that India was planning to buy "discounted crude oil" from Russia. On being asked about the same during her briefing, Psaki said, "Our message to any country continues to be that obviously abide by the sanctions that we have put in place and recommended." 

The White House Press Secretary further added, "I don't believe this would be violating that." However, she made a moral appeal to cut off petroleum commerce with Russia. 

Bengal MLA Krishna Kalyani, who quit BJP last year to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has accused BJP MLA and the Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari of threatening him on the floor of the House with tax raids at his home for disrupting his speech during the Budget session.

Suvendu Adhikari, once a close aide of Mamata Banerjee who defected to the BJP ahead of the 2021 Bengal polls, refuted the claim, saying that if he did threaten an MLA on the floor of the House, the records would show it. MLAs will have to produce evidence if and when a privilege motion is brought against him based on these charges. "Whatever I have said is recorded inside the House as per rules. A copy is also given to MLAs. Bring that copy and show it to me," Adhikari demanded.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said letting Russian President Vladimir Putin "get away" with annexing Crimea was a "terrible mistake" that the West made.

"It is vital, if we're going to stand up to Putin's bullying, we're going to avoid being blackmailed by Putin in the way that so many Western countries sadly have been, we've got to get ourselves off Russian hydrocarbons," he told broadcasters as he hosted a summit of Nordic and Baltic leaders to discuss European defence and security.

"The spike in oil and gas, which is being felt by British consumers, by everybody who has a central heating system, everybody in this country is seeing the effects of that spike in prices. We have to deal with that in any way that we can," said Johnson.

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The murder of the two newly-elected councillors in West Bengal – one from the ruling Trinamool Congress from North 24 Parganas’ Naihati and another from Congress from Puruliya’s Jhalda Municipality – has sent the West Bengal government into a tizzy. Bengal’s chief secretary today chaired a high-level meeting with senior police officials to review law and order and take stock of the security situation on the ground.

Punjabis have high expectations from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leader Bhagwant Mann, who will be assuming charge as state Chief Minister during Wednesday's (March 16) oath-taking ceremony in Khatkar Kalan. While the party's ability to meet people's expectations will make itself evident in the days to come, its leadership claims that change has already started taking place in various departments of the state.

Addressing media persons on Tuesday (March 15), AAP MP Sanjay Singh claimed that things have already started to change in Punjab even before the oath-taking ceremony. "The effects of the advent of the AAP in Punjab are evident even before the oath-taking ceremony. Let the oath-taking ceremony take place," he said while responding to a query on Punjab being under immense debt.