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India

India's Power Restored But Who Is To Blame?

HINDUSTAN TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA(India), AFP ( France)

Power has been fully restored Wednesday in India after a grid failure left more than 600 million people without electricity for two days.

The failure of the northern grid in India's state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) on Monday brought the country's expansive railway system to a standstill, left millions in the dark, and trapped 300 coal miners, following the subsequent failures of the eastern and north-eastern grids.

Indian power officials have blamed certain states - including UP, Punjab and Rajasthan - for overdrawing their energy quotas.

Power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told the Hindustan Times: "I have instructed officials to impose heavy penalties, including a pruning of regular quotas, on such states."

Anger has mounted in India against Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who was promoted to Home Minister even before power was fully restored.

Veerappa Moily has taken his place as power minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday, despite the power shortage.

The new minister told reporters: "It is a very difficult and challenging situation, and solutions will have to be found."

Indians are still questioning the country's infrastructure failure and the government's apparent incompetence: the Times of India's front-page ran the headline "Powerless and Clueless' Wednesday morning.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

War, Corruption And The Overdue Demise Of Ukrainian Oligarchs

The invasion of Russia has forced Ukraine to confront a domestic enemy: corruption and economic control by an insular and unethical elite.

Photograph of three masked demonstrators holding black smoke lights.

May 21, 2021, Ukraine: Demonstrators hold smoke bombs outside the Appeal Court of Kyiv.

Olena Khudiakova/ZUMA
Guillaume Ptak

-Analysis-

KYIV — Since Russia’s invasion, Ukraine's all-powerful oligarchs have lost a significant chunk of their wealth and political influence. However, the fight against the corruption that plagues the country is only just beginning.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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On the morning of September 2, several men wearing balaclavas and bullet-proof waistcoats bearing the initials "SBU" arrived at the door of an opulent mansion in Dnipro, Ukraine's fourth largest city. Facing them, his countenance frowning behind thin-rimmed glasses, was the owner of the house, the oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky.

Officers from the Ukrainian security services had come to hand him a "suspicion notice" as part of an investigation into "fraud" and "money laundering". His home was searched, and shortly afterwards he was remanded in custody, with bail set at 509 million hryvnias, or more than €1.3 million. A photo of the operation published that very morning by the security services was widely shared on social networks and then picked up by various media outlets.

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