The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, the political activist and poet who was an important figure in India's struggle for independence from colonial rule.
The Maldivian Democratic Party, the ruling party in the Indian Ocean atoll nation, wants to outlaw protests against the government's foreign policy on grounds that these endanger national security.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announces the recognition of two separatist republics in eastern Ukraine - Donetsk and Lugansk - as independent through a televised address.
EXAMIANS