DESPITE HUGE LOSSES, UKRAINE CONTINUES TO FRUSTRATE, SLOW DOWN RUSSIANS

Ukraine’s soldiers have blown up bridges to halt advancing Russian ground troops. Its pilots and air defences have prevented Russian fighter jets from conquering the skies.

And a band of savvy Ukrainian cyber-warriors are so far beating Moscow in an information war, inspiring support at home and abroad.

To the surprise of many military analysts, Ukrainian troops are mounting a stiffer-than-expected resistance to Russian forces, fighting with a resourcefulness and creativity that US analysts said could trip up Russian troops for weeks or months to come.

Armed with shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons, they have attacked a miles long Russian armoured convoy bearing down on Kyiv, the capital, helping stall an advance plagued by fuel and food shortages, and stretching a march that was expected to take a handful of days into possibly weeks.

And while the Ukrainian government has publicised its victories and Russian attacks that killed civilians, it has said far less about battlefield losses of its own mechanised units.

For their part, Russian officials are keen not to present the operation as a war, and so they have not put out information about the engagements their forces have won.

The result, in these early days of the invasion, is that the Ukrainians are turning the tables on the Russians in the information campaign.

US officials have been impressed with the fighting prowess of the Ukrainians, but their assessment that Russia has the superior military has not changed.

Ukraine has succeeded in slowing the Russian advance, but has not been able to stop it, nor is the resistance strong enough to shift Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war aims. Over the long term, US officials said, it will be difficult for Ukraine to continue to frustrate the Russian advance.

Ukraine has one of Europe’s largest militaries, with 170,000 active-duty troops, 100,000 reservists and territorial defence forces that include at least 100,000 veterans. Thousands of civilians are also now enlisting.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has slammed Nato's decision not to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine. "A Nato summit took place today. It was a weak summit, a confused summit, a summit that shows that not everyone considers the fight for freedom in Europe the number one goal," Zelenskyy said in a video message.”

PUTIN’S HOSTAGE CLAIM HAS FEW TAKERS; DELHI CALLS FOR ‘LOCAL CEASEFIRE’ TO HELP EXIT

For the second time in two days, India shrugged off Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim Thursday that more than 3,000 Indian citizens are being held hostage at the Kharkiv train station in eastern Ukraine by the Ukrainian military.

New Delhi countered there were no such reports even as it called for a “local ceasefire” that could help get the stranded students our of the war-ravaged country.

Asked about Putin’s statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Friday: “We issued a statement yesterday. I clarified it again…I'm not aware of any Indian being held hostage. I mean, unless you have some information that I don't, they are having difficulty getting out because of the security situation in some places, particularly, I would say in Sumy and in Kharkiv town. But I haven't heard anybody being held hostage.”

Pressed, he said: “You should always ask the person who makes the statements. Why us?”

Senior officials said Putin’s hostage remark is more war-rhetoric than reality.

“The (core) problem is how to get these students from their location in Kharkiv, Sumy, and other areas to the eastern border sharing with Russia...there are buses waiting there, but that route is about 50 to 60 km away through the conflict zone. They are too far away and can't walk that distance. We want safe passage for the students through that area...without a local ceasefire between the Russians and Ukrainians, it is difficult to take these students to the buses. We don't want to cross the stretch where it is risky…We appeal and urge the parties to have a local ceasefire,” the spokesperson said.

On the assurance yesterday that Russia and Ukraine agreed to created humanitarian corridors to help civilians exit, Bagchi said: "We have not seen anything further to that in terms of implementation…if that happens, it will certainly help our process.”

17K STUDENTS EVACUATED, 7K STILL IN UKRAINE: CENTRE TO SUPREME COURT

The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that 17,000 stranded Indian students were evacuated till Friday morning from Ukraine and the rest were in the process of being rescued.

Attorney General KK Venugopal, who was asked by the top court on Thursday to talk to the government to help medical students from near the Romania border in Ukraine, told the court that petitioner Fathima Ahana and other students would land in India tonight. He, however, said around 7,000 Indian students were still there.

“We are not saying a single word, anything about the efforts which you are taking. We appreciate that, but at the same time, we are also concerned about the anxiety of the people,” the Bench noted.

Asking the Centre to consider setting up a “helpline” for the parents and families of stranded students in Ukraine, the top court fixed the matter for further hearing on next Friday. The Bench made it clear that the high courts should not hear petitions on evacuation of students from Ukraine to avoid multiplicity of litigation as it was already dealing with the issue.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / March 5

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Friday 5,921

Active Cases 63,878 (-6,019)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,14,878 (110)

Total Vaccination: 178.55 Crores (+(24,62,562)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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RUSSIA TO PUNISH 'FAKE' WAR NEWS, BLOCKS FACEBOOK, TWITTER

Russian President Vladimir Putin has intensified a crackdown on media outlets and individuals who fail to hew to the Kremlin line on the war in Ukraine, blocking Facebook and Twitter and signing into law a bill that criminalizes the intentional spreading of what Moscow deems to be “fake” reports.

The moves against the social media giants on Friday follow blocks imposed on the BBC, the US government-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, and Latvia-based website Meduza.

The government's sweeping action against the foreign outlets that publish news in Russian seeks to establish even tighter controls over what information the domestic audience sees about the invasion of Ukraine.

The state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said it cut access to Twitter and Facebook in line with a decision by the prosecutor general's office. The watchdog has previously accused Twitter of failing to delete the content banned by Russian authorities and slowed down access to it.

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT FIRE - SAFETY INTACT SO FAR

Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was hit by Russian shelling early Friday, sparking a fire and raising fears of a disaster. Concerns faded after Ukrainian authorities announced that the fire had been extinguished, and while there was damage to the reactor compartment, the safety of the unit was not affected.

But even though the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is of a different design than Chernobyl and is protected from fire, nuclear safety experts and the International Atomic Energy Agency warn that waging war in and around such facilities presents extreme risks.

One major concern, raised by Ukraine’s state nuclear regulator, is that if fighting interrupts power supply to the nuclear plant, it would be forced to use less-reliable diesel generators to provide emergency power to operating cooling systems. A failure of those systems could lead to a disaster similar to that of Japan’s Fukushima plant, when a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed cooling systems, triggering meltdowns in three reactors.

The consequence of that, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, would be widespread and dire.

“If there is an explosion, that’s the end for everyone. The end for Europe. The evacuation of Europe,” he said in an emotional speech in the middle of the night, calling on nations to pressure Russia’s leadership to end the fighting near the plant. “Only urgent action by Europe can stop the Russian troops. Do not allow the death of Europe from a catastrophe at a nuclear power station.”

PAKISTAN MOSQUE BLAST KILLS 56, OVER 190 INJURED

A suicide bomber struck inside a Shiite Muslim mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar during Friday prayers, killing at least 56 worshippers and wounding 194 people, hospital officials said.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Both the Islamic State group and the Pakistani Taliban – a militant group separate from the Taliban in Afghanistan – have carried out similar attacks in the past in the area, located near the border with neighboring Afghanistan.

Peshawar Police Chief Muhammed Ejaz Khan said the violence started when two armed attackers opened fire on police outside the mosque in Peshawar’s old city. One attacker and one policeman were killed in the gunfight, and another police official was wounded. The remaining attacker then ran inside the mosque and detonated a bomb.

Many of the wounded are also in critical condition.

THE REST

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SHANE WARNE DEPARTS AT 52

Around 7.30 PM India time on Friday, the world of cricket lost not just one of its greatest cricketers but also one its greatest characters. Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne was found dead in his hotel room at Koh Samui in Thailand of a suspected heart attack. He was 52, long retired but active as a commentator, his insights on the game as rare and precious as his art.

Warne is regarded as one of the finest leg-spin bowlers of all time after a career in which he took 708 test wickets in a test career which span from 1992 to 2007. He later played in the Indian Premier League and other Twenty20 competitions before retiring from all international cricket in 2013 but continued to be involved in the game as a broadcaster.

The cricket world expressed shock and disbelief over Warne’s sudden demise. “Shocked, stunned & miserable…,” wrote SachinTendulkar on Twitter. “Will miss you Warnie. There was never a dull moment with you around, on or off the field. Will always treasure our on field duels & off field banter. You always had a special place for India & Indians had a special place for you. Gone too young."

MANIPUR VOTES TODAY IN FINAL PHASE, CONG TEAM MEETS POLL PANEL

On the eve of the Phase-2 voting in Manipur, a two-member Congress delegation yesterday urged the Election Commission (EC) to maintain a level-playing field and ensure a free and fair poll in the second phase.

The delegation, comprising senior leaders Salman Khurshid and Jairam Ramesh, complained against the BJP for using, what it termed as, “strong-arm tactics” in the first phase of the polling on February 28.

In the memorandum submitted to the EC, the Congress alleged the BJP-led state government released funds to militant groups under the suspension of operation agreement despite the model code of conduct being in force.

KAVACH, THE INDIAN TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN PREVENT TWO TRAINS FROM COLLIDING

Things went as planned. The locomotive carrying Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and another with Railway Board Chairman VK Tripathi raced towards each other on the same track, but thanks to an automatic system applied brakes 200 meters apart, thus avoiding a collision. Kavach, this indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection System showcased on South Central Railway Friday, is earmarked for aggressive rollout on 2,000 km in 2022-23, according the Budget proposals.

It is India’s very own automatic protection system in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which got rechristened to Kavach or “armour”.

TCAS or Kavach includes the key elements from already existing, and tried and tested systems like the European Train Protection and Warning System, and the indigenous Anti Collison Device. It will also carry features of the high-tech European Train Control System Level-2 in future. The current form of Kavach adheres to the highest level of safety and reliability standard called Safety Integrity Level 4.

Once rolled out, it may be world’s cheapest such system with the cost of rollout pegged at around Rs 30 lakh to 50 lakh per km, a fourth of the cost of equivalent systems globally.

NMC ALLOWS UKRAINE RETURNEES TO COMPLETE MBBS INTERNSHIP IN INDIA

Ukraine-returned Indian MBBS students who may not have been able to complete their mandatory 12-month internship due to the ongoing strife will be allowed to complete the remaining internship in India provided they have cleared the foreign medical graduate exam (FMGE) before applying for such internship here.

In a circular entitled “Guidelines for registration of Foreign Medical Graduates”, the National Medical Commission (NMC) today extended to war-affected students the relief it had granted on November 18, 2021, to Indian MBBS students returning from abroad due to Covid.

The new circular adds the term “war” alongside “Covid” while describing compelling circumstances requiring the exemption.

CANNOT CURTAIL OPINIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, DISCUSSION IN ACADEMIC WORLD: HC TO SAVARKAR BIOGRAPHER

The Delhi High Court on Friday told historian Dr Vikram Sampath that academics are well within their rights to debate about the plagiarism allegations against him and asked him to desist from filing applications every week seeking injunction against them.

“You cannot curtail discussion on the subject in the academic world. Your cause of action is only qua the defendants who are allegedly defaming you, so for that the court has passed an order but if the academicians of the world are of the view that you had plagiarized or something, you cannot get an injunction against 1000 people who are talking about this,” said Justice Amit Bansal.

The court on February 18 had restrained Truschke, Dr. Ananya Chakrabarti and Dr. Rohit Chopra from further publication of their letter accusing historian Dr Vikram Sampath of plagiarism with respect to his two-volume biography of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. On February 24, the court directed Twitter to take down Truschke’s five tweets.

On Friday, Sampath through his counsels told the court that Truschke has now posted an open letter of support by “75+ concerned scholars for Drs. Ananya Chakravarti, Rohit Chopra, and Audrey Truschke regarding their service to the profession and academic freedom in calling attention to Dr. Vikram Sampath’s plagiarism.” and sought removal of her five more tweets and also blocking of her account in India.

GOVT KEEPS EYE ON MARKET TRENDS FOR LIC IPO’S TIMING

The Centre is closely watching the market situation and will decide on the LIC IPO in the “best interest of investors,” a top official said on Friday. The reaction came amid the backdrop of sharp market volatility in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“No. We are closely watching the market situation,” Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary, department of investment and public asset management (Dipam) said. He had been asked whether LIC’s IPO was being deferred to the next financial year, which begins in April. The massive uncertainty in global and domestic financial markets has emerged as a huge worry for the country’s biggest IPO through which the government aims to raise close to Rs 70,000 crore. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had also recently said the government won’t mind having a relook at LIC IPO’s timing if global considerations warrant that, but ideally the plan was to go ahead with it since it had been planned for some time purely on Indian considerations.

RELIANCE INDUSTRIES OPENS COUNTRY'S 'LARGEST BIZ, COMMERCE HUB' IN MUMBAI

Reliance Industries (RIL) announced the opening of the country’s largest business, commerce and cultural destination — the Jio World Centre — spread across 18.5 acres at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

The initial launches are the Dhirubhai Ambani Square, the musical Fountain of Joy and The Jio World Convention Centre. The Jio World Centre will have a phase-wise opening over the course of the current and the next year, RIL said in a release.

The Jio World Centre will include a cultural centre, a musical fountain, an upscale retail experience, a curated selection of cafés and fine dining restaurants, serviced apartments and offices, and the convention facility.

MOHALI TEST DAY 1 - PANT HELPS INDIA TO 357/6

Rishabh Pant stole the limelight in Virat Kohli's landmark 100th Test, hammering Sri Lanka's bowlers into submission in an enthralling 96 as India put up a commanding 357 for 6 on Day 1 of the first Test in Mohali on Friday.

The 5,000-odd spectators at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium, who had come to watch Kohli perform on a grand stage, saw Pant, one of the most flamboyant batters in recent history, make a mockery of an average Sri Lankan attack.

He was especially brutal when it came to going after left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya (28-2-107-2), who was taken for 22 in an over.

The deathly silence around the stadium after Kohli's exit for a well-compiled 45 was there for barely a few seconds because then entered the stocky 24 year old from India's engineering city of Roorkee.

Pant's arrival to the crease was followed by a deafening roar that showed his popularity. On Kohli's day, he had completely over-shadowed the legend.

In just over one-and-a-half sessions, Pant nearly registered his fourth hundred in Test cricket - hes gone for 96 of 97. There were nine fours and four sixes in his 97-ball knock and one couldn't but feel for the young man who looked completely devastated after another near-miss, the fifth time that he got out in the 90s.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Too much self-centered attitude, you see, brings isolation. Result: loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of suffering. - Dalai Lama

OFF TRACK

A woman and her lover were wrapped in a passionate embrace when the door opened and in stormed her husband.

"Oh God," the lady groaned, "Here's big mouth. Now it will be all over town."