'TIME TO TALK,' SAYS ZELENSKY; OVER 6.5 MILLION DISPLACED IN UKRAINE: TOP UPDATES

It's Day 24 of the Ukraine war with little breakthrough in sight and the Russian forces' advance seemingly stalled for another day.

1. In a video address released early Saturday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called for meaningful peace and security talks with Moscow, news agency Reuters reported. "The time has come for a meeting, it is time to talk," he said.

2. Russia's president Vladimir Putin on Friday accused Kyiv of "war crimes" amid such accusations being made against Moscow with the war about to complete nearly a month. In a call with France's Emmanuel Macron, "attention was drawn to the numerous war crimes committed daily by the Ukrainian security forces," the Kremlin said, according to news agency AFP.

3. On Friday, Putin appeared in a big rally, news agency AP reported, while several Ukraine cities continue to resist the offensive. "We have not had unity like this for a long time... shoulder to shoulder, they help and support each other," he said in an address and yet again took the focus to his fight against Nazism.

4. A crucial round of talks was also held between US president Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping on Friday where China was told to act against Moscow.

5. In talks with Macron, Putin also alleged that Kyiv was bombing the rebel-held regions, and "in particular massive rocket and artillery attacks on the cities of Donbas," the Kremlin said.

6. Mariupol theater rescue - At least 130 people were pulled from the shelter below the building destroyed by Russian bombing, but crews are searching for hundreds more.

7. On the casualties in Mariupol, Zelensky said there is no official figure. While local officials had earlier said thousands have been killed.

8. More than 350,000 people are sheltering in the besieged southern port of Mariupol, officials said. Rescuers are combing the rubble of a theatre in Mariupol bombed on Wednesday for survivors. Russia denies striking it. Italy said it will rebuild it.

9. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday (local time) held a phone call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Kuleba discussed the growing number of civilian casualties caused by President Putin's brutal and unjustified war of choice. The Secretary commended the incredible courage and fierce determination of the Ukrainian people as they defend their country against Russian forces who have shown little regard for human life," a US State Department readout said.

10. The UN says more than 6.5 million people have been displaced.

RUSSIA STRIKES NEAR LVIV AIRPORT

Russian missiles struck close to Lviv's airport in Ukraine's far west Friday, extending the war to a relatively unscathed region near NATO territory, as China came under US pressure to restrain its Kremlin allies.

Ambulance and police vehicles raced to the scene of the early-morning strike on an aircraft repair plant near the border of NATO member Poland -- which has seen more than two million refugees cross over from Ukraine.

Motorists were turned away at checkpoints and a thick pall of smoke billowed over the airport, an AFP reporter saw, although officials said the plant was inactive and there were no fatalities.

Located 70 kilometres (45 miles) from the border, Lviv had until now largely escaped assault by Russian forces, and it has become a rear base for foreign diplomats fleeing Ukraine's capital Kyiv.

"This was a strike on the city of Lviv, on a humanitarian hub where more than 200,000 people have been displaced," regional governor Maksym Kozytsky told reporters.

As President Vladimir Putin's three-week-old ground offensive has stalled under fierce Ukrainian resistance, Moscow has increasingly turned to indiscriminate air and long-range strikes.

In the besieged southern city of Mariupol, rescue workers have been searching for any survivors buried beneath the rubble of a bombed-out theatre, amid fears hundreds may be trapped.

Russia said its troops and their separatist allies were fighting in the centre of the strategic port city.

Authorities in Kyiv said one person was killed when a downed Russian rocket struck a residential building in the capital's northern suburbs. They said a school and playground were also hit.

In the hard-pressed eastern city of Kharkiv, Russian strikes demolished the six-storey building of a higher education institution, killing one person and leaving another trapped in the wreckage, officials said.

Britain's defence ministry said that on the ground, Russia was struggling to resupply its forward troops "with even basic essentials such as food and fuel".

"Incessant Ukrainian counterattacks are forcing Russia to divert large number of troops to defend their own supply lines. This is severely limiting Russia's offensive potential," it said.

PUTIN DEFENDS RUSSIA’S ACTIONS IN UKRAINE AT A MOSCOW RALLY

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at a stadium packed with thousands of flag-waving supporters in Moscow on Friday, vowing that Russia would prevail in what the Kremlin — under penalty of law — insists be called a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

“The country hasn’t seen unity like this in a long time,” Putin said.

Officials said more than 200,000 people had gathered at the stadium, although the numbers could not be verified. The stadium's official capacity is 81,000, but there were also large crowds outside.

There were multiple reports that state employees had been ordered to attend the rally.

The rare public appearance by Putin, broadcast on major state channels, was at one point briefly interrupted when the signal cut to a patriotic song performed earlier at the concert. The Kremlin blamed the glitch on an issue with the stadium's server.

Seen at the rally were various iterations of “Z,” which has become a symbol of support for Russian military action in Ukraine, including the use of “za,” or “for.”

Onstage with Putin were banners that read, “Za Rossiyu,” or “For Russia,” and “Za Mir bez Natsizma,” or “For a World without Nazism.”

Putin has sought to justify the war — which he refers to as a special military operation” — in part by saying Russian troops are trying to “denazify” Ukraine. That claim has drawn backlash from many world leaders, onlookers and experts alike.

Friday’s rally was part of celebrations to mark what Russia calls its “reunification” with Crimea. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

RUSSIA TODAY: NEWS CHANNEL RT'S UK LICENCE REVOKED BY OFCOM

Russian state-backed news channel RT has had its licence to broadcast in the UK revoked "with immediate effect" by media regulator Ofcom.

The watchdog said RT's parent body ANO TV Novosti was not "fit and proper to hold a UK broadcast licence".

RT's coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been under investigation by Ofcom, and the channel had already disappeared from UK screens.

RT, formerly named Russia Today, called Ofcom "a tool of the government".

The channel became unavailable on all UK broadcast platforms earlier this month as a result of a ban imposed by the European Union.

Although the UK is no longer in the EU, the bloc applied sanctions to satellite companies in Luxembourg and France, which provided the RT feed to Sky, Freesat and Freeview.RT has also been blocked on YouTube but its website is still available in the UK.

RT is a state broadcaster. It is funded by and principally - its critics would argue - serves the Russian state. This is different to a public broadcaster, which is funded by and serves the public.

TV Novosti, the institution that controls RT, is funded by the Kremlin. Under Ofcom rules, TV channels can be owned by foreign states, but they must not be controlled by political bodies. This is what did for CGTN, the Chinese network. Ofcom believes the clear absence of due accuracy and due impartiality on RT, and its ultimate control by a political body, violates our regulatory code.

Should liberal democracies ban state propaganda? Such moves may be ineffective: RT is still available online. They may be counter-productive: Ofcom accepts retaliation against the BBC is possible. And if the West is fighting a war for liberal democracy, free speech - while not unconditional - cannot be jettisoned lightly.

RUSSIAN TRIO BLAST OFF FOR ISS IN WAR SHADOW

Three Russian cosmonauts blasted off to the International Space Station on Friday, as Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine brought the Kremlin’s relations with the West to their lowest point since the Soviet era.

Russian space veteran Oleg Artemyev and rookies Denis Matveyev and Sergei Korsakov set off at 2125 IMT, a NASA live feed showed.

This marked the beginning of a three-hour ride to the orbital lab where they will be greeted by a crew of two Russians, four Americans and one German.

Russian space agency Roscosmos confirmed in a statement that the trio had successfully entered the orbit beginning a half-year mission aboard the space station.

FORMER UK PMS CALL FOR NUREMBERG-STYLE TRIAL FOR PUTIN

Gordon Brown and Sir John Major want a new international tribunal to be set up and investigate Vladimir Putin for his actions in Ukraine.

The former PMs are among 140 academics, lawyers and politicians to sign a petition calling for a legal system modelled on the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals after World War Two.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is already investigating Mr Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

But some say its powers are limited.

The ICC cannot pursue the crime of aggression without a referral from the UN security council, which Russia could veto.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr Brown said creating a new tribunal would close off this "loophole" in international law "that Putin could use to dodge justice".

"We must move with speed, to assure the people of Ukraine that we are committed to action and not just warm words - and we must make Putin's collaborators aware that the noose is tightening. If they do not distance themselves from Putin, they face prosecution and prison," Mr Brown wrote.

It is hoped the tribunal will act in addition to the ICC's current investigations into war crimes.

The campaign has already been backed by 740,000 people - including dozens of public figures.

MANY EUROPEAN POLITICIANS SEEK NOBEL PRIZE FOR PREZ ZELENSKYY

Moscow : Several current and former European politicians addressed the Norwegian Nobel Committee with a request to nominate Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, and for this reason extend the nomination procedure until March 31.

“We therefore humbly call upon you, the Committee, to consider: Extending and thereby re-opening the nomination procedure for the Nobel Peace Prize until March 31, 2022 to allow for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine,” the statement, dated March 11, said.

The politicians also called on the committee “to re-open and reconsider the 2022 nomination procedure for the Nobel Peace Prize,” according to the statement.

REGULATORS ACCUSE GOOGLE, YOUTUBE OF ‘TERRORIST’ ACTIVITIES

Moscow: Russian regulators on Friday accused US tech giant Google and its video subsidiary YouTube of “terrorist” activities, the first step towards a possible access ban. Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor said YouTube users “are sharing adverts with calls to shut down railway communications between Russia and Belarus”. Russia partly carried out its military operation against Ukraine last month from the north through the territory of its ally Belarus.

CHINA RAISES WEST’S ‘SILENCE’ ON IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN DEATHS

China has questioned the silence of the West on civilian casualties in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while defending its stance on the Ukraine issue amid growing concern over civilian casualties as a result of the Russian invasion.

Asked about Beijing declining to explicitly oppose the Russian invasion and whether it agreed with U.S. President Joe Biden’s description of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal”, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said “the U.S., NATO and some Western media are very hypocritical.”

“I want to stress that China’s position on peace talks is consistent. You may refer to China’s statements on hotspot issues including Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Palestine and Israel,” he said. “When it comes to civilian casualties and humanitarian situation, I wonder if you were equally concerned about the people in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Palestine. Do these civilians mean nothing to you? Do not forget Serbia in 1999, or Yugoslavia. Did you show any care about civilian casualties there? If not, then you are in no position to make accusations against China.”

Asked if this balancing act had become increasingly uncomfortable amid mounting civilian casualties in Ukraine, Mr. Zhao responded, “Speaking of ‘uncomfortable’, it is those countries that delude themselves into thinking that they can lord it over the world after winning the Cold War, those that keep driving NATO’s eastward expansion five times in disregard of other countries’ security concerns, and those that wage wars across the globe while accusing other countries of being belligerent, that should really feel ‘uncomfortable’.”

UK ENDS COVID INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

All remaining Covid-19 pandemic related international travel restrictions, including filling in Passenger Locator Forms before arrival and compulsory predeparture tests for unvaccinated travellers, have been scrapped from Friday, the UK government has announced.

The change, which had been announced by the Department for Transport (DfT) earlier, came into effect at 4am GMT (9. 30 IST). The government has said that it will keep a range of “contingency measures in reserve”, which would enable “swift and proportionate” action to delay any future harmful variants of Covid-19 entering the country. “Everything we have worked for, every jab, every test, and the sacrifices made by the whole country means that finally, nearly two years on, we can all travel without bureaucratic restrictions,” said UK aviation minister Robert Courts.

According to officials, the default approach in future will be to use the “least stringent measures”, if appropriate, to minimise the impact on travel as far as possible, with contingency measures only being implemented in extreme circumstances. “I said we wouldn’t keep travel measures in place for any longer than necessary, which we’re delivering on today – providing more welcome news and greater freedom for travellers ahead of the Easter holidays. I look for- ward to continuing to work with the travel sector and partners around the world to keep international travel moving,” said UK transport secretary Grant Shapps, when he made the announcement earlier this week.

SYRIA'S ASSAD VISITS UAE, FIRST TRIP TO AN ARAB STATE SINCE WAR

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held talks in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, his first official visit to an Arab country since civil war erupted in 2011, UAE state media said.

The meeting is the latest sign of warming relations between Syria and the UAE, which had broken ties with Damascus in February 2012.

Assad met with the UAE's de facto ruler, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, discussing "fraternal relations" between the two countries, the WAM news agency reported.

They also discussed efforts to "contribute to the consolidation of security, stability and peace in the Arab region and the Middle East", it added.

Sheikh Mohammed said he hoped the visit would "pave the way for goodness, peace and stability to prevail in Syria and the entire region", WAM said.

The pair also discussed ways of "preserving the territorial integrity of Syria and the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country," it said, as well as means of providing "political and humanitarian support for Syria".

Syria's SANA state news agency said the meeting helped "strengthen cooperation" between the two sides.

Photographs released by the Syrian presidency also showed Assad meeting with Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum during the one-day visit.

FINLAND RANKED HAPPIEST COUNTRY FOR FIFTH YEAR

For the fifth straight year, the United Nations’ World Happiness Report has found Finland to be the happiest country in the world. The report, the latest edition of which was released on Friday, two days before the annual International Day of Happiness, is issued annually by the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network. It ranks 150 countries (146 in 2022) on factors such as personal sense of well-being, levels of GDP, life expectancy etc. The list, which is in its 10th year, assigns a score on a scale of 0-10, based on an average of data over a three-year-period.

Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands rounded off the top 5. The US and UK were ranked 16th and 17th respectively.

In the latest rankings, among the countries which occupied the top 10 spots in 2021, only Austria dropped out; of the remaining nine, countries have moved up and down. From the other end, Afghanistan was ranked as the unhappiest nation, followed by Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Botswana, respectively.

India, meanwhile, saw a marginal improvement in its ranking, jumping three spots to 136, from 139 a year ago.

Russia and Ukraine, currently at war with each other, have been ranked 80 and 98 respectively. The 2022 rankings, however, were compiled much before Russia, on February 24, launched invasion of its neighbour.