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Russians encircle Kyiv, Kharkiv; Putin's offer: talks or nuclear attack

AN INVASION, NOT WAR: The invading Russian troops were closing in on Ukraine's Capital on Sunday after blowing up an oil terminal in Vasylkiv, 30 km south of the city, and a nearby airport. Residential apartments in the Capital were being hit with missiles. Fighting was also fierce on the streets of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, and the coastal areas in the east. There were reports of a fresh offer of talks from the Russians. An out-of-control Putin is also preparing for a nuclear war with the NATO, if confronted.

KYIV, Feb 27: Machine gun fire and explosions rocked Ukraine's Capital Kyiv overnight and the Russian troops blew up an oil terminal in Vasylkiv, 30 km south of the city with missiles. Massive explosions were heard and flames leapt up the night sky. Residential apartments were being destroyed by missiles and people were hiding in bunkers in the Capital.

As the invading Russian forces were closing in on Ukraine's Capital on Sunday, the President asked the citizens to take up arms and defend the country. The Ukrainians were boldly holding out in Europe's largest land conflict since World War II.

East of the Capital, fighting broke out on the streets of Kharkiv on Sunday as Russia’s invading forces entered Ukraine's second largest city. A natural gas pipeline close to the city was bombed. Residents were told to cover windows with damp cloth or gauze.

Airstrikes on cities and military bases elsewhere around the country continued.

As new explosions shook the Capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko told residents to remain in shelters and a total curfew was clamped in the city. Ukraine shot down a second Russian transport plane IL-76 near Vasylkiv town near Kiev on Saturday.

Fighting was going in Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odessa and Mariupo. The President's office said, "There is no chance that Mariupol will surrender or be captured." But Russia claimed it has taken the town of Henichesk. Melitopol city was also captured by the invaders. With control of Odesa, the Russians were planning to block Ukraine's access to sea west to east.

Ukraine has said Russia has lost around 4,300 soldiers and 146 tanks since the start of the invasion and 200 soldiers have been taken as prisoners.

France intercepted a Russia-bound cargo ship loaded with cars in the Channel heading for Saint Petersburg while Russian warships shelled a Moldovan and a Panamanian cargo ships at Odessa port in the Black Sea.

Reports said Putin has also ordered security agencies to get ready with the nuclear arms for a war with the NATO, if needed.

Arms aid from Germany, France

Germany is sending anti-tank weapons and 'Stinger' missiles to Ukraine. France said it will send fuel and defensive equipment to support Ukraine, the Élysée Palace had said in a statement on Saturday after a meeting of the national defence council.

The Czech Republic said it will donate machine guns, automatic and sniper rifles, pistols and ammunition valued at 7.6 million euros ($8.6 million) to Ukraine.

The US will provide Ukraine with $350 million in additional military assistance, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. "This package will include further lethal defensive assistance to help Ukraine address the armored, airborne, and other threats it is now facing," Blinken said in a statement.

US President Joe Biden said American troops would not go to Ukraine but the United States would defend its NATO allies if Russia threatened any of them.

Meanwhile, the West continued to impose sanctions on Russia, mainly blacklisting its banks and banning technology exports and freezing assets. The United States imposed sanctions on Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The European Union and the UK have frozen assets Putin and Lavrov held in their territory. Canada too joined the ranks.

In a new development, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine is establishing a foreign "international" legion of volunteers abroad. "This will be the key evidence of your support for our country," Zelenskiy said in a statement. "More than 100,000 invaders are on our land. They insidiously fire on residential buildings. Urged india to give us political support in Security Council. To stop aggressor together," Zelensky tweeted on Saturday. He said he "Spoke with Indian Prime Minister."

Refugees flood border States

According to UN sources, fleeing Ukrainians taking refuge in neighbouring countries exceeded 368,000 by Sunday. The UN said the refugees may reach 4 million soon. Over 100,000 people have crossed the border into Poland alone.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned, “I fear this will be a long haul, this could be a number of years,” Sky News reported.

Ukraine had voted for independence when the Soviet Union disintegrated and claims to have a thousand years' history of its own while Russia claims Ukraine as its territory.

Putin said he had to eliminate what he called a serious security threat to his country from its smaller neighbour, which he fears is joining the NATO.

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The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.

The irony lies in her illustration of her experiences in the country she has been living in for the last four years. What it really is!

ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!

The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.

Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.

  • The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line provides Kashmir with all-weather connectivity and integrates the Valley with the rest of India.
  • The saying 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is now a dream come true.
  • The Chenab bridge on the line, an engineering marvel, is the world's highest railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower. (Video: File)

A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924) (Today's headlines )

Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”

Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.

PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.

Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people. (Today's headlines )

"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...

Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.

Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.

As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.

The committee headed by justice Kurian Joseph will study Centre-State relations and make proposals to ensure foolproof separation of powers.

"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.

Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.

ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!

What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America! (Today's headlines )

PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).

In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.

THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.

The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.

Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See: New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)

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