New Delhi: Several Indian students stranded in Sumy who decided to walk to the Russian border amid intense fighting in the region are now "confused" whether to continue their journey after the Ministry of External Affairs urged them to avoid taking unnecessary risks.

Russian state news agencies report the Russian military will observe a ceasefire in two areas of Ukraine starting Saturday to allow civilians to evacuate.

Russia on Friday accused "Ukrainian nationalists" of "forcibly" holding over 3,700 Indian citizens in various cities, while saying the Russian military is doing everything to ensure the peaceful evacuation of foreign nationals.

Londo: The BBC said on Friday that it had no choice but to temporarily suspend its journalists' work in Russia after the Kremlin brought in a new law that could mean a jail term of up to 15 years for anyone spreading "fake" information about the country's armed forces.

Peshawar: A powerful suicide blast ripped through a crowded Shia mosque during the Friday congregation here in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 57 people and wounding nearly 200 others, in one of the deadliest attacks in the restive province, bordering Afghanistan.

US President Joe Biden spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to receive an update on the fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and urged Russia to cease its military activities in the affected area and allow access to emergency responders, the White House has said.

A top American Senator has urged the Ukrainian government to end racial discrimination at its border, a prickly issue that has been pointed out by numerous students who have been frantically trying to flee the war-ravaged country.