The Evening Wrap: Zelensky denies Bakhmut has fallen

President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Bakhmut had fallen to the Russians, his spokesman said on May 21, admitting there was “nothing left” of the flattened city after the longest battle of the war. A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his troops and private mercenary group Wagner who claimed to have taken the symbolic target, Zelensky suggested it would be a pyrrhic victory for Moscow in a lengthy, emotional answer. “You have to understand there is nothing there in Bakhmut,” he said, sitting next to U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. “For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts.” However, Zelensky’s spokesman had to clarify that the Ukrainian president did not confirm the loss of Bakhmut to Russian troops. “The president denied the capture of Bakhmut,” spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov said on Facebook. The loss of Bakhmut would be hugely symbolic for the Ukrainians, who had held on for months, ignoring U.S. advice behind the scenes to focus elsewhere given the city’s lack of strategic importance in the broader war. Zelensky was not clear in his reply when asked: “Is Bakhmut still in Ukraine’s hands? The Russians say they have taken Bakhmut.” He said: “I think no.” “There is nothing in this place... just ruins and a lot of dead Russians,” he told reporters. PM Modi strongly calls for reform of United Nations The United Nations and the Security Council will remain just a “talk shop” if they do not reflect the realities of the present world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, strongly pitching for reform of the global body. “It is a matter of analysis, why do we have to talk about peace and stability in different forums? Why is the UN, which was started with the idea of establishing peace, not successful in preventing conflicts today?” Modi asked, during his address at a G7 session in Hiroshima. “They do not reflect the realities of the present. That is why it is necessary that reforms should be implemented in big institutions like the UN,” he added. India has been strongly pressing for reforming the U.N. and has been eyeing a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council. India, Brazil, South Africa, Germany and Japan are strong contenders for permanent membership of the UNSC. Speaking about the war in Ukraine, Modi said that he does not consider the current situation to be an issue of politics or economy. “I believe it is an issue of humanity, an issue of human values... We have said from the very beginning that dialogue and diplomacy is only way out,” he said. “In the current global situation, the most profound effects of food, fuel and fertiliser crisis are being felt by developing countries. It is necessary that all countries respect U.N. Charter, international law and sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries,” he added. “We have said from the beginning, that dialogue and diplomacy is the only way. And to solve this situation, we will try as much as possible, whatever can be done from India,” he said. NIA arrests banned Naxal outfit’s ‘supremo’ Dinesh Gope The NIA arrested Dinesh Gope, a self-styled supremo of the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a proscribed Naxal outfit of Jharkhand. The accused was involved in over 100 criminal cases and carried a reward of ₹30 lakh. A case was registered against Gope by the NIA in a case related to the seizure of ₹25.38 lakh demonetised notes from the PLFI operatives in 2016. An absconder for almost two decades, he was arrested in New Delhi. According to the NIA investigations, criminal cases are registered against the accused in Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. Most of them relate to murders, abductions, threats, extortion, and raising funds for the PLFI, a militant Maoist outfit formed in 2007. It is a splinter group of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). On February 3, 2022, an encounter took place between a Gope-led PLFI squad and security personnel in the forest area under Gudri police station of West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. Several rounds were fired in the encounter before the rebels sneaked into the forest. Gope also managed to escape and had been shifting base since then to evade arrest. He had also been making efforts re-establish the PLFI’s stronghold in Jharkhand. No form, identity proof needed to exchange ₹2,000 notes: SBI No form or requisition slip is required for exchange of ₹2,000 notes up to a limit of ₹20,000 at a time as part of exercise to withdraw high-value currency notes from circulation. The RBI on May 19 announced withdrawal of ₹2,000 currency notes from circulation but gave public time till September 30 to either deposit such notes in accounts or exchange them at banks. Unlike the November 2016 shock of demonetisation, when old ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes were invalidated overnight, the ₹2,000 notes will continue to be a legal tender. In a communication to chief general manager of all its local head offices, the State Bank of India informed that the facility of exchange of ₹2,000 notes by public up to a limit of ₹20,000 at a time will be allowed without obtaining any requisition slip. With regard to deposit of such notes in own account, RBI has not specified any limit but it will be subject to compliance with extant Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and other applicable statutory requirements. It has asked its local head offices to arrange and extend all cooperation to the public so that the exercise is conducted in a smooth and seamless manner without any inconvenience. Six entities under lens for suspicious trading in Adani shares: Supreme Court panel Six entities including four foreign portfolio investors are under the lens for suspicious trading in Adani Group shares prior to the release of the damning Hindenburg report, the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee said. There was a build up of short positions in the Adani scips prior to the January 24 release of the Hindenburg report, and substantial profits were booked thereafter as stocks crashed, the 178-page report said. The expert committee headed by former SC Judge A.M. Sapre found no regulatory failure during the sharp rise in prices of Adani Group companies between March 2000 and December 2022 and their dramatic meltdown after January 24. “The trading pattern here is suspicious because of the build up of short positions by these entities in the Adani scrips prior to the Hindenburg report, and substantial profits earned by them by squaring off their short positions after publication of the Hindenburg report on January 24, 2023,” the expert committee said. A detailed investigation is being carried out in respect of the trading of the six entities. The ED “found intelligence about potentially violative and concerted selling by specific parties just ahead of the publication of the Hindenburg report, and this may lead to credible charges of concerted destabilisation of the Indian markets, and SEBI ought to be probing such actions under securities laws,” it said citing a response from ED. Kashmir G-20 meet | Delegates’ Dachigam, Gulmarg tour dropped; Polo View market, Mughal gardens added A last-minute change in the itinerary of around 60 foreign and local delegates, touring Kashmir from May 22-May 24 for a working group meeting on tourism, has been made following the advice of security agencies. The scheduled sightseeing visits to the Dachigam National Park, Srinagar, and tourist hotspot Gulmarg in north Kashmir have been dropped, officials said. The organisers, according to senior government officials, have decided to showcase Polo View market, the Valley’s first pedestrian-only bazaar thrown open with multi-facilities recently, under the ongoing ₹980-crore Srinagar Smart City project, to the delegates. Shopkeepers have been asked to report at their shops around 9 a.m. on all the three days. They have also been advised against “observing any shutdown” on the call of separatists, several shopkeepers told The Hindu. “Special passes have been provided to us so that we are allowed to cross the security checkpoints,” they added. The delegates will also be taken to the famous Mughal gardens in Srinagar, which include Nishat, Cheshmashahi and Pari Mahal. All the locations are within the vicinity of eight kilometres from the main venue, Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre, located on the banks of the Dal lake. The authorities have provided security clearance to only around 30 local golfers to play at the picturesque Royal Spring Golf Course during the delegates’ stay in Kashmir. The delegates are also likely to visit the golf course and will be allowed to talk to the selected group, official sources said. A senior government official told The Hindu that the trip to the lush green Dachigam National Park, famous for the Kashmiri stag hangul, was cancelled “because of space issues”. The security agencies had expressed concern over accommodating around 200 guests and their security during the tour of the forest area, which had seen a major encounter with hiding Jaish-e-Mohammed militants in its upper reaches in July 2021. The government officer said Gulmarg was cancelled “due to tight schedule of delegates in Srinagar”, including sightseeing of locations within the city. However, sources said security agencies had expressed apprehensions over providing a foolproof security to the stretch from Srinagar to Gulmarg, which was around 55 km, and congested villages and towns on both sides. In Brief: Khap Mahapanchayat announces women’s panchayat in front of Parliament on May 28 The khap ‘mahapanchayat’ decided that the women supporting the protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will hold a panchayat in front of the new Parliament building on May 28, the day the newly-built edifice will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders of khap panchayats met in Rohtak and after hours of deliberations, came out with the decision to move to the Parliament. From among the protesting wrestlers Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadiyan attended the mahapanchayat while Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat stayed back at the protest site at Jantar Mantar. IPL 2023: MI vs SRH | Green, Rohit keep Mumbai hopes alive for a spot in play-offs Chasing a stiff target of 201, Mumbai Indians rode on brilliant batting displays from Cameron Green (100) and captain Rohit Sharma (56) and defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 21. With this win, Mumbai Indians are still in the hunt to enter the play-off but will now have to wait for the result of Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans match in Bengaluru. If the RCB-GT match is abandoned due to rain, then Mumbai Indians will go through to the fourth position and will face Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator on May 24 in Chennai. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 21 May 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Ukraine denies loss of Bakhmut to Russia after epic battles [President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Bakhmut had fallen to the Russians, his spokesman said on May 21]( admitting there was “nothing left” of the flattened city after the longest battle of the war. A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his troops and private mercenary group Wagner who claimed to have taken the symbolic target, Zelensky suggested it would be a pyrrhic victory for Moscow in a lengthy, emotional answer. “You have to understand there is nothing there in Bakhmut,” he said, sitting next to U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. “For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts.” However, Zelensky’s spokesman had to clarify that the Ukrainian president did not confirm the loss of Bakhmut to Russian troops. “The president denied the capture of Bakhmut,” spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov said on Facebook. The loss of Bakhmut would be hugely symbolic for the Ukrainians, who had held on for months, ignoring U.S. advice behind the scenes to focus elsewhere given the city’s lack of strategic importance in the broader war. Zelensky was not clear in his reply when asked: “Is Bakhmut still in Ukraine’s hands? The Russians say they have taken Bakhmut.” He said: “I think no.” “There is nothing in this place... just ruins and a lot of dead Russians,” he told reporters. PM Modi strongly calls for reform of United Nations The [United Nations and the Security Council will remain just a “talk shop” if they do not reflect the realities of the present world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said]( strongly pitching for reform of the global body. “It is a matter of analysis, why do we have to talk about peace and stability in different forums? Why is the UN, which was started with the idea of establishing peace, not successful in preventing conflicts today?” Modi asked, during his address at a G7 session in Hiroshima. “They do not reflect the realities of the present. That is why it is necessary that reforms should be implemented in big institutions like the UN,” he added. India has been strongly pressing for reforming the U.N. and has been eyeing a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council. India, Brazil, South Africa, Germany and Japan are strong contenders for permanent membership of the UNSC. Speaking about the war in Ukraine, Modi said that he does not consider the current situation to be an issue of politics or economy. “I believe it is an issue of humanity, an issue of human values... We have said from the very beginning that dialogue and diplomacy is only way out,” he said. “In the current global situation, the most profound effects of food, fuel and fertiliser crisis are being felt by developing countries. It is necessary that all countries respect U.N. Charter, international law and sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries,” he added. “We have said from the beginning, that dialogue and diplomacy is the only way. And to solve this situation, we will try as much as possible, whatever can be done from India,” he said. NIA arrests banned Naxal outfit’s ‘supremo’ Dinesh Gope The [NIA arrested Dinesh Gope, a self-styled supremo of the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a proscribed Naxal outfit of Jharkhand](. The accused was involved in over 100 criminal cases and carried a reward of ₹30 lakh. A case was registered against Gope by the NIA in a case related to the seizure of ₹25.38 lakh demonetised notes from the PLFI operatives in 2016. An absconder for almost two decades, he was arrested in New Delhi. According to the NIA investigations, criminal cases are registered against the accused in Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. Most of them relate to murders, abductions, threats, extortion, and raising funds for the PLFI, a militant Maoist outfit formed in 2007. It is a splinter group of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). On February 3, 2022, an encounter took place between a Gope-led PLFI squad and security personnel in the forest area under Gudri police station of West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. Several rounds were fired in the encounter before the rebels sneaked into the forest. Gope also managed to escape and had been shifting base since then to evade arrest. He had also been making efforts re-establish the PLFI’s stronghold in Jharkhand. No form, identity proof needed to exchange ₹2,000 notes: SBI [No form or requisition slip is required for exchange of ₹2,000 notes up to a limit of ₹20,000]( at a time as part of exercise to withdraw high-value currency notes from circulation. The RBI on May 19 announced withdrawal of ₹2,000 currency notes from circulation but gave public time till September 30 to either deposit such notes in accounts or exchange them at banks. Unlike the November 2016 shock of demonetisation, when old ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes were invalidated overnight, the ₹2,000 notes will continue to be a legal tender. In a communication to chief general manager of all its local head offices, the State Bank of India informed that the facility of exchange of ₹2,000 notes by public up to a limit of ₹20,000 at a time will be allowed without obtaining any requisition slip. With regard to deposit of such notes in own account, RBI has not specified any limit but it will be subject to compliance with extant Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and other applicable statutory requirements. It has asked its local head offices to arrange and extend all cooperation to the public so that the exercise is conducted in a smooth and seamless manner without any inconvenience. Six entities under lens for suspicious trading in Adani shares: Supreme Court panel [Six entities including four foreign portfolio investors are under the lens for suspicious trading in Adani Group shares prior to the release of the damning Hindenburg report, the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee said](. There was a build up of short positions in the Adani scips prior to the January 24 release of the Hindenburg report, and substantial profits were booked thereafter as stocks crashed, the 178-page report said. The expert committee headed by former SC Judge A.M. Sapre found no regulatory failure during the sharp rise in prices of Adani Group companies between March 2000 and December 2022 and their dramatic meltdown after January 24. “The trading pattern here is suspicious because of the build up of short positions by these entities in the Adani scrips prior to the Hindenburg report, and substantial profits earned by them by squaring off their short positions after publication of the Hindenburg report on January 24, 2023,” the expert committee said. A detailed investigation is being carried out in respect of the trading of the six entities. The ED “found intelligence about potentially violative and concerted selling by specific parties just ahead of the publication of the Hindenburg report, and this may lead to credible charges of concerted destabilisation of the Indian markets, and SEBI ought to be probing such actions under securities laws,” it said citing a response from ED. Kashmir G-20 meet | Delegates’ Dachigam, Gulmarg tour dropped; Polo View market, Mughal gardens added [A last-minute change in the itinerary of around 60 foreign and local delegates, touring Kashmir from May 22-May 24 for a working group meeting on tourism, has been made following the advice of security agencies](. The scheduled sightseeing visits to the Dachigam National Park, Srinagar, and tourist hotspot Gulmarg in north Kashmir have been dropped, officials said. The organisers, according to senior government officials, have decided to showcase Polo View market, the Valley’s first pedestrian-only bazaar thrown open with multi-facilities recently, under the ongoing ₹980-crore Srinagar Smart City project, to the delegates. Shopkeepers have been asked to report at their shops around 9 a.m. on all the three days. They have also been advised against “observing any shutdown” on the call of separatists, several shopkeepers told The Hindu. “Special passes have been provided to us so that we are allowed to cross the security checkpoints,” they added. The delegates will also be taken to the famous Mughal gardens in Srinagar, which include Nishat, Cheshmashahi and Pari Mahal. All the locations are within the vicinity of eight kilometres from the main venue, Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre, located on the banks of the Dal lake. The authorities have provided security clearance to only around 30 local golfers to play at the picturesque Royal Spring Golf Course during the delegates’ stay in Kashmir. The delegates are also likely to visit the golf course and will be allowed to talk to the selected group, official sources said. A senior government official told The Hindu that the trip to the lush green Dachigam National Park, famous for the Kashmiri stag hangul, was cancelled “because of space issues”. The security agencies had expressed concern over accommodating around 200 guests and their security during the tour of the forest area, which had seen a major encounter with hiding Jaish-e-Mohammed militants in its upper reaches in July 2021. The government officer said Gulmarg was cancelled “due to tight schedule of delegates in Srinagar”, including sightseeing of locations within the city. However, sources said security agencies had expressed apprehensions over providing a foolproof security to the stretch from Srinagar to Gulmarg, which was around 55 km, and congested villages and towns on both sides. In Brief: Khap Mahapanchayat announces women’s panchayat in front of Parliament on May 28 The [khap ‘mahapanchayat’ decided that the women supporting the protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will hold a panchayat in front of the new Parliament building on May 28]( the day the newly-built edifice will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders of khap panchayats met in Rohtak and after hours of deliberations, came out with the decision to move to the Parliament. From among the protesting wrestlers Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadiyan attended the mahapanchayat while Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat stayed back at the protest site at Jantar Mantar. IPL 2023: MI vs SRH | Green, Rohit keep Mumbai hopes alive for a spot in play-offs [Chasing a stiff target of 201, Mumbai Indians rode on brilliant batting displays from Cameron Green (100) and captain Rohit Sharma (56) and defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad]( on May 21. With this win, Mumbai Indians are still in the hunt to enter the play-off but will now have to wait for the result of Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans match in Bengaluru. If the RCB-GT match is abandoned due to rain, then Mumbai Indians will go through to the fourth position and will face Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator on May 24 in Chennai. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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