India on Tuesday asked all its nationals to immediately leave the Ukrainian capital "by any means available", with Russian tanks being caught on camera entering Kyiv. "All Indian nationals, including students, are advised to leave Kyiv urgently today. Preferably by available trains or through any other means available," the Indian Embassy in Ukraine tweeted. On Monday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered four of his senior Ministers to rush to Ukraine's neighbouring countries to help evacuate not only Indians but also foreign nationals stranded in that country. "Evacuation efforts on… situation on ground continues to be complex and fluid, some of them quite concerning, but we’ve been able to accelerate our evacuation process," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told the media on Monday night. "About 8,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine since we issued advisories, not since the conflict began." Also read: India to evacuate foreign nationals from Ukraine In a related statement, the Foreign Ministry had said, "The Prime Minister pointed out that the visit of four senior ministers as his Special Envoys to various nations will energise the evacuation efforts. It is reflective of the priority the government attaches to this matter." "Guided by India's motto of the world being one family, the prime minister also stated that India will help people from neighbouring countries and developing countries who are stranded in Ukraine and may seek assistance." Last week, Prime Minister Modi urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to immediately halt military action against Ukraine, underscoring the need for a diplomatic solution to the standoff.  This was after Ukraine's envoy in Delhi sought Modi's intervention in ending the Russian offensive. "Modi ji is one of the most powerful, respected world leaders. You have a privileged, strategic relation with Russia. If Modiji speaks to Putin we are hopeful he'll respond," Ukraine's Ambassador Igor Polikha told the local media on Thursday. Also read: Flight carrying over 200 Indians from Ukraine lands in Mumbai An estimated 15,000 Indians are said to be currently in Ukraine.

All the Indian nationals held by the Taliban in Kabul have been released and are now inside the main airport waiting to be airlifted from war-ravaged Afghanistan, media reports said. Some 150 people, mostly Indian nationals, were reportedly picked up by armed Taliban fighters from outside the Kabul airport on Saturday morning. Quoting unnamed sources, multiple media outlets reported that all the "kidnapped" Indian nationals were taken by the Taliban to a nearby police station, where their travel documents were checked. Also read: Several Indians among 150 kidnapped by Taliban in Kabul: Reports These Indians were subsequently released, and "they are now inside the Kabul airport waiting to be evacuated soon", the reports said, citing the same sources. Though the Indian Foreign Ministry didn't make any official confirmation, a Taliban spokesman earlier told the local media that the Indians were not kidnapped but taken to the police station for questioning. The Indians nationals were reportedly picked up by the Taliban a couple of hours after an Indian Air Force transport plane evacuated some 85 Indians from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. "The aircraft has safely landed in Tajikistan. The plane will return to India after refuelling. A second aircraft is on standby at the Kabul airport for carrying out further evacuations," sources in Delhi told UNB. On Tuesday, India evacuated all its diplomatic staff, including the Ambassador, from its embassy in Kabul on a special flight of the Air Force, some 36 hours after the Taliban seized the capital. Also read: Reports of targeted Taliban killings fuel Afghans' fears "In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has been decided that our Ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately," Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi tweeted that morning. Though Afghanistan has closed its airspace for all civilian flights, military aircraft are still evacuating stranded foreign nationals with the help of the American troops stationed at the Kabul airport. The Indian government has, meanwhile, introduced a new emergency category of e-visa to fast-track applications from Afghans seeking refuge in this country. In the past two weeks, India has evacuated all its diplomatic staff and their families from its three consulates in Afghanistan -- Kandahar, Jalalabad and Herat. In a security advisory last week, the Indian Embassy in Kabul asked all Indian nationals visiting, staying and working in Afghanistan to keep themselves updated on the availability of commercial flights and make immediate arrangements to return to India. The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan on Sunday evening, with the US troops virtually ending their 20-year military presence in the South Asian country. India is particularly worried about the implications of the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan, given the fact that it has so far infused over three billion USD worth development aid into that country and the horrific memories of the Taliban's role in the hijacking of an airliner in 1999. Also read: Taliban suppress more dissent as economic challenges loom

Some 304 people entered Bangladesh through Benapole in the last one week after the Home Ministry issued new criteria for entering the country on July 1. However, the number of people entering Bangladesh declined  significantly on Saturday, compared to Sunday and Thursday. After 302 people entered the country from India on Sunday and Thursday, only 2 entered on Saturday. Also read: Benapole to allow entries from India on 3 days a week Officer-in charge of Benapole Immigration Ahsan Habib confirmed the information to UNB. Besides, 56 people, both Bangladeshi and Indian nationals, went to the other side of the border from Bangladesh during the last one week, he informed. Also read: 3,350 Bangladeshis return through Benapole since Apr 26; 17 test Covid positive The Home Ministry on July 3 decided that stranded Bangladeshi nationals in India can enter the country through Benapole port on 3 days of the week, the days being Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Those looking to enter Bangladesh must carry with them an RT-PCR certificate (with a negative result) and NOC from the Bangladesh High Commission in India.