Following attacks in West Asia, hundreds of Indians, including prominent personalities, are stranded in Dubai and other key hub airports due to flight disruptions, prompting appeals for government assistance.
Following a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran, India is calling for restraint and de-escalation to avoid further military confrontation in the Middle East.
A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Krishna Murari took note Attorney General K K Venugopal's submissions that the Centre, besides bringing back stranded students, is also looking into the representation on their studies being hit by the ongoing war.
The first flight carrying 110 Indian students, who were evacuated to Armenia from war-torn Iran, landed in Delhi in the early hours on Thursday.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India hopes to evacuate its citizens from Kharkiv and Pisochyn in the next few hours.
While the Gujarat government has not specified the exact number of students from the state still stuck in Ukraine, Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani gave an assurance on Thursday that the Centre as well as the Indian Embassy in Ukraine were doing everything possible to ensure the safe return of the students.
The schools included Delhi Public School, Modern Convent School, and Shree Ram World School, a senior police officer said, adding that the threats were received via e-mail.
'It's been five days now since I made the last video call to her. It's a terrible state for a mother to be in'
Naqvi assured Siriwiratnay that the visiting team players and officials were state guests in Pakistan.
Mizintsev said that places for temporary accommodation and rest have been set up at the checkpoints.
The students had boarded a special train from Lviv for Poland. They are likely to board flights to India on Thursday.
A man died and his wife was severely injured after a mudslide levelled several houses in the Idukki district of Kerala. Residents allege unscientific road widening work was responsible for the tragedy.
Russia has informed the United Nations Security Council that Russian buses are ready at crossing points to go to the eastern Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Sumy to evacuate Indian students and other foreign nationals who are stranded there, amidst the raging conflict in the East European country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his forces are doing everything to evacuate the stranded Indian citizens, mostly students, from the war-torn eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, according to his office.
At least three students from Maharashtra pursuing medicine in Kharkiv, located in northeast Ukraine, narrated how they had to stand in long queues for a can of water, drink soda, stay in bunkers.
Students rescued from Ukraine face an uncertain future due to their inability to complete their education and also run the risk of falling into a debt trap as they may find it difficult to repay education loans, Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh said.
Heavy rains battered Jammu and Kashmir, triggering floods, damaging infrastructure, and disrupting normal life. Authorities issued advisories and rescue operations were conducted.
An official said that multiple schools in the national capital received these bomb threats. This is the fourth such day this week when schools in the capital received bomb threats.
Several Indian students stuck in eastern parts of Ukraine, which is largely affected by the Russian military offensive, are facing a grim situation as it is difficult for them to travel by road to reach the western borders and move out of the war-hit country, one of the students returned to India said.
Of the 20,000 Indians who were stranded in war-torn Ukraine, 6,000 have been brought back to the country so far and the Centre is making all efforts for the safe return of the remaining ones, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said on Wednesday.
'70-80 per cent of the operations are carried out by the SDRF...We also aim to secure the area to make sure that further damage does not take place'
In an interaction with PTI Videos in New Delhi, Iran's deputy chief of mission to India Mohammad Javad Hosseini also said Americans should "put pressure" and bring the other side back to the negotiating table.
At least five people were killed and several others were injured in a school shooting incident in Austria's Graz on Tuesday, Euro News reported, citing domestic press.
Trade between India and Bangladesh via land ports came to a standstill on Sunday as there was no movement of cargo trucks to and fro due to the ongoing student protests in the neighbouring country, officials said. The Bangladeshi side of the Petrapole landport remained non-functional, they said. Nearly one-third of land-based trade between India and Bangladesh takes place through Petrapole.
Heavy rains in Rajasthan lead to flooding, resulting in casualties and widespread disruption. Rescue operations are underway, and schools are closed in several districts.
"We realised no one is going to come to help us and it is up to us now," 20-year-old Ashna Pandita told PTI over the phone as the train took them to the western city of Ukraine, about 80 km from the Poland border, where the fighting has been relatively less.
Students held a protest over the deaths of the civil services aspirants, raising slogans against authorities.
Responding to a discussion in Lok Sabha on the situation in Ukraine, Jaishankar said the Ukrainian government too has offered relaxation for students for taking two key examinations in their medical education courses.
Monsoon hit the state on June 20 and has since then cost it Rs 5,000 crore in damages.
India conducted nationwide civil defence mock drills simulating multiple hostile scenarios like air raids, fire emergencies, and rescue operations across several states and union territories. The drills, dubbed 'Operation Abhyaas,' aimed to enhance emergency preparedness in light of recent terror attacks. The exercises involved coordinated efforts by various agencies, including civil defence personnel, police, fire and emergency services, and the military. Mock drills were conducted at various locations, including railway stations, malls, and high-rise buildings, showcasing the response capabilities of authorities in different emergency scenarios. The drills highlighted the importance of public awareness and cooperation in dealing with real-time emergencies.
Mock drills were conducted on Saturday in states and Union territories adjoining the western border -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat -- to enhance wartime emergency preparedness and response capabilities, officials said.
About half of the students, who have been affected by the war, have taken admission to universities in other countries.
'I hear that there are some 10,000 Indians stuck in Iran, including nearly 4,000 students from Kashmir. But, I do not know any of them. Here I am all by myself and the embassy has asked me not to venture out far from my hotel. People here are going about their daily lives despite the bombings'
The high commission of India in Dhaka and the assistant high commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna have been assisting in the voluntary return of Indian nationals, he said.
Three evacuation flights from Romania's capital Bucharest and Hungary's capital Budapest came to India on Tuesday with 616 Indian nationals who were stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive, officials said.
The Union Home Ministry has asked several states to conduct mock drills on May 7 amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. The drills will include operationalising air raid warning sirens, training civilians on civil defence, and rehearsing evacuation plans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been holding high-level meetings as India considers countermeasures against the April 22 attack that killed 26 civilians.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his cabinet colleague Piyush Goyal were part of the meeting chaired by Modi, besides several top bureaucrats.
The labourers, who are said to be of Nepali origin, were engaged in the construction of a hotel.
India on Saturday 'strongly pressed' the Russian and Ukrainian governments through multiple channels for an immediate ceasefire in Sumy to ensure a safe passage for around 700 Indian students stuck there as it keeps focus on their evacuation from the war-hit city in eastern Ukraine.
