Kerala Churches offer prayers for country

Churches in Kerala offered special prayers for the country as it faces an 'unprecedented crisis and threat of war.' In an appeal ahead of Sunday (May 11), Catholicos of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Baselios Thomas I urged Church members to pray for the nation and offer special prayers after the Sunday Mass.
Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church Raphael Thattil, in his appeal, said that as citizens, all Indians must pray for peace to prevail in the country.
He added that while the country's leaders kept vigil alongside soldiers, every citizen must pray for the nation, the soldiers safeguarding it, and those living in fear along the borders.

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Hindustan Times

22 minutes ago

• Hindustan Times

Flight carrying 290 Indian students from Iran lands in Delhi, two more expected later today

A special evacuation flight carrying 290 Indian students stranded in conflict-hit Iran landed safely in Delhi late Friday night, marking the first phase of India's Operation Sindhu. Two more chartered flights, including one from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, are expected to land later on Saturday. Indian students returning from Iran via Armenia, under an evacuation operation facilitated by the Government of India, react as they meet their relatives while exiting from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, in New Delhi, Thursday, June 19, 2025.(PTI ) In a key gesture to support India's evacuation efforts, Iran opened its airspace despite ongoing regional hostilities. 'Iran's airspace is currently closed, but we're facilitating limited access for the safe evacuation of Indian nationals,' said Mohammad Javad Hosseini, deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy in Delhi. He added that additional flights may be planned in the coming days and confirmed close coordination with the Indian government. Evacuees recall uncertainty, horror in Iran Chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Hindustan Zindabad' rang out at Delhi Airport as soon as a special evacuation flight touched down in Indian territory. Students arriving in Delhi recounted harrowing days of uncertainty and praised Indian authorities for swift action. 'The Indian government has done a lot for us. I can't express how peaceful you feel when you reach your own country,' news agency PTI quoted one evacuee as she arrived from Mashhad. Sehrish Rafique, an MBBS student at Iran University of Medical Sciences, told ANI, 'The situation in Iran was quite devastating. At first, we didn't expect that it would escalate so much. All Kashmiris are really thankful to the Indian government.' Tazkiya Fatima, a resident of Noida, said, 'There is a situation of war over there. We were not sure how we would make it out…But the Government of India made the whole process very smooth,' reported ANI. The news agency talked to another evacuee, Mir Mohammad Musharraf, who said, 'I am from Pulwama, Kashmir. Operation Sindhu is amazing and really helpful. The services were excellent. We contacted our embassy. We were stuck in Tehran, unaware of what to do. Our landlords also left and were left behind. It was only our embassy that helped us reach here.' Several evacuees also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for facilitating their safe return. According to the ministry of external affairs, 'Out of the 290 Indians who landed today, 190 are from Jammu and Kashmir." The MEA further expressed happiness that Iran opened its airspace to facilitate this operation. "It reflects the strong ties between India and Iran,' said Arun Kumar Chatterjee, secretary (consular, passport and visa), MEA. Approx. 10,000 Indians living in Iran As the Israel-Iran war enters its second week, India has stepped up efforts to bring home its citizens from the region. Around 10,000 Indians—primarily students—were residing in Iran when the hostilities escalated. Most had been relocated from Tehran to safer cities like Qom and Mashhad before being evacuated. Indian authorities have not issued a formal evacuation advisory but have urged citizens in both Iran and Israel to remain vigilant and restrict movement. 'We are arranging for the safe passage of Indians who want to leave via air or via road through third countries, or directly from Iran,' Hosseini reiterated.

Time of India

40 minutes ago

• Time of India

India will start operating evacuation flights from Israel from tomorrow

Indian students sitting in first evacuation flight from Iran (File Image) NEW DELHI: India's Operation Sindhu launched earlier this week to evacuate Indians stranded in Iran picked up steam with two more special flights expected to land in Delhi on the intervening night of June 20 and 21. As a "special gesture", Tehran agreed to lift airspace restrictions to facilitate the exercise. India has chartered Iranian carrier Mahan Air flights for the evacuation. While the first flight from Mashhad in Iran landed late Friday, another one was from Ashgabat in Turkmenistan was expected later. An IndiGo flight was also en route from Ashgabat. Iranian authorities said around 1,000 students will return to India in the next few days. tnn As for Indian nationals wishing to leave Israel, official sources said India will start operating evacuation flights for them from Amman on Sunday. They will be taken to Jordan by road on Sunday as border points are shut on Saturdays. Deputy chief of mission Mohammad Javad Hosseini said more evacuation flights could be operated in the coming days to bring back Indians, if required. The official also urged India to condemn Israel's actions saying this was a case of aggression against a country and must be condemned in line with international law. "We consider Indians as our own people. Iran's airspace is closed but because of this issue, we are making arrangements to open it for the safe passage of Indian nationals," Hosseini said at a media briefing. "Around 1,000 Indians who were relocated from Tehran to Qom and then to Mashhad will be evacuated to New Delhi on three charter flights." Hosseini said Tehran is in close contact with the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and the Indian embassy in Tehran to ensure safe evacuation of Indian nationals. "We are arranging for the safe passage of Indians who want to leave via air or via road through third countries, or directly from Iran," he said. The Iranian diplomat said Indians in Iran are safe, but added that a few Indian students sustained injuries after an Israeli air strike hit a dormitory in Tehran.

Business Standard

an hour ago

• Business Standard

Amit Shah a disgrace to the post once held by Sardar Patel: Jairam Ramesh

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Friday launched a direct attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of failing to "bring the terrorists who carried out the brutal terror attacks in Pahalgam to justice," and restoring peace in Manipur. "Amit Shah is a disgrace to the position once held by the indomitable Sardar," claimed Ramesh. "The Union Home Minister has failed singularly in bringing the terrorists who carried out the brutal terror attacks in Pahalgam to justice. These terrorists had reportedly also been involved in terror attacks at Poonch (Dec 2023) and at Gagangir and Gulmarg (Oct 2024)," his post said. "The Union Home Minister has failed miserably to restore even a semblance of peace and normalcy in Manipur. All that he has accomplished is to provide guaranteed employment to his son. Now the Union Home Minister makes the most ridiculous of statements. Millions of Indians each speak more Indian languages - in addition to English - than him. He is a disgrace to the position once held by the indomitable Sardar," said the post from Ramesh. Ramesh called the visit a "publicity-driven exercise" that fails to address the ground realities of the state. "The advertisement-loving Prime Minister is once again on a tour of matter how many fake announcements the Prime Minister makes, no matter how many ribbons he cuts for free advertising, the truth is that the double engine government in Bihar has completely failed to meet the expectations of the common people," his post read. "In Bihar, oppression against the deprived classes is at its peak, the law and order situation is extremely bad, criminals have become unbridled and the common citizens are helpless. Every day there are reports of murder, robbery and violence against youth do not have any employment in the state and they are forced to migrate from Bihar," he said. "During this visit, the Prime Minister will also express his electoral concern about the pollution of Mother Ganga .But the truth is that in the last 11 years, 'Ganga cleansing' has become just an election slogan, which is suddenly remembered before every election. Not only in Bihar, Mother Ganga has become more polluted than before in the entire country. Most of the schemes launched in the name of Ganga cleanliness campaign have proved to be a black hole of corruption-After the foundation stone laying, inauguration and heavy publicity, neither any work is visible nor any concrete National Green Tribunal (NGT) itself is exposing the terrible condition of Ganga pollution in Patna and Bihar," added Ramesh.