
Gujarat Confidential: A bus ride
Governor Acharya Devvrat on Sunday traveled to Anand in a Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) bus to attend a natural farming conclave at Anand Agriculture University like a common man, bypassing the conventional VIP protocol and special traffic arrangements. As per an official release, the Governor made online booking for a non-AC Super Deluxe category bus operating on the Visnagar-Anand route. He boarded the bus from Gandhinagar depot. At Anand bus station, the Governor was welcomed by senior officials of the district administration. During the 'simple and humble journey', the Governor engaged with fellow passengers and collected feedback on the services provided by the state government.
Call for Name Change
Opposing Turkey's support for Pakistan during India's recent military confrontation with the neighbouring country, Surat BJP MP Mukesh Dalal has written a letter to Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agrawal, requesting her to change the name of Turkiwad, a locality in the walled city area of Surat, with immediate effect. Dalal, in the letter, has said that the name Turkiwad was like an 'insult' to the people of Surat. A few days ago, some people from Surat had also written a letter to the SMC commissioner with the demand for a change of name for Turkiwad.
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Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
France expresses concern after US strikes nuclear sites in Iran
France, on Sunday, expressed concerns after the strikes carried out by the US against three nuclear sites in Iran and said that "it was not all involved in these strikes or in the planning of these strikes". France urges the US, Iran and Israel to exercise restraint to avoid any escalation that could lead to an extension of the conflict in the Middle East region, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the French government that handles France's foreign relations, said in a statement. In view of the Iran-Israel conflict, the Ministry said that their priority is to ensure the safety of French agents and nationals, as well as that of France's interests and partners in the Middle East region. The Ministry also said in the statement that France has repeatedly expressed its very firm opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, adding that only a lasting solution to this conflict requires a negotiations within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The statement also noted that France remains ready to contribute to this inconjunction with its allies. The statement said that France has taken note of the statement released by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which confirms that at this stage no high levels of radiation have been detected after the US bombed three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday evening. France will hold an emergency defence Cabinet meeting on Sunday to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East after the US launched air strikes on Iran, the French presidency said. French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke to several world leaders, including the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the issue, will hold further talks with European and regional leaders earlier on Sunday, the French presidency said. Earlier on Sunday morning, US President Donald Trump declared that America had bombed three nuclear sites in Iran and warned Tehran of further precision strikes unless it ended its confrontation with Israel. The targeted locations reportedly include the highly fortified Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear facilities. Addressing a media briefing just hours after the strikes on Saturday (US time), Trump said, "This cannot continue. There will either be peace or tragedy for Iran, far greater than what we have witnessed over the last eight days. There are many targets left." "Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal, but if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill," he added. The President asserted that the strikes were aimed at crippling Iran's "nuclear enrichment capacity and put a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror." Despite weeks of diplomatic efforts to renegotiate a nuclear agreement with Tehran -- following the US withdrawal from the 2015 accord in 2018 -- Trump has now thrown full support behind Israel's military campaign against Iran's nuclear infrastructure and high-ranking military officials, a campaign launched a little over a week ago. In his statement, Trump extended gratitude to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, "I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team, like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they've done." The air conflict between the two nations erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a surprise strike on Iran. Israeli authorities claimed the offensive was a preemptive measure to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons -- an ambition Iran has consistently denied. The conflict has since raised tensions across the region, already on edge following Israel's prolonged war in Gaza since October 2023. The latest exchange has now drawn in the United States in a direct military capacity. Earlier in the day, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling the strikes a "historic moment for the United States of America, Israel, and the World… Iran must now agree to end this war. Thank you!" In another post, the US President praised American forces, writing, "There is not another military in the World that could have done this. Now is the time for peace! Thank you for your attention to this matter." Iranian state media confirmed that parts of the Fordow nuclear facility were hit in what it called "enemy strikes," though further details on the extent of the damage remain limited.

Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
France expresses concern over US strikes on Iran nuclear facilities
The French foreign minister said on Sunday that his country did not take part in the US strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. AP Paris The French foreign minister said on Sunday that his country did not take part in the US strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. Jean-Noel Barrot said in a message on social media that France has learned with concern of the US military action against three nuclear sites. It was neither involved in these strikes nor in their planning, Barrot said, adding that France urges the parties to show restraint in order to avoid any escalation that could lead to an extension of the conflict. Barrot also reiterated France's opposition to Iran gaining access to nuclear weapons. France is convinced that a lasting solution to this issue requires a negotiated solution within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, he said. It remains ready to contribute to this in conjunction with its partners. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Posters at Ooty railway station stoke allegations of Hindi imposition
Two posters that had been put up in the Udhagamandalam Railway Station stoked allegations of Hindi imposition and appropriation following which they were removed. In one poster, a quote by national poet Subramania Bharathi, transliterated into English as: 'Let us bring various literary forms and noble thoughts from all over the world,' was falsely attributed to Indian National Congress former president, Madan Mohan Malaviya. Meanwhile, another poster had a quote by Madabhushi Ananthasayanam Ayyangar, which read: 'Non-Hindi speaking too realise their dreams with simple spoken Hindi.' A section of visitors to the station objected to these posters with some voicing their opposition on social media. 'While the quote by Ananthasayanam Ayyangar can be seen as a subtle means of promoting Hindi, the other poster, of the quote by Bharathiar being falsely attributed to Malviya entirely is condemnable. As the posters have been sanctioned by the Union government, to be put up in a public space, the accuracy of such posters, and their potential to be interpreted as a means of imposing Hindi, should have been checked and vetted before being allowed to be put up,' said an activist from the Nilgiris, who had drawn the attention of the Southern Railways to the issue. Tweeting about the issue, Nilgiris MP A. Raja of the DMK said 'Hindi imposition is unacceptable! The use of Hindi in Indian railway stations in increasing every day. Especially in my constituency in the Nilgiris, the banners installed in Hindi at the 100-year-old Udhagamandalam railway station are hurting the sentiments of the Tamil people. I request the relevant authorities to immediately remove them. Tamil Nadu will never accept the imposition of Hindi.' He has also written to the Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw urging him 'to respect the linguistic sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu and avoid compulsory inclusion of Hindi where it is not contextually necessary.' When contacted, M. Vasudevan, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of the Salem Division of Southern Railways said the posters have been removed. 'There is no ulterior motive for the posters being put up, and they have been there for more that four or five years. We are checking how they were put up at the railway station,' said Mr. Vasudevan, who added there were other posters too, including those of quotes by poet Rabindranath Tagore. 'There are two posters which were brought to our notice, and as we do not want to court any controversies, they were removed immediately,' said Mr. Vasudevan.