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Indian tunnel rescue set to take much longer after drill damaged

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Rescuing 41 workers trapped in a highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas for two weeks will take much longer than previously hoped as rescuers are switching to manual drilling following damage to machinery, officials said on Saturday.

The heavy drill brought in to break through nearly 60 meters of debris was damaged on Friday and was being pulled out entirely, government officials said, adding the last 10-15 meters would have to be broken with hand-held power tools.

The men, construction workers from some of India's poorest states, have been stuck in the 4.5-km tunnel being built in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on Nov. 12. Authorities have said they are safe, with access to light, oxygen, food, water and medicines, Reuters reported.

A heavy drill machine, called an auger, which got damaged after hitting an obstacle on Friday, broke while being pulled out of the 47-meter pipe inserted to bring out the trapped workers.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, chief minister of Uttarakhand state said on Saturday the damaged drilling machine would be taken out by Sunday morning, allowing manual drilling to start.

Syed Ata Hasnain, a member of the National Disaster Management Authority which is overseeing rescue efforts, said the operation was becoming "more complex" and the process would become slower, compared to when the auger was used to drill.

"We have to strengthen our brothers stuck inside. We need to monitor their psychological state, because this operation can go on for a very long time," he said, without giving a timeline.

On Saturday morning the trapped workers, all migrants, were "very worried", said Sunita Hembrom, whose brother-in-law Birendra Kishku, 39, is in the tunnel.

"My brother in law told me that he hasn't eaten any food since yesterday. We are very worried," she said.

Authorities have not said what caused the tunnel collapse, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.

The tunnel did not have an emergency exit and was built through a geological fault, a member of a panel of experts investigating the disaster said on Friday on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the media.

A rescue mission is currently underway at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand to free 41 workers who are stuck inside following a landslide.
The rescue plan involves pushing a pipe wide enough to pull the trapped men out on wheeled stretchers. Rescue workers rehearsed the evacuation by going into the pipe and being pulled out on stretchers, a video clip provided by the authorities showed.

A second plan to drill vertically from atop the hill is also being pursued and the drilling machines are being assembled, the statement said.

The men have been getting cooked food since a larger lifeline pipe was pushed through earlier this week and the statement said they were sent 200 rotis or Indian round flat bread, lentils and vegetable curry.

More than a dozen doctors, including psychiatrists, have been at the site, talking to the men and monitoring their health.

They have been advised to do light yoga exercises, walk around in the 2-km space they have been confined to, and to keep speaking to each other. Rohit Gondwal, a psychiatrist, said they were also considering sending in playing cards and board games.

The collapsed tunnel is on the Char Dham pilgrimage route, one of the most ambitious projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

It aims to link four key Hindu pilgrimage sites with 890 km of two-lane road, at a cost of $1.5 billion.

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India’s successful test of hypersonic missile puts it among elite group

The test-firing took place from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the eastern coast of Odisha state on Saturday, it said.

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India has successfully tested a domestically developed long-range hypersonic missile, it said on Sunday, attaining a key milestone in military development that puts it in a small group of nations possessing the advanced technology, Reuters reported.

The global push for hypersonic weapons figures in the efforts of some countries, such as India, which is striving to develop advanced long-range missiles, along with China, Russia and the United States.

The Indian missile, developed by the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation and industry partners, is designed to carry payloads for ranges exceeding 1,500 km (930 miles) for the armed forces, the government said in a statement.

"The flight data ... confirmed the successful terminal manoeuvres and impact with high degree of accuracy," it added.

The test-firing took place from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the eastern coast of Odisha state on Saturday, it said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called the test a "historic achievement" in a post on X, adding that it placed India among a select group of nations possessing such critical and advanced technologies, read the report.

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Iran denies meeting between envoy and Elon Musk

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Musk, who is an adviser to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, met with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations

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Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Saturday strongly denied a reported meeting between Tehran's United Nations envoy and U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, in an interview with state TV.

Araqchi also warned that Iran was "prepared for confrontation or cooperation" in its dispute with the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA and Western countries within the body over its nuclear programme, Reuters reported.

"This (reported meeting) was a fabricated story by American media, and the motives behind this can also be speculated," Araqchi said, reiterating an earlier denial by Iran's Foreign Ministry.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Musk, who is an adviser to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, met with Iran's ambassador to the United Nations on Monday.

"In my opinion, the American media’s fabrication about a meeting between Elon Musk and Iran’s representative is a form of testing the waters to see if the ground for such move exists," Araqchi said.

"We are still waiting for the new U.S. administration to clarify its policies, and based on that, we will adjust our own policies. Right now, it is neither the time for such meetings nor is it appropriate," Araqchi said.

"There was no permission from the leadership for such a meeting," Araqchi said, referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state.

Relations between Tehran and the IAEA have soured over several long-standing issues, including Iran barring the agency's uranium-enrichment experts from the country and its failure to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites, Reuters reported.

"Our nuclear path in the coming year will be sensitive and complex, and we are prepared for confrontation or cooperation," Araqchi said.

He said that the 2015 nuclear deal, from which Trump exited in 2018 in his first term, no longer holds the same value for Iran.

"If negotiations begin, the nuclear pact may serve as a reference, but it no longer has its previous significance. We must reach a feasible agreement," Araqchi said.

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Netanyahu claims he and Trump see ‘eye to eye’ on Iran after holding 3 calls within days

Netanyahu said Trump’s historic return to the White House offers a ‘powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America’

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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a voice message on Sunday night that he and US President-elect Donald Trump have spoken on the phone three times in the past few days and that both are on the same page about Iran. 

“In recent days, I have spoken three times with US President-elect Donald Trump. These were very good and important talks designed to further enhance the steadfast bond between Israel and the US.

“We see eye-to-eye on the Iranian threat in all its aspects, and on the dangers they reflect. 

“We also see the great opportunities facing Israel, in the area of peace and its expansion, and in other areas,” he said.

Iran has vowed a “punishing” reprisal for unprecedented Israeli airstrikes against it on October 26, which Jerusalem said took out the Islamic Republic’s air defenses and missile production capabilities.

Israel’s strikes were in retaliation for Iran’s October 1 barrage of 200 ballistic missiles, which forced most of the country to take shelter and killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank. 

Days earlier, Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime head of Hezbollah. Israel also killed Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas in Tehran.

Trump will take control of the US in January and has a record of anti-Iran actions. 

In his first term, Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and Western powers and later re-imposed sanctions on Tehran. 

He also ordered the killing of Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani, who led the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps’ foreign operations arm, the Quds Force. 

The IRGC is a US-designated terrorist organization.

Trump and Netanyahu also worked closely together during the former’s presidency.

Last week, Netanyahu stated Trump’s victory was “history’s greatest comeback!”

In a message on X he wrote: “Dear Donald and Melania Trump, Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!

“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.”

He went on to say that “this is a huge victory!”

Signing off he wrote: “In true friendship, yours, Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu.”

Israeli media has meanwhile reported that Trump has made it clear to Netayahu that he wants the wars in Gaza and Lebanon to be wrapped up by his inauguration on January 20.

 

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