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Rescuers in India tunnel collapse begin replacing drilling machine on 7th day

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Rescuers trying to reach workers trapped for nearly a week in a collapsed highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas are working to replace the main digging machine on Saturday to restart operations after they hit a snag.

The disaster management office revised the number of people trapped since Sunday morning in the tunnel in Uttarakhand state to 41, up from 40. All are safe, the authorities have said.

The augur machine drilling through the debris broke on Friday, Reuters reported.

A new machine flown in from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, has reached the site, Anshu Malik Halko, director at state-run National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC) told Reuters.

"We will first bring out the defunct machine from inside and then deploy the new one. This will take time and I cannot comment on the timeline. It's a delicate and risky operation," Halko said.

A rescue mission is currently underway at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand to free 41 workers who are stuck inside following a landslide.

Authorities have not said what caused the 4.5-km tunnel to cave in, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.

Fifty to sixty workers were on the overnight shift at the time of the collapse, and those near the exit got out of the tunnel on the national highway that is part of the Char Dham Hindu pilgrimage route.

Work was suspended on Friday after a "large-scale cracking sound" was heard as rescue workers sought to restart the drilling machine, according to a report from NHIDC.

Close to 100 tunnel workers gathered at the site on Saturday, demanding faster progress in reaching and freeing those trapped.

Vishnu Sahu, a labourer who was leading the protest, said the rescue team is keeping workers in the dark about the pace of progress of the rescue.

"We want the top people of the company to come here," Sahu said.

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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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