Iran identifies five Iranians to be released in swap deal with US
Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations has confirmed that five Iranians detained illegally in the United States on charges of circumventing US sanctions will soon be released as part a prisoner swap deal between Tehran and Washington.
The mission told the official IRNA news agency in New York on Tuesday that some of the Iranian citizens will stay in the United States after their release from prison, while others will return to Iran.
The five Iranian detainees were identified as Mehrdad Moein Ansari, Kambiz Attar Kashani, Reza Sarhangpour Kofrani, Amin Hassanzadeh, and Kaveh Lotfollah Afrasiabi.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News in Tehran, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi revealed that the prisoner exchange process will be completed as scheduled.
He also said that the American prisoners in Iran are in “very good” health, and that they will soon return home.
The prisoner exchange agreement was officially announced on August 10, following two years of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
In a gesture of goodwill, Iran has moved four American detainees from prison to house arrest. They joined a fifth American who was already under house arrest in Tehran.
The talks, mediated by Qatar, also encompassed the issue of billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets blocked overseas since 2018, when the United States unilaterally abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal and reinstated its sanctions against Iran.
US media reported on Monday that the Joe Biden administration has issued a blanket waiver allowing international banks to transfer $6 billion of Iranian funds, which have recently been unfrozen, from South Korea to Qatar.
The waiver means that European, Middle Eastern and Asian banks will not be in violation of US sanctions in converting Iran’s money and transferring it to Qatar’s central bank, where it will be held for Tehran to be used for the purchase of non-sanctioned goods.
Market Capitalisation Of BSE Firms Reach Lifetime High Of Rs 317 Lakh Crore
The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms reached a new lifetime peak of Rs 317.33 lakh crore
New Delhi:
The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms reached a new lifetime peak of Rs 317.33 lakh crore on Wednesday as the benchmark Sensex maintained its winning run for the fourth day running.
Fag-end buying helped the BSE Sensex climb 100.26 points or 0.15 per cent to settle at 65,880.52. In four days, the benchmark index has jumped 1,049.11 points or 1.61 per cent.
The market capitalisation (mcap) of BSE-listed firms hit a fresh peak of Rs 3,17,33,804.37 crore at the end of trade. Investors’ wealth also climbed Rs 7,74,665.67 crore in four days of market rally.
“Markets witnessed a choppy ride in intra-day trade but selective buying in late trade helped benchmark indices log gains for the 4th straight session,” said Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Research (Retail), Kotak Securities Ltd.
From the Sensex pack, Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, Titan, UltraTech Cement, ITC, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Hindustan Unilever and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the major gainers.
Tata Steel, Axis Bank, NTPC, ICICI Bank and IndusInd Bank were the major laggards.
In the broader market, the BSE midcap gauge climbed marginally by 0.13 per cent while smallcap index skidded 0.04 per cent.
Among the indices, telecommunication jumped 1.69 per cent, FMCG climbed 1.05 per cent, consumer durables (0.89 per cent), healthcare (0.69 per cent) and energy (0.67 per cent).
Commodities, financial services, industrials, IT, bankex, capital goods, metal and realty were the laggards.
“A spike in crude oil reverberated across the globe, reviving concerns about inflation and sparking fears of a Fed rate hike. This led to a surge in US bond yields, causing investors to shift towards the safety of bonds and reversing the buying trend of foreign investors in the domestic market.
“Nevertheless, the resilience of the domestic markets shone through as investors placed their bets on an improved outlook, ultimately helping the market recover from the initial shock,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
2,000 Killed In Massive Flood In East Libya, Thousands Missing: Officials
The United Nations in Libya said it would provide urgent relief to the flood-hit nation
Libya:
Authorities in eastern Libya said at least 2,000 people were killed and thousands more were missing after a massive flood ripped through the city of Derna following a heavy storm and rain.
Ahmed Mismari, the spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA) that controls eastern Libya, said in a televised news conference that the disaster came after dams above Derna had collapsed, “sweeping whole neighbourhoods with their residents into the sea”.
Mismari put the number of missing at 5,000-6,000.
Earlier on Monday, the head of the Red Crescent aid group in the region had said Derna’s death count was at 150 and expected to hit 250. Reuters could not immediately verify either figure.
Libya is politically divided between east and west and public services have crumbled since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that prompted years of conflict. The internationally recognised government in Tripoli does not control eastern areas.
In Tripoli, the three-person Presidential Council which functions as head of state in the divided country asked the international community to help. “We call on brotherly and friendly countries and international organisations to provide assistance,” it said.
Osama Hamad, the head of a parallel eastern-based administration, told local television that more than 2,000 were dead and thousands more missing.
After pummelling Greece last week, Storm Daniel swept in over the Mediterranean on Sunday, swamping roads and destroying buildings in Derna, and hitting other settlements along the coast, including Libya’s second-biggest city of Benghazi.
Videos of Derna showed a wide torrent running through the city centre where a far narrower waterway had previously flowed. Ruined buildings stood on either side.
Eastern Libya’s Almostkbal TV broadcast footage that showed people stranded on the roofs of their vehicles calling for help and waters washing away cars.
“The missing are in the thousands, and the dead exceed 2,000,” Osama Hamad told al-Masar TV. “Entire neighbourhoods in Derna have disappeared, along with their residents … swept away by water.”
Mismari said seven members of the LNA had died in the flood.
SURROUNDED BY WATER
Derna resident Saleh al-Obaidi said he had managed to flee with his family, though houses in a valley near the city had collapsed.
“People were asleep and woke up and found their homes surrounded by water,” he told Reuters.
Ahmed Mohamed, another resident, said: “We were asleep, and when we woke up, we found water besieging the house. We are inside and trying to get out.”
Witnesses said the water level had reached three metres (10 feet).
West of Derna, visuals showed a collapsed road between the port town of Sousse and Shahat, home to the Greek-founded and UNESCO-listed archaeological site Cyrene.
Libya’s eastern-based parliament declared three days of mourning. Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, prime minister of the interim government in Tripoli, also declared three days of mourning in all the affected cities, calling them “disaster areas”.
Four major oil ports in Libya – Ras Lanuf, Zueitina, Brega and Es Sidra – were closed from Saturday evening for three days, two oil engineers told Reuters.
Search-and-rescue operations were ongoing, witnesses said. Authorities declared a state of extreme emergency, closing schools and stores and imposing a curfew.
In Tripoli, the interim government directed all state agencies to “immediately deal” with the damage and floods in eastern cities, but the administration has no sway in the east.
However, Dbeibah’s government works closely with the Central Bank of Libya, which disburses funds to government departments across the country.
The United Nations in Libya said it was following the storm closely and would “provide urgent relief assistance in support of response efforts at local and national levels”.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani instructed the government to send aid to the affected area in eastern Libya, Qatar’s state news agency reported.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shah Rukh Khan's 'Jawan' Screened At Handwara Cinema Hall In J&K
The make-shift cinema hall was inaugurated in Handwara last month
Srinagar:
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s latest release “Jawan” was screened at a cinema hall in north Kashmir’s Handwara, once known for being a transit route of terrorists infiltrating from across the Line of Control.
The make-shift cinema hall was inaugurated in Handwara last month with the screening of Shah Rukh-starrer 2007 sports drama “Chak De India”.
The screening of “Jawan” was attended by a large number of people, including youngsters and district officials.
Directed by Tamil filmmaker Atlee, “Jawan” was released worldwide on September 7 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
The high-octane action thriller also features Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi as well as Deepika Padukone in a special appearance.
“Jawan”, a father-son story at its core, highlights various social and political issues through its hero, essayed by Shah Rukh.
The film also stars Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani, Girija Oak, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Lehar Khan, Aaliyah Qureshi, Ridhi Dogra, Sunil Grover and Mukesh Chhabra as well as Sanjay Dutt in a cameo appearance.
A Red Chillies Entertainment presentation, “Jawan” is produced by Gauri Khan and co-produced by Gaurav Verma. The film has raised Rs 574.89 crore gross in five days at the worldwide box office.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Rig Veda, 'Ashtadhyayi' Displayed In G20 'Culture Corridor' Under Name Of 'Bharat'
Rig Veda is an ancient Indian text.
New Delhi:
Rig Veda inscriptions and Panini’s grammar treatise ‘Ashtadhyayi’, India’s submissions to the G20 ‘Culture Corridor’ curated at the Summit venue, have been displayed under the name of ‘Bharat’.
Rig Veda, an ancient Indian text, and the country’s submission to the international project under the ‘symbols of democracy’ category has been exhibited in a big glass case, alongside objects from the US, France, Canada and Argentina.
A nameplate in English mounted on the case briefly describes each of these rare items and places they have been sourced from.
There has been no official unveiling of the ‘Culture Corridor — G20 Digital Museum’, which has been put up in the wide hallway skirting the ‘Summit Meeting Room’ and the ‘Leaders’ Lounge’ at the newly-built Bharat Mandapam, and is not open to the public yet.
The project, which was curated especially for the G20 Summit under India’s presidency of the grouping, was informally unveiled on September 9, day one of the summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed the G20 meeting with the country name identified as ‘Bharat’.
While India and Bharat, both names are used to refer to the country in English and Hindi, ‘India’ has been used customarily in international fora.
The G20 Summit thus further extended the ‘India vs Bharat’ debate, triggered after the G20 dinner invitation sent out by the Rashtrapati Bhavan referred to President Droupadi Murmu as the “President of Bharat”.
The exhibition of artefacts — in physical and digital form — has been set up on the same floor where the leaders’ meetings took place. They walked through this corridor while moving into and out of the summit room.
As part of this project, conceptualised about six months ago, India asked each G20 member and invited countries to make submissions under four categories — physical object of cultural significance, “iconic cultural masterpiece” in digital format, high-resolution digital content depicting the intangible heritage and natural heritage of each of the countries.
India’s submission under the object of cultural significance category is Panini’s grammar treatise ‘Ashtadhyayi’ composed in the 5th-6th century BCE. A digital panel next to it displays the Indian tricolour and the name ‘Bharat’ above it.
The text displayed on the panel can be read in six languages — English, French, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and Arabic. Certified original copies of the US’ Charters of Freedom, a ‘fahua’-lid jar from China are among the other historic items displayed at the Bharat Mandapam as part of a G20 ‘Culture Corridor’.
In the immersive zone, digital components, comprising intangible cultural heritage, natural heritage, iconic cultural masterpieces, and symbols of democracy submitted by the membership, have been displayed.
The exhibit also showcases a 12-foot digital cube which displays the iconic masterpieces through anamorphic content, including Mona Lisa, the 16th century masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci which is hung at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
In the intangible heritage category, India’s submission is — Yoga, Kumbh Mela, Vedic Chanting, lost wax tradition of bronze casting and double ikkat weaving Patan Patola of Gujarat.
In the natural heritage category, India’s submission is — the Himalayas, the Ganga, the India Ocean, the Living Root Bridge of Meghalaya, and the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Visuals of submissions made by India under the natural heritage category played on the three-piece mega screen with the title ‘Bharat – Himalayas, Ganga, & Living Root Bridge’, and with ‘Bharat – Kumabh Mela And Yoga’ when visuals on Kumbh Mela and Yoga, a submission made in the category of intangible cultural heritage, played in the immersive zone.
The Grand Canyon in the US and the Wadden Sea in the Netherlands are among the submissions from other countries in the natural heritage category.
Traditional archery — Turkiye; Jeju Haenyeo (women divers) — Republic of Korea; and Bolshoi Ballet — Russia are among the submissions from other countries in the intangible cultural heritage category.
In the iconic cultural masterpiece category, Bhimbhetka cave paintings in Madhya Pradesh, dating back to approximately 30,000 years, has displayed in digital format from India’s side.
An archaeological treasure, Bhimbetka has around 243 rock shelters and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On the digital cube, visuals of the cave painting plays with the caption in English, mentioning the country name as ‘Bharat.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Impeachment Probe Into Biden Gets Go-Ahead From US House Speaker
Kevin McCarthy has formally endorsed an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden (File)
Washington:
The Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, bowed to pressure from his party’s hard right Tuesday and gave the go-ahead for an impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden.
“I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry,” he said, saying the Democratic president lied to the American people about his son Hunter’s foreign business dealings.
“House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations about President Biden’s conduct,” he said. “Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption.”
The business dealings of Joe Biden’s son Hunter while his father was vice president under Barack Obama have been a constant target of Republicans.
No credible evidence has emerged so far, however, that the elder Biden was involved in anything illegal.
Kevin McCarthy has been under pressure from the right-wing of the party, loyal to Donald Trump, for months to open an impeachment inquiry into 80-year-old Joe Biden.
The White House immediately condemned the move, calling it “extreme politics at its worst.”
“House Republicans have been investigating the President for 9 months, and they’ve turned up no evidence of wrongdoing,” Ian Sams, White House spokesman for oversight and investigations, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Kevin McCarthy, who was forced to compromise with the far-right of the party to win his powerful speaker’s post, said the “allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption” against Biden “warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives.”
Democratic lawmakers have denounced the move as a purely partisan exercise intended to exact revenge for the double impeachment by the House of former Republican President Donald Trump.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Good response to Telangana Sahitya Academy’s Mana Ooru-Mana Charitra intiative
The history of 2,000 villages across Telangana has been recorded as part of the Akademi’s “Mana Ooru – Mana Charitra” initiative
Published Date – 10:36 PM, Tue – 12 September 23
Mana Ooru – Mana Charitra books handed over to Telangana Sahitya Akademi chairman Juluru Gauri Shankar in Khammam on Tuesday.
Khammam: Telangana Sahitya Akademi chairman Juluru Gauri Shankar said the history of 2,000 villages across Telangana has been recorded as part of the Akademi’s “Mana Ooru – Mana Charitra” initiative.
The Akademi’s initiative received tremendous response from across the State as the history of 2,000 villages was written by collective efforts of degree college principals, teachers and students. It helped the students to know about their village and to bring out the creative energy in them, he said.
At a programme here on Tuesday the books on the history of 568 villages written by the students of SR&BGNR College in Khammam was handed over to Gauri Shankar and district Collector VP Gautham by the college principal Dr. Muhammad Zakirullah and the students.
Speaking on the occasion, Gauri Shankar said in many villages, students and teachers went to the field level in partnership with the Akademi to learn about their villages. It was revealed that every village in Telangana has a glorious history.
The traditions and festivals at temples, mosques, churches, local deities, fairs that were going on for generations in every village and the environmental beauty of their villages were captured in the books. The situation before Telangana’s formation and development in the last 10 years was also narrated.
Similarly the students explained how they and their friends from Hindu, Muslim, Christian and other religions and castes have been living together in the village for generations. Students scripted the history of great personalities in their villages, Gauri Shankar said.
Collector Gautham said that the real history was the life of the people. Village would always remember those who wrote the history of that village. The history written by the students would become a gazette for future generations.
Destroyed buildings after cyclone kills at least 36 in southern Brazil
The death toll from a cyclone that unleashed torrential rain and flooding on southern Brazil rose to at least 36 Wednesday, authorities said, as the region braced for more violent weather.
With the flood waters forcing some residents to climb onto their roofs, a major emergency operation was underway, with one official saying more than 1,000 people were awaiting rescue.
The storms, which started Monday, left whole neighborhoods submerged in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
“The water rose so fast, I didn’t even have time to take anything with me. I lost everything,” said Paulo Roberto Neto Vargas, 39, a resident of the hard-hit town of Roca Sales, where emergency workers recovered six bodies.
“There were so many people screaming, calling for help. We’re only alive thanks to God,” he told AFP.
Flash floods and landslides obliterated huge swathes of the affected communities, leaving trails of wrecked houses and muddy brown water.
It is the latest in a series of deadly weather disasters to hit Brazil, which experts say are likely being made worse by climate change.
Governor Eduardo Leite, who went on a flyover of flood-hit areas, said thousands of people were waiting to be rescued.
“There are still a lot of families stranded on the roofs of their houses,” he said.
The governor, who declared a state of emergency, called it the deadliest weather disaster ever to hit Rio Grande do Sul, as hundreds of rescue workers, police and volunteers continued efforts to reach areas cut off by flooding.
More than 5,300 people have been forced from their homes, with at least 52,000 residents and 70 towns affected in all, authorities said.
Leite warned the situation could worsen, with more rain forecast for late Wednesday and into Thursday, Brazil’s independence day.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he had spoken with the governor and promised his administration’s support.
“I reiterated that the federal government is at the disposal of the people of Rio Grande do Sul to face this crisis,” Lula wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
‘Nothing left’
Communications Minister Paulo Pimenta, who joined the governor on his flyover of the disaster zone, said the federal government would request more aircraft to help in the rescue effort, in addition to four helicopters it sent Tuesday.
“It’s a devastating scene,” he wrote on X after touring the area.
The floodwaters submerged most of the town of Mucum, population 5,000, where 14 bodies were found, a revision of an earlier toll of 15.
Local media said authorities there and in neighboring Roca Sales had to resort to using a commercial refrigerator truck to transport victims’ bodies.
“It’s frightening,” Roca Sales Mayor Amilton Fontana told news site A Hora.
“The storm destroyed everything. There’s nothing left in Roca Sales today.”
The dead included a 50-year-old woman in the town of Lajeado who was being lifted to safety by rescue workers when the cable holding her broke, plunging her into a flood-swollen river.
A couple in the town of Ibiraiaras died when their car was swept away by the current as they tried to cross a bridge.
Brazil is not used to cyclones, but it is becoming “more and more frequent” for them to make landfall in the country, said Francis Lacerda, a researcher at the Pernambuco State Agronomy Institute’s Climate Change Laboratory.
“These are extreme events, because the amount of energy released is exacerbated by global warming,” she told AFP.
Unchecked urbanization and irregular housing built on hillsides are also making weather disasters deadlier in Brazil, experts say.
In June, another cyclone left 13 dead in Rio Grande do Sul and forced thousands of people from their homes.
And in February, 65 people died in landslides caused by record flooding in the southeastern resort town of Sao Sebastiao, on the coast of Sao Paulo state.
An estimated 9.5 million of Brazil’s 203 million people live in areas at high risk of flooding or landslides.
(Source: AFP)
SpiceJet Shares Rally 20%, Hit Upper Circuit Limit
SpiceJet stock rallied amid reports that nearly 3 per cent equity changed hands at the BSE.
New Delhi:
Shares of SpiceJet were in heavy demand today and jumped 20 per cent to hit the upper circuit limit.
The stock rallied amid reports that nearly 3 per cent equity changed hands at the BSE.
On Monday, SpiceJet announced the allotment of 4.81 crore equity shares on a preferential basis to nine of its aircraft lessors to clear outstanding dues of Rs 231 crore.
Shares of the company jumped 19.98 per cent to settle at Rs 39.70 — its upper circuit limit — on the BSE.
In volume terms, 247.71 lakh shares of the company were traded on the BSE.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Tuesday suggested that SpiceJet settle the issues with lessors that have sought initiation of insolvency proceedings against it.
SpiceJet on Tuesday said it has received up to three months more time from the Registrar of Companies for holding its annual general meeting for the year ended March 2023.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
