200 houses flooded, more than 1000 people affected due to rain in Bantwal
Former Union Minister Janardhan Poojary's house hit by flood
Bantwal: One of the worst hit Taluk by the recent heavy rains in Dakshina Kannada District, Bantwal is now facing threat from the rising water levels at the Netravathi River which has increased drastically over the last two days as the rain continued to batter the region on Saturday morning.
On Friday about 54 houses were flooded with water, the toll have now risen to 200 homes being hit by floods on Saturday morning with more than 1000 people affected due to the floods in the Taluk. The administration has converted I.B and Sharada High School into relief camps for the victims.
One of the victims hit by the floods in the region is former union minister Janardhan Poojary whose house at Bhandaribettu was also hit by floods and his family was shifted to a safer location on Saturday.
17 houses in Talapady have been hit by floods while the service road on Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway is also completely flooded by rain water.
The water level at Netravathi River has crossed the danger mark and has increased significantly. The danger mark that is set at 8.5 meters was first exceeded on Thursday and reached a new high of 11.7 meters on Friday late night.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
