Rains continue to lash Udupi, low-lying areas inundated
Udupi (PTI): Torrential rains continued to lash Udupi district on Tuesday disrupting normal life.
Several low-lying areas in Karkala, Kundapur, Thekkatte, Hirgana, Basruru, Barkuru, Nitturu, Kaup and Udyavara were still under knee-deep water and roads were either blocked or rendered unmotorable, officials said.
A part of the National Highway 66 between Puttur in Udupi and Kolalagiri Road also witnessed waterlogging.
As a result of the waterlogging, a car driver reportedly misjudged the depth of the water on the road and drove straight into a bog nearby and the vehicle got stuck on the Kannarpady-Kadekaru link road in Udupi rural police station limits.
Officials said all four persons in the car got out safely . The vehicle which was stuck in the water was later recovered by Fire department personnel with the help of local people.
Dakshina Kannada district which experienced heavy to very heavy rain on Monday, saw rainfall activity continue on Tuesday with places like Mangaluru, Puttur, Bantwal.
Belthangady, Sullia and the ghat section of the Gundya-Shirady sector continued to receive heavy rains on Tuesday which led to traffic snarls on various stretches, officials said.
The Dakshina Kannada administration put the district on 'Red Alert' on Tuesday following which the schools and PU colleges were closed.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
