Southwest Monsoon Likely To Touch Odisha In 2-3 Days

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

The highest maximum temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius was recorded at Boudh Thursday and the lowest minimum temperature of 22.0 degrees Celsius was recorded at Nabarangpur in the plains of Odisha

Bhubaneswar, June 6: The Southwest monsoon is likely to touch South Odisha in next three days, the Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement Thursday.

"Conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into remaining parts of central Arabian Sea, remaining parts of Karnataka and Coastal Andhra Pradesh, some more parts of Maharashtra, Telangana, some parts of south Chhattisgarh and South Odisha, some more parts of Westcentral and Northwest Bay of Bengal during next 2-3 days," said the IMD statement.

After touching Odisha, heavy rain is likely at some places in South Odisha within next 48 hours. People may experience some thundershower, while the wind speed will be 30 to 40 km per hour.

"Maximum temperatures observed appreciable fall at one or two places over the districts of North Odisha and South Interior Odisha, appreciable rise at one or two places over the districts of South Coastal Odisha and no large change at elsewhere over the districts of Odisha," IMD stated.

"They were below normal at one or two places over the districts of Interior Odisha, appreciably above normal at a few places over the districts of Coastal Odisha, above normal at a few places over the districts of Odisha and normal at elsewhere over the districts of Odisha," it added.

The highest maximum temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius was recorded at Boudh Thursday and the lowest minimum temperature of 22.0 degrees Celsius was recorded at Nabarangpur in the plains of Odisha.

On Thursday, the heatwave continued in the state while the coastal areas experienced high humidity. The temperature is likely to rise from June 8 to 10. The IMD has issued yellow warning to Bargarh, Balangir and Nuapara.

IMD has also predicted high humidity for the next five days in coastal Odisha. Western Odisha may also experience high humidity, while the mercury may go past 42 degrees Celsius in some places , predicted the IMD.

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PM Modi Reaches Delhi After Attending 'Productive' BRICS Summit In Russia

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

New Delhi, Oct 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has returned to Delhi after concluding his two-day "impactful" visit to Russia where he participated in the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan.

He also met several world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit on Wednesday.

"PM @narendramodi wraps up an impactful visit to Kazan and emplanes for New Delhi," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) posted on Wednesday on X.

He described the BRICS Summit in Russia's Kazan as "very productive".

He thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin, the people of Russia and their government for their hospitality.

PM Modi took to X to share glimpses of his visit to Russia. During his visit to Russia, PM Modi addressed two sessions of the BRICS Summit held in Kazan under Russia's chairmanship.

While sharing the video on X, PM Modi said, "The BRICS Summit in Kazan was very productive. Had the opportunity to discuss diverse issues and meet various world leaders. I thank President Putin, the Russian people and the government for their hospitality. Here are the highlights."

PM Modi said, "In its new form, BRICS is an economy bigger than $30 trillion. BRICS Business Council and BRICS Women Business Alliance have played a special role in increasing our economic cooperation. The consensus reached within BRICS this year on WTO reforms, trade facilitation in agriculture, resilience supply chains, e-commerce and special economic zones will strengthen our economic cooperation. Among all these initiatives, we should also focus on the interests of small and medium-scale industries. I am happy that the BRICS Startup Forum proposed during India's chairmanship in 2021 will be launched this year. The Railway Research Network initiative given by India is also playing an important role in increasing logistics and supply chain connectivity between BRICS countries."

In the video shared by PM Modi on X, he could be seen participating in the BRICS Summit in Kazan.

The video showed PM Modi meeting several world leaders, including UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

On Wednesday, PM Modi also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Kazan. In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Happy to have interacted with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Kazan."

He also held a meeting with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Kazan and discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

"Had a wonderful meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Kazan. Discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation between India and Uzbekistan, including trade and cultural linkages," PM Modi posted on X.

PM Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Russian city of Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

The meeting marks the first formal structured interaction between the two leaders in five years. The meeting comes after the two countries reached an agreement on resuming regular patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

After meeting with Chinese President Jinping on the sidelines, PM Modi said, "India-China relations are important for the people of our countries and for regional and global peace and stability."

Sharing details about his meeting with the UAE President, PM Modi wrote, "Glad to have met my brother, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan."

In his address at the BRICS Summit, PM Modi noted that the Summit is happening at a time when the world is undergoing several uncertainties and challenges, including conflicts, adverse climatic impacts, and cyber threats, placing greater expectations upon BRICS.

He suggested that the group take a people-centric approach to tackle these challenges.

PM Modi also underlined the need for early adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations to combat the menace of terrorism.

He called upon BRICS to proactively push for global governance reforms.

Recalling the Voice of Global South Summits hosted by India during its G20 Presidency, he stressed that the group must give primacy to the concerns of the Global South.

PM Modi noted that the regional presence of the New Development Bank including in GIFT city, India, has created new values and impacts.

Highlighting BRICS' activities to foster economic growth, he emphasised that its efforts on trade facilitation in agriculture, resilient supply chains, e-commerce and Special Economic Zones have generated new opportunities.

He underlined the need to prioritise small and medium-scale industries.

He expressed that the BRICS Startup Forum, initiated by India which is to be launched this year, would add significant value to the BRICS economic agenda.

The Prime Minister elaborated on the recent green initiatives undertaken by India, including the International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Mission LIFE and Green Credit initiative announced during COP28. He invited BRICS countries to join these initiatives.

On Tuesday, PM Modi held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan. PM Modi invited Putin to visit India next year for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.

The two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including political, economic, defence, energy, and people-to-people ties, the Prime Minister's Office said in a press statement.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Had an excellent meeting with President Putin. The bond between India and Russia is deep-rooted. Our talks focussed on how to add even more vigour to our bilateral partnership across diverse sectors."

This was their second meeting this year as the two leaders had earlier met in Moscow for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit in July 2024.

PM Modi also held a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and discussed ways to deepen bilateral ties in futuristic sectors.

"Had a very good meeting with the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian. We reviewed the full range of relations between our countries. We also discussed ways to deepen ties in futuristic sectors," PM Modi posted on X.

This visit marked PM Modi's second visit to Russia this year as he visited Moscow in July for the annual India-Russia Summit.

(IANS)

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Cyclone Dana To Make Landfall On Odisha Coast Today

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Bhubaneswar, Oct 24: The cyclonic storm developed over the east-central Bay of Bengal is likely to make landfall on the Odisha coast between Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district and Dhamara area of Bhadrak district between October 24 night and October 25 morning as a severe cyclonic storm.

As per the DG of the India Meteorological Department, Mrutyunjaya Mohapatra, the process of landfall will take around five to six hours during the said period. Heavy rainfall, wind and storm surges will reach the peak during the landfall process.

The Odisha government has taken several measures to mitigate the impact of the impending severe cyclonic storm ‘DANA’.

Taking the cyclone seriously, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has earlier noted that his government is targeting zero casualties. He further added that people in the vulnerable areas of the districts expected to be affected by cyclone ‘DANA’ are being shifted to cyclone shelters on a war footing.

He said 30 per cent of the people have so far been evacuated from the vulnerable areas. The evacuation process will continue throughout the night and 90 per cent of the people will be shifted by 11 am on Thursday.

The state government is targeting to evacuate around 10 lakh people from vulnerable areas to safer places before the cyclone hits the Odisha coast. The state government has created around 6000 relief and cyclone shelters across the state to accommodate people being evacuated from vulnerable places.

He assured the people that all the concerned departments of the state government were fully ready to tackle the severe cyclonic storm.

The Chief Minister noted that some ministers have been entrusted with the task of supervising the cyclone situation in the assigned districts.

The ministers have left for the assigned districts after the cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Senior bureaucrats have also been deputed to different districts to supervise overall rescue and relief operations.

Meanwhile, the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar has suspended flight operations at the airport from Thursday 5 PM to 9 AM on October 25th. Earlier, the East Coast Railway had suspended more than 150 trains in view of the probable cyclonic storm.

All the educational institutions, parks, libraries, and museums located in the affected districts have also been closed due to the severe Cyclone Dana.