The Evening Wrap: Israel military says Gaza residents must not ‘delay’ evacuation

The Israeli military said that Gaza City residents must not delay their departure before an expected ground offensive starts, as people leaving the north of the territory against jammed roads south. Israel has designated two safe routes for more than one million residents of northern Gaza to leave for the south of the blockaded territory. Military spokesman Richard Hecht said there is a “window” for safe passage to south Gaza between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. Without saying how many days the window would remain, Hecht told reporters: “We know this is going to take time but we recommend people not to delay.” Israeli troops were mobilising towards Gaza. Aerial patrolling was also sent to the Gaza border. Reportedly, Israeli soldiers, their tanks and munitions have been deployed near the Gaza border as they prepare for a full ground offensive against Hamas. Egypt, Israel and the United States have also agreed to allow foreigners residing in Gaza to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, and Israel agreed to refrain from striking areas the foreigners would pass through on their way out of the Palestinian territory. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Saturday for protection for civilians in both the Gaza Strip and Israel. Blinken met his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Riyadh as he began a third day of intense Middle East diplomacy aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a regional conflict and fuelling a humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia has suspended talks on potentially normalising ties with Israel, a source told AFP on Saturday, amid the war raging between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said that Washington should “play a constructive and responsible role” in the Israel-Gaza conflict, during a phone call with his Blinken. The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza said that the Israeli strikes have so far killed at least 2,215 people, including 724 children. Around 458 women were among those killed and 8,714 people have also been wounded. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah said it shelled Israeli positions in a contested border area on the day. Two more special flights to fly out Indian nationals from Israel After flying out more than 400 Indian nationals from Israel on two consecutive days, the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv has announced two special flights on October 14 to further facilitate more Indians wanting to leave the country amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict. The special flights are part of ‘Operation Ajay’ launched on October 12 to facilitate the return of those Indian nationals who wished to return home. The first flight is expected to leave at 5:00 pm local time and can carry 230 passengers. The second flight is scheduled at 11:00 pm local time and can carry 330 passengers. “The Embassy has emailed the next lot of registered Indian citizens for two special flights today. Messages to other registered people will follow for subsequent flights,” the Indian Embassy in Israel posted the announcement on X. There are about 18,000 Indian nationals living and working in Israel including caregivers, students, several IT professionals, and diamond traders. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla protests against EU Parliament raising India’s internal issues Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on October 14, in a bilateral meeting with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Nicola Beer, protested against discussing India’s internal issues in EU’s Parliament. “He (Om Birla) insisted that every nation and Parliament is sovereign and their internal issues should not be discussed by others,” a statement from the Lok Sabha Secretariat said. Though the statement didn’t make any reference to any particular internal issue, sources told The Hindu that Birla’s reference was to the July resolution of the EU Parliament that discussed the violence in Manipur. India had then said that the move by the EU Parliament reflected a “colonial mindset”. During his valedictory address to the Parliamentary Speakers Summit (P-20) of G-20 countries, Birla had said that no issue can be seen in isolation in an interconnected world as several leaders talked about the West Asia conflict and other geo-political issues. The Lok Sabha Speaker pointed out that paragraph 27 of the Joint Statement talked about pursuing parliamentary diplomacy for international peace. Stating that the adoption of the Joint Statement has strengthened the P-20 process, Birla handed over the P-20 presidency to the President of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Cesar Pereira de Lira, as Brazil will hold the G-20 presidency next year. Traditional Indian medicine set to make a global debut, seeking inclusion in WHO’s ICD-11 list In a move meant to put the Indian system of medicine on the world map and provide it with a common standardised language, the Union government has sought for Ayurveda and related systems to be included in the 11th revision of the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD), as the second module of a supplementary chapter on traditional medicine conditions. The ICD provides a common language that allows health professionals to share standardised information across the world. The traditional medicine module of the 11th revision provides a list of diagnostics categories to collect and report on traditional medicine conditions in a standardised and internationally comparable manner. Speaking exclusively to The Hindu about the development, Ministry of Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said: “We are hopeful that the addition of Module-2 for Ayurveda could happen as early as by next January.” “Ayurveda and related Indian traditional health care systems are formally recognised and widely practised health care systems in India, which is making a strong and valid point for its inclusion,” said Kotecha, adding that efforts to effectively regulate traditional medicine as an integral part of the health system require standardised and evidence-based information. Kotecha further explained that the traditional medicine chapter under ICD-11 is a formative step for the integration of such forms of medicine into a classification standard used in conventional medicine. The Ministry added that this chapter would also help to respond to growing demands for more and better regulation of traditional medicine, and its integration in mainstream health care and health information systems. Passenger ferry service between India and Sri Lanka begins again, after nearly 40 years An international, high-speed passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam on the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in the northern province of Sri Lanka resumed on October 14, after a gap of nearly four decades. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal and Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports, E.V. Velu, flagged off the craft from Nagapattinam. The high-speed craft Cheriyapani embarked on its journey around 8.15 a.m. from Nagapattinam with 50 passengers and 12 crew members headed by Captain Biju George. In video messages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe hailed this diplomatic effort and highlighted the importance of launching the ferry service between the two nations. Calling it a new chapter in diplomatic and economic ties between India and Sri Lanka, Modi said the ferry service will help strengthen cultural, commercial, and civilisational ties between the two nations. Connectivity is the central theme of the joint vision of the India - Sri Lanka economic partnership, Modi said, adding that India will take steps to resume the operation of the ferry service between Rameswaram and Talaimannar as well. Wickremesinghe said this was an important step in improving connectivity between the two nations. People of both countries have travelled across the Palk strait for many years, he said and added that the ferry services operated in the past were suspended due to the civil war in Sri Lanka. The Shipping Corporation of India has roped in a private agency to sell tickets. The vessel can accommodate 150 passengers on board and will start from Nagapattinam at 7 a.m. and reach Kankesanthurai at 11 a.m. The return journey will start at 1.30 p.m. at Kankesanthurai and reach Nagapattinam at 5.30 p.m. A one-way ticket for travel will cost around ₹7,670 and each passenger can carry up to 50 kg of baggage onboard. Louvre Museum, Versailles Palace evacuated after bomb threats with France on alert The Louvre Museum in Paris and Versailles Palace evacuated visitors and staff on October 14 after receiving bomb threats. The government has put France on high security alert after a fatal school stabbing by a suspected extremist. The Louvre communication service said no one was hurt and no incident was reported. Paris Police said officers searched the museum after it received written bomb threats. The former royal palace at Versailles also received bomb threats, a national police spokesperson said. The palace and its sprawling gardens were being evacuated while police examine the area, the spokesperson said. Alarms rang out through the Louvre, a vast space also in a former royal palace Paris overlooking the Seine River, when the evacuation was announced, and in the underground shopping centre beneath its signature pyramid. Police cordoned off the monument from all sides, and the underground access, as tourists and other visitors streamed out. Videos posted online showed people leaving, some hurriedly and some stopping to take photos, others apparently confused about what was happening. The French government raised the threat alert level and is deploying 7,000 troops to increase security after the October 13 school attack. French authorities say a former student suspected of Islamic radicalisation killed a teacher and wounded three other people before being captured. The government is also concerned about fallout in France from the war between Israel and Hamas. The Louvre, home to masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, welcomes between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors per day. In Brief: Australian referendum to create an Indigenous Voice to Parliament fails Three leading advocates for constitutional change in Australia conceded defeat on October 14 in a referendum that would have created an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Australian Broadcasting Corp. said based on early vote counting that the states of New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia have rejected the amendment that would have created an Indigenous committee to advise Parliament and the government on issues that affect Australia’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority. The Voice needs majorities in each of at least four of the six states as well as a national majority for the referendum to pass. Christopher Luxon wins New Zealand election after incumbent Prime Minister Chris Hipkins concedes Conservative former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand’s next Prime Minister after winning a decisive election victory on October 14. People voted for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern. The exact makeup of Luxon’s conservative government is still to be determined as ballots continued to be counted. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 14 October 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Israel-Hamas war | Israel military says Gaza residents must not ‘delay’ evacuation The [Israeli military said that Gaza City residents must not delay their departure before an expected ground offensive]( starts, as people leaving the north of the territory against jammed roads south. Israel has designated two safe routes for more than one million residents of northern Gaza to leave for the south of the blockaded territory. Military spokesman Richard Hecht said there is a “window” for safe passage to south Gaza between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. Without saying how many days the window would remain, Hecht told reporters: “We know this is going to take time but we recommend people not to delay.” Israeli troops were mobilising towards Gaza. Aerial patrolling was also sent to the Gaza border. Reportedly, Israeli soldiers, their tanks and munitions have been deployed near the Gaza border as they prepare for a full ground offensive against Hamas. Egypt, Israel and the United States have also agreed to allow foreigners residing in Gaza to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, and Israel agreed to refrain from striking areas the foreigners would pass through on their way out of the Palestinian territory. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Saturday for protection for civilians in both the Gaza Strip and Israel. Blinken met his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Riyadh as he began a third day of intense Middle East diplomacy aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a regional conflict and fuelling a humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia has suspended talks on potentially normalising ties with Israel, a source told AFP on Saturday, amid the war raging between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said that Washington should “play a constructive and responsible role” in the Israel-Gaza conflict, during a phone call with his Blinken. The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza said that the Israeli strikes have so far killed at least 2,215 people, including 724 children. Around 458 women were among those killed and 8,714 people have also been wounded. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah said it shelled Israeli positions in a contested border area on the day. Two more special flights to fly out Indian nationals from Israel After flying out more than 400 Indian nationals from Israel on two consecutive days, the [Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv has announced two special flights on October 14]( to further facilitate more Indians wanting to leave the country amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict. The special flights are part of ‘Operation Ajay’ launched on October 12 to facilitate the return of those Indian nationals who wished to return home. The first flight is expected to leave at 5:00 pm local time and can carry 230 passengers. The second flight is scheduled at 11:00 pm local time and can carry 330 passengers. “The Embassy has emailed the next lot of registered Indian citizens for two special flights today. Messages to other registered people will follow for subsequent flights,” the Indian Embassy in Israel posted the announcement on X. There are about 18,000 Indian nationals living and working in Israel including caregivers, students, several IT professionals, and diamond traders. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla protests against EU Parliament raising India’s internal issues Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on October 14, in a bilateral meeting with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Nicola Beer, [protested against discussing India’s internal issues in EU’s Parliament](. “He (Om Birla) insisted that every nation and Parliament is sovereign and their internal issues should not be discussed by others,” a statement from the Lok Sabha Secretariat said. Though the statement didn’t make any reference to any particular internal issue, sources told The Hindu that Birla’s reference was to the July resolution of the EU Parliament that discussed the violence in Manipur. India had then said that the move by the EU Parliament reflected a “colonial mindset”. During his valedictory address to the Parliamentary Speakers Summit (P-20) of G-20 countries, Birla had said that no issue can be seen in isolation in an interconnected world as several leaders talked about the West Asia conflict and other geo-political issues. The Lok Sabha Speaker pointed out that paragraph 27 of the Joint Statement talked about pursuing parliamentary diplomacy for international peace. Stating that the adoption of the Joint Statement has strengthened the P-20 process, Birla handed over the P-20 presidency to the President of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Cesar Pereira de Lira, as Brazil will hold the G-20 presidency next year. Traditional Indian medicine set to make a global debut, seeking inclusion in WHO’s ICD-11 list In a move meant to put the Indian system of medicine on the world map and provide it with a common standardised language, the [Union government has sought for Ayurveda and related systems to be included in the 11th revision of the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases]( (ICD), as the second module of a supplementary chapter on traditional medicine conditions. The ICD provides a common language that allows health professionals to share standardised information across the world. The traditional medicine module of the 11th revision provides a list of diagnostics categories to collect and report on traditional medicine conditions in a standardised and internationally comparable manner. Speaking exclusively to The Hindu about the development, Ministry of Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said: “We are hopeful that the addition of Module-2 for Ayurveda could happen as early as by next January.” “Ayurveda and related Indian traditional health care systems are formally recognised and widely practised health care systems in India, which is making a strong and valid point for its inclusion,” said Kotecha, adding that efforts to effectively regulate traditional medicine as an integral part of the health system require standardised and evidence-based information. Kotecha further explained that the traditional medicine chapter under ICD-11 is a formative step for the integration of such forms of medicine into a classification standard used in conventional medicine. The Ministry added that this chapter would also help to respond to growing demands for more and better regulation of traditional medicine, and its integration in mainstream health care and health information systems. Passenger ferry service between India and Sri Lanka begins again, after nearly 40 years [An international, high-speed passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam on the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in the northern province of Sri Lanka resumed]( on October 14, after a gap of nearly four decades. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal and Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports, E.V. Velu, flagged off the craft from Nagapattinam. The high-speed craft Cheriyapani embarked on its journey around 8.15 a.m. from Nagapattinam with 50 passengers and 12 crew members headed by Captain Biju George. In video messages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe hailed this diplomatic effort and highlighted the importance of launching the ferry service between the two nations. Calling it a new chapter in diplomatic and economic ties between India and Sri Lanka, Modi said the ferry service will help strengthen cultural, commercial, and civilisational ties between the two nations. Connectivity is the central theme of the joint vision of the India - Sri Lanka economic partnership, Modi said, adding that India will take steps to resume the operation of the ferry service between Rameswaram and Talaimannar as well. Wickremesinghe said this was an important step in improving connectivity between the two nations. People of both countries have travelled across the Palk strait for many years, he said and added that the ferry services operated in the past were suspended due to the civil war in Sri Lanka. The Shipping Corporation of India has roped in a private agency to sell tickets. The vessel can accommodate 150 passengers on board and will start from Nagapattinam at 7 a.m. and reach Kankesanthurai at 11 a.m. The return journey will start at 1.30 p.m. at Kankesanthurai and reach Nagapattinam at 5.30 p.m. A one-way ticket for travel will cost around ₹7,670 and each passenger can carry up to 50 kg of baggage onboard. Louvre Museum, Versailles Palace evacuated after bomb threats with France on alert The [Louvre Museum in Paris and Versailles Palace evacuated visitors and staff on October 14 after receiving bomb threats](. The government has put France on high security alert after a fatal school stabbing by a suspected extremist. The Louvre communication service said no one was hurt and no incident was reported. Paris Police said officers searched the museum after it received written bomb threats. The former royal palace at Versailles also received bomb threats, a national police spokesperson said. The palace and its sprawling gardens were being evacuated while police examine the area, the spokesperson said. Alarms rang out through the Louvre, a vast space also in a former royal palace Paris overlooking the Seine River, when the evacuation was announced, and in the underground shopping centre beneath its signature pyramid. Police cordoned off the monument from all sides, and the underground access, as tourists and other visitors streamed out. Videos posted online showed people leaving, some hurriedly and some stopping to take photos, others apparently confused about what was happening. The French government raised the threat alert level and is deploying 7,000 troops to increase security after the October 13 school attack. French authorities say a former student suspected of Islamic radicalisation killed a teacher and wounded three other people before being captured. The government is also concerned about fallout in France from the war between Israel and Hamas. The Louvre, home to masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, welcomes between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors per day. In Brief: Australian referendum to create an Indigenous Voice to Parliament fails [Three leading advocates for constitutional change in Australia conceded defeat on October 14 in a referendum that would have created an Indigenous Voice to Parliament](. Australian Broadcasting Corp. said based on early vote counting that the states of New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia have rejected the amendment that would have created an Indigenous committee to advise Parliament and the government on issues that affect Australia’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority. The Voice needs majorities in each of at least four of the six states as well as a national majority for the referendum to pass. Christopher Luxon wins New Zealand election after incumbent Prime Minister Chris Hipkins concedes [Conservative former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand’s next Prime Minister]( after winning a decisive election victory on October 14. People voted for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern. The exact makeup of Luxon’s conservative government is still to be determined as ballots continued to be counted. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [Sign up for free]( Today’s Top Picks [[ICC World Cup: IND vs PAK | Rohit Sharma and bowlers make it 8-0 for India in ODI World Cups against Pakistan] ICC World Cup: IND vs PAK | Rohit Sharma and bowlers make it 8-0 for India in ODI World Cups against Pakistan]( [[World not on track to achieve most SDGs by 2030] World not on track to achieve most SDGs by 2030]( [[NASA spacecraft launched to mysterious and rare metal asteroid in first mission of its kind] NASA spacecraft launched to mysterious and rare metal asteroid in first mission of its kind]( [[Watch | U.S. interest rates were likely left too low for too long: John Authers] Watch | U.S. interest rates were likely left too low for too long: John Authers]( Copyright @ 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( Manage your newsletter subscription preferences [here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](