Top news this week: Iran-Israel war escalates; Haryana assembly elections; more

The week observed important events in national politics and international diplomacy. Here is the top news from 29 September to 5 October. 
Take a look:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jamaican PM Andrew Holness hailed the ‘cricket diplomacy’ between the two countries on Tuesday and emphasised how cricket’s soft power has played a strong role in strengthening the people-to-people ties between the two countries.
Jamaican PM Andrew Holness lauded India’s prowess in cricket and Jamaica’s excellence in track and field, adding that it provides tremendous opportunities for mutual exchange and cooperation. Read here.
India could be in for a harsh winter as La Nina conditions are expected to emerge by October-November, potentially bringing severe cold waves to northwest and central India, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon season, which ended on Monday with an 8% surplus in rainfall for the June-September period, is experiencing a delayed withdrawal that is now expected to be completed by 17 October, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said. Read here.
As tensions escalate in West Asia amid Iran launching missiles at Israel, India on Wednesday called for dialogue and diplomacy to address the issue.
“We are deeply concerned at the escalation of the security situation in West Asia,” said MEA in a statement.
Also Read: Israel-Iran War LIVE Updates: Tel Aviv says it hit over 2,000 sites, killed 250 Hezbollah fighter amid Lebanon operation
New Delhi also reiterated a call for restrain by all concerned and protection of civilians.
The MEA further stated, “It is important that the conflict doesn’t take a wider regional dimension and we urge that all issues be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy.” Read here.
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan bagged the Best Actor award for his performance in Jawan at IIFA 2024, which was held in Abu Dhabi. A video of him receiving the award is going viral on social media. King Khan’s gesture towards filmmaker Mani Ratnam, who had come to present the award, has caught everyone’s attention. While receiving the award, SRK also touched Mani Ratnam’s feet and warmly hugged AR Rahman. 
Centre on Thursday approved conferring classical language status to five Indian languages and said that government is taking steps to ‘preserve their rich heritage’
At an event, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “Today, 5 languages Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali have been approved as classical languages…”
“This is a historical decision and this decision goes very well with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government’s philosophy of taking ride in our culture, taking pride in our heritage and taking pride in all the Indian languages and the rich heritage that we have.”
“By now, we had Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia were the notified classical languages… The government is taking many steps to conserve and promote the classical languages and to preserve the rich heritage of these languages…” Read here.
The Centre on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that the matters related to marital rape will have far-reaching socio-legal implications in the country and therefore, need a comprehensive rather than a strictly legal approach.
The submission was made in an affidavit filed in the apex court. Read here.
Amid the escaliting tension in West Asia, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said since, flights are running in these areas as per schedule, India has not started any immediate evacuation plan.
“As of now, from Israel, Iran and other countries, flights are running so people have the option if they want to leave. Families have reached out to us and to our embassies, but at this point, we don’t have any evacuation process going on. We have around 3,000 people in Lebanon, mostly in Beirut… In Iran, we have around 10,000 people, around 5,000 of them are students… In Israel, we have around 30,000 people largely caregivers and workers…” Read here.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will lead a delegation to Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit which will be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16, a government spokesperson said on Friday. The visit will mark the first high-level visit from India to Pakistan in about ten years.
“EAM Jaishankar will lead a delegation to Pakistan for the SCO summit which will be held in Islamabad on 15th and 16th October,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a press conference on Friday. Read here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the third Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi on Friday, said the Indian economy was undergoing transformational change to sustain high growth.
The prime minister said that the conclave is being organised at a time when there is a war situation in two major regions of the world. Referring to the Russia-Ukraine and West Asia conflicts, Modi said that these regions are very important for the global economy, especially energy security. Read here.
The fate of about 1031 candidates including Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Vinesh Phogat will be sealed in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) as elections to the 90-member assembly began across Haryana on Saturday.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is eyeing a hat-trick of electoral victories in the state while the Congress party is hoping to make a comeback after being in opposition for a decade. Votes will be counted on October 8.
Apart from the BJP and the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) have also stakes in today’s election.
In 2019 assembly polls, the BJP emerged as the single largest party by bagging 40 of the 90 seats, six short of simple majority. Eventually, the BJP formed the government in a post-poll alliance with the JJP and seven Independent MLAs. Read here.
(With inputs from agencies)