NEW DELHI: An Indian national who returned to India in the first batch of flights from Dubai after air travel resumed has described tense nights, emergency alarms and uncertainty as conflict in the Middle East disrupted travel across the Gulf. Saumya Khandelwal, who had travelled to Dubai for work, said she experienced missile alerts and saw debris during the escalation of hostilities involving Iran, the United States and Israel. “I have seen the missile, and we’ve seen this debris. And then we’ve also seen, we’ve also got alarms in the middle of the night where the government was sending us, the alarms were blaring for us to go to the shelter or to the basement of the hotel and be there,” she said. “It was 12:13 in the night and we get a huge alarm on our phone and we had to rush to the basement.”

Khandelwal had arrived in Dubai on Wednesday and was scheduled to return to India on Saturday, but her plans were disrupted when airspace restrictions were imposed amid rising tensions in the region. “I went on Wednesday and I was supposed to come back on Saturday. The afternoon we got to know that the space is closed,” she said. Authorities asked travellers to remain indoors as the situation unfolded. “We were asked by the authorities to be in the hotel and not roam around on the streets. We were in the hotel. Things were very frightening over there. We were very tense.” Despite the uncertainty, she said both local authorities and residents extended support to stranded travellers. “The government was fully cooperative and the people over there are very warm. There was full cooperation from everybody around. They opened their homes for the people over there.” The Indian Embassy in the UAE also stayed in touch with citizens during the crisis. “We’ve had calls, several calls that if you need any help, if we need anything, any sort of help, they were there to help,” she said. “I received about two, three calls from Indian Embassy.” The sounds of sirens and missile alerts created a climate of fear, she said. “I was very scared and I thought that I don’t think so that I’ll be able to move out of UAE for next two, three weeks at least.” Her family in India was also anxious as the situation unfolded. “It was just a four day trip for work and nobody had imagined that something like this was happening in UAE.” Even as tensions remained high, Khandelwal said everyday life in Dubai continued largely without panic. “Monday the city was functioning normally. People were on the roads, they were doing their daily chores. The groceries were open.” “There was no panic at all, which was the best part. The cabs were running smoothly, the hotels were running smoothly.” She also said hotels and airlines avoided raising prices during the crisis. “You will be glad to know that there was no surge pricing. We were staying at the same price at what we were for the last four days.” “Emirates did not increase even a single penny. I’ve come back at a very nominal pricing.” Residents and businesses also stepped forward to help stranded travellers, particularly during the Ramadan period. “People were distributing food there because it’s Ramadan over there. They didn’t want to kill the festivity of the place.” “Some of the companies opened their houses free of cost. Whoever wants to come, they can live and they can peacefully stay till the time flights resume.” When flights finally resumed, Khandelwal managed to secure a seat on an Emirates flight and rushed to the airport. “The moment Emirates started, I just got another 15 minutes back and I had to reach airport by 6:30.” Passengers remained anxious until the aircraft finally took off. “Our flight was stuck on the runway for about 45 minutes and I was just waiting that please God, this flight has to go.” Once airborne, relief swept through the cabin. “Everybody in the flight, they yelled, they were calling family when they landed. It was a very happy atmosphere. I was almost in tears that time.” Khandelwal also dismissed reports suggesting widespread attacks in central Dubai. “I was myself in the central of Dubai. I was in Business Bay, which is one of the most crowded areas.” “There was no bombing around. The bombing was mostly at the airport side and also around the coast side.” Reflecting on the experience, she said calm and faith helped her navigate the tense situation. “My key takeaway will be that please have faith in God because that kept me going.” She also expressed confidence that authorities would continue assisting Indians in the Gulf. “The government is very very cooperative. If you have any problem, you talk to people around and they’re all very calm.” “I’m sure our government relationship with the UAE government is phenomenal and they’re going to get back Indians whoever are stuck.” Despite the ordeal, Khandelwal said she intends to return to the UAE once the situation stabilises. “The moment this is sorted, I’m going to go back to UAE for work.”

NEW DELHI: Seeking to end confusion among commuters over speed limits on national highways and expressways, the road transport ministry has proposed that the authority be with the Centre to set these restrictions while state govts retain the power to notify the norms for all other roads within their jurisdiction.The ministry recently shared a host of proposed changes, including this, to end ambiguities over speed limits that state govt and local police put on NHs and expressways. As speed limits are set by local authorities, commuters, who don’t use NHs frequently, fail to note this and end up paying fines.At present, the road transport ministry notifies the maximum speed limit for all categories of roads, but state agencies can reduce this.People aware about the plan said that the ministry proposes to amend Section-112 of the MV Act, which empowers state govts to set both minimum and maximum speed limits. Similarly, Section 113, which empowers states to regulate, restrict, or prohibit the use of vehicles based on weight, would be amended.To bring clarity, it has been proposed that in the case of NHs, the power to specify the norms will rest with the ministry, and states will be free to set limits for their roads.“While, the notified speed norms on NH for cars is 100 kmph, states and local police often reduce this to 60-70 kmph on NH stretches passing through urban areas. This causes a lot of compliance issues for commuters. The proposed amendments will address this. Under the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, highway administrations appointed by NH agencies have the authority to control land, manage traffic, and remove unauthorised occupations on highways. Hence, there will be no more confusion,” said an official.

IISC Bengaluru (File photo)

Bengaluru: The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Wednesday said it has launched a “moonshot” project to develop brain co-processors that combine neuromorphic hardware with AI algorithms to enhance or restore brain function. The initiative is funded by the Pratiksha Trust, founded by Kris Gopalakrishnan and his wife Sudha.An MoU formalising the partnership was signed at IISc in the presence of Gopalakrishnan, Prof G Rangarajan, Director of IISc, and Prof B Gurumoorthy, chief executive, Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID), along with other faculty members and deans.“The project aims to develop both implantable and non-invasive brain co-processors capable of decoding neural activity from brain recordings, processing these signals using AI algorithms, and re-encoding them into the brain through neural stimulation or neurofeedback,” IISc said. The devices are expected to support cognitive rehabilitation, particularly for stroke survivors who have lost functions such as goal-directed reach and grasp.Gopalakrishnan said: “India is emerging as a global leader in neuroscience by uniting foundational research with clinical applications through collaborative, international partnerships. Supported significantly by the Pratiksha Trust, the Brain Co-Processors Moonshot Project accelerates the development of innovative medical technologies.”Ultimately, he said, these innovations aim to provide world-class transformative neurological treatments to the global population. The initiative builds on a pilot effort under IISc’s Brain, Computation and Data Science programme, a cross-departmental initiative involving more than 20 faculty members. That programme is also supported by the Pratiksha Trust.According to IISc, brain co-processors represent an emerging class of technologies designed to augment or restore the brain’s natural functions in real-world contexts. The current project seeks to build an AI-driven, closed-loop device that interfaces with different regions of the brain to restore coordinated movement.A key focus of the project is to develop indigenous capacity. The team plans to indigenise implant design, hardware systems and AI software stacks compatible with clinical infrastructure in low-resource settings. It also aims to create India-specific databases of stereo EEG and ECoG recordings, and to develop open-source AI tools, datasets and visualisation platforms as digital public goods.“In its first phase, the team will develop and validate a non-invasive neural co-processor to provide sensorimotor feedback for goal-directed reaching in stroke survivors. Parallel groundwork will be laid for an invasive implantable version,” IISc said.The second phase will focus on developing a minimally invasive embedded co-processor intended to restore sensorimotor coordination in individuals with chronic, multi-domain deficits following middle cerebral artery stroke.The IISc team will collaborate with medical professionals and researchers across India to clinically validate and deploy the devices in line with national and international standards, IIScs said, adding that feedback from neurologists, therapists, patients and caregivers will be incorporated throughout development. The institute will also work with research partners in India and abroad.Prof Rangarajan said the moonshot project brings together expertise across neuroscience, electrical engineering, bioelectronics and neuromorphic computing to address stroke rehabilitation.

Here are the top 5 stories of the day

Iran tensions deepen: Khamenei funeral delayed, Israel warns successor, 101 missing at sea

Tensions surrounding Iran intensified as state media said a farewell ceremony for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was postponed. Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that any future Iranian leader would be a “target for elimination.” Additionally, 101 people were reported missing after a submarine attack on an Iranian vessel off Sri Lanka. Follow live updates

‘Such a scary time’: How stranded passengers in Dubai used cabs, cash and detours to flee Iran crisis

As regional airspace closures followed missile exchanges linked to the Iran conflict, thousands were stranded in Dubai and across Gulf hubs. With flights grounded, travellers improvised — hiring taxis, crossing borders overland and paying thousands for last-minute tickets. Amid interceptions overhead and explosions nearby, many described the scramble to leave as chaotic and deeply unsettling. Read full story

MS Dhoni fined Rs 1000 after caught breaking traffic rules

Former Indian men’s cricket team captain MS Dhoni has been fined Rs 1000 for overspeeding in Ranchi after his car was caught breaking traffic rules near his home. The city’s automated traffic monitoring system recorded the vehicle going above the speed limit, and an e-challan was issued under Section 183 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Read full story

‘Committed war crimes’: BLA says it executed 7 Pakistan soldiers captured during Operation Herof II

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed it has executed seven Pakistani military personnel who were taken captive during “Operation Herof II” last month. The BLA had captured 17 soldiers on February 14, releasing 10 of them because they were ethnic Baloch. The group had suggested a prisoner swap with Islamabad in exchange for the remaining captives. Read full story

Protests over Ayatollah Khamenei’s killing in Kashmir: School closed, Meta blocks media pages

After large-scale protests over the past two days against the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, the Jammu and Kashmir government extended the closure of schools and colleges across the Valley until Saturday. At the same time, Meta blocked several newspaper accounts in the Valley, evoking condemnation from political parties. Read full story

NEW DELHI: In a major relief, the removal of hypothecation from vehicles will now happen automatically through an online system once loan is fully repaid, saving people from the hassle of multiple visits to transport offices and reaching out to banks. The road transport ministry has rolled out this new system, starting March 1 (Monday), initially with one nationalised bank and five Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC). More will be roped in soon.The move is aimed at eliminating procedural delays, and reducing inconvenience faced by borrowers in getting their vehicle records updated after clearing their loans and visiting regional transport offices to initiate removal of hypothecation from vehicle registration certificate. The process often involved multiple visits and significant paperwork.Officials said the system operates using RBI’s Unified Lending Interface (ULI), which enables secure and real-time data exchange between lenders and govt platforms. “The online interface interacts among banks, ULI and the Vahan system. So, the entire process, including the verification, happens without any human intervention. Once the process is complete, the owner gets an SMS from Vahan informing him/ her about the removal of hypothecation. This is part of govt’s initiative to improve ease of living,” said an official.Separately, after the vehicle owner repays the loan, the bank will send the ‘No Objection Certificate (NOC)’ to the owner.At present, SBI and five NBFCs, including Cholamandalam, Shriram Finance and Sundaram Finance, have started implementing this system. Officials said more banks and financial institutions will be onboarded onto the system in phases to ensure wider coverage and seamless implementation nationwide. They added that initiative will significantly reduce processing time and improve transparency.Welcoming the initiative, transport services expert Anil Chhikara said while banks and financing institutions take care of all hypothecation issue when one takes a loan to buy a vehicle, these institutions don’t help customers in the process when they repay the loans.

NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has set up a special control room to assist Indian nationals affected by the escalating crisis in West Asia and the Gulf region. The move comes amid growing security concerns as tensions continue to rise across the region.“A Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region,” the MEA said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the MEA said nearly one crore Indian citizens reside in West Asia, adding that their safety and well-being remain of “utmost priority” for the government.“The Control Room can be contacted from 9.00 am to 9.00 pm at: 1800118797 (Toll Free) +91 11 2301 2113, +91 11 2301 4104, +91 11 2301 7905,” the statement added. The MEA said the government will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and take appropriate decisions in the national interest. It added that New Delhi remains in contact with governments in the region as well as other key international partners.Meanwhile, the Consulate General of India in Jeddah on Tuesday said it is extending full support to Indian nationals travelling on special flights from the city amid regional travel disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.In a statement, the Consulate said Consul General Fahad Ahmed Khan Suri, along with senior officials, visited King Abdulaziz International Airport to review arrangements for Indian passengers departing on non-scheduled flights to various destinations in India.The special flights, operated by Indian carriers, have been arranged to mitigate the impact of recent disruptions and facilitate the return of affected passengers.The United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, in what has become one of the most significant escalations in the region in decades.In the days that followed, Iran has carried out a series of retaliatory attacks, primarily targeting Israel and US military bases across several Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.