Balasore: Arrested BJD leader Soumyashankar Chakra, also known as Raja Chakra, was sent to judicial custody until March 19 by the Balasore High Court, officials said Friday.

According to reports, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has not yet filed a remand petition against Chakra, and his lawyer, Raghunath Pradhan, has not applied for bail. Earlier, authorities arrested former cooperative chairman Manas Ranjan Barik and secretary Utkal Das in connection with the case.

Chakra was arrested Thursday by the Crime Branch in connection with an alleged corruption case involving the Gandhamardan Mining Loading Agency in Keonjhar. He is accused of playing a key role in a scam worth Rs 185 crore ($22.2 million).

Authorities allege Chakra, in collaboration with other officials, siphoned off large sums of money. Official records indicate that the cooperative earned a profit of Rs 185 crore between 2017-18 and March 2024, though no audit has been conducted since 2012-13.

Ottawa: Canada has taken official steps by requesting consultations with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to dispute US import duties on steel and aluminum products from Canada, according to a statement issued by the trade organization.

The request was circulated to WTO members Thursday, said the statement.

Canada argued that US measures, which ceased its exemption and increased duties, contravene US obligations under GATT 1994, Xinhua news agency reported.

Mary Ng, minister of export promotion, international trade and economic development, said Wednesday that Canada was seeking formal consultations with the US regarding tariffs on steel and aluminum.

“Canada is deeply disappointed that the US has chosen to reimpose these unjustified tariffs that hurt workers and businesses on both sides of the border,” Ng said in the statement. “These unilateral tariffs violate the United States’ obligations under both the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and the WTO Agreement.”

Francois-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, made a statement Thursday that Canadian steel and aluminum form the basis of North America’s critical infrastructure and manufacturing base, while supporting vital US industries, including defense, shipbuilding and automotive.

The industry minister said he directed Industry Canada to prioritise funding of projects that use predominantly Canadian steel and aluminum.

Canada announced Wednesday reciprocal tariffs on US steel and aluminum imports worth 29.8 billion Canadian dollars ($20.7 billion). This trade move came in response to US President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports coming into effect on the same day.

February 10, US President Donald Trump signed proclamations to raise tariffs on aluminum from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, aligning them with the existing tariff rate for steel.

He also decided to eliminate duty-free quotas, exemptions, and exclusions for steel and aluminum tariffs. These measures were set to take effect March 12.

March 11, Trump announced a plan to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports to 50 per cent in response to tariffs on electricity exports from the Canadian province of Ontario. But the plan was reversed later that day after Ontario dropped the electricity export tariffs affecting three US states.

IANS

Monkeys living in forests often stay in groups and sometimes trespass into human settlements in search of food. When monkeys come in groups, people usually avoid confronting them, but when a monkey is seen alone, some individuals try to harass it in various ways. At times, people throw stones at them for fun, causing injuries to these helpless creatures.

Meanwhile, a video is going viral on social media, showing an injured monkey entering a medical store to get treatment.

The video was shared on Instagram by an account named pia.bengaltigress and has been viewed by thousands of people, who are also expressing their reactions. One user wrote, “Indeed, humanity is still alive in this world.” Another commented, “This monkey turned out to be very intelligent, brother!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bengal Tigress (@pia.bengaltigress)

This viral video is reportedly from Meherpur, Bangladesh, where a monkey entered a medical store on its own to seek treatment and even indicated to the shopkeeper where it was injured. The video shows the monkey patiently allowing the people in the store to bandage its wound. Towards the end of the video, a person is seen carefully dressing the monkey’s wound.

New Delhi: India has rejected Pakistan’s allegations that New Delhi is behind the ethnic violence raging in the neighbouring country, saying it should look inwards instead of shifting blame for its own problems and that the world knows where the epicentre of global terrorism lies.

In response to media queries on the remarks made by the Pakistan side, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Friday that India strongly rejects the allegations as baseless.

“We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan. The whole world knows where the epicenter of global terrorism lies. Pakistan should look inwards instead of pointing fingers and shifting the blame for its own internal problems and failures onto others,” said MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a statement.

India has snubbed Pakistan after it hinted at India’s role in fomenting trouble in the restive Balochistan region.

The government’s response came after a senior Pakistani official accused India of “sponsoring terrorism” and trying to destabilise its neighbouring countries.

The accusation came after the hijacking of the Jaffar Express by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) during its journey from Quetta to Peshawar. The siege lasted about 30 hours, and 21 hostages and four security personnel were killed.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said the train attack was orchestrated from abroad but did not directly implicate India. He said the rebels were in contact with their handlers based in Afghanistan throughout the train siege.

When asked if Pakistan had changed its policy from blaming India in the past for BLA activity, he said its accusations against India hold even today. “There is no shift in our policy. And again, the facts have not changed…India is involved in sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan. What I was referring to was, in this particular incident, we have evidence of calls being traced to Afghanistan,” said the Pakistani official addressing media.

IANS

New Delhi: India all-rounder Axar Patel was Friday appointed captain of Delhi Capitals for upcoming IPL on expected lines pipping another senior player KL Rahul, who has joined the team this season.

Currently team’s longest serving player, having played six seasons for Delhi since 2019, the 31-year-old was DC’s top retention for INR 16.50 crore ahead of the mega auction last November. In 82 games for Delhi, he has scored 967 runs and picked up 62 wickets at a fantastic economy rate of shade over 7.

While his IPL captaincy experience is limited, he led Gujarat in domestic cricket including the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024-25.

He also served as India’s T20I vice-captain earlier this year and in their recent triumph in Champions Trophy Axar played a key role, taking five wickets at an economy of 4.35. He also played a key role at No 5 and scored 109 runs at 27.25.

“It is my absolute honour to captain the Delhi Capitals, and I’m deeply grateful to our owners and support staff for placing their faith in me,” stated Axar in a media release.

Axar will replace Rishabh Pant at the helm with the flamboyant keeper-batter exiting the franchise before the mega auction, and will now lead Lucknow Super Giants.

The team has seasoned players like Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Faf du Plessis, and Mitchell Starc in the leadership group, and it remains to be seen how Axar brings out the best in them to drive Delhi Capitals forward.

“I’ve grown as a cricketer and a human being during my time here at the Capitals, and I feel ready and confident to lead this side going forward.

DC, one of the three original IPL franchises yet to win a title (along with Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru), finished sixth last season with an equal win-loss record.

For IPL 2025, they have a revamped coaching setup with GMR taking management control for 2025 and 2026 season as per their understanding with co-owners JSW.

The support staff is headlined by Kevin Pietersen along with head coach Hemang Badani, director of cricket Venugopal Rao, assistant coach Matthew Mott and bowling coach Munaf Patel. Venugopal Rao’s brother Gnaneshwar Rao has also been included in the coaching set-up.

“Our coaches and scouts have done a superb job at the mega auction by putting together a balanced and robust squad which has tremendous potential.

“We have plenty of leaders in the group which is also very helpful for me, and I can’t wait to join the team as we look forward to a very successful season.”

Last season, he scored 235 runs at an average of nearly 30 and took 11 wickets at an economy of 7.65.

A veteran of 150 IPL matches, Axar has 1653 runs and 123 wickets to his name, which includes a stunning hat-trick in 2016 when he took 4 wickets in 5 balls for the Punjab franchise.

DC chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi and co-owner Parth Jindal backed his appointment, highlighting his leadership qualities and contributions to the franchise.

“I have witnessed Axar’s progression as a cricketer and a leader first-hand at the Delhi Capitals,” stated Jindal.

“My relationship with him is one that goes beyond cricket. He is a much-loved character in the dressing room and is someone who I am sure will motivate the players in the squad.

“Axar has blossomed into a brilliant, mature cricketer whose all-round prowess was on full display in India’s T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy winning campaigns recently.

“With seniors like KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis and Mitchell Starc being part of our leadership group, I believe this is the start of something special for the Delhi Capitals.”

“This decision reflects the natural progression for him as a leader — from being our vice-captain for two seasons to now leading the team, he has always stepped up to the occasion for us,” stated Grandhi.

With Axar’s appointment, all five IPL teams who needed new captains after the mega auction have finalised their leaders: Rajat Patidar (RCB), Ajinkya Rahane (KKR), Rishabh Pant (LSG), and Shreyas Iyer (PBKS).

Delhi Capitals will kick-start their IPL 2025 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants in Visakhapatnam March 24.

Lahore: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) domestic flight landed on the Lahore airport with one of its wheels missing, an official said Friday.

However, no untoward accident was reported due to the Thursday morning incident, the official said.

One of the rear wheels of PIA flight PK-306, which left from Karachi for Lahore, was missing when it landed at the Lahore airport, the official said.

An investigation has been initiated into the incident, a PIA official told PTI.

He added it was being probed whether the aircraft left Karachi with the “missing wheel” or got detached and fell during the take-off.

He said some fragments of the wheel were found at the Karachi airport.

“It appears that one of the rear wheels was in shabby condition when the aircraft took off,” the official said.

A PIA spokesperson said the PK-306 made a “smooth and uneventful landing” as per the schedule.

“Passengers disembarked as per routine. During a walk-around inspection by the aircraft captain, it was revealed that one out of the six-wheel assemblies on the main landing gear (rear) is missing,” he said.

“As per the standard flight practices, the matter was taken up by PIA flight safety and the Lahore airport teams who are investigating the matter and will submit their report later,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson further said the aircraft was designed looking into these contingencies and that no risk was posed to the equipment and the passengers.

He said the investigation team would also probe whether the wheel was stolen, whose chances are otherwise slim.

New Delhi: A set of six properties,  including some considered serially, such as Ashokan Edict Sites and Chausath Yogini Temples spread across multiple states — have been added to India’s tentative list by the UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre.

These sites were added to the list March 7, the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO said in a statement.

India at UNESCO shared the statement on the microblogging site X late Thursday.

Addition to the World Heritage Centre’s tentative list is mandatory if a property is to be nominated for inscription to the World Heritage List in future, it said.

The six properties added to the tentative list include Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh; Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs in Telangana; serial nomination of Ashokan Edict Sites along the Mauryan Routes (multiple states); serial nomination of Chausath Yogini Temples (multiple states); serial nomination of Gupta Temples in north India (multiple states), and the palace-fortresses of the Bundelas in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the statement said.

With these additions, India now has 62 sites on the tentative list.

The ‘tentative list’ is an inventory of properties each country intends to consider for UNESCO nomination.

According to the UNESCO website, the Chausath Yogini Temples considered serially includes sites at multiple locations in the country.

“The Chausath Yogini Temples have 64 images of Yoginis in their shrines with intricate stone carvings circularly arranged. These temples are mostly situated on hilltops. ‘Yogini’ refers to a female practitioner of yoga, and ‘chausath’ is the Hindi word for the number 64. The Yoginis are 64 in number and hence called the Chausath Yogini. They are a group of forest spirits and mother goddesses,” reads a description on the UNESCO website.

“It is this embodiment of both alluring and threatening qualities, as well as the large number of goddesses from the group that identifies them as Yoginis,” it reads.

At present, a total of 43 properties from India are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including 35 in the ‘Cultural’ category, seven in the ‘Natural’ and one in the ‘Mixed’ category.

India hosted a World Heritage Committee meeting for the first time in 2024, during which the Moidams- the mound-burial system of the Ahom Dynasty in Assam- was accorded the coveted UNESCO tag.

PTI

Taipei: Representatives of China, Russia and Iran called Friday for an end to US sanctions on Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program and a restart to multinational talks on the issue.

The talks are the latest attempt to broach the matter, coming after US President Donald Trump wrote to Iran’s supreme leader in an attempt to jumpstart talks.

The letter, which hasn’t been published, was offered as Trump levied new sanctions on Iran as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign that holds out the possibility of military action while emphasising he still believed a new deal could be reached.

The three nations who met Friday morning “emphasised the necessity of terminating all unlawful unilateral sanctions,” China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu read from a joint statement, flanked by Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

“The three countries reiterated that political and diplomatic engagement and dialogue based on the principle of mutual respect remains the only viable and practical option in this regard,” Ma read.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was due to meet with the representatives later in the day.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has mocked Trump, saying he wasn’t interested in talks with a “bullying government,” although Iranian officials have offered conflicting signals over the possibility of negotiations. Trump sent a letter to Khamenei in 2019 with no apparent effect on rising tensions.

China and Russia are both permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with France and Britain, that took part in the original 2015 Iran nuclear deal preliminary framework agreement alongside Germany and the European Union. Trump withdrew America from the accord in 2018, setting in motion years of attacks and tensions in the wider Middle East.

China and Russia have particularly close relations with Iran through energy deals, and Iran has provided Russia with bomb-carrying drones in its war against Ukraine.

They are also seen as sharing a joint interest in diminishing the role of the US and other liberal democracies in determining world events in favour of their own highly authoritarian systems.

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran now enriches uranium to near weapons-grade levels of 60%, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so.

Under the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium only up to 3.67% purity and to maintain a uranium stockpile of 300 kilograms (661 pounds). The last report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran’s program put its stockpile at 8,294.4 kilograms (18,286 pounds) as it enriches a fraction of it to 60% purity.

While Iran has maintained it won’t negotiate under duress, its economy has been savaged by the US sanctions. Protests over women’s rights, the economy and Iran’s theocracy in recent years have shaken its government.

China has sought to become more involved in Middle Eastern affairs and a year ago hosted talks leading to the full restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

AP

Singapore: A 29-year-old injured Indian national is in a stable condition and has been discharged from a Singapore hospital following an incident of illegal boarding by unknown suspects of a chemical tanker in the Singapore Strait, a media report said Friday.

Officers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) boarded the vessel February 28 at 8.20 am and saw a crew member lying on the ship’s main deck, bleeding from his right eye.

Seeing that his injuries were serious, PCG Inspector Muhammad Rasidi Suriade told two of his officers to stay with the injured man, while the remaining four officers turned their attention to finding the suspects on board the ship.

“Someone was injured, and his life could have been on the line. We had to clear the main deck as fast as possible, so he could be evacuated quickly and receive medical help,” The Straits Times quoted Inspector Rasidi as recalling the incident at the Brani Base of PCG Wednesday.

Rasidi recounted the “unauthorised boarding” incident that happened in the Singapore Strait, outside Singapore territorial waters.

His team on the PCG boat rushed to the scene following a call February 28 about a Singapore-registered chemical tanker being boarded illegally by unknown suspects.

But before locating them, Rasidi said he and his team had to gather every crew member and ensure they were accounted for.

In around 20 minutes, Rasidi and his team cleared the main deck, and the Singapore Civil Defence Force attended to the casualty and evacuated him.

The inspector added, “We needed to rule out the possibility a perpetrator was posing as a crew member, or that someone else was injured on another part of the ship.”

The PCG officers verified the passports of more than 20 people, matching their faces to their identity photos.

As this happened, a PCG patrol boat stood guard beside the chemical tanker, which is the size of around five Olympic swimming pools and more than 50 times the size of the PCG patrol boat.

After two hours of sweeping the entire tanker, no perpetrators were found on board. The police said investigations are ongoing.

PTI

Kolkata: Abdul Hai, the retired assistant inspector who was earlier attached to the security control organisation of Kolkata Police and was arrested this year in connection with the fake passport racket in West Bengal, had cleared police verifications for at least 52 applications for fake passports reportedly against payment of cash.

The details of the involvement of the retired cop in the matter had been mentioned in the charge sheet filed by the cops in the matter to a lower court in Kolkata Thursday.

Sources aware of the developments said that the charge sheet also contains the details of the financial gains that Hai made through these 52 police verification clearances where he was the on-ground enquiry or verification officer.

After the arrest of Hai in January this year, the role of five other verification officers attached to different police stations also came under the scanner of the investigation officials.

However, their names are yet to figure in the charge sheet since the investigation against them is yet to be completed and might be included in any eventual supplementary charge sheet filed in the matter.

In the charge sheet, a total of 130 individuals have been named and out of this 120 are Bangladeshi residents and the remaining are Indian nationals.

The main charges against the Bangladeshi nationals are that they created fake Indian passports by furnishing forged documents and paying huge amounts of money. The charges against the accused Indian nationals are that they played the role of facilitators for arranging fake Indian identity documents including Indian passports for these illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators.

The cops investigating the fake Indian identity document rackets have identified a specific pattern in the operations of such rackets in this particular crime.

Any infiltrator illegally crossing over into the Indian territory, contacting the local agents, and showing willingness to pay hefty amounts for getting fake Indian identity documents was first provided with safe shelters at the different villages adjacent to the borders with Bangladesh in the state, both land and coastal.

Thereafter, the agents arrange for fake ration cards for them, which is the first step for making other identity documents. By the fake ration cards, other identification documents like EPIC, PAN, and AADHAAR cards are acquired. The last step is getting the fake passports based on these other fake identity documents.

IANS

New Delhi: Chartered accountants’ apex body ICAI may review the financial statements of IndusInd Bank, which is grappling with discrepancies in accounting to the tune of Rs 2,100 crore.

The private sector lender, March 10, disclosed about some discrepancies in its derivatives portfolio which could have an adverse impact of about 2.35 per cent of the bank’s net worth as of December 2024 as per its internal review.

Analysts peg the discrepancy at Rs 2,100 crore in absolute terms.

Against this backdrop, the Financial Reporting Review Board (FRRB) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is likely to review the financial statements of the bank.

“As a proactive measure, ICAI-FRRB may undertake a review of the financial statements of IndusInd Bank,” ICAI President Charanjot Singh Nanda told PTI Thursday.

FRRB conducts reviews of financial statements of companies to assess compliance with Accounting Standards, Standards on Auditing, and Schedule II and III of the Companies Act, 2013, among others.

Also, FRRB assesses compliance with various guidance notes on accounting and auditing and master circulars/ directions issued by the Bank of India (RBI).

Chartered accountants do most of the audit work.

IndusInd Bank had also said the accounting lapse was noted around September- October last year, and the bank gave a preliminary update to the RBI about this last week.

The final figure will be known after the external agency, which the bank has appointed, finalises its report by early April.

PTI

Gorakhpur: No country and religion has such a rich tradition of festivals as Sanatan Dharma, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Friday on the occasion of Holi and asserted that India moves ahead through festivals.

Addressing the traditional “Narsingh Shobhayatra’ in Gorakhpur, he stressed that Holi gives out the message of maintaining an “Akhand” (intact) country through unity. “The vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat’ will be fulfilled,” he stressed.

“No country in the world, no caste, no religion has such a rich tradition of festivals as Sanatan Dharma. We have faith in Sanatan Dharma, and faith is the soul of festivals. India moves ahead through festivals.” Adityanath said.

“You have seen that those who oppose Sanatan Dharma have seen the ability (‘saamarth’) of Sanatan Dharma as well as that of India through the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. Over 66 crore devotees came together and got blessings in the mega bathing rituals at Sangam. There was no discrimination based on caste or region,” the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

Before the procession, Adityanath was seen squatting on the ground with seers for Holi celebrations. He also showered flowers on people taking part in the procession.

PTI

Mumbai: Television actor Arjun Bijlani shared a funny incident when he accidentally drank “bhaang” during his Holi celebrations.

In a lighthearted recollection, Arjun revealed how the festive drink turned into an unexpected adventure. Recalling one of his funniest Holi memories, the actor shared, “Once, I accidentally had bhaang, and for three hours straight, I kept repeating the same thing. My friends couldn’t stop laughing! That was a crazy experience. Now, I’m actually scared of it!” he said, bursting into laughter.”

Talking about the essence of Holi, the Ishq Mein Marjawan actor added, “Holi is all about togetherness, and for me, it’s incomplete without my family. Neha, my mom and Ayaan are always by my side, making the celebration even more special. Watching Ayaan enjoy the colors and sweets reminds me of my own childhood. And also, celebrating any festival with your friends is always fun.”

For Arjun, yellow is the color that best represents his personality. “Yellow represents happiness, positivity, and energy. I always try to stay cheerful and spread good vibes, just like the color yellow does. Life should be as colorful as Holi, but at its core, I always want to remain as bright and joyful as yellow,” he revealed.

Interestingly, Holi celebrations are incomplete without the iconic Bollywood tunes, and for Arjun, “Rang Barse” is the ultimate Holi anthem.

He shared, “The moment this song plays, you just feel like picking up a handful of gulaal and dancing your heart out. ‘Rang Barse Bheege Chunarwali, Rang Barse…’ The beats, the lyrics, and the whole vibe of the song make it so energetic and fun!”

On the work front, Arjun Bijlani is widely known for his roles in shows like Left Right Left, Miley Jab Hum Tum, Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi, Naagin, and Ishq Mein Marjawan.

IANS

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Assembly witnessed a dramatic start to the budget session as the opposition AIADMK staged a walkout while the BJP boycotted the proceedings.

AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), accused the ruling DMK government of failing to take responsibility for a liquor scam that allegedly involved corruption worth over Rs 1,000 crore.

Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, EPS demanded the resignation of the DMK government, citing moral responsibility over the scam.

He criticised the government for its lack of transparency, stating that despite an ongoing investigation, no substantial action had been taken.

EPS also claimed that the opposition had submitted a no-confidence motion against the Speaker, but it was ignored and not taken up for discussion.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Coimbatore MLA Vanathi Srinivasan addressed reporters outside the Assembly, explaining the party’s decision to boycott the session. She accused the Tamil Nadu government of insulting the Constitution by removing the Devanagari rupee symbol from the state budget logo and replacing it with the Tamil rupee symbol.

She argued that while the Tamil rupee symbol is commonly used in private and personal writings, the official removal of the nationally accepted rupee symbol was a deliberate move.

According to her, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and his cabinet had taken an oath under the Constitution, yet their actions undermined constitutional principles.

Vanathi Srinivasan also accused the DMK government of diverting public attention from real issues, such as the Rs 1,000 crore liquor scam that was flagged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

She alleged that instead of addressing corruption, the government was engaging in symbolic changes to shift focus.

The presentation of this year’s budget has been overshadowed by controversy following Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s decision to remove the Indian rupee symbol (₹) from the state budget’s official logo. Instead, the Tamil alphabet ‘Roo’ (‘ரூ’) has been used to represent ‘Roobai,’ the Tamil word for rupee.

Thursday (March 13), CM Stalin unveiled the promotional logo for the budget, featuring the new symbol along with the slogan “Ellarkum Ellam” (Everything for Everyone), emphasising inclusiveness. However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders and Union Ministers, who have accused the DMK government of promoting linguistic and regional chauvinism.

The Tamil Nadu budget session commenced with Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu presenting the budget. However, the AIADMK’s walkout and the BJP’s boycott signal a stormy and contentious session ahead.

IANS

Guwahati: Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to arrive in Assam’s Jorhat on Friday night on a three-day visit to the Northeast, officials said.

After arriving in Jorhat, Shah will travel to the nearby town of Dergaon in the Golaghat district. He will stay the night at the Lachit Barphukan Police Academy in Deragaon, they said.

Saturday morning, he will inaugurate the upgraded police academy, the first phase of which was completed at Rs 167.4 crore.

He will also lay the foundation stone for the second phase of the works at Rs 425.48 crore.

Shah will then leave for Mizoram, where he will attend a function to mark the moving of the Assam Rifles establishment from Aizawl to Zokhawsang, around 15 km from the state capital.

Shah will return to Guwahati in the evening and stay the night at the state guest house in Koinadhora.

Sunday morning, he will go to Dotma in Assam’s Kokrajhar district to address the 57th Annual Conference of the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU).

ABSU was a signatory to the historic Bodo Peace Accord five years ago, and the home minister will address the open session where Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) chief Pramod Boro, senior ministers and MPs will be present.

Shah will return to Guwahati in the afternoon and review the progress of the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in the Northeast with the chief ministers of the eight states of the region.

A presentation by each state will be given on the progress made in the implementation of the BNS so far.

He will leave for New Delhi Sunday night, officials said.

PTI

Karachi: The driver of Jaffar Express, which was hijacked by Balochistan Liberation Army militants, has described the terrifying moment when the insurgents attacked the train as survivors praised the military for their rescue.

Tuesday, Jaffar Express travelling from Quetta to Peshawar and carrying 440 passengers was hijacked, and 21 civilians and four soldiers were killed.

Speaking after the attack, Amjad described how the militants first detonated an explosive under the train’s engine, causing the bogies to derail, the Express Train reported.

“As soon as the train stopped, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists launched an attack,” he said.

Meanwhile, one of the freed passengers recalled how the attackers took them hostage after the blast.

“They held us at gunpoint, but the commandos risked their own lives to rescue us,” he said, adding that the military’s courage gave them strength during the ordeal.

The ordeal began Tuesday when separatist militants ambushed the Jaffar Express, blowing up the railway track and attacking the train with rockets.

Security forces stormed the hijacked Jaffar Express Wednesday, bringing a dramatic end to a 30-hour siege in the rugged Bolan area of Balochistan, killing all 33 terrorists while successfully rescuing more than 300 passengers.

Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the chief military spokesperson, revealed that 21 people were killed during the day-long standoff.

However, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general firmly said that no civilians were harmed in the final rescue operation carried out by the armed forces.

According to the DG ISPR, the attack occurred in a remote and difficult-to-access area. He stated that the rescue operation was launched immediately, with the Army, Air Force and Frontier Corps (FC) taking part.

This is the first time the BLA or any insurgent group in the Balochistan province have resorted to hijacking a passenger train, although since last year, they have stepped up their attacks on security forces, installations and foreigners in different parts of the province.

PTI

Kochi: Former Congress legislator Anil Akkara, who played a key role in exposing the Rs 324-crore Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam, has claimed that if the ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe proceeds in the right direction in this case, top CPI-M leaders will be named as accused in the final charge sheet.

Akkara’s remarks come in response to news that the ED has summoned Alathur Lok Sabha MP K. Radhakrishnan for questioning.

He alleged that Radhakrishnan, along with former minister and current CPI-M legislator A.C. Moideen and former Thrissur CPI-M district secretary M.M. Varghese, would be named as accused if the investigation is conducted thoroughly.

“So far, these leaders have been shielded due to a secret deal struck during the 2024 Thrissur Lok Sabha election. However, the ED has already recovered Rs 60 lakh from CPI-M party bank accounts and Rs 40 lakh from Moideen under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This scam occurred during their tenure as Thrissur district CPI-M secretaries,” Akkara said.

The ED’s latest notice to Radhakrishnan comes after a gap of more than six months in the investigation. Radhakrishnan, a former two-time state minister and ex-Speaker, is a prominent CPI-M leader from Thrissur. The notice has put the ruling party on the defensive as it prepares for the 24th Party Congress in Madurai this April.

Radhakrishnan, a member of the CPI-M Central Committee, was served the notice upon his recent arrival in Thrissur. The party is reportedly seeking to delay his appearance, citing the ongoing Parliament session.

This is the first time Radhakrishnan has been summoned since the scam surfaced, sending shockwaves through the party. The ED has already questioned several senior CPI-M leaders, including Moideen, former Lok Sabha member P.K. Biju, former CPI-M legislator M.K. Kannan, and M.M. Varghese.

Several local CPI-M leaders and employees of the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank were arrested and jailed in connection with the scam, although many have since secured bail.

The Thrissur Lok Sabha seat holds particular significance as it was the only constituency in Kerala where the BJP emerged victorious in 2024, with actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi clinching the win.

IANS

Washington: Federal agencies will begin to vacate hundreds of offices across the country this summer under a frenetic and error-riddled push by Elon Musk’s budget-cutting advisers to terminate leases that they say waste money.

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency maintains a list of canceled real estate leases on its website, but internal documents obtained by The Associated Press contain a crucial detail when those cancellations are expected to take effect. The documents from inside the General Services Administration, the US government’s real estate manager, list dozens of federal office and building leases expected to end by June 30, with hundreds more slated over the coming months.

The rapid pace of cancellations has raised alarms, with some agencies and lawmakers appealing to DOGE to exempt specific buildings. Several agencies are facing 20 or more lease cancellations in all, including the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the US Department of Agriculture and the US Geological Survey.

Many of the terminations would affect agencies that aren’t as well-known but oversee services critical to many Americans.

They span from a Boise, Idaho, office of the Bureau of Reclamation — which oversees water supply and deals with disputes across the often-parched American West — to a Joliet, Illinois, outpost of the Railroad Retirement Board, which provides benefits for railroad workers and their survivors.

The lease terminations do not mean all the locations will close. In some cases, agencies may negotiate new leases to stay in place, downsize their existing space or relocate elsewhere.

“Some agencies are saying I’m not leaving. We can’t leave,’ said Chad Becker, a former GSA real estate official who now represents building owners with government leases at Arco Real Estate Solutions. “I think there’s going to be a period of pushback, a period of disbelief. And then, if necessary, they may start working on the actual execution of a move.

Errors add to confusion

DOGE says GSA has notified landlords in recent weeks that it plans to terminate 793 leases, focusing mostly on those that can be ended within months without penalty. The group estimates those moves will save roughly $500 million over the terms of the leases, which in some cases were slated to continue into the 2030s. The Bureau of Reclamation cancellation in Boise, for instance, would take effect Aug. 31 and is expected to save a total of $18.7 million through 2035.

But DOGE’s savings estimates — a fraction of Musk’s $1 trillion cost-cutting goal — have not been verified and do not take into account the costs of moves and closures. The group has released no information about what they will mean for agencies.

“My initial reaction is this is just going to cause more chaos,” said Jim Simpson, an accountant in Arizona who helps low-income people file taxes and serves on an IRS panel that advocates for taxpayers. “There’s a lot of room to help with government efficiency, but it should be done surgically and not with a chainsaw.”

Simpson said he was surprised to learn that dozens of IRS offices, including local taxpayer assistance centres, were facing upcoming lease cancellations. He refers clients there to get paperwork to file returns and answer IRS inquiries, and he said losing services would “cause a lot of anxiety” and delay refunds.

Plans to cancel the leases at several of the IRS centres and other sites were in error and have been rescinded, according to a person with direct knowledge of the changes who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity in order to avoid retaliation. Those changes are not yet reflected on DOGE’s list, which only removed one and added dozens more in its latest update published Thursday.

The GSA walked back the cancellation of a Geological Survey office in Anchorage, Alaska, for instance, after learning it did not have termination rights, according to the person familiar with the matter.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said Monday that he’d convinced DOGE to back off lease terminations planned for the National Weather Centre in Norman, a Social Security office in Lawton and the Indian Health Services office in Oklahoma City. But all three leases remained on DOGE’s list of cancellations as of Thursday.

GSA’s press office didn’t respond to inquiries.

The real estate market is blindsided

While there was already a bipartisan push to reduce the government’s real estate footprint, the mass cancellations blindsided an industry known for its stability.

Landlords who had been expecting government agencies to remain tenants, for several more years in some cases under their existing leases, were stunned. Some agencies learned from building managers, not their federal partners, that their leases were being canceled, according to real estate managers.

Becker, whose firm is tracking the DOGE lease cancellations, and other observers said they expect some agencies will be unable to move their personnel and property out of their spaces within such tight timelines. That may force some agencies to pay additional rent during what’s known as a holdover period, undermining DOGE’s stated goal of saving taxpayer money.

The Building Owners and Managers Association, which represents the commercial real estate industry, told landlords in a recent advocacy alert to be prepared to seek payment from any federal government tenants who stay beyond their leases.

Many affected agencies aren’t speaking up

Asked about plans for buildings with leases that will soon expire, the IRS did not respond. A Social Security Administration spokesperson downplayed the impact of its offices losing leases, saying many were “small remote hearing sites,” did not serve the public, were already being consolidated elsewhere or planned for closure.

Several other agencies provided little clarity — saying they were working with GSA to consider their options, in statements that were nearly identical in some cases.

But a spokesperson for the Railroad Retirement Board expressed concern over the upcoming lease cancellations of its offices in Joliet, Illinois, and eight other states, saying it was working to maintain a public-facing office presence for the local railroad community.”

Government Accountability Office official David Marroni told a congressional hearing last week that the push to unload unnecessary federal real estate was “long overdue,” saying agencies have for too long held on to unnecessary space. But he warned the downsizing must be deliberate and carefully planned to “generate substantial savings and mitigate the risk of mistakes and unexpected mission impacts.”

That process had already started before Musk’s team arrived, with the federal government’s real estate portfolio steadily declining over the last decade. Indeed, critics of DOGE say if it were truly interested in cost-cutting, it could learn from GSA, whose mission even before Trump took office was to deliver “effective and efficient” services to the American public.

A law signed by former President Joe Biden before he left office in January directed agencies to measure the true occupancy rates of leased spaces by this summer. Those that did not meet a target of 60% use rate over time would be directed to dispose of their excess space.

”There is a logical and orderly way to do this,” Rep. Greg Stanton, an Arizona Democrat, said at last week’s hearing. Instead, he said, DOGE is pursuing a reckless approach that threatens to harm the delivery of public services.

Industry observers cautioned that each situation is different, and it will take months or years to understand the full impact of the lease cancellations.

“It really depends on the terms. But it is a shock, there is no question, that all of a sudden, boom, in six weeks, all these things have happened,” said J. Reid Cummings, a professor of finance and real estate at the University of South Alabama.

AP

Imphal: Four militants of different Imphal Valley-based proscribed outfits were arrested in separate operations, police said Friday.

A member of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was arrested from her house in Sagolband Sayang Kurao Makhong in Imphal West district Thursday. She was identified as Thokchom Ongbi Anita Devi (46), they said.

Among the items recovered from her were a pistol with a magazine, 33 live rounds, five SIM cards, and six mobile phones, they added.

A member of the proscribed United National Liberation Front (UNLF-K) was arrested near the India-Myanmar border in the Tenugopal district. He was identified as Moirangtham Ricky Singh (22) of Khurai Chairenthong in the Imphal East district.

An active cadre of the banned PREPAK, involved in extorting local businesses, was arrested from Sekmaijin Ningolkhong in the Kakching district.

He was identified as Laishram Bishorjit Meitei (33).

Another man was arrested for extorting money from vehicles transporting timber, police said.

Yumnam Premjit Meitei (54) was arrested from a furniture shop at Kakwa in the Imphal West district. He was associated with the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (Apunba).

PTI

Brussels: In the year after Russia launched an outright war on Ukraine, NATO leaders approved a set of military plans designed to repel an invasion of Europe. It was the biggest shake-up of the alliance’s defence readiness preparations since the Cold War.

The secret plans set out how Western allies would defend NATO territory from the Atlantic to the Arctic, through the Baltic region and Central Europe, down to the Mediterranean Sea. Up to 300,000 troops would move to its eastern flank within 30 days, many of them American. That would climb to 800,000 within six months.

But the Trump administration warned last month that US priorities lie elsewhere. Europe must take care of its own security, and those goals now seem questionable. Mustering just 30,000 European troops to police any future peace in Ukraine is proving a challenge.

Billions of euros are being shifted to military budgets, but only slowly, and the Europeans are struggling to fire up production in their defence industries.

Beyond funding, tens of thousands more European citizens might have to complete military service, and time is of the essence.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has warned that Russian forces could be capable of launching an attack on European territory in 2030.

Concerned about Russia’s intentions, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wants to introduce large-scale military training for every adult male and double the size of Poland’s army to around 500,000 soldiers.

“If Ukraine loses the war or if it accepts the terms of peace, armistice or capitulation … then, without a doubt — and we can all agree on that — Poland will find itself in a much more difficult geopolitical situation,” Tusk warned lawmakers last week.

<hl2>The scale of Europe’s military personnel shortage</hl2>The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that Europe, including the U.K., has almost 1.5 million active duty personnel. But many can’t be deployed on a battlefield, and those who can are hard to use effectively without a centralized command system.

The number of Russian troops in Ukraine at the end of 2024 was estimated to be around 700,000.

NATO troops are controlled by a US general, using American air transport and logistics.

Analysts say that in the event of a Russian attack, NATO’s top military officer would probably dispatch around 200,000 US troops to Europe to build on the 100,000 US military personnel already based there.

With the Americans out of the picture, “a realistic estimate may therefore be that an increase in European capacities equivalent to the fighting capacity of 300,000 U.S. troops is needed,” the Brussels-based Bruegel think tank estimates.

“Europe faces a choice: either increase troop numbers significantly by more than 300,000 to make up for the fragmented nature of national militaries, or find ways to rapidly enhance military coordination,” Bruegel said.

The question is how.

Making up the numbers

NATO is encouraging countries to build up personnel numbers, but the trans-Atlantic alliance isn’t telling them how to do it. Maintaining public support for the armed forces and Ukraine is too important to risk by dictating choices.

“The way they go about it is intensely political, so we wouldn’t prescribe any way of changing this — whether to go for conscription, elective conscription, bigger reserves,” a senior NATO official said on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief journalists unless he remained unnamed.

“We do stress the point that fighting with those regional plans means that we are in collective defence and likely in an attrition war that requires way more manpower than we currently have, or we designed our force models to deliver,” he added.

Eleven European countries have compulsory military service: Austria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and non-European Union nation Norway. The length of service ranges from as little as two months in Croatia to 19 months in Norway.

Poland isn’t considering a return to universal military service, but rather a reserve system based on the model in Switzerland, where every man is obliged to serve in the armed forces or an alternative civilian service. Women can volunteer.

Belgium’s new defence minister plans to write a letter in November to around 120,000 citizens who are age 18 to try to persuade at least 500 of them to sign up for voluntary military service. Debate about the issue goes on in the U.K. and Germany.

Confronting the challenges

Germany’s professional armed forces had 181,174 active service personnel at the end of last year — slightly lower than in 2023, according to a parliamentary report released Tuesday. That means it’s no closer to reaching a Defence Ministry target of 203,000 by 2031.

Last year, 20,290 people started serving in the German military, or Bundeswehr, an 8% increase, the report said. But of the 18,810 who joined in 2023, more than a quarter — 5,100 or 27% of the total — left again, most at their own request during the six-month trial period.

The German parliament’s commissioner for the armed forces, Eva Högl, said that army life is a hard sell.

“The biggest problem is boredom,” Högl said. “If young people have nothing to do, if there isn’t enough equipment and there aren’t enough trainers, if the rooms aren’t reasonably clean and orderly, that deters people, and it makes the Bundeswehr unattractive.”

At the other end of the scale, tiny Luxembourg has unique demographic challenges. Of its roughly 630,000 passport holders, only 315,000 are Luxembourgers. The number of people of military service age — 18 to 40 — is smaller still.

Around 1,000 people are enlisted. That’s small compared to some European powers, but bigger per capita than the UK armed forces. Recently, Luxembourg — where unemployment is low and salaries are high — has struggled to find just 200-300 military personnel.

Military service comes with many challenges too, not least being convincing someone to sign up when they might be sent to the front, and hastily trained conscripts can’t replace a professional army. The draft also costs money. Extra staff, accommodation and trainers are needed throughout a conscript’s term.

AP