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Regional

- SC Registry refuses to list Kejriwal plea to extend bail

- Delhi broils; Mungeshpur gauge records 52.9 degrees

- Wife can sell the property of husband in comatose condition: Madras High Court

- SIT officials camping at Bengaluru airport to arrest Prajwal

- 2 killed after being hit by Brij Bhushan’s son’s convoy

- Monsoon to set in over rain-soaked Kerala today

- No need for panic over resurgence of mumps, but medical help is vital

- PM Modi’s meditation drama is only meant to gain political mileage, says Selvaperunthagai

- Groundwork begins for phase 3 of excavation at Vembakottai

- SHRC recommends ₹1.5-lakh relief to woman in 2013 case of trespass by police

- Wife can sell property of husband in comatose condition: Madras HC

- Elephant calf rescued from 30-foot-deep well in the Nilgiris

- Preliminary work on setting up Global Sports City under way: government

- ‘Do not leave vote counting centres before results are out’

- CUMTA asks Metro Rail to prepare detailed project report for revamping MRTS stations

- Three honoured as ‘Unsung Heroes’ for their selfless service to society

- Universal education, a part of distributive justice: researcher R. Balakrishnan

- Student injured in a clash at college hostel

- National Medical Commission officials visit Stanley Hospital

- Two held for robbery in Choolaimedu

- School Education Department begins survey for adult literacy programme

- World Bank and Chennai Corporation hold climate investment workshop

- Three persons held for murder of a brick kiln worker while robbing him of his mobile phone

- District Child Protection Unit gets new building to set up office

- Under RTE, 1.5 lakh applications received

- IIT-M to hold ‘demo day’ for JEE aspirants

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Delhi CM, who got interim bail to campaign for election, seeks seven-day extension for medical tests; Registry says the court has already heard his plea to quash arrest and reserved its judgment

The Supreme Court Registry has refused to list for hearing an application filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to extend his interim bail for seven days in a money laundering case linked to the liquor policy case.

The Registry said a Bench of the top court had already heard and reserved for judgment Mr. Kejriwal’s case to quash his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The judgment was reserved by a Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta on May 17.

The Registry pointed out that the Bench had further given the Delhi Chief Minister an option to apply for statutory bail under Section 45 of the PMLA.

The Supreme Court had granted him interim bail to campaign for the Lok Sabha election. The last phase of polling is on June 1, and Mr. Kejriwal was ordered to surrender back into custody on June 2. The results are scheduled to be announced on June 4.

Seeks immediate listing

The Chief Minister’s recent application sought an extension of the interim bail — which was granted strictly for the purpose of canvassing for votes — to give him time to do medical tests.

The application was orally mentioned for immediate listing by Mr. Kejriwal’s lawyer, senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, before a Vacation Bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and K.V. Viswanathan on May 28.

However, the Vacation Bench declined to entertain the mentioning, advising Mr. Singhvi to instead approach the Chief Justice of India for “appropriate orders”. The Bench had also asked why the plea was not made before Justice Datta, who was heading a Vacation Bench last week.

On May 17, Justice Khanna’s Bench, while reserving its judgment in the petition filed by Mr. Kejriwal seeking to quash his arrest on March 21, had given Mr. Kejriwal liberty to apply for regular bail notwithstanding the fact that the verdict was reserved.

Delhi broils; Mungeshpur gauge records 52.9 degrees

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Singed capital: A mirage appears on Kartavya Path in New Delhi as the temperature soared on Wednesday. SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKARSHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the highest temperature on record in the capital, show data shared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Calling it an “outlier” as compared with the maximum recorded at other weather stations in the city that varied from 45.2 degrees to 49.1 degrees Celsius, the IMD said “it is examining the data and sensors at the station as the temperature recorded could be due to error in the sensor or a local factor”.

In a post on X, Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju said: “It is not official yet. Temperature of 52.3°C in Delhi is very unlikely. Our senior officials in IMD have been asked to verify the news report.”

The temperature was a departure of 13 degrees from normal and was three degrees higher than the 49.9 degrees Celsius recorded the previous day.

Mungeshpur, an urbanised village located near Delhi’s boundary with Haryana, is 55 km from Delhi’s base weather station located in Safdarjung. The maximum temperature recorded at Safdarjung was 46.8 degrees Celsius, a departure of six degrees from normal.

Wife can sell the property of husband in comatose condition: Madras High Court

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI

The petitioner wanted to be appointed as guardian of her husband, and permission to sell/mortgage his property.

The Madras High Court has permitted the wife of a person in a comatose condition to sell/mortgage his immovable property worth over ₹1 crore and utilise the proceeds for taking care of his medical expenses as well as the maintenance of the family, consisting of a son and a daughter.

A Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and P.B. Balaji reversed an order passed by a single judge who had on April 23, 2024 dismissed a writ petition filed by S. Sasikala of Chennai to appoint her as the guardian of her husband M. Sivakumar who has been in a vegetative state since early this year.

The petitioner had approached the court with a plea to appoint her as the guardian of her husband and consequently permit her to operate his bank accounts and if necessary, to sell/mortgage an immovable property owned by him.

However, the single judge ruled that a writ petition could not be entertained for appointment of a guardian, especially when the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, does not contain any provision for dealing with financial aspects. He had asked the petitioner to approach a civil court for such appointment.

Disagreeing with the view taken by him, the Bench, led by Justice Swaminathan, said that in a similar case, the Kerala High Court had invoked its writ jurisdiction and observed that it was like a parens patriae jurisdiction that could be invoked when no remedy was provided under any statute for patients in comatose state.

SIT officials camping at Bengaluru airport to arrest Prajwal

Imran Gowhar

Bengaluru

Prajwal Revanna. -

One month after fleeing the country, Janata Dal (Secular) leader and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, charged with rape and sexual harassment of several women, is set to return to Bengaluru in the early hours of Friday to face a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.

Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said on Wednesday that Mr. Prajwal will be arrested at the airport.

“As a warrant has been issued against him, he will be arrested. The SIT is waiting. It will take his statement and the SIT’s process will start,” he said. A team of SIT officials is camping at the airport to arrest Mr. Prajwal.

The Hassan MP has filed an anticipatory bail plea at the Principal City and Sessions Court for Elected Representatives, which issued notice to the SIT to file objections, before posting the hearing for May 31.

To return tomorrow

On Monday, Mr. Prajwal released a video saying he will return on May 31 and appear before the SIT at 10 a.m. the same day. He left the country, reportedly for Germany, on April 27, a day after polling was over in Hassan, from where he contested the election as an NDA candidate.

2 killed after being hit by Brij Bhushan’s son’s convoy

Mayank Kumar

Lucknow

Two young men, who are cousins, were killed and a 60-year-old woman was injured on Wednesday after a vehicle in the convoy of the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Kaiserganj, Karan Bhushan Singh, hit them in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh. It is not known whether Mr. Singh — son of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, MP, who faces charges of sexual assault raised by woman wrestlers — was in the vehicle or the convoy at the time or not.

The local police seized the SUV and arrested its driver, Lavkush Srivastava. A case was registered, but the FIR does not name any one. The U.P. Congress criticised the BJP over the incident, describing it as ‘Lakhimpur Part 2’.

Monsoon to set in over rain-soaked Kerala today

The Hindu Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram

After a harsh summer, Kerala is all set for the southwest monsoon on Thursday, two days ahead of its normal onset.

Southwest monsoon usually sets in over Kerala around June 1 and progresses northward in surges, covering the entire country by around July 15.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday announced that the southwest monsoon will arrive in Kerala in the next 24 hours.

The State saw record summer rainfall in the past few days, owing to cyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea and a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal.

No need for panic over resurgence of mumps, but medical help is vital

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

1 of 2

2 of 2 There is no vaccine against mumps in the Universal Immunisation Programme. There is no need to panic as it is a self-limiting disease, and diagnosis is obvious T.S. Selvavinayagam Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine

A contagious but self-limiting viral infection, mumps, is back on the radar of public health officials after cases surfaced in Tamil Nadu in January and surged in the last two to three months.

While public health officials say there is no need for panic, doctors underscore the need to seek medical help in case of symptoms.

T.S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said that cases surfaced in January and reached 500 during March-April. Now, it had declined to less than 200. The cases were mostly among older children. “We are hoping that the cases will reduce further,” he said.

Declining immunity

With mumps being reported in a few other States as well, Dr. Selvavinayagam said that it might be due to declining immunity.

“There is no vaccine against mumps in the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). There is no need to panic as it is a self-limiting disease, and diagnosis is obvious,” he said.

If it is causing any severe disease, the virus needs to be investigated, he added.

Janani Sankar, medical director, Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital, said that there were several cases of mumps during March and April, and that the number dipped slightly in May.

“We would have seen at least 100 outpatients, while 20 children needed admission. The government has only the measles rubella vaccine in the UIP, and not the one against mumps,” she said. Earlier, the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine was part of the UIP.

In children, the symptoms included swelling of the parotid region; mostly unilateral but sometimes bilateral. “Some of the complications that we had seen in children needing hospitalisation are pancreatitis, meningoencephalitis, and orchitis,” she added.

Suresh Kumar, consultant, Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals, said that many physicians were seeing at least one or two cases every day.

Unusual case count

“We have been seeing cases (in adults) in the last three to four months. We haven’t seen this many cases in the last decade. Physicians are used to seeing only one case in three or six months. The symptoms are fever that usually subsides in two or three days, pain near the ears, and swelling starting with one part of the face. The swelling subsequently affects other regions, especially the parotid glands (located on either side of the face below the ears),” he said.

While pain and swelling are common, there could be a small amount of abdominal discomfort. “One or two out of five men we see have testicular pain and swelling,” Dr. Suresh Kumar said.

While PCR testing for mumps is not available in hospitals in the city, serological testing — IgM and IgG — has limitations, he said.

IgM indicates current infection and IgG indicates past infection or vaccine-related immunity.

Booster shot

“While the MMR vaccine is part of childhood immunisation (offered by private paediatricians), a booster shot, ideally at 15 or 16 years of age, is recommended as this surge in cases is due to waning immunity levels,” Dr. Suresh Kumar said.

“Treatment is symptomatic as there is no specific antiviral medication. Patients need to isolate themselves to prevent spread to others. They should seek medical help,” he said.

PM Modi’s meditation drama is only meant to gain political mileage, says Selvaperunthagai

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI/Kanniyakumari

TNCC president K. Selvaperunthagai on Wednesday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari on May 30, saying it would infringe on the rights of tourists as they would be barred from the memorial.

He said that Mr. Modi’s visit, after the conclusion of the poll campaign, was meant to gain political mileage in the 57 constituencies going to the polls in the final phase of the Lok Sabha election.

“Swami Vivekananda propagated religious bonhomie and spread Hinduism around the world. He was loved by people of other faiths. He was a kind man. In his famous speech in Chicago on September 11, 1893, he said, ‘I am proud that I belong to the nation that has provided refuge to the persecuted of all religions in the world’,” Mr. Selvaperunthagai said.

“Swami Vivekananda said, ‘If anyone dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion and the destruction of others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart,’ and concluded his Chicago speech by saying, ‘Harmony and peace, not dissension,’ should be written on the banner of every religion,” he added.

However, when Mr. Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat, thousands of Muslims were killed in riots, and he behaved like Nero who fiddled while Rome burned, he said.

Security arrangements

Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangements have been made in Kanniyakumari for Mr. Modi’s visit.

After landing at the helipad in the government guesthouse at 3.55 p.m., Mr. Modi is expected to go to Sri Bhagavathi Amman temple on the seashore to offer special prayers, after which he would proceed to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial for the 45-hour-long meditation. He is also likely to visit the Thiruvalluvar statue before beginning the meditation. Special arrangements have been made in the meditation hall.

Coast Guard and naval ships have been deployed in Kanniyakumari, besides Marine Police and Coastal Security Group personnel.

ADGP, Coastal Security Group, Sandeep Mittal; Inspector-General of Police, South Zone, N. Kannan; and Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Tirunelveli Range, Pravesh Kumar are camping in Kanniyakumari to monitor the security arrangements. Over 3,000 police personnel have been brought in from various districts as part of the security arrangements. While a three-tier security arrangement has been made at the helipad, a four-tier arrangement is in place at Poompuhar Shipping Corporation’s jetty and the Vivekananda memorial. All vehicles entering Kanniyakumari are being checked. Checks are also being conducted in lodges and hotels.

Opposing the Prime Minister’s planned meditation at the memorial, M. Joseph Raj, a DMK member and advocate, sent a petition to Collector P.N. Sridhar, saying it was aimed at gaining votes, and was against the model code of conduct. Moreover, it would cause hardship to tourists and cost the taxpayer under the guise of deploying thousands of police personnel for security, he said.

Groundwork begins for phase 3 of excavation at Vembakottai

The Hindu Bureau

VIRUDHUNAGAR

Excavation on 1.5 acres to begin in June . A total of 7,914 artefacts were found during the first two phases, indicating that people had lived along the banks of the Vaippar around 2,000 years ago

The clearing of land under way ahead of the commencement of the third phase of archaeological excavation in Vembakottai in Virudhunagar district on Wednesday. Special Arrangement

The groundwork began on Wednesday for the third phase of archaeological excavation at Vembakottai in Virudhunagar district, with the clearing of 1.5 acres of a 25-acre mound.

The excavation on the northern bank of Vaippar river will begin in the first week of June, said Pon. Baskar, director, Vembakottai archaeological excavation.

A total of 7,914 artefacts, including potsherds, carnelian and glass beads, shell and ivory bangles, hopscotch, and iron and copper objects, were found during the first two phases. They indicate that people had lived along the banks of the Vaippar around 2,000 years ago.

“The 1.5 acres have been proposed for excavation based on the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scan. Based on the findings of the excavation, the area can be expanded,” Mr. Pon. Baskar said.

Around three acres were excavated in the first phase, while the second phase covered two acres.

SHRC recommends ₹1.5-lakh relief to woman in 2013 case of trespass by police

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Wednesday recommended that the Tamil Nadu government pay a compensation of ₹1.5 lakh to the wife of a scientist in connection with an incident in which the police trespassed into her house in Chennai after scaling the wall at 5 a.m. in 2013.

SHRC member V. Kannadasan also recommended that the State government recover ₹50,000 each from retired police personnel S. Rajasekaran and S. Ismayil, who were Sub-Inspectors attached to the Anti Land Grabbing Special Cell in Kancheepuram at the time of the incident.

The Commission also recommended the recovery of ₹25,000 each from then head constables D. Padmanaban and L. Umasankar. It, however, dismissed the complaint against retired DSP S. Dharmalingam, who was the fifth respondent in the case.

The complainant, R. Vasuki, who was residing on the 7th Cross Street in Besant Nagar, said that four police personnel trespassed into her house by scaling the compound wall at 5 a.m. on July 11, 2013.

They pushed her and her sister-in-law, causing injuries, and said that they were looking for her husband, Rajagopal, a scientist working in the Netherlands. They said that a complainant had alleged that her husband had cheated an individual over a land deal in Pudupakkam village.

The police personnel had manhandled the occupants of the house, and hence the complaint.

The respondents, in their common counter-statement, denied all the allegations against them and referred to the land grab complaint received in 2012 and the case registered in this regard.

Considering the oral and documentary evidence and the arguments of both the parties, the Commission was of the view that it was established by the complainant that, in the early morning of July 11, 2013, four police personnel came to her house and, under the guise of an inquiry, they harassed her, her son, and sister-in-law.

The Commission pointed out that the police personnel had entered the house without even registering an FIR or issuing a notice under Section 41(A) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Wife can sell property of husband in comatose condition: Madras HC

The Bench pointed out that the writ petitioner had already spent lakhs of rupees towards the medical expenses of her husband between February 13 and April 4 in a private hospital. Now, even at home, he had to be taken care of by appointing a caretaker and availing the services of critical care nurses.

The petitioner’s children, who had attained majority, were also made as parties in her writ appeal before the Bench and they gave their consent for appointing their mother as the guardian. The daughter broke down before the judges and said the family would be in dire straits if her mother was not allowed to deal with the property.

Taking the facts into consideration, the judges wrote: “After an interaction with the children of the appellant, we are more than satisfied that the family is without any means and that unless the petition-mentioned property is allowed to be dealt with, great hardship will be caused to them.”

Authoring the verdict, Justice Swaminathan also said: “Taking care of a person lying in comatose condition is not that easy. It requires funds... The petition mentioned property belongs to Thiru. Sivakumar. It has necessarily to be put to use for his benefit. The State is not taking care of Thiru. Sivakumar. The appellant is shouldering the entire burden. Driving the appellant to move the civil court, in our view, is not proper.”

After setting aside the single judge’s order, the Division Bench appointed Ms. Sasikala as the guardian of her husband and permitted her to deal with his property which the Bench assumed would fetch over ₹1 crore. They directed the appellant to utilise a part of the proceeds to create a fixed deposit for ₹50 lakh in the name of Mr. Sivakumar in a nationalised bank and withdraw quarterly interest.

“After his demise, it will go in three equal shares in favour of his legal heirs, viz., wife, daughter and son. We have incorporated such a condition only for the benefit of the family. If only there is a fixed deposit, it will ensure that at least the survival needs are met,” the judges concluded.

Elephant calf rescued from 30-foot-deep well in the Nilgiris

The Hindu Bureau

UDHAGAMANDALAM

The landowner informed the Forest Department about the presence of the calf and at least three adults. Special Arrangement

After an eight-hour operation, the Forest Department rescued an elephant calf that had fallen into a 30-foot-deep well at Kurinchi Nagar in Pandalur on Wednesday.

The calf, aged around four, is believed to have fallen into the well in the early hours of the day. The owner of the land where the well was located had informed the Forest Department about the presence of the calf and at least three adults, after he heard sounds of the animals in distress.

The herd refused to leave the calf, and had to be chased away to ensure the safety of the rescuers. The Forest Department used two excavators to dig a path into the well, and made a ramp for the calf to walk up. It deputed over 70 personnel to assist in the rescue, and posted teams to keep tabs on the rest of the herd so that the calf could be quickly reunited with them. Divisional Forest Officer Vengatesh Prabhu oversaw the operation.

After the calf was rescued, it was examined for injuries before being allowed to rejoin its herd.

Preliminary work on setting up Global Sports City under way: government

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The preliminary work on setting up a Global Sports City in Chennai has commenced, the Tamil Nadu government said on Wednesday.

An official press release said that the facility would improve the sports environment further.

Coaches appointed

So far, 81 coaches from abroad had been appointed to train sportspersons in athletics, swimming, tennis, hockey and squash, among other disciplines, it said.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had handed over incentives to the tune of ₹87.61 crore to 2,738 sportspersons who had won laurels in international and national events, it said.

Referring to the successful hosting of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram in 2023, the press release said that Mr. Stalin was conferred the Man of the Year award for his involvement in the successful conduct of the event.

The Kalaignar Sports Kits had been distributed in 420 village panchayats, and the scheme would cover the remaining 10,793 villages soon, it said.

The mini stadiums announced by Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin were being set up across the State, it added.

‘Do not leave vote counting centres before results are out’

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday advised the counting centre agents of his party as well as those of its allies to remain vigilant on June 4, the day of counting of the votes polled in the Lok Sabha election. The agents should not report at the counting centre without identity cards, and should turn up early, he said, adding that they should sit at the table allotted to them. “They should not come out of the counting centre under any circumstances till the results are declared. They should exercise caution,” Mr. Palaniswami said. The agents should check whether all the procedures were followed, and whether the seal of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) was intact, he said. They should check whether the figures in the EVMs matched with those on Form 17C, he said.

CUMTA asks Metro Rail to prepare detailed project report for revamping MRTS stations

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

With the process for CMRL’s takeover of MRTS gathering pace, CUMTA is focusing on improving facilities at stations and bringing in commercial development. Officials say once bids for DPR are floated, a consultant will take up the study and submit the report in four to five months

CUMTA is awaiting the in-principle approval from the Railway Board for the takeover of MRTS, which is expected in another two months. FILE PHOTO

Chennai Metro Rail will undertake a detailed study on how to develop facilities for offering better commuter experience in all the stations of Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) in the capital city.

At a time when the takeover of MRTS by Chennai Metro Rail seems imminent now, Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) has been simultaneously concentrating on enhancing station facilities and bringing in commercial development.

It has also drawn up plans in this regard.

“We have asked Chennai Metro Rail to prepare a detailed project report and that will be an exhaustive study identifying the shortfalls in the facilities and amenities required for commuters in each of the MRTS stations and will suggest ways to improve it. For instance, the report will mention which areas need additional escalators and lifts and how to maintain them better,” an official of CUMTA said.

According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), they will float bids for the DPR, once the model code of conduct ends and will choose a consultant to take up the study. They are expected to submit the report in about 4-5 months.

The report will also look at the neighbourhood area development in each station. “The area around each station and its access has to get better. Commuters should have a convenient footpath without obstructions to walk down to the station. The report will focus on this aspect as well,” the official said.

Awaiting approval

CUMTA has also prepared a blueprint for optimal utilisation of station space and to have commercial development, he added.

CUMTA awaits the in-principle approval from the Railway Board for the takeover of MRTS and they are expecting it in another two months.

“We have finished the concept paper for commercial development of 18 stations. Though the takeover process will be entirely over only in a couple of years, we want the commuters to gradually see improvements in the stations and hence we are doing the preparatory work and keeping things ready before the in-principle approval and the signing of the MoU in this regard,” he added.

Three honoured as ‘Unsung Heroes’ for their selfless service to society

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

From left, Babu Krishnamoorthy, president, Rotary Club of Madras East, Shakeel Akhter, T.N. Chief Information Commissioner, with awardees Mary Thomas, Thilagavathi P. and Josika Navukkarasu at the Unsung Heroes awards event on Wednesday. R. RAVINDRAN

Three persons were recognised as ‘Unsung Heroes’ in the fifth edition of the event hosted by the Rotary Club of Madras East on Wednesday for their contribution towards shaping society.

Tamil Nadu State Chief Information Commissioner Shakeel Akhter said, “The unsung heroes have been doing selfless service to bring in some form of change to society.”

Accepting her award Mary Thomas, 58, said “I set up the Selvi Memorial Illam Trust (SMIS) in 1999 for the HIV affected people who are bedridden, as nobody would visit them. I can work more and I have more work to complete but my ailing health has been a deterrent.”

She had set up the trust for the cause of AIDS awareness and rehabilitation of the affected people.

The first female Kattaikkuttu performer, Thilagavathi P., was recognised for her work in the art form. “The art form has been an important pathway for me to stand on this stage. The courage that I have today should also inspire children,” she said.

Kattaikuttu is a traditional all-night form of Tamil theatre, which has been the exclusive domain of male performers.

Josika Navukkarasu, Chief Veterinarian at Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary (BMAD), was recognised for her compassion and expertise in veterinary medicine.

“BMAD is dealing with 2,000 animals a month. Being in animal welfare as a veterinarian is a very difficult task. There is an improvement in how the public have been perceiving us. However, animal welfare is a community responsibility, not an individual or an organisation’s responsibility,” Dr. Josika said.

Universal education, a part of distributive justice: researcher R. Balakrishnan

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

Access to education is an entitlement. It has to be democratised and made inclusive as universal education is a part of distributive justice, said R. Balakrishnan, Indus researcher and Chief Advisor (Special initiatives) to Chief Minister of Odisha, on Wednesday.

Addressing the third memorial lecture organised to honour the legacy of M. Anandakrishnan, former Chairman of IIT Kanpur and former Vice Chancellor of Anna University in Chennai, Mr. Balakrishnan who spoke on the topic ‘Education in India: Past, Present and Future,’ said the people of Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) had a phenomenal literacy and civic sense. “They were well educated and excellent in engineering, building roads, town planning with absolute geometry...We are missing some of the best and important things from the past.”

Education systems

Mr. Balakrishnan also spoke widely about education systems during Vedic Age and Sangam Age. He said, “the Sangam literature had over 26,350 lines of poems written by 473 poets of which more than 30 were women. The Sangam literature and Tirukkural shows that primacy was given to access, equity and non-discriminatory approach in learning.”

Need of the hour

Tracing the modern education system, introduced by Macaulay during the British rule, he said transformational approach in higher education is the need of the hour. “Favouritism and money making should be out of education system,” said Mr. Balakrishnan who also listed out various challenges and opportunities in higher education system in India.

State Finance Secretary T. Udhayachandran recollected the contributions of Mr. Anandakrishnan and academic V.C. Kulandhaiswamy, in the development of the education system in Tamil Nadu.

A. Sridhar, son of Anandakrishnan, said, “From a humble beginning, my father was able to succeed not only because of his hard work, but also because of the invaluable support from his teachers and family.

He also gave utmost importance to integrity and respect. Eminent scholars from various fields were those who participated in the event.

Student injured in a clash at college hostel

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

A student was injured during a clash that erupted between two groups in the hostel in Pachaiyappa’s College. Police sources said the clash broke out on Tuesday night between two groups of students in the hostel. In the melee, one of the students, identified as Peter, was injured when he was attacked with a knife. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital. The Kilpauk Police are investigating the case.

Meanwhile, the police arrested four suspects, including two juveniles, for allegedly assaulting a 21-year-old student in Aminjikarai. The victim has been identified as Thulasi Nathan, studying at a college in Anna Nagar. During a clash between students, he suffered a head injury. The police arrested Bharat, 25, of Kilpauk, Baskar, 21, of T.P. Chatram and two others.

National Medical Commission officials visit Stanley Hospital

Officials of the National Medical Commission visited the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital, women and men’s hostels and sports ground on May 28. The officials interacted with post graduates, those on Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship and undergraduate students and obtained feedback about their study, work pattern and hostel facilities. A discussion with the heads and professors of all departments, vice principal, medical superintendent and dean on how to ensure physical and mental well-being of undergraduate, post graduate students was held.

Two held for robbery in Choolaimedu

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

Choolaimedu police on Wednesday arrested two history-sheeters for assaulting and robbing a man at knife point.

Police said that on Tuesday morning while L. Hemnath, 31, of East Tambaram, was walking on Namachivayapuram bridge in Choolaimedu, two unidentified persons waylaid him and demanded money. On his refusal to pay, the duo attacked him with a knife and robbed him of ₹5,000, his mobile phone, ATM card and Aadhaar card.

Hemnath was admitted to a hospital.

On his complaint, the police took up a probe and arrested K. Karan alias Karankumar, 23, and M. Vignesh, 23, of Choolaimedu.

School Education Department begins survey for adult literacy programme

R. Aishwaryaa

Chennai

Over 97,500 individuals — 18,464 men and 79,130 women — in the age group of 15 and above have been identified across T.N. for being trained for 6 months by over 2 lakh Illam Thedi Kalvi and Nehru Yuva Kendra volunteers in 25,000 centres

Last year, over 4.8 lakh individuals were trained under this initiative and barring around 2,500, all others were given certificates from the Department for clearing an assessment test, says an official. File Photo

The School Education Department isundertaking a surveyto identify people who are not literate under the New India Literacy Programme (NILP) orPuthiya Bharatha Ezhutharivu Thittam 2022-2027through the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Non-Formal and Adult Education.

The School Education Department Secretary, J. Kumaragurubaran, stated that since the first week of May, so far, 97,594 individuals – 18,464 men and 79,130 women – in the age group of 15 and above were identified across the State for being trained for six months by over 2 lakhIllam Thedi Kalviand Nehru Yuva Kendra volunteers in 25,000 centres.

Highest number

The highest number of persons were identified in Salem district at 16,463.

Last year, more than 4.8 lakh individuals were trained under this initiative and barring around 2,500, all others were given certificates from the Department for clearing an assessment test, he added.

Under Samagraha Shiksha, ₹9.5 crore is allocated for this programme — 60% of funds from the Centre and 40% from the State.

Last year, in Chennai, 15,090 had taken the course, according to data from the School Education Department. This year, so far, 2,581 were identified in Chennai. At present, there are 330 literacy centres run by the Greater Chennai Corporation for adults, all in slum areas.These are mostly primary schools.

History of adult literacy

According to Greater Chennai Corporation’s book ‘Caring For Chennai’, written by heritage and history expert V. Sriram, the introduction of reading rooms was in 1927. “School buildings were freely made available to private associations who wished to conduct night schools for the benefit of illiterate adults, classes and lectures for the more literate, and lectures on civic needs, health, and temperance,” the book says.

“By 1930, there were 54 night schools in the city. These were managed by private agencies with Corporation teachers being permitted to work as staff in these schools, on condition that the schools obtained recognition within one year from the date of grant... In 1942, it was decided to open 30 adult literacy centres for males in all 40 divisions in the city with 47 instructors (Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu), chosen from among retired teachers. The scheme was formally inaugurated by the then Mayor, V. Chakkarai Chettiar, at the Corporation Boy’s School, Strahan’s Road, on January 19, 1942,” it reads.

“By the 1960s, it was felt that the night schools had served their purpose. A plan to revive them in the 1990s was later merged with the adult literacy centres,” the book mentions.

The Tamil Nadu government, in a document titled ‘Adult and Non-formal Education’, states that special programmes – theTotal literacy campaign and Post-literacy campaign – that have been implemented in Tamil Nadu since 1992, through the District Literacy Councils registered under the Societies Registration Act, headed by the Collector as Chairman, to give non-literates in the age group of 15-35 basic education as well as training to fill out forms, read boards, etc., for a year.

This then became the NILP programme of the School Education Department from the academic year 2021, according to an official in the School Education Department.

World Bank and Chennai Corporation hold climate investment workshop

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment Climate Change and Forests, J. Radhakrishnan, Commissioner, GCC, and the IFC team at the APEX CIOD meeting. B. Jothi Ramalingam

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank, is holding a two-day ‘Baseline Measures Setting and Project Investments Workshop.’

The workshop, inaugurated on Wednesday at the Commissioner’s Conference Hall at the Kalaignar Muthamizharignar M. Karunanidhi Maligai, is a key step in developing the Climate Investment Opportunities Diagnostic (CIOD) for Chennai. The CIOD is designed to support the implementation of Chennai’s Climate Change Action Plan.

The workshop sessions will focus on data collected and stakeholder feedback, to form a comprehensive environmental strategy for the city, a release said.

The release stated that CIOD evaluates proposed actions and sectoral Green House Gas (GHG) emission reduction targets, outlining potential investments, estimative costs, payback periods, and funding sources, using the APEX Online App and also creates a Green Investment Pipeline to explore additional financing sources, including private finance and climate finance.

Supported by IFC’s Advanced Practices for Environmental Excellence in cities (APEX), the CIOD utilises the app to estimate Chennai’s environmental footprint across four key sectors: built environment and energy, transportation, waste, and water.

“This diagnostic tool helps prioritise and accelerate policy actions and investments for a transition to low-carbon, resource-efficient urban growth,” according to the release.

In February 2024, the GCC, IFC, and C40 held the APEX CIOD project kick-off and orientation meeting. The IFC team has since completed data collection and stakeholder consultations with key departments of the GCC, including electrical, buildings, roads, solid waste, and town planning. Additional consultations involved TEDA, Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA), Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco), and Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC).

Three persons held for murder of a brick kiln worker while robbing him of his mobile phone

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The Kundrathur police on Wednesday apprehended three persons, including a juvenile, for the alleged murder of a 30-year-old brick kiln worker while robbing him of his mobile phone.

In Kundrathur police limits, a 30-year-old man died under suspicious circumstances after being attacked on Monday evening, by a bike-borne trio near Chembarambakkam lake, when they snatched his mobile phone. The victim has been identified as Rajesh, 30, of Arcot, Villupuram district, who had come with his family to work in a brick kiln in Therku Malayambakkam near Kundrathur, to settle his loans.

Police said that at 8.30 p.m. when he had gone to the banks of the Chembarambakkam lake, three youth on a bike waylaid him and threatened him to give money by brandishing a knife. As he said that he did not have any money onhim, they attempted to snatch his mobile phone. When he resisted their attempt, they attacked him with a knife, snatched his mobile phone and fled.

Later, Rajesh died at a hospital in the early hours of Tuesday.

Kundrathur police registered a case of murder and special teams were formed to trace the suspects.

After analysing CCTV footage, the police arrested the suspects.

They have been identified as R. Vijay, 23, of South Malayambakkam and S. Thirumalai, 19, of Ponneri, besides a 17-year-old juvenile.

Murder suspects held

Meanwhile, Tambaram Police arrested five persons in connection with the murder of an autorickshaw driver Karthick Raja, 26, near the Tambaram bus terminus.

They were identified as Anand, 42, Sivakumar alias Ranjith, 28, Ajith Kumar, 28, Kavin Raj, 31, and Samraj, 40.

Police said there was a dispute between Karthick and drivers of another faction over parking of autorickshaws.

In another case, Chromepet Police arrested one Sabari alias Prithivirajan, 35 of Nagalkeni, in connec,tion with the murder of Thomas, 50, a lorry owner, over a monetary dispute.

District Child Protection Unit gets new building to set up office

Meghna M.

Chennai

The District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) in Chennai will soon be moving into a new office in Choolai.

The Hindu had recently published an article highlighting the non-availability of a building for the staff to move into after their dilapidated office in Royapuram was demolished.

The staff of both units — DCPU North and South — were cooped up in two small buildings, of which one does not have electricity or internet. Both the buildings do not have water supply or toilets.

The officials had been searching for an alternative accommodation for the past one year as their building was to be demolished. The DCPU - South, since its bifurcation in 2022, has been searching for an office in the southern parts of the city as it would give easy access to the public to approach them. However, they were not able to move as they did not have rent allowance. The DCPU - North team will be moving into a new building. “In another two days we would be operational from the new premises,” said an official.

Similarly, the DCPU - South has also shortlisted buildings in South Chennai to move their team. “We hope to be functional from new premises in the southern part of the city soon,” an official added.

Under RTE, 1.5 lakh applications received

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act this year, the Tamil Nadu School Education department has received 1,57,767 lakh eligible applications this year.

This is an increase from last year’s 1.3 lakh applications that were received for admissions under the Act. Under the RTE Act, 25% of the seats in entry-level classes in private schools have to be reserved for students of the weaker sections of society. The admissions had begun on April 22 and closed on May 20.

This year, there are 84,765 seats across the State. According to a press release, the School Education Department had sent a text message on applications where there were missing documents. “A total of 1,74,756 were received, out of which only 1,57,767 eligible applications were confirmed,” it said. The parents must visit the schools before June 3 to confirm admission.

IIT-M to hold ‘demo day’ for JEE aspirants

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai

The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, has invited Joint Engineering Examination aspirants to experience its campus.

The ‘AskIITM’ Demo Day will be held on the campus on June 15 and 16. The event is being held on June 11 in Bengaluru and June 12 in Hyderabad. Aspirantswill get to interact with senior faculty, alumni and the current batch of students.

An online session will be held on June 17 in which Institute director V. Kamakoti, faculty and alumni will respond to queries on academic and non-academic life on campus. In Bengaluru, the event will be held at SD auditorium in the Indian Institute of Scienceand at T-Hub in Hyderabad.Interested aspirants may register at www.askiitm.com/demo.

National

- Monsoon set to make an early onset in Kerala today

- Court issues production summons against Kavitha

- Revanna, SIT file petitions in Karnataka High Court in kidnap case

- Probe sought into bank account of Kerala CM’s daughter

- Telangana govt. to unveil the State emblem on June 2

- New policy to deny govt. jobs to kin of militants in Kashmir

- Man kills eight family members, then kills self in M.P.; police launch probe

- Cyclone Remal effect: death toll rises to 38 in northeast, rescue efforts under way

- 2 killed after being hit by Karan Bhushan’s convoy

- Citizenship granted under the CAA to people in 3 States

- IndiGo pilot, crew violated safety norms during evacuation

- Aiyar’s description of 1962 war reflects the mindset of Cong.: BJP

- Mungeshpur gauge records 52.9 degrees

- NIA files chargesheet against six for ‘terror attack’

- HC grants statutory bail to Sharjeel Imam

- SIT officials camping at Bengaluru airport

- In final phase, action shifts to City of Joy and Sundarbans

- It’s a spirited BJP vs INDIA bloc campaign in Chandigarh

- Modi, Mamata lock horns again during campaign

- PM Modi’s meditation plan violates poll code: Cong. to EC

- FIR filed against Mehbooba for ‘code violation’

- Cong. targets PM over comments on Gandhiji

- Rahul promises to write off farmers’ loans

- In jail, but Amritpal has a punchy campaign

- Kumartuli’s sculptors of the divine blase about heat and drama of polls

- 14188

- Controversy breaks out over Modi’s remark on Odisha CM’s ‘deteriorating health’

- Showcasing Rama’s divinity

- RudraM-II air-to-surface missile flight test successful

- Action against Odisha CMO officials BJP’s design: BJD

- Police arrest two for shooting at AIMIM leader in Malegaon

Monsoon set to make an early onset in Kerala today

The Hindu Bureau

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

IMD forecasts above normal rainfall; downpour due to cyclonic circulation continues to lash southern parts of the State; daily life in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and coastal Alappuzha hit

Wait is over: People enjoy the rain on the Fort Kochi beach on Wednesday. The Met department has forecast the arrival of the southwest monsoon in Kerala within the next 24 hours. Thulasi KakkatTHULASI KAKKAT

After a harsh summer, Kerala is all set for the southwest monsoon on Thursday, two days ahead of its normal onset.

Southwest monsoon usually sets in over Kerala around June 1 and progresses northward in surges, covering the entire country around July 15. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday announced that the southwest monsoon will arrive in Kerala in the next 24 hours.

Among the three major criteria set for the declaration of monsoon over Kerala, two criteria — rainfall over 14 stations in Kerala and neighbouring areas should record over 2.5 mm for two consecutive days and the Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) should be below 200 wm-2 — were met, while the third criterion, the depth of the westerly winds, which should be up to 600 hPa, indicating the strength of the monsoon winds, was not met on Wednesday.

Unusual weather events

Westerly winds should prevail up to 4.5km in height in the atmosphere. But it is assumed that it would be met by Thursday, considering the prevailing conditions.

When the three-month-long summer season gave way to monsoon, Kerala also witnessed some of the unusual weather events that the State was not familiar with.

For the first time in the history of Kerala, a heatwave was confirmed.

Though the heatwave alert was issued for various districts during the peak summer, only Palakkad realised the heatwave from April 25 to April 29.

For confirming a heatwave, the temperature should be above 40 degrees Celsius with a departure of 4.5 degrees Celsius or more from the normal temperature.

Palakkad also reported more than 40 degrees Celsius on 16 days out of 46 days from April 1 to May 16. Though Thiruvananthapuram met the criteria for a heatwave one day on May 8, it was not announced as the two consecutive-day criteria were not met.

Also, the last two weeks of May witnessed record summer rain in Kerala with the excess rain triggered by the cyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea and the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal wiping out the rain deficit in the summer season.

Capital inundated

A day after the commercial hub of Kochi was inundated due to incessant downpour, heavy waterlogging and continuous rain affected normal life in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram.

Though there have been moderate rain here since morning, incessant heavy rain lashed various parts of the State capital in the afternoon, leading to sudden waterlogging on busy roads and narrow lanes alike.

Rainwater entered shops and commercial establishments in the busy Chalai market and at the S.S. Kovil Road area.

Continuous downpour and gusty winds in the last two days caused widespread destruction and crippled normal life in coastal Alappuzha district as well. Low-lying areas were submerged, and flood water entered several houses in various parts of the district.Potholes filled with water posed hurdles for smooth traffic on many national highways across the State.

The monthly and seasonal forecast issued by the IMD for June and the entire four-month season has warned of above normal rainfall in Kerala.

(With inputs from PTI)

Court issues production summons against Kavitha

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

A Delhi court on Wednesday took cognisance of the sixth supplementary chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha and others, accused in a money laundering case pertaining to the Delhi excise policy case.

Special judge (PC Act) Kaveri Baweja also issued summons/production warrants against the accused and noted that there were sufficient materials placed on record to proceed against Ms. Kavitha, Chanpreet Singh, Arvind Singh, Damodar Sharma and Prince Kumar. “They are directed to be physically present before the court on June 3,” the court said.

Ms. Kavitha and Mr. Chanpreet Singh are currently in judicial custody and will be brought to court by the police. Mr. Arvind Singh, Mr. Sharma and Mr. Kumar were chargesheeted without arrest in the case.

‘Conspired with AAP’

The case against Ms. Kavitha was based on the FIR initially filed by the CBI on the complaint of the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi alleging multiple irregularities in the Delhi excise policy-2021-22, which was subsequently withdrawn by the State.

The Central agency had alleged that Ms. Kavitha, along with other members of the ‘South Group’, conspired with the top leaders of the AAP and gave them kickbacks.

Revanna, SIT file petitions in Karnataka High Court in kidnap case

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

Former Minister H.D. Revanna has filed two separate petitions in the High Court of Karnataka challenging the legality of two criminal cases against him, for allegedly kidnapping a woman and sexually harassing a former domestic help, in K.R. Nagar and Holenarasipur police stations respectively.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also filed a petition before the High Court challenging the May 13 order of the Special Court of Sessions for criminal cases related to MPs and MLAs in granting bail to Mr. Revanna in the kidnap case.

Both the petitions are yet to be listed for hearing.

Bail plea rejected

A Special Court here rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Mr. Prajwal Revanna, who is facing allegations of sexually abusing several women, in a rape case. The special court for Elected Representative dismissed the bail application moved by his advocate Arun.

According to official sources, Mr. Prajwal Revanna has booked a return flight ticket to Bengaluru and is expected to arrive on Friday.

He reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan Lok Sabha segment went to polls, and is still at large.

(With inputs from PTI)

Probe sought into bank account of Kerala CM’s daughter

The Hindu Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shaun George stirred the pot on Wednesday by saying that he has moved the Kerala High Court for an inquiry into what he termed the ‘suspicious movement’ of a significant amount of cash through the alleged Dubai-based bank account of the now-dormant IT consultancy firm registered in the name of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter T. Veena.

At a press conference in Kochi, Mr. George said he positioned his petition as an addendum to the ongoing probe by the Serious Fraud Investigation Organisation (SFIO) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs into the one-person company owned by Ms. Veena.

The probe stemmed from the Income-Tax Settlement Board’s contentious finding that Ms. Veena’s firm had financially benefitted from a Kochi-based mining company without providing any “tangible” service, implying that the remuneration was a political pay-off.

Ms. Veena had termed the SFIO case and the board’s finding as violative of the principles of natural justice and challenged them in court.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan urged Mr. Vijayan to clear the air. He said the accusations were serious, if true.

‘Emblem to show struggle, sacrifice’

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is gearing up to change the State emblem to reflect the struggle and sacrifices made for a separate Telangana. The State emblem is scheduled to be unveiled on June 2.

Peerzada Ashiq

SRINAGAR

Security agencies’ background checks expand to cover relatives on both maternal and paternal sides; regional parties have slammed the move, claiming that it would alienate Kashmiri youth

Barriers ahead: The latest policy overturns the three government rehabilitation policies for former militants. FILE PHOTONISSAR AHMAD

An expansion of the “deep-vetting” process for government job aspirants in Jammu and Kashmir by security agencies is likely to impact over 50,000 families.

In an interview with PTI, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced a fresh policy “to ensure no relative of a militant or a stone-thrower gets a government job in the Union Territory”. Regional parties in Kashmir have slammed the move, claiming that it would further alienate Kashmiri youth.

The security agencies have been working on “a vertical and horizontalmodel” of police verification in Kashmir. This means that the backgroundcheck of a job aspirant is being expanded from immediate family members to other close relatives, on both the maternal and paternal sides. This is aimed at finding any possible link to a militant family member or a stone-thrower. Earlier, only the credentials of the job aspirant would be verified by security agencies.

Mr. Shah’s latest policy overturns the three government rehabilitation policies for former militants which were rolled out in J&K in 1995, 2004, and 2010. These policies entailed monetary incentives to surrendered militants. One official estimate suggested that at least 4,081militants surrendered between 1995 and 2013, mostly under these rehabilitation policies.

Official figures suggest there are at least 30,000 families in Kashmir whose kin are or were militants, given that 22,000 militants have been killed in encounters with security forces since 1990, while over 4,000 militants live in PoK and there are another 4,000 surrendered militants. The new policy is likely to impact the families of thousands who have been booked under several cases since 2008 when violence erupted over the Amarnath land row.

The street violence that followed the killing of Burhan Wani in 2016 saw the government lodging 3,773 cases in 2016 and 2017, and arresting at least 11,290 youth. At least 4,949 people were identified as those who resorted to stone-throwing.

“I think the government should consider the recent turnout in voting as an urge for reconciliation and reintegration and open gates for healing people, and end harsh policies that push people into perpetual violence against the state. Punishing militant families will serve Pakistan more than India,” PDP leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra said.

Man kills eight family members, then kills self in M.P.; police launch probe

Mehul Malpani

Rewa

Senior police officials at the crime scene in Chhindwara district on Wednesday.PTI

A 26-year-old man in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh murdered eight members of his family on Wednesday. The victims included his wife, mother, brother, and a year-and-a-half old niece, the police said. Subsequently, the accused also killed himself.

The Chhindwara police said the murders took place around 2.30 a.m. at Bodal Kachhar village, and a call was received at the police control room. The accused was later found dead in a forest area behind his house around 5 a.m.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Chhindwara, Avdesh Pratap Singh told The Hindu that the preliminary investigation had revealed the accused, identified as Dinesh Saiyam, had been dealing with mental health issues. “He married only about seven days ago and from what the neighbours have told us, he was more upset ever since,” he said.

The accused used an axe to attack the family members in their sleep. “After killing eight people in his house, he went to his cousin’s house next door and attacked his 10-year-old son. The boy survived the attack as his grandmother saw the attacker and woke others up,” Mr. Singh said.

He said that the police had seized the axe used in the crime and a case will be registered under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

“We have launched a thorough investigation into the matter to find out the motive and see if any other person is involved in the murders,” the ASP said.

Those who require assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts may contactAasra (022-27546669) or the Vandrevala Foundation (18602662345)

Cyclone Remal effect: death toll rises to 38 in northeast, rescue efforts under way

The Hindu Bureau

GUWAHATI

Rescue under way after a stone quarry in Aizawl collapsed in the heavy rain and winds triggered by Cyclone Remal. ANI

The death toll in Cyclone Remal-induced disasters across four northeastern States rose to 38 on Wednesday.

Rescue workers have so far retrieved 29 bodies from several landslip-hit locations in and around Mizoram’s capital Aizawl. An unspecified number of people continue to be missing or buried under stones, earth, and 127 damaged houses, 53 of them severely.

A belated report from Nagaland said four people, including a seven-year-old boy, were killed in Wokha and Phek districts on Tuesday. While three people drowned, a 73-year-old man was crushed under the weight of a retaining wall that collapsed.

Three people were killed in Assam and two in Meghalaya due to a combination of storm and heavy rainfall.

Officials in Mizoram said 15 bodies, including those of two minors, had so far been recovered from a stone quarry at Methum, near Aizawl. “Of the 29 victims, 23 were residents of Mizoram while five were from Jharkhand and one from (southern) Assam’s Cachar,” Aizawl Superintendent of Police, Rahool Alwal told journalists.

Rescue officials said persistent rain and slushy conditions have affected the rescue operations.

More than 4,000 people, mostly in the Imphal Valley, have been affected by floods. “Authorities concerned, security and NDRF personnel and local volunteers, are working tirelessly to assist the affected people,” Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said. No loss of human lives was reported from Manipur.

2 killed after being hit by Karan Bhushan’s convoy

Police personnel near the wreckage of an escort vehicle, which was part of the convoy of Karan Bhushan Singh. PTI-

The BJP candidate’s convoy, which comprised four SUVs, was near a school in Karnalganj when the incident took place on the Colonelganj-Huzoorpur road.

According to Kernalganj police station officer Nirbhay Narayan Singh, three of the vehicles had passed through a railway crossing, while the fourth was left behind as a train went by. The driver of the fourth vehicle then allegedly speeded up to catch up with the rest of the convoy and collided with a motorcycle being ridden by Rehan Khan, 19, and his cousin Shehzad Khan, 24. A pedestrian Sita Devi, 60, was injured in the collision and was hospitalised.

A case has been registered under Sections 279 (driving or riding a vehicle negligently, thereby endangering human life), 304-A (the death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide) and 427 (commits mischief and thereby causes loss or damage to the amount of ₹50) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, the first information report does not mention any name or person as accused.

The Hindu reached out to the Superintendent of Police, Gonda and Deputy Superintendent of Police, Colonelganj, for further details but did not receive any response.

Lakhimpur comparison

The Opposition targeted the BJP over the incident, describing it as ‘Lakhimpur Part 2’. In October 2021, Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni’s son was accused of being part of a convoy that ran over protesting farmers.

“Lakhimpur Part-2 in Gonda. A car from the convoy of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son and MP candidate Karan Bhushan Sharan Singh crushed three people, in which two died and one is fighting a battle for life,” said a post on X by the U.P. Congress. “Three years ago, in Lakhimpur, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni in the BJP government trampled the farmers to death and now the son of Kaiserganj MP Brij Bhushan. The BJP government will now make every effort to save its leaders,” it added.

The BJP had refused ticket for the 2024 election to its sitting MP, Brij Bhushan Singh. Instead, the ruling party nominated his younger son as its nominee for the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat.

Citizenship granted under the CAA to applicants in 3 States

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) were granted to some people in West Bengal, Uttarakhand, and Haryana, the Union Home Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Ministry did not specify the number of people who acquired citizenship through the CAA in the three States. However, a source said that at least eight Hindu migrants from Bangladesh were granted citizenship in West Bengal.

“The process of granting citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 has now commenced in the State of West Bengal, where the first set of applications from the State was today granted citizenship by the Empowered Committee, West Bengal,” the Ministry said in a statement.

It added that theEmpowered Committees in Haryana and Uttarakhand have also granted citizenship under CAA to the first set of applicants.

Earlier, the country’s first set of certificates under the CAA was granted to Pakistani Hindus in Delhi on May 15.

The MHAhad notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 on March 11, paving the way for the implementation of the Act, which was passed by Parliament in December 2019.

The CAA, which will potentially benefit over 2.5 crore people from the Matua and Namasudra communities in West Bengal, has been opposed by the State’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, on the grounds that it is discriminatory and communal.

IndiGo pilot, crew violated safety norms during evacuation

Jagriti Chandra

NEW DELHI

IndiGo will review why its pilot and cabin crew flouted safety protocol alongside passengers during Tuesday’s emergency evacuation, carrying luggage while streaming down emergency slides following a bomb alert.

The evacuation was carried out on an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Varanasi before take-off following a note inside the lavatory that warned of a ‘bomb@5.30 am’. The bomb alert was later declared a hoax.

Visuals of the incident showed several passengers leaving the aircraft on an emergency slide with their bags. An IndiGo pilot brought his flight bag along and a member of the crew could be seen walking on the apron with her stroller bag after exiting the aircraft through the emergency slide.

Safety and emergency procedures during an evacuation require everyone to leave their bags behind as these can injure other passengers, damage the inflatable slide and impede evacuation. Removing bags from the overhead bins can slow down the evacuation that has to be completed within 90 seconds.

“To see trained pilot and cabin crew evacuating with bags shows a complete disregard for safety and emergency procedures. It sends out the wrong message to passengers who are given instructions to leave everything behind,” said Arun Kapur, former safety and emergency procedures instructor at Air India.

“Safety is our prime concern and our crew acted in the best interest of our customers’ safety. As with all safety and security events, our flight safety team will be reviewing this,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.

Aiyar’s description of 1962 war reflects the mindset of Cong.: BJP

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s description of China’s 1962 attack on India as an “alleged invasion” reflects the “anti-India mindset” of the Congress and is a “signal to enemy countries” to interfere in the ongoing electoral process, the BJP said on Wednesday.

Mr. Aiyar could not have made such a statement without the concurrence of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told presspersons, while also taking a swipe at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his “silence” over the issue.

Mr. Aiyar made the remarks at a book launch on Tuesday.

Though Congress leader immediately issued an apology, while the Congress distanced itself from his comments, a controversy seems to have erupted.

‘Congress distancing’

Mr. Bhatia said that the Congress distancing itself from such remarks by its leaders had become commonplace, and suggested that the Congress should instead distance itself from countries such as China.

He noted that the Congress had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China’s ruling Communist party when the United Progressive Alliance was in power, claiming that the Opposition party had never disclosed any details of the MoU.

“Rahul Gandhi can betray India but not go against China,” Mr. Bhatia alleged.

He also termed the donations given to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation by the Chinese embassy as a “bribe”.

Mungeshpur gauge records 52.9 degrees

Safdarjung is located in a greener area of Delhi and has traditionally recorded temperatures a few degrees lower than in other parts of the city. The highest temperature ever recorded at Safdarjung, which is the official reading of the capital, was 47.2 degrees Celsius on May 29, 1944.

The IMD, in its release, said temperature over urban areas varied from place to place due to local exposure, such as proximity to waterbodies, barren land, concrete and dense urban cluster, as well as green areas.

Precautionary steps

Several parts of the capital have been reeling under a heatwave for over a fortnight.

The Delhi government has reserved two beds in every government hospital to treat cases of heatstroke. The Lieutenant-Governor’s office has given instructions to the Chief Secretary to ensure that labourers working at construction sites get a paid break between noon and 3 p.m. along with coconut water until the maximum temperatures fall below 40 degrees Celsius.

Anti-smog guns, which are used to tackle pollution in the winter months, will also be deployed to spray water in an effort to bring down the ambient temperature.

However, relief is in sight as parts of the city received light rainfall accompanied by wind on Wednesday evening. The forecast from the IMD reads: “Partly cloudy sky with heatwave conditions at a few places. Possibility of thunderstorms with very light drizzle accompanied by gusty winds.”

NIA files chargesheet against six for ‘terror attack’

The Hindu Bureau

GUWAHATI

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday chargesheeted Paresh Baruah, the fugitive chief of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), and five others for a “terror attack” on an Army camp in eastern Assam five months ago.

In a statement, the NIA said the Myanmar-based ULFA(I) planned the execution of the attack, in which two motorcycle-borne youths lobbed two grenades at an Army camp on November 22, 2023.

In the chargesheet filed before the NIA Special Court, the agency named Baruah and three other military leaders of the outfit including self-styled brigadier Arunodoy Dohutia.

The chargesheet outlined a “terror network of recruitment, training camps, and execution of terrorist attacks” by the ULFA(I).

HC grants statutory bail to Sharjeel Imam

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted statutory bail to former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Sharjeel Imam in connection with a 2020 communal riots case involving allegations of sedition and unlawful activities.

Mr. Imam made speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019, and at Aligarh Muslim University on December 16, 2019, where he threatened to cut off Assam and the rest of the northeast from the country.

The court’s order came on Mr. Imam’s appeal against a February 17 order of a trial court rejecting his bail application. Mr. Imam will continue to remain in jail as he has yet to secure bail in the 2020 Delhi communal riots larger conspiracy case.

SIT officials camping at Bengaluru airport

Mr. Prajwal had remained incommunicado until Monday. The SIT had approached the special court and an arrest warrant was issued against him on May 18.

According to the standard operating procedure, the immigration officials will detain Mr. Prajwal at the airport and hand him over to the SIT since there is a lookout notice against him.

Sources said Mr. Prajwal will board a flight from Munich at 6 p.m. (IST) on Thursday and land at the Kempegowda International Airport around 2 a.m. on Friday.

In final phase, action shifts to City of Joy and Sundarbans

Shiv Sahay Singh

Kolkata

In the 2019 election, the Trinamool Congress won all the nine seats that are going to the polls on June 1 ; with several political heavyweights in the fray, the contests have become a prestige fight between the State’s ruling party and the BJP

1 of 2 Rallying support: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waving at supporters in Mathurapur on Wednesday, right, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a public meeting in support of Trinamool candidate for Kolkata Uttar, Sudip Banerjee in Kolkata. PTI/ANI

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Nine Lok Sabha constituencies in Kolkata and its suburbs, and the Sundarbans are going to the polls in the last phase of elections in West Bengal on June 1.

The region is considered a bastion of the Trinamool Congress, and the State’s ruling party had won all the nine seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. In fact, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has never won eight of the nine seats, the only exception being Dum Dum, where party leader Tapan Sikdar won in the late 1990s.

The constituencies going to the polls are Kolkata Uttar, Kolkata Dakshin, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, and Mathurapur. The last phase not only includes political heavyweights but also constituencies witnessing a prestige fight between the Trinamool and the BJP.

Jaynagar, Mathurapur and parts of Basirhat fall under the Sundarbans, a group of islands interspersed by a network of rivers and creeks, with people battling cyclones and the rise of sea level.

Basirhat, where the riverine island of Sandeshkhali is situated, has been at the centre of politics in the State over the past few months. The allegation of sexual assault and land grab at Sandeshkhali, allegedly against a section of local Trinamool leaders, has sent shock waves not only in Bengal but across the country. The BJP is pinning its hopes on 30-year-old Rekha Patra, a local woman, who had raised the allegation against the Trinamool leaders. Ms. Patra is contesting against Hazi Nurul Islam of the Trinamool and Nirapada Sardar of the the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

Another high-profile contest is expected at Diamond Harbour, where Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is seeking his third term in the Lok Sabha. Mr. Banerjee, widely considered to hold the second position in the State’s ruling party after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has nurtured it as a model constituency over the past 10 years and speaks of the ‘“Diamond Harbour model of development”. Mr. Banerjee is contesting against Abhijit Das of the BJP and Pratikur Rahaman of the CPI(M).

The Jadavpur seat on the southern suburbs of the city has thrown up an interesting three-cornered contest among Trinamool youth leader Sayoni Ghosh, CPI(M) youth leader Srijan Bhattacharya, and Anirban Ganguly of the BJP. The region, once a bastion of the Left parties, has been electing Trinamool MPs since 2009 and the State’s ruling party has changed the MP nominee after every five years.

Dum Dum, another constituency on the suburbs, located on the northern fringes of the metropolis, has veteran Trinamool leader and three-time MP Saugata Roy seeking a re-election from the seat. He is facing the challenge from Shilbhadra Dutta of the BJP and Sujan Chakraborty of the CPI(M).

The Kolkata Dakshin constituency, which has elected Ms. Banerjee to the Lok Sabha on several occasions, is witnessing mostly an all-woman contest with Mala Roy of the Trinamool contesting against the BJP’s Debashree Chaudhuri and Saira Shah Halim of the CPI(M). While, Ms. Roy is the sitting MP for the constituency, Debashree Chaudhuri won the 2019 election from Raiganj.

Kolkata Uttar is up for a contest between political heavyweights, where nine-time MP and the Trinamool’s leader in the Lok Sabha, Sudip Banerjee, is contesting against the BJP’s candidate, Tapas Roy. The Congress has fielded its former State president, Pradip Bhattacharya.

As in the rest of the State, the Trinamool’s campaign was centred on the Chief Minister and Mr. Abhishek Banerjee. For the BJP, Mr. Modi held several political rallies.

The campaign had to be suspended for at least two days owing to the impact of Cyclone Remal.

The issues of the repair of earthen embankments in the Sundarbans and crumbling infrastructure in Kolkata has been raised by Opposition parties.

The Trinamool leadership claimed there had been fewer causalities and less damage due to an alert administration.

Along with the issues of denial of Central funds and the violence in Sandeshkhali, Ms. Banerjee’s remarks on a few Hindu monks, and the Calcutta High Court’s order setting aside the inclusion of 77 Muslim communities in the OBC category have emerged as the highlights of the campaign.

It’s a spirited BJP vs INDIA bloc campaign in Chandigarh

Vikas Vasudeva

CHANDIGARH

1 of 2 Putting up a fight: Union Minister Smriti Irani with BJP candidate for Chandigarh, Sanjay Tandon, on Tuesday; and, right, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with the party candidate for Chandigarh, Manish Tewari, and others at an election rally. PTI/ANI

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Amid a fervent election campaign, the Union Territory of Chandigarh is set for a direct battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Development, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in the Lok Sabha election.

The stakes are high for the BJP that is battling to retain the seat, even as the Congress is putting up a spirited fight.

The BJP won the lone Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat in the Union Territory in 2014 and 2019.

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have fielded Manish Tewari, a former Union Minister and MP for Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, as their candidate. He is facing Sanjay Tandon of the BJP who replaced Lok Sabha member and actor-turned-politician Kirron Kher. Mr. Tandon, who is the party’s Himachal Pradesh co-in-charge, earlier held the post of the BJP’s Chandigarh unit president. He is the son of the late Balramji Das Tandon, former Governor of Chhattisgarh.

The BJP is making an effort to register a hat-trick in Chandigarh, banking on what is terms as “record development” during the past 10 years. The Congress is counting on the “anti-incumbency” factor.

2019 victory margin

In 2019, Ms. Kher won the election against Pawan Kumar Bansal of the Congress. The BJP secured a vote share of 50.64%, while the Congress got 40.35%. In 2014, Ms. Kher won the seat, while in 2009, it was Mr. Bansal who emerged victorious. The AAP was restricted to a 3.02% vote share.

The BJP’s decision to drop the sitting MP and give ticket to a new candidate is being seen by a section of voters as an attempt to “offset” the anti-incumbency factor.

Riding high on confidence, the Congress has been targeting the BJP on its “non-performance” during the past 10 years in the city and at the Centre. Mr. Tewari has been challenging his opponent for an “open debate” on issues related to Chandigarh.

Mr. Tewari has also highlighted the importance of the 2024 election, which, according to him, is an existential election for India. He has claimed that he is fighting to protect democracy and the Constitution.

During his campaign, the Congress leader has also been highlighting the “unfulfilled promises of the BJP”, including regularising need-based changes in the Chandigarh Housing Board flats, extending the limits of ‘Lal Dora’ in the villages, and resolving the issue of traffic congestion.

Proxy candidate jibe

As the campaigning reaches its last leg, Mr. Tewari on Wednesday took a dig at Mr. Tandon, terming him a “proxy” candidate. He said that the people of Chandigarh must decide whether they needed a proxy or an actual MP.

The BJP, on the other hand, has been pitching its “strong India” narrative by evoking sentiments of nationalism against the backdrop of national security highlighting India’s cross-border air strikes.

During public rallies, party leaders have spoken about the abrogation of Article 370, the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code, and the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The party is also counting on the city’s development work done under its regime of the past 10 years.

The BJP has also been targeting the partnership between the Congress and the AAP under the INDIA bloc, saying these parties are contesting jointly in Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab, while in the State, they are fighting against each other, which they say reveals a lack of unity.

Modi, Mamata lock horns again during campaign

The Hindu Bureau

Kolkata

BJP supporters during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign rally for the Lok Sabha election in Mathurapur of West Bengal on Wednesday. PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged on Wednesday that the population composition of the border areas of West Bengal has changed, and accused the Trinamool Congress of opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in order to help “illegal infiltrators”.

Addressing a meeting in the Mathurapur constituency, the Prime Minister said, “Jobs that belong to the youth of West Bengal are being grabbed by illegal infiltrators. The entire country is concerned that the demography of the border areas of Bengal is being changed. The Trinamool opposes the grant of citizenship to religiously persecuted minorities. Why are they opposing the CAA so much?” He asserted that the Matua community would get Indian citizenship under the CAA. His comments came as the first set of citizenship certificates under the CAA were granted in West Bengal.

In his last election meeting in West Bengal, Mr. Modi also raised the issue of inclusion of Muslims in the OBC category for reservations in government jobs.

Referring to a recent Calcutta High Court order setting aside the inclusion of 77 Muslim communities in the OBC category, the Prime Minister said the Trinamool was openly violating Constitutional provisions. “The Trinamool cannot go against the Calcutta High Court order. But for appeasement politics, it is lying,” he said.

In his speech, he said that the Trinamool is trying to alter the identity of West Bengal by targeting Hindu monks. He alleged that “Trinamool goons” attacked Bharat Sevashram Sangha and Ramakrishna Mission establishments in the State.

The Prime Minister highlighted the poor condition of embankments in riverine areas, and said despite funds being released, the Trinamool government had not addressed the issue. Mr. Modi accused the ruling establishment of pursuing “cut money” from funds for development.

‘Spreading lies’

Responding to the Prime Minister’s charges, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused him of “spreading lies” about funds being provided to the State, and challenged Mr. Modi to prove his claim.

“The Prime Minister, while addressing rallies in Bengal, said the Centre released funds for the State which the Trinamool apparently siphoned off. The PM is lying. I challenge him to prove that the Centre has released funds. This is a blatant lie,” she said.

Addressing a rally at Metiabruz in the Diamond Harbour constituency, Ms. Banerjee said that she was “ready to sacrifice her life”, but would not allow divisive politics over the CAA, NRC (National Register of Citizens) and UCC (Uniform Civil Code) in Bengal.

The Trinamool chairperson also claimed that the BJP was publishing misleading advertisements in newspapers. “We lodged multiple complaints but there was no action. Yesterday, the Court also stated these advertisements were illegal. They don’t release MGNREGA funds but spend crores on conspiracies, to buy votes and spread propaganda,” she said.

PM Modi’s meditation plan violates poll code: Cong. to EC

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

The two-day meditation at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from May 30 violates the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and restrictions imposed on a candidate during the silent period, the Congress told the Election Commission on Wednesday.

A Congress delegation of Abhishek Singhvi, Randeep Surjewala and Naseer Hussain argued that either Mr. Modi should hold his meditation on June 1 after polling hours or there should be no media coverage of the event until voting is over.

“These are all ways to either campaign or get publicity for yourself through channels and publications. We have put two simple points before the EC. Either the Prime Minister starts this after 48 hours and can start his maun vrat [vow of silence] from the evening of June 1 or, if he insists, the EC should ensure that it is not telecast by visual media or published by the print media. He [Mr. Modi] is a candidate himself in the last phase,” Mr. Singhvi said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too said that her party, the Trinamool Congress, would complain to the Election Commission if the Prime Minister’s meditation was televised.

FIR filed against Mehbooba for ‘code violation’

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti during a protest in Anantnag on May 25. ANI

An FIR was lodged on Wednesday against Peoples Democratic Party candidate Mehbooba Mufti on the complaint of the Election Commission in Anantnag- Rajouri for holding a protest on the polling day to press for the release of detained workers and polling agents.

According to the FIR, a huge number of PDP workers led by Ms. Mufti assembled in Bijbehara on May 25, “which amounted to the gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)”.

Ms. Mufti said she was paying a price for speaking truth to power. “Our protest was against the Government of India which was in cahoots with the local administration for detaining hundreds of PDP polling agents and workers in the hours leading up to voting,” she said.

Cong. targets PM over comments on Gandhi

Congress leaders late on Wednesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his viral interview in which he said that the world started appreciating Mahatma Gandhi only after the eponymous movie, made in 1982.

Reacting to the video, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the world view taught in the shakhas of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh does not allow one to understand Gandhiji, as the RSS follows the path of his assassin, Nathuram Godse.

“People of violence and untruth can neither understand truth or non-violence,” he added.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Those whose ideological ancestors were involved in the assassination of Gandhi along with Godse, can never follow the path of truth given by Bapu”.

Rahul promises to write off farmers’ loans

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said at a rally in Ludhiana on Thursday that once a Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance government is formed at the Centre, it will waive the loans of farmers and will provide a legal guarantee for the minimum support price for crops.

In jail, but Amritpal has a punchy campaign

Samridhi Tewari

Khadoor Sahib

Pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh, lodged in the the Dibrugarh Jail in Assam after being charged under National Security Act, is contesting polls from Khadoor Sahib in absentia; his family, running the campaign for him, keeps the focus on ending the drug menace and protecting Sikh identity

Young supporters of Amritpal Singh with his flags at his hometown Jallupur Khera in Punjab on Tuesday.SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

In Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib, posters with pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh’s photo and his poll symbol, the microphone, are everywhere. Villagers have put them up in support of Mr. Amritpal, who is contesting from the Dibrugarh jail in Assam as an Independent candidate from Khadoor Sahib in the Lok Sabha election on Saturday.

Mr. Amritpal, 31, was arrested by the Punjab Police from Rode village in Moga in April 2023, after a month-long search against him and his outfit, Waris Punjab De. He was charged under the National Security Act, and there are at least 12 criminal cases against him.

For his mother, Balwinder Kaur, who has been at the forefront of campaign rallies and roadshows, the idea to make Mr. Amritpal run for the Lok Sabha came from several sarpanches of Khadoor Sahib. His followers believe that Mr. Amritpal should contest the election the way Sangrur Lok Sabha member and Sikh radical leader Simranjit Singh Mann did in 1989. Mr. Mann was arrested in 1984 and imprisoned for five years in connection with the assassination of Indira Gandhi. He was released after he won the election from the erstwhile Tarn Taran seat in absentia.

With no communication with Mr. Amritpal because the jail has permitted only physical meetings for prisoners, his family finds it difficult to inform him about the campaign. The last time the family spoke to Mr. Amritpal was when he filed his papers.

Political road map

During the campaign, Mr. Amritpal’s family is focusing on the release of former Sikh militants from prison, ending the drug menace in Punjab and protecting Sikh identity. In posters and pamphlets, Mr. Amritpal is seen wearing a blue turban and a white robe. Many supporters have put his sticker on their phones. At his house in Jallupur Kheda, workers and supporters discuss their plan of action. On the streets, his family members and supporters have been organising rallies.

While he continues to remain imprisoned, Mr. Amritpal’s ideology captures social media, said Balraj Singh, 28, a farmer who was at the farmers’ protest in Delhi. Mr. Amritpal can be seen on Instagram and Facebook where the account “We Support Bhai Amritpal Singh” shares updates on the roadshows and rallies.

At a dhaba, A.P. Singh, 55, said his “vote will go to the mic” because Mr. Amritpal will work for the people. Asked how he knew about the symbol, the dhaba staffer said he watched a reel in which supporters asks voters to press the “12th button that is the mic”. “He doesn’t have to make any promises, everybody here knows what his plans are. People will vote for Sikh ideology,” he said.

War on drugs

A major concern in Khadoor Sahib is the narcotics menace that, voters say, has destroyed the youth and families, and has led to poor literacy and high rate of unemployment.

In 2022, Punjab registered 12,442 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, according to a National Crime Records Bureau report. Kirpal Singh, a 48-year-old farmer, who lives in Jallupur Khera, said political parties that have governed Punjab have always promised to tackle the drug menace, but nothing has been done on the ground.

“The problem of narcotics cannot be solved by arresting young men. The system has to stop the supply. The biggest question is, where are these drugs coming from? For us, Amritpal built a gurdwara in our village to provide rehab to at least 400 children,” he said.

Surinder Pal Singh, who is working for Mr. Amritpal’s campaign, said children as young as 10 are consuming drugs in the State.

“Amritpal has worked in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Singrur, Gurdaspur. Every day the victims were made to attend awareness classes. He and his supporters had gone to remote villages and had used social media to communicate with the people,” he said.

Gurjan Singh, 23, once a drug addict, said he was inspired by the videos of the late Deep Sidhu, activist and actor, and Mr. Amritpal. Sidhu had founded Waris Punjab De which Mr. Amritpal now heads.

“These two people inspired me. I joined a rehab centre and it took me some time, but here I am, I now have a job in Dubai and work as a driver,” he said.

Mr. Amritpal has drawn inspiration from extremist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in Operation Bluestar in 1984. The jailed leader’s supporters say the wounds of 1984 are yet to be healed. Mr. Surinder said what the government did then was wrong.

“The Sikh identity is of importance now. Children have read literature, and are aware, whatever happened with us, was completely wrong, the wounds will never heal,” he said.

Kumartuli’s sculptors of the divine blase about heat and drama of polls

Moyurie Som

KOLKATA

Struggling artists: A sculptor busy at work, making miniature idols of Goddess Durga at Kumartuli in Kolkata.FIle Photo

The Kolkata North Lok Sabha constituency is home to some of the oldest areas of the metropolis, including Kumartuli, known globally for its age-old tradition of modelling clay idols, especially of Goddess Durga for Navaratri. As the constituency goes to the polls on Saturday, amid a surfeit of electoral promises, the idol sculptors of Kumartuli are disgruntled by long-standing infrastructure woes.

“When it rains, water drips through our roofs. The streets get waterlogged,” says Rajat Pal (name changed), 50, a third-generation sculptor.

On Tuesday, a day after the city experienced the devastating aftermath of Cyclone Remal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a roadshow in support of Tapas Roy, BJP candidate in the constituency. Contesting against him is the incumbent Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandopadhyay, and Pradip Bhattacharya of the Congress.

“Nobody cares what happens to the idol sculptors of Kumartuli. No one is talking about it,” Mr. Pal said.

The working and living conditions of Kumartuli have been the bane of the sculptors for as long as he can remember. “We are sculpting idols of gods and goddesses, and yet our work environment is dirty, dingy, and damaged,” he said.

Tapan Ghosh, who has been working in Kumartuli for nearly a decade, said even the most spacious workshops are too cramped. Many are not tall enough to accommodate the larger idols, compelling the sculptors to take them out on the streets, crowding the already-cramped lanes. “Even taking the finished idols out of the workshop and safely loading them on trucks is a struggle,” Mr. Ghosh said.

“The Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government had planned to move the clay-modelling workshops out of Kumartuli and into well-built, spacious studios in Bagbazaar in North Kolkata,” Babu Paul, secretary of the Kumartuli Mritshilpo Sanskritik Samiti, said.

Perennial debt

Poverty among artisan families has been worsening over the past decade. With the rising costs of raw materials, most sculptors are perennially in debt. “We start work with the help of private loans,” Mr. Paul said. “Any profits we make are spent paying off the loan with interest. What are we taking home for our families?”

In 2022, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) included Durga Puja on its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Despite widespread celebrations over this recognition, it did little towards improving the lives of Kumartuli’s sculptors. “I am not happy with the UNESCO tag. The world now knows Kumartuli, but how has it made my life better as a sculptor?” Mr. Paul said. “Most of us barely make ends meet.”

(set by Hypatia)

1 of 4

2 of 4

3 of 4

4 of 4 Scan to play

Across

1 Starts to tackle unusually cold, bad weather around sporting event (3-2-3)

5 Ducks kept in a small space (6)

10 Cry at last in movie's rousing climax (7)

11 Doctor Hardy's books and pipe (7)

12 Implements that optimize outcomes, leveraging strengths basically (5)

13 Result of withdrawal (9)

14 Sis went to one who's dishonest (5,7)

18 What you will wear with length to cover feet (7-5)

21 Food in resort near slum - mostly at Mumbai’s periphery (9)

23 Short dresses, retro skirts making a comeback (5)

24 Separate lives, putting nothing behind (7)

25 Circus act that sets the bar high? (7)

26 Large figures in endowments for royal institute (6)

27 Essentially intolerable with others before he gets into fights (8)

Down

1 Score reached over time with end of tourney (6)

2 Primarily green elegant creatures, keenly observing surroundings! (6)

3 Rod moves fast covering trail with fine couple (9)

4 American star ashamed at broadcast that's completely crazy (2,3,2,1,6)

6 Some have dictionaries of ancient Hindu texts (5)

7 Fancied maiden struggling to woo soldier (8)

8 Saints excitedly embracing a man worshipping God - just the opposite (8)

9 In assembly, Modi 's answer hit opposition's representative (6,8)

15 It is a new hat made for islanders (9)

16 Shoot in scene, nearly hiding (8)

17 A lemon cocktail taken by mother for skin problem (8)

19 Regularly appears in court, due early for trial (6)

20 Hypatia tore apart rock star? (6)

22 Cycling ground in the middle (5)

Controversy breaks out over Modi’s remark on Odisha CM’s ‘deteriorating health’

Satyasundar Barik

Bhubaneswar

Naveen Patnaik ANI

A controversy erupted on Wednesday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to form a special committee to investigate the reasons for the reportedly “deteriorating health” of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who insisted that he was in perfect health.

Addressing a public meeting in the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency, Mr. Modi said, “Nowadays, all well-wishers of Mr. Patnaik are deeply concerned. They are worried by how sharply Odisha CM’s health has deteriorated over the past year. Whenever people close to him meet me, they often discuss his health.”

‘Conspiracy concern’

“They report that Mr. Patnaik is now unable to perform his own functions. Additionally, they express concern that a conspiracy might be behind the sudden decline in his health,” the PM said.

“Questions arise regarding whether there is a conspiracy behind Mr. Patnaik’s deteriorating health. The people of Odisha have a right to know the truth. Is the powerful lobby operating behind the scenes in Naveen Babu’s name responsible for this situation,” Mr. Modi asked.

“The mystery must be resolved. To uncover the truth, an investigation is essential. After June 10, when the BJP takes power, our government will establish a special committee to determine the reasons for the sudden deterioration in the health of the Odisha CM,” he said.

Patnaik’s counter

Later, Mr. Patnaik told pressperons, “If the PM was so concerned about my health and he had stated publicly that I am his good friend, then all he had to do was pick up a telephone and ring me up and ask me about my health.”

“I understand a number of people in BJP from Odisha and New Delhi have been spreading rumours about my health for the past 10 years. Let me assure the PM that I am in perfect health and I have been campaigning in our state for the past month,” Mr. Patnaik said.

“Instead of concerning himself about such rumours, he should concentrate on the revision of coal royalty for our State and special category status for Odisha,” he suggested.

Showcasing Rama’s divinity

The young princes in Ayodhya were growing up delighting everyone and Rama was the most loved of them all. One may wonder how Rama’s war on Tataka dovetails with dharma, but the purity of the act is clear to all, said Swami Mitranandaji.

The all-knowing ascetic Vishwamitra requested Dasaratha to send Rama with him to help in dealing with the demons in the forest who were a great disturbance to the yagnas being performed by the rishis. Dasaratha was greatly distressed as he dared not deny the request of the great sage but was very apprehensive of Rama, who was still a child in his perception, being tasked with such a dangerous endeavour. Dasaratha is reassured of Rama’s safety by Vishwamitra.

As Vishwamitra guided Rama and Lakshmana to his forest abode, they came to a dark and dreary forest where the demon Tataka was heaping atrocities on the rishis living there. Vishwamitra asked Rama to kill the ogress to rid the forest of her. Rama was reluctant to kill a female, but is reassured by Vishwamitra that killing such a fiend who was characterised by impiety and who had killed many kshatriya princes was not wrong. Rama then proceeded to overcome Tataka with a powerful arrow and ended the misery suffered by the sages in the forest.

RudraM-II air-to-surface missile flight test successful

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wednesday successfully flight-tested the indigenously-developed RudraM-II air-to-surface missile from a Su-30 MKI jet off Odisha coast. “The flight-test met all the trial objectives, validating the propulsion system and control & guidance algorithm,” DRDO said in a statement. The performance of the missile has been validated from the flight data captured by range tracking instruments, it added. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the successful test consolidated the role of RudraM-II as a force multiplier to the Indian armed forces.

Action against Odisha CMO officials BJP’s design: BJD

The Hindu Bureau

BHUBANESWAR

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday termed the action against two senior IPS officers linked to the Odisha Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) by the Election Commission (EC) “unfortunate” and a “design” of the BJP.

“It is unfortunate that actions have been taken against the officers,” said V.K. Pandian, close aide of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. “The two officers were awarded for their commitment, dedication and sacrifice in the service,” he said. The EC had placed D.S. Kutey, Special Secretary to Odisha CM, under suspension, and directed Ashish Kumar Singh, Inspector-General of Police (CM Security), to undergo medical examination on charges of influencing elections in the State.

“This is as per the design of BJP which cannot digest imminent defeat in the hand of BJD,” he said.

Police arrest two for shooting at AIMIM leader in Malegaon

The Maharashtra Police on Wednesday arrested two persons in connection with an armed assault on former Malegaon Mayor and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) functionary Abdul Malik Yunus Usa Sheikh on Monday morning. The police arrested Farooq Patel and his aide and seized a pistol, two live cartridges and a motorbike which were used during the attack. According to the police, the fallout from a land dispute led to the attack.

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India, liberalism and its crisis of legitimacy

1 of 2 Shashi Tharoor is the third-term Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (Congress) for Thiruvananthapuram, and the Sahitya Akademi award winning author of 25 books, most recently ‘The Less You Preach, the More You Learn’ (co-authored with Joseph Zacharias)

2 of 2 John Koshy is an independent consultant and former Chief of Staff to Shashi Tharoor

Amid the heated rhetoric that is already consuming most of the space for ideas in this acrimonious and protracted general election, there seems little space for engaging in a more serious discussion about political values. Just over three decades ago, after the elections of 1991, India embarked on a tryst with liberalism, then regarded as the apex of ‘mankind’s ideological evolution’ and ‘the final form of government’ (to quote Francis Fukuyama’s famous essay “The End of History?’). In the years since, liberalism has faced trenchant criticism from both the left and the right, in India and across the world. The alarming rise of populist and authoritarian strongmen across the globe has reflected a discernible retreat of liberal democracy from its post-Cold-War heyday to just 34 countries (as on 2022).

The appeal of the core liberal idea that democracy, planted in the fertile soil of a free land and watered by capitalistic economic affluence and rule of law, would flourish around the globe, is waning. As the phenomenon of “democratic deconsolidation” attains an unprecedented pace, public dissatisfaction with liberal democracy and liberal values has been plummeting for some time now. Worryingly, support for alternative models is increasing: a Pew survey last year found 85% of respondents in India indicating a preference for authoritarianism or military rule, alongside a decline in those who believed that representative democracy was a good way of governance. Similar trends are apparent even in the West, though at more modest levels, enabling Russia’s Vladimir Putin to triumphantly declare “Liberalism is dead”.

Attacks by the left and the right

In India, liberalism is facing a crisis of legitimacy, with attacks from both the left and the right. For those on the left, liberalism (and neoliberalism in particular) represents a dangerous elitist doctrine, prioritising the interests of a handful of privileged individuals over the needs of the collective, and promoting an individualism that has resulted in the ever-widening gap between the haves and the have-nots, the primacy of corporate interests, and the further marginalisation of the disadvantaged. The left sees an untenable contradiction between a commitment to egalitarian democracy on the one hand and an individualistic market capitalism on the other.

The right sees different dangers in liberalism, particularly its emphasis on individual freedom. Tagore’s was an authentically Indian liberal voice of freedom, insisting that every individual be free to pursue his destiny: “Give me the strength never to…bend my knees before insolent might,” he prayed in Gitanjali. But in today’s India, insolent might commands the stage. The right garbs itself in the social values that emphasise the needs of the individual over the ideals of community, identity and tradition. They dismiss liberalism in India as a western colonial import that has no connection with our traditional values and way of living. To both right and left, liberalism today is synonymous with elitism, privilege and an outdated westernised world view.

But if there was ever a time for us to articulate a reformed and expanded idea of Indian liberalism, it is now. The current legitimisation of illiberal alternatives and the erosion of trust in egalitarian democracy, the surrender of individual liberties to the hands of a ruling dispensation that has consistently exceeded its constitutional powers, the rampant undermining of institutions that were meant to check executive overreach, and the mainstreaming of bigoted and chauvinistic narratives that seek to ‘otherize’ entire communities, all point to an urgent need to offer a reimagined idea of liberalism to counter the systemic rot that plagues our democratic system.

Ingrained in Indian society

Far from being a western import, as thinkers such as Amartya Sen have pointed out, the key values of liberalism — an emphasis on individual liberty, freedom, social justice and societal harmony — have been deeply ingrained in Indian society since ancient times. Liberal values can be found in our civilisational traditions and cultural beliefs, representative ruling institutions of the past and in the articulations produced by an array of makers of modern India, with giants such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, M.G. Ranade, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Gurudev Tagore and B.R. Ambedkar situating their critique of colonial rule within a liberal framework. Of course, this in itself did not rid or absolve Indian society from the horrors of discrimination, caste oppression and marginalisation but, as more radical liberal thinkers such as Jyotirao Phule and Ambedkar argued, progress could be achieved through better (and more representative) political instruments rooted in liberal ideals.

It is imperative to respond constructively to the charges of elitism and misguided thinking that are levelled at liberalism in India. What is needed is a more syncretic and democratised idea of liberalism, one that is able to remain inclusive and absorptive of ideas from either end, without betraying the core ideals of freedom, dignity and representation that have underpinned it since its conception. We suggest that Indian liberalism will need to undergo four sets of evolutions for it to address the challenges unleashed by its current critics.

First, evangelists for syncretic liberalism will need to engage with the ideas of tradition and identity in a more comprehensive and sustained manner. These are fundamental emotional and cultural concerns that animate the functioning of individuals and communities in our country but have often been overlooked by liberals who prioritise the individual without engaging with the larger forces that drive the communities they belong to. Populists have enjoyed tremendous success in weaponising the feelings of being marginalised or overlooked that have resulted from the more modernist and cosmopolitan approach of liberals. Engaging with these topics, coupled with a recognition of avenues of systemic oppression and discrimination that have proved resistant to liberalism, is a key first step to take liberal thinking and values from an elite concern to a mass conviction.

Second, liberalism will also need to adopt a reformed approach to economic activity and markets, one that is able to look beyond neoliberal thinking and develop a more inclusive and socially just approach. The magic of the market will not appeal to those who cannot afford to enter the marketplace. Liberals must encourage free enterprise but also commit themselves to distributing the increased revenues that accrue to the state from economic growth. Reformed liberalism will need to be capable of balancing both the unleashing of private enterprise alongside an equally strong commitment to social justice through welfare. The tide of good economic governance, as the United Progressive Alliance era demonstrated, can lift all boats, but some need more help to be able to participate fully in the market economy and to fulfil their aspirations.

Third, for a more democratised and harmonious version of liberalism to succeed, both political reform and a revival of representative institutions will be needed. The centralisation of power in an overweening state, the lack of trust that individual citizens have in our institutions, their inadequate representation in decision-making forums, and the overreach of government through its surveillance of, and interference in, the daily lives of citizens, have all contributed to an overall erosion of public confidence in Indian democracy that must be rectified.

Evolve consensus

Fourth, and finally, though one would normally take this for granted, it is imperative that liberals develop a basic consensus among themselves. Given the divergent views on liberalism as well as the laundry list of criticisms essayed by its detractors, a minimum common understanding is key. Liberals’ “circular firing squad” — to borrow Barack Obama’s analogy — currently spends too much time contesting each other’s political commitments rather than focusing on their vast areas of agreement. In the face of graver threats to our democratic systems, that energy would be more constructively spent in working together.

Indian liberalism is in need of reform and revival. The time to start the process is now.

Dispelling population myths triggered by a working paper

1 of 2 Poonam Muttreja is Executive Director at the Population Foundation of India

2 of 2 Martand Kaushik is Senior Specialist, Media and Communications, at the Population Foundation of India

Many media reports and politicians have tended to misinterpret and sensationalise findings from a working paper put out by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), titled “Share of Religious Minorities: A Cross-Country Analysis (1950-2015)”. These reports have inaccurately tried to create an impression that the Muslim population in India is growing rapidly and that this threatens the Hindu population. Unfortunately, such interpretations fuel a divisive political narrative that is often misinformed about population issues and further obscures the truth from the public.

The working paper states: “the actual reasons for the change in the religious demography of a country is a multivariate phenomenon in a complex system and the depth of analysis required to pinpoint the exact variable responsible for change in religious demography is beyond the scope of the paper.” Despite acknowledging its limitations, the paper makes a flawed assertion that the growth in the Muslim population indicates that minorities are thriving in India. There is no evidence to suggest that an increase in fertility alone indicates a flourishing population.

Data and socio-economic development

Interpreting population data within the context of socio-economic development is crucial. The number of children a family chooses to have is influenced more by socio-economic factors such as education and economic conditions than by religion. Communities with better access to education, health care, and economic opportunities tend to have lower fertility rates.

A high population growth rate does not indicate that people are necessarily doing well. It often highlights the shortcomings in levels of human development. The higher growth rate of India’s Muslim population compared to the Hindu population is a result of the Muslim community lagging behind on many human development indicators. Conversely, a low growth rate or decline in population does not imply persecution or hostility but can reflect improved socio-economic conditions, lower fertility rates, and higher emigration rates.

The EAC-PM study uses the Religious Characteristics of States-Demographic (RCS-DEM) dataset to conduct a cross-country analysis of 167 countries. The RCS-DEM database provides detailed information on the demographic characteristics of various religious groups across countries. The paper analyses population data from 1950 to 2015.

Explaining the changes

There are three ways in which the changes in the composition of the population of various communities can be explained. One way is to examine the absolute increase in population across religious communities. In that case, between 1950-2015, India’s Hindu population grew by 701 million — almost five times more than the increase in the Muslim population of 146 million.

The second way is to look at the changes in the proportion of different religious groups in the population. We find that whereas the proportion of Hindu population fell by 6.64 percentage points from 84.7% in 1950 to 78.06% in 2015, the proportion of Muslim population increased by 4.25 percentage points from 9.84% in 1950 to 14.09% in 2015. Both the marginal decline in the proportion of Hindus in the population or the marginal increase in the proportion of Muslims should not be a cause for concern given that, to start with in 1950, there were 306 million Hindus as against 35.5 million Muslims. Clearly, the increase is relatively small, and there is no threat of Muslims overtaking Hindus in population numbers.

The third way is what the EAC-PM study has done, namely, highlight the rate of change in individual shares. Between 1950-2015, there was a decline of 7.8% in the share of the Hindu population and an increase by 43.2% in the share of the Muslim population.

This is only to be expected in a statistical sense, given that in 1950, the proportion of Hindus (84.7%) was relatively large compared to the Muslims (9.8%). Examining the rate of change in the shares of other religious communities further underscores the misleading nature of these figures. For instance, the rate of change in share shows an increase of 1519.6% for Buddhists, and 49.2% for Sikhs. This does not imply that Buddhists and Sikhs are conspiring towards re-shaping India’s demographic profile. Similarly, the decline in the rate of change for Parsis’ share, by 86.7%, does not mean they have been specifically targeted and persecuted in society. These numbers can be misinterpreted easily without proper context.

Need for data

According to a 2021 report published by the Pew Research Center titled “Religious Composition of India”, which analysed Census data between 1951 and 2011, the proportion of India’s six largest religious groups has remained “relatively stable” since Partition. A study by the distinguished Indian demographers P.N. Mari Bhat and Francis Zavier (2005) projected that the Muslim population’s proportion to India’s total population would peak at around 18.8% by 2101. As the Population Foundation of India’s earlier statement on this issue mentioned, there have been significant declines in Muslim fertility rates recently, as reported in the last few rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). This indicates that the projection of the peak of the proportion of Muslim population might be even smaller if a similar study were conducted now.

The delayed figures of the next Census, when they finally come out, will ultimately confirm these trends.

In the dock

Trump is facing a legal challenge, but his political fortunes are on a parallel track

Former U.S. President Donald Trump stands on the edge of history as potentially the first American to have held the highest public office in the country to be convicted on a felony charge. Mr. Trump has, in recent weeks, been pursuing his legal defence in the case brought by the U.S. District Attorney’s office in New York state involving 34 charges relating to hush-money that Mr. Trump allegedly paid to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, in exchange for her silence over a purported affair between the two of them. After six weeks of tortuous arguments, courtroom drama and political campaigning at the very doorsteps of the courthouse, the jury in the case will now deliberate on the facts laid out before them and possibly return a judgment in the coming weeks. During the trial, the prosecution sought to argue that the testimony of Michael Cohen, formerly Mr. Trump’s lawyer, made it clear beyond doubt that in paying off Ms. Daniels to the tune of $1,30,000 in 2016 over the alleged affair between them in 2006, Mr. Trump was guilty of falsifying business records to hide that expenditure and “orchestrated a scheme to keep unflattering information from voters in what was an early example of election interference”. Mr. Trump’s defence relied on painting Mr. Cohen a “liar” and seeking to discredit his account of Mr. Trump reimbursing him for the payout to Ms. Daniels.

Even if Mr. Trump is found guilty on any of the charges, he would leave the courthouse a free man as he has been on bail throughout the case thus far. He would seek to remain free at least until he appeals to the Appellate Division in Manhattan, and possibly faces the Court of Appeals. While each charge in the case carries a potential maximum sentence of four years, if there is a sentencing hearing, then the judge may take several factors into account, including Mr Trump’s age of 77 years, the lack of a previous conviction and the non-violent nature of the alleged crimes. Even if Mr. Trump successfully evades the full force of the law in the hush-money case, he faces three other felony indictments, including in federal and state cases relating to interference in the 2020 election, and his alleged role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, as well as allegations that he mishandled classified documents that were found at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, after he had demitted office. While these cases are stuck in the appeals process and would be unlikely to reach trial this year, it is safe to say that no matter what the outcome of the jury’s deliberations is in the New York case, the political climate will only get further vitiated and polarised as the country lurches forward to the November 5 presidential election.

Insidious, incendiary

India’s policymakers must address the threat of building fires

The devastating fires, at a gaming centre in Rajkot, Gujarat and a newborn nursing clinic in Delhi within 24 hours of each other, which left over 30 dead, is another grim reminder of one of India’s insidious threats: the pervasive nature of the negligence of the fire safety of buildings by a whole range of stakeholders — from builders and proprietors to regulatory authorities. While the Bureau of Indian Standards has set detailed fire safety protocols in its National Building Code of India (NBC) 2016, it is a recommendatory document, as fire services is a State subject, and enforced at the municipality level. The sheer disregard for India’s fire safety norms is apparent from the opening lines in the ‘About Fire Service – Background’ page of the Director General, Fire Services website under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It reads, “The fire services are not well organized in India”, adding, “in recent years the requirements for fire safety cover have increased manifold whereas the development of fire service has not made much headway”.

The National Disaster Management Authority had recommended to the 13th Finance Commission, an allocation of ₹7,000 crore to revamp India’s fire and emergency services. But the Commission sought an allocation of almost ₹90,000 crore at the municipality level, recognising the need for a tailor-made revamping and restructuring of fire and emergency preparedness. A 2019 Home Ministry response to the Rajya Sabha noted that India had only 3,377 fire stations, when a 2012 national report on fire hazards and risk analysis sought more than double that number. The staff shortage is even more appalling. The entire country had only about 55,000 fire servicemen in 2019, when the requirement was about 5,60,000 seven years earlier. The Centre belatedly set aside ₹5,000 crore last July asking States to cough up another ₹1,400 crore to modernise emergency services. This follows the 15th Finance Commission’s advice to set aside 12.5% of all allocations towards the National/State Disaster Response Funds. With rising heatwaves and extreme weather events nationwide, it is clear that a synchronisation of the 2016 NBC and the Energy Conservation Building Code is required to attempt a holistic approach to address fires, as standards for construction material, electrical wiring, air-conditioning, and a whole range of cooling materials have to be revamped. More importantly, India’s polity, bureaucracy, policymakers and entrepreneurs must urgently address this insidious threat.

At Kanniyakumari

Meditation seems to be the last straw of hold. It is not a surprise that the top leader has decided to meditate in Kanniyakumari in the last phase of the general election (Inside pages, May 29). This is definitely an indirect way of electioneering, which, we are sure, will go deliberately unnoticed by the body overseeing the election.

This body has anyway amply exhibited its partisan attitude in favour of the ruling dispensation. People have woken up to the reality now and are no longer ready to buy such gimmicks.

Tharcius S. Fernando,

Chennai

Progressive move

Teaching English in government schools is accepting an absolutely required need, and the decision by Karnataka is welcome (“Students of classes 1 to 10 in government and aided schools to have spoken English classes”, May 29). The lack of resources in government-aided schools to facilitate the learning of English language skills persuades many parents to admit their children in private schools which are expensive. Technology is creating incredible opportunities and an abundance of prospects as almost all the gadgets and inventions are for those who understand English. English promises upward mobility and jobs.

H.N. Ramakrishna,

Bengaluru

The spirit and body

One of the greatest ever tennis stars to grace the game, Rafael Nadal, was a pale shadow of his once formidable self. In Nadal’s case the spirit is more than willing, but with age catching up, the quicksilver reflexes no longer seem to work. Will Nadal follow Roger Federer?

C.V. Aravind,

Bengaluru

Andhra and Telangana have many of India’s richest MP candidates

Vignesh Radhakrishnan

Three regional parties from these two States fielded candidates with some of the highest average assets

The political parties in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have fielded some of the richest politicians in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. These are the two States where the worth of the average assets of candidates in the fray is the highest. This is mainly due to the relatively rich candidates who have been fielded by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and the Jana Sena Party (JSP). The TDP features first on the list of the top 10 parties with the highest average assets of candidates; the JSP and BRS feature third and fourth. The Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) is eighth on the list.

Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani of the TDP, who is competing for the Guntur seat, is the richest in the fray with assets worth ₹5,706 crore. The TDP’s poorest candidate declared assets worth ₹3 crore. Apart from the regional parties, even the candidates of national parties who were fielded from these States are relatively rich. The second richest in the fray, with assets worth ₹4,568 crore, is the BJP’s Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who is competing from the Chevella seat in Telangana. The Congress candidate from Chevella, Gaddam Ranjith Reddy, with assets worth ₹436 crore, is also among the richest. Many other relatively rich candidates such as the BJP’s C.M. Ramesh (₹498 crore); the Congress’ Y.S. Sharmila Reddy (₹182 crore); the TDP’s Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy (₹716 crore) and Sribharat Mathukumili (₹299 crore); the BRS’ Kasani Gyaneshwar Kasani (₹228 crore), Nama Nageshwara Rao (₹156 crore), and Kyama Mallesh (₹145 crore); and the YSRCP’s Chalamalasetty Sunil (₹150 crore) and Simhadri Chandra Sekhar Rao (₹139 crore) are also competing from these two States. Chart 1 shows the candidate-wise average assets in ₹ crore.

Chart 2 shows the party-wise average assets of candidates in ₹ crore. In charts 1 and 2, only select parties and their candidates are depicted. They have been chosen based on various parameters such as the number of candidates fielded, geography, and the party’s popularity. As noted earlier, the TDP is on top of the list in terms of average assets of candidates (with its candidates having average assets of ₹416 crore) followed by the Janata Dal (Secular) (₹94 crore), the JSP (₹82 crore), and the BRS (₹54 crore). The BJP features seventh on the list with its candidates having average assets of ₹41 crore behind the two parties which split from the Nationalist Congress Party. The parties from Tamil Nadu — the AIADMK and the DMK — feature ninth and tenth, respectively. Congress candidates feature 14th on the list with average assets of ₹25 crore. The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party headed by Mehabooba Mufti (₹1.4 crore), the CPI(M) (₹1.4 crore), and the BSP (₹2.6 crore) are at the bottom of the list.

Chart 3 shows the State-wise average assets of candidates in ₹ crore. Only major States were considered. However, all the parties and independents were included. Candidates in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have average assets of ₹21 crore and ₹14 crore, respectively — the highest. Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka were the other States in the top five. Chhattisgarh (₹1.3 crore), J&K U.T. (₹2 crore) and Kerala (₹2.3 crore) are at the bottom of the list.

Notably, the BJP’s poorest candidate is Rekha Patra. She is one of the women who spearheaded the Sandeshkhali movement against Trinamool leaders. She declared assets worth ₹25,000. While all the parties couldn’t be depicted, an analysis including all candidates and independents showed that as many as 46 candidates, mostly independents, declared that they did not have any assets.

Open access is crucial for self-reliance in science

1 of 2 Moumita Koley is Consultant with the International Science Council and visiting scholar at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

2 of 2 Suryesh Kumar Namdeo is a Senior Research Analyst at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

A recent editorial piece in Nature lauded India’s ascent towards becoming a scientific juggernaut, paralleling its burgeoning economic clout. The Indian science ecosystem is indeed on an impressive trajectory, now ranking third globally in research output, and eleventh in quality, according to the Nature Index. However, ‘ease of doing science’ that can lead to great discoveries and innovation hinges on robust infrastructure and resources — a glaring shortfall in India’s research landscape.

From 2014 to 2021, the number of universities in India rose from 760 to 1,113. Yet, many lack essential resources such as instrumental access and sophisticated labs, not to mention access to the literature that underpins research. There has been a pioneering initiative, I-STEM, to bridge this gap by cataloguing all publicly funded research facilities nationwide and making them available to researchers based on need. This demand-supply mapping aims to democratise the availability of advanced research infrastructure.

Similarly, the call for ‘One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS)’ proposes a centralised model of subscription to scientific journals, making them universally available to all publicly funded institutions. It is costly to get access to these commercial journals. It is estimated that institutions in India annually spend ₹1,500 crore to access journals and databases. But the fruits of this expenditure are reaped by only the top few institutes. What of the rest? ONOS negotiation by the government is currently underway with the five major commercial publishers who dominate the market.

The optimal solution?

But is ONOS the optimal solution for facilitating access to scientific literature? When it was conceptualised around 2019, a significant portion of scholarly articles was behind paywalls. Now, a much larger fraction of articles is available via Open Access (OA), which means that articles are available freely for everyone online. An analysis of publications indexed in the Web of Science shows that the fraction of OA publications globally increased from 38% in 2018 to 50% in 2022. This shift raises a query about the necessity and efficiency of paying for content that is increasingly available for free. Currently, there is a strong push for OA by the U.S. and European Union. The U.S. released its updated OA policy in 2023 that mandates immediate open accessibility of all publicly funded research articles by 2025. Similarly, major philanthropic funding sources such as the Wellcome Trust have mandated OA to the research they fund.

Considering this trend, it is reasonable to argue that we should be paying less than before. The oligopolistic academic publishing market, dominated by a handful of powerful publishers in the global north, allows these publishers to set stringent terms, making any negotiation on ONOS a challenge. The entrenched reputation and authority of these publishers also stymie any discussion of alternatives.

In any other government procurement, the use of public funds is stringently regulated to ensure maximum cost efficiency and benefit. Why, then, should the procurement of academic journals be any different? If significant portions of research are already accessible without cost, the rationale for a unified, costly subscription becomes less compelling. It is also important to note that ONOS will not help make Indian research globally accessible; rather, it primarily facilitates access for Indian researchers to journals owned by big publishing oligarchs.

Further, even if one pays and subscribes to the journal, there is no guarantee of continued access. Today, most academic journals are only digitally available. Most articles have a digital object identifier (DOI), but DOI does not ensure long-term preservation. A recent study highlights that “approximately 28% of academic journal articles with DOIs appear entirely unpreserved.” This finding suggests that millions of research papers risk vanishing from the Internet. For example, over 17,000 research papers from a chemistry journal, distributed by Elsevier globally, except in Japan, disappeared when the journal was discontinued in December 2023.

Green Open Access

Considering commercial publishers have not taken up the responsibility of long-term availability of the content they profit from, it is only logical that every article authored by Indian researchers and funded by taxpayer money should be archived in publicly funded OA repositories. This practice exemplifies what we refer to as Green Open Access. This allows authors to deposit a version of their work in a university repository, making it freely accessible to everyone globally. Indian funding agencies have mandated green OA for a long time, but this has never been enforced. However, the recent troubles should catalyse a stronger push for green OA.

Major publishers such as Elsevier (Netherlands), Thomson Reuters (Canada), Taylor Francis (U.K.), Springer Nature (Germany), and Wiley and SAGE (U.S.) have headquarters in the global north. They are extremely profitable enterprises. Much of this profit is derived from the unpaid labour provided by researchers in the form of peer reviews and editorial works. To become atmanirbhar (self-reliant), India needs to make its own journal system better, with no burden of payment to authors or readers. Further, with its capabilities in digital technology, India should also become a pioneer for the global south by creating and sharing digital public infrastructure for low-cost, high-quality scientific publishing.

The BJP cannot bank on ‘asmita’ alone

Subhankar Nayak

It has not campaigned on key issues and has also left brand Naveen unscathed

Odisha is voting for both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. If elected to power in the State Assembly for the sixth consecutive term, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will create history. The fight is primarily between the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main Opposition party in the State. The Congress stands at a distant third.

In this election, neither communalisation nor developmental promises drive the Opposition’s campaign, particularly the BJP’s campaign, against the BJD government; instead, it is the issue of Odia ‘asmita (self-pride)’. A bureaucrat-turned politician, V.K. Pandian, the most trusted aide of Mr. Patnaik, has been at the receiving end. Mr. Pandian, who hails from Tamil Nadu, was an IAS officer and rose to become an all-powerful star campaigner for the party, second only to the Chief Minister.

Before asmita became the core election issue, the bonhomie between the BJD and the BJP was well-known. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Mr. Patnaik as a “dear friend” at a public meeting not too long ago. Both the parties were ready to enter into a pre-poll alliance, but for some reason this did not materialise. This led to a direct BJD versus BJP showdown in the State.

Odisha was the first State to be formed on the basis of language. Its unique identity derives from a rich cultural heritage and a significant historical legacy. As per the BJP’s narrative, this identity is under attack and the Odia people’s self pride will be further dented if they let the BJD govern the State again, as the reins will be in the hands of a non-Odia, namely, Mr. Pandian.

The BJP’s electioneering in Odisha has appeared confused. The party aims to topple a two decade-old government, yet Home Minister Amit Shah has been asserting at rallies that the BJP doesn’t have much of an issue with Mr. Patnaik, but only with “the officer from outside”. Integrating the Ram Mandir discussion into the asmita narrative in a State where Lord Jagannath holds paramount importance is another example of the saffron party’s ill-conceived strategy.

Elections are mostly about the perception of the citizenry. The BJP in Odisha doesn’t seem to be winning the perception battle by relying on the asmita narrative alone. The term asmita is not even commonly used by the Odias. The party was not creative enough to come up with a term that would easily resonate with Odia voters.

Other key political issues, such as rising youth unemployment, the distressing state of health and education, economic migration, and so on have been pushed to the background with the talk of asmita. Despite Odisha having the highest youth unemployment rate in the country, as per a recent International Labour Organization report, the issue found rare mention in the BJP’s election campaigns. The party has also missed the opportunity to appeal to the crucial youth demographic. While the BJD made efforts to court this segment just a few months before the election, casting doubts on its genuine commitment, the BJP’s youth outreach programmes have remained limited.

The Opposition’s campaign, while emphasising asmita, have also failed to effectively tackle the BJD’s core strength — its support among women. There are at least 70 lakh women self-help group (SHG) members in Odisha who form the backbone of women’s political agency in the rural parts. The Opposition lacks serious intent to penetrate the robust structure of women SHG networks that largely favours the BJD.

The strategy of focusing on asmita over governance failures may have only appealed to a limited segment of upper-middle class voters who may not hold much electoral significance. The BJP does not appear to have learnt from its poor performance in the Panchayat election held two years ago, where it only won about 5% of the Zilla Parisad seats, a massive decline from its previous performance.

Moreover, by only targeting Mr. Pandian, the BJP has left brand Naveen unscathed. Deflecting attacks on his own image has been Mr. Patnaik’s single most successful strategy and the reason for his endurance throughout his more than two decade term in office. The Opposition’s campaign has played into his strengths. Mr. Patnaik could not have hoped for a better scenario.

Subhankar Nayak is a policy researcher. X: @subhankarnayak

Israel and Syria agree on military disengagement

Washington, May 29: Israel and Syria agreed to-night on a military disengagement on the Golan Heights — a victory for the marathon shuttle diplomacy of the U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Henry Kissinger.

The Israeli-Syrian agreement coming 32 days after Dr. Kissinger began his longest overseas mission terminated the war of October 1973. Dr. Kissinger had brought about earlier disengagement between Israel and Egypt.

President Nixon who announced the accord said that military representatives of the Israel and Syria will sign the agreement in Geneva on Friday.

(Radio Israel said Soviet and American delegates would also sign the accord at Geneva.)

The President called it a “major diplomatic achievement” and praised Dr. Kissinger for his tenacity in pressing for an agreement.

Mr. Nixon said the Israeli-Syrian agreement had “removed a significant obstacle to a permanent solution of the West Asia conflict.”

He promised persistent American attempts, in co-operation with all Governments in West Asia, to achieve a peaceful solution. He described the chances for such a settlement as “better than ever before in the past 25 years.”

Details of the agreement will be announced officially to-morrow when Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir will present the agreement to the Knesset (Parliament).

While President Nixon made the announcement in Washington a statement was broadcast by Damascus Radio. The Israeli Cabinet was meeting to give the final approval to the agreement before making the announcement.

Radio club in Madras

Mr. A. Conningsby, Engineer for Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Company, who was here in connection with the establishment of a Radio Club in Madras was interviewed by the Associated Press of India said that a broadcasting transmitter was installed in the premises of Messrs. Crompton and Co. Mount Road and the supervision of Messrs. Webb and Green and a draped studio on the lines of those in Calcutta and Bombay intended for concert performances.

An overview of the AMRUT scheme

Tikender Singh Panwar

What was the purpose of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation? What was the revenue set aside for the scheme? What has been its progress so far? What are the various shortcomings and how should they be addressed?

At work: The Lions Park being renovated under AMRUT-2 by Kozhikode Corporation in 2023. File PhotoK Ragesh

The story so far:

Around 36% of India’s population is living in cities and by 2047 it will be more than 50%. The World Bank estimates that around $840 billion is required to fund the bare minimum urban infrastructure over the next 15 years. The AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme was a flagship programme launched by the NDA-1 government in June 2015, with its 2.0 version launched on October 1, 2021.

What is the AMRUT scheme?

Some of the challenges in infrastructure development with respect to water, mobility, and pollution were to be met by this scheme with some financial assistance from the Centre and the rest of the share mobilised by both States and respective cities. The mission was drawn to cover 500 cities and towns with a population of over one lakh with notified municipalities. The purpose of the AMRUT mission was to (i) ensure that every household has access to a tap with assured supply of water and a sewerage connection (ii) increase the value of cities by developing greenery and well-maintained open spaces such as parks and (iii) reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non-motorised transport. The total outlay for AMRUT was ₹50,000 crore for five years from FY 2015-16 to FY 2019-20.

AMRUT 2.0 was aimed at making cities ‘water secure’ and providing functional water tap connections to all households in all statutory towns. Ambitious targets were set up such as providing 100% sewage management in 500 AMRUT cities. The total outlay for AMRUT 2.0 is ₹2,99,000 crore, with the Central outlay being ₹76,760 crore for five years, and the rest of the amount to be mobilised by the States and cities.

How much money has been utilised?

The AMRUT dashboard shows that as of May 19, 2024, a sum of ₹83,357 crore has been dispersed so far. This amount has been utilised to provide a total of 58,66,237 tap connections, and 37,49,467 sewerage connections. A total of 2,411 parks have been developed, and 62,78,571 LED lights have been replaced. These works include the contributions made by States and cities.

What is the reality?

It is estimated that about 2,00,000 people die every year due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene. In 2016, the disease burden due to unsafe water and sanitation per person was 40 times higher in India than in China. This has not improved much. Huge amounts of waste water and little treatment enhances the vulnerability and incidence of diseases. The 150 reservoirs monitored by the central government, which supplies water for drinking and irrigation, and are the country’s key source of hydro-electricity, were filled to just 40% of its capacity a few weeks ago. Around 21 major cities are going to run out of ground water. In a NITI Aayog report it was stated that 40% of India’s population will have no access to drinking water by 2030. Nearly 31% of urban Indian households do not have piped water; 67.3% are not connected to a piped sewerage discharge system; and average water supply per person in urban India is 69.25 litres/day, whereas the required amount is 135 litres.

Additionally, air quality in AMRUT cities and in other large urban settlements continue to worsen. A National Clean Air Programme was launched by the central government in 2019, as AMRUT 2.0 focused only on water and sewerage and because the air quality concerns of AMRUT 1.0 were far from addressed.

What went wrong?

The basic fundamental of the scheme was erroneously constructed. Instead of a holistic approach, it took on a project-oriented attitude. Furthermore, AMRUT was made for cities with no participation from the cities. It was quite mechanical in design, with hardly any organic participation of the elected city governments, and driven by mostly private interests. The project was owned by bureaucrats, parastatals, and large technology-based companies. For example, in the governance architecture, the apex committee is headed by the secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) and all the members are non-elected. Similarly, the State level high powered committee is headed by the chief secretary with a private nexus of consultants and professionals. Peoples’ representatives are completely missing, in violation of the 74th constitutional amendment.

Moreover, water management in cities must factor in climate and rainfall patterns of the area and existing infrastructure of combined sewers. It is no big surprise that most of the sewage treatment plants are designed in such a way that the travel distance of average faecal matter is more than the average commute of a worker to work! Since the drivers are large private players and builders, real estate development has become a proxy for urban planning — disappearance of water bodies and lakes, disrupted storm water flows, and absence of storm water drainage is very common.

The scheme needs nature based solutions and a comprehensive methodology with a people centric approach and empowering local bodies.

Author is former Deputy Mayor, Shimla, and Member, Kerala Urban Commission.

Why does instability and chaos persist in Haiti?

Dhriti Mukherjee

Did the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry stop gang violence in the region?

The story so far:

Following a three-month forced shutdown, Haiti’s main international airport in Port-au-Prince reopened, sparking hopes for shipment of essential products. However, gang violence persists in the capital, though most of the gangs’ demands have been addressed. Meanwhile, after months of delay due to legal obstacles and violence, an advance team of the Kenyan special forces police landed in Haiti to combat the instability.

What is being done for stability?

After Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation on April 24, the formation of a Council with seven members was the first major development. The Council has been tasked with restoring order in Haiti, setting the agenda of a new Cabinet, forming a national security council, and appointing an electoral commission to help conduct polls. It enjoys the backing of the Caribbean countries and the U.S. Caricom, a Caribbean trade bloc which helped form the council, said that the installation of the “politically inclusive council signals the possibility of a new beginning for Haiti.” While Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert was appointed as interim Prime Minister, on April 30, former Minister Fritz Bélizaire was chosen for the post by the Council.

What is the situation at present?

Though there is a Council, there is also a divide. During its first task of choosing a Prime Minister, four of the seven voting members chose Mr. Bélizaire. This decision to appoint the little-known official was taken without consulting the rest of the council or holding a formal vote. This divide has reportedly strengthened worries of the Council using its position to further its own corrupt needs, following a pattern consistent with previous political officials in Haiti.

Moreover, gang violence continues. The insufficiently armed national police are still unable to counter the violence. Gang violence has become a part of daily life in Haiti over the last two decades, enabled by a weakened security apparatus, lack of effective law enforcement and widespread impunity. In the first three months of 2024, as per UN estimates, more than one person was killed due to gang violence every hour.

Why does gang violence continue?

One of the driving forces behind gang violence was the continued control exercised by Mr. Henry, and it was expected that his resignation would allow for a semblance of peace and stability. However, not only has the violence continued (though there has been a reduction), there are new concerns.

In May, UNICEF’s Representative in Haiti, Bruno Maes, noted that the “health system is on the verge of collapse” as it is faced with “violence, mass displacement, dangerous epidemic and increasing malnutrition.” Six out of 10 hospitals that are operational in the country are barely managing to function, and the biggest problem currently is the “strangling of supply chains.” About 1.6 million of the 4.4 million in Haiti face emergency levels of food insecurity, and the expected arrival of the monsoons will bring with it waterborne diseases such as cholera.

What is next for Haiti?

There are three specific challenges for Haiti. First, the divide within the transitional Council underscores the inherently fragile political landscape of the country. A rocky start may set the tone for the rest of its decisions and the country’s faith in it. Second, the persistent threat posed by armed gangs continues to loom large over Haiti, perpetuating a cycle of violence and insecurity that hampers efforts to restore law and order. Gangs have warned of more violence if they are not given a seat at the table with the Council, and if their demand for amnesty for their crimes is not granted.

Third, the deployment of a UN-backed security mission, comprised of Kenyan police forces, has sparked controversy and raised concerns about potential violation of human rights. While the mission aims to bolster efforts to combat gang violence and restore stability, there are fears that it may inadvertently exacerbate tensions and contribute to human rights abuses.

Dhriti Mukherjee is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

Architects of hate: who is fuelling discord in India’s digital elections?

Sanjay Kumar, Aditi Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Prateek Hanamant Pawar

While the MCC governs political speeches and ads by political parties and candidates, and Section 123 of the RPA, 1951 prohibits the promotion of enmity between communities through political ads or speeches, there is no explicit provision for regulation of content posted by third parties

In the current political landscape, the role of third-party advertisers has emerged as a formidable force, shaping narratives and influencing public opinion. Across diverse democracies, from the U.S., the U.K., and to India, the rise of third-party actors has raised profound questions about the integrity of electoral processes and the need for robust regulation.

Recently, the Election Commission issued a directive to platform X (formerly Twitter) to remove an animated video targeting Muslims (as reported by The Hindu on May 8). This directive, citing provisions of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951 stands in stark contrast to the unchecked proliferation of inflammatory content on platforms like Meta (Table 2). This glaring discrepancy highlights a fundamental flaw in the legal framework governing political advertising in India. Despite provisions aimed at ensuring fairness and accountability, the current regulatory landscape falls short, allowing third parties to operate with impunity, free from scrutiny over the content they disseminate and the source of their financial backing.

Building on the discourse initiated in a recent article published in The Hindu dated May 6, which highlighted the issue of unregulated expenditure by third-party campaigners, this study conducted by Lokniti-CSDS delves deeper into the realm of online political advertising by third parties. The study examined a randomised selection of ads from all third-party campaigners who are among the top 50 spenders on Google and Meta from April 1 to April 30. The study revealed a significant presence of 27 advertisers on Meta and 24 on Google among the top 50 spenders.

Ad analysis

Out of the total 51 advertisers identified on both platforms, a striking trend emerged wherein pages were actively campaigning through political ads in support of various political parties. Pages endorsing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while criticising the INDIA alliance were predominant, and were focused largely around the Hindi belt region. Conversely, pages supporting the Indian National Congress (INC) and criticising the BJP were fewer, yet they also targeted almost identical locations (Table 1).

Besides promoting national parties, a substantial number of third-party advertisers are actively engaged in advertising for State-level parties, underscoring their pervasive influence even at the local level of Indian politics. This phenomenon reflects the far-reaching impact of third-party advertisers, extending beyond national narratives to shape local dynamics.

For analysing content of third-party ads, we focused on three controversial themes to underscore the problematic content they promote. Seven prominent advertisers, heavily utilising these themes, were identified on Meta. Nearly all the seven advertisers were found to post Islamophobic content, misinformation, or derogatory remarks (Table 2). Notably, among all the advertisers, some boasted intriguing names that warrant attention. For instance, ‘Mahathugbandhan’ (Maha Thug Bandhan) posted its content against the I.N.D.I.A alliance (Maha Gath Bandhan), while ‘Hirak Rani Bye Bye’ took its name from the movie Hirak Rajar Deshe, depicting Mamta Banerjee as a dictator.

Among the seven advertisers analysed on Meta, it was evident that a significant proportion of their ads reflected concerning trends. On an average, each of these seven advertisers shared approximately 11% content with Islamophobic undertones, and around 56% of their ads disseminated misinformation or propaganda against opposition parties. These ads often included generalised criticism tainted with misinformation and propagandist language. Furthermore, an average of nearly 10% of these ads per advertiser, were found to contain derogatory comments or defamatory statements targeting political parties or candidates.

Who sees it and where?

The gravity of such content can only be truly understood by delving into its expenditure and reach, gauged through impressions, audience demographics, and geographical location.

Upon analysing a randomised sample of advertisements by third-party advertisers on Meta, it was revealed that each of the three identified themes had expenditures exceeding ₹100K. Remarkably, the analysed ads posted by third-party advertisers on Meta were found to have spent more than 100k on each of the three identified themes (Table 4). Further, the analysed ads on these themes collectively garnered more than one million impressions (Table 4).

However, the concerning revelation lies in the demographic breakdown — while Islamophobic content was predominantly consumed by the 18-34 age group, the most alarming fact is that the highest consumption occurred within the 18-24 age bracket, mostly in States like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh (Table 4). This underscores the pressing need for heightened awareness and proactive measures to address the impact of such content on young minds.

Legal loopholes for advertisers

The Handbook on Media Matters for CEOs and DEOs, issued by the Election Commission in February 2024, presents contradictory regulations regarding political advertisements by third parties. On Page 19 of Chapter 2, it prohibits such advertisements, citing the potential for undue benefits to other parties or candidates, excluding contesting candidates or political parties. However, Page 32 of the same chapter mandates political parties, groups, organizations, associations, and individuals to seek prior clearance of political advertisements by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) before telecasting them on electronic media. Interestingly, the inclusion of “group/organisation/association” in the pre-certification requirement suggests that third parties should adhere to these regulations, revealing how the two above-mentioned provisions are ambiguous and contradictory to each other.

Furthermore, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) governs the content of political speeches and ads by political parties and candidates, and Section 123 of the RPA, 1951 prohibits the promotion of enmity between communities through political ads or speeches, deeming it a corrupt practice. However there is no explicit provision for regulation of content posted by third parties. This legal gap is revealed by the fact that the Election Commission has recently directed social media platforms to remove inciting content posted by parties or candidates during the current election cycle, yet no such action has been taken against third-party advertisers, whose content garners millions of impressions and targets impressionable age groups.

These gaps and loopholes highlight the pervasiveness of dirty politics, facilitated by third-party supporters disseminating harmful, propagandist content against opposing parties. It also reveals a systemic failure to hold these actors accountable, perpetuating a climate of misinformation and divisiveness in electoral discourse. As political parties and candidates might employ third-party advertisers to engage in dirty campaigning and circumvent other expenditure and content-related regulations, urgent reforms are needed to enhance transparency, accountability, and integrity in political advertising, safeguarding the democratic process from undue influence and manipulation.

Sanjay Kumar is a Professor at CSDS, Aditi Singh is an Assistant Professor at O.P. Jindal Global University, and Abhishek Sharma, Prateek Hanamant Pawar are researchers with Lokniti-CSDS.

On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Here is a quiz on the expedition

Sindhu Nagaraj

Visual question: Identify this mountaineer who climbed Mt. Everest. What is her achievement?

Question 1

How many attempts were made before Hillary finally succeeded?

Question 2

Where was Hillary from? Which was the peak in his country that he ascended before his expedition to Mt. Everest?

Question 3

In which year was the first expedition to Mt. Everest done?

Question 4

Two mountaineers disappeared on the third attempt, giving rise to the long-standing speculation of whether or not the pair might have reached the summit first. Who were they?

Question 5

Who was the first Indian on Mt. Everest? In which year did it happen?

Questions and Answers to the previous day’s daily quiz: 1. The reason why winter weather can exacerbate the painful symptoms women feel during periods. Ans: It is believed that excessive pain during periods is often caused by the secretion of prostaglandins. The cold weather can trigger an increase in this secretion, leading to more painful cramps

2. The amount of blood a woman’s body loses during a period. Ans: While it might seem like a lot, the total amount of blood lost during one normal period is usually about 60 ml, or just over 56 gm

3. The condition referred to as ‘man periods’. Ans: Irritable Male Syndrome

4. The word that defines the end of a woman’s reproductive years. Ans: Menopause

5. The production house which made a movie called The Story of Menstruation. Ans: Walt Disney Animation Studio

Visual: This hormone is responsible for triggering menstruation. Ans: Estrogen

Early Birds: Sunil Kannada| Lekshmy Harikumar

Know Your English

K. Subrahmaniam

1 of 2

2 of 2

“Canard (A. K. Ramgopal, New Delhi).”

“ ‘Canard’ means ‘an unfounded rumour or story.’ Politicians very often use this word.

It is all a canard.

It is a stronger word than ‘rumour.’ Originally, canard meant ‘a hoax, a ridiculously extravagant report.’ ‘Canard’ in French means a duck. It is said that someone reported that he had 20 ducks and he killed 18 of them one by one in the following way: First he cut up one duck and threw it to the other ducks, cut up a second one and threw it to the remaining ducks. The last but one duck was gobbled up by the late one! This is a tall story and this was referred to as a ‘canard’. ‘Canard’ has two pronunciations. (1) The ‘c’ is pronounced ‘k.’ The first ‘a’ is pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘India.’ The second ‘a’ is pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘glass.’ The stress is on the second syllable. (2) the first ‘a’ is pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘man.’ The ‘second’ ‘a’ like the ‘a’ in ‘glass.’ The stress is on the first syllable.”

“Glam up (A. Rahman, Aligarh).”

“ ‘To glam up’ means ‘to give a glamorous, or superficially attractive appearance to something or somebody.’

They were glammed up for the party.

The building was glammed up for the function.

‘Glam’ is a contraction of the word ‘glamour.’ ‘Glam’ is a colloquial word.”

“Flake out (S. N. Verma, Calcutta).”

“ ‘Flake out’ means ‘to fall asleep or drop from exhaustion, to faint.’

After a hectic day, he flaked out in the drawing room.

When she returned home after a long day in the office, she flopped on the sofa and flaked out.”

“The Present Progressive Tense”

“Verbs like ‘hurt,’ ‘ache,’ ‘tickle,’ ‘itch’ go with the progressive or simple present tense. The progressive and the simple present are interchangeable and there is no change in meaning. Example: My hand is aching, my hand aches; my foot hurts, my foot is hurting; my hand is itching, my hand itches; I feel cold, I am feeling cold; You look tired, you are looking tired.

‘He always takes coffee in the afternoon’ means that he takes coffee in the afternoon. It is his habit to take some coffee in the afternoon. ‘He is always taking coffee in the afternoon’ means that he is constantly taking coffee in the afternoon. He is taking a lot of coffee in the afternoon. ‘You are telling me!’ is an idiom which means ‘I completely agree with you.’

The difference between ‘I am liking my work’ and ‘I like my work.’ Generally, ‘like’ is used. Occasionally, ‘liking’ is used when a person is still adjusting to his work. When someone has taken up a new job and is rather new to it, you may ask ‘How are you liking your new job?’ He/she may say I am liking it.’ ‘Liking’ suggests that the person is adjusting to the new job and likes it at the moment.

Published in The Hindu on March 10, 1992.

Business

- RITES looks to increase exports to boost order book and profit margins

- ‘Health insurers must allow cashless facility in one hour’

- ‘India to import wheat after six years, to shore up reserves’

- RBI imposes business restrictions on two Edelweiss Group firms

- Tata Steel Q4 net slides 64% to ₹611 cr.

- S&P revises outlook on India’s sovereign rating to positive

- Heritage Foods Q4 net profit surges on strong demand

- Newgen unveils LumYn, a Gen AI platform for banks

- Ramky Infra Q4 net profit declines to ₹57 crore

RITES looks to increase exports to boost order book and profit margins

Maitri Porecha

New Delhi

Crossing borders: The firm expects to turn the tide by raising exports as it gears to supply 200 coaches to Bangladesh Railway.AFPR.SATISH BABU

Indian Railway PSU RITES declared a marnigally lower net proft and revenue in FY24 compared with FY23 due to a significant dip in exports revenue and its quality assurance business. The company expects to turn the tide by raising it’s exports business as it gears up to supply 200 coaches to Bangladesh Railway, an order worth ₹915 crore.

The firm’s FY24 net profit was ₹495 crore down from ₹571 crore year-on-year (YoY).

Speaking to The Hindu, Rahul Mithal, Chairman and MD, RITES Ltd. said exports revenue was a mere ₹6 crore in Q4 FY24. With the “signing of agreements to supply ten locomotives to Mozambique and 200 passenger coaches to Bangladesh Railway, revenue from the export is expected to pick up from second half of FY25,” Mr. Mithal added.

“While coaches are quicker to make, locomotives are heavier pieces of equipment than coaches and take longer to manufacture. Final designs and approvals are underway. We have to freeze the designs and get prototypes approved before starting mass manufacture,” Mr. Mithal said.

While the export order for Bangladesh is being funded by the European Investment Bank, an export order that RITES was expecting with the National Railways of Zimbabwe has been delayed. “The order will go through, subject to Zimbabwe securing funding. We had signed an MoU with Zimbabwe and have been in touch with them to convert it into formal LoA,” he said.

On the India Middle East EU Corridor (IMEC) front, Mr. Mithal said following last year’s G20 announcement to establish trade links between India, Middle East and Europe, and the intergovernmental framework agreement signed between India and the UAE in February, feasibility assessments along the corridor have begun.

“One port each from India and the UAE are being identified to prepare a proof of concept (PoC) to establish ease of movement, executing digitisation while moving cargo on an alternate route. It is like a confidence building measure, and the PoC can be replicated along other legs of the corridor,” Mr. Mithal said.

Among the ports that could be connected on the India’s west coast, Mundra and Kandla in Gujarat, and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai, have been identified. In the Middle East, at least five ports have been shortlisted to be connected to Indian ports that include Fujairah, Jebel Ali, and Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Dammam and Ras Al-Khair in Saudi Arabia. It is to be noted that apart from government-owned ports, both Mundra in India and Haifa in Israel are privately controlled by the Adani Group, and have been highlighted in proposal documents accessed by The Hindu.

‘Robust order book’

RITES consolidated operating revenue dipped to ₹2453 crore in FY24 from ₹2628 crore in FY23. Total revenue slid to ₹2539 crore from ₹2730 crore in FY23.

Q4 FY24 revenue was ₹668 crore against ₹706 crore in Q4 FY23. Net profit for the quarter was ₹137 crore, marginally lower ₹139 crore in Q4 FY23.

After a gap of four years, RITES received export orders worth ₹1200 crore. The firm secured more than 100 orders worth about ₹940 crore in Q4 FY24, continuing to be a ‘one-order-a-day’ company, Mr. Mithal said. “Q4 ended with a healthy order book of ₹5690 crore,” he added.

‘Health insurers must allow cashless facility in one hour’

The Hindu Bureau

HYDERABAD

IRDAI has issued a master circular on health cover, repealing as many as 55 circulars, putting in one document all client entitlements; asks insurers not to deny policy renewal on previous claims

Simplifying process: IRDAI also listed compliance measures for the insurers, including end-to-end technology solutions.The HinduVIJAYA KUMAR

Insurance regulator IRDAI has issued a master circular on health insurance, repealing as many as 55 circulars, putting in one document all entitlements of the customers and advising insurers to decide on cashless authorisation requests in one hour, grant final authorisation within three hours at the time of dishcharge and not deny policy renewal on the grounds of claims in preceding years.

Urging health insurers to strive towards achieving facilitation of 100% cashless claim settlement by July 31, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India listed among the compliance measures required by the insurers’ end-to-end technology solutions for effective, efficient and seamless onboarding of policyholders, policy renewal and servicing as well as grievance redressal.

IRDAI, in the master circular, wanted insurers to empanel all categories of hospitals/health service providers considering the affordability of different segments of population.

‘India to import wheat after six years, to shore up reserves’

Reuters

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI

India will begin wheat imports after a six-year gap, to replenish depleted reserves and hold down prices that leaped following three years of disappointing crops, sources say, as the approaching end of general elections removes a key hurdle.

New Delhi is expected to abandon a 40% tax on wheat imports this year, officials and other sources told Reuters, paving the way for private traders and flour millers to buy from producers such as top exporter Russia, albeit in modest volumes.

As the new wheat harvest season begins, the Centre is likely to wait until after June to scrap the import tax, in time for Russia’s harvest, sources said.

“There is a compelling case for the removal of the wheat import duty,” said Pramod Kumar, president of the Roller Flour Millers’ Federation of India. “That is the best possible way to ensure sufficient supplies in the open market.”

The government is likely to concede to the demand.

“The considered view is that the wheat import duty should be removed after June, so that private trade can import wheat,” said a government source aware of the matter.

“And to protect our farmers’ interest, the duty should be reinstated before wheat planting starts in October,” added the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the likely course of action by the next government.

RBI imposes business restrictions on two Edelweiss Group firms

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed business restrictions on ECL Finance Ltd. (ECL) and Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd. (EARCL), belonging to the Edelweiss Group, based on material supervisory concerns.

ECL Finance Ltd. has been directed to cease undertaking any structured transactions in respect of its wholesale exposures, other than repayment and/ or closure of accounts in its normal course of business.

Similarly, Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd. (EARCL) has been asked to cease acquisition of financial assets, including security receipts (SRs) and reorganising existing SRs into senior and subordinate tranches.

“The action is based on material concerns observed during the course of supervisory examinations, essentially arising out of conduct of the group entities acting in concert, by entering into a series of structured transactions for evergreening stressed exposures of ECL, using the platform of EARCL and connected Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), thereby circumventing applicable regulations,” the RBI said in the directive.

Apart from this, ECL was found to have submitted incorrect details of its eligible book debts to its lenders for computation of drawing power.

Tata Steel Q4 net slides 64% to ₹611 cr.

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

Tata Steel Ltd. reported fourth-quarter consolidated net profit slid 64% to ₹611.48 crore year-on-year on losses suffered by the European business.

Total revenue from operations dipped 6.7% to ₹58,687 crore. For FY24, consolidated net loss stood at ₹4,437.44 crore compared with net profit of ₹8,760.4 crore in the previous year. Total revenue from operations slipped 5.8% to ₹2,29,171 crore.

The company’s India business generated fourth-quarter net profit of ₹3,856 crore, almost flat compared with the year-earlier period. Annual net profit was down to ₹3,847 crore from a profit of ₹13,749 crore in the previous year.

Annual revenue of U.K. business was £2,706 million and EBITDA loss £364 million. The board recommended a dividend of ₹3.60 per equity share.

S&P revises outlook on India’s sovereign rating to positive

Reuters

MUMBAI

S&P Global Ratings retained India’s sovereign rating but raised its outlook to ‘positive’ from ‘stable’ as the country’s robust economic expansion is having a constructive impact on its credit metrics, it said in a note.

‘Sound fundamentals’

“We expect sound economic fundamentals to underpin the growth momentum over the next two to three years,” S&P said, adding that regardless of the outcome of the general elections, the ratings agency expects broad continuity in economic reforms and fiscal policies.

The credit rating agency said positive outlook on India is predicated on its robust economic growth, pronounced improvement in the quality of government spending, and political commitment to fiscal consolidation, it said.

“We believe these factors are coalescing to benefit credit metrics,” S&P Global Ratings added.

Heritage Foods Q4 net profit surges on strong demand

India’s Heritage Foods reported a more than twofold jump in fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday, helped by strong demand for its dairy products amid higher milk prices. The dairy producer’s consolidated net profit from continuing operations rose to ₹405 million ($4.9 million) for the quarter ended March 31, from ₹179.3 million a year earlier. Revenue from operations rose 16.3% to ₹9.51 billion. Total expenses rose by 13.4%. REUTERS

Newgen unveils LumYn, a Gen AI platform for banks

Newgen Software Technologies Ltd., a global provider of digital transformation platforms, has introduced LumYn, a Gen AI-powered hyper-personalisation platform designed specifically for the banking sector aimed at enhancing profitability and improving customer experiences for banks worldwide. Since customers in financial services sector are demanding personalised service and tailored solutions, LumYn is aimed at satisfying the need.

Ramky Infra Q4 net profit declines to ₹57 crore

Ramky Infrastructure reported ₹57.5 crore consolidated Q4 FY24 net profit compared with ₹1,077.8 crore in the year earlier period on a revenue from operations that was a tad higher at ₹581 crore (₹576 crore). The net profit figures are not comparable as the infrastructure development firm had an exceptional item of ₹1,294 crore in the quarter ended March 2023, CFO N.S. Rao said on Wednesday. The order book of the company stands at ₹9,300 crore.

Foreign

- Ramaphosa confident of ANC victory as South Africa votes in pivotal polls

- Not a bear hug

- Dead boar dumped at Swedish mosque; probe under way

- Spirit of UN dead in Gaza, says Erdogan

- Pyongyang flies trash balloons over South Korea

- ‘Singapore Airlines plane dropped 178 ft in 5 seconds’

- Suspected militants burn girls’ school in northwest Pakistan

- EU creates 'AI Office' to regulate technology under tough new law

- U.K.'s Sunak and Labour leader Starmer to debate next week

- Saudi expelled 6 state media journalists ahead of hajj: Iran

- Israeli Army says it has taken control of key Gaza-Egypt corridor

Ramaphosa confident of ANC victory as South Africa votes in pivotal polls

Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG

Opinion polls say the party that led the country out of Apartheid and won six successive elections could lose majority ; Africa’s most advanced economy has some of the world’s deepest socio-economic problems, including high unemployment

Rays of hope: Voters wait in line at a polling station in Orange Farm in the south of Johannesburg in South Africa on Wednesday.AFPMICHELE SPATARI

South Africans voted on Wednesday at schools, community centres, and in large white tents set up in open fields in an election seen as their country’s most important in 30 years. It could put the young democracy in unknown territory.

At stake is the three-decade dominance of the African National Congress (ANC) party, which led South Africa out of Apartheid’s brutal white minority rule in 1994. It is now the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people — half of whom are estimated to be living in poverty.

After casting his vote, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he had no doubt his ANC would win with a majority and remain in government. “I have no doubt whatsoever in my heart of hearts that the people will once again invest confidence in the African National Congress to continue to lead this country,” Mr. Ramaphosa said. He said he was certain South Africans would give the ANC “a firm majority.”

Socio-economic issues

Africa’s most advanced economy has some of the world’s deepest socio-economic problems, including one of the worst unemployment rates at 32%. The lingering inequality, with poverty and joblessness disproportionately affecting the Black majority, threatens to unseat the party that promised to end it by bringing down Apartheid under the slogan of a better life for all.

After winning six successive elections, several polls have the ANC’s support at less than 50% ahead of this one, an unprecedented drop. It might lose its majority in parliament for the first time, although it’s widely expected to hold the most seats.

The ANC won 57.5% of the vote in the last national election in 2019, its worst result to date and down from a high of nearly 70% of the vote 20 years ago.

Not a bear hug

Pandas eat bamboo at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington DC. China will send two young giant pandas to Washington DC as part of diplomacy efforts, months after the zoo returned three of the bears amid heightened tensions between the two global superpowers.APJacquelyn Martin

Dead boar dumped at Swedish mosque; probe under way

Agence France-Presse

Stockholm

The Swedish police on Wednesday said they were investigating a hate crime after an unidentified person dumped a dead boar outside a mosque in southern Sweden overnight.

Police wrote on their website that the a mosque “had a pig thrown at its facade”.

“The complaint is being classified as agitation against an ethnic group, but other suspicions may arise later,” police said.

The head of the foundation that runs the mosque in Skovde, Smajo Sahat, said it was later established that the dead animal was a wild boar.

“I came this morning and saw it, it was dead,” he said.

“A person came in a car and threw it at the mosque. We don’t know who it was but it was caught on surveillance cameras,” he added.

No threats so far

Sahat said there had been no recent threats against the mosque, which opened a year ago.

“When it comes to why someone would do this, we can only speculate,” he said.

The mosque has about 1,000 members, according to Sahat.

Spirit of UN dead in Gaza, says Erdogan

Agence France-Presse

Ankara

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday hit out at the United Nations and called on the “Islamic world” to react after the latest deadly Israeli strikes in Gaza.

“The UN cannot even protect its own staff. What are you waiting for to act? The spirit of the United Nations is dead in Gaza,” Mr. Erdogan told lawmakers from his AKP party.

Mr. Erdogan’s comments came as the UN Security Council met to discuss a deadly Israeli attack on a displacement camp west of Rafah on Tuesday that killed 21 people.

The Turkish leader also hit out at fellow Muslim-majority countries for failing to take common action over the Israeli strike.

“I have some words to say to the Islamic world: what are you waiting for to take a common decision?” Mr. Erdogan, who leads a Muslim-majority country of 85 million people, told lawmakers from his AKP party.

“Israel is not just a threat to Gaza but to all of humanity,” he said.

Pyongyang flies trash balloons over South Korea

Associated Press

SEOUL

North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilise chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.

The balloon campaign came as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged his military scientists to overcome a failed satellite launch and continue developing space-based reconnaissance capabilities.

In his first public comments about the launch failure, Mr. Kim also warned of unspecified “overwhelming actions” against South Korea over an exercise involving 20 fighter jets near the inter-Korean border hours before North Korea’s failed launch on Monday. In a speech on Tuesday, Mr. Kim described the South Korean response as a “hysterical attack formation flight and strike drill” and “direct military challenge” toward North Korea.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea also has been flying large numbers of trash-carrying balloons toward the South since Tuesday night in retaliation against South Korean activists for flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border.

The South’s military said about 260 North Korean balloons were found in various parts of the country as of Wednesday afternoon and were being recovered by military rapid response and explosive clearance teams.

‘Singapore Airlines plane dropped 178 ft in 5 seconds’

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

The Singapore Airlines flight caught in severe turbulence last week dropped 178 feet in less than five seconds, Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau has found in its preliminary investigation.

The sudden drop in altitude “likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers” onboard the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft that was heading from London to Singapore, the TSIB said in a press statement on Wednesday.

A 73-year-old passenger on the plane died after suffering a suspected heart attack on May 21, and 71 others were injured after the plane encountered turbulence over Myanmar forcing the pilots to divert it to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

They have found that as the aircraft was passing over the south of Myanmar at 37,000 feet and likely flying over an area of developing convective activity, it first began to experience slight vibration due to fluctuations in the gravitational force or vertical acceleration.

Around the same time, there was an unexpected increase in aircraft altitude reaching a peak of 37,362 feet and a sudden increase in airspeed due to an updraft (upward movement of air). Less than 20 seconds later, there were rapid changes in G-force resulting in an altitude drop of 178 feet, from 37,362 feet to 37,184 feet. “This sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers,” the statement said.

Suspected militants burn girls’ school in northwest Pakistan

Associated Press

DERA ISMAIL KHAN

A group of militants used kerosine to set fire to a girls’ school in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold, destroying furniture, computers and books, police said on Wednesday, in the latest in a surge in such attacks.

Third attack

No one was hurt in the overnight attack in North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police official Rehmat Ullah said. Two other girls’ schools in the region were bombed earlier this month.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but authorities suspect Islamic militants, who targeted girls’ schools years ago, saying that women should not be educated.

North Waziristan is a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, who are also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. It is a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban.

EU creates ‘AI Office’ to regulate technology under tough new law

REUTERSJohanna Geron

The European Union on Wednesday announced the creation of an “AI Office” of tech experts, lawyers and economists to regulate artificial intelligence under a sweeping new law. The EU this year approved the world’s first comprehensive rules to govern AI, especially powerful systems like ChatGPT after intense talks. afp

U.K.’s Sunak and Labour leader Starmer to debate next week

AFPJUSTIN TALLIS

Britain’s Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour opposition leader Keir Starmer will go head-to-head next Tuesday in the first televised debate of the election campaign, ITV said on Wednesday. It will take place in front of a studio audience and will be moderated by news anchor Julie Etchingham. afp

‘Saudi Arabia expelled 6 Iran state media journalists ahead of hajj’

REUTERSLeonhard Foeger

Iran said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia expelled six members of a crew from its state television broadcaster after they had been detained for a week in the kingdom ahead of the hajj. Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the incident, which comes a year after Riyadh and Tehran reached a Chinese-mediated détente. ap

Israeli Army says it has taken control of key Gaza-Egypt corridor

REUTERSDOAA ROUQA

The Israeli Army said it took control on Wednesday of a vital Gaza-Egypt corridor suspected of aiding weapons smuggling as it intensified its offensive against Hamas in the border city of Rafah. The UN Security Council was set to meet for a second day of emergency talks after a strike killed 45 people in Rafah. afp

Sports

- Three-way race beckons WI, NZ, and Afghanistan

- Alcaraz overcomes a shaky forehand and a qualifier; Swiatek prevails over Osaka

- Indian players begin their training in right earnest

- Hardik joins Team India in New York ahead of T20 World Cup

- Only Bumrah is executing yorkers consistently, says Lee

- Australia calls on selector and back-room staff for warm-up game

- Goffin claims he was spat at by French Open spectator

- Top Results

- Indebted to the sport, my team, says Chhetri

- TNCA leagues

- Around THE CITY

- Chennai to host second Indian Grand Prix today

- Vaishali downs Humpy, takes the sole lead

- Sindhu and Prannoy advance, Lakshya loses

- Boxers Ankushita, Nishant in last eight

- Chengalpattu defeats Nagapattinam

- Barcelona ropes in Flick as coach to replace Xavi

- De Jong and Depay included in Dutch squad for Euros

- Vincent Kompany named as new Bayern Munich coach

- UTT-5 in Chennai from Aug. 22; two new teams in fray

- LiVE TELECAST

- Heart-breaking loss for Indian junior men’s hockey team

- Engagements

- The remarkable metamorphosis and resurgence of the Knight Riders

Three-way race beckons WI, NZ, and Afghanistan

Ashwin Achal

Bengaluru

While Powell’s men have the home advantage, Williamson and Rashid’s sides will be fancying their chances as well ; Uganda and Papua New Guinea complete the roster in Group C

Stalwarts: Afghanistan will need Nabi and Rashid to step up with both bat and ball for it to have a successful campaign. FILE PHOTO: EMMANUAL YOGINI

In The Hindu’s countdown to the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which commences in the West Indies and USA on June 2, we take a look at the teams in Group C.

WEST INDIES: The co-host enters the tournament in great form, having won four of its last five T20I series. In Andre Russell (all-rounder), Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, and Shimron Hetmyer (batters), and Romario Shepherd and Alzarri Joseph (pacers), WI is packed with match-winners.

The two-time T20 World Cup champion will miss the services of experienced all-rounder Jason Holder, who is out with an injury. WI is expected to do better than its showing in the previous T20 WC, where it crashed out in the group stage.

Key player: Andre Russell: An integral part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL 2024 title-run, the all-rounder has enjoyed a career resurrection. Russell, 36, shone bright in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad with a crucial three-wicket haul.

The squad: Rovman Powell (Capt.), Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, and Romario Shepherd.

NEW ZEALAND: The Kiwis rely on the old guard in their search for a first T20 World Cup trophy. Kane Williamson leads the side for a fourth time in a T20 WC, while pacers Tim Southee and Trent Boult make their seventh and fifth tournament appearances respectively.

The likes of Daryl Mitchell (CSK), Rachin Ravindra (CSK), and Boult (RR) hit the ground running after hectic IPL 2024 campaigns, while most other players return to familiar settings having featured in the 2023 Caribbean Premier League.

Fast bowler Matt Henry and Ravindra are the only players in the squad who have not played in a T20 WC. This mega event could well be the last dance for a generation of talent.

Key player: Trent Boult: The left-arm pacer’s spell of 3-0-6-1 took Royal Challengers Bengaluru out of contention in the IPL Eliminator last week. Boult’s dangerous shape and curl with the new ball can swing the early momentum towards New Zealand.

The squad: Kane Williamson (Capt.), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, and Tim Southee.

AFGHANISTAN: The 2023 50-over Cricket World Cup saw Afghanistan rise from minnow to contender. A dream semifinal spot was cruelly denied by a hobbling Glenn Maxwell, who smashed an all-time great ODI knock. The T20 style is perhaps a better fit for the Afghans. Najibullah Zadran, wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Nabi can hit the long ball, while Rashid Khan, Nabi, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, and Noor Ahmad form a well-rounded spin attack.

Several of the Afghanistan players were involved in IPL 2024 — the machine is greased and ready. Gurbaz, in fact, came good in the final for KKR with a 32-ball 39.

Key player: Naveen-ul-Haq: With 14 wickets, pacer Naveen-ul-Haq finished as LSG’s highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024. The 24-year-old’s slower-ball variations are tough to pick.

The squad: Rashid Khan (Capt.), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Fareed Ahmad Malik.

UGANDA: This nation makes its debut at a World Cup, though it was part of the combined East Africa side which competed in the 1975 WC. To find a spot here is an achievement in itself, as Uganda overcame fancied Zimbabwe and Kenya in the Africa leg of the qualifiers.

An upset win over strong favourites West Indies, New Zealand or Afghanistan will go a long way in boosting the profile of cricket in Uganda.

Key player: Frank Nsubuga: At 43, Nsubuga is be the oldest player in the tournament. The all-rounder first played international cricket 27 years ago.

The squad: Brian Masaba (Capt.), Riazat Ali Shah, Kenneth Waiswa, Dinesh Nakrani, Frank Nsubuga, Ronak Patel, Roger Mukasa, Cosmas Kyewuta, Bilal Hassun, Fred Achelam, Robinson Obuya, Simon Ssesazi, Henry Ssenyondo, Alpesh Ramjani, Juma Miyaji.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: The island country had a fairly easy route to the main draw, cruising past Vanuatu, Japan, and Philippines in the East Asia-Pacific Qualifier held last year. PNG appeared in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where it lost all three of its Group B first-round matches (to Scotland, Bangladesh, and Oman).

Former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu is the head coach of PNG.

Key player: Tony Ura: With 1618 runs in 56 T20Is, Ura is the nation’s most successful batter.

The squad: Assadollah Vala (Capt.), C.J. Amini, Alei Nao, Chad Soper, Hila Vare, Hiri Hiri, Jack Gardner, John Kariko, Kabua Vagi Morea, Kipling Doriga, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Sema Kamea, Sese Bau, Tony Ura.

Alcaraz overcomes a shaky forehand and a qualifier; Swiatek prevails over Osaka

Associated Press

Paris

Wary: After ceding the third set and trailing by a break in the fourth, Alcaraz needed to get in gear. Getty ImagesFrey/TPN

Carlos Alcaraz's forehand was giving him a hard time at the French Open. So was the 176th-ranked qualifier across the net. After ceding the third set and trailing by a break in the fourth, Alcaraz needed to get in gear — and he did, taking the last five games to beat Jesper de Jong 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 on Wednesday in the second round.

Heavy rain from early in the day caused the postponement of 23 singles matches, so Alcaraz was lucky to get the chance to compete, and advance, under the retractable roof at Court Philippe Chatrier.

Still, he could not quite shake de Jong, a 23-year-old from the Netherlands with a flashy game who was participating in just his second Grand Slam main draw. Alcaraz, a former No. 1 who is seeded No. 3, has won two Major championships and is still just 21.

But Alcaraz has been dealing with a bothersome right arm that limited his preparation for Roland Garros and, he said, made him afraid to hit his big forehand with full force. He has been wearing a white sleeve on that forearm and did so again on Wednesday; perhaps it helped things, although he ended up with 26 unforced errors on the forehand side, more than half of his 47 total miscues.

So while he usually takes pride in being an entertainer, and not just an athlete, he needed to recalibrate that a bit.

“I saw that I need to forget about putting on a show… It was difficult for me today,” Alcaraz said. “I was in trouble a little bit, but really happy to do it at the end.”

Only, however, after de Jong became the lowest-ranked man to win a set against Alcaraz at a major tournament, then broke to go ahead 2-1 in the fourth. Alcaraz would not drop a game the rest of the way in the 3-hour, 9-minute match.

Showers halted play on the outside courts after about 45 minutes at the beginning of the day. Only Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen can be covered, so matches at only those two places were able to proceed.

The winners included Sofia Kenin, the champion at the Australian Open in 2020 and runner-up at the French Open later that year; and a pair of two-time Major finalists, Ons Jabeur and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Jabeur advanced to the third round by defeating Camila Osorio 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, and Tsitsipas moved on with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4 victory over Daniel Altmaier.

Kenin arrived here with just a 4-13 record this season and now is into the third round after eliminating 21st-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-3, 6-3.

Breathtaking clash

Defending champion Iga Swiatek saved a match point to outlast fellow four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5 in a breathtaking second-round clash.

Swiatek trailed 5-2 in the final set but the Pole won the last five games of the match to keep her bid for a third successive Roland Garros title on track.

She is attempting to become only the fourth woman in the Open era to lift four Roland Garros titles and just the second — after Serena Williams — to complete the clay-court treble of Madrid, Rome and French Opens in the same season.

Indian players begin their training in right earnest

Press Trust of India

New York

Getting in the groove: Indian players going through their fitness routine.X@hardikpandya7

After two months of intense cricket under the lights, the Indian cricket team, sans Virat Kohli, began its preparations for the T20 World Cup with a morning training session here, keeping in mind the 10.30 a.m. starts for all its preliminary games. Kohli, who took a break after the IPL, is expected to join the squad by Friday.

Having played 90% of the matches under lights in the scorching Indian summer, the idea would be to adjust to pleasant mornings where temperatures will hover between 25 to 27 degree Celsius with very less humidity.

A white kookaburra in slightly windy mornings could be a challenge and to be prepared for that, the severely jet-lagged bodies need to get used to morning conditions.

“They have been away two and half months from us and getting to know where they stand and what needs to be done before the World Cup is the goal. The (first) goal is to spend 45 minutes in the heat to get going,” Strength and Conditioning coach Soham Desai told bcci.tv.

“We came in the day before yesterday and we just eased into our routines here, the players are just getting used to the time zone. Today we are having our first ground session,” he added.

As far as the players are concerned, there is an element of curiosity about playing cricket in New York.

“First time we are going to play cricket in New York, it’s going be fun,” all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said.

Hardik joins Team India in New York ahead of T20 World Cup

X@hardikpandya7

Hardik Pandya joined Team India in New York ahead of the side’s ICC T20 World Cup opening clash against Ireland which will take place on June 5. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Hardik announced that he is “on national duty” and has joined the Men in Blue ahead of the tournament.

Only Bumrah is executing yorkers consistently, says Lee

R.V. MOORTHYMOORTHY RV

Brett Lee feels apart from Jasprit Bumrah, pacers are failing to nail yorkers effectively in the death overs. “On a general rule, other than Bumrah, we haven’t seen enough fast bowlers nailing their yorkers recently. I don’t reckon they execute enough yorkers at the death,” Lee said at the launch of the Legends Intercontinental T20 league.

Australia calls on selector and back-room staff for warm-up game

X@cricketcomau

Australia called on a National selector and back-room staff to make up the numbers in a T20 World Cup warm-up match — and still easily beat Namibia. Mitchell Marsh’s side only had nine of its squad members as Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green are at home after the IPL.

Goffin claims he was spat at by French Open spectator

AFPBERTRAND GUAY

Belgium’s David Goffin claimed he was spat at by a French Open spectator and warned that tennis is in danger of descending into the firm grip of “hooligans”. Goffin said a fan spat chewing gum at him as he defeated French player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on a raucous Court 14 at Roland Garros.

Second round:

Men: 9-Tsitsipas (Gre) bt Altmaier (Ger) 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4; 3-Alcaraz (Esp) bt de Jong (Ned) 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2; 6-Rublev (Rus) bt Martinez (Esp) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

Women: 3-Gauff (USA) bt Zidansek (Slo) 6-3, 6-4; 1-Swiatek (Pol) bt Osaka (Jpn) 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5.

Kenin (USA) bt 21-Garcia (Fra) 6-3, 6-3; 8-Jabeur (Tun) Osorio (Col) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

Tuesday: First round: Men: 1-Djokovic (Srb) bt Herbert (Fra) 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4; Carballes Baena (Esp) bt Lestienne (Fra) 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2; 12-Fritz (USA) bt Coria (Arg) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1; Kokkinakis (Aus) bt Popyrin (Aus) 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-3, 5-7, 6-3; Zeppieri (Ita) bt 22-Mannarino (Fra) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.

Women: 25-Mertens (Bel) bt Lourdes Carle (Arg) 6-3, 7-6(8); 19-Azarenka (Blr) bt Podoroska (Arg) 6-1, 6-0; 10-Kasatkina (Rus) bt Frech (Pol) 7-5, 6-1; 14-Keys (USA) bt Zarazúa (Mex) 6-3, 6-2; Badosa (Esp) bt 26-Boulter (GBr) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Indebted to the sport, my team, says Chhetri

Press Trust of India

Kolkata

Indian talisman will make his final match for Blue Tigers in WC Qualifier against Kuwait on June 6 where a win would help the team take a giant leap towards a first-ever Round 3 appearance

Ready for the goodbye: Chhetri acknowledges the fans on his arrival in Kolkata.PTI

Approaching his international retirement, Indian football talisman Sunil Chhetri on Wednesday said he remains indebted to his teammates, and the sport, for helping him become one of the country’s greatest players.

The Indian team arrived in the city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait on June 6, which will be the 39-year-old Chhetri’s final outing in the blue jersey.

All eyes were on the goal-machine as the players exited the airport.

Dilemma

“These last few days, I’ve been caught in a bit of a dilemma.

“Now that there’s a number to my days with the national team, what’s the right route to take — do I count every day, every training session? Or do I simply turn up without the thought of how this is coming to an end?” said Chhetri.

Chhetri, who has scored 94 goals from 150 international appearances, said he is counting his blessings every day.

“Over time, I seemed to have found middle ground. They say, count your blessings. And every single day I get to be on the pitch is a blessing that I’ve never taken for granted. So I’ve decided to count my sessions, but with a deep sense of gratitude. There’s no apprehension. Instead, there’s a feeling of being indebted to the sport, to my team, that I get to do this.

“If I could, I would capture this feeling in a box. Or instead, I’ll take it to my next training session.”

Any India match in the City of Joy draws much fanfare. However, this is not just any international game.

Earn three points, and the Blue Tigers will take a giant leap towards a first-ever appearance in Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, while also inching closer to automatic qualification for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.

Chhetri had earlier this month announced that June 6 will be his last appearance in the international arena.

Training camp

After Bhubneswar, the India number 11 and the other 26 around him will continue their training camp in Kolkata, where they will have their first on-field training session on Thursday.

1 of 7 Star performers: V. Aiyappan (St, Marys, 109 n.o.); T.S. Santhosh Kumar (St. Marys, 7/38); G. Naveen Kumar (Universal RC, 5/16); B. Kapil Ashwa (Nungambakkam SC, 102); K. Manoj (Youngsters CC, 120 n.o.); L. Karthikeyan (Kohinoor XI, 5/33); S. Sabarinathan (Egmore Club, 6/64).

2 of 7

3 of 7

4 of 7

5 of 7

6 of 7

7 of 7

St. Mary’s rides on Aiyappan and Santhosh’s heroics

V. Aiyappan’s unbeaten 109 (75b, 5×4, 6×6) and leg-spinner T.S. Santhosh Kumar’s seven for 38 helped St. Mary’s CC beat Madras Indians CC by 90 runs in the TNCA V-A match held recently.

In another match in the same division, medium-pacer G. Naveen Kumar scalped five wickets including a hat-trick, to bowl Universal RC to victory against Egmore Club by 21 runs.

The scores:

V-A: Air India 75 in 35 overs (N. Sriram 4/17) lost to Companions 81/2 in 15.1 overs.

Grove 169/9 in 50 overs (M. Hariprakash 46) lost to Vepery 173/7 in 36.1 overs (A. Arun Aanand 38, P. Guhan 40 n.o, D. Harshavardan 4/44).

St. Mary’s 297/6 in 50 overs (M. Vinith Kumar 66, V. Aiyappan 109 n.o.) bt Madras Indians 207 in 46.2 overs (S. Vishnu Prabhu 61, R. Dhanush Adit 52, T.S. Santhosh Kumar 7/38).

Universal RC 169 in 41.3 overs (C. Karthick 62 n.o., J. Syed Haseeb Pasha 34, S. Sabarinathan 6/64, S. Aravind 3/37) bt Egmore Club 148 in 40 overs (R. Naveen Kumar 59, V. Vignesh 38 n.o., G. Naveen Kumar 5/16, B. Venkatesh 3/37).

Youngsters 299/7 in 50 overs (K. Manoj 120, Selvakumar 67) bt GTUC 162 in 39.3 overs (B Siddharth 54, S. Ilaiyarasu 30, A. Vikash 4/40, M. Eghanathan 3/28).

Kohinoor XI 262/9 in 50 overs (P. Anbu Kumar 45, V. Ajay Kumar 65, Jayashankar Narasimhan 41, L. Karthikeyan 30, K. Danvanth 3/48, L. Anantha Roopen 3/45) bt Nungambakkam SC 211 in 49.1 overs (M. Niruban Kumar 36, B. Kapil Ashwa 102, L. Karthikeyan 5/33).

Champion outfit: Komaleeswarar, winner of the inaugural TNCA Champion of Champions T20 tournament. Special Arrangement

Komaleeswarar CC

wins title

Anurag Nair’s unbeaten 63 (58b, 4x4, 1x6) and P. S. Manikandan’s 45 (40b, 4x4, 1x6) helped Komaleeswarar CC to an eight-wicket win over SKM CC in the final and emerge the champion of the inaugural TNCA Champion of Champions T20 cricket tournament at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium here on Wednesday.

The scores (final): SKM 150/9 in 20 overs (S. Gunaseelan 35, M. Dinesh Veda Guru 47, S.L. Lawrence Nova 3/20) lost to Komaleeswarar 154/2 in 19.4 overs (Anurag Rajesh Nair 63 n.o., P. S. Manikandan 45).

Mohith’s spell helps Mas CA enter final

Mohith’s four for 15 helped Mas CA bowl out Asiatic Cricket Transformers for 62 and go on to win by eight wickets in the semifinal of the seventh season of the Summer Cup u-15 inter-academy 30-over cricket tournament.

The scores (semifinals): Asiatic Cricket Transformers 62 in 24.3 overs (Mohith 4/15) lost to Mas CA 63/2 in 9.5 overs (Viswajith 40).

Green Field CA 209/4 in 30 overs (Sachin Boopathy 55, Ishanth Mahendra 37, S. Sushant 46, C. Roshan 35) bt Universal XI 139 in 27.2 overs (Vihaan Karthikeyan 64).

Adithya Balaji stars

in LMCA’s triumph

Adithya Balaji top-scored with an unbeaten 117 (81b, 20×4) as LMCA beat GFCA by 33 runs in the final to become the champion of the 19th Freyer LMCA Trophy cricket tournament.

The scores (final): LMCA 196/7 in 25 overs (Adithya Balaji 117 n.o., D. Mishal 39) bt GFCA 163/5 in 25 overs (Sri Vishnu 66).

CSSF coaching camp

Chennai St. Bede’s Sports Foundation (CSSF) will conduct a nine-month cricket coaching camp at St. Bede’s grounds from June 1 to February 23, 2025, for boys aged between 6 and 19. Registration forms are available at the St. Bede’s ground. For details, contact: 9840070486, 9841227966.

Vignesh wins gold

M. Vignesh of Jeppiaar University secured gold in the 120+ kg category at the All India inter-University powerlifting championship, organised by the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University (TNPESU).

The result: Squad: 392.5; Bench press: 225; Deadlift: 270; Total: 887.5.

Chennai to host second Indian Grand Prix today

S. Prasanna Venkatesan

CHENNAI

The second Indian Grand Prix, organised by the Tamil Nadu Athletic Association (TNAA) under the aegis of the Athletic Federation of India (AFI), will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Thursday.

Chief guest Adille Sumariwalla, vice president — World Athletics, will flag off the competition.

Top names

Top athletes from across the country, as well as athletes from the Indian camp, will be competing for the honours in nine events: 200m, 400m, 400m Hurdles, 1500m, 5000m, pole vault, triple jump, shot put, and javelin throw.

The competition is one of the selection trials for this year’s Paris Olympics. There are a total of four Grand Prix competitions, and the first one has already taken place in Bengaluru.

Triple-jumper Abdulla Aboobacker, 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG) silver-medallist and 2023 Asian Athletics Championships gold-medallist, will be a prominent name to watch out for.

Rosy Meena, who holds the National record, Pavithra Venkatesh, and Baranica Elangovan in the women’s pole vault, Santhosh and K. Avinash in the men’s 200m and 400m, and Mohammed Salahuddin in the men’s triple jump are some of the elite Tamil Nadu athletes participating in the competition.

“I think our Tamil Nadu athletes will perform well. That too, newly-laid track will be helpful for them to give a better performance,” said TNAA secretary C. Latha.

Vaishali downs Humpy, takes the sole lead

R. Vaishali took the sole lead at the end of the second round of the women’s section at the Norway Chess tournament at Stavanger on Tuesday. She scored a win in the classical game against compatriot Koneru Humpy and now has four points.

In the open section, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen was in the sole lead after defeating Hikaru Nakamura of the USA to take his tally to three points.

The two other matches in the open section were also decided by Armageddon. Ding Liren of China and Alireza Firouzja of France won over R. Praggnanandhaa and Fabiano Caruana respectively.

The results (second round): Open: Magnus Carlsen (Nor) 3 bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 2.5; Ding Liren (Chn) 2.5 bt R. Praggnanandhaa 2.5; Alireza Firouzja (Fra) 2.5 bt Fabiano Caruana (USA) 2. Women: R. Vaishali 4 bt Koneru Humpy 1.5; Lei Tingjie (Chn) 3 bt Pia Cramling (Swe) 2; Ju Wenjun (Chn) 3 bt Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) 2.

Sindhu and Prannoy advance, Lakshya loses

Press Trust of India

SINGAPORE

P.V. Sindhu and H.S. Prannoy progressed to the second round but Lakshya Sen went down fighting to World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen at the Singapore Open Super 750 Badminton Tournament here on Wednesday.

Sindhu entered the tournament after signing off with a runner-up finish at Thailand Open last week.

The results (first round):

Men: Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) bt K. Srikanth 21-14, 11-3, retd.; Viktor Axelsen (Den) bt Lakshya Sen 21-13, 16-21, 21-13; H.S. Prannoy bt Julien Carraggi (Bel) 21-9, 18-21, 21-9.

Doubles: Liang Wei Keng & Wang Chang (Chn) bt Krishna Prasad Garage and K. Sai Pratheek 21-16, 24-22.

Women: P.V. Sindhu bt Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt (Den) 21-12, 22-20.

Doubles: Polina Buhrova & Yevheniia Kantemyr (Ukr) bt Tanisha Crasto & Ashwini Ponnappa 18-21, 21-19, 21-19; Treesa Jolly & Gayatri Gopichand bt Cheng Yu-Pei & Sun Yu Hsing of Chinese Taipei (Tpe) 21-7, 21-14.

Mixed doubles: Goh Soon Huat & d Lai Shevon Jemie (Mas) bt B. Sumeeth Reddy & N. Sikki Reddy 21-18, 21-19; Mads Vestergaard & Christine Busch (Den) bt Venkat Gaurav Prasad & Juhi Dewangan 21-8, 21-8.

Boxers Ankushita, Nishant in last eight

Press Trust of India

BANGKOK

Former World youth champion Ankushita Boro (60kg) and Nishant Dev (71kg) registered comfortable victories to reach the quarterfinals of the second Boxing World Olympic Qualifiers on Wednesday.

National champion Arundhati Choudhary (66kg) also registered a convincing win to advance to the pre-quarterfinals.

Boro beat Asian champion Rimma Volossenko of Kazakhstan 4-1, while Nishant was clinical in a 5-0 demolition of Peerapat Yeasungnoen od Thailand’.

Earlier, Ankushita began with 5-0 rout of Stephanie Pieneiro of Puerto Rico.

However, Narender Berwal (+92kg) went down 2-3 against Ecuador’s Gerlon Gilmar Congo Chala.

Chengalpattu defeats Nagapattinam

Sports Bureau

1 of 2 Aryan (Chengalpattu, 6/25) and Ragul (Nagapattinam, 5/124).

2 of 2

Chengalpattu defeated Nagapattinam in the pre-quarterfinals of the TNCA under-19 inter-district cricket tournament at Nagapattinam on Wednesday.

The scores (pre-quarterfinals, final day):

At Salem:Kancheepuram 249 drew with Salem 247 in 89.4 overs (V. Karthikeyan 91, Shivajana 34, Srisanth 30, Jetlee 34, S. Mukundhan 3/49). Kancheepuram advanced on first innings lead.

At Nagapattinam: Nagapattinam 35 & 126/8 in 40 overs (B.G. Devarjun 73 n.o., Aryan Sanjay Thakre 6/25) lost to Chengalpattu 470/6 in 90 overs (M. Bharath 111, S. Akash 79, K. Farhaan 65, Prem 65, L. Mani Bharathi 41 n.o., B. Ragul 5/124).

Barcelona ropes in Flick as coach to replace Xavi

Barcelona hired former Germany and Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick on Wednesday as the replacement for Xavi Hernandez. It’s the 59-year-old Flick’s first coaching job since being fired by Germany in September last year. He previously spent two years at Bayern Munich, winning the Champions League and back-to-back German league titles.

De Jong and Depay included in Dutch squad for Euros

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman included Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Atletico Madrid striker Memphis Depay, both recovering from injuries, in his final 26-man squad on Wednesday for the European football Championship. The duo are expected to be fit in time for the Netherlands’ first Group D match against Poland on June 16 in Hamburg.

The squad: Goalkeepers: Justin Bijlow, Mark Flekken, Bart Verbruggen. Defenders: Nathan Ake, Daley Blind, Virgil van Dijk, Denzel Dumfries, Jeremie Frimpong, Lutsharel Geertruida, Matthijs de Ligt, Micky van de Ven, Stefan de Vrij. Midfielders: Teun Koopmeiners, Frenkie de Jong, Ryan Gravenberch, Tijjani Reijnders, Jerdy Schouten, Joey Veerman, Georginio Wijnaldum. Forwards: Steven Bergwijn, Brian Brobbey, Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo, Donyell Malen, Xavi Simons, Wout Weghorst.

Vincent Kompany named as new Bayern Munich coach

Bayern Munich named Vincent Kompany as the new coach of the German giant on a three-year contract on Wednesday. He won praise for his team’s attractive style of play when coaching Burnley in the Premier League last season but was relegated as it finished in next-to-last place. He was under contract at Burnley through 2028.

UTT-5 in Chennai from Aug. 22; two new teams in fray

The fifth Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) will be held in Chennai from August 22 to September 7 and will have two new teams, organisers announced on Wednesday. Ahmedabad SG Pipers and Jaipur Patriots were announced as the new entrants. It will be an eight-team league for the first time.

Badminton: Singapore Open, Sports 18-1 & JioCinema, 7.30 a.m.

Roland Garros: Sony Sports Ten 2, 5 & LIV, 2.30 p.m.

England vs Pakistan: 4th T20I, Sony Sports Ten 5 & LIV, 11 p.m.

Diamond League: Sports 18-1 & JioCinema, 11 p.m.

Heart-breaking loss for Indian junior men’s hockey team

The Indian junior men’s hockey lost 2-3 to Germany in a match that went down to the final minute in its Europe tour on Tuesday. Yogember Rawat and Gurjot Singh scored for India.

Athletics: 2nd Indian Grand Prix, chief guest, Adille Sumariwalla, Vice President — World Athletics, JN stadium, 3.30 p.m.

Cricket: VAP trophy semifinal: Vijay vs Young Stars (SRMC); MRC A vs Globe Trotters (SSN), 9 a.m.; GRCA inter academy U-13 final, (Sumangali E), 1 p.m.

The remarkable metamorphosis and resurgence of the Knight Riders

Tarun Shastry

Shreyas’ squad, made up of talented individuals with unique skills and mentored by the tactically sound Gambhir and Pandit, climbed its way to the top of the IPL charts with commanding performances right through the season

1 of 2 R. RaguRAGU R

2 of 2 Chandrakant Pandit, Shreyas Iyer, and Gautam Gambhir.K. MURALI KUMARMURALI KUMAR K

For many, 3647 may be a random number. It’s significance will be revealed soon.

When Gautam Gambhir walked into the Kolkata Knight Riders dug-out for a record-breaking sum in 2011, the franchise’s co-owner Shahrukh Khan famously told him: “This is your franchise. Make it or break it.”

Knight Riders kicked off the inaugural edition of the IPL with Brendon McCullum’s explosive 158 off 73 deliveries against Royal Challengers Bangalore, introducing to the world the phenomenon now known as Bazball. However, that promising start did not last long for the Kolkata outfit.

After a modest 2008 season, things went south the next year as Knight Riders finished at the bottom with three wins and 10 losses, including nine consecutive defeats. The ‘multi-captain’ theory only made things worse for Knight Riders.

“We had the nicest team but we kept losing again and again. The saddest moment was when an expert said, ‘only the costume is good; their game isn’t’. That hurt,” said Shahrukh on the team’s constant failures initially.

“When you reach rock-bottom, the only way is up,” goes the saying. In 2011, KKR made significant changes to its team and completely overhauled its line-up.

Led by World Cup winner Gambhir, powered by the explosive Yusuf Pathan and bolstered by the game-changing mystery tweaker Sunil Narine, Kolkata made a remarkable turnaround in the leap year (2012).

Dethroning Super Kings

Not only did the side reach its maiden IPL final against a rampaging Chennai Super Kings at the latter’s home (Chepauk), Gambhir’s men tamed Dhoni’s Lions in their den.

Knight Riders blew away the defending champion in the summit clash with a sensational five-wicket win. A new hero — Manvinder Bisla — emerged, the wicketkeeper-batter blasting 89 off 48 deliveries. South African legend Jacques Kallis complemented Bisla’s effort with a 49-ball 69.

The maiden triumph was the product of effective strategy and execution masterminded by skipper Gambhir’s prolific run (six half-centuries) and Narine’s exceptional spells (24 wickets).

Gambhir’s unwavering belief in the Indian players, including a few uncapped ones, worked wonders and played a pivotal role in the resurgence.

There is something inspiring about coming-from-behind conquests in sport. Kolkata’s 2014 title triumph — its second IPL crown — was one such story.

Knight Riders, who retained only Gambhir and Narine for that campaign, added Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, and the belligerent Andre Russell to the roster while bringing back Kallis, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Bisla, and Ryan ten Doeschate.

Fortune-changing move

After seven matches, Knight Riders had only managed to win two. Despite the challenging start, the captain and the management’s decision to promote Uthappa up the order midway through the tournament transformed the fortunes of the 2012 champion.

Uthappa’s exploits at the top of the order sparked the fire KKR and Gambhir desperately needed. With 40-plus scores in 10 successive matches and a fearless approach, the opener helped Kolkata set up as well as chase targets with aplomb. The Orange Cap was his as he finished the season at the top of the run pile (660).

Chasing a daunting target of 200 in the final at Bangalore, local boy Pandey’s exceptional 94 off just 50 balls ensured KKR crossed the finish line in style and won its second title in three years.

The incredible resilience and determination to bounce back and win every game until the final, after the string of losses, showed the character and depth in the squad. Once again, Gambhir and the team management’s belief in Indian talent made the difference.

Between 2014 and 2024, KKR featured in four playoffs (2016, 17, 18, and 21), finished fifth in three (2015, 19, and 20) and ended runner-up to Dhoni’s Super Kings in 2021 in Dubai. Under stand-in skipper Nitish Rana and coach Chandrakant Pandit, KKR managed only a seventh spot in 2022 and 23.

Knight Riders were hungry and eager to end a long title drought. This was due to various factors, including inconsistent performances, lack of team cohesion and strategic errors. They were determined to make a strong statement.

In a surprising but magical move, co-owner Shahrukh brought Gambhir back to the Kolkata camp.

“I am not an emotional person, and not many things move me. But this is different. This is back to where it all started. Today, there is a lump in my throat and fire in my heart as I think about slipping into that purple and gold jersey once again. I am back to the City of Joy. I am hungry. I am number 23. Ami KKR,” said Gambhir on his return.

The man with the midas touch was back. That was the booster shot. With Shreyas Iyer, too, returning to helm the side, it looked like the perfect recipe for success.

With KKR going all guns blazing at the auction to acquire Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc for a whopping ₹24.75 crore, many felt that the move would cost the franchise.

Starc, who returned to the IPL after a nine-year hiatus, leaked runs in the initial part of the season and had an economy rate of around 15. The rhythm was missing, and he erred in line and length to give away freebies. His inconsistent show raised eyebrows and questions about his price and place in the XI. But mentor Gambhir stood steadfast and persisted with him.

“Four games don’t make him a bad bowler. I know what impact he can create in the competition,” was Gambhir’s retort when questioned about Starc.

Starc swings it KKR’s way

The hallmark of great players is their ability to create an impact when it matters the most. Starc did just that. He demolished SRH’s top-order in Qualifier 1, leaving Pat Cummins’ men in a shock from which they never recovered. Starc’s lethal spell saw him snare three wickets in the PowerPlay and change the course of the game.

“Batters will win you games, but bowlers will win you championships,” is a widely used phrase. That proved right.

The Indian core, comprising Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakravarthy, turned the heat on in the initial phase of the campaign. With skipper Shreyas and the thinktank backing it to the hilt, KKR’s bowling unit was arguably the best in the 17th edition of the IPL.

And now to the number mentioned at the beginning, and its significance.

On May 26 in the final, after being asked to bowl first, Starc started proceedings with a peach of a delivery which was dubbed as the ‘ball of the tournament’. It swung slightly, landed on a good length, opened up Abhishek Sharma and left his off-stump rattled.

Starc had produced a ‘that ball’ moment, and the shock of Qualifier 1 a few days earlier came to haunt SRH. Again.

It was a procession after that. KKR’s bowlers knocked the stuffing out of Sunrisers and bowled the 2016 champion out for a paltry 113 — the lowest in an IPL final. The demolition job was complete when the Iyers — Venkatesh and Shreyas — propelled their team past the line in just 10.3 overs. And the glittering trophy was Kolkata Knight Riders’ after 3647 days!

Narine turns nostalgic

“Coming into the ground today, it felt like 2012. GG said ‘go there and enjoy, not asking you to win all the games, just try and win a few games’. It was a very good advice. The feeling is overwhelming, and I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift.

“I am enjoying my cricket at the moment — batting, bowling and fielding. What helps is that the team is winning. We always pick up early wickets; when we come to bowl, we bowl with less pressure. As a complete bowling unit, picking up wickets is key... that helped us go all the way,” said Narine, who was voted the Most Valuable Player for the third time in the league.

The IPL trophy features a Sanskrit verse Yatra Pratibha Avsara Prapnotihi (where talent meets opportunity) while KKR’s Bengali motto is Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo (we will perform, we will fight, we will win).

The combination of these two inspirational phrases proved to be the catalyst as a group of talented men from diverse backgrounds assembled together, fought, and won the championship for the City of Joy!

Science

- New light-based tool could cut cost of spotting viral infections

- Asymmetry in biology

- More volcanism on Venus than was previously known: study

Joel P. Joseph

A viral infection can stress cells and change their shapes and sizes. As the infection gains the upper hand and the body becomes ‘diseased’, the changes become more stark. Researchers have translated these cellular changes into patterns that can be used to say if a cell has been infected

1 of 2 A schematic diagram of the test setup which could reduce the cost of testing livestock for virus. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl3466 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl3466

2 of 2 Researchers have developed a tool that can detect cells infected by a virus using only light and some knowledge of high-school physics

Viruses infect plants, animals, and humans. A virus’ spread from animals to humans could unleash pandemics like COVID-19 — significant public health crises with considerable economic and social fallout. To nip such infections in the bud, public health researchers have advocated the ‘One Health’ approach: monitoring and protecting plant, animal, environment, and human health in an integrated fashion.

Quick, easy, and cost-effective methods of detecting viral infections can go a long way in ensuring this outcome. Recently, researchers from Harvard University, Cambridge, and Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, reported developing one such tool: it can detect if cells have been infected by a virus using only light and some knowledge of high-school physics.

Their paper was published in the journal Science Advances in March this year.

A fingerprint of infection

A viral infection can stress cells and change their shapes, sizes, and features. As the infection gains the upper hand and the body becomes ‘diseased’, the changes become more stark.

The researchers behind the new study translated these cellular changes into patterns that could be used to say if a cell had been infected. They infected cells from a pig’s testicles with pseudorabies virus, shone light on them through a microscope, and tracked how changes in the cells distorted the light.

The researchers recorded these distortions at different points of time so that the light data mimicked a progressing viral infection. Then they compared these distortions with those in light that had been shone through healthy cells. They finally reported that the difference between the two light patterns represented a ‘fingerprint’ of virus-infected cells.

Changes in contrast

The distortion in question referred to diffraction patterns. Diffraction is the tendency of light waves to spread out after they pass through narrow openings or around small objects. Once this diffracted light reaches, say, a wall, it renders a pattern of alternating light and dark rings or stripes around a dark centre.

The fingerprint was based on two parameters: the contrast between the light and dark stripes and the inverse differential moment, a mathematical value that defined how textured the diffraction pattern was.

The method can differentiate between uninfected, virus-infected, and dead cells. Virus-infected cells were elongated and had more clear boundaries than uninfected cells. This changed the contrast between light and dark stripes of the diffraction fingerprint, and increased the differences in light intensity.

Less time, money, complexity

Current methods to detect virus infections in cells are not straightforward. For example, in one technique, researchers isolate infected cells in the lab and add chemical reagents like dimethyl thiazolyl diphenyl tetrazolium bromide to them. The reagent destroys the cells, but not before the enzymes in the cells — called oxidoreductases and dehydrogenases — react with the reagent to produce purple crystals of a chemical entity called formazan. This colour change tells researchers the cells could have had a viral infection. Cells dying of a viral infection lack these enzymes and thus produce little to no amounts of formazan crystals.

The researchers compared their new technique with this standard for accuracy, time, and cost. They reported that their light-based method could detect viral infections as accurately or even more accurately than the standard method.

The new method was also cheaper than the standard: while the equipment cost for the standard method using chemical reagents is about $3,000 (₹2.5 lakh), the cost of the new method described in this paper was about a tenth. Many research facilities around the world also procure reagents from other places, adding potential time delays and vulnerability of their research to supply-chain inefficiencies.

Finally, the new method reportedly takes only about two hours to detect virus infected cells, against the 40 hours the current standard required.

Advantages for livestock

According to the paper, the researchers placed a sample of cells on slides under a microscope and light was shone on them. They obtained and subsequently analysed the diffraction fingerprint, and correlated each fingerprint with the corresponding condition of the cells. The team is yet to conduct real-world tests.

The low cost and ease of use point are likely to be lucrative to people working closely with animals, especially “livestock or common pets such as dogs and cats,” the researchers wrote in their paper. The new tool can help spot viral infections in their bodies as well as for “the selection and breeding of excellent livestock and poultry species at the cellular level.”

A new tool in the arsenal

Indeed, the new method could help catch viral infections early — which could be very helpful during, say, a virulent bird flu outbreak. The one going on around the world killed more than 131 million poultry in 81 countries in 2022 and 2023, according to the World Health Organisation.

Scientists typically test samples from any part of the bird the virus could infect: windpipe, cloaca (the waste chamber for urine and faeces), or their waste itself. If a bird dies after displaying the symptoms associated with the infection, they also look for the pathogen in the carcass’s tissues.

The methods they use include polymerase chain reaction (of the ‘PCR’ fame during the COVID-19 pandemic) or antigen tests, which detect the genes or proteins associated with the H5N1 virus. While the new method is not specific to certain kinds of viruses, it can help detect viral infections in general and help stakeholders take preventive measures in time to avoid significant losses.

In fact, the tool’s generic nature could also be an advantage by catching a viral infection that is not due to H5N1, perhaps even a new virus.

Against the spread of viruses

Viral outbreaks in animals have significant economic consequences. According to a 2018 study in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, bird flu outbreaks in the Kuttanad region of Kerala imposed losses of ₹23 lakh in 2014. The study also estimated the Government of Kerala spent ₹5.4 crore “to contain the spread of the disease through massive culling, surveillance and monitoring of poultry and humans due to [the] zoonotic nature of the disease.”

Against this backdrop, a rapid and cost-effective way to detect viral infections could help improve surveillance and reduce the cost of selecting healthy animals or birds for breeding. The existing methods to select animals for breeding require expensive DNA-sequencing tools, even if these tools are very good at identifying some desired features in an animal.

The light-based tool could also help low- and middle income countries with limited resources to realise the WHO’s recommendation to “rapidly detect, report and respond to animal outbreaksas the first line of defence” against the spread of viruses.

(Joel P. Joseph is a freelance science journalist and researcher)

Vasudevan Mukunth

1 of 2 Visual: This genus of alga is also known as globe algae because its members form nearly perfectly spherical colonies of several thousand cells. Name the genus. FRANK FOX (CC BY-SA 3.0)

2 of 2

Question 1

In this species of crabs, the males and the females have a major claw and a minor claw each. But among the males alone, the major claw is much larger than the minor one — a famous example of left-right asymmetry in biological systems. Name the species.

Question 2

Fish belonging to the order Pleuronectiformes have some unusual features. One is that both X lie on the same side of Y, as a result of many species in this order swimming with one side of their bodies facing up. What are X and Y?

Question 3

The left and the right sides of the human face can be said to have mirror symmetry. Often, however, there are minor deviations from perfect symmetry, as a result of minor genetic and environmental influences on the face as it developed biologically. What are such deviations called?

Question 4

In most species of snails, as the gastropod develops from its larva, a process called _______ results in an asymmetric arrangement of its internal organs. Importantly, the snail’s anus is finally positioned above its head. Scientists aren’t yet sure why this process happens. Fill in the blank.

Question 5

This species of plover bird is found only in New Zealand — and it’s the only species of bird in the world whose beak is bent sideways. Even more unusually, it’s always bent towards the right. Name the species.

Answers to May 28 quiz:

1. Czech chemist renowned for studies of rare-earth elements

– Ans: Bohuslav Brauner

2. Method by which promethium is made involving uranium

– Ans: Spontaneous fission

3. Phenomenon involving elements 57-70 that promethium skips

– Ans: Lanthanide contraction

4. Element aside from promethium sans a stable isotope in the first 82 elements

– Ans: Technetium

5. Ligand in the first lanthanide complex involving promethium

– Ans: Bispyrrolidine diglycolamide

Visual: Dmitri Mendeleev

First contact: K.N. Viswanathan | Fathima Niloofar | Manda Venkata Apparao | Devi Prasad Sahu

Reuters

A computer-generated 3D model of Venus shows the volcano Sif Mons, which is 300 km wide. Reuters/NASA NASA/JPL

Venus appears to be more volcanically active than previously known, according to scientists whose new analysis of decades-old radar images has spotted evidence of eruptions at two additional sites on the surface of the earth’s inhospitable planetary neighbour.

Radar images obtained by NASA’s Magellan spacecraft from 1990 to 1992 indicated large lava flows at these two locations in the Venusian northern hemisphere at the time of the observations, the researchers said. These findings, coupled with previous studies, indicate that the planet’s volcanic activity is comparable to the earth’s, they added.

Magellan mapped 98% of the Venusian surface. Advances in computing capability have made analysing Magellan’s radar data easier in recent years.

“These findings significantly change our understanding of the degree to which Venus is volcanically active, suggesting it could be much more active than previously thought,” said planetary scientist Davide Sulcanese of d’Annunzio University in Pescara, Italy, lead author of the study published this week in the journal Nature Astronomy.

One of the two sites is a volcano called Sif Mons, which is about 300 km wide and situated in a region called Eistla Regio. The before-and-after radar images indicate a lava flow amounting to about 30 sq. km of rock. The other site is a large volcanic plain in a region called Niobe Planitia. About 45 sq. kilometers of rock was produced in this lava flow.

“Both Sif Mons and the volcanoes in Niobe Planitia are shield volcanoes, characterized by broad, gentle slopes formed by low-viscosity lava flows,” said d’Annunzio University planetary scientist and study co-author Giuseppe Mitri.

The new rock at both locations was estimated to have an average depth between about three and 20 meters.

“The lava flows observed along the western flank of Sif Mons exhibit linear features with sinuous patterns that follow the direction of the maximum slope, generally towards the west,” said planetary scientist and study co-author Marco Mastrogiuseppe of University Sapienza in Rome and Link Campus University in Rome.

“Regarding the flows in Niobe Planitia, the lava flows appear to originate near small shield volcanoes and extend towards the northeast, also following the direction of the slope,” Dr. Mastrogiuseppe added.

The new study builds on previous findings of ongoing Venusian volcanic activity. A 2023 study found that a volcanic vent on Maat Mons in a region called Atla Regio, near the equator, expanded and changed shape during the Magellan mission.

“Our study is the first to provide direct proof of lava flows formed during the Magellan mission period,” Sulcanese said.

Studying volcanic activity provides a fuller understanding of a planet’s internal heat and geological processes. “It provides insights into the planet’s thermal evolution, surface renewal processes and atmospheric interactions,” according to Dr. Mitri.

Table of Contents

The Hindu May 30, 2024

Regional

SC Registry refuses to list Kejriwal plea to extend bail

Delhi broils; Mungeshpur gauge records 52.9 degrees

Wife can sell the property of husband in comatose condition: Madras High Court

SIT officials camping at Bengaluru airport to arrest Prajwal

2 killed after being hit by Brij Bhushan’s son’s convoy

Monsoon to set in over rain-soaked Kerala today

No need for panic over resurgence of mumps, but medical help is vital

PM Modi’s meditation drama is only meant to gain political mileage, says Selvaperunthagai

Groundwork begins for phase 3 of excavation at Vembakottai

SHRC recommends ₹1.5-lakh relief to woman in 2013 case of trespass by police

Wife can sell property of husband in comatose condition: Madras HC

Elephant calf rescued from 30-foot-deep well in the Nilgiris

Preliminary work on setting up Global Sports City under way: government

‘Do not leave vote counting centres before results are out’

CUMTA asks Metro Rail to prepare detailed project report for revamping MRTS stations

Three honoured as ‘Unsung Heroes’ for their selfless service to society

Universal education, a part of distributive justice: researcher R. Balakrishnan

Student injured in a clash at college hostel

National Medical Commission officials visit Stanley Hospital

Two held for robbery in Choolaimedu

School Education Department begins survey for adult literacy programme

World Bank and Chennai Corporation hold climate investment workshop

Three persons held for murder of a brick kiln worker while robbing him of his mobile phone

District Child Protection Unit gets new building to set up office

Under RTE, 1.5 lakh applications received

IIT-M to hold ‘demo day’ for JEE aspirants

National

Monsoon set to make an early onset in Kerala today

Court issues production summons against Kavitha

Revanna, SIT file petitions in Karnataka High Court in kidnap case

Probe sought into bank account of Kerala CM’s daughter

Telangana govt. to unveil the State emblem on June 2

New policy to deny govt. jobs to kin of militants in Kashmir

Man kills eight family members, then kills self in M.P.; police launch probe

Cyclone Remal effect: death toll rises to 38 in northeast, rescue efforts under way

2 killed after being hit by Karan Bhushan’s convoy

Citizenship granted under the CAA to people in 3 States

IndiGo pilot, crew violated safety norms during evacuation

Aiyar’s description of 1962 war reflects the mindset of Cong.: BJP

Mungeshpur gauge records 52.9 degrees

NIA files chargesheet against six for ‘terror attack’

HC grants statutory bail to Sharjeel Imam

SIT officials camping at Bengaluru airport

In final phase, action shifts to City of Joy and Sundarbans

It’s a spirited BJP vs INDIA bloc campaign in Chandigarh

Modi, Mamata lock horns again during campaign

PM Modi’s meditation plan violates poll code: Cong. to EC

FIR filed against Mehbooba for ‘code violation’

Cong. targets PM over comments on Gandhiji

Rahul promises to write off farmers’ loans

In jail, but Amritpal has a punchy campaign

Kumartuli’s sculptors of the divine blase about heat and drama of polls

14188

Controversy breaks out over Modi’s remark on Odisha CM’s ‘deteriorating health’

Showcasing Rama’s divinity

RudraM-II air-to-surface missile flight test successful

Action against Odisha CMO officials BJP’s design: BJD

Police arrest two for shooting at AIMIM leader in Malegaon

Edit

India, liberalism and its crisis of legitimacy

Dispelling population myths triggered by a working paper

In the dock

Insidious, incendiary

letters to the editor

Andhra and Telangana have many of India’s richest MP candidates

Open access is crucial for self-reliance in science

The BJP cannot bank on ‘asmita’ alone

Israel and Syria agree on military disengagement

Radio club in Madras

An overview of the AMRUT scheme

Why does instability and chaos persist in Haiti?

Architects of hate: who is fuelling discord in India’s digital elections?

On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Here is a quiz on the expedition

Know Your English

Business

RITES looks to increase exports to boost order book and profit margins

‘Health insurers must allow cashless facility in one hour’

‘India to import wheat after six years, to shore up reserves’

RBI imposes business restrictions on two Edelweiss Group firms

Tata Steel Q4 net slides 64% to ₹611 cr.

S&P revises outlook on India’s sovereign rating to positive

Heritage Foods Q4 net profit surges on strong demand

Newgen unveils LumYn, a Gen AI platform for banks

Ramky Infra Q4 net profit declines to ₹57 crore

Foreign

Ramaphosa confident of ANC victory as South Africa votes in pivotal polls

Not a bear hug

Dead boar dumped at Swedish mosque; probe under way

Spirit of UN dead in Gaza, says Erdogan

Pyongyang flies trash balloons over South Korea

‘Singapore Airlines plane dropped 178 ft in 5 seconds’

Suspected militants burn girls’ school in northwest Pakistan

EU creates 'AI Office' to regulate technology under tough new law

U.K.'s Sunak and Labour leader Starmer to debate next week

Saudi expelled 6 state media journalists ahead of hajj: Iran

Israeli Army says it has taken control of key Gaza-Egypt corridor

Sports

Three-way race beckons WI, NZ, and Afghanistan

Alcaraz overcomes a shaky forehand and a qualifier; Swiatek prevails over Osaka

Indian players begin their training in right earnest

Hardik joins Team India in New York ahead of T20 World Cup

Only Bumrah is executing yorkers consistently, says Lee

Australia calls on selector and back-room staff for warm-up game

Goffin claims he was spat at by French Open spectator

Top Results

Indebted to the sport, my team, says Chhetri

TNCA leagues

Around THE CITY

Chennai to host second Indian Grand Prix today

Vaishali downs Humpy, takes the sole lead

Sindhu and Prannoy advance, Lakshya loses

Boxers Ankushita, Nishant in last eight

Chengalpattu defeats Nagapattinam

Barcelona ropes in Flick as coach to replace Xavi

De Jong and Depay included in Dutch squad for Euros

Vincent Kompany named as new Bayern Munich coach

UTT-5 in Chennai from Aug. 22; two new teams in fray

LiVE TELECAST

Heart-breaking loss for Indian junior men’s hockey team

Engagements

The remarkable metamorphosis and resurgence of the Knight Riders

Science

New light-based tool could cut cost of spotting viral infections

Asymmetry in biology

More volcanism on Venus than was previously known: study