FP FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. XXXX NO. 206 | INDORE | TUESDAY | JANUARY 2, 2024 | PAGES 16 `3 - r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; 7.6 quake shakes Japan, Tsunami threat fizzles EDIT AYODHYA SETTING THE 2024 AGENDA WEATHER KOHLI’S SIMULATION FOR BURGER, IYER FACES SHORT BALL BARRAGE Pg-14 EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE 29.00c. 14.60c Sunrise : 07.07 Sunset : 05.53 Russia, South Korea & North Korea sounded Tsunami alerts as well AGENCIES / Tokyo Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert, issued following a series of major earthquakes on Monday, but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come. The quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6, started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan's main island, Honshu. It was unclear how many people might have been killed or hurt. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes in the Japan Sea off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m. At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity was out for more than 30,000 households, he said. The agency initially issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa Goldy Brar designated terrorist GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI A member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and one of those wanted in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, Goldy Brar, was on Monday designated a terrorist by the Centre under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A notification to the effect issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs mentions that Brar, also known as Satwinder Singh alias Satinderjit Singh, was presently residing in Brampton, Canada and is associated with Babbar Khalsa International. CONTD. ON P8 DASHBOARD OVER 32,000 HOMES FACE POWER OUTAGES: After the powerful earthquake and aftershocks on Monday, more than 32,500 homes in Japan's Ishikawa prefecture were without power, CNN reported citing Hokuriku Electric Power. Cracks are seen on the ground in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, following an earthquake and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of Dindori SP Sanjiv Kumar Sinha has been appointed as Guna SP The state . government on Monday issued the transfer orders here. After the Guna bus fire incident, the government removed Guna collector Tarun Rathi and SP Vijay Kumar Khatri from their posts on December 28. On December 27, a bus and truck collided in Guna, in which 13 people were charred to death and 15 others injured, after the bus caught fire. Day off in private schools today Several private schools have called the day off on Tuesday. Most of these schools run buses for students. However, government schools have made no such announcements as students generally walk to school. Most of the private schools plan to conduct online classes and run classes for boarding studens. However, due to lack of time for planning, most of schools are likely to remain closed. still reach up to 3 metres (10 feet). Aftershocks could also slam the same area over the next few days, it said. CONTD. ON P8 All public welfare & devpt schemes to continue: CM FP NEWS SERVICE Khargone Yadav lays foundation stone and inaugurates development work worth over Rs 182 cr in Khargone Chief Minister Mohan Yadav laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development work worth over Rs 182 crore on Monday at a programme held at Navgraha Fair Ground here. This included 41 development works costing Rs 167 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, construction of Nankaudi Barrage, Jhirnya and Karhi Barrage at Bhagwanpura at a cost of Rs 7.54 crore and construc- Pannun’s latest threat: ‘Will target BSE from March 12’ NEWS BRIEF Dindori SP transferred to Guna its main islands, Hokkaido. The warning was downgraded to a regular tsunami several hours later, meaning the waters could INDIAN EMBASSY SETS UP EMERGENCY CONTROL ROOM: The Indian Embassy in Japan on Monday set up an emergency control room for Indians wanting any assistance in the wake of the tsunami alerts issued by the authorities after a series of strong earthquakes jolted the country's western coastline. NEW DELHI: Continuing his incendiary provocation of violence against India, Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday called for the country's “economic destruction” by targeting the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) from March 12, 2024. The day coincides with the 31st anniversary of serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993, which began after explosives went off in the basement of the BSE building, killing over 250 people and injuring several others. "Unlike 1993 which damaged the BSE buildings, the call to target BSE/NSE from 12th March is aimed at destroying India's economic system," Pannun said in a video message released on Monday The le. gal counsel of the banned Sikhs for Justice group, Pannun also urged people to "dump Indian stock" and "buy American Stocks" before March 12 this year. CONTD. ON P8 TOUGHER NORMS COME INTO FORCE LONDON tion of a new bridge on Bhikangaon Jhirnya road worth Rs 5.88 crore, etc. In his address, Yadav af- firmed the continuation of ongoing public welfare and developmental schemes, assuring the allocation of necessary funds to sustain these initiatives. Chief Minister Yadav also sanctioned Rs 25 crore for the development of the Navgrah Mela area. Earleir, a large crowd of men, women and youth had lined on both sides of the road to welcome the Chief Minister’s cavalcade on the way to the Navgrah Mela Ground where public representatives welcomed Yadav with a huge garland. His roadshow was welcomed by the beats of drums, tribal dances, and flowers were showered on him. CONTD. ON P8 BJP MLA’s son held on attempt to murder charge Nobel laureate Yunus sentenced to 6 months in jail After receiving the complaint from the Yadav family, a case was registered against the accused and he was arrested. Yadav is a close relative of notorious gangster Bhagwan Das Kamariya, who was shot dead a decade ago outside his house. Dinesh Lodhi has more than 16 cases, including manhandling and attempt to murder, registered against him at different police stations. Notably, in the recentlyconcluded assembly elections, Pritam Singh Lodhi had won from the Pichhore assembly constituency of Shivpuri. He had contested the elections for the fourth time on a BJP ticket. Many cases were also registered against him and some of these are still under consideration. Many cases are pending against his sons also. Bangladesh's Nobel laureate economist Dr Muhammad Yunus was on Monday sentenced to six months in jail by a court for violating the labour laws, a verdict termed as "politically motivated" by his supporters ahead of the January 7 general elections. The 83-year-old economist, who was present in court, sought bail after the ruling, which Third Labour Court Judge Sheikh Merina Sultana granted immediately for a month in exchange for a Taka 5,000 (USD 45) bond. The court gave the defence 30 days to appeal. Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his anti-poverty campaign, earning Bangladesh the reputation of being the home of microcredit through his Grameen Bank, which he founded in 1983. CONTD. ON P8 OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in BJP MLA Pritam Lodhi’s son Dinesh Lodhi was arrested on Monday on charge of attempt to murder after he rammed his SUV into a parked scooty and subsequently hit a child in Gwalior. The incident happened in Old Cantonment on Sunday night. A video of the incident showing Dinesh Lodhi recklessly driving an SUV and hitting a child has gone viral on social media platforms. SP Gwalior Rajesh Singh Chandel said Dinesh Lodhi was carelessly driving his SUV and hit a scooty parked outside the house of Ravindra Yadav, a resident of Jalalpur and a relative of the injured child. The entire episode was captured in CCTV cameras. AGENCIES Dhaka Now, foreign students won’t be able to bring family members to UK International students, including Indians, starting courses at British universities this month will no longer be able to bring family members on all but postgraduate research courses and courses with government-funded scholarships under tougher UK visa norms effective from Monday . The UK Home Office said the changes, first announced by former home secretary Suella Braverman in May last year, are aimed at clamping down on people using the student visa as a backdoor route to work in the UK and will see an estimated 140,000 fewer people come to the UK. The tougher rules are geared towards cutting what Home Secretary James Cleverly dubbed as an "unreasonable practice" of overseas students bringing dependants, which official figures show have risen by more than 930 per cent since 2019. "This government is delivering on its commitment to the British public to cut migration”. CONTD. ON P8 QUALITY AT VALUE r RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in NEW PAD: ACTOR’S NEW HOUSE COSTS `71 CRORE Pg-16 PUBLIC LEFT IN LURCH AS AUTO, TAXI OWNERS JOIN TRANSPORTERS’ STRIKE 50% OF 4,500 petrol pumps in state go dry as people resort to panic buying OUR STAFF REPORTER City.bhopal@fpj.co.in Commuters were left stranded as public transport, auto-rickshaw and taxi owners joined transporters’ token strike against the stringent new Motor Vehicles Act of the Centre Transporters, specially drivers, blocked roads at many places in the state preventing local conveyance from operating. Owing to the strike, long queues of vehicles were seen at petrol pumps across the state. Everyone wanted to get their tanks filled fearing scarcity of fuel in coming days. Owing to the rush 50% of total 4,500 petrol pumps across the state went dry by the evening. In Bhopal, 25 out of 85 petrol pumps had gone dry by the evening. Truck drivers blocked roads on state capital’s outskirts and even stopped plying of autorickshaws. CONTD. ON P8 e joined transporters. We are in support transporters in protest term Wfinehavehit-and-run case against increase in jail of and in n NAFIS UDDIN, TAXI UNION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT y evening 50% petrol pumps dry. the there rush at petrol pumps. BThroughoutalmostday,pumps was huge had gonein Bhopal city There are 4,500 petrol in MP including 85 n AJAY SINGH, PRESIDENT OF PETROL PUMP DEALERS ASSOCIATION ransporters come for talks instead of going for Strike is not solution any problems. The Tstrike.shouldshould theroad blockofso that people should not strikers not stage face any problem. n RAO UDAY PRATAP SINGH, TRANSPORT MINISTER here is sufficient Tnot be in tensionstock of petrol and diesel so people should n ASHEESH SINGH, BHOPAL COLLECTOR FOUR DEAD IN MANIPUR FP DESK / IMPHAL Four people were shot dead and several others were injured in fresh violence in Manipur on New Year’s Day, following which curfew was re-imposed in the five valley districts of the state. A group of men, yet to be identified, had come with automatic weapons, locals in Thoubal district claimed. They opened fire following a quarrel over forcible collections. After the attack, the enraged locals set one of the gunmen’s vehicles on fire. An IANS report said that the attackers, wearing police uniforms and armed with sophisticated weapons, came in four vehicles and opened fire on people, mostly Muslims. Three people died on the spot and another person succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital. Additional Central and state forces have been rushed to Thoubal district and adjoining areas where retaliatory attack could occur. Tensions have reportedly also risen in state capital Imphal following the fresh violence. Chief Minister N Biren Singh, in a video message, condemned the violence and appealed to the people to maintain peace. Two days ago, four security forces were injured in a gunfight between suspected insurgents and police commandos in Manipur’s border town Moreh. Insurgents fired several RPGs which exploded inside the CDO outpost building at Moreh Turelwangma Leikai where the commandos were staying, officials said. CONTD. ON P8 Lord Ram Lalla idol CHOSEN BISWAJEET BANERJEE Lucknow Another threshold has been crossed in the construction of the Ram Temple: one of the trustees of Ram Janmbhoomi Teertha Kshetra, Anil Mishra, has revealed that the exhaustive selection process for the idol of Lord Ram Lalla has been successfully concluded. After an extensive and meticulous review of all three statues, the trust members have reached a unanimous decision on the chosen idol. The members of the Trust had a darshan of all the three statues and now the unanimously chosen idol will be formally consecrated through the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony scheduled for January 22, Mishra told FPJ on Monday, refraining from using the word selection of idol. CONTD. ON P8 ISRO says hello to 2024 by launching space mission to study black holes SRIHARIKOTA Off to a flying start, ISRO on Monday ushered in 2024 with the successful launch of its first X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite that would offer insights into black holes in the space, making the country only the second to conduct experiment into such celestial objects. Among the payloads that piggybacked the space agency's ever reliable Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) was one made by women, prompting ISRO to call it an inspiration for the country . The PSLV-C58 rocket, in great to to Athanksstartouris2024 scientists! This launch its 60th mission, carried the primary payload XPoSat and deployed it in an intended 650 km low earth orbit. Later, scientists performed the orbit lowering maneuver by reducing the altitude to 350 km for conducting the POEM experiment. Speaking at the Mission Control Centre, ISRO Chairman S Somanath said "happy new year to all of you." "So on 1 January 2024, yet another successful mission of PSLV has been accomplished. PSLVC58 has placed the primary satellite XPoSat in the desired orbit." CONTD. ON P8 wonderful news for the space sector and will enhance India's prowess in this field. Best wishes to our scientists at @isro and the entire space fraternity in taking India to unprecedented heights A n NARENDRA MODI, PM s we enter the new year, we are elated to witness the successful launch of PSLVC58/ XPoSat Mission by ISRO. Many congratulations to all our scientists, space engineers, researchers and ground staff for their ingenuity and unwavering commitment n MALLIKARJUN KHARGE, CONGRESS PRESIDENT