Vol. 67 No. 93 | TUESDAY | JANUARY 16, 2024 | 22 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper SENA TIT-FOR-TAT UDDHAV MOVES SC FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena has moved the Supreme Court challenging Maharashtra speaker Rahul Narwekar's ruling that the Eknath Shinde faction is the real Shiv Sena. The plea has also challenged Narwekar’s order refusing to disqualify MLAs of the Shinde faction, alleging the Speaker’s actions were “politically motivated”. The UBT faction has sought a provisional stay on the Speaker's order and an interim relief restraining the Shinde faction MLAs from attending the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly . INDIGO FLIER FLIES OFF HANDLE OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI A passenger on an IndiGo flight 6E 2175 was arrested after he assaulted a pilot when he was making an announcement regarding a delay in takeoff at the Delhi airport. The pilot had attributed the delay to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, leading to rotation of crew. A purported video of the incident, which took place on Sunday surfaced on social , media and showed Sahil Katariya hitting the co-pilot identified as Anup Kumar, while he was making the announcement inside the aircraft bound for Goa. A flight attendant standing beside the co-pilot immediately came to his rescue and stood in front of him. The offending passen- Airlines may cancel flights if delay more than 3 hours ger is then pulled back by a co-passenger, as commotion spreads inside the cabin. "Chalana hai to chala, nahi to gate khol!’’ was the profound statement-cum-ultimatum. (If you're going to fly then , fly If not, then open the . gate)," the passenger can be heard saying in the video, which was being recorded by a third person. Other crew T Fliers have dinner on runway he civil aviation regulator DGCA has said that airlines may cancel – sufficiently in advance -- flights that are likely to be delayed or "consequentially delayed" beyond three hours. The DGCA said so while issuing SOPs to handle chaotic situations as caused by the fog at Delhi airport. This is aimed at preventing congestion at airports and minimising passenger inconvenience. The aviation body has also asked airlines to ensure protection of air travellers, specifically in cases of denied boarding, CONTD. ON NATION flight cancellation, and unexpected delays without prior notice. Shinde faction wants Ram Lalla will be UBT MLAs ousted perched atop lotus URVI MAHAJANI MUMBAI / The chief whip of the Shiv Sena (Shinde), Bharat Gogawale, has approached the Bombay High Court, challenging Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar’s refusal to disqualify 14 MLAs belonging to the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). Gogawale’s petition claims that the Speaker’s decision was “arbitrary unconstitu, tional and illegal” and he failed to consider that MLAs from the Sena (UBT) faction had voluntarily given up membership of the party . Therefore, the Speaker’s order to not disqualify the Sena (UBT) MLAs was ‘bad in law’, should be quashed and set aside, he held. CONTD. ON NATION BISWAJEET BANERJEE LUCKNOW Champat Rai, the Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, declared on Monday that the consecration rituals for the idol of Lord Ram, known as Ramalala, in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Mandir, will commence on January 16 and extend un- til January 22. Addressing the media in Ayodhya, Champat Rai disclosed that the statue crafted by Karnataka's Arun Yogiraj would be placed on the pedestal of the sanctum sanctorum. "The statue, weighing between 150 and 200 kg, depicts Ramlala standing with a bow and arrow, exuding a regal and Vishnu-incarnation Maya will spread her wings post-poll EKLA CHOLO RE… FPJ NEWS SERVICE / LUCKNOW Trust Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati not to go with the flow. At a time, the INDIA bloc is engaged in hectic parleys over seats and even the ruling dispensation, the BJP is reaching out to , small parties, Mayawati has declared that her party will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on its own. However, keeping in mind the imponderables involved and the fluid situation that could emerge after the general elec- tions, Mayawati has left open the possibility of a post-poll alliance, thus underscoring the party's flexibility . "BSP will not form a pre-poll alliance with anyone, but the option is open for a post-poll tie up," Mayawati stated dur- Horror take-away for Mumbai visitor tasted Dal Makhani when he nothe ticed a dead rat and cockroaches in it. The next time you order food online Shortly after, he developed gastric and it arrives, it would be wise to trouble and had to rush to the civiccarefully inspect your order before run B Y L Nair Hospital. digging into it hungrily Who knows, . wanted to explore Mumbai and “I you might just literally dig out the so I did, coming all the way from proverbial mole from the but It’s the pits: Prayagraj be my possibly, mound of food. If you forthis might last trip. get to check the food, you Dead rat & I am a Brahmin and a pure might just need loads of roaches in vegetarian, but when my ‘pot luck’ to stomach the Barbeque Nation order aronline order rived, it gave me the shock contents and regurgitate the tale. Ask a 35-year-old of my life. The food conlawyer from Prayagraj, Rajeev tained a dead rat and cockroaches. I Shukla all about it. suffered food poisoning and got ad Shukla was visiting Mumbai and mitted to Nair hospital,” he said. on January 8, placed an online order Further, Shukla said that he imfor a Classic Veg Meal Box Regular mediately emailed Barbeque with Barbeque Nation in Worli. Little Nation, complaining about their did he realise that he would get unso- adulterated food. “Received food licited ‘‘extra protein’’ additions in with rat and insect and, unfortuhis order. When the food arrived, nately I consumed its major portion. , Shukla started to eat. Barely had he CONTD. ON NATION SWAPNIL MISHRA / MUMBAI ing a press conference. Citing her past experience, she asserted that alliances in Uttar Pradesh have proven disadvantageous for the BSP as , votes intended for the party often gets transferred to the alliance partner, resulting in more losses than gains. "When the BSP enters into alliances in Uttar Pradesh, the votes clearly gets transferred to the alliance partner. The reverse never happens," Mayawati explained. She added that the party would assess the post-poll scenario and consider aligning with any party accordingly . CONTD. ON NATION AI to affect 40% of jobs globally: IMF SAN FRANCISCO A rtificial intelligence (AI) will affect nearly 40 per cent of all jobs around the world, according to a new analysis by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "In most scenarios, AI will likely worsen overall inequality a troubling trend that policy, makers must proactively address to prevent the technology from further stoking social tensions," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a blogpost. According to the IMF about 60 per cent of , jobs may be impacted by AI in advanced economies. Around half the exposed jobs may benefit from AI integration, enhancing productivity For the other half, AI applications may . perform key tasks currently performed by humans, potentially lowering labour demand, and resulting in lower wages and reduced hiring. In the worst-case scenario, some of these jobs might disappear. In emerging markets and low-income countries, however, AI exposure is expected to be 40 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively . CONTD. ON NATION LAST WORD 24-yr-old’s 404 breaches Yuvraj’s milestone HARIDEV PUSHPARAJ / MUMBAI Hundreds and double-hundreds are the norm when it comes to Indian domestic cricket, or even 300 for that matter. But reaching the magic figure of 400 is one of the rarest landmarks when it comes to Indian domestic cricket and that barrier was breached on Monday in the Cooch Behar Trophy final. Karnataka’s Prachar Chaturvedi was the man of the day when he broke Indian batting great Yuvraj Singh’s 24-year-old record by slam- ming a mammoth, unbeaten 404 off 636 balls. Yuvraj had smashed 358 for Punjab against Bihar in the Cooch Behar Trophy India’s , premier under-19 domestic tournament, in 1999. It was an effort that comprised 46 fours and three sixes and in the process Karnataka piled on a gargantuan total of 890/8 in response to Mumbai’s 380. The BCCI was quick to congratulate and appreciate Prakhar’s hugely creditable effort. “Karnataka’s Prakhar Chaturvedi becomes the first members can be seen shouting at Katariya, in a yellow jacket, after he hit the pilot. In another viral video, Kataria is seen apologising, apparently to the pilot. Kataria, while being deboarded, can be heard saying, "Sorry sir" and, in reply , the person shooting the video can be heard saying "No sorry". CONTD. ON NATION player to score 400 in the final of Cooch Behar Trophy with his splendid 404* knock against Mumbai,’’ posted the BCCI on X. Prakhar’s career-defining knock heightens his prospects of playing for the Karnataka senior team in a season, where he initially struggled to make it to the under-19 team. Vijay Zol holds the record for the highest individual score in Cooch Behar Trophy’s history with his 451 not out representing Maharashtra against Assam in 2011-12. 45 tonnes of laddoos P aura. Ramlala will be seated on a lotus flower in the sanctum sanctorum, with an estimated height of about 8 feet, including the lotus," he revealed. CONTD. ON NATION reparations are underway for the distribution of 45 tonnes of mouthwatering laddoos to devotees and VIPs attending the event. A team of confectioners from Varanasi has been working tirelessly to ensure the timely production of these laddoos, with the ongoing production set to continue until February to cater to the expected influx of devotees participating in the celebratory events at the Ayodhya temple. These specially crafted laddoos, accompanied by other religious items, will be distributed to devotees visiting the Ram Temple. The laddoos will boast a shelf life of three to four months. A mithai wala involved in the preparation revealed that the prasad package for devotees will not only include the delectable laddoos but also a book, jhola (bag), and a chunni (scarf) adorned with the name 'Ram'. CONTD. ON NATION THE FP BULLETIN WORLD ECONOMY TO WEAKEN: WEF D AVOS: As the top leaders from across the world gather here for their annual congregation, a survey of chief economists on Monday forecast a weakening of the global economy in 2024 and accelerated geo-economic fragmentation. Warning of more economic uncertainty on the horizon, the Chief Economists Outlook report of the World Economic Forum (WEF) said the global economic prospects remain subdued. It said that the global economy continues to grapple with headwinds from tight financial conditions, geopolitical rifts and rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI). More than half of chief economists (56 per cent) expected the global economy to weaken this year, while 43 per cent foresee unchanged or stronger conditions. The outlook for South Asia and East Asia and Pacific, however, remained positive with a strong majority expecting at least moderate growth in 2024. China emerged as an exception, with a smaller majority (69 per cent) expecting moderate growth as weak consumption, lower industrial production and property market concerns weigh on the prospects of a stronger rebound.