FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 189 | INDORE | MONDAY | DECEMBER 15, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Nation Cong steps up attack on ‘vote theft’ at Delhi rally P.8 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD Women fleeing Mali say they were sexually abused UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Left loses Kerala ground P.6 Brand Sutra The Lakmé That Simone Built P.12 LONG-TERM URBAN DEVELOPMENT | CM chairs a high-level review meeting in Indore and takes several crucial decisions Wave of terror strikes killed METRO’S CORE STRETCH Bondi Beach, 11 Cops identify Shooting during radeep Mishra, Indian Forest Service officer, initiated an action that is now fundamentally changing the ecological map of the landscape. Turn to Indore page to find out how. SEE P3 P TO GO UNDERGROUND State to bear addl cost of Rs 900 cr on the project OTHER IMPORTANT DECISIONS Our Staff Reporter INDORE fp Briefs KHARTOUM 6 peacekeepers killed in Sudan At least six UN peacekeepers were killed and seven others wounded when a United Nations facility in Kadugli, the capital of Sudan's South Kordofan State, was struck in a drone attack, Sudanese authorities said. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out the strike, a claim the RSF denied, Xinhua news agency reported.According to an SAF statement, the drone fired three missiles at the UN headquarters and the Bangladesh Battalion, setting a UN storage facility on fire. In a major push to Indore’s long-term urban development, Chief minister Dr Mohan Yadav on Sunday chaired a high-level review meeting in Indore and took several crucial decisions related to metro connectivity, traffic management, infrastructure expansion and regional growth. The most significant decision was to construct the Indore Metro underground along the core city stretch, including between Khajrana and Bengali Square. The CM announced that the state government will bear the additional financial burden of around Rs 800–900 crore to execute the ‘Never allowed territory for activities against B’desh’ PTI CHAIBASA underground alignment. He said the decision followed detailed deliberations on the revised metro proposal, which had faced technical and urban challenges. “Keeping Indore’s future growth in mind, an underground metro in the core areas will provide maximum public benefit while preserving road capacity and urban aesthetics,” Yadav said. The meeting was attended by cabinet ministers Kailash Vijayvargiya and Tulsi Silawat, MP Shankar Lalwani, Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav, collector Shivam Verma, police commissioner Santosh Kumar Singh and senior officials. » An international-level Startup Park and Convention Centre near MR-10, to be developed on the lines of Bharat Mandapam at a cost of Rs 550–600 crore under the PPP model. The centre will have an indoor capacity of 5,000 and outdoor capacity of 10,000 and is targeted for completion in three years. » The long-pending Hukumchand Mill redevelopment will commence soon and project will be completed in next 3 years. » 12 hectares of PWD land at Palasia will be redeveloped with emphasis on greenery and open spaces. » Installation of nearly 60,000 CCTV cameras at 13,690 locations and expansion of e-bus services with 270 electric buses from March » 1.5 lakh houses under PMAY » AstroTurf grounds, new playgrounds and modern sports facilities to be developed. » Construction of the Western and Eastern Bypasses will begin soon. The Western Bypass will be 68 km long, while the Eastern Bypass will span 83.63 km. Besides, four-lane service roads will be constructed on both sides of the bypasses at a cost of Rs 543 crore to ease city traffic. Indore Metropolitan Region to cover entire MalwaThe CM also announced a major expansion of Indore Metropolitan Region (IMR), which will be extended to about 14,000 square kms by integrating Ujjain, Dewas, Dhar, Ratlam, Nagda, Badnawar and Satya vs satta: Cong attacks Modi govt, EC Dheeraj Kumar NEW DELHI PATNA A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan of the elite CoBRA Battalion 209 was seriously injured after an improvised explosive device (IED), allegedly planted by Maoists, exploded during a search operation in the dense Saranda forest of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district on Sunday, officials said. The incident occurred near Baliba village under the Chotanagra police station area when a joint team of security forces was carrying out a search and area domination exercise as part of an ongoing anti-Maoist operation. India on Sunday asserted that it has never allowed its territory to be used for activities inimical to the interests of Bangladesh and pressed for holding the upcoming parliamentary polls in that country in a peaceful atmosphere. India's reaction came hours after the Bangladesh foreign ministry summoned Indian envoy to Dhaka, Pranay Verma, and conveyed its concern over former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's "incendiary" statements from Indian soil. According to a readout released by Dhaka, the foreign ministry also brought to Verma's notice the activities of some members of Hasina-led Awami League while staying in India. BERLIN 4Continued on | P8 BJP on Sunday appointed Bihar minister Nitin Nabin, 45, its national working president, indicating the importance the party attaches to the state that recently brought it back to power. It also signalled BJP's plan to promote the next generation of leaders. Nabin may succeed JP Nadda as the party's national president. BJP national general secretary Arun Singh issued a statement announcing the appointment was approved by the party’s Parliamentary Board. The appointment came into force with immediate effect. Congratulating Nabin, PM Narendra Modi wrote on X, “Shri Nitin Nabin Ji has distinguished himself as a hardworking Karyakarta. He is a young and industrious leader with rich organisational experience and has an impressive record as MLA as well as minister in Bihar CRPF jawan hurt in IED blast Zelenskyy to drop NATO bid? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday voiced readiness to drop his country's bid to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees, but rejected the US push for ceding territory to Russia as he arrived in Berlin for talks with US envoys on ending the war. See World BIG ROLE n The five-term MLA named BJP's national working president. n “It all happened because of the hard work of party workers... I believe that when you work as a dedicated worker of the party, senior leaders always take note of that” for multiple terms. He has diligently worked to fulfill people’s aspirations. He is known for his humble nature and grounded style of working.” 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 NEW DELHI: Stepping up the campaign on the issue of alleged election irregularities, top Congress leaders on Sunday attacked BJP and the election commissioners at a rally in the national capital, alleging that "vote chori" is in the ruling party's DNA and its leaders were "gaddar" who were conspiring to take away voting rights of people and should be removed from power. Addressing a 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod' mega rally at the Ramlila grounds as the Congress sought to build public support on the issue after its Bihar defeat, Rahul Gandhi vowed to oust the "Narendra Modi-RSS government" by following the path of truth and non-violence as shown by Mahatma Gandhi. "This fight is between 'satya' and 'asatya' (truth and untruth). We will stand behind 'satya' and will remove Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and RSS government from the country. They have 'satta' (power) and they indulge in 'vote chori'," he said. See Nation Tenfold Messical: When GOATs meet Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI Tendulkar gifts Messi his iconic No. 10 India jersey The greatest of all time from the footballing world graced a jam-packed Wankhede Stadium with the who’s who of India’s sporting, entertainment and political elite in attendance for the ‘Messi GOAT India Tour 2025’ event. Lionel Messi, the 2022 Fifa World Cup winner from Argentina and the most loved footballer on the planet, just worked his charm the moment he stepped onto the hallowed Wankhede, waving and smiling at the huge crowd present for the unforgettable evening. Wearing a white T-shirt and his characteristic disarming smile, Messi made his way into the stadium at 5.53 pm, wel- comed by a giant roar from the teeming spectators as he proceeded to one of the side football pitches that were erected for the celebrity match. 4Continued on | P8 offgrid India world’s 3rd most competitive AI power IANS NEW DELHI India has emerged as the world’s third most competitive country in artificial intelligence, according to Stanford University’s Global AI Vibrancy Tool on Sunday. The latest ranking highlights how India’s fast-grow- ing tech ecosystem and strong talent base are helping the country play a key role in the global AI race. The Visual Capitalist chart, based on Stanford’s data, shows the United States clearly leading the world in AI competitiveness with a vibrancy score of 78.6.China is placed second with a score Agencies SYDNEY Two gunmen shot dead at least 11 people on Sunday during a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Australian authorities said, declaring it a terrorist attack. One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second arrested. The suspect was in critical condition, authorities said. At least 29 people were confirmed wounded, including two police officers, said 4Continued on | P8 Naveed as gunman SYDNEY: One of the alleged shooters in Sydney was Naveed Akram, a man from the city's southwest, a senior law enforcement official told ABC, adding Akram's home in the suburb of Bonnyrigg was being raided by police on Sunday evening. It was still not clear which of the two attackers is Akram. NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon suggested that one of the shooters was known to authorities but "the person that we know has very, very little knowledge to the police". the Shajapur–Makshi region. He said the expanded IMR would leverage key infrastructure assets, including multiple railway junctions, an international airport, proposed airports at Ujjain and Ratlam. BIHAR MINISTER NITIN NABIN AS NEW BJP CHIEF? celebration of Jewish festival lasts nearly 10 minutes Mal Lanyon, the police commissioner for New South Wales state, where Sydney is located. The massacre at one of Australia’s most popular and iconic beaches followed a wave of anti-semitic attacks that have roiled the country over the past year, although the authorities didn’t suggest those episodes and Sunday’s shooting were connected. They said one of the gunmen was known to the security services, but that there had been no specific threat. PM Anthony Albanese declared it “an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.” of 36.95, while India ranks third with a score of 21.59. This puts India ahead of several advanced economies, including South Korea, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Germany and France.Stanford’s AI Vibrancy Tool combines several indicators into a single score to measure how developed and competitive a country’s AI ecosystem is. These indicators include research and development, talent availability, investment and economic impact, infrastructure, public opinion, and policy and governance. The tool aims to show where innovation and AI talent are growing and how seriously governments are backing artificial intelligence. 4Continued on | P8 Strongly condemn the ghastly terrorist attack carried out today at Bondi Beach, Australia, targeting people celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. On behalf of the people of India, I extend my sincere condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. We stand in solidarity with the people of Australia in this hour of grief. India has zero tolerance towards terrorism and supports the fight against all forms and manifestations of terrorism. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India 2 KILLED IN US VARSITY shooter dressed in black killed at least two people and wounded nine others at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, in the US during final exams, authorities said. Police said on Sunday a person had been detained. A SEE WORLD Unarmed ‘hero’ tackles shooter Agencies SYDNEY A bystander captured on video tackling and disarming an armed man during the attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday has been hailed as a hero whose actions potentially saved lives. The incredible footage shows the man, wearing a light blue shirt and black pants, crouching behind a parked vehicle near the gunman, who is facing away from him and firing his weapon. 4Continued on | P8