FPJ The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Tuesday, March 3, 2026 | 00 Pages | `5 & for Pune `7 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 69 No. 00 | www.freepressjournal.in l EDITIONS: l MUMBAI l INDORE l PUNE l BHOPAL l NASHIK l KONKAN l E-paper l Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (January to June 2025) NATION ‘No Hindu refugee will be deported from Bengal’ GAMES Cinema Actress Karishma Tanna’s triumph at Busan ‘Sanju, what else? Why didn’t it work? So I did some soul-searching’ Edit A dangerous world where might overrides rules GRIM SITUATION | Iran’s top national security official Ali Larijani vowed ‘we will not negotiate with the US’; price of oil has risen sharply 3 US F-15E JETS DOWNED IN ‘FRIENDLY FIRE’ CENTCOM confirms all six crew safe; regional strikes disrupt oil facilities, air travel and civilian life ‘IRGC acting independently’ Agencies NEW DELHI Three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down in separate “friendly fire” incidents by Kuwaiti air defences, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday evening. CENTCOM is directing the joint US-Israel military operations against Iran. “All six aircrew, two per aircraft, ejected safely, have been recovered and are in stable condition,” CENTCOM said in a statement, thanking Kuwaiti defence forces for their support. Kuwait had earlier reported that several US military aircraft had crashed. Videos circulating on social Mourners take cover while air-raid sirens warn of incoming missiles launched by Iran toward Israel during the funeral of Sarah Elimelech and her daughter Ronit who were killed in an Iranian missile attack, in Beit Shemesh, Israel on Monday and (right) a man with Iranian flag looks at damaged Gandhi Hospital, which was hit on Sunday during ongoing joint US-Israeli military campaign in Tehran on Tuesday media showed one of the F-15E jets spiralling down with flames visible from the rear before the pilots ejected. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he would not rule out deploying ground troops in Iran if required. In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said he did not subscribe to the Trump says Iran ops likely to last 4-5 weeks, but US prepared 'to go far longer' fp Briefs NEW DELHI EPFO fixes 8.25% interest rate Retirement fund body EPFO, for the third year in a row, fixed the interest rate on employees' provident fund deposits at 8.25 per cent for 2025-26, a labour ministry statement said on Monday. In February last year, the EPFO had retained the rate of interest at 8.25 per cent for 2024-25. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in 2024 increased the interest rate marginally to 8.25 per cent for 2023-24, from 8.15 per cent in 2022-23. NEW DELHI Industrial growth at 4.8% The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) recorded a 4.8 per cent year-on-year growth in January, supported by 4.8 per cent growth in manufacturing sector and 5.1 per cent growth in electricity sector, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said on Monday. The Quick Estimates of IIP stands at 169.4 against 161.6 in January 2025. Earlier, India’s industrial production surged by 7.8 per cent in December 2025. usual assurance of “no boots on the ground”, adding that he would keep options open. The conflict intensified across the region. Loud explosions were reported near a nuclear facility and an air base in Isfahan in central Iran, according to Iranian news outlets quoted by Reuters. On Monday morning, IndiGo plans 10 special relief flights from Jeddah to India on March 3 blasts were heard across major Gulf cities as Tehran continued retaliatory strikes. Explosions were also reported in Jerusalem after the Israeli military said it had identified missiles launched from Iran and activated air raid sirens. Saudi Aramco temporarily shut its Ras Tanura oil refinery PM Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss the West Asia situation and conveyed India's concerns. During his telephonic conversation with Netanyahu, Modi emphasised the safety of civilians as a priority. Modi also spoke to the King of Bahrain and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and condemned the recent attacks on the two countries in violation of their sovereignty and territorial integrity, asserting that India stands in solidarity with their people in this difficult hour by both sides have escalated, with Iran-backed Hezbollah also entering the conflict. 4Continued on | Nation 6th SHIP HIT IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ Iran’s state-run media claimed a sixth ship was targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has declared shut following US and Israel air strikes that reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military officers. Iran said no vessel may transit the vital oil route. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported two more ships struck on Monday, including a FIRST INDIAN CASUALTY An Indian crew member was killed after a bomb-carrying drone boat struck the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker MKD VYOM in the Gulf of Oman on Monday, Oman authorities said. The attack occurred off the coast of Muscat. State-run Oman News Agency confirmed the death, identifying the victim as an Indian national. Earlier, Reuters reported that a projectile hit the tanker on Sunday. Vessel manager V.Ships Asia said the explosion caused a fire and killed a crew member who was in the engine room. The source of the attack was not immediately known. PALGHAR GAS LEAK: Schools, residential areas evacuated Investors lose Rs 6.59 lakh cr as markets tumble Indian refiners eye Russian oil purchases PTI Agencies Pooja Mehta NEW DELHI PALGHAR Panic spread across parts of Tarapur MIDC in Palghar district after a suspected sulphur trioxide, SO3, gas leak was reported at Bhagaria Chemical Company in the early hours of the morning. The incident occurred around 2 am, prompting an immediate response from the Boisar MIDC Fire Brigade, district administration and police. Evacuation begins Superintendent of Police Yatish Deshmukh said teams are working to contain the source of the leak. “The fire brigade, district administration and police are trying to control the situation. Do not panic,” he said. He told IANS that major People rush and cover their mouths after an incident of gas leak in Tarapur MIDC area at Boisar, in Palghar on Monday. residential areas and schools in the vicinity are being evacuated as a precautionary measure. Nearby companies were also asked to shut operations temporarily and move workers to safer locations. Citizens have been advised to move in the opposite direction of the wind. Those unable to leave immediately were in- structed to seal doors and windows and remain indoors. Containment Efforts Underway Deshmukh said there is a possibility of an industrial accident but stressed that efforts are underway to prevent escalation. Emergency teams continued to monitor air quality and assess the impact on surrounding areas. As containment operations continue, officials have appealed to residents to remain calm and follow safety instructions issued by the administration. Further updates are awaited as investigations into the exact cause of the leak continue. Spl court misread facts: CBI on order discharging Kejri PTI NEW DELHI Challenging the special court order discharging former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and others in the excise policy case, the CBI has submitted to the Delhi High Court that the order was based "on a selective reading of the prosecution case, disregarding the material showing the culpability of the accused", and was "patently illegal". In its 974-page petition before the high court, the CBI said the Special Judge essentially conducted a mini-trial and "spent 4 months' time Rs 18.63 cr drugs destroyed riot of colours A specially-abled girl celebrates with colours during Holi festivities at Society For The Education Of The Crippled in Mumbai on Monday. INSV Kaundinya flagged into harbour PTI MUMBAI Union minister Sanjay Seth on Monday flagged into the Mumbai harbour INSV Kaundinya, a traditionally constructed stitched sailing vessel of the Indian Navy, which returned home after the successful completion of her historic maiden overseas voyage to Muscat. The vessel was welcomed with a colourful parade of sails Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is acting independently following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the US-Israel offensive. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Araghchi said the strike on an Oman port “was not our choice” and that military units were operating on general instructions issued earlier. The IRGC, founded in 1979 after the Iranian Revolution, functions separately from Iran’s regular army and reports to the Supreme Leader. Araghchi’s remarks suggest the force is currently operating without direct central command, even as Tehran seeks to ease Gulf tensions. Abu Dhabi-Delhi flight lands at IGI airport. A returnee named Shiv says, “We could see missiles being constantly intercepted. The airspace is very busy. There was not a very visible impact in Abu Dhabi.” THANE Seized narcotic substances worth Rs 18.63 crore were destroyed on Monday as part of the 'Nasha Mukt Navi Mumbai' campaign, a senior police official said. Drugs worth Rs 18.63 crore seized in 55 cases were destroyed at Mumbai Waste Management Company in Taloja. after it was struck by Iranian drones. The attack on one of Saudi Arabia’s key refining hubs heightened fears of wider disruption to regional energy infrastructure amid an already strained global oil market. Over the past 72 hours, the scale and intensity of attacks Modi dials Bibi, Saudi Crown Prince, Bahrain King and a traditional water arc salute, creating a spectacular and emotionally charged atmosphere at the Naval Dock- yard. The engineless vessel embarked on a maiden voyage on December 29 from Gujarat's Porbandar to Muscat, to retrace old maritime routes that once connected the western coast of India with Oman. Addressing the gathering, Seth, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence, highlighted the national significance of the project. 4Continued on | Nation 4Continued on | Nation Equity investors became poorer by Rs 6.59 lakh crore on Monday as markets faced a massive drubbing amid rising tensions in West Asia that weighed heavily on sentiments. The 30-share BSE Sensex tanked 2,743.46 points or 3.37 per cent to 78,543.73 in early trade. It later ended at 80,238.85, down 1,048.34 points or 1.29 per cent. The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies eroded by Rs 6,59,978.08 crore to Rs 4,56,90,693.19 crore (USD 5 trillion). Indian equities witnessed a sharp decline as escalating tensions in West Asia triggered a pronounced risk-off response. 4See also | Money India is looking at once again increasing its purchases of Russian crude as the war in West Asia threatens to hit supplies in the world’s thirdlargest oil importer, according to a report. State refiners held talks with government officials over the weekend in New Delhi to work on contingency plans to meet requirements since the supplies through the Strait of Hormuz have almost stopped, according to the report. India is now considering buying Russian cargoes that are loitering near its waters, the report said. Last month, India and the US said they were putting the finishing touches to an interim trade agreement that reduced New Delhi’s tariff burden to 18 per cent from the earlier 50 per cent. US President Donald Trump then signed an executive order eliminating the 25 per cent tariff imposed on India for buying crude from Russia. Trump has claimed that the tariffs were reduced after India “agreed to stop buying Russian oil.” New Delhi has not acknowledged any such commitment. Moscow has said it has no reason to believe India has revised its approach on the issue. India, Canada reset ties; target $50 billion trade by 2030 Seal $2.6bn uranium deal Ashwin Ahmad NEW DELHI Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s official visit to India from February 27 to March 2 marked a significant reset in bilateral ties. On Monday, Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held delegation-level talks aimed at restoring strategic direction to the relationship. Several memoranda of understanding were signed across artificial intelligence, defence, critical minerals, healthcare and people-to-people exchanges. Both sides set a target of $50 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 and finalised the Terms of Reference for negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Prime Minister Modi welcomed Canada’s entry into the International Solar Alliance and announced the launch of an India-Canada Defence Dialogue to strengthen defence industry cooperation, maritime domain awareness and military exchanges. 4Continued on | Nation ‘judicial misconduct’ SC flags trial court citing AI-generated ‘non-existent’ verdicts PTI NEW DELHI Artificial judgments will have real consequences, the Supreme Court has warned, coming down hard on a trial court relying on fake, AIgenerated verdicts in its decision-making process. Orders based on fictitious judgments will not just be seen as an error in decisionmaking but will amount to judicial misconduct, the top court has said in a warning that comes at a time when the use of AI (artificial intelligence) is spreading to official work where it is not authorised. A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe has said it will examine the matter in detail and issued a notice to Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and the Bar Council of India. The court has also appointed senior advocate Shyam Divan to assist it in the matter. "We take cognisance of the trial court deploying AIgenerated non-existing, fake or synthetic alleged judgments and seek to examine its consequences and accountability as it has a direct bearing on the integrity of the adjudicatory process," the bench said. "At the outset, we must declare that a decision based on such non-existent and fake alleged judgments is not an error in the decision making. It would be a misconduct and legal con- sequence shall follow. It is compelling that we examine this issue in more detail," the bench said in its February 27 order. The issue cropped up before the apex court while it was hearing a plea challenging a January order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court that came on a suit filed for an injunction. 4Continued on | Nation