FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 14 No. 176 | BHOPAL | MONDAY | DECEMBER 9, 2024 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Australia were better than us: Rohit P.10 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL WORLD UJJAIN PRESS PUNE INDORE ‘Iron fist’ failed to crush Rebels NASHIK Brand Sutra The Electric Two-Wheeler Odyssey P.12 Syrian rebels topple prez Assad AP Syrian President Bashar Assad fled the country on Sunday, bringing to a dramatic close his nearly 14-year struggle to hold onto control as his country fragmented in a brutal civil war that became a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers. Assad's exit stood in stark contrast to his first months as Syria's unlikely president in 2000, when many hoped he would be a young reformer after three decades of his father's iron grip. Only 34 years old, the Western-educated ophthalmologist appeared as a geeky tech-savvy fan of computers with a gentle demeanour. But when faced with protests against his rule that erupted in March 2011, Assad turned to the brutal tactics of his father in an attempt to crush dissent. As the uprising hemorrhaged into an outright civil BJP links Sonia to Soros-funded group PTI NEW DELHI The BJP on Sunday alleged that former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has links to an organisation financed by the George Soros Foundation and which has backed the idea of Kashmir as an independent nation. This association shows the influence of foreign entities in India's internal affairs, the ruling party said in a series of posts on X. Meanwhile, notwithstanding the US' dismissal of BJP's allegations that it is backing attempts to destabilise India, party MP Nishikant Dubey said he would pose 10 ques- fp Briefs SHAMBHU (PUNJAB) Farmers pause march Agitating farmers suspended their foot march to Delhi on Sunday after some of them sustained injuries in teargas shelling by Haryana security personnel after attempt by the protesters to cross the Punjab-Haryana border. tions to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha on the issue. He said media portal Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and HungarianAmerican businessman have colluded with the opposition to ruin India's economy and defame the Modi government. The BJP claimed that Sonia Gandhi, as the co-president of the Forum of the Democratic Leaders in Asia Pacific (FDL-AP) Foundation, is linked to an organisation financed by the George Soros Foundation. 4Continued on | P6 Med emergency forces air ambulance to land in Bhopal Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL An air ambulance carrying the elder brother of the minister of power from Gwalior to Hyderabad for medical treatment made an emergency landing at Raja Bhoj Airport on Sunday evening. He was then rushed to Chirayu Hospital. JODHPUR Anti-drone unit soon Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said India will soon create a comprehensive anti-drone unit to secure its borders as the "menace" of unmanned aerial vehicles is going to get serious in the coming days. Aircraft was carrying energy minister’s brother to Hyderabad Devendra Singh Tomar, elder brother of Pradhuman Singh Tomar, was flown from Gwalior to Hyderabad. However, as Devendra’s health deteriorated mid-day, the air ambulance made an emergency landing at around 5:30 pm.  Airport director Ramji Awasthi said, “We allowed the emergency landing on priority on ground of the patient’s health condition. The patient has been taken to Chirayu Hospital.” Major rejig: 15 IAS officers transferred Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL In yet another major bureaucratic reshuffle, the state government transferred 15 IAS officers on Sunday night. Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Public Works Department, KC Gupta has been shifted as ACS to the Governor. Mukesh Chandra Gupta, Principal Secretary to Governor, has moved as Secretary, Human Rights Commission. Amit Tomar, Additional Secretary, Personnel, General Administration Department has been transferred as Inspector General of Registration, Chote Singh, Additional Commissioner (Revenue) Gwalior Division as Director Panchayati Raj, Dinesh Kumar Maurya, Deputy Secretary, Revenue Department as Officer on Special Duty cum Controller Food and Drug Administration, 4Continued on | P6 war, he unleashed his military to blast opposition-held cities, with support from allies Iran and Russia. International rights groups and prosecutors alleged widespread use of torture and extrajudicial killings in Syria's government-run detention centres. The war has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of the country's prewar population of 23 million. See World Page E-paper Edit RBI hint at Feb rate cut spells hope P.8 14-YEAR WAR ENDS | President flees to undisclosed location BEIRUT MUMBAI Minor among 2 sisters raped, tutor arrested Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL People celebrate with anti-government fighters at Umayyad Square in Damascus AFP Police on Sunday arrested a tutor for allegedly raping two sisters including a 14-year-oldgirl, who were taking tuitions from him in Chhola area. Chhola police station incharge Suresh Chandra Nagar said the accused, who runs private tuition classes, had been sexually abusing the two sisters, the elder being 20year-old. The man was blackmailing them with their Accused was blackmailing duo with objectionable pictures objectionable pictures and threatened them with dire consequences if they disclosed the incidents, said the cop. On Saturday,  the teacher called the two sisters on the pretext of extra classes and raped the elder girl and molested the younger one, said the officer. On returning home, the younger girl gathered courage and confided in her mother about the incident. The girl informed that her tutor has been regularly making physical advances and molesting her since April 16. The teacher even warned her against speaking about the incident and threatened to kill her. 4Continued on | P6