THE SUNDAY Vol. 36 No. 28 | Sunday, April 6, 2025 30 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 FREE PRESS JOURNAL Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper Weekend Are film fests a unique space for indie cinema or moneymaking rackets? PLAY & PAUSE Sunday Read Actors, director, a Ram bhakt share their experiences BATTLE LINES DRAWN | Trump accuses China of treating it shabbily like a ‘dumb whipping’ post even as Beijing accuses US of using tariffs as an economic weapon The Gloves are off FPJ News Service US President Donald Trump on Saturday doubled down on the sweeping tariffs he unleashed on countries around the world, warning Americans of pain ahead, but promising historic investment and prosperity. Even as he did so, he lashed out at China, for treating the US shabbily. ‘‘We have been the dumb and helpless 'whipping post,' but not any longer. We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The assertion came as China warned Washington against using tariffs as econ- Ram Navami Good Life Berries to enjoy in Indian summer Thai saxophonist talks about her debut at Banyan Tree World Jazz Festival NEW YORK HA P PY IRAN’S RIAL DIVES: 1MN TO DOLLAR AP TEHRAN omic “weapons,” further escalating tensions in the highstakes trade standoff between the world’s two largest economies. The US "uses tariffs as a weapon to exert extreme pressure and seek private interests. This is a typical act of unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying," said the statement, attributed to the Chinese government and carried by the official Xinhua News Agency. A resolute China’s foreign ministry said it would “continue to take measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.” Iran's currency Rial traded on Saturday at a record low against the US dollar – costing over 1 million rials for a single greenback – as tensions between Tehran and Washington spilled over._Incidentally, the freefall came during the Persian New Year, Nowruz, as currency shops closed and only informal trading took place on the streets, creating additional pressure on the market. On Ferdowsi Street in Iran's capital, Tehran, the heart of the country's money exchanges, some traders even switched off their electronic signs showing the going rate as uncertainty loomed over how much further the Rial could drop. 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation Lanka back in Modi defence embrace Manash Pratim Bhuyan COLOMBO JAGUAR PAUSES SHIPMENTS TO US FPJ News Service LONDON The British maker of Jaguar and Land Rover cars is pausing shipments to the US as it works to mitigate the impact of a 25% tax on vehicle imports imposed by the Trump Administration. JLR, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, is one of Britain’s biggest producers, sell- PREZ NOD FOR WAQF BILL FPJ News Service NEW DELHI President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill which was passed by both houses of Parliament after heated debates. The new law has been challenged in the Supreme Court by the Congress, AIMIM, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with filing of separate petitions. The new law seeks to stop favouritism, misuse of Waqf properties, and encroachments upon Waqf assets. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has said the law is not anti-Muslim. The amendment was introduced after six months of discussion, including the formation of a joint parliamentary committee, reports NDTV. MYTHS: Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs on Saturday clarified that “no property registered under the Waqf Act, 1995, prior to commencement of Waqf Act, 1995, as Waqf will be revoked.” It said the reason was “once a property is declared waqf, it is meant to stay that way permanently.” It further clarified that the Waqf boards will include nonMuslims, but they will not form a majority. Whether personal land of Muslims would be acquired under the new amendment, it said “no personal land would be acquired” and “the Bill applies only to properties that are declared Waqf” and will “not affect private or personal property that has not been donated as Waqf.” The ministry also denied that the Bill would be used by the government to take over Waqf properties. ing 400,000 Range Rover Sports, Defenders and other models annually. Exports to the US account for almost a quarter of those sales and JLR is at the centre of Britain’s car industry, accounting for £1 in every £8 of the country’s exports. A 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into America came into force on Thursday, and a wider baseline 10% tariff on goods imported from around the world kicked in on Saturday morning. The UK automotive industry is expected to be hit hard by the new tariffs, which come at a time when British carmakers are struggling with declining demand at home and the need to retool their plants for the transition to electric vehicles. Protest against Gateway jetty Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI South Mumbai residents will file a writ petition against the construction of a VVIP jetty near the Gateway of India. Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, Mumbai South MP Arvind Sawant and MLA Abu Asim Azmi have also joined the protest and assured the residents that the jetty will not be constructed near the heritage site. On Saturday, residents of South Mumbai came out in huge numbers wearing black clothes to oppose the construction of the jetty. Over 500 residents converged at Real Party Hall at Colaba’s Arthur Bunder Road and unanimously voted that they will not allow the construction. Narwekar assured the protesting residents that he is with them and stated that he had earlier supported the people’s movement against a similar jetty near the Arthur Rd four years ago. “I am of the belief that one should not destroy one cannot make. This is a heritage and iconic promenade which dates back to historical events of the country. It’s a matter of pride for the nation. Protecting this promenade is paramount to all of you. All of us stand with the residents of Colaba,” he said. However, residents remained skeptical. Jennifer Shetty, AGNI coordinator for A ward, said, “We are not against infrastructure development but there are numerous issues in the locality which should be addressed first. The stone wall near the Gateway of India is breaking and that should be the priority rather than a new VVIP jetty. The locality cannot be a tourist and transport spot at the same time.” Analysts said they expect other British carmakers to follow suit  UK factories export cars such as Nissan’s Qashqai and Juke, BMW Mini, and Toyota Corolla, as well as Land Rover and Jaguar models. UK carmakers have already taken steps to lessen the immediate impact of the tariffs by building stockpiles in the US before the increase took effect. Comic Kamra delisted by platform Staff Reporter MUMBAI Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has been delisted from e-ticketing platform BookMyShow. It has also removed all content about him from the website. There was a persistent clamour for action against Kamra notorious for his brand of political satire. ‘‘By providing a platform for his performances, BookMyShow inadvertently lends credibility and reach to an individual whose actions threaten public order, particu- Gold chain goes missing midair FPJ News Service BENGALURU larly in a vibrant and diverse city like Mumbai, where your company is headquartered," Sena functionary Rahool Kanal wrote in his letter to the tticketing platform. (Kanal was booked along with several Shiv Sainiks for allegedly vandalising the studio where Kamra had performed and alluded to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde while making a traitor jibe, which snowballed into a major row. In response, the comedian inquired if he could still list his shows on their platform. "If not, it's fine. I understand," he wrote on X. The traitor 'joke' controversy is by no means over for Kamra, who is currently believed to be residing in Tamil Nadu. He had been issued a third summons by the Mumbai police on Tuesday and has received numerous death threats over the phone. When contacted, BookMyShow team said they have no comments to offer as of now. For the first time, India and Sri Lanka on Saturday inked a major defence pact to institutionalise a framework for deeper engagement in the military domain with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that security of both the nations is interlinked and dependent on each other. Following talks between PM Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the two sides firmed up a total of seven pacts, including one on developing Trincomalee as an energy hub and another on power grid connectivity. In the meeting, the prime minister pitched for resolving the vexed fishermen issue between the two countries with a “humane approach” and hoped that Colombo will fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil people and conduct provincial council elections. In other significant moves, India also firmed up debt restructuring agreements as part of economic assistance for Colombo and decided to reduce interest rates on loans with Modi reaffirming that India stands with the people of the island nation. For the social and economic development of the Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, a Ayodhya is in a festive mood to greet Ram Lalla as Royal Prince A 51-year-old businessman Ashish Goyal is fighting a lone battle against the might of the managing committee of the building in which he is living in Lower Parel. He has a blind dog Ozzy and the committee has ruled that he cannot take the pet in any of the three lifts which members can use. He has now filed a PIL in Bom- bay High Court in defence of the rights of pets through his advocate Siddh Vidya. Goyal lives in Era-2 building of Marathon Era cooperative housing society, Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, on the 22nd floor. The society comprises four towers of 36 storeys each with a total of 229 flats. The four towers are connected and share common access, common areas and common facilities like lobbies, lifts, parking, Judge Varma sworn in, but no work yet Online Report AYODHYA ALLAHABAD In what promises to be a historic and spiritually grand celebration, Ayodhya is preparing for its first Ram Navami since the consecration of the Ram Mandir earlier this year. The holy town is bathed in festive hues, with the entire stretch of Rampath leading to the temple beautifully decorated, and security tightened across Uttar Pradesh to ensure smooth and peaceful celebrations. This year, Ram Lalla — the child form of Lord Ram — will be worshipped with extra- of the society. Upset by this incident, he filed a non-cognisable complaint against the member. Goyal said in his petition that ``on the same night the said obstructing member in the whatsapp group of 260 residents also falsely claimed that there were rules which prohibited members with pets from using certain lifts. Justice Yashwant Varma has been sworn in as a judge of the Allahabad High Court. He was recently transferred from Delhi to his parent High Court - the Allahabad High Court amid an in-house probe into unaccounted cash recovered from his residence by firefighters who had arrived to douse a fire. The Supreme Court Collegium's decision to transfer Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court amid this controversy was met with stiff resistance from lawyers' associations in Uttar Pradesh. However, the Central government cleared the transfer on March 28. Despite protests from the Allahabad and Lucknow Bar Associations, Justice Varma took his oath as an Allahabad High Court judge. However, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has asked the High Court's Chief Justice not to assign Justice Varma any judicial work for the time being. The in-house inquiry into the cash recovered at Justice Varma's residence is yet to conclude. Controversy erupted last month after a fire at Justice Varma's house on the evening 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation ordinary devotion and grandeur. On April 6, the day of Ram Navami, Ram Lalla will be adorned like a royal prince. He will wear a golden crown and a specially designed yellow garment em- bedded with gold and silver, crafted by noted fashion designer Manish Tripathi, who is personally bringing the outfit to Ayodhya on Saturday. 4Contd on | Nation Housing society blind to visually impaired dog S Balakrishnan 4Contd on | Nation Biswajeet Banerjee A crew member of an IndiGo flight has been charged with alleged theft of a gold chain belonging to a 5-year-old boy. An FIR filed by the child's mother Priyanka Mukherjee in Bengaluru said IndiGo flight attendant Aditi Ashwini Sharma took one of her children to the washroom, after which the 20gram gold chain worth Rs80,000 was to be found missing. She was flying from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram to Bengaluru with her two children in IndiGo flight 6E 661. An IndiGo statement said they are aware of the incident and are giving full support. offgrid MUMBAI support package of approximately 2.4 billion Lankan rupees will be provided, Modi announced. Though the Modi-Dissanayake talks produced over 10 concrete outcomes, the defence cooperation pact emerged as the centerpiece as it signalled an upward trajectory in defence relations leaving behind the bitter chapter of India pulling out its peacekeeping forces from the island nation around 35 years ago. In his remarks, Dissanayake said he assured PM Modi that Sri Lanka will not allow its territory to be used in any manner inimical to India's security interests. garden, gym etc. The complex has six common lifts numbered one to six. Of these lifts - 1, 2 and 3 -- are for the exclusive use of members, their tenants and guests. Servants, service providers and society staffers are strictly prohibited from using these lifts, but they can use lift 4, 5 and 6. Four years ago, a dog laid a litter of eight pups on Deepawali day and Ozzy, a male, was the last one. He was born blind because of which he could not access his mother for milk. He fell into a nearby pond and was rescued by a good Samaritan. When Goyal heard about the plight of Ozzy, he instantly decided to adopt him and took him home. On January 14, 2024, a society member obstructed Goyal from using the lift since he was accompanied by his pet dog. The member said Goyal was violating the rules