THE SUNDAY Vol. 36 No. 31 | Sunday, April 27, 2025 29 Pages | `5 & for State `6 | 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 PLAY AND PAUSE Weekend Gen Z embraces theatre festivals in Mumbai INDIA WILL OVERTAKE JAPAN, GERMANY Palazhi Ashok Kumar MUMBAI India will soon be the world’s third-largest economy, overtaking Japan and Germany, driven by macroeconomic stability and purchasing power parity (PPP), according to the IMF data, and analyses by Forbes and The Free Press Journal. India ranks fifth in the world’s GDP rankings for 2025. In terms of PPP, India is already the third-largest economy with a global GDP share of 8.23%. The growth is fueled by core sectors such as IT, services, agriculture, and manufacturing. India capitalizes on its broad domestic market, a youthful and skilled workforce, and an expanding middle-class. 4Contd on | Nation Top 10 economies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Country GDP (2025) United States $30.34 tn China $19.53 tn Germany $4.92 tn Japan $4.39 tn India $4.27 tn UK $3.73 tn France $3.28 tn Italy $2.46 tn Canada $2.33 tn Brazil $2.31 tn STRONG MESSAGE | United Nations Security Council has demanded swift action against perpetrators, organisers & sponsors of attack UNSC condemns Pahalgam attack PTI NEW YORK The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, demanding that the perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of “this reprehensible act of terrorism” be held accountable and brought to justice. In a press statement issued Friday, the 15-nation Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all forms remains one of the gravest threats to international peace and security. “The members of the Security Council condemned in the Live Smart Reminder vs nagging Velvet makes a stunning comeback in 2025 strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, during which at least 26 people were killed and many more injured,” it said. A press statement is a declaration made by the UNSC president on behalf of all 15 members. Pakistan currently sits on the Council as a nonpermanent member. The UNSC members expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and the governments of India and Nepal, wishing the injured a full and speedy recovery. They stressed the need to bring the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of the attack to justice, urging all States to cooperate fully with relevant authorities in line with international law and Security Council resolutions. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation, World Sunday Read Sivamani on Jazz Day performance and more Pope Francis laid to rest AP VATICAN CITY World leaders and rank-andfile Catholic faithful bade farewell to Pope Francis in a funeral on Saturday that highlighted his concern for people on the peripheries and reflected his wish to be remembered as a simple pastor. Though presidents and princes attended the Mass in St. Peter’s Square, prisoners and migrants welcomed Francis’ coffin at his final resting place in a basilica across town. According to Vatican estimates, some 250,000 people flocked to the funeral Mass at the Vatican and 150,000 more lined the motorcade route through downtown Rome to witness the first funeral procession for a pope in a century. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | World More terrorist houses pulled down in J&K Agencies SRINAGAR Pakistan violated the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir Valley by resorting to unprovoked firing on the night of April 25–26, according to a defence official. Multiple Pakistan Army posts engaged in small arms firing across the LoC. The Indian Army responded appropriately, and no casualties have been reported. Meanwhile, a sweeping crackdown on terrorism continues across the region. In the past 48 hours, the houses of five terrorists or their associates have been demolished. Officials said this was part of a broader strategy and warned that similar action will be taken against others involved in terror activities. On Friday night, the house of Shahid Ahmad Kuttay, a top LeT commander from Chotipora in Shopian, was reduced to rubble by authorities. Kuttay has reportedly been active in terror-related activities for the past three to four years and is accused of playing a major role in coordinating anti-national operations, ac- cording to the sources. In another operation, the house of active terrorist Zahid Ahmed from Matalhama in Kulgam was also demolished during the night, further escalating the campaign against terrorists operating in the region. 4Contd on | Nation India and Pakistan ‘will figure it out’ Agencies WASHINGTON India and Pakistan will figure out relations between themselves, US President Donald Trump said on Friday. “They'll get it figured out one way or the other," he said as he travelled on Air Force One. “I am very close to India and very close to Pakistan as you know..Kash- mir has been going on for a thousand years. Probably longer than that. ...That was a bad one yesterday, that was a bad one, over 30 people,” he said. When it was pointed out that there is tensions on that border, Trump responded, There has been tensions on that border for 1,500 years. So, you know... 4Contd on | Nation Petiton by Disha 4 dead & 500 hurt Salian’s father in Iran port explosion Kailash Mansarovar yatra from June The Bombay High Court will hear on April 30, the petition filed by father of Disha Salian, Satish Salian, seeking a probe into the mysterious circumstances under which she was found dead in June 2020. Salian was the manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. After a gap of nearly five years, India and China will resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from June. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday said the Yatra is set to take place from June to August via two routes – Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La in Sikkim. A massive explosion and fire rocked a port Saturday in southern Iran purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant, killing four people and injuring more than 500 others. The port took in a shipment of "sodium perchlorate rocket fuel" in March, the private security firm Ambrey said. SEE ALSO, WORLD 4Contd on | Nation