Monday, May 5, 2025 | 26 Pages | `5 & for State `6 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 68 No. 181 | Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) GAMES NATION Even if BJP shuns me, I’ll serve people, says former West Bengal BJP chief Ghosh Cinema Babil Khan slams B’wood, deletes Insta Andre Russell, Ajinkya Rahane help Knight Riders edge past Rajasthan Royals Edit Western bias against attack Missile strikes Countdown to counterstrike? Israel airport, Blackout AI halts flights rehearsal PM’S PARLEYS | Modi meets IAF chief days after giving the forces ‘complete freedom’ to hit back at Pak even as India tightens flow of water on Chenab river Agencies NEW DELHI: F rom doctor to philanthropist, Dr Girish Trivedi has been helping people with medical care and compassion SEE CITY Briefs State HSC results today The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) will announce the results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination at 1pm on Monday. For the first time, HSC results will be out in the first week of May. Last year, the results were declared on May 21. Consequently, the examination was held between February 11 and March 11. Mahendra Ganpule, former president of the Maharashtra Headmasters’ Association, welcomed the move: “Early declaration of results will give the students more time to prepare for entrance exams." This year, approximately 15.05 lakh candidates, comprising 8,10,348 boys, 6,94,652 girls and 37 transgender students, appeared in the examination. The number of candidates in the Mumbai division alone stood at 3,38,478. It was 17,000 more than in 2024. The 2024 examination saw an overall pass percentage of 93.37%. Pre-monsoon rain this week The IMD has predicted pre-monsoon showers in Mumbai and its metropolitan regions like Thane and Palghar, raisinng hopes of relief from heat. The city and its suburbs will have partly cloudy skies with possibility of light rains/thundershower towards night or early mornings in the next 48 hours, the weather report said. Yellow alert has been issued for the next five days covering the districts of Raigad, Dhule, Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Nashik, Pune, Satara, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Ahilyanagar and the Vidharbha region. IMD's outlook for Summer 2025 had predicted 'above normal' temperatures for the season across the country and Mumbai has witnessed two heatwaves this season so far. SEE CITY Parag scripts IPL history Rajasthan Royals stand-in skipper Riyan Parag scripted history by becoming the first batter ever to slam six consecutive sixes in the IPL. Parag achieved the sensational feat during the IPL 2025 encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday. Parag, who slammed 95 off 45 deliveries, achieved the milestone over 2 overs. He slammed Moeen Ali for five consecutive sixes before hitting Varun Chakravarthy for the sixth on the second ball of the next over. While it was a display of pure grit from the allrounder, it was not enough for RR as they slumped to defeat against KKR. Hectic parleys among the government’s top brass and service chiefs continued on Sunday as IAF chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh met PM Narendra Modi and was understood to have discussed the security situation amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack. The meeting at the PM's office-cum-residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg took place hours after Navy chief Admiral Di- nesh K Tripathi spoke to Modi on the situation in the northern Arabian Sea. Although there was no official word on the Modi-Singh meeting, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said it was his responsibility to work with the armed forces and give a "befitting reply" to those who cast an evil eye on India. The back-to-back conversations took place days after the PM chaired a meeting attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh, chief of defence staff Gen Anil Chauhan and three service chiefs. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was also present at the meeting. A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) was held a day after the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation The Ferozepur Cantonment Board conducted a 30-minute blackout rehearsal on Sunday amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan. Ferozepur Cantonment Board to deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma said it was part of a routine preparedness exercise. Agencies NEW DELHI/ TEL AVIV An Air India flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv was diverted to Abu Dhabi on Sunday after a missile attack near the airport in the Israeli city, according to sources. The airline also suspended the Tel Aviv flights till May 6. The attack happened less than an hour before the Air India flight AI139, operated with a Boeing 787 aircraft, was to land at Tel Aviv, the sources said. "The flight has landed normally in Abu Dhabi and will soon return to Delhi," the airline said in a statement. Passengers having valid tickets for Air India's Tel Aviv flights between May 4 and 6 will be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling or full refunds for cancellation, it said. Several European and US carriers including Lufthansa, Intel: Pahalgam attackers PAKISTAN FIRES eyed 60-80 minute window N-THREAT AGAIN filtrated into Jammu and Kashmir by scaling the Pir Panjal Range, navigating through The ongoing investigadense terrain in the tion into the PahalKokernag forest, begam terror attack fore reaching the indicate that the scenic Baisaran Valassailants were ley in South Kashpart of a larger, mir where 26 E XC L U S I V E Pakistan-backed inpeople, mostly tourfiltration network that sists, were gunned has gained significant modown on April 22. Their mentum since late 2024. infiltration was reportedly faAccording to classified intel- cilitated by training received at ligence accessed by The Free cross-border launch pads, a Press Journal, the attackers in- crucial element in the mili- tant's preparation. Intelligence reports indicate that prior to the attack, the terrorists conducted extensive reconnaissance, analysing tourist footfall patterns and assessing the response time of nearby security forces. The investigators believe that the terrorists had calculated a 60-80 minute window in which they could carry out the attack before the nearest Army and CRPF units could respond. Need partners, not preachers: EAM dig at West UK arrests 7 Iranians in terror probe Ashish Singh MUMBAI FPJ 4Contd on | nation S Jaishankar External Affairs Minister ‘Wasn’t there, but take responsibility’ Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at the Brown University in the US. The video of the interaction was uploaded on the YouTube channel of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs on Saturday. A Sikh student asked a question about what attempts Gandhi was making to reconcile with the Sikh community and referred to the 1984-Sikh riots. Responding to a question related to 1984 riots and the Congress' relationship with the Sikh community, Rahul Gandhi has said that a lot of the "mistakes" the party committed happened when he was not there, but added that he was more than happy to take responsibility for everything it has ever done wrong in its history. Gandhi pointed out that he has publicly stated that what happened in the 1980s was "wrong". The remarks by Gandhi were made on April 21 during an interactive session at the 4Contd on | nation BMC presses pause button on Malabar Hill high-rise Devashri Bhujbal MUMBAI The residents of Malabar Hill tasted an initial success in their fight to foil shrinking of Walkeshwar Road as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a "stop-work" notice against the construction of a multistoreyed residential building near the Raj Bhavan. The residents have been demanding widening of the 13.4 metre road as per the Development Plan 2024. However, the civic body declined to so, citing uneven land. Ironically, the proposal to construct ground plus 14-storeyed building with three basements was sanctioned on the same area with steep slope. This had irked the residents. Assistant Municipal Commissioner of D ward, Manish Valunju, told The Free Press Journal that the notice was issued by the ward's designated officer after the building proposal department recommneded that work be stopped at the site. Agencies Listed for today The Supreme Court has reconstituted a three-judge bench to decide if its 2022 verdict upholding the Enforcement Directorate's powers to arrest and attach property under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act needs reconsideration. The new bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh will take up a batch of petitions for hearing on May 7. Earlier, a bench of Justices Kant, Bhuyan and CT Ra- ■ SC to take up PIL against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey over remarks on judiciary. ■ SC to hear a batch of pleas challenging Waqf (Amendment) Act. SEE NATION vikumar was hearing the matter. Justice Ravikumar superannuated on January 5. On March 6, after the pleas were listed before a two-judge bench, Justice Kant told the lawyers appearing in the matter that it was wrongly listed and assured them that a new threejudge bench would shortly take up the issue. The top court in July 2022 upheld ED's powers of arrest and attachment of property involved in money laundering, search and seizure under The BJP attacked Rahul Gandhi for calling Lord Ram "a mythological figure" during an interaction at the Brown University in the US. "Bhagwan Ram is not a mythological figure, he embodies the values, culture, and spiritual essence of Bharat," BJP's Amit Malviya said. Trump ‘doesn’t rule out’ using military to seize Greenland Agencies 4Contd on | nation the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). In August that year, the top court agreed to hear pleas seeking review of its verdict and observed that two aspects - not providing an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and reversal of the presumption of innocence - "prima facie" required reconsideration. Observing that it was common the world over that money laundering was a "threat" to the good functioning of a financial system, the apex court upheld the validity of cer- Ram myth? Row erupts WASHINGTON SC revamps bench to hear pleas on ED powers NEW DELHI 4Contd on | nation RAHUL ON CONG'S ANTI-SIKH RIOTS 'MISTAKE' LONDON 4Contd on | nation Just like I am an advocate of Russia realism, I am also an advocate of America realism 4Contd on | nation NEW DELHI ties with Russia are driven by national interests. The minister also criticised earlier attempts by the West to find a solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict without involving Russia, saying it "challenged the basics of realism". "Just like I am an advocate of Russia realism, I am also an advocate of America realism," he said at the 'Arctic Circle India Forum'. NEW DELHI Pakistan’s ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali, has warned that his country would respond with its “full spectrum of power” if India launched a strike even as Islamabad banned Indian-flagged ships from entering its ports with immediate effect. "When it comes to India and Pakistan, we don't want to get involved into this debate of numerical strength. We will use the full spectrum of power - both conventional and nuclear," he told Russian broadcaster RT. Jamali asserted that the armed forces, "supported by the people of Pakistan", would respond with "full spectrum of power". Pakistan's minister Hanif Abbasi had earlier openly threatened Delhi with nuclear retaliation, warning that Islamabad's arsenal _ including Ghori, Shaheen, and Ghaznavi PTI Agencies Britain's counter-terrorism police have arrested eight men, seven of whom are Iranian nationals, in two separate investigations, London's Metropolitan Police said on Sunday. Five men, four of whom are Iranian nationals between the ages of 29 and 40, were detained on Saturday on suspicion of terrorism offences over a plot to target a specific premises. The nationality of the fifth man remains unknown. The arrests were made in Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester, police said, adding that officers were in contact with the site of the suspected target to provide relevant support. They did not provide further information on the site, citing operational reasons. "We are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter," said Commander Dominic Murphy, who heads London police's Counter Terrorism Command. Agencies India is looking for "partners" and not "preachers", external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday, in a veiled message to Europe in the context of the conflict in Ukraine as he explained nuances of New Delhi's "Russia realism" and why the relationship between the two sides is an "important fit". In an interactive session, Jaishankar, delving into broader geopolitical upheavals, said Europe has "entered a certain zone of a reality check" and must display some sensitivity and mutuality of interest for deeper ties with India. India always advocated for "Russia realism" and there is an "important fit" and "complementarity" between India and Russia as a resource provider and consumer, he said in remarks that came amid persistent efforts by the Trump administration to strike a ceasefire deal between Moscow and Kyiv. In the course of the RussiaUkraine conflict, New Delhi remained engaged with Moscow and enhanced its procurement of Russian crude oil which triggered criticism from the West. India, however, maintained its 4Contd on | nation Agencies MUMBAI Delta, ITA Airways and Air France, also cancelled flights for the next few days. The development came after a missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels landed near Ben Gurion Airport, Israel's main international airport, sending a plume of smoke into the air and causing panic among passengers in the terminal building. The attack happened as Israeli ministers were reported to be close to signing off on plans to expand the military operation in Gaza, prompting the Houthis to hit Israel with more missiles. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who claimed responsibility for the missile strike, have recently intensified missile launches at Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. tain provisions of the PMLA, underlining it was not an "ordinary offence". The SC had said authorities under the 2002 law were "not police officers as such" and the ECIR could not be equated with an FIR under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). It had said supply of an ECIR copy in every case to the person concerned was not mandatory and it was enough if the ED, at the time of arrest, disclosed the grounds for it. 4Contd on | nation US President Donald Trump would not rule using military force to gain control of Greenland, the world’s largest island and an autonomous territory within Denmark, a fellow Nato member with the US. Since taking office, he has repeatedly expressed the idea of US expansion into Greenland, triggering widespread condemnation and unease both on the island itself and in the global diplomatic community. Greenland is seen as strategically important both for defense and as a future source of mineral wealth. In an interview on NBC’s Meet The Press on Sunday, Trump was asked whether he would rule out using force against the territory. “I don’t rule it out. I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything. No, not there. We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security,” Trump said. The exchange came as part of wide-ranging interview following Trump’s first 100-days in office last week.