Monday, June 2, 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. 205 | 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 MP Chirag Paswan is likely to contest Bihar assembly poll from general seat Cinema Aamir Khan shuts down YouTube pay-per-view reports PSG ends its long wait for the Champions League trophy with 5-0 rout of Inter Milan Edit GDP’s fine, what of net income? WAR & PEACE | Two sides ramp up war on eve of peace talks with Kyiv targeting Siberia and Moscow unleashing drones Ukraine strikes deep in Russia, hits N-bombers Agencies PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SPINS ‘SPIDER'S WEB’ KYIV F or 25 years, Sarika Desai has been empowering Mumbai’s marginalised children. Turn to the Mumbai page to find out how. SEE P3 Briefs GST mopup soars 16.4% Gross GST collections remained above the Rs2 trillion mark for the second month in a row, rising 16.4% in May to over Rs2.01 lakh crore. GST collection had touched a record high of Rs2.37 lakh crore in April. In May, 2024, the mopup was Rs1,72,739 crore. In May, 2025, gross revenues from domestic transactions rose 13.7% to about Rs 1.50 lakh crore, while GST revenue from imports grew 25.2% to Rs 51,266 crore. Total gross GST revenues stood at Rs 2,01,050 crore in May, 2025. Gross Central GST revenues stood at Rs 35,434 crore, state GST revenues at Rs43,902 crore and Integrated GST at about Rs1.09 lakh crore. A Ukrainian drone attack attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday and destroyed more than 40 planes, a Ukrainian security official said, a day before the two sides meet for a new round of direct talks in Istanbul. The attack took over 1 1/2year to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the official said. Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war so far. Russia had also launched seven missiles, the air force said. Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source proUkrainian maps showed Russia took 450 square km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least ● The operation involving drones was code-named "Spider's Web" ● It was personally overseen by Ukrainian president Zelenskyy ● The explosive-laden drones were hidden inside the roofs of wooden sheds ● The sheds were loaded onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases ● The roof panels of the sheds were lifted by a remotely-activated mechanism ● The Irkutsk region air base hosts Tu- Maliuk, head of Ukraine's securtiy service, studies a map of Russia's key aviation sites six months. Ukraine's operation saw drones transported in containers carried by trucks deep into Russian territory, he said. The drones reportedly hit 41 bombers stationed at several polev Tu-22M supersonic long-range strategic bombers airfields on Sunday afternoon, including the Belaya air base in Russia's Irkutsk region, more than 4,000 kilometres from Ukraine. It is the first time that a Ukrainian drone has been BJP on Sunday said that it has no plans to use Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as party's campaign faces. This came after a media report claimed that Qureshi and Singh, who led press briefings on Operation Sindoor, will be the faces of a women-centric campaign to be rolled out by the BJP on the completion of 11 years of the Modi government on June 9. DHAKA The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged $10 billion in funding over the next five years to support India’s longterm development goals, including the government’s vision of achieving a developed nation status —'Viksit Bharat'— by 2047. The announcement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met ADB president Masato Kanda in New Delhi on Sunday. “India’s rapid transformation over the last decade has empowered millions. We are working to build on this momentum,” the PM said in a post on X after the meeting. Kanda described ‘Viksit Bharat’ as a “bold vision” and confirmed the ADB’s support for India's infrastructure push. “We will direct $10 billion, including third-party capital, into municipal infrastructure, metro expansions, Regional Rapid Transit Systems, and modernization of urban services,” he said. India is ADB’s largest borrower and a founding member since 1966. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) on Sunday formally indicted former PM Sheikh Hasina and two top former officials on charges of mass murder and other crimes related to a violent crackdown on student-led protests that rocked the country last year. “We do hereby take into cognisance the charges,” said Justice Golam Mortuza Majumdar, who heads the threejudge tribunal. The panel issued fresh arrest warrants for Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, while the third accused, former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, remains in custody and will stand trial in person. The indictment marks the beginning of Hasina’s trial in absentia, nearly 10 months after her government was ousted in the wake of nationwide unrest. 4Contd on | nation Aritra Singha Top court lifts ban on Jamaat angladesh's Supreme Court on Sunday ordered the Election Commission (EC) to restore the rightwing Jamaat-e-Islami's party registration, nearly eight months after the interim government lifted a ban on it, clearing the way for its participation in future elections. Court officials said the SC's Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, directed the commission to restore the party's registration. B 4Contd on | nation HDFC, ICICI CREDIT CARD FEES GO UP FROM JULY 1 Agencies MUMBAI with a vehicle, police chief Laurent Nunez told reporters, while in the southwestern city of Dax, a 17-year-old died from stab wounds, French media reported. Union Home Minister Amit Shah unleashed a fierce critique of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the ruling TMC on Sunday, signaling the BJP’s aggressive push for the 2026 Assembly elections. Addressing party workers Shah accused Mamata of “stooping low” to appease the Muslim vote bank by opposing Operation Sindoor and the Waqf bill. He also labeled the Murshidabad riots as “statesponsored violence.” “If the elections are free and fair, the people will reject TMC and even Mamata’s election deposit will be forfeited,” Shah declared confidently. He claimed BJP leads in at least 97 Assembly seats based on last year’s Lok Sabha results and vowed to form the next state government. Shah slammed TMC for refusing to hand over land to strengthen border security, alleging it wants infiltration from Bangladesh to continue as a political strategy. “When terrorists killed Hindu tourists including people from Bengal, Mamata didi didn’t cry but when PM Modi conducted ‘Operation Sindoor’ she slammed him for just politics. The women will give befitting reply to Mamata didi for insulting sindoor,” he said. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation mumbai crumbles, kings reign Shreyas Iyer leads Punjab Kings to five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians with unbeaten 87 in Qualifier 2, to set up title clash with RCB on Tuesday. Earlier, the match was delayed after toss due to a rain. MI scored 203 runs in 20 overs, PBKS chased down the target with six bowls to spare. PHOTO: BCCI SEE GAMES Football fury: Paris burns, 2 die Agencies What began as jubilant celebrations for Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) latest title win turned violent overnight, leaving two people dead and and 192 injured while more than 500 arrested across France, officials confirmed on Sunday. Wild celebrations erupted across the French capital and beyond on Saturday night after Paris St Germain crushed Italian opponents Inter Milan to win the Champions League for the first time. The interior ministry's provisional assessment on Sunday morning was that 559 people had been arrested, including 491 in Paris, which led to 320 people being placed in police custody, 254 of them in Paris. There was one fatal accident when a young man in his twenties died in a collision Heat on Mamata over influencer’s arrest FPJ News Service MUMBAI The West Bengal government came under attack on Sunday over the arrest of influencer Sharmishta Panoli for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her social media posts. Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders came out in support of the 22-year-old law student, calling the police action a "disgrace for the freedom of speech". The right-wing Dutch lawmaker urged PM Modi to ensure Panoli's release. "Free the brave Sharmishta Panoli!" Wilders posted on X, along with an image of her with "All eyes on Sharmishta" written on it. purge & politics Agencies Senior executives are being pushed out and the agency’s director, Kash Patel, is more freely using polygraph tests to tamp down on news leaks about leadership decisions and behaviour WASHINGTON the bureau had been politicized beyond repair. Since taking office, Patel and his deputy, conservative media figure Dan Bongino, have moved swiftly to implement changes, The New York Times reported. Multiple top officials have been pushed out, demoted, or placed on administrative leave without public explanation. Others have reportedly been reassigned under threat of forced retirement, including several senior female agents. At least one FBI lawyer overseeing human resources was removed from her position while on medical leave. Current and former officials say the wave of removals is unprecedented in its scope and manner. Special agents in charge — who typically lead regional field offices and are rarely dismissed — have been particularly affected. According to one internal estimate, more than six senior field Right-wing Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders called police action a ‘disgrace for freedom of speech’ Her arrest triggered a political backlash, especially from BJP, which accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of a "vote-bank vendetta". Reacting sharply over the arrest, BJP co-incharge for West Bengal Amit Malviya accused the TMC government of "selectively enforcing" the law as part of its appeasement politics. 4Contd on | nation leaders have been given transfer ultimatums or faced demotion. The personnel changes come alongside a renewed push to investigate politically sensitive matters. Bongino recently stated that the bureau would reopen past cases, including the 2022 leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion on abortion rights, the discovery of cocaine at the White House, and the January 6 pipe bomb investigation. Two of these cases, however, fall outside the FBI’s original jurisdiction. 4Contd on | nation FPJ News Service It was a heart-pounding ride through the skies for passengers aboard IndiGo Flight 6E 6313 on Sunday evening, as a raging dust storm over Delhi forced the pilot to abort landing just moments before touchdown. Coming in from Raipur, the flight was rocked by wild turbulence triggered by winds gusting at a furious 80 km/h. With near-zero visibil- 4Contd on | nation Tailpiece Sariska on pawsitive streak FPJ News Service ALWAR ity and the runway in sight, the pilot pulled up at the last second, circling the capital's skies as the storm raged below. “We were shaking, dipping—people gasped. Then the pilot calmly announced we were going around again. That’s when you knew it was serious,” a passenger posted, sharing a viral video that shows the aircraft rattling mid-air. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Shaken & stirred, jet lands safely after a scary abort NEW DELHI Starting July 1, major private sector banks such as HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank will increase charges on various credit card and banking services. Both banks have informed their customers about the changes through official notifications. HDFC Bank has announced new charges for credit card users, especially for transactions involving online gaming, digital wallets, and utility payments. If a customer spends more than Rs 10,000 in a month on online skill-based gaming platforms such as Dream11, Rummy Culture, Junglee Games, or MPL, a 1% fee will be charged on the total monthly spend in this category. The charge will be capped at Rs 4,999 per month. Additionally, no reward points will be given on such gaming transactions. In what officials are calling a "roaring success" for conservation (and what the tigress might call a full-time job), Sariska Tiger Reserve just got four adorable new residents. Tigress ST-19 has given birth to four cubs, pushing the reserve’s tiger tally to a whisker away from 50. Forest officials, no strangers to wild news, confirmed the birth through camera trap footage and ground patrols. Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma broke the news on X (formerly Twitter), sharing his excitement: “Good news from Sariska! Tigress ST-19 spotted with four healthy cubs. That’s 16 cubs from three tigresses in one year. Even our tigers are outperforming.” DRAMA AT 30,000 FEET Fear in FBI: Kash kicks out key officials A sweeping overhaul of the FBI under director Kash Patel is causing deep concern within the agency, as veteran officials are removed or reassigned and internal tensions rise. Patel, a former Trump administration official and close ally of the former president, assumed the role of FBI director vowing to reform what he has called a “compromised” institution. In his 2023 book Government Gangsters, Patel argued that FBI’s senior leadership should be dismantled, claiming Agencies NEW DELHI KOLKATA PARIS Sofia report fake, says BJP 4Contd on | nation Agencies Hasina accused of mass murder as trial begins Shah sets poll tune with ‘vote bank’ barb at Didi Daily talks on trade: US US trade representative Jamieson Greer has said that Washington is in constant touch with New Delhi over trade deal discussions, adding that he has been speaking with India’s top trade official nearly every day. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently met US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington to discuss the proposed bilateral trade agreement currently under negotiation between the two countries. seen in the region, local governor Igor Kobzev said. He also said in a statement that the drone had been launched from a truck. ADB promises $10 billion aid to boost PM’s Viksit vision