Wednesday, June 11, 2025 | 29 Pages | `5 & for State (+4 pages) `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. 213 | 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) NATION MEA raises with US embassy the detention of Indian national at Newark Airport Thunberg deported Agencies India's population is estimated to reach 1.46 billion in 2025, continuing to be the highest in the world, according to a new UN demographic report, which also revealed the country's total fertility rate has fallen below the replacement rate. UNFPA's 2025 State of World Population (SOWP) Re- Agencies Israel says it has deported Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, a day after the Gazabound aid boat was intercepted by Israeli forces in the Mediterranean. On Tuesday morning, the Israeli foreign ministry said Greta Thunberg had "just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France)", and posted a photo of her sitting on a plane. The ministry announced in a post on X that the passengers had been transferred to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport following the vessel's arrival at the port of Ashdod on Monday night. "Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation," it said. 4Continued on | P17 Briefs Enrique set to sizzle Mumbai Pop icon Enrique Iglesias will return to Mumbai after 13 years for an exclusive concert at BKC’s MMRDA Grounds on October 30. The Grammy-winning artist promises a nostalgic performance featuring his greatest hits and recent chart-toppers. SEE CITY Nine killed in Graz shooting A former student opened fire at a high school in Graz, Austria, killing nine and injuring 12 others before committing suicide. The 21-year-old shooter was legally armed and acted without a known motive. The incident sparked national mourning, with flags at half-staff and a moment of silence planned. Formation of wards Orders have been issued for the civic ward formation process on the basis of the 2011 Census as the first step towards starting the election process for the Municipal bodies across the state, including Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and others. The number of wards will be 227. For the other civic bodies, the electoral wards will have four members instead of the three as decided by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government. RCB up for sale? Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), fresh off their historic 2025 title win, may soon see a change in ownership. Media reports suggest that current owners Diageo Plc are exploring options to sell the team— either partially or entirely at an asking price of Rs 16,000 crores. Cinema Kangana, Chum Darang react to Honeymoon murder Pat Cummins-led Oz look to defend WTC title in the final against South Africa Edit Dhaka’s politics heats up as fugitive president returns Baby bust? We’re 1.46 bn but births dip below replacement rate NEW DELHI TEL AVIV GAMES port, The Real Fertility Crisis, calls for a shift from panic over falling fertility to addressing unmet reproductive goals. Millions of people are not able to realise their real fertility goals, it asserts. This is the real crisis, not underpopulation or overpopulation, and the answer lies in greater reproductive agency - a person's ability to make free and informed 150 per cent choices India’s total fertility rate has declined to 1.9 births per woman, falling below the replacement level of 2.1. This means that, on average, Indian women are having fewer children than needed to maintain the population size from one generation to the next about sex, contraception and starting a family, it says. The report also reveals key shifts in population composition, fertility, and life expectancy, signalling a major demographic transition. The report found that India's total fertility rate has declined to 1.9 births per woman, falling below the replacement level of 2.1. SUCCESSFUL OUTREACH | Modi meets all-party delegations on Operation Sindoor after their return from global missions PM LAUDS BEARERS OF INDIA’S MESSAGE Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met the members of all the seven all-party global outreach delegations on Operation Sindoor at his 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence and declared that everyone was “proud of the manner in which they put forward India's voice”. India had sent the delegations to different parts of the world a fortnight after Operation Sindoor ended to explain how and why it carried out strikes against the terror apparatus in Pakistan. Modi also tweeted about the meeting, saying, “Met members of the various delegations who represented India in different countries and elaborated on India's commitment to peace and the need to eradicate the menace of terrorism. We are all proud of the manner in which they put forward India's voice.” Over 50 members of these delegations were present dur- 2015 KURLA BLAZE HC ORDERS `50 LAKH TO FAMILY OF EACH VICTIM Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI The Bombay High Court on Tuesday held the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) liable for “gross negligence” in connection with the 2015 fire at Hotel City Kinara in Kurla, which claimed the lives of eight persons. The court directed the civic body to pay Rs50 lakh compensation to each victim’s family within 12 weeks, failing which the amount will carry 9% interest. A bench of Justices BP Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla observed that there was “an utter and gross failure by the BMC and its officials in the discharge of their statutory duties”, which led to the fatal fire. The incident on October 17, 2015, was reportedly caused by a gas leak and short circuit. The fire broke out in the restaurant which was operating illegally on a 216 sq. ft. mezzanine floor only approved for storage. The restaurant was also using LPG cylinders without a licence and had unauthorised cooking arrangements in external areas. “It is shocking that the BMC failed to initiate any action against the hotel despite being aware that it did not have requisite permission from the fire department,” the court noted. The eight victims were seated on the mezzanine floor when the fire erupted, leading to their deaths. 4Contd on | nation Eight people burnt to death in Hotel City Kinara restaurant fire, which, court observed, was ‘an utter and gross failure by the BMC and its officials in the discharge of their statutory duties’ ing the meeting. Images of the interaction showed the PM shaking hands with and greeting several senior leaders like former union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, former union minister and 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation NSG sent to Gadchiroli N SG Director General (DG) Brighu Srinivasan said the force has engaged in a counter-Naxalite role and a team of its commandos is deployed in the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) district of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra to undertake joint operations with the state police forces. He said the NSG also undertook a joint exercise with the district reserve guard (DRG) unit of Chhattisgarh Police deployed for anti-Naxal operations in the state. bout 20 per cent of its strength from surrendered Maoists while the rest are locals from the state including tribals. "We are strengthening the NSG clusters (five bases of the force located across the country) so that they can tackle any counter-terrorist situation independently," Srinivasan said. Caste census blow to Siddaramaiah Vinay Madhava Gowda BENGALURU Bringing an end to days of speculation about a potential shake-up in the Karnataka cabinet following the tragic stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives, the Congress High Command has decided to maintain the current government setup. No minister will be dropped or reshuffled at this stage. However, the meeting held to The Congress leadership has directed the Karnataka government to conduct a ‘reenumeration’ of the existing survey, citing concerns from several communities about data errors in the CM’s flagship initiative assess the fallout from the stampede delivered a sharp political blow to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. His flagship initiative— the caste census commissioned during his first term and recently revived—has been effec- tively stalled. The Congress leadership has directed the Karnataka government to conduct a “re-enumeration” of the existing caste census, citing concerns from several communities about inaccuracies in the data. AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, speaking to the media after the high-level meeting, said, “The Chief Minister has been advised to go in for re-enumeration of the caste census, as there are apprehensions from various sections of society.” The tone was measured, but the message was clear: the original report is not acceptable in its current form. 4Contd on | nation Live-streaming soon from Bombay HC Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI The Bombay High Court is set to begin live-streaming proceedings from five of its benches, Chief Justice Alok Aradhe announced on Tuesday. The move follows a Full Court resolution to boost judicial transparency and public access to court hearings. The announcement came during a hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Aradhe and Justice Sandeep V Marne, after advocate Mathews J Nedumpara mentioned a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking live-streaming of court proceedings. Advocate Subhash Jha, ap- pearing for Nedumpara, pressed for an urgent hearing, stressing the need for audiovisual infrastructure not just in the High Court but also in subordinate courts. Jha remarked that such technology was already in use across lower courts in Delhi and added, “It is no rocket science in today’s time.” Responding to the submissions, Chief Justice Aradhe said, “We have made substantial progress. The Full Court has passed a resolution for the live-streaming of certain courts. Technical arrangements are being made. First five courts will be live.” 4Contd on | nation This means that, on average, Indian women are having fewer children than needed to maintain the population size from one generation to the next, without migration. Despite the slowing birth rate, India's youth population remains significant, with 24 per cent in the age bracket of 0-14, 17 per cent in 10-19, and 26 per cent in 10-24. The country's 68 per cent of the population is of working age (15-64), providing a potential demographic dividend, if matched by adequate employment and policy support. The elderly population (65 Liquor costlier Revised rates to generate additional `14,000 crore annually through increased excise duty and taxes Kalpesh Mhamunkar MUMBAI The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved a hike in liquor rates across the state, including Mumbai. The revised rates are expected to generate an additional Rs14,000 crore annually through increased excise duty and taxes. A key highlight of the new policy is the introduction of a new liquor category called "Maharashtra Made Liquor (MML)", which will be exclusive to manufacturers operating within the state. This grainbased liquor will be a variant of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), and manufacturers will be required to register new brands under this category. The revised excise structure includes: An increase in the duty on IMFL (with a declared production cost up to Rs260 per bulk liter) from 3 percent to 4.5 percent of the production cost. Country liquor excise duty increased from Rs 180 to Rs 205 per proof liter. 4Contd on | nation Municipal Green Bonds Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday led the bell-ringing ceremony along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) to mark the listing of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) Green Municipal Bond – Secured NonConvertible Debentures (NCDs), calling it a historic and defining moment in India's urban development and financial innovation. It is the first municipal corporation in India to issue green bonds. "I was told that shortly after issuance, bonds worth over Rs 100 cr were subscribed and later, 5 times more the subscription was recorded," said Fadnavis. and older) currently stands at seven per cent, a figure that is expected to rise in the coming decades as life expectancy improves. As of 2025, life expectancy at birth is projected to be 71 years for men and 74 years for women. According to the UN estimates, India's population at present stands at 1,463.9 million. 4Contd on | nation Trump sends Marines into Los Angeles Agencies WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump is deploying 700 US Marines and more National Guard troops to Los Angeles as protests in the city continue. As per the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the prospect of Marines on the streets has sent shivers through communities. The US military has said, the marines will be "protecting federal personnel and federal property" alongside several thousand National Guard troops. Elsewhere Monday, new rallies started up across the country against the immigration authorities - including in Tampa, Florida, Boston in Massachusetts and Houston, Texas. Trump will visit the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina later today, where he is expected to deliver remarks. Fort Bragg is home to some 50,000 active-duty soldiers. Trump's visit comes ahead of a major parade in Washington to celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary on Saturday. 4Contd on | nation