FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 25 | BHOPAL | WEDNESDAY | JULY 9, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Sohail bags historic silver at Kudo World Cup 2025 P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY ‘India in talks with Australia to source rare earth minerals’ UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit It’s not revision, but exclusion P.10 Cinema There’s a new romance in town P.16 7 GATES EACH OF SATPURA, SURJA OPENED Flood-like situation in Balaghat; 15 families shifted Narmada swells in Raisen district Narmada River swelled in Raisen district on Tuesday especially in Udaipura and Bareli leading to a flood-like situation. According to locals, due to submerged Rehali bridge, road connectivity has been disrupted between Udaipura and Gardarwara. Similarly, Lodhipura bridge submerged disconnecting half-a-dozen villages in Raisen district. In low-lying areas, rain water gushed into shops and houses incurring heavy losses to traders. "" Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Seven gates of Satpura Dam of Sarni in Betul district, were opened on Tuesday leading to a flood-like situation in Balaghat district. Fifteen families were shifted at safer places, according to district administration officials. Balaghat collector Mrinal Meena said, ‘Seven gates of Satpura dam were opened leading to floodlike situation in Balaghat. Lowlying areas faced the brunt of flood. Fifteen families were shifted to safer place but after noon, water level started receding’. In Tikamgarh, seven gates of BLAME GAME | X says Centre ordered it to block 2,355 accounts, including Reuters; MeitY denies claim, says... X DELAYED UNBLOCKING PTI ‘X took 21 hrs to unblock Reuters’ NEW DELHI The government on Tuesday said it has not made any fresh requests to block access to certain X accounts in the country and that it had proactively got blockage of a prominent international wire agency lifted. The statement came as the Elon Musk-owned platform asserted that the government of India, on July 3, sought the blocking of over 2,300 X handles in India. The list, it claimed, included the handle Reuters in India. "The Government has not issued any fresh blocking order on 3rd July 2025 and has no intention to block any prominent international News Channels, including Reuters and ReutersWorld. The moment Reuters and ReutersWorld were blocked on the X platform in India, immediately the government wrote to 'X' to unblock them," an official spokesperson of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) said. On Saturday night, Reuters' fp Briefs DASSAULT REFUTES REPORTS Dassault Aviation has formally refuted media reports suggesting that its Chairman and CEO, Eric Trappier, made technical or operational remarks about the Indian Air Force’s role in ‘Operation Sindoor’, particularly regarding the use of Rafale fighter jets. The French defence firm clarified that Trappier has not made any such statements, contrary to what some press reports have claimed. The clarification comes as French Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier was reported to have denied that multiple Indian Rafale fighter jets were downed during the recent India-Pakistan conflict. inistry of Electronics and IT spokesperson said, “'X' has unnecessarily exploited technicalities involved around the process and didn't unblock the URLs. However, after a lot of follow up on an hourly basis, X has finally unblocked Reuters and other URLs after 9 pm on 6th July 2025. They took more than 21 hours to unblock Reuters" M X account, @Reuters, became inaccessible in India due to a "legal demand" made by the government, the micro-blogging website had said. While the government was quick to write to X asking for the reasons for the blockage and sought restoration of access to the account, sources indicated that the embargo may have been due to a government request made for blocking certain accounts during Operation Sindoor in May. 4Continued on | P8 Ban Sujara dam were opened late at night due to rising water levels in Dhasan River. This action was taken to manage the increased inflow of water into the dam. The gates were opened by half a metre each, resulting in ap- proximately 420 cubic metres per second of water being released into the river, which is expected to cause a 5-6 feet rise in the river's water level. Collector Vivek Shrotiya said, ‘Seven gates of Surja dam were opened early in the morning. 4Continued on | P8 Pulwama to Gorakhnath: FATF uncovers terror’s digital trail Agencies NEW DELHI The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has sounded a warning: the digital world is now doubling as a covert channel for terror financing. From the devastating 2019 Pulwama attack to the 2022 Gorakhnath Temple incident, the FATF’s latest report shows how terrorists are exploiting online platforms to fund bloodshed. In Pulwama, 40 CRPF jawans never returned home. The blast that took their lives was powered, in part, by aluminium powder—ordered online, like any household item, through e-commerce platform EPOM Amazon. That tiny detail reveals a terrifying new front: terror doesn’t need borders or cash couriers anymore. A shopping cart and a digital pay- Places Rainfall (mm) Waraseoni 353.3 Baihar 232.2 Katangi 223.7 Deori (Raisen) 209.4 Matiyari 203.0 Lalburra 198.9 Tirodi 194.0 Narmadapuram 190.0 Gadarwara 188.0 Alirajpur 168.4 Narsinghpur 154.0 Balaghat 144.2 Mandla 120.7 Itarsi 109.2 TERROR FUNDING VIA DIGITAL CHANNELS Indian nurse in Yemen to be hanged on July 16 Pulwama Attack (2019) Congress MLA’s RSS remark evokes sharp response Online Report n 40 CRPF jawans killed n Aluminium powder used in IED procured via EPOM Amazon Gorakhnath Incident (2022) n Rs 6.69 lakh sent via PayPal to ISIL links abroad n 44 cross-border transactions uncovered n VPNs used to hide origin N tracks, and purchase deadly materials without raising alarms. In April 2022, a lone attacker inspired by Islamic State ideology stormed the Gorakhnath Temple. He was stopped, but the money trail told its own story. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 n E-commerce & online payments abused for terror n State sponsorship suspected in some operations n Need for stronger regulation, surveillance ment is enough. FATF’s Comprehensive Update on Terrorist Financing Risks outlines how platforms once seen as symbols of progress—digital wallets, VPNs, global marketplaces— are being twisted to serve hate. These tools, FATF says, now help extremists move money quietly, hide their Our Staff Reporter imisha Priya, the Indian nurse who is on death row after being convicted for the murder of a Yemeni national, will be executed next week on July 16. Last year, the President of Yemen approved the death sentence of Nimisha Priya, who is from Kerala. Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs told media that they have been closely following the matter since then and have been in regular touch with local authorities and her family members, and have rendered all possible assistance. The sources said the ministry is closely following the matter. KEY FATF OBSERVATIONS: BHOPAL/ASHOKNAGAR Congress MLA from Gwalior rural MLA Sahab Singh Gurjar’s remark against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during the Satyagraha organised at Mungaoli in Ashoknagar district on Tuesday has evoked a sharp response from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress leaders were opposing the FIR registered against party president Jitu Patwari. The MLA said, “Those who were men joined the war and those who were.... joined the RSS”. He said, “You must have understood who the other people were who did not join the war”. 4Continued on | P8 AP WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Monday the US will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, just days after ordering a pause in critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv. The comments by Trump appeared to be an abrupt change in posture after the Pentagon announced last week that it would hold back delivering to Ukraine some air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons because of what U.S. officials said were concerns that stockpiles have declined too much. "We have to," Trump said. "They have to be able to defend themselves. They're getting hit very hard now. We're going to send some more weapons - defensive weapons primarily." `49L electric shock for Guna resident FP News Service Banks, transport to be hit GUNA Online Report Residents stage a protest against the rising electricity bills (FP PHOTO) monthly, was shocked by a Rs 13,000 bill. Protesters said that these inflated bills are not isolated incidents but a widespread issue wherever smart meters have been installed. On Tuesday, they reached the collectorate under the banner of All-India Electricity Consumers Association. 4Continued on | P8 O ver 25 crore workers from banking, insurance, postal services, coal mining and other sectors are set to join a nationwide strike on Wednesday, called 'Bharat Bandh'. The strike is organised by a joint forum of 10 central trade unions against what they call “anti-worker, anti-farmer and pro-corporate policies” of the government. Union leaders say the strike will affect banking, postal services, coal mining, factories and state-run transport. Farmers and rural workers will also join protests across the country. The pause had come at a difficult moment for Ukraine, which has faced increasing - and more complex - air barrages from Russia during the more than three-year-long war. Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least 11 civilians and injured more than 80 others, including seven children, officials said Monday. 4Continued on | P8 sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated US President Donald Trump for the coveted Nobel Peace Prize as he presented the US leader with the nomination letter during a dinner at the White House in Washington. The meeting between both leaders on Monday came weeks after Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, ending the 12-day escalating conflict which began on June 13. The White House announced, "President Trump is 'forging peace as we speak, in one country and one region after the other. So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee. It's nominating you for the peace prize, which is well-deserved,' said Israeli PM." I Passengers’ lucky escape IndiGo Indore-Raipur flight returns due to technical snag Only 55 per cent of Class 3 students can arrange numbers up to 99 in ascending or descending order while only 53 per cent of them in Class 6 know tables up to 10, a Ministry of Education (MoE) survey has found. The Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) Rashtriya Sarvekshan, formerly known as the National Achievement Survey (NAS), was conducted on December 4 last year, covering 21,15,022 students from both government and private schools in Grades 3, 6 and 9, across 74,229 schools in 781 districts, spanning 36 states and Union Territories. Parl panel meet: DGCA assures to keep airfare surge in check Our Staff Reporter PTI INDORE NEW DELHI The passengers on board flight 6E-7295 Indore-Raipur became nervous after hearing about a technical fault on Tuesday morning. The pilot returned from 60 nautical miles away to Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport and ultimately, the flight with 60 passengers on board was cancelled. To note, following the Ahmedabad plane crash, the airlines are more alert about technical faults in aircraft. As per schedule, Indigo’s Indore-Raipur flight took off at 6:30 AM from the city airport, but a technical fault occurred half an hour later. The aircraft had covered more than half the journey, but instead of taking the Aviation regulator DGCA said on Tuesday it will put in place a mechanism to curb whopping surge in air ticket prices, recently witnessed during the Maha Kumbh and post-Pahalgam terror attack, as the issue coupled with concerns over air safety after the Ahmedabad plane crash dominated proceedings at a parliamentary panel meeting. Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson told the committee his airline will complete retrofitting of its fleet in two years to address frequent complaints about its seats and other facilities, and underscored its commitment to flight safety, sources said. An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying over 240 people had crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on June 12, killing all but one person aboard in one of the worst aviation disasters that has brought the issue of air safety into sharp focus. Some members of the Public Accounts Committee, led by Congress MP K C Venugopal, demanded an audit of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. State of panic round 30 minutes into the journey, approximately 100 kilometres away from the Indore airport, the aircraft reportedly experienced a sudden jolt, causing panic among passengers. Passengers were quoted in various reports recounting the moment the aircraft shook without warning and the panic thereafter. A risk, the pilot decided to return to the city airport and the aircraft landed here at 7.15 AM. Official sources informed that after taking-off from the city airport for Raipur, the aircraft started showing alarm signs. The pilot Immediately, sought permission from ATC Indore for landing and the plane landed at the city airport. The engineers of the IndiGo thoroughly checked the aircraft and found that it was a false alarm. However, owing to safety reasons, the airline cancelled the Indore-Raipur flight. The passengers were given the choice of getting a refund or rescheduling the journey. 8 x 7=?... 47% class VI students don’t know tables PTI Patwari exuded confidence that the Congress would form the government in the state after 1,208 days. Talking to mediapersons, he said, “Today, all Congress leaders joined the Ashoknagar Nyay Satyagraha to fight for the common people. People have given us the responsibility of the opposition and we are fighting for their problems. We have been demanding that the government fulfill the promises it made during the elections. We are going to court arrest in the case in which an FIR has been registered against me.” BIBI NOMINATES DON FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE learning lag NEW DELHI Cong will form govt: Patwari US MUST SEND MORE WEAPONS TO UKRAINE, SAYS TRUMP Bharat bandh today: 25 crore workers to go on strike An electricity consumer received a major jolt when he was slapped with a Rs 49.41 lakh bill, in Guna. He is not alone, scores of people from over 30 colonies have got hefty power bills, and they are all blaming it on the newly installed smart meters.   Gautam Pateliya of Brijbihar Colony reported receiving a staggering bill of Rs 49.41 lakh for a household with no AC and a non-functional TV. He usually received a bill that never exceeded Rs 1,500. Another woman, a vegetable vendor, tearfully shared her plight; she received a Rs 28,000 bill even though her house has just one bulb and a fan. Another consumer, Abhishek Sen, earning Rs 8,000 Previously, we had announced it in public. Low-lying areas were flooded but the administration was alert and swung into action for rescue operation.’ Rainfall recorded in the last 24 hours The survey said 1,15,022 children from the three grades were assessed and 2,70,424 teachers and school leaders responded through questionnaires. According to the report, only 55 per cent of students in Class 3 can arrange numbers up to 99 in ascending or descending order while 58 per cent of the students can perform addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers. In Class 6, only 53 per cent of students understand and visualise arithmetic operations and the relationships among them, know addition and multiplication tables at least up to 10 and apply the four basic operations on whole numbers to solve daily life problems. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8