Thursday, October 23, 2025 | 16 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. 69 No. 00 | www.freepressjournal.in l EDITIONS: l MUMBAI l INDORE l PUNE l BHOPAL l NASHIK l KONKAN l E-paper l Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (January to June 2025) GAMES NATION Fake ‘desh bhakts’: Priyank Kharge accuses RSS of loot HEALING TIES? | Trump describes India-US relationship as ‘great’ Trade talks light up Don-Modi Diwali call FILE PIC PTI NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump discussed trade issues during a phone conversation amid efforts by the two sides to repair bilateral ties that remain under strain after Washington slapped a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods. In his remarks following the call on Tuesday, Trump described the India-US relationship as "great" and said, without elaborating, that the two sides are working on some "great deals". In a social media post, Prime Minister Modi thanked Trump for the phone call and fp Briefs t was the third publicly known phone call between Modi and Trump since September 16. I his Diwali greetings and hoped that both India and the US would continue to "illuminate" the world with hope and stand united against terrorism. "Thank you, President Trump, for your phone call and warm Diwali greetings. On this festival of lights, may our two great democracies DEAL TO SLASH US TARIFFS? ndia and the United States are nearing a long-stalled trade agreement that would reduce US tariffs on Indian imports to 15% to 16% from 50%, according to online reports. The deal, which hinges on energy and agriculture, may see India gradually scale back its imports of Russian crude oil. I continue to illuminate the world with hope and stand united against terrorism in all its forms," Modi said on 'X'. 4Continued on | Nation My father is at end of his political career: Sidda son KOLKATA IANS ED sleuths question Bengal min BELAGAVI (KARNATAKA) West Bengal minister Chandranath Sinha was on Wednesday questioned for nearly nine hours by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its ongoing investigation into the alleged primary school teacher recruitment scam, a senior official said. NEW DELHI In a major development, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son, MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, has stated that his father is at the fag end of his political career. He further said that at this crucial juncture, Minister for PWD Satish Jarkiholi will take the lead in guiding those who follow scientific and progressive thought. The statements have assumed significance amid rumours of a leadership change and discussions of a powersharing agreement in Karna- Today, my father is at the end of his political career. He is in the final stage of his political life. At this hour, for those who embrace scientific and progressive ideas, Minister for PWD Satish Jarkiholi will take responsibility and provide leadership n Yathindra Siddaramaiah taka. Yathindra Siddaramaiah made the remarks while speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the revered personality Kanakadasa’s idol in Kappalaguddi village of Raibag taluk in Belagavi district. “Minister Satish Jarkiholi will also take the lead in showing the path to all those who believe in the ideology of the Congress party. 4Continued on | Nation Amit Shah turns 61 Union Home Minister Amit Shah turned 61 on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other prominent leaders, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, greeting him on his birthday. In a message, Modi said Shah has made commendable efforts to strengthen India's internal security apparatus and ensure every Indian leads a life of safety and dignity. rain batters TN Widespread rain continued to batter Tamil Nadu inundating many parts and submerging paddy crop in some of the districts. Commuters were stranded at the Villupuram bus stand after a massive inundation. A well marked low pressure over southeast Arabian Sea concentrated into a depression. and was likely to move slowly nearly northnorthwestwards during the next 24 hours, it said. Trump puts meeting with Putin on hold, says it would be ‘waste of time’ festive flair Shivani Dhopavkar, also known as the ‘Hula Hoop Queen of Mumbai’, twirls her hula hoop as firecrackers light up the sky, in Mumbai on Wednesday Fuel leak alert: IndiGo flight makes emergency landing in Varanasi PTI NEW DELHI An IndiGo plane enroute to Srinagar from Kolkata landed at the Varanasi airport on Wednesday evening following a reported fuel leak, officials said. Sources said malfunctioning of a sensor in the aircraft led to a false alarm of fuel leakage, following which the plane landed in Varanasi. However, according to the Gomti Zone Police, the IndiGo flight 6E-6961 was diverted to Varanasi after the pilot detected a fuel leakage mid-air. Assessing the gravity of the situation, the pilot immediately contacted Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Varanasi and sought permission for an emergency landing, they said. The aircraft safely landed the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at 4.10 pm, police said. 4Continued on | Nation AP PTI NEW DELHI President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he did not want it to be a "waste of time." It was the latest twist in Trump's stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine. The decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "I don't want to have a wasted meeting," Trump said. "I don't want to have a waste of time -- so we'll see what happens." Lavrov made clear in public comments on Tuesday that Russia is opposed to an immediate ceasefire. Trump, meanwhile, has been shifting his stance all year on key issues in the war, including whether a ceasefire should come before longerterm peace talks, and whether Ukraine could win back land seized by Russia during almost four years of fighting. In the first sign of a thaw, leaders of Ladakh, where four people died in police firing during the recent pro-statehood protests, met with Home Ministry representatives here on Wednesday for sub-committee level talks. Talks between the Centre, LAB and KDA had broken down after four protesters were killed and several were injured during widespread violence in Leh on September 24. Both the Ladakh organisations stayed away from the dialogue with the highpowered committee of the MHA slated for October 6. The invitation for the talks had been made by the Centre on September 20. The last round of talks between the two sides was held in May. Lok Sabha MP from Ladakh Mohmad Haneefa, who took part in the meeting, said the Ladakhi leaders participated in it with an open mind for a positive outcome of their demand for statehood to Ladakh. "This was our first meeting, and we can't expect much from it. But we raised the issue of immediate release of DEMANDS... uring the meeting, the Ladakh representatives demanded an immediate release of all arrested leaders, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuck, the widely recognised face of the agitation. The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) said that the next of kin of those killed should be given adequate compensation. D Country ranks 9th globally in forest area IANS NEW DELHI all those who were arrested on or after September 24, including Sonam Wangchuck," he told reporters after the meeting here. Wangchuck, arrested under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail. The NSA empowers the Centre and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner "prejudicial to the defence of India". The maximum detention period under the NSA is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier. In a significant milestone for environmental conservation efforts, India has secured the ninth rank globally in forest area in 2025 -- up from the 10th position in 2020, said Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday. The country has also retained its third position in annual forest area gain, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025 released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Bali, Indonesia. In the previous GFRA assessment, India was ranked 10th in forest area. 4Continued on | Nation Continued on | Nation Only Joint Secy, DIG & above ranks can order removal of online content: Govt IANS NEW DELHI The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Wednesday announced that any intimation to social media platforms for the removal of unlawful information can now only be issued by a senior officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary equiv- hots were fired outside Serbia's parliament building in Belgrade on Wednesday, and one person was injured. Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, who has been facing anti-government protests, called the shooting “a terrorist act”. Armed security officers approached a large tent outside parliament. A few shots were fired, and then a fire broke out inside the tent, one of several erected this year by supporters of President Aleksander Vucic during antigovernment protests. alent, or, where such rank is not appointed, a Director or an officer equivalent in rank. In the case of police authorities, only an officer not below the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), specially authorised, can issue the intimation. The new rules will come into effect from November 1, 2025. This replaces the existing procedure of junior officials such as sub inspectors and assistant sub inspectors passing orders to re- move content from social media platforms. These changes have been brought through fresh amendments to Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021. Additionally, the ministry has proposed amendments to the IT Rules for addressing the menace of deepfakes. 4Continued on | Nation Yogi’s ‘halal certification’ remarks trigger row PTI LUCKNOW A political row erupted on Wednesday after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urged people to check for "halal certification" on products before purchasing them, reiterating his government's stand against such certifications in the state. "You will be surprised that even soaps, clothes, and matchsticks have halal certification," the chief minister said, while speaking at the 'Vichar-Parivar Kutumb Sneh Milan' and 'Deepotsav Se THE REMARK Adityanath on Tuesday said that his government had banned halal-certified items in Uttar Pradesh as the profits from such sales were being used for conversion, love jihad and terrorism. The CM urged people to buy indigenous products instead. Rashtrotsav' programmes organised in Gorakhpur. Reacting sharply to Adityanath's remarks, UP Congress president Ajay Rai accused the BJP government of diverting public attention from key economic and employment issues. "This government is quite brilliant in diverting attention from real issues. Why is the CM so focused on such matters?" Rai told PTI. 4Continued on | Nation `27,770 cr deal: Army to induct 4.25L CQB carbines in ’26 IANS NEW DELHI The Indian Army will begin inducting the Close Quarter Battle (CQB) carbines into its ranks from 2026, following a major procurement contract. The deal, worth Rs 27,770 crore, covers the purchase of 4.25 lakh CQB carbines to replace and modernise small arms across infantry units. According to Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar, Director General, Infantry, defence firms have been given a strict timeline to complete deliveries. “Companies must supply the entire consignment within two years,” he said on Wednesday, underscoring the urgency behind the fast-track modernisation drive. 4Continued on | Nation Masood’s sisters go digital Jaish launches ‘jihadi course’ for women PTI IANS PATHANAMTHITTA (KERALA) NEW DELHI The wheels of the helicopter carrying President Droupadi Murmu for her Sabarimala visit got stuck in a depression on the newly concreted helipad at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Pramadam when it landed on Wednesday morning. Days after Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) announced the formation of its firstever women’s wing, named 'Jamaat-ul-Mominaat', sources told IANS on Wednesday that the terror outfit has now launched an online training course, Police & fire personnel try to push President Droupadi Murmu’s helicopter at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Pramadam, in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala Weeks after violence, Ladakh leaders meet Centre for talks WASHINGTON S Murmu’s helicopter wheels sink into newly concreted landing pad 4Continued on | Nation Edit Lokpal’s luxury drive into controversy Shots fired outside Serbian Parl; prez calls it ‘terrorist act’ CHENNAI Widespread Cinema Alia Bhatt wears 30-year-old silk saree Devine hails ‘most in-form’ Mandhana ahead of crunch clash 40 MINUTES EACH DAY "Through online meeting platforms for 40 minutes each day, Masood Azhar’s two sisters, Sadiya Azhar and Samaira Azhar, will conduct classes to encourage women to join Jaish-e-Mohammed’s female brigade Jamat ul-Muminat," said sources. named 'Tufat al-Muminat', to collect funds and recruit as many females as possible. According to sources, this Women Brigade will be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Masood Azhar, whose husband, Yusuf Azhar, was killed in Operation Sindoor on May 7 when Indian forces struck JeM’s headquarters at Markaz Subhanallah. "To strengthen the organisation and recruit more females, the women family members of Jaishe-Mohammed’s leaders, including relatives of Masood Azhar and his commanders, will teach women their duties from the perspectives of jihad, religion and Islam," said sources. According to people aware of the matter, the recruitment drive via online live lectures is scheduled to begin on November 8. 4Continued on | Nation