Tuesday, January 6, 2026 | Vol. 69 No. 79 | 29 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL World War Orphan Day INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation GAMES NATION Renewed sense of nationalism in J&K after abrogation of Art 370: Khattar Shreyas Iyer will lead Mumbai in the remaining games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Cinema Hollywood action films to look forward to this year Edit It’s not outdated to embrace one’s religion and traditions Proof shows role: No SC & Imam Trump points levy Will US press for bail for Khalidparticipation’, grants Apex court invokes ‘hierarchy of OIL PRESSURE | They want to make me happy, says US prez, backs American senator’s claim that Delhi cut crude import from Russia to bring tariffs down gun at India again FPJ News Service FPJ analysis Ashwin Ahmad MUMBAI US President Donald Trump has issued a fresh and blunt warning to India over its purchases of Russian oil, saying Washington could raise tariffs on New Delhi “very quickly” if its concerns are not addressed. Trump said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was fully aware of his displeasure on the issue and had sought to keep him “happy” amid rising trade tensions. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday while travelling from Florida to Washington DC, Trump said India’s trade decisions were closely tied to tariff pressure from the United States. “They wanted to make me happy, basically. Modi is a very good man, he’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly. It would be very bad for them,” Trump said. Trump’s remarks came after US Senator Lindsey Graham, who was accompanying him, said the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration Venezuelan buy? A were the “chief reason” India was now buying substantially less Russian crude. Graham has been pushing a tariff bill that proposes punitive 500 per cent levies on imports from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, arguing that sustained economic pressure on Russia’s customers is essential to ending the Ukraine war. The United States currently levies a combined 50 per cent tariff on India, including a 25 per cent penalty linked specifically to India’s energy trade with Russia. Graham said he had recently attended a dinner at the Indian ambassador’s residence in Washington, where the focus was squarely on reducing Russian oil purchases. According to Graham, the ambassador had urged him to ask the President to consider easing the tariff burden in response. Data from global trade analytics firm Kepler indicates that India’s crude oil imports from Russia are expected to fall sharply to around 1.2 million barrels per day in December, the lowest level in three years, down from 1.84 million barrels per day in November. Russian crude accounted for about 25 per cent of India’s total oil imports in December, compared with 38 per cent a month earlier. s Venezuela continues to dominate global headlines, questions mount as to what it could mean for India’s energy market. New Delhi, which is facing US tariffs imposed by President Trump for its continued purchase of Russian oil, is keen to stitch up an FTA deal with the Americans. Experts believe that conditions or the deal may include increased purchase of American oil, something that the US president has repeatedly called on India to do. The question then arises: would Trump push New Delhi towards buying Venezuelan oil, which he now sees as American oil, instead of Rus- 4Contd on | nation sian? Experts dub this scenario as unlikely in the near future, stating that much needs to be sorted out in the Latin American nation before the question of oil sales to any country can be talked about. The Venezuelan oil industry is still to find its feet. Statistics released by the US Energy Information Administration show that since US sanctions were imposed in 2019, the Latin American nation has produced a total of 1.14 million bpd in November this year — half of what it used to produce in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Currently, Venezuela accounts for just 1% of global oil output, and despite Trump’s promise that “large US oil companies would “go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure… and start making money for the country,” diplomats and energy experts believe this will take time. Former Indian ambassador to Venezuela, R Vishwanathan, believes that these factors and the relatively little oil that New Delhi was importing from Caracas prior to the sanctions made it unlikely that Venezuelan oil could become India’s new oil import overnight. relief to five others in 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case WHAT THE COURT SAID ■ The prosecution material prima facie showed their "central and formative role" and their “involvement in the level of planning, mobilisation and strategic direction extending beyond episodic and localised acts”. ■ “Continued detention has not crossed constitutional impermissibility to override the statutory embargo as against them.” ■ Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam “stand on a qualitatively different footing” compared to the other accused. ‘JAIL IS MY LIFE NOW’ ctivist Umar Khalid on Monday said jail had become his life now but expressed relief that some of the other accused had been granted bail. His partner Banojyotsna Lahiri shared on X their conversation after the SC verdict. “I am really happy for the others, who got bail! So relieved,” Umar said, according to the post. When Lahiri told him she would come the next day for a meeting, he replied, “Good, good, aa jana. Ab yahi zindagi hai.” Khalid’s father, SQR Ilyas, described the Supreme Court’s decision as unfortunate. The family members of those granted bail expressed relief and voiced hope that Khalid and Sharjeel Imam will also be released from jail soon. A 4Contd on | nation FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, holding that the prosecution material disclosed a prima facie case against them under UAPA, 1967. At the same time, the court granted bail to five other accused Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed subject to strict conditions. A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria pronounced the judgment, which had been reserved on December 10. The Special Leave Petitions were filed against the September 2 judgment of the Delhi High Court that had denied bail to the accused, Live Law and Bar & Bench report. As regards Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, the Court said they would be at liberty to renew their bail applications after the examination of protected witnesses or after one year from the date of the order. 4Contd on | nation FRESH TURMOIL ACROSS THE EASTERN BORDER New target: Cuba, In tit-for-tat, Greenland, Colombia Dhaka bans Agencies WASHINGTON Ousted Venezuelan president Maduro and his wife being taken to a court Monday I’m still prez: Maduro in court Agencies NEW YORK Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made his first appearance Monday in an American courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and bringing him to New York. When asked by the judge for his plea, Maduro responded: “I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country.” Maduro and his wife were led into court for a brief, but required, legal proceeding that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight over whether he can be put on trial in the US. His lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his ar- ‘Decide on EPF wage cap review in 4 mths’ PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to consider deciding within four months on revising the wage ceiling under the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme, which has remained unchanged for the last 11 years. A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and A S Chandurkar passed the order while disposing of a plea filed by activist Naveen Prakash Nautiyal. The plea claimed that the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), which administers social security schemes for employees, currently excludes workers earning more than Rs 15,000 per month from coverage. Advocates Pranav Sachdeva and Neha Rathi, appearing for the petitioner, told the court that the wage ceiling has not been revised in over a decade, even though the minimum wages notified by the central government and various states are higher than the existing EPFO ceiling of Rs 15,000 per month. Sachdeva said this has deprived a majority of workers of the benefits and protection of the EPFO scheme, which is essentially a social welfare measure. He submitted that employees earning above the wage ceiling are excluded from availing benefits under the scheme. 4Contd on | nation rest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state. But the US doesn’t recognize him as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. Maduro and his wife were transported under armed guard from the Brooklyn jail where they've been detained to a Manhattan courthouse. 4Continued on | P17 Avoid Iran trips: India’s advisory FPJ News Service MUMBAI India on Monday urged its nationals to avoid non-essential travel to Iran amid a widening wave of protests sparked by inflation and a sharp currency devaluation. The advisory, issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, also asked Indian citizens and Persons of Indian Origin currently in Iran to exercise due caution, steer clear of protest sites and demonstrations, and closely monitor local news and updates from the Indian embassy in Tehran. Indians residing in Iran on resident visas were further advised to register with the embassy if they had not already done so. The protests began in Tehran about nine days ago. US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that the United States needs Greenland for its national security, doubling down on his longstated ambition to bring the vast Arctic island under American control. The remarks came barely a day after a dramatic US military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of former Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and his wife during an overnight raid in Caracas. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump argued that Greenland ENOUGH, SAYS GREENLAND: Greenland's PM Jens Frederik Nielsen rejected Trump's repeated comments on possible US annexation. "That's enough now," he said on Facebook. "No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation," Nielsen wrote. "We are open to dialogue." was critical to US defence interests because of what he described as the growing presence of Russia and China in the Arctic region. “We need Greenland. It’s so strategic right now,” Trump said, claiming the island was surrounded by Russian and Chinese vessels. He went on to assert that Denmark, which controls Greenland as a self-governing territory, was incapable of ensuring its security. “Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said, adding that Scan & Watch Europe supported Washington’s position. 4Contd on | nation ‘UP IN ARMS’: Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he would “take up arms” in response to threats from President Trump. Petro, a former guerrilla, wrote on X: “I swore not to touch a weapon again since the 1989 peace pact, but for homeland I will take up arms again that I do not want.” IPL telecast Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI Bangladesh has sharply escalated cricketing tensions with India by banning the broadcast of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), protesting the exit of star pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders roster. The ban, ordered by Bangladesh’s interim government, cites the absence of any “logical reasoning” from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for Rahman’s release. A government notification said the decision had “saddened, hurt and aggrieved the people of Bangladesh”, prompting an immediate halt to the telecast and broadcast of all IPL matches and related programming until further notice. The directive, signed by assistant secretary Feroz Khan, said it was issued “in the public interest” with the approval of competent authority. 4Contd on | nation Another Hindu killed in B’desh, 4th in 3 weeks FPJ News Service DHAKA A Hindu youth was shot dead on Monday, marking the fourth reported killing of a member from the minority community in less than three weeks and raising serious concerns over law and order ahead of the February 12 polls. According to journalist and Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, the victim has been identified as Rana Pratap Bairagi, a factory owner and editor of a local newspaper. He was allegedly shot by unidentified assailants in Monirampur Upazila under Jessore district. Dipu Chandra Das (25), a garment worker, was killed in Mymensingh over alleged blasphemy. Amrit Mondal, 29, was beaten to death in Rajbari district, with authorities attributing the killing to a local dispute. Khokon Chandra Das (50), a medical shopowner from Shariatpur district, died The man, Rana Pratap Bairagi, was shot dead in full public view at a market in Jessore district days after he was attacked and set on fire. The Khoborer Kagoj newspaper said the shooting took place in full public view at Kopalia Bazar. Citing Jessore Additional Superintendent of Police Abul Bashar, it said the incident occurred around 5.45 pm. The circumstances surrounding the killing remain unclear, and police are yet to issue any statement. More incidents of violence against Hindus are emerging. A 40-year-old Hindu widow was allegedly gang-raped by two men in Kaliganj, a sub-district of Jhenaidah. 4Contd on | nation ‘Congress to be key Hunt on for new AI CEO force in BMC polls’ as carrier faces scrutiny FP J Dialogue Kalpesh Mhamunkar MUMBAI Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal has expressed confidence that the party will significantly improve its performance in the upcoming BMC polls and emerge as a key force in the formation of the next mayor. Speaking at a ‘Free Press Journal Dialogue’ session, he said Congress is contesting 165 seats after gaining momentum in recent local body elections. He accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of polarising voters by raising divisive issues such as Hindu or Marathi mayor instead of addressing civic failures. He reiterated Congress’s opposition to Hindi imposition and said the ruling alliance has failed to protect Marathi interests, forcing many out of Mumbai due to lack of affordable housing. 4See also | city FPJ News Service MUMBAI Air India’s board has begun sounding out candidates for the top job as the flag carrier faces sustained regulatory and public scrutiny following a fatal crash in June that claimed 260 lives, people familiar with the matter revealed on Monday. The term of AI’s CEO and managing director Campbell Wilson runs until mid-2027. However, sources said the board’s exploratory search reflects unease at the pace and effectiveness of reforms at a time when the airline is under an unforgiving spotlight. The Tata Group is also looking to appoint a new managing director for its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express as incumbent Aloke Singh will complete his tenure next year. Tata Group chairman N Chandrasekaran, who also chairs Air India, is said to be closely involved as the company seeks to stabilise operations and reassure regulators, passengers and investors. Singapore Airlines, which holds a 25% stake in AI, is said to be monitoring the developments too. The move comes amid heightened oversight of the airline’s operations after investigators and regulators flagged a series of safety and compliance lapses in the wake of the Ahmedabad crash, described as the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in a decade. Issues cited included aircraft being flown without completed emergency equipment checks, delays in replacing key engine parts, alleged forgery of maintenance records, and shortcomings in monitoring and managing crew fatigue. 4Contd on | nation