saturday PCB’s PoK CT Trophy tour BCCI protests, ICC puts it on hold 16 ICC on Friday put on hold Champions Trophy tour of disputed Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) following BCCI’s strong objection november, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in 1996 facebook.com/TheMorningStandard Photo: Twitter X.com/TheMornStandard united kingdom Non-veg in Diwali menu sparks row Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office on Friday apologised for a ‘mistake’ in the organisation of its Diwali reception at 10 Downing Street. Page 9 Last global men’s event in pak was when they co-hosted World cup BCCI takes up issue with international body A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi l J8.00 l PCB had tweeted that they would take the trophy to PoK. “Get ready, Pakistan! The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 trophy tour kicks off in Islamabad on 16 November, also visiting scenic travel destinations like Skardu, Murree, Hunza and Muzaffarabad,” it tweeted. BCCI secretary Jay Shah reportedly protested with the ICC quite strongly | P11 PAGES 12 The name is Bond... for top RNG award Lifetime achievement award goes to Ruskin Bond, Non-fiction award to Neerja Chowdhury, Fiction award to Aishwarya Jha journos must be daring, says chinmaya mission head M u k e sh Ra n j a n @ New Delhi Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman awardees Ruskin Bond (represented by granddaughter Srishti), who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award (4th from L), Non-fiction award winner Neerja Chowdhury (6th from L) and Fiction award winner Aishwarya Jha (3rd from L) with (from L) TNIE CEO Lakshmi Menon, TNIE CMD Manoj Kumar Sonthalia, Chinmaya Mission global head Swami Swaroopanandaji, TNIE Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla, and TNIE Editor Santwana Bhattacharya, in New Delhi on Friday | Shekhar Yadav P r a c h i S at r a w al @ New Delhi “Words steer the mind and heart, revealing the truth that uplifts and transforms,” said Swami Swaroopanandaji, Global Head, Chinmaya Mission, as he inaugurated the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman 2024 at Bharat Mandapam on Friday . An evening dedicated to celebrating the enduring power of storytelling, the awards brought together luminaries from India’s literary and journalistic circles to honour exceptional voices in fiction, non-fiction, and lifetime achievement. The Sahithya Samman, instituted in memory of Ramnath Goenka, the visionary founder of The New Indian Express group, pays tribute to the trans- formative force of literature. Speaking at the event, Chairman and Managing Director Manoj Sonthalia described the awards as “a powerful testimony to the resilience, complexity , and beauty of the human experience.” He added, “Today, we honour authors whose works have risen above the ordinary to touch the extraordinary .” Elaborating on the significance of the awards, Editor Santwana Bhattacharya said: “An entity so utterly mundane, familiar, and yet also a stranger— this is what the word is. It was iconised by our founder Ramnath Goenka. Imagine a blank editorial, a silence that echoes through the ages; such aware- ness would not be out of place in a poet. It is fitting, therefore, to have a literary award instituted in his honour.” One of the highlights was the Lifetime Achievement Award to celebrated author Ruskin Bond, represented by his granddaughter Srishti Bond. In a heartfelt video message, the 90-year-old author expressed his gratitude: “This is a happy moment for me... I only wish I could be with you. I am sending my beloved granddaughter Srishti to receive it.” The Non-fiction award went to veteran journalist Neerja Chowdhury for How Prime Ministers Decide, a meticulous exploration of pivotal decisions by six Indian Prime Ministers. “To receive a literary award in Ramnath Goenka’s name is an honour,” she said. Jury chair, author and former diplomat Pavan Varma shed light on the rigorous selection process: “Each work presented a unique lens on India. The sheer depth of research and narrative scope in Neerja Chowdhury’s book set a new benchmark for contemporary non-fiction.” In the Fiction category debut , author Aishwarya Jha received the award for The Scent of Fallen Stars, a poignant tale of love and longing. Quoting V S Naipaul in her acceptance speech, Jha said, “Fiction reveals... I feel honoured to receive this award that celebrates India’s diP7 versity and beauty  .” Hailing the doyen of the Indian media, Ramnath Goenka, as a “great independent thinker”, Swami Swaroopanandaji, the global head of Chinmaya Mission, on Friday said responsible journalists have to be daring and courageous and should write facts without prejudice to convey the truth. The Swami was the chief guest at the 2nd edition of the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman ceremony in Delhi. Swaroopanandaji in his address said writers “are those who protect and spread the knowledge to the world”. Reminding people about the timeless impact of epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata on the lives of the people, SwarooResponsible panandaji dwelt on the journalism role of Sanjaya, advisor should be of the blind King Dhricourageous, tarashtra in the Mahabfearless and harata. “Sanjaya narindependent. rated the developments The wellbeing of society in the Kurukshetra war should be at as it unfolded to his the core of blind king without prejresponsible udice and with a lot of journalism clarity he said. ,” The spiritual leader Swami cautioned that when Swaroopanandaji fact and truth are muddled and falsehood is spread as fact, the situation becomes very harmful for the society . Noting that he did not see any difference in the various forms of writing – fiction, non-fiction or media reporting, he said, “In either form, if a writer is able to bring out the better self of people to think independently, the work should be considered a great success.” Talking about the difference between fact and truth, he said, “When fact is told without prejudice it becomes truth.” Authors of books, he added, “should lead us with their writings to allow us to live in unity and harmony. Such writings benefit the society forever.” Finance talks on at a snail’s pace The climate finance talks at COP29 are going on at a snail’s pace with no signifiEXPRESS IN BAKU c a n t h e a d w a y achieved although five days have passed. Yalchin Rafiyev, COP29 lead negotiator, during the presidential press conference on Friday called upon the parties to use the precious time wisely “...talk to each other . and take ownership of building bridging solutions. We must be honest. We believe that the pace of their work is currently too slow. We cannot afford to leave too much work to be covered later in the summit at the political level. We are urging everyone to intensify their engagements and remain focused on the imperative to make quick progress.” At a high-level ministerial, India on behalf of the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) made a statement reiterating its demand from the developed countries for $1.3 trillion annually until 2030. “We are at a crucial juncture in our fight against climate change. What we decide here will enable all of us, particularly those in the Global South, to not only take ambitious mitigation action but also adapt to climate change. This COP is historic in this context,” India’s lead negotiator Naresh Pal Gangwar said and added that the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities must be the basis for a strong outcome on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). The statement reiterated that developed countries need to commit to provide finance through grants, concessional finance and non-debt-inducing support that cater to the evolving needs and priorities of developing countries without subjecting them to growth inhibitContinued on P9 ing conditionalities.  S V Krishna Chaitanya Major drug haul off Gujarat coast, 8 Iranians held Row over PM’s plane snag in a first, Sinhalese-majority L-G for action as Rahul’s chopper delayed alliance breaches Tamil fort against illegal DI L IP S ING H K S H ATRIYA the special IAF aircraft carrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday developed a snag, stranding him in Jharkhand’s Deoghar airport for over two hours till a replacement plane came from Delhi. The incident caused a ripple effect with Congress leader Rahul’s Gandhi’s helicopter being denied permission to take off from Godda, due to the airspace restrictions in the region for the PM’s visit. Officials said Modi waited inside the grounded IAF aircraft for 2 hours and 15 minutes till @ Ahmedabad IN a joint operation, anti-narcotics agencies on Friday seized 700 kg of drugs worth around `3,000 crore and arrested eight Iranian nationals in Indian waters off the Gujarat coast. The operation, codenamed Sagar Manthan-4 and conducted jointly by the NCB, Navy, and Gujarat Police Anti-Terrorist Squad, was launched following intelligence inputs, the Narcotics Control Bureau said in a statement. The Navy intercepted the targeted vessel using its maritime patrol assets, it added. “In a coordinated operation with the Narcotics Control Bureau and Gujarat Police, the Indian Navy intercepted a suspicious vessel off the Gujarat coast, leading to the seizure of approximately 700 kg of methamphetamine,” the Navy spokesperson posted on X. Commending the agencies for the major crackdown on drug cartels, Union home minister Amit Shah said, “It stands as a stellar example of seamless coordination among our agencies to achieve this goal.” In the past nine months, over 4,000 kg of drugs have been seized from the Arabian Sea near Porbandar in a series of high-profile operations. MU K E S H R A NJ A N @ Ranchi the alternative plane arrived. Modi was supposed to return to Delhi after addressing a poll rally in Bihar’s Jamui, around 80 km from Deoghar. As a precautionary measure, the region’s airspace was declared a no-fly zone. Around this time, Rahul was caught in a similar situation with his helicopter being grounde d f o r t wo h o u r s , prompting protests from the Congress. The Congress and JMM wrote to the Election Commission demanding a level-playing field for all parties, saying the PM’s poll campaign can’t take precedence over others’. pon vasanth Express @ Sri Lanka Parliamentary polls Nuwara Eliya While everyone expected the National People’s Power (NPP) to win the Sri Lankan parliamentary elections, the party’s spectacular scale of victory in the results declared on Friday has surprised many . For the first time after the introduction of the new Constitution in 1978, which brought in the unicameral parliament, a single pre-poll alliance has won more than High Commissioner of India to SL Santosh Jha congratulates SL Prez Anura in Colombo on Friday | pti two-thirds majority . NPP has secured 159 of 225 seats (141 elected members and 18 through the national list based on proportional representation) in the parliament in the elections held on Thursday . However, more importantly, this is the first time in the country’s history that a Sinhalese-majority formation, without the support of any established Tamil entity, has emerged as the leading party in regions with predominantly ethnic minority population. The sole exception was Batticaloa, where the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), the largest Tamil party won three of the five seats , while NPP and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) won one each. 10 newborns dead in massive fire at Jhansi hosp Na m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow trumpjr Robert F Kennedy named health secy Prominent anti-vaccine activist and former Democratic presidential candidate has been named Secretary of Health. | P9 At least 10 newborn babies were killed in a fire that broke out late Friday night n the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Rani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi. The incident caused a stampede-like situation in the hospital, as doctors and medical staff worked to evacuate patients. They broke windows to rescue patients from the smoke-filled ward, while doors were blocked by flames. The fire started around 10.45 pm, with 47 babies present in the affected ward. The fire brigade was called to the scene, and the district ad- ministration also summoned the Army for assistance. So far, 37 babies have been rescued, and efforts continue to save the remaining infants. The bodies of 10 newborns have been recovered. Panicked parents were seen screaming and pleading with authorities to save their children. Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar stated in a media briefing that it appears the fire was caused by a short circuit in the NICU. Jhansi Range DIG Kalanidhi Naithani said, “A committee has been formed under Jhansi divisional commissioner to probe the incident. It will submit a report to the CM.” immigrants A n u p V e r m a @ New Delhi Amid reports of rise in illegal immigrants in the city L-G VK , Saxena has directed the police commissioner to conduct a month-long special drive and take action in coordination with Central agencies. The L-G Secretariat on Thursday wrote to the chief secretary, police commissioner, MCD commissioner and NDMC chairperson to take immediate steps. The L-G also directed the civic bodies to remain on high alert as illegal immigrants may approach them to get citizenship and voter identity cards. The letter said that there is a rise in encroachment on public roads, footpaths and parks. There are reports that efforts are being made to get Aadhaar, voter ID on the basis of fake documents, the letter mentioned. “The chief secretary may issue instructions to DMs to exercise extra vigil in verification of people applying for identity documents. The police commissioner may issue instructions to field officials to be extra vigilant, apart from conduct a special drive to identify illegal immigrants,” the letter said.