SATURDAY Donald Trump sounds warning note to Russia after it bombed Ukraine’s energy grid 08 Don’s coming for Russia MARCH, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in 1 facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Trump mulls sanctions on Russia until a ceasefire and peace agreement are reached RUSSIA POUNDS UKRAINE’S ENERGY GRID Russia attacked Ukrainian energy facilities with missiles and drones, hobbling the country’s ability to deliver heat and light to its citizens. PAGE 9 2 Ukraine used Mirage jets to repel an overnight attack on its energy infrastructure 3 The US suspended military aid to Ukraine this week, including sharing of intelligence | P9 4 Poland announced plans to train all adult men in warfare, as the war in Ukraine escalates Now, Don may turn screws on Putin A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 As Trump’s dismantling of the federal government continues, billionaire Elon Musk is telling Republicans he’s not to blame for the firings of thousands of workers. Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s diversity purge includes removing 26,000 images including photos of the Enola Gay aircraft that hastened the end of World War II by bombing Japan. Elephant ballet Rana loses SC appeal against extradition HC quashes ED proceedings with dragon only against CM wife right call: China MUDA CASE S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi Every reason for Delhi, Beijing to back each other, says Wang Yi in annual press meet contribute to each other’s success... There is every reason for A duet between the elephant us to support each other rather and the dragon contributing to than undercut each other, work each other’s success is the ‘only with each other rather than right choice’ for India-China guard against each other. This relations, Chinese Foreign is the path that truly serves the Minister Wang Yi said on Fri- fundamental interests of the day as he acknowledged two countries and people,” positive strides in bilatWang said. eral ties after a fourFo l l ow i n g a g r e e year stalemate bements reached during a tween the two Asian meeting between Prime powerhouses. Minister Narendra “There is every reason Modi and President Xi for us to support each Jinping in Russia’s KaAll for other rather than unzan last year, both counbetter ties dermine each other or tries began high-level As key undercut each other,” discussions aimed at members of Wang, who is also a nor malising their the Global member of the powerstrained relationship South, Wang ful political bureau of and fostering trust. Nastressed that the ruling Communist tional Security Advisor Party of China (CPC) China and India Ajit Doval and Foreign and a special repre- have a crucial Secretary Vikram Missentative for boundary role in opposing ri have been engaging hegemonism talks from the Chinese with their Chinese and power side, said at his annual counterparts to adpolitics press conference here. vance these efforts. A ‘cooperative pas de Reflecting on their deux’ (steps of two) is the ‘only long histories, Wang said the right choice for both sides,’ boundary issue should not deWang said while replying to a fine their entire relationship, question on how Beijing views nor should it allow specific difthe course of bilateral ties after ferences to overshadow the the two countries ended the broader partnership. four-year stalemate in ties. This year marks the 75th an“China always believes that niversary of China-India diplothe two should be partners that matic relations. J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi IN a setback for Mumbai terror attack accused, Tahawwur Rana, the US SC has rejected his emergency plea seeking to halt his extradition to India. The decision comes as Rana, a key associate of 26/11 mastermind David Coleman Headley, remains under supervised detention in Los Angeles following the completion of his 14year sentence in 2023. According to the US Supreme Court’s website, Rana’s request for a stay on his extradition was denied by Justice Elena Kagan. “Application… denied by Justice Elena Kagan,” read a court note. Undeterred by the setback, the 64-year-old Canadian national of Pakistani origin swiftly submitted a “Renewed UNDER DETENTION IN LOS ANGELES Tahawwur Rana On February 14, US President Trump formally announced his extradition during a joint press conference with Indian PM Modi, underscoring the case’s geopolitical significance. Application for Stay” and urged that it be reviewed by Chief Justice John Roberts. Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that they are working closely with the US Government to complete the necessary formalities to allow for his extradition to India. “You would have seen Trump’s comments regarding the extradition of Rana. The Joint Statement also reflects this sentiment. We are working closely with the US Government to complete the necessary formalities to allow for his extradition to India,” said the MEA spokesperson. Rana’s legal battle has been ongoing for months, with his latest petition—an “Emergency INDIA PRESSES UK FOR ACTION ON JAISHANKAR’S SECURITY BREACH J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi B’DESH ‘RESOLVE ISSUES DEMOCRATICALLY’ India expresses concern over release of certain “violent extremists” by Dhaka, emphasising the interim govt’s responsibility to protect minorities. | P7 INDIA on Friday pressed the United Kingdom to take action against the pro-Khalistan elements responsible for the security breach during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to London. “While we have noted the statement issued by the UK Foreign Office on the matter, our view of its sincerity would depend on the action taken against culprits on this and previous occasions,” Exter nal Af fairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. IFS officer jumps to death from building in Chanakyapuri Jaishankar was in London in the first leg of his six-day visit to the UK and Ireland. “There is a larger context to the incident. It brings out both the licence accorded to such forces, as well as indifference to their intimidation, threats, and other actions aimed at impeding our legitimate diplomatic activities in the UK,” he said. The UK has for long been a hotspot for pro-Khalistan activism. In 2023, a mob breached the Indian High IAF fighter aircraft crashes near Panchkula A Jaguar fighter aircraft of the IAF crashed shortly after taking off from the Ambala airbase in Haryana, during a routine training sortie, due to a technical malfunction on Friday. The pilot ejected safely and was evacuated. ‘Duplication in EPIC numbers to be rectified’ WOMEN POWER IN CISF 56th CISF Raising Day Parade comes ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, in Tamil Nadu on Friday | S DINESH The ECI on Friday announced that it would address the issue of duplicate EPIC numbers in three months, as the exercise would be conducted under DEOs and EROs ensuring continuous participation of public. Now, no platform tickets to wait list passengers M U K E S H R A N JA N & R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi THE Ministry of Railways has decided to implement new crowd control measures at 60 stations across the country to manage crowds more effectively officials said on Friday , . Going forward, only passengers with confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter the platforms at these stations, which will have permanent passenger holding areas. The decisions regarding these measures were taken at a high-level review meeting chaired by Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw here, they informed. The initiative has already begun at stations like New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Patna. The goal is to control the crowd within designated waiting zones before allowing confirmedticket passengers direct access to platforms. “Based on the experience at these stations, we have decided to implement permanent waiting areas at 60 stations that frequently experience heavy crowds,” stated the Railways. It has also been decided to introduce a complete access control system at the identified stations. Passengers who have confirmed reserved tickets will Based on previous experiences, we have decided to implement permanent waiting areas at 60 stations that frequently experience heavy crowds — Railway Ministry Commision building’s perimeter and brought down the Indian tricolour. A security breach happened during Jaishankar’s visit to Chatham House, London for a discussion on Wednesday. As the minister was leaving, an individual aggressively charged towards his convoy Taking advantage . of the police’s brief hesitation, the protester tore the tricolour in front of the convoy while others in the group shouted anti-India slogans. It brings out both the licence accorded to such forces, as well as indifference to their intimidation, threats, and other actions —Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs EXPRESS READ N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi A 2011 batch IFS officer died on Friday after allegedly jumping from the fourth floor of a building in central Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area, police said. The victim has been identified as Jitendra Rawat (42), worked with the Department of Overseas Indian Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs. Rawat, who returned from his posting in Belgium last year, had been residing on the first floor of the MEA Residential Complex for past nine months. He went to the fourth floor of the building from where he lept to his death. No suicide note has been found from the spot. Preliminary probe suggests that he was suffering from depression. No foul play is being suspected. According to an eyewitness, he heard a loud noise when he was present near the complex, following which all the nearby people rushed to the spot. Later, police were informed about the incident. Police got a call regarding the incident around 6.20 am on Friday and rushed to the spot. The victim was taken to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. His wife and children stay in Dehradun, and they have been informed about the incident. According to a statement by the MEA, an officer MEA passed away on Friday morning and the department is cooperating with the police authority “An officer of the Ministry . of External Affairs passed away on Friday morning in New Delhi. The Ministry is providing all possible assistance to the family and is in touch with , the Delhi Police. Rana has also argued that his identity—as a “Muslim of Pakistani origin” and a former member of the Pakistan Army—would make him particularly vulnerable to mistreatment in Indian custody. Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus”—filed on February 27. His legal team argues that extraditing him would expose him to torture and other inhumane treatment. “A stay is necessary, and needed on an emergency basis, because the government is likely to surrender petitioner to India if a stay is not granted, which would moot petitioner’s habeas petition and prevent any further proceedings thereon,” Rana’s petition asserted. This is not his first failed attempt to block extradition. In January the US SC junked his , plea for a writ of certiorari, which he filed in November 2024 in an effort to overturn a lower court’s ruling that approved his extradition. be allowed onto platforms while all unauthorised entry points will be sealed. A decision has also been taken to install new foot overbridges (FOBs) 12 meters wide and 6 metres high at all stations, as such wider FOBs ‘proved’ effective during the Maha Kumbh. They will also have ramps for better crowd movement. Furthermore, new digital communication equipment, including walkie-talkies, announcement and calling systems, will be introduced at stations with heavy traffic. YAT H I R A J U @ Bengaluru IN a big relief to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife BM Parvathy and Minister for Urban Development and Town Planning Byrathi Suresh, the Karnataka HC on Friday quashed the proceedings of money laundering initiated against them by the ED in connection with the alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 compensatory sites to Parvathy by MUDA. Justice M Nagaprasanna allowed the petitions filed separately by Parvathy and Suresh questioning the legality of the proceedings initiated by the ED by registering an Enforcement Case Infor mation Re por t (ECIR) against them under the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act and issuing summons to them on January 3 and January 22, respectively to , appear before the investigation officer for recording their statements. The ED registered the case based on the FIR filed by the Lokayukta police following an order of a special court to probe the alleged irregularities in allotment of sites. “The petitions are allowed and quashed,” said Justice Nagaprasanna while pronouncing the orders. The judge, however, orally observed that the court has followed extensively the order passed by another single judge, who had quashed the ED’s summons and recorded statements of DB Natesh, former commissioner of MUDA. CPM backs ‘divesting’ loss-making PSUs, plans to end ‘protectionism’ K S S R E E J I T H @ Kollam IN a major policy shift, the CPM has proposed to end “protectionism” extended to lossmaking Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) that are beyond revival and instead hand them over to private entities to operate on a PPP model. The policy document, Novel Ways to New Kerala, presented by CM Pinarayi Vijayan at the party state conference has taken forward the capitalist shift the CPM had adopted in its last meet in 2022. The document also suggests that the government explore ways to engage with private players and sign contracts for the management of such PSUs, with clearlydelineated conditions. The government must welcome any kind of capital investment if it comes without any strings attached, says the document. “In view of the Union government’s anti-Kerala position, the state cannot move forward without additional resource mobilisation. Without passing the additional burden on to the people’s shoulder, the government must ponder ways to achieve this. For this, local bodies and cooperative sectors can be used. This sector has not been utilised effectively so far. The government must consider it. NRI investment is another sector the government must consider for additional resource mobilisation,” it said. It was in the new Kerala document presented at the 23rd state conference in Ernakulam that the CPM indicated its shift towards private capital. The document had called for efforts to attract private investment in the higher education sector, which later led to the government decision to allow private universities in the state. The document presented at this year’s conference, however, goes one step further and advocates for private capital in different sectors, including health and tourism. It also proposes to reconsider freebies given to the rich. Briefing media on Friday, party state secretary M V Govindan, however, said these are only proposals and will undergo thorough scrutiny and detailed debate before being implemented. Three operatives of BKI militant outfit arrested in Punjab ‘UNSAFE’ MICHEL OPTS FOR H A R P R E E T BA J WA @ Chandigarh A major target killing was averted in the state with the arrest of three operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militant outfit, the Punjab Police said on Friday . Four pistols besides ammunition were recovered from their possession, Director Gen- eral of Police, Punjab Gaurav Yadav said. The arrested have been identified as Jagroop Singh, a resident of Naushehra Kalan in Amritsar; Sukhjit Singh, a resident of Mirzapur village in Kapurthala; and Navpreet Singh, alias Nav, a resident of Fatehabad village in Tarn Taran. The police teams have also Module handled by US-based gangster Probe reveal that the module was being handled by US-based Gangster Gurpreet Singh, a close aide of Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda. With Greece-based associate Laadi Bakapuria’s help, Singh was misleading the youth. recovered four pistols, including two sophisticated ones— .30 bore PX5 Storm (Bretta) pistol and 9MM Glock pistol— and two country-made pistols— .30 bore and .32 bore— along with four magazines and 22 cartridges from their possession. Yadav said that preliminary investigations reveal that the module was being handled by US-based Gangster Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi Nawashehria, who is a close aide of Pakistanbased terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda. “The probe has also revealed that Nawashehria, with Greece-based associate Laadi Bakapuria’s help, was motivating youth to carry out anti-national activities in the state,” he added. CUSTODY OVER BAIL Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the VVIP chopper scam, informed the court of his reluctance to step out of custody, calling Delhi “unsafe” | P3