FRIDAY AAIB SAYS TOO EARLY TO REACH ANY DEFINITIVE CONCLUSION ON CRASH 18 JULY, 2025 The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said it was too early to draw any conclusion from its preliminary report into the AI 171 crash on June 12 epaper.morningstandard.in COMES IN WAKE OF WSJ REPORT ON CRASH facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard VOTING AGE @16 TEENS TO SAVE DEMOCRACY Britain will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next election as part of measures to increase democratic participation, the government said on Thursday. PAGE 9 NIMISHA CASE Govt in touch with friendly nations for help: MEA J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi THE Indian government is making urgent efforts to avert the execution of Nimisha Priya, the Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen, to allow her family more time to reach a “mutually agreeable solution” with the victim’s relatives, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday . Priya, a resident of Kerala, was convicted in the 2017 killing of a Yemeni man and is currently imprisoned in Sana’a, which is under Houthi rebel control. Her execution, initially scheduled for July 16, was postponed following interventions by Indian officials, members of the Indian diaspora in Yemen, and a prominent cleric. “This is a very sensitive matter and the Government of India has been offering all possible assistance. We have providNimisha Priya ed legal assistance, and also appointed a lawyer to assist the family We are in touch with lo. cal authorities ... and some friendly governments... as also family members to resolve this issue,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He, however, did not name the friendly countries. Jaiswal also declined to comment on the role of Sunni cleric Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musaliyar, in deferring the execution. “As far as the role of the entity that you mentioned, I have no information to share on this account.” A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 AAIB’s rejoinder came after The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, quoting people familiar with US officials’ early assessment of evidence uncovered in the crash investigation, reported that “a black box recording of dialogue between the flight’s two pilots indicates it was the captain who turned off switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane’s two engines” 260 India pushback Govt blames RCB, organisers for mess against NATO’s sanctions threat EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru MEA calls out NATO’s ‘double standards’, says country’s energy security is top priority J AYA N T H J A C O B A N D R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi INDIA on Thursday strongly pushed back against NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s warning that countries continuing to trade with Russia could face ‘very hard’ secondary sanctions, cautioning against ‘double standards’ in global energy policies. “We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to Rutte’s comments. “Let me reiterate that securing energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us. In this endeavor, we are guided by what is on offer in the markets, and by the prevailing global circumstances. We would particularly caution against any double standards on the matter,” Jaiswal said. The sharp response came after Rutte, during his visit to Washington on Wednesday, echoed US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of potential 100% tariffs on Russian exports, to be enforced in 50 days unless Moscow agrees to a deal on Ukraine. Rutte directly named India, China, and Brazil, warning that continued business with Russia could “slam back” on them in a “massive way.” “If you live in Beijing or Delhi… you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit No pressure, India has enough suppliers: Puri Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India will procure oil from other countries, should there be a problem sourcing it from Russia. “I don’t feel any pressure in my mind. India has diversified the sources of supply,” he said THE Karnataka government has blamed the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), its event management partner DNA Networks Pvt Ltd and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for the stampede that claimed 11 lives on June 4. This was revealed in a status report submitted by the government to the Karnataka High Court. “The RCB Management, in association with its event management partner… and the KSCA, unilaterally decided to hold the victory celebration without prior consultation with the police and without obtain- ing the necessary permissions or license for such celebration,” said the report. The report said that star RCB player Virat Kohli’s video on RCB’s social media pages led to the huge turnout as well. The state had submitted its response to the HC in a sealed cover on June 12 and the court had asked it to furnish a copy to KSCA, RCB and DNA. The report listing out the sequence of events said that RCB had posted several messages on its official social media handles, inviting the public to participate in the Victory Parade, despite no permission being granted. The report noted that RCB/DNA/KSCA failed to seek appropriate per- missions as per the prescribed format required under the Licensing and Controlling of Assemblies and Processions (Bangalore City) Order, 2009. The report said the KSCA submitted a letter of intimation to the Cubbon Park police station on June 3 before the IPL final. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE THE Delhi High Court on Thursday quashed 16 FIRs lodged against 70 people who were booked for sheltering foreign participants of a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in March 2020, during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, in her verdict, simply said, “Chargesheets quashed,” while disposing of the batch of petitions filed by the accused. The 70 petitioners, represented by advocate Ashima Mandla, had approached the court seeking to end the criminal proceedings pending against them for allegedly hosting foreigners in violation of pandemic-related prohibitory orders. The Delhi Police, which had earlier opposed the plea, had argued that the accused sheltered foreign nationals who had attended the Markaz event at Nizamuddin, breaching lockdown orders and health protocols imposed by the government. Several of these foreign nationals have already been acquitted, discharged, or accepted guilt to leave the country . The petitioners maintained that there was no evidence, either in the FIRs or in the chargesheets, linking them to the spread of Covid-19. Their presence alongside foreigners inside mosques or homes, they argued, could not be construed as participation in any religious congregation or violation of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. “This is a classic case of exaggerated allegations unsupported by material proof,” Mandla had submitted before the court, pointing out that the FIRs merely accused the petitioners of being present with foreign nationals, with no mention of them organising or attending gatherings. They were booked under various sections, including 188 (disobedience of public servant’s order) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection) of the IPC. The police had also cited multiple inspections between March 26–31, 2020, claiming to have found foreign nationals lodged in local mosques even after the nationwide lockdown was declared on March 24. DETERMINE PARENTAGE 9 convicted over ‘digital arrest’ of agri scientist PUNJAB DNA TESTS ON CHILD BEGGARS, ADULTS WITH THEM A sub-divisional court in Kalyani, West Bengal, on Thursday convicted nine members of an inter-state gang in a ‘digital arrest’ cyber fraud case. The convicts—four from Maharashtra, three from Haryana and two from Gujarat—were found guilty of duping a retired agriculture scientist of `1 crore. The court will pronounce its sentence on Friday. H A R P R E E T BA J WA @ Chandigarh Brawl between BJP and NCP men at Maha House GOD SAVETH A man pushes his boats to a safer place amid rise in the water level of the Ganga river in Prayagraj on Thursday. | PTI NDMC makes ‘clean sweep’ at Swachhta awards PA R V E Z S U LTA N @ New Delhi THE New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has bagged the top position in the ‘Super Swachh League’ of Swachh Survekshan Awards in the cate gory of cities with a population of 50,000-3 lakh for its work in urban sanitation, waste management, and green initiatives. Noida has emerged as the cleanest city with a population of 3-10 lakh in the same category . The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) secured 31st position in the ‘Medium Cities’ category, marking a jump of 59 places compared to last year’s ranking of 90. The award, presented by President Droupadi Murmu and Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, was jointly received by Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood and NDMC Chairman Keshav Chandra. The awards were based on the world’s largest urban sanitation survey conducted under the Swachh Bharat MissionUrban by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to assess cities on their cleanliness, waste management and urban hygiene. While MCD is responsible for the upkeep of 96% of Delhi, the council gover ns only 3% of the Capital, under which fall the official residences of the President, Vice-President, Prime Minis- ‘Super Swachh League’ introduced this yr, Indore on top The “Super Swachh League” category, introduced this year, recognises cities that have consistently ranked among the top three in the Swachh Survekshan rankings for at least three consecutive years. However, that was merely an intimation, and not a requisition for permission as required. Despite this, RCB unilaterally proceeded on June 4, announcing a public ‘Victory Parade’ from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium via multiple social media posts starting at 7.01 am. The report stated, “At 8.55 am, RCB posted a video clip featuring Virat Kohli on RCB’s official handle @Rcbtweets on ‘X’, in which he stated that the team intended to celebrate victory with people of Bengaluru city…on June 4.” It also said the situation deteriorated when the organizers responsible for gate management, failed to open the gates on time. 5 years on, 70 get clean chit in VADRA Tablighi Jamaat Covid-19 case @ New Delhi you very hard,” he said. India is one of the largest importers of Russian crude oil, which is sold at a price cap of $60 per barrel, much below global market rates. As of July, Russian crude accounts for 40% of India’s oil imports. Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said India is not concerned about sanctions on Russian crude, as there are enough supplies in the market. Speaking at the Urja Varta 2025 event organised by the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Puri said, “I’m not worried at all. If something happens, we’ll deal with it. India has diversified its sources of supply — we’ve gone from buying oil from about 27 countries to around 40 now.” File photo EXPRESS READ A brawl broke out between supporters of BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar and NCP SP legislator Jitendra Awhad at the premises of the Vidhan Bhavan during the monsoon session of the Maharashtra assembly. Awhad alleged that Padalkar brought several goons facing MCOCA charges to attack him. PEOPLE DIED IN THE AIR INDIA DREAMLINER CRASH IN AHMEDABAD ter, ministers and MPs as well as key buildings like the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, Supreme Court and Central Vista. This year’s edition saw participation from a record number of 4,589 urban local bodies, an increase of 73 cities from the time when the survey was first launched in 2016. This year, the ministry introduced a classification of cities into five population categories —‘very small cities’ (less than 20,000), ‘small cities’ (20,00050,000), ‘medium cities’ (50,0003lakh), ‘big cities’ (three to 10 lakh) and ‘million-plus cities’ (more than 10 lakh). TO curb child trafficking, the Punjab government will conduct DNA testing of minors found begging on the streets to ascertain if the couples accompanying them are real or fake parents. A letter issued on Thursday to Deputy Commissioners by the Director of Social Security and Women and Child Development states that a project—Jeewan Jyot 2.0-Save the Childhood—has been approved for the purpose. The letter directs them “to implement the project and issue the relevant directions in this regard”. It says the need for DNA testing arose because children are soft targets for organised traf ficking networks that abduct, traffic and maim children and force them into begging, which is a violation of child rights. The letter places the project in context, explaining, “The children are trafficked, separated from their biological families, forced into begging, and there are no means of verification of claims of guardianship of the accompanying adult. Often, young girls are seen begging on the streets who have a sleeping infant tied to them with a cloth. The in- Check trafficking If the DNA does not match and the rescued child is found to be a part of a trafficking network, then they would be provided shelter in child care homes. if the DNA tests match, the child will be restored to the family. fant shows less mobility and , the young mothers seem less concerned about the child’s condition. These sightings have become common at traffic light points.” Another issue the project raises is that even if children are rescued, it becomes difficult for authorities to confirm whether an accompanying adult is the child’s legitimate parent or guardian. So, there is a need to implement modern strategies like DNA testing to ascertain the relationship of the child and the accompanying adult to rule out any doubts of trafficking. After the testing, the trafficked children can be rehabilitated or repatriated to their families. The collected DNA samples will be sent to an authorised forensic science laboratory The children will . remain in temporary shelters till the process concludes. The DNA test results will be documented. CHARGESHEETED BY ED IN HARYANA LAND DEAL CASE The ED on Thursday filed a chargesheet against Robert Vadra, husband of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a land deal in Haryana’s Shikohpur. P7 HARASSMENT Bandh against immolation of Odisha student cripples state E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Bhubaneswar THE 12-hour Odisha Bandh called by the Congress and Left parties seeking justice for the 20-year-old girl student of FM (Autonomous) College in Balasore, who died of self-immolation over alleged sexual harassment by her teacher, brought normal life to a standstill across the state on Thursday . Public transport was paralysed and schools, colleges, markets and business establishments remained shut. Petrol pumps also remained closed. Essential services were hit as vehicular movement on major roads and highways was disrupted during the bandh. Thin attendance was seen in government offices. Amid widespread outrage over the college student selfimmolation, an assistant professor of GM University at Sambalpur was on Thursday arrested for allegedly exploiting a student under the false promise of m a r r i a g e. T h e t e a c h e r, Gopikant Suna, has been charged under section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Immediately after his arrest, the university placed him under suspension. The bandh was mostly spontaneous. There was a scuffle between Congress workers and police in front of the CM’s residence following which senior leaders, including OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das and Odisha in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu, were detained. State secretary of CPM Suresh Panigrahi said the party joined the strike as “things are getting out of hand under the BJP government”. The victim pleaded to everyone but was ignored, he said and added that people of Odisha are enforcing the bandh.