WEDNESDAY AT LEAST 66 DEAD, 51 INJURED IN FIRE AT A SKI RESORT IN TURKEY 22 A fire raged through a 12-story hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday during a school holiday, killing 66 people and injuring 51 JANUARY, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard REGISTERED GUESTS WERE PRESENT IN THE HOTEL AT THE TIME OF THE BLAZE X.com/TheMornStandard I N T E L FA I LU R E SENIOR ISRAELI GENERAL RESIGNS Israel’s top general resigned on Tuesday, citing the security and intelligence failures related to Hamas’ attack that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip. PAGE 9 HOTEL’S LOCATION HAMPERING RESCUE EFFORTS A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00 EXPERTS RULE OUT SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON INDIA DUE TO TRUMP’S TRADE POLICIES SHORT-TERM PAIN, LONG-TERM GAIN... ...India sees window of opportunity amidst tests D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi HOURS after taking charge as US president, Donald Trump took a slew of major executive actions to effect major policy shifts, many of them with global ramifications whose ripple effects would be felt across the world including India. The Indian equity markets felt the tremors on Tuesday with benchmark indices falling by 1.6%, while the rupee tanked 14 paise to close at 86.59 against dollar. However, most analysts and commentators expect limited economic impact on India as most decisions won’t impact India directly, though the uncertainties could shake a few indicators in the short term. Soon after assuming office, Trump announced his America First Trade Policy withdrawal , from global tax deals as well as pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord. He declared a national energy emergency, reinstating the country’s oil and gas industry at the centre stage. He also ended the federal mandate for electric vehicles, which has set a target of electrifying all new light-duty vehicles by 2027. While he did not sign any orders announcing import tariff hike, he proposed 25% duty on goods coming from Canada and Mexico. Earlier, Trump had proposed a 60% tax on Chinese imports and 20% tariff on imports from other countries. He also hinted he would target countries with trade surplus with the US. India figures in this list but Soumya Kanti Ghosh, SBI’s group chief economic adviser, says the impact will be limited as India has broadened its export market. Ajay Sahai, director-general and CEO, Federation of India Exports Organisation, believes India stands to gain. “These measures aim to protect US industries but they also create opportunities for Indian exporters to fill supply chain gaps in textiles, pharmaceuticals, and engineering goods,” he said. Trump’s US-centric energy policies also signal potential EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be the first foreign minister to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a bilateral discussion, as India aims to strengthen its ties with the US following the inauguration of President Donald Trump as its 47th President. Rubio will be meeting Jaishakar in the state department soon after his meeting with foreign ministers of India, Japan and Ausralia under the Quad format in the same venue. Jaishankar, who represented India at the inauguration, was seated in the front row alongside Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa. He also had brief interactions with members of Trump’s administration, including Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and FBI Director nominee Kash Patel. According to sources, the importance of the Quad format is quite pronounced, going by the way the first day’s appointments of Rubio are planned. Soon after interacting with state department staffers, the Quad ministers will meet for an hour. Trump is expected to visit India to attend the first Quad summit later this year. India also intends to host the first meeting of the Regional Ports and Transportation Conference, a new initiative of the grouping, in Mumbai in the coming months. Sources said that India-US ties will continue to grow under Trump despite negotiating some of the challenges, including the tariff plans and the efforts to draw outsourced manufacturing units back to the US. “Tariff on imported goods, we need to wait and see. It could also be the case that the new American administration takes some time before arriving at any definite plans,” said a source. New Delhi has maintained that Trump’s policies that change the international order will have less impact on countries like India as New Delhi is not heavily invested in the existing order. “Those most anxious are the nations and organisations who are deeply invested in the current order....For the countries who are less invested, it could very well be a time of opportunity. India falls in the latter category Jaishankar said ,” during the Nani Palkhivala Memorial Lecture on January 18. DON’s 1st DAY KEY EXECUTIVE ORDERS DONALD TRUMP SIGNED ON HIS INAUGURATION DAY Withdraws US from the Paris Agreement and WHO PARDONS FOR JAN 6 US CAPITOL ATTACK Trump pardoned around 1,500 people convicted or charged in the Jan 6 attack END TO FEDERAL CASES Trump ordered an end to federal cases against ‘political opponents’ of the Biden administration, effectively helping his own supporters Ends remote work policies for all federal workers EASING REGULATORY BURDENS Trump ordered easing of regulatory burdens on oil and natural gas production TARIFFS ON CANADA AND MEXICO Trump plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Feb 1 sanctions on Russia and Iran, which could disrupt energy imports for India. But on the positive side, there is a possibility of more US energy coming to India, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. “India must diversify its energy supply sources, intensify domestic oil exploration efforts, and expand investments in renewable energy to reduce external shocks,” said Ajay Srivastava, founder, Global Trade Research Initiative. P9 Warm capital likely to witness light rain, thundershower today I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi AFTER three consecutive warmer days, the city is likely to experience light rain or thunderstorms on Wednesday evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The sky will generally be cloudy with light rain or thunderstorms towards evening. The minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to be around 22 degrees Celsius (°C) and 11°C, respectively . Meanwhile, on January 23, the morning will witness moderate fog, followed by a generally cloudy sky and a spell of light rain. Evening may also see smog or shallow fog, with temperatures varying between 20°C and 12 °C. Maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 24°C and 11°C, respectively offering a relatively , mild cold. While the rains might provide relief from the dry winter 238 air, the wet conditions along with the moderate fog expected to persist in the morning hours this week. However, the IMD has ruled out a cold wave in Delhi-NCR and North-West India in the coming days. On Monday and Tuesday, Delhi experienced warm days, with the maximum temperature settling five notches above normal at 24.5°C on Monday . Tuesday’s temperature hovered around 23°C. The national capital’s air quality remained ‘very poor’ despite a sunny day, with the 24hour Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 314 at 4 pm, according to Central Pollution Control Board data. On January 19, the city recorded a maximum temperature at 26.1°C, marking the warmest January day in six years. The maximum temperature recorded on that day by the observatory at Safdarjung — Delhi’s primary weather station — was seven notches higher than normal. COMBATING CONSUMER INFLATION Trump calls for an “all of government” response to bring down costs for Americans NATIONAL EMERGENCY AT US-MEXICO BORDER Trump declared a national emergency, planning to send US troops to support immigration agents ENDING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP It denies citizenship to children born in the US whose parents lack legal immigration status even if they are not illegals MINIMUM TAX PACT AXE Withdraws US from global minimum tax agreement The only one smarter than Vance is his wife (Usha). I would have chosen her (for V-P) but somehow the line of succession didn’t work that way, right? Donald Trump in his first address after inauguration  The fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, 300 kilometres east of Istanbul, occurred near the start of a two-week winter break for schools, when hotels in the region are packed. A part of the 161-room hotel is on the side of a cliff, hampering rescue efforts. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said all steps will be taken to nab those responsible for the blaze PAGES 12 Top gun among 14 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur There were intelligence inputs specifying the presIN a big jolt to the outlawed ence of the senior Maoist asCPI (Maoist), its Central sembling in the region. A Committee member Jayram joint operation launched by Pratap Reddy alias Chalap- a special team faced heavy athi and 13 senior cadres gunfire from the Naxals, the were killed in an exchange officer said. of fire with security forces Union Home Minister along the Chhattisgarh-Odi- Amit Shah said on X: “Ansha border, 160 km other mighty blow east of Raipur. to Naxalism. With a The gun battle late resolve for a Naxalon Sunday continfree India and joint ued intermittently efforts of security for 48 hours in the forces, Naxalism is Kularighat forest of breathing its last Mainpur region in today .” Who is Gariaband district, Chalapathi Two security persaid a senior police sonnel, who were inChalapathi, a officer supervising jured in the gunmaster military the operation. fight, are out of Chalapathi, who strategist in his danger. The forces 60s, had a `1 hailed from Andhra recovered self-loadPradesh, was an ac- crore bounty on ing guns, INSAS ritive member of the his head. Born fles and Improvised Central Committee, in Chittoor, he explosive devices joined the which holds signifi( I E D s ) f ro m t h e Maoist cant authority in the scene, the SP said. banned CPI (Mao- movement 27 Several slain Maoist), just below the years ago, and ists were said to be lend strategic Politburo. He had a members of Mainbounty of `1 crore guidance and pur-Nuapada diviintellectual on his head. sion of the outlawed support “The encounter is organisation. still on. So far, 14 So far, 46 Maoists bodies have been recovered. have been killed in ChhattisThe casualty count is ex- garh in January . pected to rise as the search This is the second major operation has been intensi- encounter against the Maofied. This is the first opera- ists this year in Gariaband tion where senior leaders of district adjoining the Odisthe banned outfit have been ha border. The operation is killed in Chhattisgarh,” part of a renewed strategy Nikhil Rakhecha, Garia- to free Chhattisgarh from band SP told this paper. the grip of Maoists. CHINARS GET GEO-TAGGED WITH QR CODES In a move to conserve Kashmir’s heritage, the Chinar trees of the Valley have been geo-tagged and equipped with QR-code | P8 EXPRESS READ BSF jawan hurt in stone pelting by B’deshi smugglers A Border Security Force jawan sustained serious head injuries in stone pelting by Bangladeshi smugglers on the intervening night of January 20 and 21 near the Narayanganj border outpost in Cooch Behar. The BSF’s Guwahati frontier said the troops tried to stop miscreants from the Bangladesh side from entering India. The miscreants resorted to stone pelting in which a jawan sustained serious head injuries. SAFE SAIF Actor Saif Ali Khan back home from hospital following multiple surgeries five days ago after he was stabbed by an intruder, in Mumbai on Tuesday | ANI Seize Husain’s two paintings, says city court S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi A Delhi court ordered the seizure of two paintings by renowned artist M F Husain displayed at the Delhi Art Gallery following a complaint that they were offensive. Judicial Magistrate First Class Sahil Monga, presiding over the Patiala House Court, on Monday approved advocate Amita Sachdeva’s request for their seizure under Section 94 of the BNSS Act. The court instructed the Investigating Officer (IO) to secure the artworks and submit a report by January 22. “In light of the facts and circumstances mentioned in the said application, the said application is allowed and the IO is directed to seize the said painting and file a report on 22.01.2025.” Sachdeva’s complaint, lodged on December 9, 2024, at the Parliament Street Police Station, alleged that the paintings depicting Hindu deities Hanuman and Ganesh, were offensive. Sachdeva also sought an FIR against the Delhi Art Gallery’s CEO, whom she criticised for allegedly removing the paintings after her initial visit with the IO, falsely claiming they were never on display . DELHI DECIDES AAP reaches out to Dhobi BJP promises free education community with power sop for the needy from KG to PG A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday promised to establish a welfare board for the washermen community if his party returns to power in the February 5 Assembly elections. He also promised to charge electricity and water at domestic rates and to provide education and skill training for their children. Addressing press conference, the former CM unveiled a series of “7 Guarantees” to uplift their livelihoods, ensure access to basic services and secure their socio-economic welfare. These include regularising press stands, resuming the halted licensing process for dhobis, charging power and water at domestic rates, and providing quality education, scholarships, and skill training for their children, and welfare schemes for elderly washermen. Representatives from the Delhi Dhobi Mahasabha met Kejriwal and extended their support to the party, stating that these measures would cre- DAYS after unveiling the first phase of Sankalp Patra, the BJP came up with the second one on Tuesday with a slew of , promises aimed at students and marginalised communities. The manifesto, presented by BJP leader Anurag Thakur, included free education from Kindergarten (KG) to Post-graduation (PG), `1,000 monthly stipend for students from the SC community besides others. , The former Union minister said that once the BJP forms the government, it will address problems related to transportation, water, electricity, education, and healthcare. “Once voted to power, we will provide youngsters with `15,000 to help them prepare for better institutions. We will cover their travel expenses, and application fees will also be reimbursed for up to two attempts. This is the guarantee from Modi Ji. We announce the allocation of `1,000 as a stipend under the Dr BR Ambedkar Sti- ate a transformative impact on the lives of thousands of washermen across the city . “As the national convenor of the party I accept the demands , of the Dhobi community and announce that if our government is formed, the Delhi government will establish a Dhobi Samuday Welfare Board,” Kejriwal said. Arrangements for scholarships and quality education will be made for the children, while youth will be provided skill training for their traditional profession or other trades. MORE REPORTS ON PG 3 & 4 Seven more guarantees announced AAP promised ‘7 guarantees’ for washermen community, including regularising press stands, resuming licencing for dhobis, and charging power and water at domestic rates pend Scheme for ST students studying in technical courses at ITI and Skill Centres in Delhi,” Thakur said. Thakur also promised to set up an Auto-Taxi Welfare Board and provide life insurance of up to `10 lakh and accident insurance of up to `5 lakh for drivers. “We will also offer scholarships for the children of auto-taxi drivers pursuing higher education.” Highlighting achievements of PM Swamitva Yojana, Thakur claimed that if BJP comes to power, four lakh street vendors will benefit. Why CAG report not tabled? Questioning why the CAG report was not tabled in the Assembly, Anurag Thakur said once the BJP forms the government, an SIT will be set up to investigate the scams of AAP dispensation