Monday billionaire Warren Buffett to bow out by end of the year 05 Decision brings curtains down on a six-decade run heading Berkshire Hathaway that made Buffett the world’s most influential investor minces no words on dollar’s future May, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard ■ X.com/TheMornStandard p u t i n s ay s need to use nuclear weapons not risen Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine had not arisen and that he hopes it will not. Page 9 $1.18 Trillion A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi Befitting reply to those who hurt India: Rajnath Air Chief Marshal meets Modi amid rising cross-border tensions R A J E S H KUM A R T H A KU R , M AYA N K SI N G H & F AYA Z W A N I @ New Delhi/Srinagar AMID the rising tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, according to sources. There was no official statement on the meeting, but the two were understood to have discussed the security situation. The Air Chief Marshal’s oneon-one-meeting with the prime minister came a day after Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi met Modi. Later in the day, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh said he will see to it that the armed forces give a “befitting reply” to India’s enemies. Issuing a stern warning to Pakistan—without directly naming the country—Singh said: “As the defence minister, it is my responsibility to work with my soldiers and ensure the protection of the country’s borders. And it is my responsibility to give a befitting reply, by working with the armed forces, to those who cast an evil eye on our country.” Singh’s strong words came during his speech Sonu Nigam may be questioned by cops over ‘insult’ to Kannadigas E x pre s s N ew s Ser v i c e @ Bengaluru A day after an FIR was registered against singer Sonu Nigam for allegedly insulting Kannadigas, the police are now likely to issue a notice summoning him to appear before the investig ation of ficer for questioning. The FIR was filed following Nigam’s controversial statement during a college concert, where he linked a request to sing a Kannada song with the Pahalgam terror attack — a remark that triggered widespread outrage and upset people in Karnataka. The Avalahalli police booked the singer on Saturday under Sections 351(1) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult t o p r ovo ke breach of peace), and 3 5 3 ( p u bl i c mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), after Nigam, who has sung numerous Kannada songs, allegedly took offence at being asked to sing in Kannada. According to the FIR, the complainant, Dharmaraj A, president of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike’s Bengaluru district unit, alleged that Nigam made objectionable remarks during an East Point College of Engineering concert. He mentioned that a student requested Nigam to sing a Kannada song, to which the singer responded by saying, “Kannada, Kannada, Kannada — this is why the Pahalgam incident (terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 tourists were killed) happened.” By equating a Kannada song request with an act of terrorism, Nigam insulted Kannadigas and their cultural identity he added. , Buffett said the market turmoil that generated headlines after US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement last month ‘is really nothing’ to be worried about Iran’s foreign minister to visit Pak, India After Tehran said it would use its ties with India and Pakistan to ease tensions, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to visit Pakistan on Monday, and India after that. Tehran said the visit is “part of regular consultations with neighbouring countries” at the Sanatan Sanskriti Jagran Mahotsav event in Delhi. Meanwhile, officials said Pakistan continued to breach the ceasefire agreement for the 10th continuous night. “During the night of May 3 and 4, Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked small arms fire across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor in J&K,” an army official said, adding that Indian forces responded promptly and proportionately . Although there have been no casualties or injuries in the cross-border firing, it has led to escalation of tension at the frontiers, causing panic among border residents. X handles of Bilawal, Imran blocked The social media accounts of Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former Pak PM Imran Khan will not be available in India as the government on Sunday withheld their X handles. The action is part of the digital crackdown on Pak handles Also, while heavy weaponry such as mortars and artillery has not yet been used, the continuous use of small arms including light machine guns by both sides has raised concerns that the situation may escalate into intense clashes. Pakistan’s continuous ceasefire violations and targeting of army posts along the Line of Control in multiple sectors from Kashmir to Jammu region has put the border ceasefire pact in threat and danger. Fearing further escalation of the situation, the border residents in Jammu and Kashmir are cleaning and fortifying their underground bunkers and stock-piling essentials to prepare for any eventuality. Farmers are also hurriedly completing the harvesting of crops in the border areas. l l J8.00 Vice-Chairman greg abel is successor Buffett had such a devoted following among investors that markets would move when his investments were disclosed. Buffett said he will recommend to Berkshire Hathaway’s board that Vice Chairman Greg Abel should replace him. Abel has been Buffett’s designated successor for years, and already manages Berkshire’s non-insurance businesses PAGES 12 Need partners, not preachers: EAM tells EU J ayanth J a c o b @ New Delhi EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Europe to show greater sensitivity and mutuality of interest if it wants deeper ties with India, saying New Delhi is looking for “partners, not preachers.” Speaking at the ‘ rctic Circle A India Forum’ during an interactive session on Sunday, Jaishankar highlighted India’s long-standing advocacy of ‘Russia realism’ and pointed to the ‘important fit’ and ‘complementarity’ between the two countries, describing Russia as a resource provider and India as a resource consumer. He also criticised Western efforts to resolve the RussiaUkraine conflict without involving Moscow, terming them a challenge to the basics of realism. “Just like I am an advocate of Russia realism, I am also an advocate of America realism,” he said. “I think the best way to engage today’s America is also through finding mutuality of interests rather than putting ideological differences upfront and then allowing it to cloud the possibilities of working together,” he added. Responding to a question on India’s expectations from Europe, he said Europe must move beyond preaching and instead act on the basis of shared interests. “When we look out at the world, we look for partners; we do not look for preache r s, p a r t i c u l a rl y preachers who do not practise at home and preach abroad,” he said. Jaishankar has repeatedly called out what he sees as Western duplicity in global affairs, especially Europe’s selective application of international H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh testing times Candidates leave an examination centre after appearing for the NEET-UG 2025 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday | PTI | P3 A gen c i e s @ Tel Aviv / New Delhi P reetha na i r @ New Delhi Israeli security forces inspect the site where the projectile was fired by Yemen’s Houthis on Sunday, leading to suspension of flight services | AP from the tarmac. This was the first time a missile struck the airport since the war began. Passengers were heard yelling and scrambling for cover in footage shared by Israeli media. Air raid sirens were sounded in multiple parts of Israel. In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed retribution: “Whoever harms us, we will harm them sevenfold.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a multi-phased response to Yemen’s Houthis. “It’s not bang, principles. He has long argued that for Europe to be taken seriously it must show consistency , in upholding values such as territorial integrity, rather than bending rules to suit its own interests. Pointing to what he terms a lopsided worldview, Jaishankar in the past had said that the Europe must move beyond the belief that its problems are global concerns, while the rest of the world’s issues are not its responsibility . “Some of Europe is still struggling with that problem. Some of it has changed,” he noted, suggesting that Europe has entered “a certain zone of reality check.” Two held for leaking Army info, pics to Pak operatives Iran-backed Houthis attack Israel’s ‘highlight bjp’s resistance’ main airport with hypersonic missile Cong asks state units to up ante on caste census A missile launched by Iranianbacked Houthi rebels of Yemen briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at Israel’s main inter national air por t on Sunday . The Houthis have been striking Israel throughout the war in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians. The attack on BenGurion International Airport came hours before Israeli Cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify military operations in the Gaza Strip. The armed wing of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas praised the missile attack. Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree said in a video statement that the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport. The Israeli military confirmed that the attack, which gouged a large crater in the perimeter of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, was launched from Yemen and had struck despite “several attempts... to intercept the missile”. A photographer said the missile hit near the parking lots of Terminal 3, the airport’s largest. The crater was just hundreds of metres is the estimated size of the berkshire hathaway empire bang and we’re done, but there will be bangs,” he said. Scores of flights operating from the Ben-Gurion international airport to different countries were cancelled. Germany’s Lufthansa airline and British Airways suspended flights to Tel Aviv till May 7, while Air India announced a temporary termination of all its operations to and from Tel Aviv till May 6 after the diversion of its New Delhi to Tel Aviv flight, carrying nearly 200 passengers, to Abu Dhabi due p7,9 to the attack.  STEPPING up pressure on the Union government to conduct the caste census as announced by the Union cabinet recently, the Congress asked its state units on Sunday to highlight the BJP’s resistance to ‘caste enumeration’ in the past and Rahul Gandhi’s consistent efforts in pushing for it. In a circular, AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal directed all state units to raise demands made in the C WC m e e t i n g l a s t week, including carrying out the caste census without delay and implementation of Article 15(5), during the upcoming ‘Samvidhan Bachao Rallies’ scheduled to be held across all states and districts. Venugopal also urged state units to convey the party’s historical and ongoing commitments at the grassroots level, including the leadership role played by Rahul Gandhi. “In particular, the demand for the immediate implementation of Article 15(5) should be prominently highlighted,” he said. The article pertains to reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs in private educational institutions. The party directed all PCCs that during the assembly-level ‘Save Constitution’ rallies and house-to-house campaigns scheduled till May 30, the state units must organise ‘chaupal meetings’ with active participation from social activists, civil society activists, teachers, lawyers, shopkeepers, self-help groups memb e r s, a n d B a h u j a n communities. The circular called upon the state units to “expose the BJP’s antiBahujan ideology, its resistance to caste enumeration, and its efforts to suppress social justice”. It urged leaders to mobilise broad-based public support for the caste census and full implementation of Article 15(5). “These efforts must reflect a unified communication strategy that brings clarity, conviction, and high visibility to our campaign for social justice. PCCs are requested to treat this campaign with top priority .” IN a counter-espionage operation, Punjab Police have arrested two persons for allegedly supplying sensitive information and photographs of Army cantonment areas and air bases to Pakistan intelligence. DGP Gaurav Yadav said Amritsar Rural Police arrested Palak Sher Masih and Suraj Masih on Saturday “A preliminary in. vestigation revealed their links to Pakistani intelligence operatives, established through one Harpreet Singh, alias Pittu, currently lodged in Amritsar Central Jail. A case has been registered under the Official Secrets Act, and the investigation is underway,’’ he added. Yadav further said that the state police stands firm with the Indian Army “Any attempt . to undermine the security of our armed forces will be met with firm and immediate action,” he said. S S P ( A m r i t s a r Ru r a l ) Maninder Singh said that they received a secret tip-off about Palak and Suraj being in constant touch with operatives of Pakistan’s ISI and passing information on sensitive installations. “The two have been arrested, and the police recovered a lot of data from them. Harpreet Singh, presently lodged at Amritsar Central Jail, helped them get in touch with ISI. We will bring him on a production warrant. He is already facing charges under the NDPS Act, and now the police have registered a case under the Official Secrets Act and the Information Technology Act.’’ The SSP said the two alleged accused received `5,000 for small information and `10,000 for more sensitive information about the movement of troops. “They started with picking up heroin consignments from the border, then they began providing information about sensitive Army installations and movements to the intelligence agents from Pakistan,” he said. Punjab police continue to control Nangal dam gates H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh In an escalating water war between Punjab and Haryana, the Punjab Police continues to control the regulator gates at the Nangal Dam despite Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan asking the state government to withdraw its police personnel. The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) chairman had reportedly sent a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking the deployment of Central Industrial Security Force CISF personnel to guard the dam. Approximately two dozen police personnel, along with two DSP rank officers, are presently deployed at the dam. The local AAP cadre has erected a tent where they are staging an indefinite dharna against the BBMB. Before this controversy, around five police personnel were deployed, that increased manifold on May 1 after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann visited the dam. However, the officials claim that only essential police personnel were deployed at the dam. “At present, only the mini- mum required force is deployed at the Nang al Dam. T he security had been beefed up earlier as a precautionary measure, and VIP movement had only been for a few days,’’ said a senior official on the condition of anonymity . Anadpur Sahib MLA Harjot Singh Bains had claimed to have locked a room at the Nangal dam, from which the water supply is regulated. Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament Randeep Singh Surjewala said here today demanded that the union government should hand over the security of the Bhakra-Nangal Dam project to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Referring to alleged deployment of Punjab Police personnel at the Bhakra headworks, claiming it was obstructing the release of water to Haryana and demanded that the Centre should get it freed from the “illegal occupation.’’ Meanwhile,Punjab Congress leaders went into a huddle on Sunday evening ahead of a special Assembly session convened by the AAP government to discuss the dispute over sharing extra water from the Nangal Dam with neighbouring Haryana. Briefing reporters about the meeting, Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa emphasized unity on matters of “Punjab, Punjabiyat and its water”. Under fire cases in Capital spark concern about regulatory oversight As risk of fire outbreaks runs high in the summer season, here’s what local traders are doing to ensure the safety of their customers and establishments | P4