mondAY 16 june, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Israel strike 16 killed, most near aid site Gaza’s civil defence agency said 16 people were killed in Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territory on Sunday, most of them while waiting for aid. Page 09 Rescue operation underway after an iron bridge over the Indrayani river collapsed in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Sunday | PTI A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 Diplomacy begins as Trump talks peace, both sides attack oil infra No clarity yet on identity of 18 Air India crash victims US prez reiterates claim he stopped India-Pak conflict; Israel, Iran launch day-time strikes D i l i p S i n g h K shatr i ya @ Ahmedabad A g e n c i es @ Jerusalem / Dubai/ New York Days after the horrific AI-171 air crash here, there is still no clear word on the toll and identity of the deceased. While the ill-fated Air India plane had 242 on board, one passenger survived the crash into the campus of the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. On Saturday the president of , the Junior Doctors’ Association of the college, Dr Dhaval Gameti, said 270 bodies had been received at the Civil Hospital. However, 272 DNA samples have been collected so far. That figure includes 13 others — nine local residents and four medical students. Who were the 18 other victims (272 - [241 + 13])? There is no clarity . For its part, the government said the exact number and identity of the fatalities can be established only after the DNA identification process is over. So far, 47 victims have been identified through DNA testing. Twenty-four bodies, including that of former chief minister Vijay Rupani, have been handed over to their families. Meanwhile, a team from the Prime Minister’s Office, led by Principal Secretary Dr P K Mishra, arrived to monitor the relief and probe process.  P8 EVEN as Israel and Iran stepped up their attacks on each other for the third straight day on Sunday hitting defence, , infrastructure, and civilian targets, US President Donald Trump claimed a peace deal is in the works to stop the war. In a social media post, he said “many calls and meetings” were taking place at his instance to de-escalate tensions. Reiterating his claim that he interfered to stop the military engagement between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam attack, Trump said: “Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make...” Meanwhile, the total toll on both sides mounted with 13 deaths officially confirmed in Israel and 78 in Iran since Friday. However, reports pegged the toll in Iran at 406. In Israel, the main international airport and airspace remained closed for a third day . Iran on Sunday launched its first day-time attack on Israel as it fired a barrage of ballistic missiles aimed at Tel Aviv and Haifa. Israeli media reports said some missiles hit the energy facilities in Haifa. weather change Two electrocuted as rain, storm wreak havoc in city P R A B H AT S H U K L A @ New Delhi Two men were electrocuted in southwest Delhi’s RK Puram after a tree, uprooted by rain and strong winds, brought down a live power line on Sunday . The capital experienced a dramatic change in weather, with light to moderate rainfall and gusty winds, resulting in damage across the city . In a separate incident, a 100-foot mobile tower collapsed in south Delhi’s Safdarjung Enclave, though no injuries were reported. While there were no casu a l t i e s, t h e c o l l ap s e sparked concerns among residents and local leaders. Former AAP MLA from Malviya Nagar, Somnath Bharti, who had previously opposed the tower’s installation, visited the site and voiced anger over the incident. According to police, the electrocution incident occurred around 4.30 am in Sector 1 of RK Puram. Ravinder (30) and Bharat (25), both natives of Madhubani in Bihar and roadside eatery workers, were asleep in a kiosk outside the dhaba when the tree fell. The tree snapped an overhead electric wire as it collapsed, sending a current through the kiosk and killing both the men, along with a stray dog. The dhaba owner, Sunil (45), made a PCR call. The victims were rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre but were declared brought dead. At Safdarjung, the city’s base observatory , the maximum temperature settled at 35.6 degrees Celsius, a notable fall of 6.2 degrees Celsius from the previous day and 3.2 degrees Celsius below normal. The minimum temperature plummeted to 20 degrees, nearly 7.5 degrees below normal. Similar trends were observed across other stations. Forecasts for the coming days suggest similar conditions, with cloudy skies, scattered showers, and thunderstorms across the capital. A plume of heavy smoke and fire seen over an oil refinery in southern Tehran on Sunday, after it was hit in an overnight Israeli strike | AFP Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran’s attacks on Israel will continue until Tel Aviv stops its strikes on Iran. Without commenting on Trump’s latest social media post, he said “the US is a partner in these attacks and must take responsibility”. Through Saturday night and Sunday morning, Israel conducted several strikes across Iran including capital Tehran. According to Iran’s oil ministry the Shahran gasoline depot , in Tehran caught fire during the Israeli attack. In a separate strike, another large oil refinery—Shahr Rey—was also struck, causing explosions. The Israeli military said 80 targets were hit in Tehran in overnight strikes. The targets included fuel depots, the headquarters of Iran’s defence ministry and other targets related to Iran’s nuclear programme. In an unprecedented warning, the Israeli military on Sunday asked Iranians living around weapons factories to immediately evacuate the area, signalling more aggressive attacks ahead aimed at crippling Iran’s military capabilities. Meanwhile, global leaders made urgent calls to de-escalate the fast widening conflict that could impact global economy and destabilise the world’s major oil-producing region. Israel’s attacks on nuclear sites in Iran set a ‘dangerous precedent’, China’s foreign minister said on Sunday. The region is already on edge as Israel seeks to annihilate Hamas, an Iranian ally, in the Gaza Strip, where the war is still raging after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack. However, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off such calls, warning his country’s strikes so far were restrained and the coming days will witness more aggressive attacks. On Sunday US media reports , said Trump ‘vetoed’ Israel’s plan to kill Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump reportedly shot down the plan to go after Iran’s political leadership, saying Iran hasn’t targeted Americans. Tel Aviv is believed to have got intelligence inputs about Khamenei’s location. The move to take out Khamenei shows how far Israel was prepared to go. At least four dead in Maha bridge collapse S udh i r S ur yawa n sh i @ Mumbai At least four persons died and several others were feared swept away after a crowded 30-year-old iron bridge over the Indrayani river collapsed in Pimpri Chinchwad of Maharashtra on Sunday afternoon. Over 30 others were injured in the accident, six of whom were in a critical state when reports last came in. “While two bodies were recovered from beneath the structure, two others succumbed to injuries during treatment after being rescued,” said Talegaon Dabhade police station senior inspector Pradeep Rayannawar. According to the local administration, the bridge on the Indrayani is a popular tourist destination near the Kundmala area in Maval tehsil of Pune district. Eye- The bridge was witnesses said the bridge was corroded meant only for and tourists on it were shooting photo- pedestrians and there was a graphs when it collapsed. warning board The National Disaster Response Force stating that it (NDRF) rescued at least 38 people. Two cannot be used by NDRF teams were deployed and they were two-wheelers. carrying out search and rescue operations People did not pay heed to these at the site. Maval MLA Sunil Shelke said there instructions were over 100 people on the bridge at the Girish Mahajan, time of the accident. “Some fell into the Maharashtra minister river but managed to swim to safety,” he said, adding the bridge was constructed for the movement of farmers 30 years ago. “But due to the excessive load of tourists and two-wheelers, the iron structure collapsed. It was not open to tourists, but unfortunately they came in large numbers and got on to it,” Shelke said. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered the high level inquiry into the incident. He said as per a preliminary report, the bridge was corroded and maintenance work may not have carried out on time. “After the probe, action will be taken against the guilty and those responsible for this incident will be punished,”he said. The state government announced compensation of `5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased. ukraine Russian drone attacks intensify near sumy 7 killed as helicopter carrying pilgrims from Kedarnath crashes at Gaurikund N A R E N D R A S E T H I @ Dehradun All seven persons on a helicopter en route to Guptkashi from the shrine of Kedarnath were killed when it crashed at Gaurikund area of Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district around 5:30 am on Sunday . This is the fifth such accident on the Chardham Yatra route since the pilgrimage started on April 30. The latest incident prompted suspension of all helicopter services for the Yatra until further orders. The Bell 407, operated by Aryan Aviation, was engulfed in flames immediately after the crash, reducing it to ashes. “The helicopter took off from Guptakashi at 05:10 hrs and landed at Shri Kedarnath ji Helipad at 05:18 hrs. The helicopter took off again at 05:19 hrs for Guptkashi and crashed near Gaurikund,” an official statement said. The Union civil aviation ministry suspended the operations of the helicopter operator. The ministry said the helicopter NDRF and SDRF personnel at the spot after a helicopter crashed near the Kedarnath shrine, in Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, on Sunday | NDRF via PTI took off despite poor visibility . The exact cause will be determined after a detailed probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, it added. Among the six pilgrims was a two-year-old child. The pilot, Captain Rajbeer Singh Chauhan, was also killed. “Nepali women cutting grass above Gaurikund were the first to report the helicopter crash, following which relief and rescue teams immediately reached the spot. The bodies have been recovered with the help of State Disaster Response Force and local police personnel.” District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar told this newsaper. According to Rahul Chaubey , nodal officer for helicopter services, the victims included a couple from Maharashtra and their 23-month-old child, identified as Rajkumar Jaiswal, Shraddha Jaiswal, and Kashi Jaiswal. The others were Tushti Singh, Vinod Negi, and Vikram Singh Rawat. Taking serious note of recent back-to-back helicopter accidents in the state, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said: “Strict Standard Operating Procedures must be prepared for heli-services in the state… mandating technical inspections of helicopters and accurate weather assessments prior to every flight.” The chief minister also directed a high-level committee to probe Sunday’s accident. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Sunday suspended the licences of two other pilots— Capt Yogesh Grewal and Capt Jitendra Harjai of Trans Bharat Aviation— for operating helicopters “under similar unsuitable weather conditions”. Despite the driving rain, a few elderly residents wander into the streets of Stetskivka in Ukraine to catch a yellow bus to go shopping in nearby Sumy, the regional capital | P9 express read AI flight returns to Delhi due to technical snag New Delhi: Just days after a tragic Air India flight crash claimed over 200 lives, another domestic flight of the airline, carrying 168 passengers, developed a technical snag immediately after taking-off from Delhi to Vadodara on Sunday evening. An airline source said, "The flight had just taken off from IGI when the captain suspected a problem with the landing gear within a few minutes of becoming airborne. As a caution, he decided to return to the airport." The aircraft is slated to depart to Vadodara on Monday. GST dept busts `14 crore fraud, `1.16 cr retrieved New Delhi: The Delhi government’s Department of Trade and Taxes has uncovered GST refund fraud amounting to nearly `14 crore. The investigation revealed a network of individuals who created four fictitious firms to illegitimately claim GST refunds under the guise of genuine business activities. It marks a first-of-its-kind operation by the Department, where cuttingedge big data analytics and detailed chain analysis—including scrutiny of banking transactions— were employed to trace the flow of funds across multiple entities | P3 Punjab, Haryana asked to reconsider ethanol fees H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh jumbo festival A ritual procession held as part of Vaishakholsavam at Mahadeva temple in Kerala’s Kottiyoor on Sunday | Express The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has instructed the governments of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh to reconsider the fees levied on ethanol production in their excise policies, as it contributes to the increased cost of ethanol-blended petrol. Interestingly, while Opposition parties are ruling Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, Haryana has a BJP government. In letters to these state governments on different occasions, the ministry has said that provisions to levy Regulatory Fees in excise policies may restrict the free movement of ethanol within and outside the states, which will further increase the cost of ethanolblended petrol. “…Given that ethanol is already subject to goods and services tax (GST), imposing an additional excise duty would constitute double taxation, which runs contrary to sound taxation principles and could be legally untenable, especially for a production crucial to a national program. The increased costs resulting from the proposed fees and excise duty policy 2025-27 are likely to raise the price of ethanolblended petrol. Haryana and Punjab appear to be the sole states where such levies on ethanol specifically meant for blending with petrol have been imposed,’’ the letter by Parveen M Khanooja, Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, read. Meanwhile, the Grain Etha- ‘Addl excise duty leads to double taxation’ Given that ethanol is subject to GST, imposing an additional excise duty would constitute double taxation, which could be legally untenable. The increased costs resulting from the proposed fees and duty in excise policy 2025-27 are likely to raise price of ethanol-blended petrol nol Manufacturers Association has written to Haryana seeking withdrawal of the ethanol fee. Sukhpreet Grover, member of the association, said he, along with other members, recently met Haryana officials in this regard and is hoping for positive outcome. “Ethanol manufacturers have helped the state achieve the target of 20% ethanol blended petrol on line with the National Mission. Now, they are working on achieving the 30% blending in petrol by 2030.” The industry has struggled to survive due to high cost of raw materials. “We urge complete withdrawal of the proposed Re 1 per litre pass fee on ethanol dispatches,” he said.