NEW DELHI 24 AUGUST 2025 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in PLUS: 12 PAGES Devotion in Mixed Media Motion MAGAZINE Mushrooming Trend EXCLUSIVE VOICES Returning to Roots MASCARA MEN Anand Neelakantan Debashis Chatterjee Ravi Shankar Balaji Vittal Anu Aggarwal Prabhu Chawla Shankkar Aiyar Geetha Ravichandran Mulling the Power of Pause Postal service to US Sergio Gor is first to take the hit Trump envoy Temporary suspension to impact small-scale exports J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi IN a significant development with far-reaching implications for trade and personal shipments, the Department of Posts announced on Saturday a temporary suspension of all postal services to the US, effective August 25, citing “operational challenges” arising from new customs regulations. The move follows the issuance of Executive Order No. 14324 by the US administration on July 30, which revokes the long-standing duty-free de minimis exemption for imported goods valued at up to USD 800. The new rules, coming into effect on August 29, will subject all international shipments to customs duties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act framework. “ international postal items All destined for the USA, regardless of their value, shall be subject to customs duties,” an official release from the Ministry of Communications said, adding that only letters/documents and gift items valued up to USD 100 will remain exempt for the time being. Although the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued preliminary guidelines on August 15, key components of the new customs framework, in- pick for India J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi FILE PHOTO cluding the designation of “qualified parties” authorised to collect and remit duties remain “undefined”, according to the department. “Several critical processes… remain undefined. Consequently, US-bound air carriers have expressed their inability to accept postal consignments after August 25, 2025, citing lack of operational and technical readiness,” the press release noted. The suspension comes amid escalating trade tensions between New Delhi and Washington. President Donald Trump recently announced 25% tariff on Indian goods that could couple with an additional 25% penalty targeting India’s purchases of Russian oil, effectively raising the total tariff burden on certain imports to 50%. It sparked concerns within India’s trade and logistics sectors, given the volume of smallscale exports and personal shipments reliant on international postal services. The negotiations (with US) are still going on. The bottom line is, we have some red lines. Those are the interests of our farmers and small producers. That’s not something we can compromise on — S Jaishankar Strategic autonomy “That’s our right (buying Russian oil). In my business, we would say that’s what strategic autonomy is about,” the external affairs minister said at an event in New Delhi | P7 IN a key diplomatic move underscoring the Trump administration’s evolving strategy in Asia, President Donald Trump appointed Sergio Gor as the US Ambassador to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs. The announcement came at a time of growing tensions between Washington and New Delhi over trade issues and India’s continued energy and economic engagement with Russia. At 39, Gor becomes the youngest US ambassador to India, replacing Eric Garcetti, a Bidenera appointee who vacated the post in January . His dual appointment signals a consolidation of regional diplomatic leadership under a figure with deep loyalty to Trump and substantial influence in the current administration. As Director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, Gor played a key role in staffing the federal government with Trump-aligned Sergio Gor officials. The president credited him with hiring nearly 4,000 “America First Patriots” across federal agencies in record time. “Sergio is a great friend who has been at my side for many years... For the most populous region in the world, it is important that I have someone I can fully trust to deliver on my agenda and help us MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump said, emphasising the political trust underpinning the appointment. A low-profile but powerful operative, Gor held senior roles in both presidential campaigns, including management of a pro-Trump Super PAC, and involvement in publishing the former president’s best-selling books. His loyalty and behindthe-scenes influence earned him a reputation as one of the administration’s most trusted aides. The Messy Truth of Myths The Pawsh Life of Pets The first module of India’s maiden space station, the Bharatiya Antriksh Station will be launched into space in 2028, ISRO chief V Narayanan said on Saturday. P4 PM FOR FORAY INTO DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION B O S K Y K H A N N A @ Bengaluru PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday set the tone for the space sector in the years ahead, urging scientists to focus on deep space exploration, while appealing to the youth to be part of a pool of astronauts that is planned to be set up for future space missions. In his video address on the second National Space Day, Modi appealed to private space sector to step forward to develop the capability of launching 50 rockets each year and create at least five unicorns in the space domain in the next five years. While stressing on India’s achievements in space, the PM said, “We have already gone to the Moon and Mars, and now there is a need to go to the deeper regions of space where many mysteries lie, where secrets that will benefit the future of humanity are hidden. Beyond the galaxy lies our horizon.” He said that India is on the part of “reform, perform and transform”. Many reforms have been done in the space sector over the years, and India’s space sector policies have no finality . The PM said that the Indian space sector is no more limited to launching of satellites, but has been playing an essential role in ease of living, giving alerts to fishermen, disaster alerts and even aiding in government projects, including PM Gati Shakti, which looks at accelerating growth based on planned infrastructure. Modi said India is working on reforming the space sector with greater inclusion of the private sector, which will soon launch the first PSLV rocket built by it. Also, India’s first private communication satellite will soon be launched. He pointed out that preparations were underway to launch the Earth Observation Satellite Constellation under public-private partnership. He appreciated the growth of the space sector over the last decade. Mann rejects Centre’s order on name deletion from food subsidy list M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ New Delhi THE Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at industrialist Anil Ambani’s Seawind residence in Mumbai’s Cuffe Parade on Saturday in a `2,929.05 crore bank fraud case involving Reliance Communications Limited (RCOM). The raids began at 7 am, with Ambani and his family present, officials said.The CBI acted after registering a 20-page FIR in Delhi, naming Ambani, RCOM, unknown public servants, and others as accused, based on a complaint from SBI. SBI said that RCOM, under Ambani’s leadership, defrauded the bank of `2,929.05 crore, including a fund-based principal of `2,227.64 crore and nonAnil Ambani fund-based bank guarantees worth `786.52 crore. SBI had classified RCOM and Ambani as “fraud” on June 13, 2025, under RBI’s Fraud Risk Management guidelines, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply recently . RCOM’s Resolution Professional disclosed this to the Bombay Stock Exchange on July 1, 2025. SBI formally complained to the CBI on August 18, 2025, prompting the FIR. A spokesperson on behalf of Anil Ambani said: “The complaint by SBI pertains to matters dating back more than 10 years... Mr Ambani was a NonExecutive Director then, with no involvement in day-to-day management. Mr Ambani has been selectively singled out.” PUNJAB Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday asserted that he would not permit the Central government to delete any beneficiaries from the National Food Security Act (NFSA), which provides subsidised wheat, setting the stage for a fresh faceoff between the state and the Centre. This follows the Centre’s directions to the AAP government to verify 11 lakh “suspicious” NFSA beneficiaries ‘Suspicious’ and delete them by September 30. beneficiaries Mann said that as long as he remains the CM, no beneficiary will be deleted. He The Centre has said that the Centre had instructed the directed the AAP state government to delete 8,02,493 ration govt to verify 11 cards under the Public Distribution Sys- lakh suspicious tem (PDS) for “failing to fulfill the eligibil- National Food ity criterion”. “This means that 32 lakh Security Act beneficiaries of Punjab will be deprived beneficiaries and of subsidised wheat. Of the 1.53 crore ben- delete them by eficiaries, the state has verified 1.29 crore September 30. as per the original check list,’’ he said. Mann said he has requested a six-month extension from the Centre and would raise the issue of beneficiaries from the state at the highest levels of the Central government. “Our government will check ourself whether there are any ineligible beneficiaries. They (Centre) are saying that we have beneficiaries who own cars, have government jobs, a turnover of `25 lakh, or over 2.5 acres of land,” he said. “We are writing a letter to them in protest. We will also talk to procurement agencies Punjab Civil Supplies Corporation to keep up the supply even if the Centre directs to delete the names,” he added. MLA NABBED IN BETTING RACKET `12 crore seized by Enforcement Directorate officials from multiple locations during searches in an illegal betting case against Karnataka Congress MLA K C Veerendra (inset) and others. He was arrested under Sikkim’s anti-money laundering law | EXPRESS | P4 EXPRESS READ Indian semiconductor chip by year-end: Modi Dharmasthala case: SIT arrests complainant SBK Singh, former police chief, named DG Prisons PM Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the country would see its first Made-in-India semiconductor chip. He was speaking at an event organised by a media outlet. He also said that work on developing a 6G network is moving fast. The complainant who had alleged murders, rapes, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over past two decades, was held on Saturday by the SIT. The complainant, who had appeared before the probe panel wearing a mask, was identified as C N Chinnaiah. | P4 A day after he was removed from the post of the Delhi Police commissioner, senior IPS officer SBK Singh was on Saturday appointed as Director General of Prisons. The 1988-batch officer currently holds charge of Director General of Home Guards. | P3 The Power of True Education 1st module of India’s maiden space station FRESH FACEOFF CBI books Anil Ambani, RCOM in `2,929 crore bank fraud case SWAMI SUKHABODHANANDA SPEAKS ROHINI Protest erupts outside dog shelter homes N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi VARIOUS NGOs and animal lovers organised a protest outside a shelter home in Rohini, alleging cruelty towards dogs. They demanded the release of the strays housed there in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court, police said on Saturday. The protest was held on Friday in northwest Delhi’s Rohini Sector-27 area. According to police, Shahbad Dairy police station received information on Friday regarding alleged cruelty towards canines at the shelter home, Rohini Sector-27, along with a demand for their release. Subsequently, members of various NGOs and animal lovers gathered at the shelter, pressing for the release of the dogs alleging that the animals were being subjected to mistreatment and they wanted to inspect the premises, DCP (Outer North) Hareshwar said. In view of the situation, inspection of the shelter home was allowed by constituting different groups of five members each from among the protesters. During the inspection, it was found that 113 stray dogs were housed in the shelter, all of whom were found to be in healthy condition. No signs of cruelty were detected. Only one dog was found to be unwell, which was receiving proper treatment, the DCP said. The facts were explained to the assembled public, following which the situation was pacified, police said. On Friday, the Supreme Court modified its August 11 order, directing that stray dogs will be released back into the same areas after proper sterilisation and immunisation, except for those infected with rabies or displaying aggressive behaviour. The SC said feeding of stray dogs on public streets will no longer be permitted. FRIENDLY MATCH Kerala on course to get Messi fever this November EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi ON one moment, off the next. The Messi-to-Kerala saga has kept football fans on edge for nearly a year. The wait is over. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has confirmed that Lionel Messi and his World Cup-winning team will play an international friendly in Kerala, between November 10 and 18 this year. In all likelihood, Thiruvananthapuram will host the match, while the opponent is yet to be decided. Posting the infor mation, AFA wrote on X: “(Matches) in FIFA for October, between 6 and 14 will be played in US and for November, between 10 and 18 in Luanda, Angola, and Ke r a l a , I n d i a ( r iv a l s t o be determined).” AFA India celebrated the milestone, noting the match stems from a year-long collaboration with the Kerala government, initiated in Madrid. “A new chapter in AFA’s global expansion,” they declared. Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman, who spearheaded the effort since November 2024, confirmed that Green- field International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram will be the venue. “This is a historic moment. The two options we had were either October or November. In between, they tried to push it to next year, but we re- mained adamant in our demand as we aim to bring the 2022 World Cup winners to Kerala,” he told reporters. The minister said several top-50 FIFA teams had expressed interest in playing the friendly with Australia emerg, ing the frontrunner. Other This is a historic moment. In between, they tried to push it to next year, but we remained adamant to bring the 2022 World Cup winners to Kerala— V Abdurahiman, Kerala sports minister teams that are in the fray to play against Argentina are Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Efforts are on to bring the Brazilian team. For Kerala, where the Argentina-Brazil rivalry is woven into football folklore, Messi’s presence would be nothing short of momentous. The last time Argentina played in India was in 2011 when it faced Venezuela in Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium.