fridAY 12 september, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Epstein links Trump ally shot at utah college ceremony, dies shortly after Britain sacks its US Ambassador utah governor: a political assassination PM Keir Starmer on Thursday fired the country’s ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, over his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l Flood-hit Punjab to geofence 850 water bodies H a r p r eet B a j w a @ Chandigarh Punjab plans to geofence 850 major rivers, canals, and water bodies in the state after heavy rains caused widespread flooding and breaches in river embankments. The measure aims to prevent damage from future floods and control construction near water bodies. The recent floods caused the most destruction along the Ravi River, which saw around 42 breaches in its embankments. Across the state, nearly 45 Meant to avoid damage Geofencing, a technology that creates a virtual boundary around a physical location, can help by sending alerts for unauthorised construction within designated buffer zones or providing warnings for approaching flood-prone areas. breaches were reported in rivers and canals. The districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Fazilka were the worst-hit. The water resources depart- ment said that the process to notify major water bodies began after the 2023 floods and has now been completed. Under the new rules, no building will be allowed within 150 metres of these rivers and drains without official permission. Town and country planning authorities will be able to identify areas where construction is restricted. The department recently bought three drones. With their help, digital elevation modelling of the rivers and canals will be done. Aerial surveys will help better understand the riverine terrain and topography A . memorandum of understanding has been signed between the department and the Survey of India to this end. This project, undertaken by the Survey of India, is expected to be completed within a year. Further, the gover nment wants the weather office to improve its weather forecasting capabilities, particularly for dam catchment areas, following inaccurate predictions during the recent rains. HC protects Aishwarya’s personality rights, image sir Poll body reviews budget E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, restraining various online platforms and entities from misusing her name, images, and attributes of personality for commercial or personal gain without her consent. The order, passed by Justice Tejas Karia on September 9 and made public on Thursday comes in response , to a suit filed by Rai seeking protection of her personality rights against unauthorised exploitation, including AIgenerated pornographic content. “The courts in such cases of unauthorised exploitation of one’s personality rights, can’t turn a blind eye to the same and shall protect the aggrieved parties so as to avert any harm to them resulting from the said unauthorised exploitation.” the court said. Finding prima facie merit in her plea, the court said, “Balance of convenience lies in favour of the plaintiff and if an injunction is not granted in the present case, it will lead to an irreparable loss/ harm to the plaintiff and her family, not only financially, but also with respect to her right to live with dignity .” Rai’s petition argued that the defendants were misappropriating multiple aspects of her persona, including her name, image, likeness, voice, and even her unique mannerisms, without her permission. The court noted that such misuse not only causes financial detriment but also affects her dignity, reputation, and goodwill. Protesters outside Nepal’s army headquarters during a curfew in Kathmandu on Thursday | AFP Nepal talks stuck on new govt head Gen Z wants Karki, Army favours pro-monarchy Prasai C urfew remains in effect across much of Nepal, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley as the Gen , Z protests enters the fourth day Life is becoming . increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens, especially those who depend on daily wages to sustain themselves. “We are leaderless at the moment, but we are not without a country As long as we have . our Constitution, we are secure,” Tanuja Pandey, a Gen Z protester, told this reporter. She explained that multiple reasons had been presented against their choice of Sushila Karki as prime minister of the Interim Government. However, Gen Z had united in support of Karki because of her corruption-free reputation. Pandey added that Gen Z had repeatedly requested the Army to facilitate a meeting with President Ram Chandra Poudyal, though so far, all meetings have been conducted only with the Chief of Army Ashok Raj Sigdel. The determination of Gen Z to establish the Interim Government with Sushila Karki as PM is growing stronger by the day. Karki agreed and received widespread support from the public. However, some backlash has emerged. Namrata Sharma Opposition seems to be coming primarily from the Army, which reportedly Senior journalist and favours Durga Prasai, a pro-monarchy women rights advocate. Sharma can be reached at figure. The President also appears to namrata1964@yahoo.com prefer another candidate from among @NamrataSharmaP the current parliamentarians rather than Sushila Karki. This push to nominate someone from the existing parliament, rather than Karki, is causing friction with Gen Z. A press release signed by the President stated that he is seeking a solution based on constitutional provisions and urged citizens to remain calm and patient, emphasising respect for the current Constitution. Meanwhile, under repeated pressure from Army Chief to propose a new candidate, Gen Z may now hold another virtual discussion. One potential alternative being considered is Santosh Pariyar, Chief Whip of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and a proportional representative from the Dalit category elected in 2022. An excellent choice, nonetheless, the majority of Gen Z remains united in supporting Sushila Karki, preferring a leader outside of existing political parties to guide the Interim Government and oversee elections under the current constitution.  Continued on P7 I am consulting and making every effort to find a way out of the current difficult situation in the country within the constitutional framework Ramchandra Paudel, Nepal President SC, banks to resume functioning Nepal’s Supreme Court and banks are set to open in Kathmandu with the relaxation in curfew for a few hours Visa power for foreign nationals Foreigners with valid visas up to Sept 8 and who want to depart shall be granted exit nod without more fee, the govt said road rage IAF officer, gig worker bury the hatchet e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Bengaluru THE Karnataka High Court on Thursday quashed criminal proceedings against an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer and a food delivery worker, after both arrived at a mutual settlement in a road rage case on April 21 this year. The two had clashed when the officer’s wife was going to drop him to a bus stop near Gopalan Mall on Old Madras Road in Bengaluru. Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum quashed the proceedings in a case filed by Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose’s wife Madhumita Dutta against biker Vikas Kumar SJ, and a case filed by Vikas Kumar against the officer. Although Bose faced charges under Section 109 of BNS (non-compoundable), complainant Kumar was present in court to give a statement that no injuries were sustained, and that he was willing to give a quietus to the dispute. Dutta said the incident was verbal, and settled with well-wishers’ intervention. The court deemed continuing the case as futile, and let off both parties with a warning. Morning fracas The altercation between the IAF officer and Kumar took place on April 21. CCTV footage showing the officer landing mighty punches on the biker had gone viral As part of the preparations for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, Delhi poll body has begun reassessing funds, reorganising booths and documenting objections | P4 PAGES 12 Authorities say Kirk was killed with a single shot from a rooftop. The killer then slipped away amid the hubhub of screams at Utah Valley University campus. “This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah governor Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear, this is a political assassination.” Authorities did not immediately identify a motive | p9 Voter list entry Protocol violation E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi PR E E T H A N A IR @ New Delhi A Delhi court on Thursday rejected a petition that sought directions to initiate a probe against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over her inclusion in electoral rolls prior to becoming an Indian citizen in 1983. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia dismissed the plea saying the court has no jurisdiction over matters of citizenship and electoral rolls. “The authority to determine the eligibility of a person to be included in or excluded from the electoral roll… is vested solely in the Election Commission of India,” the court said, adding that it was not empow- Sonia Gandhi ered to adjudicate upon questions relating to citizenship, which fall within the domain of the Central government. The complaint, filed by advocate Vikas Tripathi, claimed Gandhi’s name was added to the New Delhi constituency voter list in January 1980, three years before she officially became an Indian citizen. During the hearing, the complainant’s counsel senior advocate Pavan Narang said Gandhi’s name was deleted in 1982 and re-entered in 1983, coinciding with her citizenship. Terming the charges beyond the court’s authority the judge said: “Such a stratagem con, stitutes nothing but an abuse of the process of law, which this court cannot countenance.” The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has written to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi about security protocol violations during his travel within India and outside. The letter, also addressed to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, drew a sharp reaction from the Congress, which questioned the timing of the communication and wondered whether it was a ‘veiled attempt’ to intimidate its leader who just announced ‘another imminent disclosure’ on the alleged ‘vote theft’. In the letter, the VIP security unit of the paramilitary force Rahul Gandhi flagged several instances of Gandhi’s “unscheduled movements without intimation” during his travel. The letter also referred to his trips to Italy Vi, etnam, Dubai, Qatar, London, and Malaysia. An official said the CRPF had sent similar letters to Gandhi in the past too. The official added that the politician violated the protocols mentioned in the Yellow Book of the CRPF. The CRPF VIP security wing provides the top category Z plus (ASL) armed protection to Gandhi, while 10-12 armed commandos give proximate security cover during his travel. The force carries out reconnaissance of the locations to be visited by Gandhi, but his unannounced movements pose a risk to his security , official sources said. Court junks CRPF mail on plea for probe Rahul security against Sonia annoys Cong