www.thestatesman.com | FOLLOW US: India’s National Newspaper since 1818 @TheStatesmanLtd | Pages 12 @thestatesmanltd | ₹5.00 Nation | People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | BHUBANESWAR World | MUMBAI | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | 25 January 2026 S P O RT S Shashi Tharoor defiant on Operation Sindoor, denies violating party line China’s top general under investigation in latest military purge Page 4 Page 9 Djokovic secures 400th Grand Slam match win to extend record, ties Federer’s Australian Open mark Page 12 EU chief arrives, to be Chief Guest at R-Day celebrations: Scotland replaces B’desh in 2026 T20 World Cup US Treasury Secretary hints at rolling back 25 pc tariffs on India over Russian oil buys TRIDIB BAPARNASH BRIEFLY PCB chief Naqvi fans the fire: UNITED NEWS OF INDIA New Delhi: Hours after the ICC formally removed Bangladesh from the upcoming T20 World Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reacted by expressing support for Bangladesh and criticising the global body for what it believes is preferential treatment towards India. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi reiterated that Pakistan’s own participation in the tournament will ultimately depend on clearance from the government. Pakistan was among the two boards that voted in favour of Bangladesh during Wednesday’s ICC Board Directors’ meeting, which ended in a 14-2 decision backing Bangladesh’s replacement. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a close aide of American President Donald Trump, has dropped hints that Washington may remove the additional 25 per cent tariff slapped on India, saying New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil have significantly gone down because of the increased tariff. Bessent, in an interview to Politico on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting, called the levying of the additional tariff on India a "huge success." Mr Bessent claimed the purchase of Russian oil by Indian refineries has “collapsed” as a result of the steep US tariff. “We put a 25 per cent tariff on India for buying Russian oil, and the Indian purchases by their refineries of Russian oil have collapsed. So that is a New Delhi, 24 January P New Delhi: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday arrived in India on a State Visit during which she, along with European Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa, will also be attending India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations as a Chief Guest, marking a significant milestone in India–EU relations. The EU chief was received by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada upon her arrival. CM Mamata on National Girl Child Day: Kolkata: Reaffirming her government’s commitment to women’s empowerment, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on National Girl Child Day said that daughters are not celebrated in Bengal for just one day, but supported and empowered at every stage of their lives. Calling girls “the future architects of our society,” the Chief Minister, in a post on X, highlighted a wide range of welfare schemes aimed at education, health, and financial independence. “On National Girl Child Day, I extend my heartiest love and blessings to every daughter of Bengal and India,” Banerjee said. “In Bengal, we don’t celebrate the girl child merely on one day; we celebrate her and empower her every single day of the year, at all crossroads of her life.” Page 3 utting an end to nearly three weeks of negotiations between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over the latter’s refusal to send its team to India for the upcoming 20265 T20 World Cup, the global cricketing body on Saturday finally cracked the whip and replaced Bangladesh with Scotland. “The BCB is not agreeable to playing the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 per the match schedule with their matches in India. We are, therefore, going ahead with the Board decision to replace Bangladesh in the tournament,” read an ICC mail to its board members. According to multiple reports, the decision was formally communicated to the BCB via email on Friday evening, after the board informed the ICC that the Bangladesh government had not granted permission for the team to travel to India for the tournament, which begins on 7 February and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. A formal invitation has also been sent to Cricket Scotland to participate in the tournament. The matter had escalated earlier in the week when the ICC Board held an emergency video conference on Wednesday. During that meeting, a clear majority of directors (14-2) voted in favour of replacing Bangladesh should they continue to insist on shifting their matches out of India. The ICC subsequently gave the BCB a final 24-hour window to consult with the government and confirm participation under the existing schedule. On Thursday, however, both the Bangladesh government and the BCB reiterated their position that the team would not travel to India. PM Modi inaugurates 18th Rozgar Mela, empowers over 61,000 youth with govt jobs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 24 January Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed the 18th Rozgar Mela through video conferencing, as more than 61,000 young individuals received appointment letters to join various government departments nationwide. The event, conducted simultaneously at 45 locations across India, reaffirmed the government’s strong commitment to job creation and nation-building. Highlighting the significance of the day, which coincided with major national observances like Parakram Diwas, National Voters’ Day, and the day India adopted its National Anthem and National Song, PM Modi said: “Today, more than sixty-one thousand young people are beginning a new chapter in their lives by receiving appointment letters for government services. These letters represent not just employment but a commitment to building a developed India.” Since its inception, the Rozgar Mela has become a vital platform, issuing over 11 lakh appointment letters and connecting youth with employment and selfemployment opportunities. “To bring government recruitments into mission mode, the Rozgar Mela was launched, and it has now become an institution,” the Prime Minister remarked. Addressing India’s young population, PM Modi emphasised the government’s efforts to generate opportunities both within the country and internationally. “The Government of India is entering into trade and mobility agreements with numerous countries, opening countless new avenues for Indian youth,” he stated. The Prime Minister also spotlighted India’s robust economic growth, noting that India is the only major economy to have doubled its GDP in the last decade. Four dead, all of Indian origin, in US domestic shooting UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Atlanta, 24 January An Indian-origin man has been arrested by police in the US state of Georgia after allegedly shooting his wife and three other people, all of Indian origin, dead in an incident that officials say is linked to an alleged family dispute. The shooting occurred early on Friday morning in Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, local media reported. Three children were inside the home at the time of the incident but were not reported among the fatalities. Gwinnett County Police are investigating the incident as a domestic-related shooting that left four adults dead at a residence in Lawrenceville, while three children survived by hiding and alerting authorities, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Police responded to a “shots fired” call around 2:30 a.m. at a home in the 1000 block of Brook Ivy Court. On arrival, officers found four adults inside the residence with fatal gunshot wounds, local medi aeported. The suspect was identified as Vijay Kumar, 51, of Atlanta. He has been charged with four counts of aggravated assault, four counts of felony murder, four counts of malice murder, one count of cruelty to children in the first degree, and two counts of cruelty to children in the third degree, as per Fox 5 Atlanta. The victims were identified as Kumar’s wife, Meemu Dogra, 43, of Atlanta, and Gourav Cumar, 33, Nidhi Chander, 37, and Harish Chander, 38, all of Lawrenceville. The Indian mission in Atlanta confirmed the deaths and said authorities had arrested a suspect and that all possible assistance was being offered to the bereaved families. According to investigators, an argument allegedly began between Kumar and Dogra at their Atlanta home, after which they travelled with their 12-year-old child to the Brook Ivy Court residence, where the other three victims, relatives of the couple, lived along with two other children aged seven and ten. Authorities confirmed that three children were present inside the home at the time of the shooting. The children hid in a closet to protect themselves, and one of them managed to call 911, enabling police to reach the scene quickly. The children were unharmed and were later taken into the care of a family member. Police said officers arrived while the suspect’s vehicle was still parked in the driveway. K-9 units were deployed and tracked the suspect to a nearby woodline, where he was apprehended without incident. (Representational image) Davos, 24 January success. The tariffs are still on. I would imagine there is a path to take them off, so that's a check and a huge success,” Mr Bessent said. The US Treasury Secretary's remarks have come in the midst of a debate in the US Congress on a proposed legislation imposing a huge 500 per cent duty on countries purchasing Russian oil. New Delhi has, however, reiterated its India First energy policy, saying its oil purchases were based on the requirement of "affordable energy" for its population. The US Treasury Secretary also came down on European nations for purchasing refined Russian oil from India. Accusing the European nations of indirectly financing Russia's war effort by buying refined Russian-crude made petroleum products from India, he dubbed it "the ultimate act of irony and stupidity". “...in the ultimate act of irony and stupidity, guess who was buying the refined products from the Indian refineries made from Russian oil? The Europeans. They are financing the war against themselves. They are financing the Russians,” Mr Bessent said. Mr Bessent further described the EU's avoidance of imposing US-like tariffs on India as "virtue signalling". “I will also point out that our virtue signalling European allies refused to do it because they wanted to sign this big trade deal with India,” he added.