TUESDAY 8 JULY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR UDDHAV THACKERAY, ROHIT PAWAR HIT BACK AFTER BJP'S ‘TERRORIST’ REMARK CONG CALLS OUT GOVT'S ATTEMPTS TO HIDE UNEMPLOYMENT CRISIS P5 SENSEX 83,442.50 p9.61 WEATHER Generally Cloudy sky with one or two spells of light to moderate rain/ thundershower very likely to occur. RAINFALL: 005.0 mm NIFTY 25,461.30 p0.30 TRUMP AND NETANYAHU TAKE A VICTORY LAP ON IRAN P8 ` vs $ 85.92 SANJOG GUPTA TAKES OVER AS NEW ICC CEO P9 GOLD `99,635 P12 SILVER `1,10,000 PM meets Malaysian & Cuban leaders on BRICS sidelines BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 66.13 SC to hear petitions against EC’s revision of electoral rolls in Bihar Additionally, Modi held a meeting with Vietnamese PM discussing ways to enhance bilateral cooperation RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 95% Min. 85% TEMPERATURE Max: 29.2˚C (-3.3) Min: 26.6˚C (-0.2) SUN RISES 04:58 hrs MOON RISES 15:34 hrs SUN SETS 18:25 hrs MOON SETS 01:35 hrs Full Moon on 11 July THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 JULY A Red-wattled lapwing spotted sitting at the bank of Karimpur Beel, in Nadia on Monday. nANI China lodges protest with India for extending B'day greetings to Dalai Lama: China on Monday said it has lodged representations (protest) with India over Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Indian leaders congratulating the 14th Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. P rime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a series of bilateral meetings on Monday with world leaders on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The meetings underscored India's commitment to strengthening global partnerships and cooperation. During his meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the summit, the two leaders reviewed the progress in bilateral relations since Ibrahim's state visit to India in August 2024. They discussed trade and investment, defence, education, healthcare, tourism, and people-to-people contacts. Modi thanked Ibrahim for his strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, emphasising the need for global cooperation against terrorism. "We reviewed the ground covered in our bilateral relations, including the progress made since PM Ibrahim's visit to India last year. Futuristic sectors like IT, renewable energy, and infrastructure are those where bilateral ties are growing strongly," PM Modi said on X asserting: "Also discussed how to improve investment and trade relations between our nations." The two leaders also explored cooperation in the multilateral arena and regional security, with Modi congratulating Malaysia on its successful stewardship of ASEAN. They welcomed the prospect of strengthening the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. PM Modi also met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, discussing bilateral ties in economic cooperation, development partnership, fintech, capacity building, science and technology, disaster management, and healthcare. Diaz-Canel expressed interest in India's Digital Public Infrastructure and UPI, while Modi appreciated Cuba's recognition of Ayurveda and offered support for integrating it into Cuba's public health system. "It was wonderful to meet President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez of Cuba. In our talks, we covered a wide range of subjects. Economic relations between our nations have a lot of potential to grow in the coming times," PM Modi stated on his handle X. Additionally, PM Modi held a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, discussing ways to enhance bilateral cooperation. "Had a good conversation with PM Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Brazil," PM Modi shared. The bilateral meetings highlight India's proactive engagement with global partners, reinforcing its commitment to collaborative growth and development. PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 7 JULY The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to list on July 10 a batch of petitions — including by the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, RJD MP Manoj Jha, and civil society activist Yogendra Yadav — challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. The matter was mentioned before a vacation bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagchi by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who sought an early hearing in view of the July 25 deadline set for voters to furnish proof of citizenship under the new ECI directive. Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, and Shadan Farasat, appearing for various petitioners, were also present during the mentioning. The petitions seek a stay on the June 24 order issued by the Election Commission and its eventual quashing, alleging it violates fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326 of the Constitution. The petitioners have contended that the move also contravenes the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Rule 21A of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. According to the petitions, the directive imposes the burden of furnishing fresh documentation, which would disproportionately affect rural, poor, and marginalised communities in Bihar. The exclusion of widely held documents like Aadhaar and ration cards as acceptable identity proof is particularly prejudicial, they argue. The ADR petition flags the “unreasonably short timeline” of July 25 for submitting the documents and cautions that it risks the mass disenfranchisement of genuine voters.