MONDAY 30 DECEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR RAJNATH CALLS ON ARMED FORCES TO REMAIN ALERT TRUMP SIDES WITH MUSK IN DEBATE OVER H1-B VISAS P9 WEATHER Generally clear. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 28°C and 18°C respectively. P5 P8 NEW YORK, 29 DECEMBER TEMPERATURE Max: 28.1˚C SUN RISES 06:15 hrs MOON RISES 05:42 hrs A Min: 18.5˚C SUN SETS 17:02 hrs MOON SETS 16:21 hrs New Moon on 31 December THUMBNAILS A man carrying a child on his shoulder walks through a mustard flower field on the outskirts of Guwahati, on Sunday. n ANI Tigress Zeenat captured: Fugitive tigress Zeenat was finally tranquilised and captured in Bankura district on Sunday, 21 days after she escaped from the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha. The animal, which had travelled over 300 km across Odisha, Jharkhand and Bengal, was sedated with a tranquilliser gun in the forested area near Gosaindihi village on Sunday afternoon, forest officials said. Zeenat was later transported to Alipore Zoo in Kolkata, where vets will check her health and other parameters before she is sent back to Similipal Tiger Reserve. (Page 2) passenger plane skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport Sunday, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people on board died in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters. The Jeju Air plane crashed while landing in the town of Muan, about 290 kilometres south of Seoul. The Transport Ministry said the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737800 jet that had arrived from Bangkok and that the crash happened at 9:03 a.m. A total of 179 people ~ 85 women, 84 men and 10 others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable ~ died in the fire, the South Korean fire agency said. Emergency workers pulled two people, both crew members, to safety. Health officials said they are conscious and not in life-threatening condition. Firefighters and rescue team members work near the wreckage of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea on Sunday. n AP Among the 177 bodies so far found, officials have so far identified 88 of them, the fire agency said. The passengers were predominantly South Korean, as well as two Thai nationals. Ju Woong, director of the Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, where one of the survivors was hospitalised, said the man was being treated in an intensive care unit for fractures to his ribs, shoulder blade and upper spine. Ju said the man, whose name wasn’t released, told doctors he “woke up to find (himself) rescued.” Footage of the crash aired by South Korean television channels showed the plane skidding across the airstrip at high speed, apparently with its landing gear still closed, overrunning the runway and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility, triggering an explosion. Other local TV stations aired footage showing thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the plane, which was engulfed in flames. Lee Jeonghyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, told a televised briefing that the plane Manmohan Singh’s ashes immersed in the Yamuna STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 DECEMBER Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s ashes were immersed in the Yamuna in the national capital on Sunday. The ashes of Singh, the key architect of India’s economic liberalisation, were immersed by his family members in accordance with Sikh rituals this morning at the Yamuna Ghat near the Gurdwara at Majnu Ka Tilla. Earlier, the ashes of the former Prime Minister were brought to the Gurdwara. Singh’s wife, Gursharan Kaura was also present. The Congress in a post on X wrote: “Today, the ashes of former Prime Minister of the country, Dr Manmohan Singh ji were immersed at the Yamuna Ghat near the Gurdwara at Majnu Ka Tila with full rituals.” Recalling the contribution of Singh, who had served as Prime Minister from 2004 to ISRO to sign off 2024 with SpaDeX mission AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 29 DECEMBER The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its year-end mission, "Space Docking Experiment" (SpaDeX), on Monday at 9:58 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR in Sriharikota. The mission will use the PSLV-C60 launcher. The mission aims to dock two satellites in space, a challenge only mastered by the US, Russia, and China, so far. According to ISRO, the primary objective of the SpaDeX mission is to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft (SDX01, which is the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target, nominally) in a low-Earth circular orbit. The success of this mission is vital for India’s future space ambitions. Docking technology will help upcoming missions like Chandrayaan-4 and the planned Indian space station, expected to be ready by 2035. It is also crucial for the eventual manned Gaganyaan mission, expected to launch in 2026. P12 AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE SEOUL, 29 DECEMBER Min. 59% BGT 2024-25: BUMRAH OVERTAKES KAPIL DEV 179 killed in plane crash India’s Koneru Humpy clinches second world rapid chess crown at South Korean airport Jeju Air flight skids off runway, hits wall, bursts into flame; 2 rescued RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 73% ‘DR SINGH DESERVED MUCH BETTER IN BOTH LIFE AND DEATH’ With SpaDeX, ISRO will attempt to dock two satellites orbiting at speeds of 28,800 km/h. And both satellites must be carefully manoeuvred to reduce their relative velocities to just 0.036 km/h. Each satellite weighs around 220 kilograms and will orbit 470 km above Earth. The mission aims to include performing precision rendezvous and docking manoeuvres, validating power transfer between docked spacecraft, and operating payloads post-undocking, with a two-year lifespan. SpaDEX will also use PSLV's fourth stage, POEM4, for experiments. The stage will carry 24 payloads from academic institutions and startups. These experiments will utilise the microgravity environment in orbit. 2014, the party said, “We will always remember Manmohan Singh ji’s service to the nation, his dedication and simplicity.” The former Prime Minister was cremated with full state honours at the Nigambodh Ghat here on Saturday. Singh, already a renowned economist before he reluctantly joined politics, passed away at 9.51 pm at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national Capital on Thursday at the age of 92. As Finance Minister in the early 1990s, Singh was the architect of India's economic liberalisation. He initiated a series of reforms that not only saved the nation from a balance-of-payments crisis but also opened the doors to global markets. Through his policies of deregulation, privatisation, and the encouragement of foreign investment, he laid the foundation for India’s rapid economic growth. was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognisable among the wreckage. Lee said that workers were looking into various possibilities about what caused the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds, Lee said. Transport Ministry officials later said their early assessment of communication records show the airport control tower issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land and gave its pilot permission to land in a different area. (See also Page 9) Koneru Humpy, India's toprated female chess player, secured her second World Rapid Championship title, finishing the tournament with 8.5/11 here on Sunday (IST). She won her first gold in the 2019 edition, in Moscow. In a seven-way tie at the top at the start of the final, 11th round, Koneru stood out as the only player to score a victory. Playing with the black pieces, she outmanoeuvred Indonesia’s International Master Irine Kharisma Sukandar in a challenging endgame, claiming the title in style. “It's not easy to become a world champion when you are 37. It's quite difficult when you get older to keep that motivation and stay sharp when required. I'm glad that I made it,” Kuneru said after the triumph, as quoted by FIDE. “I feel very happy for winning for the second time. In fact, I didn't expect it at all because I lost my first-round game, and I never imagined that I could finish the tournament as a world champion. This victory is very special. When I am on my lower side, I think this gave me the boost to fight and to again work on chess,” she added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Koneru Humpy for her grit and brilliance after she secured the World Rapid Chess Championship title. “Congratulations to @humpy_koneru on winning the 2024 FIDE Women’s World Rapid Championship! Her grit and brilliance continues to inspire millions. This victory is even more historic because it is her second world rapid championship title, thereby making her the only Indian to achieve this incredible feat,” PM Modi wrote on X. Koneru’s victory adds another feather to the spectacular success of Indian chess in 2024, after the country won gold in the Chess Olympiad this summer in both the Open and the Women’s Competition, and Gukesh D won the title of World Champion in classical chess. “It's high time for India we have Gukesh as the World Champion and now I got the second world title in the Rapid event,” Kuneru said. Koneru’s path to the top began quietly, with just 2.5 points out of four on day one. By the conclusion of day two, however, she surged into shared first place alongside compatriot Harika Dronavalli and reigning Classical World Champion Ju Wenjun of China. Entering the last round, the leaderboard featured an unprecedented seven-way tie. Alongside Koneru - Ju Wenjun, Harika Dronavalli, Kateryna Lagno, Tan Zhongyi, Irine Kharisma Sukandar, and Uzbekistan’s Afruza Khamdamova all held a chance at the title, FIDE reports. Lagno, one of the pre-tournament favourites, had earlier dealt a critical blow to former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk in round nine, while Khamdamova stunned Grandmaster Elisabeth Paehtz to join the leaders. ‘Congress campaign demanding Shah’s resignation to start after 3 January’ AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 29 DECEMBER Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that his party will start 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhaan' campaign to demand the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his alleged disparaging remarks against Babasaheb Ambedkar. The campaign was announced after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on 26 December. But the campaign is extended due to Congress' 7-day mourning for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "The campaign that was announced in Belagavi has been put on hold till 3rd January to observe a 7-day mourning for Dr Manmohan Singh... After the 3rd, we will hold rallies for the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhaan' campaign," Ramesh told ANI. "On 26 January, there will be a big rally at the birthplace of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar... From 25 January 2025, to 25 January 2026, we will take out the 'Samvidhaan Bachao Rashtriya Padyatra' across the country... Our only demand is that the Home Minister apologise and resign," he added. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said in the Rajya Sabha, "If they (the Opposition) had taken the name of God as many times as they take Ambedkar's name, they would have secured heaven for seven lives." Following Shah's remarks, the Opposition accused him of having insulted Ambedkar and demanded his resignation. Hitting back, the BJP accused the Opposition of misleading the country for political expediency. Jairam Ramesh also attacked the BJP, saying that "those who are in power today should see Dr Manmohan Singh's personality."