WEDNESDAY 09 JULY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PUSHING BACK WHY DIDN’T SEBI ACT SOONER AGAINST JANE STREET: CONGRESS P6 SENSEX 83,712.51 p270.01 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN ACCOMPANIED WITH THUNDERSTORM/ LIGHTNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 34 AND 25 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: 000.0 mm P8 NIFTY 25,522.50 p61.20 ` vs $ 85.74 THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 JULY U nited States President Donald Trump said that the USA is close to reaching a trade deal with India. His remarks came even as he announced tariffs on 14 nations. Mr Trump’s remarks came while he was speaking to reporters as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday (local time). He stated that the USA had made a deal with the UK and China and that he had sent a letter to the nations that he believed would not make a deal with the USA. Meanwhile, some Indian medi aoutlets have quoted government sources in New Delhi as saying that a mini deal with the US could be announced “in a day or two”. However, the sources also said that India will not push ahead if the deal specifics do not suit India. The Trump administration has announced new tariffs for 14 nations, including Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, South Korea, and Japan, that will take effect on 1 August. Earlier, he shared the letters sent by his administration to the 14 countries on his social media platform Truth Social, informing them of the new tariffs. While speaking to the media, Mr Trump said: “We've spoken to everybody... it's all done. I told you we'll make some deals, but for the most part, we're going to send a letter. We're going to say, welcome to the United States if PM receives grand welcome in Brasília NEW DELHI, 8 JULY Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a grand welcome with military honours in Brasilia, Brazil, as he arrived for a state visit to the country. The ceremonial welcome was also marked by a vibrant performance of Brazil's iconic Samba Reggae dance, paired with the powerful 'Shiv Tan- dava' - a hallmark of Indian cultural heritage. Upon arrival, PM Modi was received by Brazilian Defense Minister Jose Mucio Monteiro Filho at the airport. The welcome was made delightfully musical by the traditional Brazilian Samba Reggae performance, which showcased the rich cultural association between India and Brazil. PM Modi expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the warm welcome, saying: "Landed in Brasilia a short while ago. The Indian community accorded a memorable welcome, once again highlighting how passionate our diaspora is and how connected they remain with their roots." He was visibly moved by the tribute paid by the Indian diaspora through a cultural dance performance themed ‘Operation Sindoor.’ The visit marks a significant milestone in India’s efforts to deepen engagement with Latin America. PM Modi will hold bilateral discussions with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to broaden the Strategic Partnership between the two nations in areas of mutual interest, including trade, defense, energy, space, technology, agriculture, health, and people-to-people linkages. The visit showcases the rich cultural heritage of both India and Brazil, highlighting their shared values and traditions. you'd like to participate in the greatest, most successful country ever. I mean we are doing better than ever... We've never had numbers like this. We've never had investment like this.” “Now we've made a deal with the UK. We've made a deal with China. We're close to making a deal with India. Others we met with and we don't think we're going to be able to make a deal. So we just send them a letter,” he added. “If you want to play ball, this is what you have to pay. As far as I'm concerned, we're done. We're sending out letters to various countries telling them how much tariffs they have to pay. We're not going to be unfair about it and actually, it's a small fraction compared to what we should be getting.” According to the letters that Trump shared on social media, Thailand and Cambodia each will face a tariff of 36 per cent while and Bangladesh and Serbia will each be hit with a tariff of 35 per cent. Malaysia and Kazakhstan will each face 25 per cent tariffs while Myanmar and Laos will face a 40 per cent tariff on their goods exported to the USA. Indonesia will face a tariff rate of 32 per cent, South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 per cent, Tunisia, Japan and South Korea a 25 per cent tariff from 1 August. Air India crash: AAIB submits preliminary probe report NEW DELHI, 8 JULY The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has submitted the preliminary report of its investigation into the Air India AI-171 plane crash of 12 June to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and other authorities. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, hitting a hostel building and killing 241 of the 242 people on board, and 19 persons on the ground. The investigators are said to have looked into whether a dual-engine failure could have resulted in the crash. According to sources, the crash protection module (CPM) from one of the black boxes was retrieved, and the data was successfully downloaded on 25 June at the AAIB Lab in Delhi. SNS Captain Shiv Kumar not recalled: Govt busts misinformation campaign PARWINDER SANDHU NEW DELHI, 8 JULY The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has debunked a fake report claiming that a Defence Attaché posted at the Indian Embassy in Jakarta has been recalled. The ministry has clarified that Captain Shiv Kumar continues to serve as the Defence Attaché in Jakarta, Indonesia. The fake letter, claimed to have been issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, has gone viral on X. Sharing the fabricated image, the account posted: “The price of speaking the truth. In Jakarta, Indian Defence Attaché Captain Shiv Kumar Singh (Indian Navy) was recalled to India prematurely and asked to report to Indian Navy Intelligence for further investigation. Captain Shiv had blamed the country’s political leadership P12 SILVER `1,10,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 67.00 IMRAN MOJIB Min: 27°C (-0.9) SUN SETS 19:23 hrs MOON SETS 04:34 hrs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GOLD `99,820 Mini-trade deal could be announced ‘in a day or two’: Indian govt sources TEMPERATURE Execution date set for Indian nurse in Yemen: Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse who is on death row after being convicted for the murder of a Yemeni national, is to be executed next week on 16 July, several media outlets have reported. P7 ‘US close to reaching trade deal with India’ RELATIVE HUMIDITY Sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik creates an art marking the return of Lord Jagannath to Jagannath Temple after the annual Rath Yatra in Puri on Tuesday. nANI DJOKOVIC STORMS INTO WIMBLEDON QUARTERFINALS Nitish hijacks RJD’s agenda on youth, jobs; offers 35 per cent job quota for women Max. 86% Min. 57 % Max: 37°C (+0.4) SUN RISES 05:31 hrs MOON RISES 18:29 hrs STAKES THAT GO WELL BEYOND RELIGION for the crash of an Indian aircraft.” It also posted an image of a forged letter dated 7 July, which claimed that the premature repatriation of the naval officer with immediate effect was carried out on administrative grounds arising from his public remarks at Universitas Pertahanan, Jakarta on 10 June 2025. The Fact Check team of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, stated that the letter was fake and the officer is still posted at the embassy. “A #fake letter falsely attributed to the Ministry of Home Affairs, claiming the recall of Captain (Indian Navy) Shiv Kumar, Defence Attaché at the Indian Embassy in Jakarta, is circulating on social media,” said a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB). “The letter is part of a misinformation campaign by Pakistani propaganda accounts. Captain Shiv Kumar continues to serve as the Defence Attaché in Jakarta. Postings of Indian Navy officers of the rank of Captain fall under the jurisdiction of the Integrated HQ of MoD (Navy),” it said in a post on X. ‘No order to block X accounts of international news channels’ AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 8 JULY The Union Government on Tuesday denied issuing any fresh order to block the X handles of certain international news networks. “The Government has not issued any fresh blocking order on 3rd July, 2025 and has no intention to block any prominent international news channels including Reuters and Reuters World. The moment Reuters and Reuters World were blocked on X platform in India, immediately the government wrote to 'X' to unblock them," a statement said. PATNA, 8 JULY With an eye on the upcoming assembly polls, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decided to implement a domicile policy for women of Bihar, offering them 35 per cent reservation in all government jobs, and to form a Youth Commission in the state. The cabinet decisions are seen as an attempt to hijack two major agendas of the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal, whose Tejashwi Yadav recently promised to implement a 100 per cent domicile policy and set up a Youth Commission in Bihar. Nitish Kumar has over the years created a dedicated vote-bank by implementing several women-centric schemes, including 50 per cent reservation in Panchayati Raj institutions. The decision to implement a domicile policy for female job seekers of Bihar is expected to further consolidate his position among women voters. The Bihar Youth Commission will monitor that the local youth of the state get priority in private sector employment within the state. FinMin clarifies no directive to close inactive Jan Dhan accounts STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 JULY The Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, on Tuesday said it has not asked banks to close inactive PM Jan Dhan Yojana accounts. The development comes in connection with reports appearing in the media about the same.A three-month campaign starting from 1 July has been launched by DFS all over the country to deepen the adoption of Jan Dhan Yojana accounts, Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, and other welfare schemes. Banks will also carry out re-KYC of all due accounts during this campaign. The DFS constantly monitors the number of inoperative PMJDY accounts and has advised banks to contact respective account holders to make their accounts operative, a statement ministry said. The total number of PMJDY accounts have seen a continuous increasing trend, and no incidents of mass closure of inactive PMJDY accounts have come to the knowledge of the department, the statement said.