WEDNESDAY 09 JULY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PUSHING BACK P6 SENSEX 83,712.51 p270.01 P4 NIFTY 25,522.50 p61.20 ` vs $ 85.74 Generally Cloudy sky with a few spells of light to moderate rain/ thundershower very likely to occur. RAINFALL: 089.6 mm BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 67.00 IMRAN MOJIB PATNA, 8 JULY TEMPERATURE Max: 27.1˚C (-5.4) Min: 25.0˚C (-1.8) SUN SETS 18:25 hrs MOON SETS 02:20 hrs Full Moon on 11 July THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 JULY U Sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik creates a sand art marking the return of Lord Jagannath to Jagannath Temple after the annual Rath Yatra, in Puri on Tuesday. nANI 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. 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 CM slams NRC notice to Cooch Behar man STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE SILIGURI, 8 JULY has issued an NRC notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi, resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years. Despite furnishing valid identity documents, he is being harassed on suspicion of being a ‘foreigner/illegal migrant.’ The chief minister described this development as a “systematic assault on democracy and proof that the ruling BJP dispensation in Assam was attempting to implement NRC in Bengal”. “A premeditated attempt is being made to intimidate, disenfranchise, and target marginalised communities. This unconstitutional overreach is anti-people, and exposes BJP's dangerous agenda of bulldozing democratic safeguards and erasing the identity of Bengal's people,” Miss Banerjee added. In her message, Miss Banerjee also gave a call to all non-BJP parties to unite over such developments. "This alarming situation calls for urgent unity among all Opposition parties to stand up against the BJP's divisive and oppressive machinery. Bengal will not stand by as the constitutional fabric of India is torn apart," the Chief Minister said. The Trinamul Congress held a massive anti-NRC rally from Sitalkuchi to Cooch Behar. District president Abhijit De Bhowmik led the rally, while senior leader Partha Pratim Roy said: “BJP’s NRC agenda will never be accepted in Bengal.” 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. 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 SILVER `1,10,000 GOLD `99,820 ‘US close to reaching trade deal with India’ Min. 93% A fresh controversy over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has erupted after Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a 50-year-old resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar, received a notice from the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam, asking him to prove his citizenship by 15 July. Despite being a Rajbanshi by birth and a lifelong resident of West Bengal, Brajabasi now faces the threat of being labelled an “illegal immigrant.” The notice has triggered panic in border villages and turned into a major political issue, with the Trinamul Congress (TMC) accusing the BJP of trying to push NRC into Bengal through the backdoor. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, reacting sharply to the development wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I am shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam P12 Nitish hijacks RJD’s agenda on youth, jobs; offers 35 per cent job quota for women RELATIVE HUMIDITY SUN RISES 04:58 hrs MOON RISES 16:30 hrs DJOKOVIC STORMS INTO WIMBLEDON QFS P7 Mini-trade deal could be announced ‘in a day or two’: Indian govt sources WEATHER Max. 98% STAKES THAT GO WELL BEYOND RELIGION WHY DIDN’T SEBI ACT SOONER AGAINST JANE STREET: CONGRESS Shiv had blamed the country’s political leadership 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. 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. Brazil: PM Modi receives grand welcome in Brasília STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE 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 Tandava' - 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. 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.