12082026-TTC-01.qxd 8/12/2026 SYRIAN EX-PREZ ASSAD GETS DEATH WORLD /thetribunechd 12:52 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 10 NO. 222 | 20 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 wednesday | 12 august 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com US court permanently ends criminal case against Adani Govt likely to refer controversial FCRA Bill to JPC, Oppn wants complete withdrawal Aditi Tandon Accused of paying $250 mn bribe for solar energy project Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 11 A US federal court has permanently dismissed the criminal case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and seven other defendants, bringing to an end a high-profile prosecution that had accused senior executives of involvement in an alleged bribery and securities-fraud scheme. US District Judge Nicholas G Garaufis of the Eastern District of New York granted the Justice Department’s request to dismiss the indictment with prejudice. The ruling followed weeks of scrutiny by the judge over the government’s decision to abandon the prosecution. The case originated in an indictment unsealed in 2024. ‘BORDER STRAINS MAY HIT CHINA TIES’ BACK PAGE $10 BN INVESTMENT ■ The Adani Group had pledged $10 bn investment in the US ■ The court was satisfied the pledge didn’t influence case ■ Adani said his faith in the rule of law remained unwavering According to the original US court filing, prosecutors alleged that Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and others were involved in a scheme to pay more than $250 million in bribes to Indian Government officials to secure solar energy contracts. Prosecutors also alleged that investors and financial institutions were misled about the company’s anticorruption practices. The allegations were never tested at a criminal trial and the Adani Group has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The Justice Department’s move to abandon the prosecution came after Judge Garaufis initially declined to approve the dismissal, saying the government had not provided sufficient explanation for its decision. He subsequently sought a fuller account of the reasons and factual basis for ending the case. continued on page 7 Tribune News Service PM Narendra Modi joins BJP chief Nitin Nabin and NDA leaders in waving the Tricolour at a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Urging citizens to celebrate I-Day with pride, the PM in a post called on everyone to hoist the Tricolour at their homes and strive for a developed India. ANI New Delhi, August 11 The government on Tuesday indicated its willingness to refer the controversial Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill-2026 to a joint committee of both Houses of Parliament even as sections in the Opposition demanded its complete withdrawal. Top sources said the Bill could be sent to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to enable larger stakeholder consultations and a resolution to this effect may be moved in the Lok Sabha as early as Wednesday. Several Christian bodies led by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, the Chief Ministers of Mizoram and Nagaland, the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the DMK have been opposing any move to pilot the Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 11 Haryana accounted for 64 of the 83 sex determination cases registered across the country in 2025, indicating that a sex determination racket was busted in the state roughly every six days. Between 2023 and 2025, Haryana registered 106 cases for “communication of sex of foetus” — 57.6 per cent of the total 184 cases lodged nationwide — the highest for any At 891, state’s sex ratio fourth lowest; U’khand worst state. Gujarat ranked second with 28 such cases during the period, followed by Rajasthan with 11. The information was shared by the Centre in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday in response to a question by TMC MP Derek O’Brien. This year so far, several raids have been conducted at sex determination test centres in Haryana. On July 16, a Rajasthan Police team arrested a middleman at Dabwali in Sirsa, and raided a private hospital where the sex determination test was conducted. The team had been tracking the racket for six months. Pregnant women from Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh, Sri Ganganagar and Bikaner districts were allegedly being taken to Dabwali for the tests. On July 5, a doctor was caught red-handed performing a sex determination test at Indri in Karnal. On May 27, a Health Department team raided a house at Amroha in Uttar Pradesh and arrested seven persons involved in sex determination tests. Pregnant women from Rohtak used to visit the place. A portable ultrasound machine was recovered from there. In June, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Dr Sumita Misra, had written to her counterpart in UP requesting , continued on page 7 ■ Govt authority to assume role in management, disposal of assets of NGOs losing licence ■ For continuation of registration, NGOs must show a minimum ~10 lakh foreign funding in the last two financial years PREZ GIVES ASSENT TO VANDE MATARAM BILL President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to a Bill that criminalises intentional disruption or prevention of the singing of the national song, ‘Vande Mataram’, giving it the same legal protection as the national anthem. draft law. Introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, the Bill provides for greater government scrutiny of NGOs and foreign funding and explicitly bars the continued on page 7 create buzz on youths taking zombie drug Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 11 Two viral videos, one of which purportedly showed youths lying motionless after consuming the so-called “zombie drug” xylazine, triggered a political slugfest in Punjab, with BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh “Bhajji” and the AAP government trading charges over who is responsible for 30 KG HEROIN SEIZED The Punjab Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a crossborder narcotics smuggling module in Ferozepur, arresting three persons and recovering over 30 kg of heroin from them. the state’s drug problem. The first video was posted by Bhajji on social media late Monday night and it purportedly showed two turbaned Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service CONTENTIOUS PROVISIONS OF FCRA AMENDMENT BILL 58% of gender test casesin 3 yrs from Hry alone Defaming Pb, says AAP as Bhajji’s videos Bhartesh Singh Thakur Turbulence-hit AI flight pilot tests positive for drugs youths in a seemingly drugged state. “What have they turned Punjab into? Seems an evil eye has been cast…. Governments have ruined Punjab and Punjabi youth,” he posted on X. Hitting back, the AAP government alleged that the video was not shot in Punjab. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the video had been traced to Sri Ganganagar continued on page 7 New Delhi, August 11 The pilot in command of the Air India flight that suddenly lost about 300 feet of altitude last week has tested positive for psychoactive substances in a confirmatory laboratory test, sources said on Tuesday. This came as Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu CEO meets minister Kinjarapu met Air India’s outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson to seek a direct update from the airline on the incident. Naidu said aviation safety remained the ministry’s top priority and there could be no compromise by airlines, regulators or any other stakeholder. continued on page 7 SC notice on plea for returnofNetajiashes NEW DELHI: The SC on Tuesday sought response from the Centre on a plea by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s daughter seeking directions for return of his ashes from Tokyo’s Renkoji temple. BACK PAGE KPs in Valley to work fromhomeoverthreat SRINAGAR: Authorities in the Valley have ‘verbally’ advised Kashmiri Pandit and other minority employees not to attend their offices at least until August 20, following the emergence of a threat letter. INSIDE Today’s issue is of 20 pages, including four-page Jalandhar Tribune. 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