07012025-TT-01.qxd 1/6/2025 11:25 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 7 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH B’DESH TRIBUNAL ISSUES 2ND ARREST WARRANT AGAINST HASINA WORLD /thetribunechd PRASHANT KISHOR HELD FOR ‘ILLEGAL’ HUNGER STRIKE NATION SENSEX FALLS 1,200 PTS INDIA’S FIRST BULLET AMID HMPV SCARE, FII TRAIN TO BE REALITY SELLING BUSINESS SOON: PM BACK PAGE tuesday | 7 january 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com 26 years after Pokhran tests, US set to lift sanctionswill boost civil-nuclearnuclear entities on Indian cooperation, says NSA Sullivan Formal paperwork soon, Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Canadian PM Justin Trudeau speaks to the media in Ottawa. REUTERS Trudeau resigns as partyhead;tostayPM till successor named New Delhi, January 6 Twenty-six years after the nuclear tests at Pokhran in May 1998 led to an embargo on several Indian atomic energy companies, the US is set to lift the sanctions, opening the route for closer cooperation in the civil-nuclear sector. The ban on the Indian companies stemmed from the chill in the India-US relations following the May 1998 tests. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan today said the US was finalising steps to remove the Indian companies from the Entity List to allow cooperation in the civil-nuclear area. He was speaking at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Sullivan said, “Today I can announce that the US is now Toronto, January6 Finally putting an end to months of speculation, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned as the Prime Minister and the leader of the Liberal Party on Monday. His position had become untenable following the resignation of his once-trusted colleague and Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, last month. Her departure triggered fresh demands for Trudeau’s resignation not only from opposition leaders but also from numerous Liberal MPs. Trudeau’s resignation signals a pivotal moment for Canada, as it grapples with internal political shifts and external global challenges. Meeting with Governor General Mary Simon, Trudeau recommended proroguing Parliament until March 24 to facilitate the selection of a new leader. “This country deserves a real choice in the next election,” Trudeau asserted, emphasising the need for a fresh perspective amidst internal party strife. He said, “I intend to resign, as party leader, as Prime Minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process. Last night I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process. This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I am having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.” In an emotional address to Canadians, Trudeau said, “Since 2015, I’ve fought for this country and for you. To strengthen and grow the middle class. We rallied to support each other through the pandemic, to advance reconciliation, to defend free trade on this continent, to stand strong continued on page 8 Bengaluru techie, wife kill self after poisoning 2 kids Govt allays concerns as 5 kids test +ve for HMPV Several trapped as water enters Assam coal mine Bengaluru, January 6 A software professional and his wife allegedly died by suicide after killing their two young children in Bengaluru, the police said on Monday. The deceased have been identified as 38-year-old Anoop, who belonged to Uttar Pradesh, his wife Raakhi (35) and their children Anupriya (5) and Priyansh (2). The incident took place within the limits of Sadashivanagar police station. According to information, the couple’s domestic help told the police that they were distraught as Anupriya was a child with special needs. continued on page 8 Aksheev Thakur Guwahati, January 6 Several workers were feared trapped inside a coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district after a sudden gush of water flooded the site on Monday, officials said. The state government has requested Army’s assistance in rescue operations. The incident took place at the Assam Coal Quarry, located in the 3 Kilo area of Umrangso in the district. Quarry employees claimed nearly 15 workers were inside the mine, though the authorities did not confirm this. “Distressing news from Umrangso, where labourers are trapped in a coal mine. The exact number and status are yet unknown. The DC, SP and my colleague Kaushik Rai are rushing to the site. Praying to God for everyone’s safety,” CM Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X. The State Disaster Response Force and the National Disaster Response Force have initiated rescue operations. — PTI Raveen Thukral C’garh journalist’s murder: Accused held in Telangana Bijapur, January 6 Suresh Chandrakar, the prime accused in the murder of a journalist in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur, has been arrested from Telangana capital city Hyderabad by an SIT, the police said on Monday. The accused, a contractor by profession, was absconding after the murder of Mukesh Chandrakar came to light on January 3, they said. Chandrakar (33), a freelance journalist, went missing on January 1. His body was found in a septic tank on a property owned by Suresh at Chattanpara Basti in Bijapur town, the police had said. A news report highlighting alleged corruption in a road construction work in Bijapur is said to be the trigger behind Mukesh’s murder. — PTI finalising the necessary steps to remove long-standing regulations that have prevented civil-nuclear cooperation between India’s leading nuclear entities and US companies.” The formal paperwork would be done soon. This would be an opportunity to turn the page on some of the frictions of the past and create opportunities for entities to come off the restricted lists in the US and enter into deep collaboration with the US, “with our private sector, scientists and technologists”, Sullivan said. 9 die as Naxals blow up police vehicle in Bastar Tribune News Service Security personnel at the site where an IED blast occurred in Bijapur. ANI Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 6 Amid the alarming rise in respiratory illnesses caused by human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China, five children on Monday tested positive for the virus in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. In Bengaluru, a threemonth-old girl and an eightmonth-old boy, who had a history of bronchopneumonia, were diagnosed with the viral infection after being admitted to Baptist Hospital. The Union Health Ministry said while the girl was discharged after treatment, the boy was recovering. Neither of the patients had any history of travel. In Tamil Nadu, the Health Department said two children had been tested positive for HMPV in Chennai. However, their condition is stable. In Gujarat, the virus was detected in a two-month-old boy, who was admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in New Delhi on Monday. ANI India and the US had signed the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement in March 2006, but the sanctions on the Indian companies had remained a hindrance to any cooperation. As per the US Federal Register, the US Export Administration Bureau had, in 1998, barred some entities of the Department of Atomic Energy — Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Indian Rare Earths, nuclear reactors, including power plants, not under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, production facilities and their collocated ammonia plants. On the need to remove Indian entities from the barred list, Sullivan said this was the continued on page 8 SYMPTOMS Cough | Runny or blocked nose | Sore throat | Fever TREATMENT Illness goes away in five-six days with rest and supportive care at home. Those who develop bronchitis or pneumonia need medical care. DETECTION HMPV PCR test PREVENTIVE MEASURES Hand wash with soap and water, hand sanitisers, masks, avoiding contact with infected on December 24 with symptoms of respiratory infection. Health officials said the child’s condition was stable. According to the Union continued on page edit: HMPV in India New Delhi, January 6 Eight personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a police unit, and a civilian driver were killed after Naxals blew up their vehicle with a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Monday, official sources said. This is the biggest strike by Maoists on security forces in nearly two years in Chhattisgarh and the first this year. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a post on X, expressed grief over the incident and asserted: “I want to assure that the sacrifice of jawans will not go waste and by March 2026, Naxalism will be wiped out from the face of India.” The DRG personnel from Dantewada district were returning in an SUV after an anti-Naxalite operation when the IED was detonated near Ambeli village under the Kutru police station around 2.15 pm, said Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P All eight DRG . men travelling in the SUV and the driver were killed on the spot. The DRG personnel are mostly recruited from continued on page 8 ‘Oldhabittoblame neighbours’: MEA slams Pak over tensions with Af New Delhi, January 6 Calling it Pakistan’s “old practice to blame neighbours for its own failures”, the MEA on Monday condemned Islamabad’s recent airstrikes in Afghanistan. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had taken note of media reports on “airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several lives had been lost”. “We unequivocally condemn any attack on civilians. It’s an old practice of Pakistan to blame neighbours for its own failures,” he said. On December 24 last year, Pakistan had launched airstrikes on Afghanistan’s Barmal district in Paktika province. The Taliban-led Afghanistan government had said 46 persons were killed in the airstrikes. The tensions between the two countries escalated after an attack by continued on page 8 ISRO defers docking experimentby2days NEW DELHI: The ISRO has postponed its maiden satellite docking attempt from January 7 to January 9. The mission marks a critical milestone for future space operations, including India’s own space station, Chandrayaan 4 and Gaganyaan. The mission, Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), involves two satellites — one chaser and one target. — TNS Agriculture reforms priority, my health secondary, Dallewal tells SC committee Asks panel to urge Centre to ‘have mercy’ on farmers, fulfil demands MohitKhannaand Satya Prakash Tribune News Service Patiala/NewDelhi, January6 “Farm reforms are my priority, my life and health secondary,” said farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on a fast-unto-death for the past 42 days, while interacting with the high-powered committee appointed by the Supreme Court to initiate talks with farmers. The committee, led by a retired high court judge, Justice Nawab Singh, and comprising former DGP BS Sandhu, economist RS Ghuman, agriculture expert Devinder Sharma and Punjab Farmers Commission chairperson Sukhpal Singh, arrived at Dhabi Gujaran village near the Khanauri border at 3.15 pm today and interacted with the farmer leader for nearly 10 minutes. SC-appointed panel member meets farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal in Khanauri. PHOTO: RAJESH SACHAR Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today expressed the hope that the meeting between Dallewal and the committee would yield some positive result. “Let us hope something positive emerges out of it,” a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice NK Singh said after senior coun- sel Kapil Sibal informed it on behalf of the Punjab Government that the protesting farmers, led by Dallewal, had continued on page 8 No Hinglish-Vinglish! India above average in spoken English New Delhi, January 6 India ranks above global average in speaking English with Delhi leading the chart followed by Rajasthan, according to the Global English Proficiency Report by Pearson. The report released on Monday is an in-depth analysis of English proficiency trends across India, the Philippines, Japan, Egypt, Colombia and Europe. The Pearson Global English Proficiency Report 2024 aggregated and analysed data from approximately 7,50,000 Versant tests conducted worldwide, offering a detailed snapshot of current skill levels and emerging trends. Versant by Pearson is an English language assessment tool that accurately and efficiently evaluates candidates’ language proficiency, assisting businesses in hiring the best talent suited for their needs. The report cited that while India’s average English skills score (52) is lower than the Delhi leads the graph, Rajasthan & Punjab close on the heels, says Pearson report BANKING SECTOR TOPS SPEAKING SCORE ■ Pearson report says India’s ing score (61) is equivalent to the global average score (61). ■ In India, the finance and banking sector leads with the highest speaking score of 63, surpassing the global average of 56. Healthcare has the lowest score (45) average English skills score (52) is lower than the global average (57), but the country’s average English speaking score (57) is higher than the global average (54) ■ India’s average English writglobal average score (57), the country’s average English speaking score (57) is higher than the global average (54). The report also said India’s average English writing c m y b score (61) is equivalent to the global average writing score (61). Delhi led with the high- est English speaking score (63) followed by Rajasthan (60) and Punjab (58). “In today’s global economy, English proficiency is not just a skill but a strategic asset. The Pearson Global English Proficiency Report 2024 provides business leaders with the data-driven insights they need to make informed decisions about hiring and developing their workforce,” said Giovanni Giovannelli, president of Pearson’s English Lan- guage Learning division. According to the report, the Indian market has experienced significant growth in English skills in recent years, which is predicted to continue, with an emphasis on voice-based testing. “India’s average writing score is 61, matching the global average, reflecting steady improvements driven by increased digital communication and the necessity for written English in global business contexts,” it said. — PTI