09082025-TTC-01.qxd 8/9/2025 12:36 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 219 | 18 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 ISRAEL’S CABINET APPROVES PLAN TO TAKE OVER GAZA CITY WORLD /thetribunechd HIZB CHIEF’S SON FREED ON BAIL, SIBLING’S PLEA REJECTED J&K TARIFF JITTERS DRAG SENSEX BELOW 80,000 LEVEL BUSINESS MICHEL’S PLEA FOR RELEASE IN AGUSTAWESTLAND CASE REJECTED BACK PAGE saturday | 9 august 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com PM, Putin talk amid tariff US Prez halts trade talks over tariff heat, vow to deepen ties war; no official word yet, says India Reaffirm commitment to bolster strategic partnership Kuldeep Singh PARL PANEL TO DISCUSS TRADE TALKS ON MONDAY Tribune News Service Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 8 In the wake of the US imposing 50 per cent punitive trade tariffs on India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday spoke over phone and reaffirmed their commitment to deepen strategic partnership between the two countries. The PM said he looked forward to hosting President Putin in India later this year for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit. “Had a very good and detailed conversation with my friend President Putin. We reviewed the progress in our bilateral agenda and reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership,” Modi said in a post on X. Putin also briefed Modi on Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine, with the PM reiterating India’s consistent position for its peaceful resolution. The conversation between the two leaders came amid US President Donald Trump’s pressure on India over the purchase of Russian oil. Trump on Wednesday signed an execu- Vladimir Putin Narendra Modi CHINA WELCOMES PM’s LIKELY VISIT China on Friday welcomed PM Modi’s likely visit to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit later this month, saying the event would be a “gathering of solidarity, friendship and fruitful results”. “China welcomes PM Modi to China for the Tianjin Summit,” said a Foreign Ministry official. Brazil V-P to visit India in Oct for trade meet tive order slapping an additional 25 per cent tariff on India, bringing the total duties to 50 per cent — among the highest imposed by the US on any country in the world. The additional 25 per cent duty will come into effect on August 27. The telephone call happened a day after National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval met SC order barring HC judge from criminal matters taken back Satya Prakash Tribune News Service his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu and later called on Putin at the Kremlin. Doval had said the dates for Putin’s India visit had “almost been finalised” and the Russian President’s meeting with the PM was expected to give a new direction to the relationship between the two countries. Shoigu wanted Moscow and New Delhi to determine the timing of the new full-scale negotiations between Putin and Modi. Prime Minister Modi had travelled to Russia twice last year for an annual summit with Putin and to attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan. Putin met the US President’s Special Envoy Steven Witkoff in Moscow on August 6. The Kremlin said Putin also spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping and informed him of the key outcomes of his meeting with Witkoff. “The meeting took place in a business-like atmosphere and was constructive. The discussion focused on matters dealing with future efforts to work together in the context of resolving the Ukraine crisis,” Putin aide Yury Ushakov had said about the President’s meeting with Witkoff. New Delhi, August 8 US President Donald Trump has ruled out the possibility of trade negotiations with India until the tariff issue is resolved. However, India has not received any communication from the US regarding the halting or cancellation of trade negotiations, said an official. A US team, headed by Brendan Lynch, is scheduled to visit New Delhi from August 25 to 29 for the sixth round of talks, the official said. “No, not until we get it resolved,” Trump replied to a question on whether he expected increased trade negotiations with India after doubling the tariff to 50 per cent. He was addressing reporters at the Oval office on Thursday. According to sources, the sixth round of talks was expected to focus on ironing out outstanding issues in key sectors, including agriculture, dairy, steel, aluminium and automobiles. While the US wants access to the agriculture and dairy sectors, India remains steadfast in maintaining high tariffs in the sensitive sectors which employ millions of people. India and the US announced continued on page 6 ■ The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs will discuss the India-US trade negotiations during its meeting on Monday ■ The panel, headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, has called officials from the Commerce and External Affairs ministries to brief the panel on the issue ■ “Current developments in India’s foreign policy with special reference to the US-India trade negotiations and tariffs” is the agenda for the meeting, the Lok Sabha secretariat said US once again claims it got ‘directly involved’ to stop India-Pak conflict Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 8 The US has once again claimed that it “got involved directly” to bring about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the statement coming at a time when trade tariffs have pushed the New Delhi-Washington ties to a new low, with the two sides refraining from even holding discussions on scheduling 2+2 dialogue in limbo amid tariff tensions the strategic 2+2 dialogue. Initiated in 2018, the 2+2 dialogue is an annual feature in which the External Affairs Minister and the Defence Minister meet their US counterparts to discuss ways to deepen defence and strategic cooperation. Sources said no discussion had yet taken place on decid- VITAL LINK CBSE chief Rahul gets 2-yr extension NEW DELHI: Senior bureaucrat Rahul Singh has been given a two-year extension as the chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), according to an official order. Singh, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, was appointed to the post on March 13 last year. — PTI Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 8 Having passed an unprecedented order restraining Justice Prashant Kumar of the Allahabad High Court from hearing criminal cases “till he demits office” and directing that he should be made to sit with a seasoned senior judge, the Supreme Court on Friday recalled its August 4 controversial order. A Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan reheard the matter and recalled the controversial directions following an “undated letter” received from Chief Justice of India BR Gavai requesting it to reconsider the said directions and strong strictures against Justice Kumar. Taking exception to the “tone and tenor” of the August 4 SC order, a group of 13 judges of the Allahabad High Court had written to Chief Justice Arun Bhansali demanding a full court meeting. The Supreme Court did not have administrative superintendence over high courts, they had pointed out. A Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan reheard the matter and recalled the controversial directions following an “undated letter” received from CJI BR Gavai requesting it to reconsider the said directions and strong strictures against Justice Prashant Kumar of the Allahabad HC. Cabinet approves ~30K-crore LPG subsidy for oil firms I’ve never banned books & never will: Omar blamesL-G Workers of the BRO and the SDRF build a makeshift bridge to reach flashflood-hit Dharali village at Gangnani, Uttarakhand, on Friday. Roads remain blocked between Dharali, Harsil and Uttarkashi. Over 700 persons have been rescued since the August 5 tragedy. REUTERS Govt withdraws I-T Bill, new version on Monday Kuldeep Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 8 The Income Tax Bill, 2025, initially introduced in the Lok Sabha on February 13 to replace the decades-old Income-Tax Act, 1961, has been withdrawn, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday. A revised Bill, incorporating key recommendations of a select committee, is scheduled to be Revised Bill to reflect select committee’s suggestions 285 RECOMMENDATIONS The select committee had made nearly 285 suggestions regarding the Income Tax Bill, 2025. The suggestions include removal of a provision that denies refunds if income tax returns are filed after the due date. tabled on Monday, a government source said. The revised Bill integrates most of the select committee’s suggestions, reflecting Arjun Sharma NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a Rs 30,000-crore LPG subsidy for state-run oil marketing companies, said Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The decision was meant to keep LPG prices affordable for the middle class, the minister said. “To make LPG affordable, Rs 30,000 crore has been approved for subsidy in the Cabinet meeting,” he said. INSIDE NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday indicated that it will set up a committee led by a former high court judge to run the affairs of the Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple at Vrindavan, Mathura, and asked the petitioners challenging the validity of Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025, to move the Allahabad High Court. BACK PAGE Have already taken oath in Parl: Rahul hits back at poll panel CJI HAD SENT LETTER “Since a request has been made in writing by the CJI, and in due deference to the same, we hereby delete paras 25 and 26, respectively, from our order dated August 4, 2025… we leave it to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to look into the matter,” Justice Pardiwala said, pronouncing the order. At the outset, the Bench clarified that “our intention was not to cause embarrassment or cast aspersions on the judge concerned. We would not even think of doing so. However, when matters cross the threshold and the dignity of the institution is imperiled, it becomes the constitutional responsibility of this court to intervene, even continued on page 6 ing the dates for the 2+2 dialogue or Defence Minister Rajnath Singh individually visiting the US. India and the US had, in the previous editions of the dialogue, agreed on a new 10-year defence framework. India is a major buyer of US military goods, with purchases totalling around $20 billion over the past two decades. The sources said the Quad leaders’ summit, which India is to host continued on page 6 SC for panel to run Banke Bihari temple Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah at the inauguration of a polo tournament during the National Tribal Festival in the Gurez valley, Bandipora. PTI Jammu, August 8 The controversy over the banning of 25 books in Jammu and Kashmir, some written by prominent authors, refuses to die down with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah now saying Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, not him, had banned these books. Responding to a social media user who blamed Omar on X for the ban on the books, Omar replied, “Get your facts right before you call me a coward a comprehensive review to modernise the tax framework while addressing stakeholder concerns. The Bill was referred to the committee in you ignoramus. The ban has been imposed by the L-G using the only department he officially controls — the Home Department. I’ve never banned books and I never will”. Tagging Omar, the user wrote, “Unban the books. Unban the books. For the rest of your life, you will be known as the coward who was scared of books. Unban the books.” Omar also attached the order for the ban on the books that stated “by order of the LG”. On August 5, the J&K administration banned the c m y b February. The panel presented its report in the Lok Sabha on July 21. “Almost all of the recommendations of the committee have been accepted by the government. Suggestions have also been received from other sources which are required to be incorporated to convey the correct legislative meaning. There are corrections in the continued on page 6 books, including those by prominent authors like Arundhati Roy and AG Noorani, for allegedly propagating false narrative and promoting secessionism in the UT. A notification by the Home Department of J&K read, “The identified 25 books have been found to incite secessionism and endanger sovereignty and integrity of India”. The notification stated that the books needed to be declared as “forfeited” in terms of Section 98 of the continued on page 6 New Delhi, August 8 With the Election Commission (EC) again seeking a signed declaration from Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi regarding the allegations of “vote theft” levelled by him, the Congress MP hit back, saying he had already taken “oath of the Constitution in Parliament”. The Congress leader had also charged that the poll body was in collusion with the ruling BJP . “The EC demands an affidavit from me. It says that I must take an oath. I have already taken the oath of the Constitution in Parliament,” Rahul said in Bengaluru, while addressing a ‘Vote Adhikar’ rally. On Thursday, the Congress leader had levelled allegations of more than one lakh votes “being stolen” in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat, which the opposition party had lost narrowly to the ruling BJP in 2024. In a direct attack on the LoP the poll body on Friday , asked him to either send a signed declaration of charges against it under oath or apologise to the nation. EC sources said if Rahul believed his analysis and allegations were true, then he should have no problem in signing a declaration to that effect. “However, if he does not do so, then it will mean that his allegations are absurd and then he should apologise to the nation,” the EC sources said further. On Thursday, soon after the Congress MP had given a detailed presentation to the media on how “vote theft” was effected at various levels in the Bangalore Assembly segment, the EC had retaliated by asking him to send a signed declaration EC has sought affidavit from LoP to support ‘vote chori’ charge Rahul Gandhi at a Bengaluru rally. PTI GIVE UP ‘FAKE’ VOTER CARD, TEJASHWI TOLD The Election Commission has asked RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to submit his “apparently fake” electoral photo identity card (EPIC) by August 16, saying it is a crime to forge and use a bogus government document. Yadav had on August 2 alleged that “no record” of his EPIC number was found in the draft electoral rolls prepared as part of the special intensive revision (SIR). under oath to that effect through the Chief Election Officer (CEO) of Karnataka. The CEOs of Haryana and Maharashtra also, later in the day, had sought written declarations from him detailing his allegations against the poll body. The LoP had claimed on Thursday that there was a “chori” of 1,00,250 votes in a Karnataka constituency, with 11,965 duplicate voters in the segment, 40,009 voters with fake and invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk or single-address voters, 4,132 voters with invalid photos and 33,692 misusing ‘Form 6’ for new voters.