Turkmenistan Caspian Sea BHUBANESWAR l thursday l april 23, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION Tributes paid to Pahalgam victims on anniversary of terror attack Afghanistan Tributes were paid on Wednesday to the 26 people who were gunned down by terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam last year India will never bow to terrorism: Modi ■ 50 Famed meadows of Pahalgam buzzing again “Remembering the innocent lives lost in the gruesome Pahalgam terror attack on this day last year,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X, adding India will never bow to terror. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the nation stands united against terrorism. The European Union and the United Kingdom have expressed solidarity with the people of India ■ Security was beefed up across the Valley, with police and paramilitary forces deployed at many places, especially the tourist hotspots The April 22 attack dealt a severe blow to the region’s tourism industry—a key pillar of the local economy. A year down the line, the famed meadows of Pahalgam are once again buzzing with tourists pahalgam tourist spots were shut after attack. many are now open CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI IRAN Epaminondas Seized ship lacked permit: IRGC The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps alleged that MSC-Francesca was linked to Israel while Epaminodes lacked “the necessary permits” and had been “tampering with navigation systems” Three cargo ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz Yemen MSC Francesca Euphoria Gulf of Oman Arabian Sea The Epaminondas | File pic Trump extends Gulf of Aden truce, Iran seizes India-bound ship A g encies @ Washington/ Dubai Iran on Wednesday fired at three cargo ships and seized two of them, including one bound for Gujarat, hours after US President Donald Trump announced that Washington was indefinitely extending its two-week ceasefire with Tehran. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards intercepted and transferred two vessels, identified as the “MSC-FRANCESCA” and the “EPAMINODES” (bound for Mundra port in Gujarat ), to Iranian territorial waters, Iranian media reported. It comes a day after the seizure of an Iranian vessel by the US in the Sea of Oman. Late on Tuesday night, Trump said he was extending the ceasefire at the request of Pakistan to give Tehran’s leadership more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war. “Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured… and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, day and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our attack,” President Trump said. Lebanon attacked As for the peace talks in Islamadespite truce bad, there is little clarity on when, or even if, they will take place. Israeli strikes killed three people in Lebanon despite Trump, however, told The New York Post that it’s possible that an ongoing 10-day the second round could begin by ceasefire, Lebanese state Friday, adding the economic media said, adding that blockade of Iran’s ports will reBeirut would request an main in place. Sources in Pakiextension of the truce stan told the daily talks would during upcoming talks resume in 36-72 hours. with Israel in Washington. Iran has not confirmed if it is The two governments, ready to attend the new round of which do not have talks. It, however, acknowledged diplomatic relations with each other, are set to hold the ceasefire extension. Oil prices rose again on a second round of talks Wednesday with Brent North Sea under US auspices on climbing back above $100 a barrel Thursday P9 while main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, traded above $93 once again. Meanwhile, India denied making any payments —either in cash or cryptocurrency —to Iran to secure safe passage for its vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. Two Indian vessels were fired upon as they attempted to cross the waterway on April 18. Reports said at least one ship fell victim to a scam offering shipowners fake safe passage through the strait in exchange for crypto. Addressing the German Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence and Security Defence Minister Rajnath Singh , warned that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have direct implications for India’s security and economic stability . 54 Gripping Tamil Nadu contest today for decisive mandate T M uru g anandham @ Chennai All arrangements are in place across for electing 234 members to the 17th Tamil Nadu Le gislative Assembly on Thursday With around 74 lakh . names deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the turnout may rise due to a reduced electorate base, though the actual participation levels will deter mine the final outcome. A total of 5.67 crore voters will exercise their franchise at 75,064 booths. The DMK led by Chief Minister M K Stalin is facing a stiff challenge from the NDA led by former CM Edappadi Palaniswami and actor-turned-neta Vijay . As many as 14,59,039 firsttime voters are expected to play a critical role, with many young people showing strong enthusiasm to cast their ballot. This engagement is further evidenced by a significant number of people travelling back to their home towns to fulfil their democratic duty. About 13 lakh commuters left Chennai for various parts of Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states on Tuesday and Wednesday, using private and public transport. When asked about her expectations regarding the voter turnout, Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said, “Highest ever.” There are 5,949 sensitive polling booths in 3,025 locations across the state. Security arrangements for these booths are already in place, including deployment of micro observers and CAPF personnel along with police personnel. Patnaik said 3,60,068 polling personnel have been engaged for the election, and 300 companies of CAPF have also been deployed. Besides, 83,875 police personnel are also on election duty . As many as 4.18 lakh postal ballots have been received so far. As for social media posts, 243 rebuttals and clarifications have been issued, and 163 FIRs have been lodged. She said 2,118 URLs have been blocked by the social media monitoring team in response to complaints. There are 249 model polling stations in the state. Of them, 325 are all-women-managed polling stations; 71 are PwDmanaged polling stations; 79 are youth-managed polling stations. Green polling stations are being piloted in certain districts. She also said that so far, the total value of goods and cash seized stood at `1,262 crore, of which `543 crore was in cash. As far as the election-related complaints are concerned, through the CVigil app, 5,634 complaints have been received. Of them, only 17 are pending. About 74,270 complaints have been received through call centres from districts, and 52 remain unresolved. A State Contact Centre (24/7), staffed by a team of 30, is operational and can receive complaints via the toll-free number 180042521950. HC: No mass arrests of people The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday stayed the EC’s plan to swoop down on ‘troublemakers’ enmasse and arrest them ahead of the first phase of polls. “It is wrong to identify someone as ‘troublemaker’ and arrest them on mass scale,” it observed. Police can take action as per law. But the rule of the law has to be followed even for preventive arrest, the court said ECI: Kharge issued notice The ECI took “serious note” of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “terrorist” and issued him a “stern notice”, officials said. He has been asked to explain his stand within 24 hours, they added. Kharge had accused Modi of “terrorising” political parties | P7 Didi’s I-PAC raid dharna ‘harmed democracy’: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Wednesday rapped West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her alleged interference in the Enforcement Directorate raids at political consultancy firm I-PAC’s office in Kolkata earlier this year. Noting that such actions harm democracy, a bench of justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N V Anjaria said: “A chief minister cannot walk into the midst of an investigation, put the democracy in peril, and then say don’t convert this into a dispute between the state and the Union.” The bench made the strong oral re- marks while hearing the writ petitions filed by the ED and its officers under Article 32 of the Constitution seeking a CBI probe against Banerjee and her officials. Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for a West Bengal official, questioned the maintainability of ED’s plea, saying the dispute is between the Centre and state and should be resolved under Article 131. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, for another Bengal official, argued the ED can’t invoke fundamental rights under Article 32. The bench, while rejecting the respondents’ arguments, said it can’t shut its eyes to the ground realities in Bengal. Cabinet clears CGD policy amidst global energy crisis B I J O Y P R A D H A N @ Bhubaneswar Amid global energy insecurities in the wake of the West Asia conflict, the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday approved a comprehensive City Gas Distribution (CGD) Policy aimed at expanding piped natural gas (PNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) infrastructure across the state. The policy seeks to create a streamlined and efficient framework for the rollout of CGD networks, addressing long-standing bottlenecks such as multi-agency approvals and lack of institutional coordination. By introducing simplified procedures and faster clearances, the government aims to accelerate the adoption of clean fuel in urban areas while ensuring safe and reliable gas supply systems. Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, chief secretary Anu CM Mohan Charan Majhi chairing the state cabinet meeting in Lok Seva Bhavan | Express Garg said the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department will serve as the nodal agency for implementation. It will be supported by a state-level high-powered committee and district monitoring committees to ensure timely execution and effective oversight of projects. Key provisions of the policy include single-window clearance mechanisms, deemed approval systems and rationalisation of licence fees to encourage private sector participation. The government has also proposed a one-time moratorium on approval fees for CGD projects until March 2027 which is expected to attract significant investment without imposing any financial burden on the exchequer. The policy also envisages convergence with initiatives under the Swachh Bharat Mission by facilitating the development of compressed biogas plants. The cabinet decision builds on earlier consultations led by additional chief secretary Usha Padhee who had discussed about the policy framework with major stakeholders in March. The meeting, held in collaboration with GAIL (India) Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited, laid the groundwork for a robust policy framework focused on expanding PNG networks and strengthening urban utility infrastructure. Officials said the CGD policy will not only boost energy security and environmental sustainability but also generate employment and improve ease of doing business. Toughest test yet for Mamata to crush challenge S U B H E N D U M A I T I @ Kolkata West Bengal is all prepped up for a pulsating contest between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP on Thursday when 152 of the total 294 constituencies in the state go to polls in the first of the two-phase elections amid unprecedented security cover. This is the first election after the Election Commission of India’s controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of rolls resulted in 91 lakh deletions from the list. How it would impact the outcome is anybody’s guess. Appellate tribunals added just 139 of the 27 lakh — whose names did not figure in the supplementary rolls — to the list of eligible voters in the first phase. Of the 152 seats in the first phase, 54 in north Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda are seen as strongholds of the BJP. The remaining 98 seats in districts like Murshidabad, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, West Bardhaman and Birbhum, are part of the the traditional citadel of the TMC. The respective strengths of the CPM-led Left Front and the Congress will also be under test. Apart from SIR and anti-incumbency the TMC faces serious charges , like widespread corruption, poor law and order, infiltration and tribal discontent. Direct Delhi-Beijing flights resume Air China has resumed its non-stop Delhi-Beijing flight, reconnecting the flight services between the two capitals, disrupted since 2020 due to Covid-19 and border tensions. Flights will operate on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, the airline said US woman raped at Karnataka homestay EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Madikeri A US national was allegedly sexually assaulted at a homestay in Karnataka’s Kodagu a week ago. The incident came to light after the woman alerted the US Embassy . According to police, the incident occurred on April 12 in Kutta village near Kerala border. Two persons have been arrested. The primary accused, hailing from Jharkhand, who was employed as a cook and caretaker, has been booked for sexual assault. The homestay owner allegedly tried to suppress the incident. Both the accused have been remanded in judicial custody . Kodagu Superintendent of Police Bindu Mani said all aspects are being investigated, including allegations that the woman’s movement was restricted and all her communication was restricted for several days after the incident. Sources said the woman, who had booked a tent stay from April 12 to April 17, said she was drugged and assaulted on the night of her arrival. She later informed the homestay owner, who shifted her to his residence on the premises, saying it would be safer. However, the survivor alleged that she was not allowed to leave immediately and wifi at the property was disabled, limiting her ability to seek help. The woman reportedly left the homestay on April 17 and travelled to Mysuru, from where she contacted the US Embassy. A for mal complaint was registered later. The police said the survivor is currently undergoing medical treatment, and further details will be released when the investig ation progresses.