MADURAI l Monday l July 08, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Turnout in French elections highest in over four decades Voting began in mainland France on Sunday in pivotal runoff elections that could hand a historic victory to far-right or produce a hung Parliament Tactical move to stop the far right Opinion Polls predict hung parliament By Sunday 5 pm, some 61.4% of voters had turned out for the high-stakes poll —the highest number at that time since 1981. Far-right National Rally came on top in the first round of voting on June 30. However, since then many candidates from left and centrist parties have dropped out of the election to avoid splitting the vote against the National Rally | P9 ■ ■ The latest opinion polls forecast that the National Rally will fall short of the 289 seats needed for an outright majority in the 577seat French National Assembly, while still becoming the largest party This may allow Macron to possibly build a broad coalition against the National Rally. But it could also lead to political paralysis 50 Candidates reported being physically attacked while campaigning 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 Chandrachud-led bench to take up NEET pleas today Supreme Court to hear batch of 38 petitions, including those seeking fresh examination S U C H I T R A K A LYA N MOH A N TY @ New Delhi A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, will on Monday hear a batch on the controversy-ridden medical entrance exam NEET-UG 2024, including those alleging irregularities and malpractices in the May 5 test and seeking a direction to conduct it afresh. According to the cause list for July 8 uploaded on the SC website, the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, is scheduled to hear a total of 38 petitions related to the exam. T hese petitions have been filed separately by both students and various educational institutions. Among the pleas is one filed by a group of 20 students seeking direction to scrap the NEET-UG exam and a Supreme Court-monitored probe by the CBI or any other independent agency into the alleged irregularities in the test. The SC had earlier stayed proceedings on similar pleas filed by students and others in various high courts. The National Eligibility-cumEntrance Test-Undergraduate is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country . The Centre and the NTA had filed separate affidavits in the SC, opposing the pleas seeking drastic steps. In its affidavit, the Union education ministry said the exam held on May 5 should not be cancelled as it would seriously jeopardise lakhs of honest candidates who attempted it. It added that it would not be rational to scrap the e n t i r e N EET- U G exam in the absence of any proof of large-scale breach of confidentiality . The NTA’s affidavit said, “The cancellation of the entire examination... would be hugely counterproductive and significantly harmful to the larger public interest.” Meanwhile, a group of students on Sunday staged a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against NEET irregularities. to get season tickets Concerns fly as S Rly collects phone nos from passengers B A N B U S E LV A N @ Chennai From July 1, Southern Railway has been collecting mobile numbers from unreserved passengers in Chennai who come to get their season tickets issued or renewed at the counters, sparking privacy concerns. Earlier, mobile numbers were only collected from reserved passengers, both online and offline, to send text alerts. For the first time, this information has been demanded from unreserved commuters, a section of whom strongly opposed the move. Passengers alleged that they were asked to provide their 10-digit mobile numbers, which were manually recorded by commercial staff at ticket counters saying it was mandatory Members of . railway users’ consultative committees criticised the move, saying it was another instance of acting on “verbal” instructions from the railway board without any official order. They contended that collecting such basic details at the counters without proper explanation violates passengers’ privacy . However, the official spokesperson of Southern Railway said the purpose of this exercise was to gather basic information from passengers who avail of season tickets at subsidised prices. The official did not respond to privacy concerns. A majority of Chennai’s working population reaches the city from Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Ranipet, and Vellore by train services. With nearly 660 daily services, the Chennai division transports over 11.5 lakh passengers every day  . P5 Then there were four With the semi-finalists identified, a look at how things stand at the European Championships... Spain, the team to beat Spain have been the best team. Their new-age wingers “Lacine Yamal and Nico Williams” have also set the pulses racing three lions march on England have relied on individual brilliance to take them to another semifinal. It’s a 3rd semis across the last four major senior events for Gareth Southgate’s wards Semifinals Tuesday: Spain vs France Wednesday: Netherlands vs England Armstrong laid to rest on pvt land in Tiruvallur EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Chennai After a procession of nearly 20 km, featuring thousands of mourners, the mortal remains of Tamil Nadu BSP chief K Armstrong were laid to rest on a private land belonging to a relative at Pothur in Tiruvallur, on Sunday night. BSP national president Mayawati, who arrived in the city to pay homage to the leader, urged Chief Minister M K Stalin to refer the probe into Armstrong’s murder on Friday to the CBI, alleging the men arrested by the Chennai police were not the real culprits. While the ruling DMK’s allies, TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai and VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, paid respects to Armstrong at the express read Six terrorists killed in twin J&K encounters Srinagar: Six terrorists were killed and two soldiers laid down their lives in twin encounters in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, officials said on Sunday. “The bodies of two terrorists were recovered from the Modergam encounter site while four bodies were recovered from the Chinnigam site on Sunday,” they said. The twin encounters in the two villages of Kulgam district began on Saturday. BSF deploys AI cameras on Bangladesh border Agartala: The Border Security Force has beefed up security along India-Bangladesh border by deploying AI-enabled cameras and facial recognition tools. The force has launched a crackdown on smugglers and touts enabling human trafficking, a senior official said. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha recently highlighted the recent spike in infiltration along the international border. BSP national president Mayawati paying homage to the party’s Tamil Nadu chief K Armstrong in Chennai on Sunday | P Ravikumar Bunder garden corporation school, where his remains were kept for public viewing, senior leaders of the Dravidian major remained absent. Armstrong’s final resting space was decided after a court battle, as the deceased leader’s family, led by his wife Porkodi, had initially sought permission for burial at the BSP office premises in Perambur. However, the city corporation had turned down the plea, 1 dead, many injured in stampede-like situation during Rath Yatra in Puri R a j k u m ar M o h an t y @ Puri The first Rath Yatra under the newly-elected BJP government in Odisha started on a tragic note as a male devotee was killed and several others sustained injuries when a stampede-like situation arose during the pulling of the chariots of the Holy Trinity on Sunday evening. While the deceased has been identified as Lalit Bagarti of Saintala in Balangir district, the condition of one of the injured is said to be critical. The incident took place near the Hindi school, about 200 metres from Simhadwar of the Jagannath temple, when there was a mad rush to pull the Taladhwaja chariot of Lord Balabhadra — the first to roll. Eyewitnesses said, the tussle among the devotees to lay hands on the ropes and pull the chariot led to the situation. The deceased devotee Chariot of Lord Jagannath being pulled on the first day of Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha on Sunday | DEBADATTA MALLICK fell down in the push and was trampled by others. At least, five others also fell down and sustained injuries. Volunteers shifted all of them to the district headquarters hospital where the doctors declared one dead. This apart, over 300 devotees were hospitalised due to various reasons including dehydra- S V K R I S H N A C H A I TA N YA @ Chennai Researchers from Tamil Nadu have found early success in bringing lab-grown fish meat to the plates of consumers, for the first time in the country Us. ing cells from popular varieties such as milkfish, grouper, red snapper and tilapia, a team from Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, has managed to develop lab-grown meat and is in process of applying for a patent for the same. The Chennai-based private university has obtained an authentication certificate from National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, an organisation working under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research. In many countries across the world, there is an increasing demand for cultivated fish meat, which replicate the variety’s original flavour, texture, and nutritional qualities. As the wild fish population is on decline due Singapore, Japan and France are some of the countries that are aggressively investing and promoting lab-grown fish meat Inbakandan D, Sathyabhama University to factors like overfishing, climate change and pollution, the lab-grown meat is seen as a viable alternative to reduce the stress on the biodiversity Singa. pore, Japan and France are some of the countries that are aggressively investing and promoting it, said Inbakandan D, professor and head of Centre for Ocean Research, Sathyabama University . Hygiene is another reason for the increased interest in cultivated fish meat. Since it is grown in a sterile environment, there is no chance for the presence of parasites, heavy metals or microplastics.  P5 Indian cuisine: Madras prawn to lamb korma From Chicken Tikka Masala to Lamb Korma and Madras prawn to Butter Chicken, Indian athletes will enjoy these delicacies at the Asian district lunch and dinner menu at the Games Village during the Paris Olympics. It is not just Indian dishes that are available for the athletes but there are vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free food options as well. In a novel initiative, the Indian Olympic Association has prepared a chart for Olympic-bound athletes to help tion. Grand Road, the venue for Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra’s annual sojourn to Gundicha temple, the abode of their aunt, teemed with a sea of devotees as lakhs converged to take part in the festival with President Droupadi Murmu in attendance this year. Sena leader held over son’s hit-and-run in Mumbai S u d h ir S urawans h i @ Mumbai A Shiv Sena leader was arrested on Sunday after a speeding luxury car, allegedly driven by his son, rammed a motorcycle killing a couple in the early hours of Sunday in Mumbai. A BMW sedan, allegedly driven by Mihir Shah, son of Rajesh Shah, rammed the twowheeler on which Kaveri Nakhawa and her husband Pradeep Nakhawa, both fisher folk, were traveling in Worli. Pradeep, who was riding the motorcycle, said when the car dashed them, he lost balance and they fell on the car’s bonnet. The driver continued to drive, dragging his wife along, while Pradeep fell onto the road. Pradeep said Mihir was driving the vehicle and he pleaded with him to stop the vehicle, but he kept driving. “He continued to drive his car and dragged my wife. I tried to run after the vehicle ... then I took the help of a taxi. We chased the car for more than a kilometer, but could not find Kaveri. So, I decided to go to Worli police station. Then we traced my wife and took her to hospital where she succumbed to her injuries,” Pradeep said, adding if Mihir Shah had stopped his car at his request, his wife would have not died. The 24-year-old Mihir was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. Mihir is absconding. The police said Mihir and his friend visited the bar and ordered beer and food worth `18,730. Maharashtra CM Ekanth Shinde has vowed strict against the guilty. “We will not protect anyone. All are equal before the law even though Mihir’s father belongs to our party Justice will be de. livered,” Shinde said. Lab fish on frying pan: TN researchers ‘Poison cans’ opened in develop cultivated meat of 4 varieties Hathras, claims lawyer Paris Games village menu k alyani m an g ale @ Chennai stating there was not enough vacant land there for the burial. Porkodi moved the Madras High Court with an urgent plea and it was decided that Armstrong could be laid to rest at a private land owned by his relative T V Latha at Pothur. The village panchayat had held an extraordinary meeting and passed a resolution stating people in the neighbourhood had expressed no objection to the move. Also, there is no water body within a 90-m radius, said Additional Advocate General J Ravindran. The permission was granted under Section 7 of the TN Village Panchayat (Provision of Burial and Burning Grounds) Rules, 1999. The Chennai police have so far arrested 11 suspects in the murder case.  More on P4 woman killed them with their nutritional needs. The chart lists out cuisines available at the Olympic Games Village under different heads. The menu will be served on an eight-day rotational basis. The Indian contingent will be reaching the venue around July 18-20 for the July 26-August 11 event. “Most of the athletes are already working with their respective nutritionists,” Aradhana Sharma, IOAappointed chief nutritionist for the Paris Olympics, told this daily “I have been in touch . with those nutritionists and we have shared the menu with them and asked them to prepare the diet plan according to this menu because athletes will be eating in the village. For the other athletes whose personal nutritionists are not travelling, we will be supervising what the athletes are eating if they are sticking to the diet plan or not, or if there is any lastminute information they need about food or if anything needs to be replaced in their diet plans. We have shared this menu with most of the athletes and their nutritionists,” she informed. For this purpose, IOA has created “A Comprehensive Food & Nutrition Guide for Olympic Bound Athletes”, which will help the 120-strong contingent. The IOA, for the first time, has assembled a 13-member medical team headed by orthopaedic surgeon Dhinshaw Pardiwala, including two nutritionists, Dr. Sharma and Ms Mihira Khopkar. IOA believes if you bring professionals, you will get better services for the athletes. N A M I TA B A J PA I @ Lucknow IN a new twist to the July 2 Hathras satsang stampede, the lawyer of ‘Bhole Baba’ Narayan Sakar Hari alias Suraj Pal on Sunday claimed that witnesses told him some people opened cans containing a poisonous substance in the crowd. This, he said, caused panic among the crowd and triggered the stampede that killed 121 people, mostly women. Talking to media persons in Delhi, lawyer A P Singh also alleged conspiracy and criminal acts by some anti-social elements, who were upset about the baba’s ‘rising popularity’. “I have been told by the witnesses that there were 15-16 people carrying cans of a poisonous substance which they opened in the crowd. I have seen post-mortem reports of the deceased showing asphyxiation as the main cause of death and not the injuries,” said Singh. In his first reaction to the tragedy, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said the conspiracy angle could not be ruled out. Singh said, “There were vehicles parked at the site to help the men, who had released poisonous substance, flee. We have proof and we will submit it.” The lawyer also said that he would demand security for the witnesses who reached out to him with the revelation. So far, nine persons, including key accused Devprakash Probe panel meets locals, witnesses The judicial panel formed by the Yogi Adityanath government on Sunday that it will grill anyone, including Bhole Baba, for its probe. The three-member panel on Sunday interacted with locals, officials and witnesses of the tragedy Compensation not enough, says Rahul Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has written to UP CM Yogi Adityanath, urging him to increase the compensation for Hathras tragedy victims. The state govt had earlier announced `2 lakh ex gratia to the families of the victims Madhukar, have been arrested in connection with the Hathras stampede. On Saturday, Hathras police said it was also probing into the suspected funding of the congregation by a political party and warned of the “strictest possible” action against it. Bhole Baba was not mentioned as an accused in the FIR lodged at the local Sikandra Rao police station.