Countries ask citizens to leave Lebanon amid war fear Many countries including the US, UK and France have asked their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible The advisories come amid fears of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah following last week’s killings of high-profile Hamas and Hezbollah leaders by Israel Several Western airlines have suspended flights to Lebanon and other airports in the region. The US urged its citizens to use ‘any ticket available’ to get out of Lebanon Amid tensions, Hezbollah said it fired a barrage of rockets at Israel’s north on Saturday night tirunelveli l Monday l AUGUST 05, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l city EDITION August 1 India issued an advisory asking its citizens to leave Lebanon 545 people killed in Lebanon since the start of the war in Gaza. At least 115 are civilians | P11 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 ■ ■ Bill to overhaul Wakf Act likely on Aug 9 or 12 Govt sources say the move is to bring in more transparency and gender diversity board’s portal. While no official statement has been issued so far, top THE Centre plans to bring a sources said the bill would be bill to overhaul the Wakf Act in aimed at ensuring “transparthe ongoing Budget session of ency, efficiency and accountaParliament, government sourc- bility” in the functioning of es said on Sunday. It is learnt Waqf boards. that the Cabinet meet held late In all, there are 30 Waqf on Friday evening cleared the boards functioning across InWakf amendment bill. Sources dia. “Waqf boards hold huge claimed the government’s move numbers of moveable and imis in line with demands from moveable properties across the the Muslim community itself country which are neither doc, for refor ming the umented nor audited ‘Unlimited Wakf boards. with the government powers’ The bill, which machinery. The Bill proposes 38-40 major According to sources, may propose a propamendments to the one of the objectives er audit and verificaWakf Act, is likely to of the bill is to check tion of property and be introduced in Parassets, declared as the “unlimited liament either on owned by the WB in powers” of Wakf August 9 or 12 (the order to ensure boards, which can last day of the Budgtransparency,” a top even bar plaintiffs et session). In case it from seeking justice government source could not be introsaid in an informal from the Judiciary. duced in this session, chat with the media Also, there are then it would be prehere on Sunday . complaints of the sented in the next “The proposed bill boards usurping Parliament session, property by misusing is aimed at seeking sources told this benefits to poor Musthe Wakf Act paper. lims, women and With many states are gearing children, and ensuring fair parup for elections this year and ticipation of women in the the next, the move could spark boards. The bill is not aimed at heated debates and become a grabbing land from Muslims by potential political issue for the the government nor is to give Opposition. such land to non-Muslims,” the Among the major changes government source added. proposed in the bill is the man‘The benefits of Wakf propdatory registration of all move- erties are strictly for the welable and immoveable property fare of the community and not , under Waqf boards with the meant for any individuals. The district collectors concerned. bill will put a check on any Plus, all registered properties such malpractice,” remarked a must be uploaded on the Wakf source. R A J E S H KU M A R T H A KUR @ New Delhi People participate in a rally demanding justice for people killed in recent clashes with the security forces | AP 100 killed in deadliest day of b’desh protests Y eshi S eli @ New Delhi Protests calling for Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation escalated on Sunday with at least 100 people killed in fierce clashes between demonstrators and the police. The violence took a communal turn with miscreants attacking the temples and houses of Hindus. A Hindu councillor from Rangpur, Kajal Roy, was shot dead. Devotees ran for cover as miscreants stormed ISKCON and Kali temples. Authorities have cut off mobile internet and an indefinite curfew was imposed at 6 pm. Among the dead are at least 14 policemen. “It was a bloody Sunday Social media sites like . Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are blocked,” Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, a political commentator in Bangladesh told this newspaper. Many buildings were set ablaze during the protests. This Hasina huddles top security brass Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called a meeting of the National Committee on Security Affairs to review the sitaution, local media reported. It was attended by the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the police We would want the students to carve out a future for Bangladesh. A revolution has already begun Pinaki Bhattacharya, exiled Bangladeshi activist includes the house of Sheikh Sohel, a cousin of Hasina, and the office of Beximco Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Bangladesh. In the Rajbari district, a statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman was vandalised. “These kinds of protests are unprecedented in Dhaka,” a source based in the Bangladesh capital said. The protesters are demanding that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resign. A call has been sent out to students across the country to participate in a march to Dhaka on Monday. This march was earlier planned for Tuesday . Hasina, meanwhile, said those protesting are not students, but terrorists. “I appeal to the countrymen to suppress these terrorists with a firm hand,” she said. Bangladesh Army chief vowed to restore normalcy in two days. Protests began last month over a 30% job quota that critics said favours those loyal to the prime minister. The Supreme Court last week gave a verdict restricting the quota to 5% but fell short of protestors’ demand to quash the quota entirely Pro. tests resumed on Friday after a brief lull. The protesters have rejected Hasina’s offer of talks. Pocso accused youth beats victim’s dad to death; held E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Krishnagiri Months after being released on bail in a Pocso case, a 24-year-old allegedly beat to death the man, whose daughter he had been booked for sexually assaulting, near Kelamangalam in Krishnagiri district on Saturday night. The accused fled the spot, taking the 17-year-old girl with him, police said. He was arrested from Bengaluru on Sunday . According to police, the deceased, Selvam (name changed), was a daily wage labourer from Kelamangalam. His daughter was known to the accused, G Venkatraj, for a few years. In November 2023, Selvam filed a complaint against Venkatraj for raping his daughter. A case was registered under Sections 3 and 4 (penetrative sexual assault) of the Pocso Act and Venkatraj was arrested. He came out on bail in January first week, and according to police, continued a relationship with the minor. On Saturday night, Venkatraj met the girl near her house and Selvam, who saw them talking, got into a heated argument with the accused. As per police, the argument escalated and the youth beat Selvam to death using a log before fleeing with the girl.  P7 Express read Parts of TN to receive heavy rain today Chennai: The Regional Meteorological Centre said heavy rain is likely at isolated places in Cuddalore, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, The Nilgiris, the ghat areas of Coimbatore, and Karaikal on Monday | P7 New Chennai-Tiruchy expressway 2 more bodies found, 200 still missing in Wayanad in the works to ease NH tailbacks A r u n M @ Chooralmala B A N B U S E LV A N @ Chennai To alleviate traffic congestion on the Chennai-Tiruchy route, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to build a Greenfield expressway from Singaperumal Koil, which is 17 km from Tambaram, to Tiruchy or beyond. This proposed highway will begin at the under-construction Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (CPRR) on GST Road and will run up to Tiruchy or any other location that connects with ports or major junctions. Once operational, commercial goods from Thoothukudi, Madurai and other southern districts can be ferried to Ennore and Kattupalli ports The new expressway is being planned considering the increased vehicle congestion on GST Road | Express through Chennai Peripheral Ring Road without entering Chennai city . Official sources from NHAI’s regional office in Chennai told TNIE that multiple meetings have been conducted with consultants to assess the feasibility and other aspects of the project. “A Detailed Project Report (DPR) is currently being finalised. While the starting point of the Greenfield expressway has been determined, the terminating point is yet to be decided. It could either be Tiruchy or beyond,” said an official. The new expressway is being planned considering the increased vehicle congestion on GST Road, future vehicle population, and transportation of commercial and other goods. As per official data, about 1.6 lakh vehicles pass through GST Road every day  . P7 Amid the continuing search for those missing in the devastating landslides in Wayanad, bodies of eight unidentified victims were laid to rest at a mass burial site at Puthumala near Meppadi on Sunday, the sixth day following the calamity . Around 30 burial pits have been arranged at a 64-cent burial ground at Harrisons Malayalam Estate in Puthumala. The bodies were buried after official procedures under the Disaster Management Act. Meanwhile, the hopes of finding those still missing in the landslides at Chooralmala and Mundakai are fading with each passing day. With around 200 people yet to be traced, the state government has initiated a DNA matching process for the uni- Volunteers preparing the graveyard for cremating the unidentified bodies recovered from the landslide hit areas in Chooralmala and Mundakkai | TP sooraj dentified bodies and body parts with the family members of those missing. DNA samples of the unidentified bodies and body parts are being preserved before burial. A medical team will collect blood samples from the relatives of the missing persons to compare with the DNA samples of the Miracle on Turf: In a corner of Paris, Indian hockey rises from the beyond A LFRED Tennyson’s 3-2 win against Australia was words aptly surmise historic, what they did on the the emotional blue turf at Yves du Manhigh of the men’s oir on Sunday was more hockey team. TNIE @ olympics than just a miracle. It beThe English polongs in the realm of fanet’s words “... someone tasy. They now have the had blundered, Theirs not chance to upgrade the to make reply, Theirs not bronze they had won in Indraneel Das to reason why Theirs but , Tokyo. With and the roParis to do and die, Into the valmance associated with ley of Death, Rode the 10 hockey will grow. men...” The miracle did not come It is the Olympics. If India’s easy Two minutes into the sec. Indian players celebrate after the shoot-out win over Great Britain | AP ond quarter against Great Britain, India were down to ten. What followed the next 43 minutes was a lesson in ‘you shall not pass’. India’s nine outfielders and PR Sreejesh did the improbable as they held out till the shoot-out where they won 4-2 (1-1 after end of 60 minutes). By the time it began, GB looked shattered. India were buoyant. Their body language was positive. The entire Indian team yelled and after Rajkumar Pal found the net, the fourth Indian to do so. Just before this, Sreejesh saved from Phil Roper, GB’s second miss. From coach Craig Fulton to every single player, they all ran towards the man who stood behind India and defeat. Sreejesh. Though exhausted, they still had enough in their bodies to celebrate. Their resilience resulted in one of the greatest escape acts in Olympic history  p13 . unidentified bodies and body parts. Despite extensive efforts in the landslide-affected areas and along a 40km stretch of river through the forest, only two bodies and 10 body parts were recovered on Sunday . The official death toll in the calamity stands at 221, including 97 men, 87 women, and 37 children. However, there are reports the number of deceased exceeds 300. On Sunday, the search operations continued at Chooralmala and Mundakkai, with more personnel and equipment being deployed in areas having a higher likelihood of recovering bodies. Advanced radars, drones, and heavy machinery are being used by the rescue teams. Forty teams are conducting search operations across six zones. With this issue 4 PAGES Exclusive Supplement