KOZHIKODE l Sunday l October 27, 2024 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city edition Rajnath Singh to celebrate Diwali with troops in Arunachal Pradesh The defence minister will celebrate the festival of lights with soldiers in Tawang, which saw the first artillery fire from China side during the 1962 war IAF-Uttarakhand War Memorial car rally Tawang visit amid Sino-Indian thaw Singh’s visit also coincides with the flag-in of Indian Air Force-Uttarakhand War Memorial car rally in Tawang on October 30, in the presence of Arunachal CM Pema Khandu and deputy CM Chowna Mein. In October 2023, the defence minister had carried out Shastra Puja with the troops at Tawang and also interacted with those deployed in the frontline locations along the LAC ■ ■ Tawang is a base for men in uniforms including those of the Indian Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) The Tawang trip comes at a time when India-China relations have just begun to thaw following disengagement of troops in Ladakh. China gets worked up whenever an Indian minister visits Arunachal Pradesh 50,000 Estimated number of people living in Tawang, which China CALLS LITTLE tIBET 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 Israel hits Iran’s military sites Nuclear sites, energy infrastructure spared; two Iranian soldiers killed tHREE wAVES of STRIKES The first wave of attacks targeted Iran’s air defence capabilities to ensure the IDF’s freedom of operations during Saturday’s sorties, and to lay the ground for further strikes, should Iran retaliate Drone, missile sites hit The second and third waves of attacks targeted Iran’s drone and ballistic missile manufacturing sites as well as sites used to launch such weapons Objectives achieved, says IDF IDF spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said the goals of the overnight attack on Iran were achieved successfully. “The reprisal strike was completed,” he told reporters Flight radar data shows airspace over Iran, Syria, and Iraq closed amid Israeli strikes on Saturday Agencies ISRAEL on Saturday launched retaliatory strikes against Iran, 25 days after Tehran attacked Tel Aviv with nearly 200 missiles and drones. Israel’s airstrikes started around 2 am Iranian time on Saturday and ended by 6 am. Only military sites were hit. The Israeli military termed its attack ‘precise and targeted’ strikes to knock down Iran’s air defence systems and other defence capabilities. Owing to US pressure, Israel did not target Iran’s nuclear or energy facilities, which were initially seen as possible targets for Israel’s response to Iran’s October 1 attack. The extent of damage the Israeli strikes caused was not immediately known, though some reports quoting anonymous Israeli officials said 20 targets were hit. Iran’s state-run media reported that blasts could be heard in Tehran and some of the sounds came from air defence systems around the city . According to US media reports, the Iranian military complex at Parchin near Tehran was hit. Iran confirmed the attack, saying two of its soldiers were killed. It claimed its forces thwarted damage to its military sites. Iran’s military said the Israeli strikes targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces and caused ‘limited damage’, without elaborating. Iran’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying the country has a responsibility to defend itself, but added Iran “recognises its responsibilities towards regional peace and security”, signalling it would not strike back. Reports said Israel’s strike was designed to minimise casualties and to give Iran a face saver. Some reports also claimed that Iran was tipped off ahead of the attack, to ensure the damage was limited. Saturday’s retaliatory strike marked the first time Israel’s military has openly attacked Iran, which hasn’t faced a sustained barrage of fire from a foreign enemy since its 1980s war with Iraq. In response to the latest attack, several countries, including India, called for an end to the cycle of confrontation. India said it was deeply concerned and urged all sides to take the diplomacy route. “We reiterate our call to all concerned to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy the Ministry of External Af,” P9 fairs said.  CM Pinarayi distances himself from controversy over P Jayarajan’s book E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kozhikode Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has distanced himself from the controversial portions in a book on Muslim politics authored by CPM state committee member P Jayarajan. Hinting that the remarks on PDP leader Abdul Nazar Madani in the book are not that of the party, Pinarayi said releasing a book does not mean that he shares all the opinions expressed in the book. Pinarayi was speaking at the release of the book ‘Keralam: Muslim Rashtreeyam, Rashtreeya Islam’ in Kozhikode on Saturday The reference in the . book that Madani radicalised Muslim youth in Kerala had @ New Delhi The BJP-led NDA government is reportedly planning a special joint sitting of Parliament on November 26 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India. The joint session will be held in the historic Central Hall of the Samvidhan Sadan (old Parliament building), the venue where the first Constituent Assembly had adopted the Constitution on November 26, 1949, after which it came into effect WITH THIS ISSUE on January 26, 1950. Sources indicated that a formal call on the joint session will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs shortly . Traditionally the winter ses, sion of Parliament begins in the last week of November or the first week of December. But this year, it appears the session may follow shortly after the Constitution Day is observed. This year’s event is particularly significant, as the ruling alliance and the Opposition INDIA bloc are at odds regarding constitutional matters. The New Don PLUS 12 PAGES R a k e s h K u m a r @ New Delhi With hoax bomb threats against airlines continuing unabated, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued an advisory directing social media platforms to promptly remove such misinformation and refrain from hosting similar content. press Intake Freeing the mind, from behind bars | P2 Health dept suspends Prasanth | P5 Horse-trading charges shock CPM leadership | P5 E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ T’ Puram Congress Working Committee leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that the Pinarayi Vijayanled LDF government gave 1.8 lakh jobs to CPM sympathisers in the past eight years and thereby betrayed the youth in the state. The Congress leader rued that this has happened at a time when 26 lakh youngsters are waiting for jobs after registering with employment exchanges. In a statement, Chennithala demanded that ineligible persons who managed to get jobs through the backdoor should be terminated, and instead, eligible candidates from employment exchanges have to be accommodated. Chennithala said 33,000 temporary vacancies are reported every year in the state, but only one-third of the appointments to these vacancies are happening ● More on P5 through employment exchanges.  historic outcome India’s fortress breached by New Zealand S w a r o o p S w a m i n at h a n @ Pune THE oxygen had been sucked out of the place. A cheery afternoon crowd were refusing to believe what was unfolding. The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium was bearing witness to the death of a dynasty, a kingdom being knocked down in front of their eyes... an end of an incomparable era. Shortly after Tea on Day 3, as Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin tried to string together a couple of commas towards achieving the improbable, there was a certain element of tragicomedy. The two spinners, so often who have bowled India to victory in these conditions to preserve their New Zealand players celebrate Rohit Sharma’s wicket in Pune on Saturday | pti proud home record, were merely delaying the inevitable. Once Ashwin fell to Mitchell Santner, the Kiwi picking up his 13th scalp of the Test, any sense of a miracle evaporated. The Black Caps, the inaugural World Test Championship champs, had mastered The PDP has lashed out P Jayarajan over his remarks against Abdul Nazar Madani in his book, and urged him to substantiate his allegations. PDP workers burnt a copy of the book in Kozhikode in protest. P5 ignited a controversy . “Every author may have his or her personal opinion on each topic. There is no stipulation that the person who releases a book should share all opinions in it,” he said. Pinarayi said there is space in public sphere for differing views and it should be protected. “We two are part of the same organisation. Naturally, there will be agreement in places that reflect the stand of the organisation. And there will be different views in personal assessments, he said. It may be recalled that Pinarayi was the architect of the PDP-CPM tie-up after Madani was released from the Coimbatore jail in 2007. There was opposition from within the party, especially from the faction led by V S Achuthanandan, against the alliance with an organisation that is facing extremist allegation. But Pinarayi’s line overpowered the opposition and PDP has continued to support the CPM in all the elections since then. In his speech, the CM didn’t touch on the controversial issues in the book, but instead targeted the Jama’at-Islami.  ● More on P5 Social media told to purge content on bomb hoaxes Parliament session on Nov 26 to LDF govt gave 1.8L jobs mark 75th anniv of Constitution to CPM sympathisers in past 8 yrs: Chennithala R A J ESH KUMA R T HAKU R PDP activists burn copy of Jayarajan’s book one of the hardest challenges in the sport; win a Test series in India. The most unlikely team to end more than a decade of dominance. It’s hard to put into words the enormity of this upset for a few reasons. Since the beginning of 2013 till the end of the Bangladesh series earlier this month, the hosts had played 53 Tests at home and won 42. The Kiwis had won only two away Tests since the beginning of the 2019 WTC cycle till two weeks ago. Put it this way — a team that seldom wins away from home beat the team that always wins at home 2-0 in 10 days. It will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest shocks the sport has known this p11 century  . Stating that such hoax bomb threats pose a potential threat to public order and state security, the ministry warned that intermediaries, including social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Telegram, and other apps that fail to exercise due diligence will be liable for action under the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023. As part of their due diligence obligations, it is the responsibility of concerned intermediaries, including social media platforms, to take necessary action by not allowing any user to host, publish, store or share any unlawful or false information, the advisory said. Over 275 Indian carrier flights received bomb threats in 12 days, mostly via social media. On Saturday at least 10 ho, tels in Gujarat’s Rajkot received hoax bomb threats. And a 25-year-old man based in Delhi was arrested for allegedly posting threat messages to a flight.