THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l friday l November 22, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION mass federal job cuts in doge’s blueprint for mega U.S. reforms Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy provided the blueprint for an unprecedented US government reform in an op-ed on the Wall Street Journal Crackdown coming on work from home driving change through executive action The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will suggest job cuts after identifying the minimum number of employees required at each federal agency, Musk and Ramaswamy wrote. Federal employees will not have the option of work from home. “If federal employees don’t want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn’t pay them,” they wrote ■ ■ DOGE, they wrote, will present a list of ‘illicit’ regulations to President Donald Trump, who can then pass executive orders to pause them The 2022 US Supreme Court ruling that restricted the Environment Protection Agency’s power to regulate carbon emissions will be a reference in their crackdown on regulations, the two wrote | P9 $500 bn how much doge hopes to help the U.S. government save each year 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 war Crimes The defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bribe Indian govt officials to secure contracts worth billions of dollars and lied about the bribery as they sought to raise capital from US - US Attorney Breon Peace International court issues arrest warrant against Bibi US court cloud over Adani Bribery charges against Adani Group chairman, 7 others $250 million kickbacks to Indian govt officials to sign power supply contracts $200 mn paid in Andhra alone AG E N CI E S @ The Hague THE International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’ military chief Mohammed Deif, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with their war that began more than a year ago. The warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant focus on allegations Israel has used food as a weapon in its campaign against Hamas in Gaza, a charge Israeli officials deny . The warrants were issued by a three-judge panel in a unanimous decision. The panel said there were reasonable grounds to believe they “intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival”, including food, w at e r, m e d icine, fuel and electricity . The decision came six months after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the warrants. Reacting sharply Netanyahu , said Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions”. He said: “There is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza.” The ICC is a court of last resort that only prosecutes cases when domestic law enforcement authorities cannot or will not investigate. Israel is not a member state of the court. Despite the warrants, none of the suspects is likely to face judges in The Hague anytime soon. Member countries are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil, but the court has no way to enforce that. Kenya cancels Adani projects Kenyan President William Ruto said that he has cancelled multimillion-dollar airport expansion and energy deals with Adani after US indictments. He said the decision was made ‘based on new information’ Rahul demands immediate Arrest Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded immediate arrest of Gautam Adani. “Why is he roaming around like a free man?” he asked, demanding his arrest Russian retaliation A video grab shows flashes over the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, which Kyiv claimed was attacked by a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It was in apparent retaliation to Ukraine firing longer range missiles, sourced from the US and the UK, at Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin later said it was a combat test of a new mid-range ballistic missile in a non-nuclear hypersonic configuration. Named Oreshnik, it travels at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3 km per second. Modern air defence systems are not equipped to intercept the Oreshnik, he bragged | AFP | P9 The state government has the powers to acquire the disputed land in Munambam and hand it over to the people who purchased it, said M A Nisar, former district judge and law secretary whose report on waqf , properties is at the centre of all discussions. “Invoking Section 91 of the Waqf Act, which bestows power on the government to acquire land, will be the pragmatic solution to the Munambam issue, Nisar told TNIE. Meanwhile, the state government has convened a meeting Curious timing, Quips bjp The BJP said all the states mentioned in the US indictment were at that time ruled by opposition parties. It also questioned the timing, just before the start of Parliament session ARSHAD K HA N & BS N M ALL E SWARA RAO @ New Delhi / Vijayawada THE US Department of Justice (DoJ) has indicted Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and seven others on bribery charges involving over $250 million in payments to Indian government officials to secure solar energy contracts. The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York charged Adani and others with conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud, as well as substantive securities fraud, for their involvement in a multi-billion dollar scheme to deceive US investors and global financial institutions with false and misleading statements. The indictment alleges that between 2020 and 2024, the accused conspired to pay bribes to officials in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jammu & Kashmir to secure lucrative solar energy supply contracts. These con- tracts were expected to generate post-tax profits exceeding $2 billion over an estimated 20year period. The prosecutors said the Adanis raised more than $3 billion in loans and bonds by hiding their corruption from lenders and investors. Following the reports, Adani Green Energy cancelled plans to raise $600 million in US dollardenominated bonds. The other executives who are indicted are Vneet S Jaain (ex-CEO of Adani Green), Ranjit Gupta, Rupesh Agarwal, Saurabh Agarwal, and Deepak Malhotra. An indictment is the formal charges prepared by prosecutors and returned by a grand jury to start criminal proceedings. It is not a conviction and the accused remains innocent until proven guilty in court. Adani Group denied the allegations and called them baseless, adding that it will take all possible legal steps. “The Adani Group has always upheld Saji in more trouble over ‘spear & wheel’ remark E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi/T’Puram/Kannur Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian remains caught in the web spun by his “kunthom kodachakrom” (spear and wheel) reference to the Constitution. The Kerala High Court on Thursday quashed a lower court order accepting the police report exonerating the minister in the case of ridiculing the Constitution, and ordered further investigation by the crime branch into the 2022 incident. Observing that the conclusion arrived at by the investigating officer was in ‘haste’ and without proper appreciation, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas said the state police chief should immediately pass orders handing over the further investigation to the crime branch with an officer of integrity to lead the probe. The investigation should be completed without undue de- ‘State govt has the right to acquire Munambam land’ M P P r a s h a n t h @ Kozhikode As stated by DoJ itself, “the charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.” All possible legal recourse will be sought - Adani Group Invoking Section 91 of the Waqf Act, which bestows the power on the government to acquire land, will be the pragmatic solution to the Munambam issue M A Nisar, former dist judge and law secy of stakeholders on Friday to resolve the land dispute in Munambam, where about 615 families are fighting for rights to the land following claims by the Waqf Board. According to Nisar, the government should conduct a survey to find out the present status of the land holdings in Munambam. “Only a few acres will be sufficient for distribution among the people who bought the land and they should be given permanent titles. The compensation for the loss incurred should be collected from the Farook College management because what they did is a criminal breach of trust,” he said. “Criminal and civil proceedings should be initiated against the management for knowingly selling the waqf land and thereby creating all the problems that Munambam is witnessing ● More on P4 now,” he said.  lay the court said. The Opposi, tion UDF and the BJP lost no time in seizing the opportunity and baying for the minister’s blood. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan demanded Saji’s immediate resignation, which was summarily rejected by both the CPM and the minister. Addressing a CPM area committee meeting at Mallappally in Pathanamthitta on July 3, 2022, Saji had said, “India has the ideal Constitution to loot the maximum number of people. The Constitution prepared by the British was merely written by an Indian. It has been implemented in this country for 75 years. The values like ‘secularism’ and ‘democracy’, the “Kuntham and Kodachakram” (spear and wheel) were just inscribed on it (Constitution).” The speech triggered a row and Saji had to quit as minister. However, he was reinducted within six months on January 5, 2023, after the police submitted a report to the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Tiruvalla giving Saji a clean chit. The Magistrate Court accepted the report later, on May 15, 2023. Quashing the Magistrate Court’s order, the HC said, “A further investigation is required, and since the accused is a minister of the state, the investigation by the station house officer will not suffice, and a superior agency is re● More on P4 quired.” Ready for With the five-Test series between India and Australia getting under way in Perth on Friday, a look at some key talking points... thunder Down Under pace vs pace captains face-off In the absence of full-time captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will step in to lead the side for the second time in his career. At the first instance, India lost to England, but times have changed since then. After a long time, two pacersBumrah and Pat Cummins, his Australian counterpart, would lead their sides. chance for youngsters to steal the show In Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel, India have batting stars who have not yet played the longest format in Australia. This is their opportunity to make an impact in the series. Jurel, who played in the A series, managed to impress many, but for others, this is the golden opportunity to prove their mettle ‘baggageless’ India seek quick turnaround India are going into the series after a 0-3 loss against New Zealand on home soil. Multiple players, including Kohli, Sharma, and Bumrah, could not make their mark in the series. “We are not carrying any baggage from the New Zealand series,” said captain Bumrah ahead of the Perth Test. It is time to show that in Perth. Eyes ON WTC table In the five-match series, both teams’ eyes would also remain on the World Test Championship points table where currently five teams are fighting to make it to the final of the event. India need to win at least four matches in their last series of the cycle to make it to their third consecutive WTC final in England. and is steadfastly committed to maintaining the highest standards of governance, transparency and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions of its operations,” it said. Adani shares crashed up to 23% on Thursday . In another investigation, the US Securities and Exchange Commission said that hundreds of thousands of dollars were paid or promised to officials in Odisha to buy 500 MW power from the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) to which Adani Green Energy was supplying power. SEC also alleged that Adani paid $200 million to Andhra officials following his meeting with the then chief minister. YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party strongly condemned the allegations, saying they were false. In his pushback, Tamil Nadu electricity minister V Senthil Balaji said the electricity corporation run by his government does not have any commercial ties with Adani’s firm. Results will tell, Chennithala on Sandeep’s Congress entry E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Pathanamthitta Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Thursday said one will know whether former BJP leader Sandeep Varier’s entry into the Congress is a boon for the party after the Palakkad by-election results are declared. Responding to a query from reporters in Pathanamthitta, Chennithala said: “ I’ve been busy As with the Maharashtra assembly elections, I came to know the developments over phone. Sandeep Varier had also called me.” Chennithala also asked the reporters why they did not ask the same question when former Congress leader P Sarin joined the CPM. Asked about the controversy over Varier’s offer to donate land to the RSS, Chennithala told reporters: “Ask such questions to Sandeep.” He said the Congress will win the Palakkad bypoll by a huge margin. 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express India demands $600 billion in grants as climate finance from developed nations S V Krishna Chaitanya EXPRESS IN BAKU Y ear after year, COP after COP, we keep discussing what needs to be done without addressing how it is to be done,” said Leela Nandan, deputy leader of the Indian delegation at COP29 and secretary of the Union environment ministry . Talking at an open-ended ‘Qurultay’ summit convened by the COP29 presidency after it released a set of decision draft texts, including the one on New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), Nandan said the climate talks began with a clear focus on enablement through the NCQG. “However, as we approach the conclusion, we see a troubling shift towards mitigation without the cor responding means of implementation. This is unacceptable. Mitigation ambitions are meaningless without the financial support to make them a reality .” The NCQG must reflect fi- nance as the critical enabler for developing nations to formulate and implement their ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This requires specificity—on structure, quantum, quality, timeframes, access, transparency and review. “We demand a mobilisation goal of $1.3 trillion, with at least $600 billion in grants or grant-equivalent resources. Proposals to expand the contributor base, introduce macroeconomic and fiscal conditionalities, or push for carbon pricing and private sector-driven investment flows Leela Nandan are contrary to the NCQG mandate. This goal is about financial support, not an investment target,” Nandan said. India also said climate action in developing countries must remain country-driven, aligned with national priorities and cir- cumstances, and rooted in sustainable development goals and poverty eradication. On mitigation, India said it rejects the prescriptive approach in the draft. Introducing targets for 2030, 2035, and 2050 in a manner that shifts responsibility onto developing nations while ignoring the historical emissions of Annex I countries creates a crisis of climate leadership. Annex I parties must shoulder their obligations. Their emissions continue to rise, and they have yet to close the pre-2020 mitigation gap. On just transition, the draft text unacceptably reinterprets the shared understanding. Transitioning must begin globally, with developed countries taking the lead in mitigation. Domestic transitions in developing nations cannot succeed when constrained by the inaction of developed countries, India said in its statement. India said this is the Finance COP—the enabler COP. “If we fail to achieve a meaningful outcome, we fail in our fight against climate change. Developed countries have a clear responsibility to fulfill their commitments. Climate justice and the survival of millions depend on it,” Nandan said. Latest negotiating text rejected by all The latest negotiating draft text on the NCQG for climate finance has once again failed to specify a concrete funding target. This has frustrated developing nations, which had hoped for a firm commitment to address their escalating needs for climate adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage. The NCQG, set to replace the $100 billion per year commitment under the Paris Agreement, is critical to scaling up financial support from developed to the developing nations post2025.