THRISSUR l Wednesday l February 05, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION counterpunch: China announces retaliatory tariff on U.S. imports China countered President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese products with levies of its own on multiple US imports as well as a probe on Google 15% tariff on coal, lng; 10% on crude oil impact on u.s. exports may be limited China said it would implement a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products as well as a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the US. The tariffs would take effect next Monday. “The US’s unilateral tariff increase violates rules of the WTO,” China’s State Council Tariff Commission said in a statement | P9 ■ ■ The impact on US exports may be limited. Though the US is the biggest exporter of LNG globally, it does not export much to China. In 2023, the US exported only 2.3% of its natural gas to China China also placed two US companies on an unreliable entities list: PVH Group, which owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and Illumina 2018 was when Trump first began the tariff war with ChinA 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 Thyroid cancer high among women in south Kerala U n n i k r i s h n a n S @T’Puram Women in the state’s southern districts are more prone to thyroid cancer and those in the northern parts to ovarian and lung cancer. However, breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women across the state, data with the cancer registries show. In Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts, thyroid cancer is the second most common form of the dreaded disease among women after breast cancer. Since 2021, the thyroid cancer rate in these districts has ranged from 13 to 22 cases per one lakh population, contributing to the state’s top ranking in ILLEGAL STAY Assam gets it for failing to deport foreigners 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 Tuesday lambasted the Assam government for its failure to deport individuals declared as foreigners, while ordering the state to initiate deportation proceedings against 63 whose nationalities were known. A two-judge bench led by justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, held that once individuals are declared foreigners, they should be deported immediately. “Are you waiting for some muhurat to deport those detained persons who are held to be foreigners?” the court asked the Assam government’s counsel. The bench said it’s for the Centre to decide where the foreigners should go, adding Assam cannot continue to detain them indefinitely . The top court was hearing a case of petitioner Rajubala against the Central government over the issue of deportation of declared foreigners. “Once you declare a person foreigner, then you have to take the next logical step. You cannot detain them till eternity. Article 21 of the Constitution is there. There are many foreigner detention centres in Assam. How many have you deported?” the bench questioned. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said he would sit with the Union Ministry of External Affairs officials and find a solution. The court also directed the Assam government to ensure better conditions in detention centres and form a committee to inspect facilities fortnightly. Additionally, the Central government has been given a month’s time to clarify how to handle ‘stateless’ individuals. Registry data In T’Puram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts, thyroid cancer is the second most common form of the disease among women Thyroid cancer rate among women in southern districts ranged from 13 to 22 cases per one lakh population since 2021 Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women across the state thyroid cancer cases nationwide. In contrast, the thyroid cancer rate among women in Kannur and Kasaragod districts is low. Ovarian cancer (9-12 cases per one lakh) and lung cancer (9-11 cases per one lakh) are more prevalent after breast cancer in this region. Cervical cancer rates are also notably high in these districts. The data comes from the Trivandrum Cancer Registry, which tracks cases from the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram, and the Malabar Cancer Registry main, tained by the Malabar Cancer Centre (MCC). In the case of breast cancer, the southern districts register a crude incidence rate of 189208 cases per one lakh women. The rate is significantly lower in Kannur and Kasaragod, at 42-59 cases per one lakh wom- Don sends first deportation flight to India US military flight with 205 undocumented Indians on board to land in Amritsar today J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi THE US on Tuesday deported 205 people, mostly from Punjab, on a military plane as it stepped up its efforts to remove illegal migrants. The C-17 military aircraft, which took off from Texas in the wee hours on Tuesday, will make a refuel stop at the Ramstein airbase in Germany before landing in Amritsar on Wednesday . While there was no official word either from Washington or New Delhi about the deportation flight, sources said the deportees were verified before they were put on the plane. A recheck of the passengers’ nationalities will be done once the flight lands in Amritsar. Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said state government officials will receive the deportees and set up counters for them. This is the first time the US is using a military plane to deport people: last October, a chartered flight was used to fly back Indians who were staying in the US illegally . A spokesperson of the US embassy in New Delhi said the crackdown would send a clear message, that illegal migration is not worth the risk. Tough action against illegal immigration was one of the major poll promises of Donald Trump. “All illegal entry will be immediately halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of illegal aliens back to the places from which they came,” he said during his inauguration speech. Following a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, Trump said the Indian PM “will do what’s right” regarding illegal Indian immigrants in the US. India’s stated position is that it does not support illegal migration and will take back its citizens, upon verification, if they are found to be staying in other countries illegally . Indications are that there could be more such repatriation flights. At least 20,407 undocumented ‘Indians’ could be impacted by the crackdown, with 17,940 being paperless individuals with final removal orders, according to the US Department of Homeland Security Another 2,467 individuals . are currently in detention under the Enforcement and Removal Operations division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These figures, last updated in 2022, may have increased significantly . Punjab govt to be ‘friendly’ with deportees Chandigarh: Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said on Tuesday that the state government would be friendly with the illegal immigrants who land at the Amritsar airport on Wednesday after being deported from the US. “However, criminal antecedents, if any, would be checked and due action taken. We do not know yet about their identity and their cases but we are in touch with central agencies,” he said en. Overall, the state reports around 65,000 new cancer cases annually among both men and , women, according to the health department. The increasing incidence of thyroid cancer remains a key concern for health experts. Studies conducted by Kyoto University in Japan and the RCC have attempted to pinpoint potential causes, including the presence of radioactive sand in Kollam, but no conclusive findings have emerged, said Dr Rekha A Nair, Director of RCC. Thyroid cancer is easier to diagnose early, tend to grow slowly and has a better progno, sis compared to breast, lung or ● More on P4 cervical cancer.  Gaza Talks for phase II of ceasefire begin With Palestinian group Hamas claiming on Tuesday that talks for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire has begun, Israel said it would send negotiators to mediator Qatar later this week Ahead of Delhi polling, Modi tears into Rahul, Kejri in LS P r eet h a N a i r @ New Delhi A day after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s fiery speech in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the grand old party and said his government has helped as many as 25 crore Indians “defeat poverty and come out of it” in the last 10 years. Replying to the debate in the Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks on the President’s address, Modi said such achievements happen when “we sacrifice our lives for the poor in a planned way”. He reiterated his commitment to the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. Rebutting Rahul’s charges on ‘rising unemployment’ and the ‘Make in India’ programme’s failure to revive production, Modi listed his gover nment achievements in different sectors like education, foreign policy, MSMEs and job creation. While Rahul spoke about data localisation and artificial intelligence, Modi said, “Our focus is on double AI. One AI is artificial intelligence and the other aspirational India.” Rubbishing Rahul’s allegations on Chinese encroach- Constitution rap Hitting out at Rahul’s Constitution pitch, the PM said, “those who walk with Constitution in their pockets forget Muslim women. We ended triple talaq, gave women their rights. We live by the Constitution.” Urban Naxal lingo Have three members of a SC or ST family served as members of Parliament together at any point in time ever? PM’s broadside against Sonia’s family ment, Modi observed that “some don’t feel mature enough if they do not talk about foreign policy though it might hurt the country .” “If they have an interest in foreign policy, want to understand it, and aim to do something in this field in the future, they should definitely read a book, JFK’s Forgotten Crisis, on the subject,” he said without mentioning its author. Slamming Rahul for his demand for a caste census, the PM said some people had made it fashion to talk about caste. “For the last 30-35 years, MPs Audit flags anomalies in Devaswom accounts P R a m d a s @Kochi HIGH-STAKES dELHI POLLS TODAY Polling officials collect election material at a distribution centre on the eve of the Delhi Assembly elections | PTI EXPRESS READ ‘No final decision on toll on KIIFB-funded roads’ Maoists kill 2 villagers in Chhattisgarh Shah reviews security amid Kulgam ops T’Puram: Amid speculation and political tussle over a reported move by KIIFB to collect toll, Finance Minister K N Balagopal made clear that the government has been exploring various options. However, a final decision has not yet been taken on collecting toll on roads funded by KIIFB, he said. P4 Raipur: Two tribal villagers were killed by suspected Maoists in Budigicheru village, Bijapur district, approximately 400 km south of Raipur, police reported. “We received information that Maoists hacked two villagers to death with sharp-edged weapons during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir after a terror attack in Kulgam in which an ex-serviceman was killed and his suffered injuries. In Kulgam, security agencies launched an anti-terror operation and detained nearly 20 suspects for questioning. Love, luxe and loot: Luck runs out for interstate thief in Bengaluru up with him when he was arrested by Bengaluru police on January 20 for stealing gold MEET Panchakshari Sangayya and silver ornaments worth Swami, a 37-year-old thief with `12.25 lakh from a house in a taste for the high life. Madiwala. A state-level kickboxSwami’s ar rest reer and black belt in kavealed a staggering crimrate, Swami had a peninal past — over 150 cases chant for gifting lavish of robbery and theft presents to his loved across Telangana, Maones, including a `3 harashtra, Gujarat and crore palatial house to Karnataka. He had been P S Swami his bar dancer girlarrested twice before, in friend and a `22 lakh 2012 and 2016, and had aquarium to a well-known Bol- spent six years in prison. But lywood actress. But law caught despite his notoriety he contin, @ Bengaluru Illustration: Mandar Pardikar from across parties were demanding constitutional status for the OBC Commission. It’s we who gave it constitutional status,” he emphasised. With Delhi going to elections the next day, the PM’s speech mostly revolved around criticism of the Aam Aadmi Party government and the alleged corruption charges against it. Targeting former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, he said, “some people are focused on building jacuzzi and showers”, while the BJP government is working to provide tap water to every home in the country . Guruvayur ar t o f de c ep t i o n E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e In a veiled attack on Rahul, he said, “Some openly speak the language of urban Naxals and attack the Indian state. They don’t understand Constitution or democracy.” ued to evade the law, shifting his base to Bengaluru to avoid detection. His life of crime began in 2003 when he stole a laptop at the age of 15. By 2009, he had turned into a professional, using his ill-gotten gains to fund his lavish lifestyle. When he turned 24, he came in contact with the Bollywood actress. Police believed he would spend up to `15 lakh for every visit to the actress. He gifted her the pricey aquarium on one of her birthday . Besides this, he had also con- structed a palatial building for his girlfriend, a bar dancer in Kolkata. “He had met her at a bar and had fallen in love. He constructed the bungalow costing `3 crore for her using his ill-gotten money police said, adding that ,” Swami was married but his wife deserted him. His latest arrest was made possible by CCTV footage and technical evidence, which led police to recover 181 gm of gold biscuits and 333 gm of silver ornaments, worth `12.25 lakh. He was picked up near the popular Madiwala market. Police said he had melted all stolen gold ornaments and converted them into gold biscuits. Police recovered a fire gun that he used to melt gold. Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda said, “He had stolen gold and silver ornaments weighing 410 gm from a locked house in Madiwala. He gained entry by breaking open the door locks. After his release from a jail in Maharashtra in October last year, he committed this theft in Madiwala on January 9.” Citing repeated instances of improper accounting of receipts and expenditures by temple staff, the Kerala State Audit Department has flagged serious audit failures in the Guruvayur Devaswom accounts. An affidavit submitted in the High Court by the department reveals a shortfall of nearly `27 lakh deposited in the banks over three years from the sale of gold lockets and chains. Besides, the devaswom incur red a loss of `89,55,595 in connection with installing CCTV cameras in the temple. Rajeev R, Senior Deputy Director of the Kerala State Audit Department, Guruvayur Devaswom Audit, filed the affidavit in response to a petition filed by Dr P S Mahendra Kumar of Neyyattinkara seeking a directive to the devaswom to produce the list of deposits of funds of Guruvayoor Devaswom in the cooperative societies in light of the bank scams that occurred in Thrissur district. The affidavit stated that sales proceeds generated from the sale of gold and silver lockets, received in cash and through card swiping are deposited in two accounts of Punjab National Bank. Collection staff from the bank come to the temple daily and issue separate credit slips for the cash collected. However, the amounts remitted in the bank account by the collection staff during the period 2019-20, 202021, and 2021-22 were not the same as that of the figures shown in the credit slip. A shortage of `16,16000, `8,67,500, and `2,62,900 was found in that period, it stated. The temple superintendent, temple manager, and deputy administrator have failed to verify whether the amount collected each day was properly remitted to the bank by the collection staff.  ● More on P4