Donald Trump sounds warning note to Russia after it bombed Ukraine’s energy grid Don’s coming for Russia 1 DHARMAPURI l saturday l march 08, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l CITY EDITION 2 Trump mulls sanctions on Russia until a ceasefire and peace agreement are reached Ukraine used Mirage jets to repel an overnight attack on its energy infrastructure 3 The US suspended military aid to Ukraine this week, including sharing of intelligence | P13 4 Poland announced plans to train all adult men in warfare, as the war in Ukraine escalates 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 Elephant ballet Delimitation: Stalin writes to seven CMs Rana loses SC appeal against with dragon only extradition right call: China 26/11 attack E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai Every reason for Delhi, Beijing to back each other, says Wang Yi in annual press meet contribute to each other’s success... There is every reason for A duet between the elephant us to support each other rather and the dragon contributing to than undercut each other, work each other’s success is the ‘only with each other rather than right choice’ for India-China guard against each other. This relations, Chinese Foreign is the path that truly serves the Minister Wang Yi said on Fri- fundamental interests of the day as he acknowledged two countries and people,” positive strides in bilatWang said. eral ties after a fourFo l l ow i n g a g r e e year stalemate bements reached during a tween the two Asian meeting between Prime powerhouses. Minister Narendra “There is every reason Modi and President Xi for us to support each Jinping in Kazan, RusAll for other rather than unsia, last year, both counbetter ties tries began high-level dermine each other or As key undercut each other,” discussions aimed at members of Wang, who is also a nor malising their the Global member of the powerstrained relationship South, Wang ful political bureau of and fostering trust. Nastressed that the ruling Communist tional Security Advisor Party of China (CPC) China and India Ajit Doval and Foreign and a special repre- have a crucial Secretary Vikram Missentative for boundary role in opposing ri have been engaging hegemonism talks from the Chinese with their Chinese and power side, said at his annual counterparts to adpolitics press conference here. vance these efforts. A ‘cooperative pas de Reflecting on their deux’ (steps of two) is the ‘only long histories, Wang said the right choice for both sides,’ boundary issue should not deWang said while replying to a fine their entire relationship, question on how Beijing views nor should it allow specific difthe course of bilateral ties after ferences to overshadow the the two countries ended the broader partnership. four-year stalemate in ties. This year marks the 75th an“China always believes that niversary of China-India diplothe two should be partners that matic relations. J aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Friday wrote to leaders of political parties and CMs of seven states, inviting them for a meeting in Chennai on March 22 as a first step towards “unified action” against any move by the BJP-led union government to implement delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies in a manner that will reduce the representation of states that have successfully implemented population control. The letter comes after an allparty meeting in TN, chaired by Stalin, on Wednesday, in which it was resolved to constitute a Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising parliamen- ‘window small, need swift action’ Citing The Constitution (84th Amendment) Act, 2001, Stalin said the exercise would’ve been postponed to 2031, if not for the delay in the conduct of 2021 census Pointing out that the delimitation exercise could now happen much before 2031, Stalin said, “This acceleration gives us very little time to protect our interests” We’re not against delimitation. What we oppose is its weaponisation against states that had fulfilled their national duties, thus punishing their progress tarians from southern states to take forward a united struggle on the issue. Though the all-party meet resolution only mentioned southern states, Stalin has sent the letter to the CMs and the leaders of national and regional parties in Kerala, Karnata- ka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Punjab and, interestingly, the BJP-ruled Odisha. In his post regarding the letter on X, he also tagged the state units of the BJP and its allies in the seven states. The CM’s letter also sought the formal consent of the lead- ers to be a part of the JAC, comprising eight states, and a nomination of one representative from each party to serve on the committee to help coordinate a unified strategy . Stressing the need to rise above political differences, Stalin wrote, “What is at stake is not any abstract principle — it is our states’ ability to secure rightful resources for development, to influence crucial policies on education and healthcare and to ensure our economic priorities receive due attention in the national agenda.” Only a collaborative analysis and a unified advocacy can secure a delimitation process that honours the role of these states in nationbuilding without compromising their current representation in percentage terms, he said. P5 India presses u.k. for action on Jaishankar’s security breach J aya n t H j a c o b @ New Delhi 4 killed in road accident near tiruttani Four passengers were killed and 32 more injured after a speeding lorry crashed into a government bus in K G Kandigai near Tiruttani on Friday afternoon | P4 India on Friday pressed the United Kingdom to take action against the pro-Khalistan elements responsible for the security breach during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to London. “While we have noted the statement issued by the UK Foreign Office on the matter, our view of its sincerity would depend on the action taken against culprits on this and previous occasions,” Exter nal Af fairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Jaishankar was in London in the first leg of his six-day visit to the UK and Ireland. “There is a larger context to the incident. It brings out both the licence accorded to such forces, as well as indifference to their intimidation, threats, and other actions aimed at impeding our legitimate diplomatic activities in the UK,” he said. The UK has for long been a hotspot for pro-Khalistan activism. In 2023, a mob breached the Indian High Commision building’s perimeter and brought down the Indian tricolour. A security breach happened during Jaishankar’s visit to Chatham House, London for a discussion on Wednesday. As the minister was leaving, an individual aggressively charged towards his convoy Taking advantage . of the police’s brief hesitation, the protester tore the tricolour in front of the convoy while others in the group shouted anti-India slogans. It brings out both the licence accorded to such forces, as well as indifference to their intimidation, threats, and other actions —Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs S h e k h a r S i n g h @ New Delhi The US Supreme Court has rejected Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana’s emergency petition seeking a stay on his extradition to India, effectively clearing the path for h i s h a n d ove r t o I n d i a n authorities. “Application… denied by Justice Elena Kagan,” read a note on the court’s website. Soon after the decision was announced, the 64-year-old Canadian national of Pakistan origin submitted a renewed application and urged that it be reviewed by Chief Justice John Roberts. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Exter nal Affairs (MEA) said it is working closely with the US authorities to complete all necessary Tahawwur Rana formalities for Rana’s extradition to India. “You would have heard President Trump’s comments regarding the extradition of Rana. The joint statement also reflects this sentiment. We are working closely with the US government to complete the necessary formalities to allow for his extradition to India,” the MEA’s spokesperson said. Rana, a key associate of 26/11 mastermind David Coleman Headley, is held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, California.