visakhapatnam l FRIDAY l APRIL 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Astronomers find signs of life on exoplanet off solar system Molecules known to be produced by marine organisms were found on an exoplanet, in a strong evidence of life outside Solar System an enigma that’s 124 light-years away By analysing data from NASA and the European Space Agency’s Webb Space Telescope, researchers led by scientists at the University of Cambridge detected evidence of dimethyl sulphide and dimethyl disulphide in the atmosphere of the planet known as K2-18b. The planet is 124 light-years away; one light-year is equivalent to nearly 6 trillion miles ■ 8 further research needed, say scientists ■ “It is the strongest sign to date of any possibility of biological activity outside the solar system,” Cambridge astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan said during a livestream on Thursday Scientists stressed that further research is needed to rule out any errors or the possibility of other processes to produce compounds times more massive than the size of earth — the new exoplanet 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 Trump wants Fed Chair Jerome Powell sacked, hours after the latter issued a sharp warning on tariff war | P9 China in working-level communication with US on tariff, says person who ‘tied the bell’ should untie it | P9 Govt promises status quo on ‘Nuclear missile’: waqfs, buys time from bench V-P swipe on SC 0.25% Supreme Court sets May 5 for next hearing, possible interim order on the Act Lending rate cut by the European Central Bank to 2.25%, down from 2.50%. This is its seventh cut so far S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi ys Jagan DA case ED attaches `793 cr worth Dalmia assets E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad The Hyderabad zonal unit of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has reportedly attached assets worth `793 crore belonging to Dalmia Cements in connection with the disproportionate assets case against former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy . According to agency sources, the case pertains to irregularities in the allocation of 417 hectares of limestone leases in the Kadapa district of AP. The CBI has alleged that Jagan received `150 crore in illegal benefits from Dalmia Cements in return for favours extended to the company . The ED, acting on CBI cases, had earlier launched a money laundering investigation into the matter. The agency alleged that Jagan had invested `95 crore in shares of Raghuram Cements and routed another `55 crore through hawala channels. The Centre on Thursday managed to buy more time from the Supreme Court — which wanted to issue interim orders — to explain its position on the genesis of the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. It agreed to file a preliminary response to the pleas challenging the validity of the Act within a week, adding no appointments would be made to the Central Waqf Council and the Waqf Boards till the next date of hearing, which is May 5. Also, no waqf, including waqf by user, shall be de-notified, nor will their character or status change till May 5, the government assured. “The government will not make any appointments to the Central Wakf Council as per the 2025 Wakf Amendment Act and that properties already declared wakf by user and registered under the original 1995 Act will not be disturbed,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khan- na and justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanthan, took the assurances on record and asked the petitioners to file their rejoinders five days after the government affidavit. “We clarify that the next hearing (May 5) will be for the preliminary objections and for an interim order,” it said. The CJI is set to retire on May 13. When the hearing began, Mehta urged the bench not to stay the provisions of Act, saying the law was enacted after taking into account many representations and suggestions. “The Union government is answerable to the people of India. The government received lakhs and lakhs of representations... Villages after villages Relaxed Rules, Higher Toll: Link between TTD donation policy & 191 cow deaths in SV Goshala E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Tirumala The SV Dairy Farm, operated by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), has reported a significant number of cattle deaths in 2024-25, attributed to the aging and natural conditions of cows accepted into the facility . According to data from the SV Goshala, 191 cows died between April 2024 and March 2025, with monthly figures showing a consistent trend: April (17), May (18), June (13), July (18), August (15), September (21), October (19), November (13), December (14), January (18), February (13), and March (12). Historically, the SV Dairy Farm maintained a limited livestock population, including cows, sheep, horses, elephants, and other animals, to meet the modest dairy needs of the Tirumala temple, such as milk, ghee, and butter for the rituals to deity in Garbalaya. Until 2015-16, strict norms governed cattle donations, ensuring only healthy cows were acce pted. However, post-2015, TTD relaxed these norms, mandating the acceptance of all cows, including aged and abandoned animals otherwise destined for slaughterhouses. This shift led to a surge in the Goshala’s cattle population, reaching over 2,500 cows, many rescued from slaughter by Hindu groups after intercepting vehicles.  P4 Cow deaths in TTD’s SV Goshala Details of deaths occurred at SV Goshala in Tirupati during the year 2024-25. From April 2024- March 2025 April may june july august September October November December January February 2024 17 13 15 13 2025 March 12 13 18 18 19 21 14 18 Row over cow deaths leads to political slugfest in Tirupati India on Thursday firmly rejected Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir’s statement calling Kashmir the country’s “jugular vein”, dismissing it as baseless and asserting that Pakistan’s only connection to the region is its illegal occupation, which it must end. In a strong rebuttal to Munir’s remarks, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “How can anything foreign be in a jugu- lar vein? This is a Union Territory of India. Its only relationship with Pakistan is the vacation of illegally occupied territories by that country .” India maintains that the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country, with a portion currently under illegal occupation by its neighbour. The Pakistan army chief made his comments earlier this week while addressing a group Centre’s word on the new law Non-Muslims won’t be appointed to Central Waqf Councils and State Waqf Boards till the next date of hearing. The provision in the Act is contested Any such appointment made in any state in the interregnum will be treated as null and void All waqfs, including waqf by user, whether declared via notification or registration, will not be de-notified till May 5, the next date of hearing RA J E SH K U M AR THA K UR @New Delhi IN a stunning broadside on the judiciary, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday chided the Supreme Court for setting timelines for the President to decide on Bills referred by the Governor. Describing Article 142 (which grants plenary powers to the Supreme Court), Dhankhar said, “Article 142 has become a nuclear missile against democratic forces, available to judiciary 24 x 7.” Dhankhar’s strong words came during his speech to Rajya Sabha interns. “So, we have judges who will legislate, who will perform executive functions, who will act as super Parliament and absolutely have no accountability because the law of the land does not apply to them,” Dhankhar said. “There is a directive to the President by a recent judgment. Where are we heading? What is happening in the country? We have to be extremely sensitive. It is not a question of someone filing a review or not. We never bargained for democracy for this day President being called . Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar speaking to interns on Thursday | PTI upon to decide in a time-bound manner, and if not, becomes law,” Dhankar said. Article 142 of the Constitution gives the Supreme Court the power to issue orders that ensure “complete justice” in any matter before it. “We cannot have a situation where you direct the President of India and on what basis? The only right you have under the Constitution is to interpret it under Article 145(3). There, it has to be five judges or more... Article 142 has become a nuclear missile against democratic forces, available to judiciary 24 x 7”, he said, stressing the need to accept the principle of separation of powers. GET READY TO BEAT THE HEAT E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Tirupati Tirupati turned into a political flashpoint on Thursday as a heated face-off unfolded between YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders and the NDA alliance over allegations of negligence at the SV Goshala, operated by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). The controversy centres around claims that over 100 cows have died at the facility in the last three months. YSRCP leader and former TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, backed by party MP Dr M Gurumurthy and several supporters, accused the TTD administration of gross negligence. Reddy attempted to lead a protest march to the Goshala to inspect the premises personally However, police prevented the group . from advancing, citing security concerns. Although police offered limited access to Bhumana and his personal staff, he refused, insisting on entering with his full team. The confrontation escalated as YSRCP leaders staged a sit-in on the road to protest after being stopped at Bhumana’s residence. Simultaneously, NDA leaders, including MLAs Pulivarthi Nani, Arani Srinivasulu, Bojjala Sudheer Reddy, and TTD board member Bhanu Prakash Reddy visited the SV Goshala , without incident. Their visit, in response to the YSRCP’s allegations, aimed to assess the situation firsthand. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders, including state president Palla Srinivas Rao, denied the claims of negligence and demanded proof from P4 the opposition. India rubbishes K-claim by Pak Army J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi are taken as waqf... It is a considered piece of legislation,” said Mehta. He urged the court not to take the “harsh step” of staying the Act and sought a week to file a preliminary reply along with some documents. The CJI said the court has already observed that there were some positives in the Act, but also does not want the situation prevailing now to change. Hence, a stay on certain provisions would be warranted, Justice Khanna said. “There is a thumb rule that courts won’t stay legislations ordinarily But there is another . thumb rule: when the petition is pending before the court, the situation which is prevailing should not change so that the rights of persons are not affected,” CJI Khanna added. As Mehta persisted, the CJI gave his consent provided that non-Muslim members would not be nominated to the Waqf Boards and Central Waqf Council and that registered waqfs wouldn’t be changed. The court said only five writ petitions would be considered as lead cases. The rest would be as intervening applications. timeline for Prez of overseas Pakistanis. He referenced the two-nation theory — the ideological basis for Pakistan’s formation — saying the country’s founders believed Muslims and Hindus differed in every aspect: religion, customs, traditions and aspirations. He urged the diaspora to pass this belief on to their children, calling them “cultural ambassadors” and encouraging pride in a “superior ideology and culture”. “How can anything foreign be in a jugular vein? India’s only relationship with Pak is the vacation of illegally occupied territories Cloud Technology AVAILABLE ON Portable & Versatile Point Anywhere Remote Bladeless Front Grill Anti Bacterial Mesh Filter Powerful, Quiet Cooling & Select Outlets in Major Cities Contact us: E-Mail : customersupport@singerindia.com marketing@singerindia.com Toll Free : 1800 103 3474 www.singerindia.com Randhir Jaiswal, MEA April 18, 2025