hyderabad l thursday l april 24, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE City EDITION European Union hits Apple, meta with 700 million euros in fines In a decision likely to further strain its ties with the US, the EU has slapped steep penalties on the American firms for breaking its competition rules Penalty over App store monopoly, ads First action under digital markets act Apple must pay 500 million euros for preventing app makers from pointing users to cheaper options outside its App Store. As for Meta Platforms, it must pay a 200 million euro fine for forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing personalised ads or paying to avoid them. Both companies indicated they would appeal | p10 ■ ■ The penalties were the first issued under the EU’s new Digital Markets Act, designed to give consumers and businesses more choice and prevent Big Tech “gatekeepers” from cornering digital markets “Both Apple and Meta have taken away free choice from their users,” Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive V-P said 60 days timeframe for Apple and Meta to comply with the decision 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 CCS also decides to shut Attari Check Post to coax pak, Indus treaty put on ice J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi In response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, including a Nepali national, India on Wednesday put Pakistan on notice, placing the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, expelling military attachés, slashing diplomatic staff and suspending the entry of its nationals, citing crossborder links to the assault. India also decided to shut down the Integrated Check Post at Attari with immediate effect, as part of the measures taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The CCS assessed the overall security situation and instructed “all forces to remain on high alert”. “It (CCS) resolved that the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice and their sponsors held to account,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said. “In the briefing to the CCS, the cross-border linkages of the ter rorist attack were brought out. It was noted that this attack came in the wake of the successful holding of elections in the Union Territory and its steady progress towards economic growth and development,” Misri said. The Defence, Naval and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi have been declared persona non grata and must leave India within a week. India will withdraw its own Defence, Navy, and Air Advisors from its High Commission in Islamabad. These positions in both missions are now annulled, and five support staff associated with the service advisors will also be withdrawn from each side. Diplomatic strength in both missions will be reduced from 55 to 30 by May 1. India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with immediate effect “until Pakistan verifiably ends support for cross-border terrorism,” Misri said. The treaty signed in 1960, is , considered one of the most generous and enduring water-sharing pacts globally. Now, India has frozen it, halting all data exchange and suspending “its obligations” to share river waters. It has been decided the Integrated Check Post at Attari will be closed, with a May 1 deadline for return of those who crossed over with valid documents. Travel under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme is now barred for Pakistani nationals, with existing visas cancelled and current holders given 48 hours to exit. Taking a strong view of Pakistan’s role in the Pahalgam massacre, Misri said: “As with the recent extradition of Tahawwur Rana, India will be unrelenting in the pursuit of those who have committed acts of terror, or conspired to make them possible.” Pak’s Military diplomats expelled Navy Lt Vinay Narwal’s wife Himanshi breaks down while paying tribute to her husband killed in the attack | pTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on Wednesday that decided on coercive action against Pakistan over the J&K massacre | PTI Sketches out, Khalid mastermind F aya z W a n i a n d M U K E S H R AN J AN @ Srinagar/New Delhi A day after 25 tourists and a local person were shot dead in Pahalgam, security agencies on Wednesday released sketches of the three terrorists involved in the attack. Intelligence agencies also identified Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba’s top commander Saifullah Kasuri alias Khalid as the mastermind behind the carnage. One of the three assailants is suspected to be a local while the others are Pakistani nationals. “The team of three was led by one Pakistani terrorist Asif Fauji,” sources said. “We suspect the terrorists were provided support by some locals by way of logistics and reconnaissance,” a security official said. Security agencies reckon that the Slain officer’s wife reaches Bihar Jaya Mishra, the wife of Manish Ranjan — the section officer with the Central Intelligence Bureau in Hyderabad who was shot dead in the attack — sustained minor injuries and has since been flown back to her native place. “His body will be sent to Bihar on Wednesday evening,” an official told TNIE. “Authorities have evacuated people from Pahalgam and surrounding areas,” the official added. faces of terror assailants may have used M4-carbine rifles. They possibly crossed into Pahalgam from Kishtwar, where three terrorists were recently killed in an encounter. The police have also questioned some locals. A massive manhunt for the attackers is on. “Security forces are using sniffer dogs besides aerial surveillance through drones and helicopters to locate the terrorists,” a security official said. Khalid, the mastermind, heads the LeT’s Peshawar unit. In the past, he had expressed frustration over Paki- M a n d a R a v i n d er R e d d y @ Hyderabad AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi & Union minister G Kishan Reddy cast their votes for the Hyderabad Local Body MLC poll on Wednesday. Of the total 112 eligible voters, 88 members from BJP, MIM & Congress exercised their franchise while the BRS abstained express read T-Hub bags top honour for semiconductor prog Hyderabad: T-Hub, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, was awarded the Best Conceived Cohort 2025 for its AIC T-Hub Semiconductor Programme at Startup Mahakumbh 2025, held at Bharat Mandapam. The award was presented in the presence of Union Minister Piyush Goyal | P2 2 Bangladeshis held for illegal stay in Hyderabad Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police arrested two Bangladeshi nationals for illegally entering India without valid documents and residing in Malakpet using forged papers for unlawful activities. The accused have been identified as Mohammad Hasibul and Rohan Saha alias Rohan, both natives of Dhaka, Bangladesh | P3 `2L FINE ON TEACHER FOR MAKING GIRL DO 600 sit-ups|p5 The ruling Congress on Wednesday claimed that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy attracted investments worth `2,44,962 crore during his various foreign visits since taking office. These visits, spanning countries such as the USA, South Korea, Singapore and Switzerland, and most recently Japan, were primarily undertaken under the “Telangana Rising” initiative. Since assuming power, the chief minister has participated in the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos for two consecutive years. During his visits, he engaged with investors, industrialists and representatives of multinational companies, highlighting Telangana’s potential as a premier investment destination. At the 2024 WEF Summit, Revanth reportedly secured `40,000 crore in investments across multiple sectors. At the 2025 Summit, he was able to attract investments worth `1.78 lakh crore, the government stated. Ch i t h a l ur i R e v a n t h @ Hyderabad Around 80 tourists from Telangana, stranded after the imposition of restrictions following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, are urging the state government to facilitate their return. In a video that surfaced on social media, stranded tourists are seen appealing for assistance from the state government. Most of these tourists are reportedly from Hyderabad, Sangareddy and other districts across Telangana. On Tuesday the state government set up a helpline at Telangana Bhavan , in New Delhi to assist any affected residents. Continued on P5 Further during his visits to the USA, Singapore and South Korea, the chief minister held extensive meetings with business leaders, resulting in investment pledges amounting to `14,900 crore. In his more recent seven-day visit to Japan, he led an official delegation that signed MoUs worth `12,062 crore with various companies, it added. Officials hailed the `2.44 lakh crore investment inflow in just 15 months as a major achievement for Telangana. They also noted that these investments are expected to generate approximately 80,500 new jobs across the state. Concluding his seven-day visit to Japan, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy returned to Hyderabad on Wednesday . He was accorded a grand welcome by Congress leaders and workers. Upon his arrival at the airport, the CM was greeted by MPs, MLAs, advisers, corporation chairpersons, and party cadres who gathered to receive him. HC sets riders on UGC for ‘deemed’ status T G N a i d u @ Hyderabad The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the UGC to specifically mention in any order granting “deemed university” status that the status is subject to the final orders in the Interlocutory Application filed by the state government challenging the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023. A bench of Acting Chief Jus- tice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara was hearing the IA by the state government seeking a declaration that certain provisions of the UGC Regulations, 2023 are ultra vires the Constitution. The Telangana government asserts that the power to legislate on education lies with the state under Entry 32, List II of Schedule VII. The petition also contends that the Union government lacks the authority to issue the impugned stan’s strategic shift in its Kashmir policy, particularly after India abrogated Article 370 that granted special powers to J&K. Khalid has always held the view that it was because of Pakistan’s decision to scale back LeT’s operations in Kashmir that violence escalated in Balochistan as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources said. A section of the people claim that the TRF gunned down the tourists to retaliate against 85,000 domicile certificates issued to non-locals, though there is no conclusive evidence to establish it. Since its inception, the TRF has targeted non-Kashmiris and minorities. The murders of well-known chemist Makhan Lal Pandita and school principal Supinder Kaur in 2021, the 2023 Anantnag encounter, and the killing of civilians in Ganderbal in 2024, were all done by the TRF. Stranded TG tourists call for evacuation Revanth’s magic on investors: `2.44L crore in MoUs thus far Power play Diplomatic Staff reduced regulations and grant “deemed university” status. Advocate General A Sudarshan Reddy, appearing for the government, argued that the main contention rests on the question of legislative competence. He stated that ‘education’ as per the constitutional scheme falls within the state list, thereby excluding the Union government’s jurisdiction to legislate or issue regulations on matters relating to the establishment of “deemed” universities. Continued on P2 7 states oppose draft On Feb 5, 7 states passed a 15-point resolution opposing the UGC draft rules and NEP-2020based grading of institutions SAARC visa scheme off J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah consoles the father of Syed Adil Shah who was killed in the terrorist attack | PTI Local lad fought assailants, laid down his life F aya z w a n i @ Srinagar When terrorists opened fire at tourists at Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam on Tuesday , local pony ride operator Syed Adil Shah’s first instinct was not to run for cover, but to save the lives of the tourists around him. The sole breadwinner of his family, Adil charged at the terrorists, trying to snatch the gun from one of them to stop the attack. This selfless act cost him his life. “He attempted to snatch the rifle of a militant to prevent him from firing and save the lives of the tourists. That is why he was then targeted,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Syed Adil Shah Abdullah told reporters. Adil’s body was returned to his family on Wednesday “We have to take . care of his family. The government stands with him and whatever it can do, it will do,” Abdullah said while attending his funeral. Adil left home on Tuesday morning for work, his father said. “Around 3 pm, we heard that tourists were attacked at Baisaran. We tried to call him, but his phone was switched off,” he said. The family lodged a complaint with the local police station. In the evening, they were informed that Adil was shot dead. “He was our sole breadwinner and we were dependent on him for our survival,” Adil’s father said demanding justice.