SAMBALPUR l thursday l september 11, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION Nasa finds strongest clue yet of potential ancient life on mars NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance has uncovered rocks in a dry river channel that may hold potential signs of ancient microscopic life signs of microbial activity on rocks The Perseverance rover uncovered colourful, speckled rocks in a dried Martian riverbed that contains iron phosphate and iron sulphide, chemical compounds that can be produced when microorganisms chomp down on organic matter. Lead researcher Joel Hurowitz of Stony Brook University said it is the best candidate yet in the rover’s search for signs of life ■ 30 Earth-based analysis needed: Scientists ■ Scientists cautioned that non-biological explanations are possible for the findings, and Earth-based analysis is needed to confirm the ancient life theory. The samples are expected to reach Earth in 2040 The sample was collected from reddish, clay-rich mudstones in Neretva Vallis, a channel that once carried water into Jezero Crater rock samples collected so far by perseverance rover 45180/12 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 pushes India-US trade talks back on track Says no difficulty in sealing deal; there’s limitless potential: Modi PUSHPITA DEY & DIPA K MOND A L @ New Delhi Some of the prisoners who escaped during the anti-government protests, being escorted back to a jail in Kathmandu, Nepal on Wednesday | PTI Ex-CJ Karki leads interim PM’s race, Army restores calm Express News Service @ New Delhi Armed soldiers patrolled empty streets and guarded key buildings in Nepal’s capital on Wednesday, enforcing a strict curfew amid uneasy calm following days of violent anti-corruption protests that forced Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to resign. Hopes are rising for a political resolution as youth protest leaders signal readiness for talks, even as nearly 700 air passengers, including Indian pilgrims, remain stranded at the Kathmandu airport that reopened in the evening. The Nepal Army, now effectively in control of security, said the situation remained tense but “under watch”, and extended a nationwide curfew until at least 6 am Thursday. “Infiltrators under the guise of protests have committed arson, looting, and violent attacks. We express read Consumers soon to be compensated for discom’s service failure Bhubaneswar: Electricity consumers of the state will get compensation from the power distribution companies (discoms) if the utilities fail to provide services within stipulated time as prescribed under the standard of performance. A draft resolution on the standard of performance of four discoms has been published by Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) | P3 3 brothers kill man suspecting him to be their father’s killer Jeypore: Boipariguda police in Koraput district on Tuesday arrested two brothers from Andrajodi village on charges of killing a man and burying his body in a forest. The accused are Harischandra Bhumiya (30) and Bhima Bhumiya (25) of Andrajodi under Boipariguda police limits. The duo’s brother and another accomplice Samanath Bhumiya (23) are on the run with police launching a massive manhunt | P4 are committed to restoring peace and protecting lives,” said Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet. The health ministry confirmed 30 deaths since Monday and over 600 injuries, including both protesters and police, in what has become Nepal’s worst unrest in decades. Armoured vehicles guarded the scorched Parliament building, set ablaze on Tuesday while security , checkpoints checked IDs of every vehicle crossing city limits. The protests erupted after a social media ban sparked outrage among Gen Z-led groups already angry at entrenched corruption, political dynasties, and government overreach. Though the ban was lifted, the damage was done. Demonstrations quickly escalated into riots, with government buildings, party offices, and even former prime ministers’ homes set on fire. The leaderless protest movement, primarily made up of students and young professionals, has now proposed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim prime minister. At 73, Karki is seen as a rare figure of integrity in a political landscape dominated by patronage. Advocate Raman Kumar Karna, speaking to Reuters, confirmed that protest leaders are seeking a meeting with the army to present the proposal. Despite the violence, signs of civic resolve were visible in Kathmandu. Small groups of young people some wearing masks and carrying bin liners were seen cleaning streets outside charred buildings. Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport reopened, but hundreds remain stranded, including Indians. Among them are 130 from the Isha Foundation returning from Kailash Mansarovar, and dozens of tourists caught mid-transit. “The Indian Embassy told us to stay where we are until they can advise further,” said Mayur Patil from Mumbai. Army personnel keep vigil outside the President’s residence, a day after it was set ablaze in Kathmandu | PTI Other names in play to head the new govt Apart from former chief justice Sushila Karki (pic), Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah and former electricity board CEO Kulman Ghising were being considered to lead an interim govt. Karki is the only woman to serve as the CJ of Nepal’s top court 7,000 immates escape from different prisons Five juvenile inmates died during a clash with security personnel at a jail in western Nepal, while more than 7,000 prisoners escaped from different jails across the country taking advantage of the protests Nepal unrest brings anxiety to families of 1,000 plumbers from Kendrapara A s h i s S e n a pat i @ Kendrapara Gobinda Chandra Mohanty is a worried man. The 72-yearold native of Kendrapara district these days is glued to TV , surfing channels for updates on the strife-torn Nepal. He has his reasons. His son, Debashis Mohanty, has been working as a plumber in Kathmandu for the last 20 years. And each footage of violence brings him anxiety . “My son and daughter-in law spoke to me today They say the . situation is grave. Now, we are praying for their safety”, a worried Gobinda said, sitting in his house in the riverside Balipatna village under Pattamundai block. Debashis who lives in Kathmandu with his wife and children told this newspaper over phone that situation is tense in Kathmandu. Agitators ransacked and torched many houses and offices. Curfew remains in force and curbs have been imposed on the move- Parbati with her mother Kuntala at Srirampur village of Kendrapara district ment of people for which they a re s t ay i n g i n d o o r s, h e reveals. “I assured my parents not to worry about us. Around 1,000 plumbers of Kendrapara are working in Nepal. Kindly publish my phone number (009779851085120) to draw at- tention of the state government about our plight,” said Debashis. Parbati Mohapatra of Srirampur is also worried as her husband Sangram Mohapatra (48) also works as a plumber in Kathmandu. “I fear for my husband”, said Parbati. Her daughter Sonali, a nursing student, said mobile phone is the only link with her father. The unrest in Nepal has brought fear of social and economic insecurity to many families across Aul and Rajkanika blocks of the district. Prafulla Nayak, a social worker of Pattamundai said expats from the district are credited with boosting the rural economy in the past six decades by sending remittances worth crores of rupees every year as they are experts in plumbing works. Jagajiban Das, a trade union leader of Kendrapada, echoed the sentiment and said the state government should help them retur n to their Continued on P5 villages.  INDIA-US trade talks, which were stalled amid diplomatic friction arising out of Washington’s punitive tariff action on New Delhi, are likely to resume soon with US President Donald Trump striking a conciliatory towards India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reciprocating positively . Late on Tuesday, Trump announced via a TruthSocial post that India and the US were trying to address trade barriers through negotiations. “I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our great countries,” President Trump said. In response, Modi stated: “India and the US are close friends and natural partners. I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership. Our teams are working to conclude these discussions at EU team coming Commerce Minister Piyush Goya said that European Commissioner for Trade, Maros Sefcovic, will visit India on Thursday to advance negotiations on the India-EU free trade agreement the earliest. I am also looking forward to speaking w i t h P re s i d e n t Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people.” Government sources said the talks will resume soon, with ministries from tariff-affected sectors claiming they have been assured by the commerce ministry that a favourable deal is on the horizon. Confir ming the development, Commerce and Industry outreach to Qatar’s Emir PM condemns doha strikes by israel J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condemned the recent Israeli strikes in Doha during a phone conversation with Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, calling the attacks a violation of Qatari sovereignty . “Spoke with Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and expressed deep concern at the attacks in Doha,” Modi posted on X. “India condemns the violation of the sovereignty of the brotherly State of Qatar.” A readout from the External Affairs Ministry said “PM expressed deep concern over the attacks in Doha and condemned the violation of the sovereignty of the State of QaSheikh Tamim tar. PM appreciated the role being played by Qatar in promoting regional peace and stability, including its mediation efforts in Gaza to achieve ceasefire and release of all hostages.” “Prime Minister Modi reiterated support for resolution of all issues through dialogue and diplomacy and the need to avoid escalation. :He highlighted that India stands firmly in support of peace and stability in the region, and against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” the MEA said. Sheikh Tamim thanked Modi for the expression of solidarity with the people and the state of Qatar. NATO19scrambles to confront Russian drones in Poland Poland said that several Russian drones entered its territory over the course of many hours and were shot down with help from NATO allies, describing the incursion as an act of aggression carried out during a wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine | P9 Minister Piyush Goyal said that India is in talks with the US and other trade partners. “We are in active dialogue with the United States of America and with New Zealand. With Qatar, we will be finalising the terms of reference by the first week of October,” Goyal said at an event in Delhi. India and the US have been negotiating a bilateral trade agreement, with the first tranche expected to be completed by September-October. However, tensions over India’s Russian oil purchases led the US to call off the visit of its trade negotiators to Delhi in August last week, effectively stalling the process. At that time, the commerce ministry said the delegation’s visit would be rescheduled, but no new dates were provided. The US has since imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, pushing New Delhi to explore other export markets. Now, with the leaders of both countries signalling renewed goodwill, talks are expected to gain momentum. A government source told this newspaper that while no dates have been finalised yet, the next round of negotiations will happen soon. Radhakrishnan likely to take V-P oath Friday R A J ESH KUM A R TH A KUR @ New Delhi Vice-President-elect C P Radhakrishnan is expected to take the oath of office on Friday, sources said. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to take place at 9.30 am at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with President Droupadi Murmu administering the oath, sources within the government and the BJP said. However, an official confirmation is awaited. Radhakrishnan, 67, was elected Vice-President on Tuesday, defeating the joint opposition nominee B Sudershan Re d dy by a margin of 152 vo t e s . R a d hakrishnan se- C P Radhakrishnan cured 452 firstpreference votes compared to Reddy’s 300. Radhakrishnan is currently the governor of Maharashtra. He is expected to resign from the gubernatorial position by Thursday . The Election Commission on Wednesday issued the official certification of Radhakrishnan’s election. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and S S Sandhu signed the certificate, which was handed over to Union home secretary .