shivamogga l sunday l september 14, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city EDITION Trump demands NATO countries stop buying oil from Russia US President said Saturday the Ukraine war would end soon if all NATO countries stopped buying Russian oil and imposed steep tariffs on China ‘Ready to impose major sanctions on moscow’ calls for 50% tariffs on China Donald Trump said he would impose “major sanctions” on Russia once all NATO countries stop buying oil from Moscow. NATO member Turkey is the third-largest buyer of Russian oil, after China and India. Other alliance members importing Russian oil include Hungary and Slovakia. Highlighting this, Trump argued it undermines NATO’s “bargaining power over Russia” ■ ■ Trump also urged NATO countries to impose tariffs of 50 to 100% on China. “China has strong control, even a grip, over Russia, and these powerful tariffs will break that grip,” the US President said Trump’s latest demand comes hours after he asked G7 countries to impose tariffs on countries buying oil from Russia, including India 4,00,000 barrels of Russian oil were bought by Turkey per day in June 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 Push to build trust between people of hills and valley PM’s big pitch for peace in Manipur P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Imphal e x p r ess r e a d Private cultural events at select ASI sites soon New Delhi: Private cultural events may soon be permitted on the premises of select ASI protected sites. According to officials, the culture ministry is considering policy amendment to allow renting out space at monuments handed over to corporates under its ‘Adopt a Heritage’ programme | P8 Waqf Act: SC to give verdict tomorrow New Delhi: The Supreme Court will pronounce interim orders on three key issues, including the power to denotify properties declared as “waqf by courts, waqf-by-user or waqf by deed”, which cropped up during the hearing of pleas challenging the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, on Monday. INDia-pak T20 today The Suryakumar Yadav-led India will take on Pakistan in a sporting event for the first time since the cross-border tensions in April-May on Sunday | P11 WITH THIS ISSUE In his first visit to Manipur since ethnic violence erupted in 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a strong appeal for peace and reconciliation, calling on all warring groups to “move forward on the path of peace.” Speaking from Churachandpur, a Kuki-dominated district at the heart of the conflict, the PM said: “I would appeal to all organisations to move forward on the path of peace and fulfill their dreams. Today I promise , you that I am with you, the Government of India is with you, the people of Manipur.” Modi’s visit comes after over two years of mounting criticism from opposition parties over his absence from the strife-hit state. Ethnic clashes sparked by a court ruling to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the dominant Meitei community. Acknowledging the scale of suffering, Modi said: “Manipur is a land of hope and aspiration. Unfortunately, violence had cast its shadow on this beautiful region. A short while ago, I met those affected who are living in relief camps. After meeting them, I can say with confidence that a new dawn of hope and trust is rising in Manipur.” He emphasised the need to rebuild trust between the warring communities: “A strong bridge of trust must be built between the people of the Hills and the Valley Assuring con.” tinued support of the Union government, Modi added: “The Government of India is making every possible effort to bring life back on track in Manipur. For families who have lost their homes, our government is helping to build 7,000 new houses.” Modi also pointed to recent negotiations between conflicting groups as a sign of progress. “These are part of the efforts of the Centre in which work is being done to establish peace while giving importance to dialogue, respect, and mutual understanding,” he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with violence-hit people at a relief camp in Churachandpur | PTI Modi balm for internally displaced P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Imphal Over two years after ethnic violence hit Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met with families displaced by the conflict in both Churachandpur and Imphal, reaffirming his government’s commitment to peace and rehabilitation in the strife-torn state. “I am with you,” Modi told victims of the violence, during emotional interactions in relief camps at Churachandpur’s Peace Ground and later in the Meitei-majority capital, Imphal. Braving heavy rain, the Prime Minister travelled 65 km by road from Imphal airport to reach Churachandpur, the epicentre of the 2023 clashes that left 260 people dead and thousands displaced. In Churachandpur, where the violence first erupted during a tribal rally opposing Meitei demands for Scheduled Tribe status, Modi listened to grievances from the Kuki-Zo community interacted with elderly residents and chil, dren in relief shelters, and assured them that the government was “fully committed to restoring peace and normalcy “Manipur is the .” land of the brave... For development to take root anywhere, peace is essential,” Modi told them. The ethnic clashes that broke out on May 3, 2023, have fractured the state along community lines. During his visit to Churachandpur, Modi also laid the foundation stones for 14 development projects worth `7,300 crore — including drainage systems, women’s hostels, schools, and super-specialty healthcare facilities. At Bangalore Turf Club, you can bet after race is finished! E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Bengaluru Bring to Heal PLUS 12 P AGES SPLIT seconds matter when horses gallop towards the winning post. Pride, fortune and many lives are in the fray when people bet on the outcome of races. Now, can you think of a racing club which allows people to bet as late as an hour after the race has started? It is all happening at Bangalore Turf Club (BTC). A forensic audit by a reputed private firm has reportedly revealed many alleged irregularities at BTC, including betting after race time, reuse of tickets to let in more people, and lack of transparency in infrastructure and services contracts. The report looked at income and expenditure from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2024, at the BTC. Sources said the private firm had recently submitted the report to the BTC management. On betting after the start of the race, the report has stated that in 731 out of 88.57 lakh tickets, the betting time was after the race start time. The time difference ranged from one second to one hour. CONTINUED ON P5 Kids stuck in traffic for 2 hrs daily: Parents M o h a mm e d Ya c o o b @Bengaluru Over 1,500 parents in and around Sarjapur, Varthur, Panathur and Bellandur have petitioned the traffic police chief to save their wards from the pain of getting stuck in traffic for two hours every day This comes after a day after . a school bus sank in a ditch near Panathur and 20 students had to be pulled out. The parents have now expressed a grave concern over 15 locations that are infamous for traffic gridlocks and potholes on the stretch. Over 25,000 children bear the brunt of bad infrastructure in the Bengaluru East City Corporation that houses a significant number of IT compa- The Balagere-Panathur Road in Bengaluru, where a schoolbus got stuck in a ditch on Friday, is in a pathetic condition | express nies. Parents said the bad stretch extends from Sarjapur Road to Varthur Road, covering Bellandur, Panathur, Thubarahalli, and Balagere. They complain that their children are stuck in traffic on this road for over two hours every day . Maneka Reddy whose child is stud, ying at Inventure Academy, approached Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy and requested him to address the issue. “Our children are stuck in traffic between 2.30 and 4.30 pm every day. School buses are taking a long time to traverse because of potholes, construction vehicles parked on the roadside, vehicles coming from the opposite side and others. The issues were taken up with the joint commissioner of police (traffic) and he is aiming to ease the situation,” she said. P5 Entire Oppn set to boycott JPC P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi The entire opposition, including the Congress, is likely to boycott the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that will examine the three bills seeking the removal of top government functionaries, including the prime minister and the chief ministers, arrested or detained on criminal charges for 30 consecutive days, sources said. The Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have already stated that they will not send members to the panel, which is yet to be constituted. The Congress, which initially indicated its openness to send members to the panel, has decided to join others in the INDIA bloc in boycotting it, sources told this newspaper. They added that the Congress pivot on the issue is for the sake of opposition unity ahead of the Bihar elections and to keep up the momentum built around the issue of ‘vote theft’ during the Monsoon Session. The committee has been asked to submit its report during the Winter Session, which will likely begin in the third week of November. Earlier, the Congress, the DMK and the CPI(M) argued that the Opposition should nominate members to the JPC and oppose the bill, which they see as unconstitutional and harmful to the country’s federal structure. According to sources, these parties felt the TMC, which was the first to announce it would not join the panel, made that decision without consulting others. Chinnaswamy Stadium: Power supply not to be restored soon B o s k y K h a nn a @Bengaluru Power supply to Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is also known as Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium, is not likely to be restored anytime soon. The Bangalore Electric Supply Company Ltd (Bescom) cut power supply to the stadium on June 30, 2025, following a request by the Fire and Emergency Services Department, citing violations. The decision followed a horrific stampede near the stadium during RCB’s victory celebrations on June 4, in which 11 people died and 71 people were injured. Now, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board too is looking into violations by the stadium. P5