The New Indian Express Wishes its readers a Our offices and press will remain closed today and there will be no issue of the paper on Tuesday BHUBANESWAR l monday l October 20, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE CITY EDITION Gone in 4 minutes: Thieves steal Napoleon-era jewels at Louvre Eight items stolen from gallery of apollo Around 9.30 am, several intruders broke a first-floor window, cut through the glass with a disc cutter, and headed straight to the Gallery of Apollo, officials said. They are believed to have entered the museum from the riverfront side, where construction is underway, used a freight elevator to reach the gallery, stole eight items from a 23-piece Napoleon collection and fled on scooters Robbers on Sunday broke into the iconic Paris museum and made off with the jewels in an audacious daylight robbery lasting 4 minutes Diamond-adorned crown recovered diamonds and emeralds, which belonged to Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III, was found damaged near the building ■ The value of the stolen items is still being assessed. Meanwhile, a manhunt is on with the authorities looking for four suspects ■ Shortly after the thieves fled, a 19th-century crown adorned with 800 Metres is the distance from the robbery site to the Paris police HQ 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 Gaza truce strained after Israel, Hamas trade fire A g en c i e s Just nine days after the guns fell silent in Gaza, the landmark ceasefire agreement appeared to be faltering on Sunday with , Israel carrying out fresh airstrikes in Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating the tr uce ter ms by firing at Israeli troops. Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said at least 33 people, including a woman and two children, were killed in Israeli strikes across the territory on Sunday Israel said it was check. ing reports of casualties. Israel’s military said Hamas militants opened fire on troops in parts of Rafah city that fall under Israeli control, according to the agreed ceasefire lines. In response, the military launched fresh airstrikes on Hamas targets in souther n Gaza, it said. Israel said it responded to at least three incidents in which “Hamas fired towards our troops standing behind the yellow line in the agreed-upon positions”. Hamas, however, insisted it was complying with the truce and accused Israel of Smoke billows following an Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday | afp inventing pretexts to continue the war. The group said communication with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months, and “we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas”. The escalation comes just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed security forces to take “strong action” against Hamas over alle ged truce violations. Israel informed the US in advance of the strikes, Axios reported. The US urged Israel to “show restraint”. CM lays stone for 471 GP offices, disburses Ladakh representatives first instalment of AGY to 48K beneficiaries called for talks with MHA E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday virtually laid the foundation stone for 471 gram panchayat office buildings and distributed the first instalment of `40,000 each to 48,693 beneficiaries under the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana (AGY). The funds were disbursed covering 28 districts except Nuapada and Kalahandi due to the upcoming by-election in Nuapada. Speaking on the occasion at the Lok Seva Bhawan here, the chief minister termed it a new chapter initiated by the state government for rural development ahead of Diwali. “This reflects the government’s commitment to building a prosperous Odisha. The 471 new GP offices will serve as ‘new temples’ of service, providing dignity con, The 471 new GP offices will serve as ‘new temples’ of service, providing dignity, convenience and solutions under one roof Mohan Charan Majhi, CM CM Mohan Charan Majhi and Panchayati Raj minister Rabi Narayan Naik at the foundation stone-laying event of the GP office buildings, at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar | EXPRESS venience and solutions under one roof,” he added. Majhi said `194.77 crore was disbursed in the first instalment and beneficiaries will receive `65,000 in the second instalment and `15,000 in the third, totalling to `1.20 lakh per person under the scheme. Urging beneficiaries to complete their houses in time, the chief minister said incentives of `20,000 will be provided to those who complete their houses within four months and `10,000 for completion in six months. He said all beneficiaries will receive 95 days’ wages in integrated action plan (IAP) districts and 90 days’ wages in nonIAP districts under MGNREGA. The beneficiaries will also receive basic amenities like toilets and piped water ensuring a dignified life for all citizens, Majhi added.  Continued on P5 Centre writes to States states directed to snuff out bonded labour, trafficking J i t en d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi Need organ, tissue donation teams in all hospitals K AVITA BA J E L I - DATT @ New Delhi THE Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) has ALL hospitals in India should have dedicated teams to directed all states and Union Territories to intensify accounsel families of potential organ and tissue donors, the tion against inter-state human trafficking and bonded Centre said in a communication to all states. Hospitals labour, following mounting concerns over slow progress have been asked to report all deaths, make efforts for in rehabilitation efforts. timely counselling of family members, and encourage In a government order issued on September 25, Secrethem for organ and tissue donation. tary Vandana Gurnani instructed all Chief Secretaries The move comes as India faces a huge gap between the to constitute vigilance committees in every district and number of patients requiring human organ and tissue sub-division to track bonded and child labour cases. transplants and the availability of donors. States have also been asked to submit proposals for im“It is essential that hospitals should constitute organ mediate financial assistance to rescued and tissue donation teams by involving labourers within three months of issuing brain stem death committee members and release certificates. transplant coordinator / counsellor,” said The directive follows a Supreme Court the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Centre will order of November 22, 2024, which asked Organization (NOTTO) in a letter to all Even if the rehabilitate family does MoLE to consult with states to simplify states. NOTTO is a national-level oganisa- not agree to 1.84 crore tion set up under the Union organ bonded procedures for identifying health ministry . labourers by and rehabilitating bonded ladonation, the press NOTTO director Dr Anil option for 2030. So far, bourers. This is the second clusive 35,000 such directive since DecemKumar, in his letter, said the tissue labourers ber 2024, after the Centre exorgan and tissue donation donation have been pressed dissatisfaction with the states’ team must be mandatorily notified of all must be given freed progress. “However, not much progress to the family the deaths happening in hospitals. seems to have been made,” the order “Even if the family does not agree to or- Dr Anil Kumar, Ministry of gan donation, the option for tissue dona- director, NOTTO Labour observed. MoLE oversees the Bonded Labour Systion must be given to the family,” Dr Kutem (Abolition) Act, 1976, and implements mar said in the letter dated October 17. the “Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour-2021” scheme, Tissues such as corneas, skin, bones, and heart valves which provides compensation of `30,000 and rehabilitacan be donated from cases of brain-stem-death and cartion grants of `1 lakh for men and `2 lakh for women. diovascular deaths in hospitals or due to natural death NCRB data for 2023 shows forced labour (23,520 cases) cases. Tissues can be harvested up to 10 hours after death. as the largest human trafficking crime, followed by sexOne donor can save eight lives. ual exploitation (17,944). Maharashtra, Telangana, and “India requires nearly one lakh corneas annually, yet Odisha reported the highest cases. only about one-third of this demand is being met. Bone Dr Tina Kuriakose Jacob of the International Institute donation, in particular, plays a vital role in the treatment for Migration Development termed the order “a step toof patients with trauma, nonunion of bone fractures, ward systematic review and monitoring to protect the congenital abnormalities, and other bone-related disorpoorest and most vulnerable workers.” ders,” the letter said. f aya z w a n i @ Srinagar IN a significant thaw after months of impasse, Ladakh’s key agitators are set to resume talks with the Centre, with an eight-member delegation from the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), alongside MP Haji Haneefa Jan, scheduled to engage a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sub-committee on October 22 in New Delhi. LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay told this paper that the MHA has invited them for talks chaired by the Union Home Secretary. This marks the first direct engagement between Ladakh representatives and the Centre after the dialogue broke down following protests in Leh on September 24 demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule. The violence left four dead and over 80 injured. Ahead of the meeting, the MHA on October 17 announced a judicial inquiry led by a retired Supreme Court judge into the September 24 incident — one of the key preconditions set by LAB and KDA to resume talks. The delegation will include three representatives each from LAB and KDA, their legal advisor, and MP Haji Haneefa. Dorjay said they would push for the release of all detainees, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who remains jailed under the National Security Act, and seek compensation for the victims. KDA leader Sajjad Kargili said the LAB and KDA will jointly attend the meeting. “We are meeting for statehood & Sixth Schedule status, justice for September 24 victims, and release of detainees including Sonam Wangchuk. Only genuine dialogue can fulfil Ladakh’s aspirations,” he said. af, pak agree on ceasefire deal The two sides have agreed to set up “mechanisms” to ensure lasting peace after days of violent clashes along the border that left several dead on both sides | P9