HYDERABAD l Sunday l January 11, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE CITY EDITION protesters will be declared ‘enemy of God’, warns Iran Iran’s attorney general Mohammad Movahedi Azad warned on Saturday those taking part in protests will be considered ‘enemy of God’ new mass rallies grip major cities Activists warn of intensifying crackdown “Prosecutors must carefully and without delay prepare the grounds for the trial and decisive confrontation with those who seek foreign domination over the country,” a statement read. ‘Enemy of God’ is a death penalty charge in Iran. The two-week-old protests showed no signs of slowing, with major cities hit by new mass rallies on Saturday ■ The toll has gone up to 65, according to the US-based Human ■ Rights Activists News Agency. Activists said they fear the authorities are intensifying their suppression under cover of internet blackout The attorney general’s statement comes a day after the US reiterated its warning against violent crackdown on protesters | P9 2,300 the number of people detained by iranian forces as per U.S. sources 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 ED goes to SC against Didi on I-PAC, WB files caveat U n sust a i n a b l e Don wants to cap credit card rate at 10% from Jan 20 Supreme Court on Saturday seeking to , ensure that no order is passed without THE Enforcement Directorate giving it an opportunity to be (ED) on Saturday moved the heard. Supreme Court against the The ED on Thursday raided West Bengal government in the the premises of I-PAC and its I-PAC money laundering case. director Pratik Jain in Kolkata Alleging that its series of as part of a money laundering raids for the probe was obprobe into an alleged coal pilstructed by Chief Minister ferage scam. Mamata has acMamata Banerjee, the ED cused the ED of overreach. sought a CBI probe into the inThe ED on Friday had apcident, claiming its “right to Mamata Banerjee proached the Calcutta High conduct a fair and independent Court, alleging that the CM investigation has been curtailed by the took away incriminating documents state machinery”. from the agency’s custody Amid high . In a swift counter-move, the West courtroom drama, the HC adjourned Bengal government filed a caveat in the the case to January 14. e x p r ess ne w s se r v i c e @ New Delhi/Kolkata Banks say it would cut credit access to retail customers in a big way B enn K o c h u v ee d a n @ Mumbai E N S @ Hyderabad Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Cinematography minister E x p r ess Re a d Owaisi: India will one day have hijab-clad PM AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said a hijab-clad woman would one day become India’s PM, as the Constitution accords equal status to every citizen, unlike in Pakistan where members of only one religion can reach top posts. Jai Jawan Jai Kisan orial Trust I have stopped involving myself in film-related matters. I am against hiking movie ticket rates and I appeal to producers not to approach me on this issue. In the case of ticket rate hikes for The Raja Saab and Chiranjeevi’s Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, they did not approach me. The GO was issued without my knowledge. I do not know who took that decision i Nationa str lM ha em A day after the Telangana High Court suspended the memo allowing the producers of the Prabhas-starrer “The Raja Saab” to hike entry fees in theatres, a memo permitting exhibitors of Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, starring Chiranjeevi, to raise ticket prices came to light. The memo was issued by the government on January 8, paving the way for the film to hit the screens with hiked prices, with a premiere show on January 11 and the movie’s release on January 12. Meanwhile, the High Court Registry declined to list a lunch motion petition challenging the hike in ticket prices for Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu. Accordingly, the High Court will hear the petition on January 19. Exhibitors can charge viewers in single-screen theatres `50 extra and `100 more in multiplexes. According to the memo, the ticket price for the 8 pm premiere show on January 11 could be as high as `600, including GST. The hike will be applicable from January 12 to 18. CONTINUED ON P5 l Bahadur La S Chiru fans to pay more for theatre entry Amid plunging popularity ratings, US President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered a cap on interest rates on credit card dues at 10% for a year. The new rate will be effective from January 20, which coincides with completion of Trump’s one year as president. Making the announcement, the president said he will no longer let Americans be “ripped off ” by credit card companies, which charge about 20-30% annually on credit card debts. While economists and analysts globally called it unsustainable, banks said it would lead to massive pullback of credit access to retail customers. US hedge fund manager Bill Ackman said: “My concern about capping rates at 10% is that doing so will inevitably cause millions of Americans to have their cards cancelled as credit card companies lose the ability to adequately price subprime credit risk. Consumers denied credit cards will be forced to turn to loan sharks whose rates and terms will be vastly worse for borrowers.” The move comes amid rising household debt in the US, which jumped by $197 billion to reach $18.59 trillion in the third quarter. As for credit card balances, they rose by $24 billion from the previous quarter and stood at $1.23 trillion. Though no Indian card issuer chose to react, analysts this newspaper spoke to rubbished the idea as “a wild call that strikes at the very root of free markets and markets-driven interest rate regime”. In India, credit cards charge anywhere from 36-40% annually . “If you don’t charge a risk premium on a completely risky loan/unsecured product like credit card, how can a bank continue to be in business? Even in the US, the effective interest rate is around 7% now and with addition of staff cost, interest cost on the money being lent through credit card, a pricing of 10% is simply not sustainable,” an analyst said. `` Anguished, Venkat laments harassment by fake news E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad Expressing anguish over “fake news” alleging political interference in the transfer and posting of IAS officers, R&B Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Saturday war ned of action against media outlets behind what he described as baseless reports. He said such false reporting amounted to mental harassment and could have serious consequences. “Subjecting me to menWITH THIS ISSUE A Sobering Effect PLUS 12 P AGES " Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi pays homage to the 2nd Prime Minister of India Bharat Ratna Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri (October 02, 1904 - January 11, 1966) on his 60th Punyatithi "The basic idea of governance, as I see it, is to hold the society together so that it can develop and march towards certain goals" Lal Bahadur Shastri ^^esjh le> ls ç'kklu dk ewy fopkj ;g gS fd lekt dks ,dtqV j[kk tk;s rkfd og fodkl dj lds vkSj vius y{;ksa dh rjQ c<+ lds** yky cgknqj 'kkL=h LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, DELHI Plot No. 11/7, Sector - 11, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110075 Phone : 011-25307700 | Email : director@Lbsim.ac.in www.Lbsim.ac.in tal harassment through false reports is unjust and unacceptable,” he said, adding that such fake stories could lead to suicides. Speaking emotionally, he said: “I am the kind of person who responds to every pain in society That is my nature. If . you think troubling me will achieve something, you can go ahead. I am already living with pain after the loss of my son. I am a Telangana agita- tor, but today they are harassing me mentally. Even if this is not enough, poison me and kill me. Those who commit wrongs, God will punish. After my son’s demise, I started the Prateek Foundation and am doing social service.” The matter, he said, had been discussed with the DGP following which , senior police and intelligence officials were directed to conduct an inquiry into the origin and spread of the reports. Action would be taken after the inquiry report was submitted, he added. Rejecting any suggestion of ministerial interference, Venkat Reddy said individual ministers had no role in the transfer or posting of collectors or IAS officers. “IAS postings are decided solely by the chief minister as per established norms. Any suggestion of ministerial or political interference is false,” he said.  CONTINUED ON P4