HYDERABAD SUNDAY JULY 07, 2024 `12.00 PAGES 24 LATE CITY EDITION REFORMIST MASOUD PEZESHKIAN WINS IRAN’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Pezeshkian scored over other hardline candidates by promising to reach out to the West, ease enforcement on headscarf law NEW LEADER COMES WITH NO EXPERIENCE WILL NOT HAVE SWAY OVER FOREIGN POLICY Pezeshkian secured 53.3% of the votes polled while his nearest hardline rival Saeed Jalili got 44.3%. Pezeshkian is a heart surgeon and a member of Parliament. He is considered inexperienced as he has never held any sensitive post before. After the victory, he tweeted, “The difficult path ahead will not be smooth except with your companionship, empathy, trust” ■ Mostafa Khoshcheshm, a Tehran-based analyst, told Al Jazeera he was not expecting strategic changes to Iran’s foreign policy, which is decided by the entire establishment, the supreme leader and the Parliament | P9 ■ PM Narendra Modi tweeted, “Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship ... ” 30m voters THE LOWEST TURNOUT FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL POLLS HISTORICALLY 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 Starmer ready Panel set up to resolve TG-AP disputes for FTA that works for both After Bhatti’s proposal, CMs of Telugu states decide to form committee with top officials M A N DA RAV I N D E R R E D DY @ Hyderabad Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi FM to present full yr budget on July 23 EX PRESS N EWS SERVICE @ New Delhi FINANCE minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the government’s first full year budget of Modi’s third term on July 23 in Lok Sabha. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted on Saturday that the budget session of House will be held between July 22 and August 12. Expectation about the budget are running high as President Droupadi Murmu in a joint address to Parliament said that it will be marked by many historic step, adding the budget will highlight major social and economic decisions. Only an interim budget was presented in February due to the Lok Sabha polls. The first session of Parliament after the formation of 18th Lok Sabha was stormy with the Opposition, armed with more numbers in the Lower House, clashed with the government over a range of issues including NEET-UG examination paper leak. NDA’s key ally Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Modi on Thursday and sought the Centre’s handholding to pull the state out of the financial black hole it was pushed into by the previous government. Other important ally Bihar CM Nitish Kumar also wants special status for his state. TG GUV OKAYS SEVEN BILLS | P4 UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Soft line on Kashmir On Kashmir, Starmer has said his party was committed to eliminating any extremist views that could strain UK-India relations. He also promised a stricter handling of anti-Hindu hate crimes in the UK. While visiting Swaminarayan Mandir in Kingsbury, he had said there was absolutely no place for Hinduphobia in Britain PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke with his new British counterpart Keir Starmer, invited him to visit India, and suggested the early conclusion of a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that has been under negotiation for over two years. “Pleased to speak with Keir Starmer. Congratulated him on being elected as the PM of UK. We remain committed to deepening Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and robust India-UK economic ties for progress and prosperity of our peoples and global good,” Modi said in a post on X. He also suggested that Starmer schedule an early visit to India. Downing Street said Starmer returned the compliment by congratulated Modi on his third consecutive term as PM. “Discussing the importance of the living bridge between the UK and India and the 2030 roadmap, the two leaders agreed that there was a wide range of areas across defence and security, critical and emerging technology and climate change for the two nations to deepen their cooperation,” the Downing Street spokesperson said. As for the FTA, Starmer said he stood ready to conclude a deal that “worked for both sides. The leaders hoped to meet at the earliest opportunity the spokesperson said. Both sides have ,” been working towards clinching the FTA since January 2022, when Boris Johnson was PM. “Appreciating the positive contributions of the Indian community in the social, economic and political development of the UK, the two sides agreed to continue to promote close people to people ties,” the Ministry of External Affairs said. The Labour’s manifesto had said: “We will seek a new strategic partnership with India, including an FTA, as well as deepening cooperation in areas like security education, tech, nology and climate change.” New British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he wants to ‘finish the job’ on the FTA and plans to visit India within the first month of being elected. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu at Praja Bhavan in Hyderabad on Saturday The sentiments of the people of both states are very sensitive. Let’s respect their sentiments and move forward. Then the people of both states will respect us Let’s take decisions that are acceptable to the people of both states. Let us resolve the problems that have been pending for 10 years through discussions There are good rulers in both AP and TG. Something good will happen in both states Let’s talk to the Centre about the Krishna river water dispute. ... Give the five villages to TG I have worked hard for the development of Telangana as CM in the past. Now, I wish for the development of both states – Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra CM Drugs have become a big menace in both states. Before both states become similar to Punjab, we should take strict action – Revanth Reddy, Telangana CM DELEGATIONS ANDHRA PRADESH TELANGANA CM Chandrababu Naidu Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh Roads and Buildings Minister BC Janardhan Reddy Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar & other senior officials CM Revanth Reddy Dy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka IT Minister D Sridhar Babu Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari Adviser to government KS Sreenivasa Raju & other senior officials THE chief ministers of the Telugu states, A Revanth Reddy and N Chandrababu Naidu, on Saturday decided to constitute a high-level committee with chief secretary-rank officials to deliberate and find solutions for pending disputes between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Welcoming Naidu to Hyderabad’s Praja Bhavan, Revanth gave him ‘Naa Godava’, a book written by the famous Telangana ‘people’s poet’ Kaloji Narayana Rao. The delegations led by the chief ministers then discussed the unresolved disputes between the two states at a meeting that went on for an hour and 45 minutes. Sources said that during the meeting, Naidu requested the Telangana government to allot a few buildings in Hyderabad to AP but Revanth is said to have not agreed to it. Immoveable assets in the city belong solely to Telangana, he is believed to have told his Andhra counterpart. The CMs are also said to have disagreed over pending power dues. While Telangana says AP has to give it `24,000 crore, Andhra claims that it has to receive `7,000 crore. When Naidu brought up the topic and asked Telangana about the power arrears, Revanth replied that it is Andhra that should pay the dues, sources said. But it was not all disagreements with the CMs finding some common ground too. If sources are to be believed, the Andhra CM is said to have agreed to the merger of five villages near Bhadrachalam, now part of Andhra, with Telangana. CMs decide to set up high-level panel with CS-rank officials Three members from each state to be part of panel. First meeting within two weeks If there is no resolution, disputes to be discussed at ministers-level committee to be formed later To tackle issue of drugs, states to also form coordination committee with TG Anti-Narcotics Bureau additional DG & his Andhra counterpart WHAT SOURCES SAID Andhra to give five villages near Bhadrachalam — Etupaka, Purushottamapatnam, Kannyigudem, Picchukalapadu and Gundala — to TG. For this, both CMs will write to Union Home Ministry to amend APRA Disagreement over power dues persists Revanth says no to Andhra request for buildings in Hyd For this, the CMs have decided to write a letter to the Union Home Ministry to amend the APRA. The five villages are Etupaka, Purushottamapatnam, Kannyigudem, Picchukalapadu and Gundala. After the meeting ended, Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Andhra Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad briefed the media. When asked about the merger of the five villages with Telangana, Bhatti Vikramarka said that many issues were discussed during the meeting. He added: “We know that issues that have been pending for a decade cannot be resolved in one meeting. This is the first step. Pending disputes will be resolved keeping interests of Telangana in mind.” CONTINUED ON P5 Main accused gives up, Baba NEET-UG expresses grief over stampede counselling by Ashram, Bhole Baba urged the bereaved families to have faith WHILE Devprakash Madhukar, in the judiciary. “I am deeply the main accused of Hathras saddened. May God give us the stampede, surrendered to the strength to bear this pain. Delhi Police late on FriPlease keep faith in the day night and was taken government and the adinto custody by the UP ministration. I have Police, the self-styled faith that anyone who godman Bhole Baba alicreated the chaos would as Narayan Sakar Hari not be spared,” he said. alias Suraj Pal, exAn FIR was lodged in pressed grief over the the matter on July 2 untragedy at an event at der various sections of his Satsang Sabha in Devprakash the Bharatiya Nyaya Madhukar Hathras. Sanhita. However, Bhole Four days after the Baba was not named in stampede, the preacher on Sat- the FIR. urday told a news agency he Dev Prakash Madhukar, the hoped strict action would be mukhya sevadar of Bhole Baba, taken against the culprits. is the only accused named in Speaking from his Mainpuri the FIR. N A M I TA B A J PA I @ Lucknow BUILDING COLLAPSE A six-storey building collapsed in Surat on Saturday afternoon, killing one person and leaving 3-4 persons trapped under the rubble. A woman was rescued. Search and rescue operation are on in the building which was constructed in 2016-17 | PTI Yet another MLA deserts sinking BRS, WOMAN PRINCIPAL DRANK LIQUOR, 6 more meet Sridhar to ‘request funds’ HARASSED US, ALLEGE STUDENTS EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE JUMPING SHIP @ Hyderabad GADWAL MLA Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy on Saturday became the latest legislator to desert the BRS. He joined the Congress in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the latter’s residence in Hyderabad. This comes a day after the induction of six BRS MLCs into the Congress. In a related development, as many as six BRS MLAs from Rangareddy — KP Vivekanand (Quthbullapur), Arekapudi Gandhi (Serilingampally), B Laxma Reddy (Uppal), Marri Rajasekhar Reddy (Malkajgiri), Madhavaram Krishna Rao (Kukatpally) and D Sudheer Reddy (LB Nagar) — met WHAT THE TWO STATES HAVE OFFICIALLY AGREED TO Six BRS MLAs from Rangareddy district meet IT& Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu at the Secretariat on Saturday their district in-charge minister D Sridhar Babu on Saturday at the state Secretariat. While the ostensible reason for the meeting was to ask the minister to allot more funds for their Assembly segments, speculation is that the six legislators are likely to join the Congress soon. Moreover, most of these legislators on Friday skipped a BRS meeting held at Telangana Bhavan. With Gadwal MLA’s induction on Saturday, strength of Congress in Assembly has risen to 72 In 2023 Assembly polls, Cong won 64 seats Six BRS MLAs have already joined the grand old party Congress also won Secunderabad Cantonment bypoll held after death of BRS MLA Lasya Nanditha in a road accident in February BRS tally has now fallen to 32 Speaking to TNIE, a senior Congress leader claimed the BRS MLAs were unhappy with KCR and were hence, joining the Congress. He added that they have not been offered any posts in the government. @ Suryapet SEVERAL female students of the Social Welfare Residential Women’s Degree College in Balemala in Suryapet district on Saturday staged a dharna in front of the institution alleging that principal Shailaja and caretaker Soumitri consumed liquor and also harassed the students. Activists belonging to women’s organisations backed the agitating students. They demanded the suspension of the principal, who they alleged was causing trouble by drinking liquor in the college premises. The students also claimed that when their parents came to the college to meet them, the principal and caretaker were not giving a proper response. The students alleged that the principal allowed her son to stay in the women’s college, against the rules. They were also not allowed to move around the campus when her son was present in the college, the students added. The protesting students said that liquor bottles were found in the principal’s room on Friday night and added that they showed them to the regional coordinator of residential colleges of Nalgonda and Suryapet districts. As the students resorted to an agitation, Regional Coordinator Shakeena and Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) V Madhava Rao visited the college and pacified the students on Saturday. The RDO said he would submit a detailed report on the situation in the college to the district collector. The students alleged that caretaker Soumitri was also harassing them and said she too should be suspended. When the students were protesting, the principal left the college. Upset by the protest, the caretaker tried to end her life and was prevented by other staff members of the college, sources said. third week, says ministry EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi JULY 6 was a contentious date in all NEET-UG case hearings before vacation benches because that was when the National Testing Agency had told the Supreme Court it intended to start counselling for admission to medical courses across the country . The court had rejected all petitions demanding a stay on counselling till the case on the alleged malpractices in NEETUG is disposed of. Even requests for a two-day stay till July 8, when a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud will begin hearing a batch of petitions demanding scrapping of the exam, were turned down. July 6 came and went but the counselling didn’t start. Turns out that its schedule hasn’t even been notified yet by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC). WITH THIS ISSUE SMALL IS THE NEW BIG PLUS 12 PAGES
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