kozhikode l Sunday l november 03, 2024 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city edition U.k.’s conservative party elects its first woman black leader Kemi Badenoch defeated rival lawmaker Robert Jenrick in a vote of almost 1,00,000 members of the right-of-centre party. She replaces Rishi Sunak KEmi has to restore party reputation Tory leader is Critic of multiculturalism Badenoch’s task is to try to restore the party’s reputation after years of division, scandal and economic tumult that led to the Conservatives defeat in July — its worst eletion result since 1832. “The task that stands before us is tough but simple,” Badenoch said in a victory speech in London. She said the party’s job was to hold the government to account ■ ■ UK PM Keir Starmer wrote, “The first Black leader of a Westminster party is a proud moment for our country. I look forward to working with you and your party in the interests of the British people” The 44-year-old former software engineer has criticised multiculturalism and called for lower immigration Fourth female leader of tories and second person of colour 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 Canada’s Shah slur annoys India MEA summons Canadian diplomat, warns baseless allegations would harm bilateral ties Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi Smoke billows out after fire at a house where Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Usman Bhai was holed up following an encounter, in downtown Srinagar on Saturday | PTI Pak LeT leader among 3 killed in two encounters Days after Canadian deputy foreign minister David Morrison claimed he had leaked Union home minister Amit Shah’s name to The Washington Post as the one who ordered a campaign against Sikh separatists living in Canada, India summoned its diplomat here and warned that the baseless allegations would have serious consequences for bilateral ties. A representative of the Canadian High Commission was summoned on Friday and handed a Diplomatic Note. “It was conveyed in the note that India protests in the strongest terms the absurd and baseless references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Canadian Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in Ottawa on October 29 by Morrison,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday . Fifteen Indian diplomats still serving across missions in Canada are under audio and video surveillance, he said. “Some of our consular officials were recently informed by the Canadian government that they have been and continued to be under audio and video surveillance. Their communications have also been intercepted. We have formally protested to the Canadian government as we deem these actions to be a flagrant violation of relevant diplomatic and consular conventions,” Jaiswal said. The MEA said the Canadian government cannot justify its harassment and intimidation of Indian diplomats. “Our diplomatic and consular personnel are already functioning in an environment of extremism and violence. This action of the Canadian government aggravates the situation and is incompatible with established diplomatic norms and practices,” Jaiswal added. Smear campaign Jaiswal said Canada deliberately leaked the unfounded charges as part of a conscious strategy to discredit India and influence other nations Political agenda It confirms Indian view on the current Canadian govt’s political agenda and behavioural pattern. Such actions will have serious consequences, Jaiswal said The cyber report is another example of a Canadian bid to attack India Randhir Jaiswal For 1st time, Delhi figures in Ottawa cyber adversary list H a r p r e e t B a j w a @ Chandigarh Canada has for the first time labeled India as an adversary in its National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026, published by the country’s Centre for Cyber Security India reject. ed the allegations, calling them absurd. The report comes at a time when bilateral diplomatic relations are at an all time low. Under the section ‘Cyber Threat from State Adversaries’ in the report released this week, India has been listed alongside China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The report states, “We assess that Indian statesponsored cyber threat actors likely conduct cyber threat activity against Government of Canada networks for the purpose of espionage. We judge that official bilateral relations between Canada and India will very likely drive Indian statesponsored cyber threat activity against Canada.’’ It insinuates that India’s leadership almost certainly aspires to build a modernised cyber pro- Identity of two others being ascertained Another gunfight happened in Halkan Gali area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. A suspicious movement was observed near Halkan Gali in the morning. When troops challenged the militants, they opened fire. Two militants were killed in the encounter, officials said. Their identity and outfit to are being ascertained military CRPF personnel were injured in the gunfight and were hospitalised. The house Usman was holed up in caught fire during the gunfight. “The slain militant was active in the area since the last few months. He was involved in the killing of police inspector Masroor Ahmed Mir at Eidgah area of Srinagar in October last year,” the IGP said. Saturday’s encounter was the first in Srinagar since September 15, 2022 when two militants were killed in a gunfight at Nowgam area. e x p r ess r e a d Munambam issue: IUML wants govt to intervene MEA snubs US sanction on 19 Indian firms Malappuram: Sensing the volatile nature of the issue, the IUML has urged the state government to immediately intervene in the Munambam land dispute and stop the attempt to drive communal polarisation. IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty said Muslim organisations were willing to cooperate with the state government to resolve the issue. New Delhi: Two days after the US State Department sanctioned 19 Indian companies and two Indian citizens on allegations that they were supplying items to the Russian military, India said they have a robust regulatory framework in place. The Ministry of External Affairs said the sanctioned transactions and firms are not in violation of Indian laws. WITH THIS ISSUE Ice Cube in Your Food PLUS 12 PAGES Three TN natives die after being hit by train, one missing F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar Top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Usman Bhai was killed in an encounter with security forces in Khanyar area of downtown Srinagar while two other militants were killed in a separate encounter in Anantnag district on Saturday . This was the first encounter in Srinagar after two years. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir V K Birdi said acting on specific information, a joint search operation was launched by police and paramilitary CRPF personnel in Khanyar area of downtown Srinagar in the early hours of the day Security forces had in. formation about the presence of Pakistan’s top LeT commander Usman in the area. When they approached the house where he was said to be holed up, they came under fire. The troops returned the fire, triggering an encounter. “In the firefight that continued till evening, Usman was killed. A large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from his possession,” the IGP said. Two policemen and two para- gram with domestic cyber capabilities. “India very likely uses its cyber program to advance its national security imperatives, including espionage, counterterrorism, and the country’s efforts to promote its global status... We assess that India’s cyber program likely leverages commercial cyber vendors to enhance its operations.’’ At a recent press conference, Caroline Xavier, chief of Canada’s communications security establishment, stated: “It is clear that we are seeing India as an emerging cyber threat actor.’’ The report also claimed that a hacktivist group allegedly linked to India had conducted cyberattacks against Canadian websites following the onset of diplomatic tensions last year. “After Canada accused India of involvement in the killing of a Canadian citizen (Hardeep Singh Nijjar), a pro-India hacktivist group claimed to have defaced and conducted brief DDoS attacks against websites in Canada,” the report stated. Express News Service @ Palakkad tearful adieu The mortal remains of Catholicos Aboon Mor Baselios Thomas I, head of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, being laid to rest in a specially prepared tomb at the Mor Athanasius Cathedral, Puthencruz, on Satuday | T P Sooraj 13 NDF men cleared of RSS leader’s murder; one accused found guilty E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kannur The Thalassery Additional Sessions Court has acquitted 13 activists of the National Development Front (NDF) — which later became Popular Front of India — in the murder of Hindu Aikya Vedi worker and RSS Boudhik Sikshan Pramukh Ashwini Kumar, 27, in 2005. Only the third accused, M V Marshook, 43, a resident of Chavassery in Iritty was found , guilty by the court. The sentence will be pronounced on November 4. Accused 1 and 2, P K Aziz and Nurul Amin, along with accused 4 to 14, P M Siraj, C P Ummer, M K Yunus, R K Ali, Naufal, P K Shameer, Thanalottu Yakoob, Mustafa, Basheer, K Shamnas, and Shanavas, were acquitted ow- ing to insufficient evidence. During the trial, the court examined 42 witnesses and reviewed 57 documents. District gover nment pleader B P Saseendran expressed disappointment with the verdict. Following the judgment, RSS leader Valsan Thillankeri voiced frustration, stating that the organisation in● More on P5 tends to appeal.  In a tragic accident, three people from Tamil Nadu were killed after being run over by Kerala Express near Shoranur railway station around 3pm on Friday One person is still miss. ing. They were carrying out cleaning work on the track when the incident occurred. According to railway sources and the local police, the incident occurred when the Thiruvananthapuram-bound express train was crossing the Bharathapuzha bridge, about a kilometre away from Shoranur station. The deceased have been identified as siblings Valli and Rani. They were from Ayothiyapattinam village, in Salem district, and had been staying near Ottapalam railway station for the past two years. The body of Lakshmanan, Rani’s husband, was also recovered. Valli’s spouse Lakshmanan, who made a valiant attempt to evade the approaching train, is missing. “The victims were part of a 10-member team of contract workers who were assigned to remove garbage on the track. The cleaning work was contracted by the railways to a Valanchery-based group and the four joined work today, after additional workforce was Search in progress for the worker who went missing after being hit by a train while it was crossing the Bharathapuzha bridge | Express requisitioned. The other six workers are regular hands. They had moved to a safe spot before the train passed them,” Shoranur police inspector Ravikumar V told TNIE. Sources said the deceased made a valiant effort to run to safety before the train struck them near the bridge. The incident was first noticed by the train’s locopilot, who informed the Shoranur ‘B’ cabin station master. Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police and Shoranur Police were alerted. Officers first discovered three bodies one on the bridge and two beneath it. According to sources, fire and rescue services were conducting a search for the missing person late into ● More on P5 the evening.  Beyond virtual booking, 10k more pilgrims to be allowed into Sabarimala Over 50 E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @Kottayam Amid criticism from various quarters over its decision to discontinue spot booking for darshan at the Sabarimala temple, the state government on Saturday announced that 10,000 pilgrims will be allowed entry into the shrine, in addition to those booked through the virtual queue. Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan said to accom- modate these pilgrims, daily virtual queue bookings have been reduced from 80,000 to 70,000. Vasavan also announced that all pilgrims visiting the temple during the upcoming MandalaMakaravilakku pilgrimage season will get free insurance coverage of `5 lakh. In case of a death, the Travancore Devaswom Board — which has introduced the insurance scheme — will ensure transportation of the pilgrim’s body back home, he said. Addressing reporters following the final preparatory meeting of the Sabarimala pilgrimage season, Vasavan said: “Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had announced in the as- Sabarimala temple | File pic If devotees arrive without a virtual booking, the government and devaswom board will provide them with necessary facilities for darshan after verifying their documents — V N Vasavan sembly that no devotee arriving in Sabarimala will have to go back without darshan.This will be ensured strictly “ . “If devotees arrive without a virtual booking, the government and devaswom board will provide them with necessary facilities for darshan after verifying their documents, such as aadhar card or other identity cards. Rest assured, no devotee will be turned away without getting darshan,” he said. The minister added centres will be set up at Pampa, Nilackal, and Erumely for document verification of devotees arriving without virtual queue bookings. Vasavan added that all necessary preparations have been made to ensure a smooth pilgrimage experience during the Mandala-Makaravilakku sea● More on P5 son.  killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon Israel launched dozens of intense airstrikes across Lebanon’s northeastern farming villages, killing at least 52 people and injuring many, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported on Saturday.