The International Cricket Council confirmed that 2025 Champions Trophy will be played in Pakistan and a neutral venue. This was necessitated after India refused to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns 2025 CT India likely to play in dubai THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l friday l December 20, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Dubai would 1 There are indications thatwould play be the venue where India their Champions Trophy matches India and Pakistan 2 The ICC said thatby either country at ICC matches hosted events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue Apart from Champions Trophy, this arrangement will apply for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and SL) 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 Clear biomedical waste dumped in TN in 3 days, NGT tells Kerala S V K RISH N A CHAITA N YA @ Chennai The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday directed the Kerala government and its pollution control board to remove the biomedical waste and mixed solid waste dumped illegally at multiple locations in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district within three days, and file a compliance report on December 23. The southern bench of the NGT passed the order on a suo motu case hearing based on a TNIE article. The biomedical waste was from Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram and Credence Hospital, while municipal waste was from the Leela Kovalam. The NGT has issued notices to all the three establishments, apart from the environment and health departments of both states for failing to curb the illegal activity . The bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member K Satyagopal, said Kerala should either take back the waste or sign an MoU with a common biomedical waste treatment facility in Tamil Nadu for safe disposal. “The waste dumped must be removed immediately,” the bench said, setting a deadline of three days. The TNIE article had said that hazardous biomedical waste from Kerala was being frequently dumped into ● More on P5 Tamil Nadu.  16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express ‘Pitched battle’ outside House Two BJP MPs injured Unprecedented fracas Rahul Gandhi meets BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi who was injured in clash | PTI Rahul booked by police over scuffle Kharge demands probe into ‘assault’ Delhi Police registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi under Section 117 (grievous hurt), 125 (endangering life of others), 131 (criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS | P7 Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, saying he was physically pushed by BJP MPs on Parliament premises, adding he lost his balance. He demanded a probe into the ‘assault’ | P7 Cross-complaints filed Ambedkar Statue on Parliament’s premises to the Makar Dwar. But The ongoing political face-off took at Makar Dwar, over 100 BJP meman ugly turn on Thursday after the bers had already assembled holdOpposition and the ruling BJP got ing placards. into a ‘pitched battle’ outside ParA commotion followed while Raliament over Union home minister hul along with some others tried to Amit Shah’s remarks on B R enter the Parliament House. In the Ambedkar. Allegations flew thick melee, a few MPs fell down. Some and fast with both sides accusing of the Opposition MPs also climbed each other of resorting to a wall near the gate. violence, which left two BJP While Parliamentary AfMPs — Pratap Sarangi and fairs Minister Kiren Rijiju Mukesh Rajput — in hospiclaimed that both MPs were Will physical tal with head injuries. seriously injured by Rahul strength be While the BJP alleged and demanded his apology, used in that Leader of Opposition the latter denied the chargParliament? Rahul Gandhi pushed their es. “I was trying to enter Shivraj Singh MPs, the Congress said its Parliament and the BJP Chouhan, BJP party chief Mallikarjun MPs were stopping me, Kharge lost his balance afpushing me and threatenThe BJP is ter being pushed by the ing me,” Rahul said. indulging in BJP’s members. While BJP’s Anurag distraction “Rahul Gandhi pushed an Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj MP who fell on me, after rushed to the Parliament Rahul Gandhi, which I fell. I was standing Street Police Station to file a Congress near the stairs when Gancomplaint against Rahul, andhi came and pushed an MP who other allegation came from BJP MP then fell on me,” Sarangi said. Both S Phangnon Konyak who accused the MPs were admitted to Delhi’s Rahul of ‘misbehaving’ with her. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Shortly thereafter, Congress MPs Unprecedented scenes unfolded also filed a police case against the after the Opposition MPs and BJP BJP MPs for manhandling their members came face to face at the leaders. Later, Kharge and 15 ConMakar Dwar, Parliament’s main gress MPs submitted letters to entrance. As announced in the Speaker Om Birla demanding acmorning, the Opposition INDIA tion against the BJP MPs who misbloc members marched from the behaved with Rahul and Kharge. P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi express read Dy chair rejects notice to impeach Dhankhar New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh dismissed the impeachment notice against VicePresident and RS Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Terming the Opposition’s bid an act of impropriety, he said the notice was drafted with clear intent to tarnish Dhankhar’s reputation. P7 5 Hizbul terrorists killed in J&K encounter Srinagar: Security forces on Thursday killed five Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including its operations commander, in a six-hour-long encounter in J&K’s Kulgam district. P8 SC stays HC norms on parading of elephants ‘Not waqf, Munambam land can be sold’ E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kochi The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the guidelines issued by Kerala High Court on parading of elephants at festivals, bringing relief to the devaswoms of Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu, the major participants of Thrissur Pooram. A division bench of the Kera- la High Court had imposed strict restrictions on elephant parade, directing that a 3-metre distance be maintained between elephants, and 8 metres between elephants and percussion ensemble at festivals. A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice B V Nagaratna and Justice N K Singh observed that the restrictions imposed by the High Court, contrary to the Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2012, were impractical. The bench noted that the High Court should not have exercised suo motu powers ● More on P4 in the case.  S h ya m P V @ Kochi In a curious move debunking the Waqf Board’s claim, Farook College, Kozhikode, has said that Munambam land is not classified as waqf property, and the college received it through a gift deed. Members of the college management committee stat- ed this on Thursday before Justice C N Ramachandran Nair, chairman of the judicial commission appointed by Kerala government to investigate Munambam land issue and submit a report. They asserted that since the property was not waqf, the college had every right to sell the land. The college management committee members, accompanied by their lawyers, met the judicial commission chairman and explained their stance on the issue. The management committee’s position is contrary to the Waqf Board’s claim that the Munambam land is ● More on P4 waqf property  .