tirupati l thursday l december 26, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION Zelenskyy berates putin over ‘inhumane’ attack on Christmas Russia targeted Ukraine’s power infrastructure with more than 180 missiles and drones in a massive Christmas Day attack on Wednesday Russia launched 78 missiles, 106 drones: Kyiv One power plant worker killed in Donetsk “Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack. What could be more inhumane?” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. As many as 78 air, ground, and sea-launched missiles, 106 Shaheds and other types of drones were used in the strikes that targeted multiple cities, Ukraine’s air force said. It claimed to have intercepted 59 missiles and 54 drones ■ ■ This is the 13th large-scale strike on Ukraine’s energy system this year. Ukraine’s biggest private energy company, DTEK, said Russia struck one of their thermal power plants in Donetsk, killing an employee Ukraine said one of the missiles fired by Russia passed through the airspaces of Moldova and NATO member Romania | P9 5 lakh people are without power in Kharkiv region after russian strikes 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 Taliban vows to hit back after Pakistani strikes kill 46 in Af A g en c i e s Afghan Taliban on Wednesday said 46 people were killed in Pakistani airstrikes in Barmal in eastern Afghanistan and vowed to retaliate. Pakistan carried out rare airstrikes inside Afghanistan on Tuesday, which Islamabad said targeted members of the Pakistani Taliban. Pakistani security officials said the strikes were on “terrorist hideouts” and at least 20 terrorists of the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were killed. But the Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed most of the dead were children and women. Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Pakistani envoy and lodged a protest. The Afghan Defence Ministry vowed to retaliate, saying, “The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered.” The strikes come after the TTP claimed a raid on a Pakistan army outpost that killed 16 soldiers. A Pakistani official said the attack was “a significant trigger” for Tuesday’s strikes, which also come amid a rise in the number of TTP attacks in Pakistan, especially in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. ADIEU m t vasudevan nair Legendary Malayalam writer and Padma Bhushan awardee M T Vasudevan Nair, 91, passed away on Wednesday | P7 Russia-bound jet changed path before crash 29 survive; 16 russians among 67 on board 38 killed in kazakh jetliner crash The wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lays on the ground near Aktau airport | Ap Flight-tracking service FlightRadar24 said in an online post that the airAt least 38 people were killed after a craft had faced ‘strong GPS jamming’ passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to which ‘made the aircraft transmit bad Russia crashed near the city of Aktau ADS-B data’, referring to the informain Kazakhstan on Wednesday, accord- tion that allows flight-tracking webing to Kazakhstan officials. There were sites to follow planes in flight. Russia 67 people on board, including five crew has been blamed in the past for jammembers. Both pilots of the flight were ming GPS signals in the region. also reportedly killed in Reuters reported that the accident. A total of 29 the crash came shortly af‘bad weather’ survivors, including two ter drone strikes hit southSpeaking at a news c h i l d r e n , h ave b e e n ern Russian areas near conference, Azerbaijani hospitalised. Azerbaijan and KazkahPresident Ilham Aliyev The plane was originally stan and the nearest Russcheduled to travel from said that it was too soon sian airport on the plane’s to speculate on the the Azerbaijani capital of flight path was closed on reasons for the crash. Baku to the Russian city We d n e s d ay m o r n i n g . “The information of Grozny in the North FlightRadar24 data showed provided to me is that Caucasus. According to the aircraft making what the plane changed its Azerbaijan Airlines, its appeared to be a figureEmbraer 190 aircraft made course due to worsening eight once nearing the airan emergency landing 3 weather conditions and port in Aktau, its altitude km from Aktau. Reports headed to Aktau airport, moving up and down subwhere it crashed on said the pilot may have stantially in the last landing” Aliyev said. chosen to divert to Aktau minutes. after a bird strike on the Footage circulating onaircraft led to ‘an emergency situation line appeared to show the aircraft makon board’. ing a steep descent before smashing The airline said 42 passengers were into the ground in a fireball. Other footAzerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nation- age showed part of its fuselage ripped als, six Kazakhstani, and three Kyr- away from the wings and the rest of the gyzstani citizens. aircraft, lying upside in the grass. A g en c i e s CM seeks PM’s help to realise Vision-2047 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday. During the meeting that lasted for 45 minutes, Naidu apprised Modi about various programmes taken up in Andhra Pradesh, its financial situation and other issues. Naidu thanked the Prime Minister for extending financial assistance to complete the Polavaram Irrigation Project and the capital city of Amara- vati, two of the crucial projects for the development of the State. Naidu also submitted a copy of the Swarna Andhra Vision-2047 document and explained the targets set by the State government to achieve Viksit Bharat. He sought the Centre’s cooperation to realise the Vision2047. Further, he also informed Modi about the diversion of funds meant for 94 Centrally sponsored schemes by the previous YSRCP regime in the State. He said 74 of the total 94 schemes have been relaunched. Highlighting that ArcelorMittal has come forward to establish a steel plant in the State, the Chief Minister sought Central assistance for supply of raw material for the plant, besides clearance of permits as soon as possible. Elaborating on the programmes proposed for next month, including the stone-laying ceremony and inauguration of various projects, Naidu discussed about the visit of the Prime Minister to Andhra P4 Pradesh in January  . new appointments CM begins exercise Harish Kumar to choose new CS may be next DGP? S V i s w anat h @ Vijayawada Phan i n d r a Pa pa s an i @ Vijayawada With the tenure of Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad set to end on December 31, there is growing speculation in the Secretariat about who will succeed him. Appointed on June 7, 2024, Neerabh Kumar Prasad was initially set to retire on June 30. However, his tenure was extended by six months until December. Against this backdrop, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is believed to have started the process of selecting a suitable officer for the top post. Based on seniority Y Sri Lakshmi, , a 1988 batch IAS officer currently Neerabh Kumar awaiting posting, is at the top of the Prasad list. However, the Chief Minister may be reluctant to appoint her due to the corruption charges against her, as well as her close association with former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy . Next in line is G Anantha Ramu, a 1990 batch IAS of ficer cur rently serving as Special Chief Secretary (Environment, Forest, Science and Technology). Sources suggest he may also not be considered P4 for the post.  As Director General of Police (DGP) Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao is set to retire in January the State gov, ernment has initiated the process of selecting his successor. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, a 1989 batch IPS officer, was appointed Head of the Police Force (HoPF) on June 20, after the TDP-led NDA government took charge. He also served as the Commissioner for the Public Transport Department and Ex-Officio Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of APSRTC. If seniority is considered, there are 10 DG-rank officers eligible for Ch Dwaraka the post. Among them, Madireddy Tirumala Rao Pratap and Harish Kumar Gupta are the leading contenders for the coveted position. However, two officers are unlikely to be considered: former Intelligence Chief PSR Anjaneyulu, who was placed under suspension, and former DGP Kasireddy Rajendranath Reddy who was transferred by the Elec, tion Commission of India in May due to lapses in security during a public meeting of Prime Minister P4 Narendra Modi in Chilakapluripet.  Canadian colleges under ED scanner Modi swipe ‘Cong ignored Ambedkar’s contributions’ M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhopal AMID the Congress’ protests against Union home minister Amit Shah’s remarks on B R Ambedkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday sought to turn the tables on the grand old party accusing it of denying Baba Saheb credit for his contribution to the development of water resources in the country . “Baba Saheb was the first to understand the importance of river... He was a visionary... contributing to creation of dams,” Modi said while addressing a gathering in Khajuraho, after laying the foundation of the Ken Betwa river linking project. Without naming India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Modi said: “Out of intoxication of giving credit to just one individual the Congress never gave credit to Baba Saheb for his water conservation efforts and visionary thinking that led to creation of big dams.” Referring to the development projects carried out by the government of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who envisioned the national riverlinking initiative in 2002, Modi said Vajpayee was a teacher for many Modi also released a . commemorative postal stamp and coin to mark Vajpayee’s birth centenary . Noting that the Ken-Betwa project will open gateways of prosperity and development for the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Modi alleged Vajpayee’s efforts to address water related challenges were side-lined after 2004 by the Congress. PM Narendra Modi during foundation stone-laying ceremony of Ken-Betwa River Linking Project, in Khajuraho on Wednesday | pti It was Dr Ambedkar’s vision which guided the major river valley projects in the country and the Central Water Commission was established due to his efforts Prime Minister Narendra Modi Project poses threat to tiger reserve: Cong New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday said the KenBetwa river linking project poses a serious threat to the biodiversity-rich Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. In a social media post, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the project will submerge the core area of tiger reserve, destroy vulture habitats, and a large number of felling of trees THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the alleged role of some Canadian colleges as well as Indian entities in a money laundering case linked to the trafficking of Indians into the US through the Canada border, officials said. The ED took up the probe after a four-member Indian family hailing from Gujarat froze to death while trying to cross the Canada-US border in January 2022. The ED case is based on an FIR by Ahmedabad Police against main accused Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel and others, who allegedly arranged student visas for those willing to enter the US illegally . A senior ED official said the racket charged `55-60 lakh per person. As part of the probe, the ED conducted searches in Mumbai, Nagpur, Gandhinagar, and Vadodara. It found an entity based in Mumbai and another in Nagpur were offering admission for Indians in foreign universities on a commission basis. The ED said about 25,000 students are being referred by one entity and 10,000 students by the other to various colleges outside India every year.