Injured Djokovic exits after 1st set Melbourne: Novak Djokovic retired injured from his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev after first set (6-7) and left the court to boos, with defending champ Jannik Sinner to face German for the title. Topranked Sinner blew past Ben Shelton 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2 despite late cramps in the second semi to set up meeting on Sunday | P13 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l saturday l January 25, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l LATE city EDITION 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 Effects of explosion felt in nearby areas; 2nd blast in an ordnance factory in recent months 8 killed, 7 injured in blast at Maha ordnance factory M aya n k s i n g h @ New Delhi AT least eight persons were killed and seven others injured in a massive blast at the ordnance factory at Jawahar Nagar area of Bhandara district in Maharashtra on Friday The . explosion occurred around 10.30 am in the low temperature plastic explosive (LTP) section, causing the roof to collapse and trapping more than a dozen workers. R K Yadav, joint general mana g e r, O r d n a n c e F a c t o r y Bhandara, said 13 people have been rescued from the accident site and five among them have been shifted to a local hospital. The blast was of such high intensity that it was heard from as far as 5 kilometres away. A thick smoke was seen rising from the factory in a video captured from a distance. A rescue and relief team comprising fire brigade, local administration, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and medical teams reached the spot within minutes of the explosion, an official said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on X, “My condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.” Bhandara district Collector Sanjay Kolte said the blast led to a roof collapse at the site that trapped over a dozen workers. The district administration has ordered a probe. Four among the deceased workers were identified as Chandrashekhar Goswami (59), Manoj Meshram (55), Ajay Nagdeve (51), and Ankit Barai (21). Union minister Nitin Gadkari termed the explosion an unfortunate incident. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced `5 lakh each to the family of those killed in the blast. On October 22, 2024, two workers were killed and 15 others injured in a blast at the ordnance factory at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.  (With inputs from Mumbai) Deeply saddened to know about the blast at Ordnance Factory at Bhandara. All efforts are being made to provide aid to those affected — Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Tiger kills woman in Wayanad; catch-or-kill order for man-eater Mananthavady: A tribal woman was killed in a tiger attack at Pancharakolli, Mananthavady, on Friday, triggering protests by residents. The deceased is Radha, 47, a coffee plantation worker and wife of Achappan, a temporary watcher with the forest department. She is a relative of India cricketer Minnu Mani. The attack occurred around 8.30 am when Radha was on her way to the plantation where she works. Her severely mangled body was noticed by Thunderbolt commandos who were combing the area following a Maoist threat. Amid protests, Forest Minister A K Saseendran said an order has been issued to capture the animal alive or dead. P7 The pursuit of innovation is in all of us We are developing and manufacturing a diverse range of products in India that propel the aerospace industry forward and bring the country closer to becoming Aatmanirbhar in aerospace and defence. Learn more at boeing.co.in Munambam land issue Commission appointment ‘looks like an eyewash’: HC E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi Smoke billows from the Ordnance Factory in Bhandara on Friday | PTI 21-year-old among the deceased Nagpur: The blast was so powerful that residents of three villages in the vicinity felt its impact, said relatives of a 21-year-old apprentice, Ankit Barai, who died. He had joined the factory last year The Kerala High Court on Friday observed orally that the appointment of a  commission headed by Justice C N Ramachandran Nair to inquire into the Munambam land issue looks like an eyewash. “There is no proper application of mind in the order appointing the commission. Looks like an eyewash. What is the state government’s authority to appoint the inquiry commission? In a matter that has already been concluded by a civil court judgment, and affirmed by a High Court in the appeal, can a commission of inquiry come up and arrive at a different conclusion,” asked Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas. The court made the observation when a petition filed by the Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Ve- dhi, Ernakulam, seeking to quash the order appointing the commission, came up for hearing. The court adjourned the hearing to January 29. A civil court had earlier ruled that the land was Waqf property and the High Court later upheld it. “It is a settled proposition that once the title or right of a property is settled, no other court, including the High Court, can interfere with it,” the court said, adding that if the commission is going to consider the title of the property, then it is “intruding into the rights already settled”. The commission cannot say that despite the land being Waqf property the government , can pass an order cancelling the titles of the property If the . commissions arrive at a different conclusion, “it would open a Pandora’s box”, the court ● More on P4 stated.  Oppn MPs suspended from Waqf panel PR E E T HA N AIR @ New Delhi THE meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill witnessed unruly scenes on Friday after 10 opposition members were suspended for a day amid accusations against Chairman Jagdambika Pal of steamrolling through the proceedings. Later, the suspended MPs wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging Pal suspended them after he received a phone call during the meeting. The MPs said the JPC chairman does not have the power to suspend them and demanded that the proceedings be conducted in a fair manner. On his part, Pal alleged the Opposition MPs were trying to disrupt the meeting, adding that TMC member Kalyan Banerjee verbally abused him. The suspended MPs include TMC’s Banerjee, Congress’ Naseer Hussain and Md Jawed, DMK’s A Raja, and AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi. The ruckus began after some members questioned the change in the date of the meet. “After the January 21 meeting, we were told the next meeting would be on January 24-25,” said Raja, adding the Opposition sought it be held after January 30, but the chairman did not respond to their request. Trump begins deportation of undocumented immigrants E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ New Delhi THE new US administration under Donald Trump has started deporting undocumented immigrants, the White House said on Friday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the authorities “arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals” on Thursday adding that , “hundreds” were deported by military aircraft. “Just as he promised, President Trump is sending a strong message to the world: those who enter the United States illegally will face serious consequences,” the White House said. According to the Department of Homeland Security, over 11 million people are staying in the US illegally A few thousand . Indians are reportedly also among the undocumented. India on Friday reiterated its position that it will take back undocumented Indians, adding that New Delhi is against illegal immigration. “For Indians not just in the US, but anywhere in the world, if they are Indian nationals and they are overstaying, or they are in a country without proper documentation, we will take them back provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify that they are Indians,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. 20 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express