kochi l tuesday l may 27, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Hamas agrees to U.S. proposal on Gaza ceasefire, release of hostages The proposal for a Gaza ceasefire was mooted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Reuters reported quoting a Palestinian official close to the group Israel rejects truce plan, say reports Under the new proposal, 10 living hostages will be released in two groups and a 70-day ceasefire will be observed. There was no immediate official comment from Israel, but local media reported that Israel has rejected the proposal outright. “The proposal received by Israel cannot be accepted by any responsible government,” Times of Israel reported quoting an official ■ 52 ‘Partial withdrawal of Israel from gaza’ ■ ■ “Hamas is setting impossible conditions and an inability to release the hostages,” the official was quoted as saying by Times of Israel According to reports, the formula proposed by the US includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip Israel’s position is that war will end only when Hamas is eradicated People were reportedly killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza Strip on Monday 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 Mumbai on its knees after Early monsoon onset S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai Pedestrians wade through an inundated road in Mumbai on Monday | pti 3 dead as rain pounds Kerala Mumbai’s Acharya Atre Chowk underground metro station inundated due to heavy rain on Monday | pti A rescue official helps residents of Kanjiramattom in Ernakulam cross a swollen river over a check dam | shiyami T’Puram: Three people died in rainrelated incidents in Kerala on Monday. In Alappuzha, an 18-year-old girl died when a roadside shop collapsed on her while a 62-year-old drowned in a water body. In Kollam, a 55-year-old man was killed after a rubber tree branch fell on him. The IMD has issued red alert for Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Kannur on Tuesday | P5 Waited for 15 days after Pahalgam to see if Pak acts on terror, says PM Close shave for Sourav Ganguly’s bro, sister-in-law Says India’s fight is with cross-border terrorism and its support structures, not Pakistani masses E XPR E S S N E W S S E R V IC E @ Bhubaneswar D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad FORMER BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s brother Snehashish and his wife Arpita had a narrow escape when their speedboat overturned, throwing the couple into the sea off Puri beach on Saturday evening. The couple was enjoying water sports when their boat was hit by a huge tide and overturned. The incident took place near the light house, over 20 metres inside the sea around 6 pm. Videos of the capsized speedboat that went viral showed lifeguards rushing to rescue the tourists using rubber tubes. Sources said the boat had a carrying capacity of 10 but the operators apparently allowed only 3-4 on board. It was also the last boat to go into the sea for the day . Arpita alleged the boat overturned as it had less passengers and the sea was rough. “I have decided to write to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the Puri SP requesting them to stop water sports as Puri has very rough sea,” she told PTI. “We are verifying whether the operator has licence, was working legally and by following due procedures or not. Further action will be taken accordingly,” said Puri SP Vinit Agrawal. , 16 pages, including 4 pages of kochi Express THE south-west monsoon announced its early arrival in Mumbai on Monday with a bang, throwing normal life out of gear by inundating low areas and disrupting suburban and metro train services. According to the weather department, this is the earliest onset of monsoon in Mumbai in the past 75 years. Officials said the metropolis on Monday experienced the heaviest rainfall in the month of May since 1918, with the Colaba observatory recording rainfall of 295 mm. Apart from Mumbai, heavy rains were reported in Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, and Nasik districts of Maharashtra on Monday . Early arrival of the monsoon also disrupted farmers’ harvesting activities. The weather department has predicted more rain in Mumbai over the next 24 hours, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed officials to remain on high alert. Municipal authorities, the fire brigade, police, and other emergency services are on standby, while five NDRF teams have been stationed across the city for any emergency response, the CM’s office said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday revealed he waited 15 days after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, hoping Pakistan will go after the assailants. “But it seems it (terrorism) is their bread and butter,” he remarked. Modi said India’s fight is with cross-border terrorism and those who fuel and fund it, and not with the Pakistani masses. He slammed Pakistan’s rulers for turning terrorism into a money spinner, contrasting India’s rise as the world’s fourth-largest economy with Pakistan’s downfall. Calling out the army’s terror links, Modi warned of dark days ahead for Pakistan if its youth don’t break free from this path. His remarks came Foreign secy to visit US from May 27-29 Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will visit the US from May 27 to 29 for meetings with senior officials of the Trump administration. It is a follow-up to the PM’s trip to the US in February last while launching development projects worth `53,400 crore, highlighting India’s growth amid regional threats. “India’s fight is against terror from across the border, not against the people of Pakistan,” he said while addressing a public rally at Bhuj. “I want to ask the people of Pakistan—what have you gained? Today, India is the world’s fourth-largest economy . Where are you? Who destroyed the future of your children? Who forced you to wander from place to place?” Modi asked. He accused the Pakistani establishment of exploiting terrorism for profit. “The masterminds of terrorism and the people of Pakistan must listen—your government and army are promoting terrorism. For them, terrorism has become a source of income,” the prime minister said. Calling on Pakistan’s citizens to reflect on their nation’s path, he stated, “You must now decide—does this path benefit you? Will the power games your leaders are playing help your children’s future?” Modi also issued a stern warning: “To rid Pakistan of terrorism, its people and youth must rise. Choose a life of peace and prosperity—or else face Modi’s bullet.” Family members of Col Sofiya Qureshi shower flower petals on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a Vadodara roadshow | PTI Nilambur bypoll External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefs a parliamentary panel in New Delhi on Monday | PTI Jaishankar clears the air, says Islamabad told 30 mins after op J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday firmly denied allegations that India had warned Pakistan ahead of Operation Sindoor, asserting that the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) informed Islamabad only after the air strikes on terrorist camps were completed. In a briefing to a parliamentary panel, Jaishankar clarified the timeline: Pakistan was notified about the strikes on terror camps in the early hours of May 7 — roughly 30 minutes after the operation concluded, he said. The remarks came in response to repeated allegations by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who accused Jaishankar of tipping off Pakistan prior to the strike. The government had earlier dismissed the claim as “misrepresentation of facts”. “The Foreign Secretary was briefed on the 1.30 am operation, which was followed by a Press Information Bureau statement. Thereafter, the DGMO told his counterpart in Pakistan about the operation,” Jaishankar said. Coast Guard confirms oil spill, swings into action M a n o j V i s w a n at h a n @Kochi The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Monday confirmed oil spill in the Arabian sea, around the area off Kerala’s coast where MSC Elsa 3, a Liberia-flagged container vessel carrying hazardous cargo and calcium carbide, sunk the day before. It has deployed three vessels and an aircraft for counter-pollution operations. The Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Vessels ICGS Saksham, ICGS Vikram and ICGS Samarth utilised infrared cameras to detect the oil spill area and sprayed OSD (Oil Spill Dispersant) to contain the spread. A Dornier aircraft is conducting aerial assessment and OSD dispersal in the 2x1 nautical miles area where the spill has been detected. The vessels are churning the waters using hoses and propeller to mix the dispersant. Cargo Meanwhile, ICG Ship Samudra PraManifest hari, a specialised pollution response sought vessel carrying significant quantities The Mercantile of OSD, has set sail from Mumbai and Marine Dept, is expected to reach Kochi on Tuesday . Kochi, has asked The Coast Guard said in a release: shipping firm “At approximately 0750 hrs on May MSC to present 25, MSC Elsa 3 sank around 15 nautithe cargo cal miles off the coast of Kerala, manifest, which southwest of Alappuzha. The marilists the contents time incident has raised environand details of mental concerns, including the pothe shipment. tential for oil spill impact and drifting of debris and cargo ashore along Kerala’s coastline. Within 2-3 hours of the vessel’s submergence, the ICG surveillance aircraft detected the presence of an oil slick at the site at 11 am, the oil slick was observed drifting in east-southeast direction at an estimated speed of 1.5-2 knots (around 3.7 kmph). By 2pm, the spill was assessed to have spread over an area of approximately 2x1 nautical miles” The ship had 84.44 tonnes of diesel and 367.1 tonnes of furnace oil when it sank, and this caused the oil ● More on P4 spill. A Dornier aircraft and Indian Coast Guard vessels engaged in containing the oil spill and its spread in the Arabian Sea on Monday Karuvannur scam UDF picks Aryadan SHoukath, Anvar fumes CPM took commission for illegal loans disbursed by bank: ED E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @T’Puram T o b y A n t o n y @Kochi Despite tremendous pressure from former MLA P V Anvar, the Congress on Monday announced Aryadan Shoukath as the UDF candidate for the June 19 Nilambur assembly bypoll. Anvar, whose resignation necessitated the by-election, had thrown his weight behind Malappuram DCC president V S Joy but the , KPCC decided to go with Shoukath. Soon after the Congress’ announcement, an irked Anvar termed the move a unilateral decision by the party and not a collective decision by the UDF. He alleged that Shoukath tried hard to become LDF candidate in Nilambur. He also said he would announce his P4 next course of action in a couple of days.  Investigating the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank money laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has stated that the CPM collected commissions from benami borrowers in exchange for facilitating illegal loans. The ED’s supplementary chargesheet, in which the CPM has been named the 68th accused, outlines how the party allegedly misused its influence to enable and profit from fraud- ulent loan disbursements. According to the chargesheet submitted before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court in Kochi on Monday the , CPM received illegal payments from benami borrowers at the Karuvannur Bank as “commission” for arranging unauthorised loans—funds which constitute proceeds of crime. “The account was also used by the party for collecting working funds, levies, and land valuation assessment fees from Karuvannur Bank directors CPM accounts in Karuvannur bank B32.09L B27.25L B16.01L Porathisserry North Local Committee Porathisserry South Local Committee Porathisserry Local Committee Building Fund B4,013 Porathade Branch and employees, as well as amounts ranging from `3,000 to `5,000 per borrower for sanctioning illegal loans,” said the chargesheet submitted by ED B87,474 Area Conference Souvenir Committee J76.27L Total investigating officer Nirmal Kumar Mosh. These funds were allegedly spent on local party expenses, election meetings, unaccounted purchases of land and buildings for party offices, and furniture, the chargesheet said. The ED has named several CPM leaders, including Alathur MP K Radhakrishnan, MLA A C Moideen, and former Thrissur district secretary M M Varghese, in its second chargesheet. The supplementary chargesheet has named 28 individuals, bringing the total number o f a cc u s e d t o 8 3 a c ro s s two chargesheets filed by the agency in connection with the ● More on P5 scam.