PRIYANKA PENS LETTER TO PEOPLE OF WAYANAD AHEAD OF BY-ELECTION PM TO INAUGURATE PROJECTS WORTH `5,000 CR IN GUJARAT 27 OCTOBER 2024 SELECTORS LEAVE OUT SHAMI, KULDEEP FROM SQUAD FOR BGT www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 4 PAGE 5 PAGE 12 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 PAGES 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Possibility of light rain in some areas. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 31˚C and 25˚C respectively. Santner rises from obscurity to fashion New Zealand’s triumph in second Test RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 98% Kiwis breach Fortress Israel strikes targets in Iran, India expresses India with series win concern, calls for restraint Min. 77% TEMPERATURE Max: 29.7˚C (-2.0) SUN RISES 05:38 hrs MOON RISES 00:19 hrs Min: 24.4˚C (+1.4) SUN SETS 17:03 hrs MOON SETS 13:42 hrs New Moon on 1 November THUMBNAILS TRIDIB BAPARNASH PUNE, 26 OCTOBER Newly recruited BSF constables take part in the passing out parade at Humhama in Budgam on Saturday. n ANI US sends back Indians staying illegally: The United States has deported to India a group of Indian nationals who did not have proper legal documentation and could not establish a basis to remain in that country. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that, through US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), it conducted a largeframe charter removal flight on 22 October to India of Indian nationals who failed to establish legal basis for continuing to stay in the USA. I t took New Zealand two weeks of brilliant cricket to achieve what they have been trying for the past 55 years, since their first Test win on Indian soil during the tour of 1969-70. In fact, that maiden win came 14 years after their first tour of the subcontinent in 1955, and post that the Kiwis managed to win just a solitary Test under John Wright’s captaincy during their tour in 1988 until Tom Latham’s men broke the jinx in Bengaluru last week and went on to better it on Saturday with a 113-run triumph in Pune to seal the threematch rubber 2-0 with one Test to go. “It is obviously a special feeling. Very proud to be up here. It is a team effort. This game was a clear example of everyone stepping up at the right times. Very special,” Latham said. For India, this was their first series loss at home after 12 years, ever since Alastair Cook’s side inflicted a 2-1 defeat in 2012, and one that broke a dominant run of 18 consecutive home series victories. Jaishankar credits team effort for breakthrough agreement with China STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 26 OCTOBER Days after India and China reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), leading to disengagement and a possible resolution of the military stand-off in eastern Ladakh which began in April-May 2020, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday gave credit for the breakthrough to the armed forces and India’s diplomatic efforts. “If we have reached where we have today, there are two reasons for it. The first is a very determined effort on our part to stand our ground and make our point and this would only happen because the military was there in very, very unimaginable conditions to defend the country. The military did its part and diplomacy did its part," Jaishankar said during an interaction with students from a university in Pune. Addressing the gathering at Flame University, Pune, the External Affairs Minister asserted that the most pressing issue with China is disengagement and the second one is de-escalation. "If I can roll that back a bit, since 2020, the situation at the border has been very disturbed, which has understandably had a very negative impact on the overall relationship with China. Since September 2020, we have been negotiating with the Chinese on how to find a solution. There are different aspects to the solution, but the most pressing issue is disengagement, as the troops are very close to each other, and the possibility of an incident is significant. So that is the first set of issues." "Then there is de-escalation. Then there is a larger issue of how you manage the border and how you negotiate the boundaries. Right now, whatever is happening in China is happening due to the first part which is disengagement,” he added. Mr Jaishankar emphasised that while progress has been made, normalising relations with China will take time, as rebuilding trust and a willingness to collaborate is a gradual process. Unlike in the past, such results impact a team's fortunes in the World Test Championships, and while India still manage to hold on to their lead in the WTC points table, the gap at the top is not a lot now. For the Black Caps, it was one of the rare occasions when a spinner bowled them to a Test win on his own. Mitchell Santner is predominantly a white-ball specialist, and with never more than three wickets in an innings or six in a match. In a matter of 48 hours, the left-arm spinner rose from a second-choice option to a match-winner after return- Take action on threat to airlines, govt tells social media platforms AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 26 OCTOBER Amid the unabated wave of hoax bomb threats targeting airlines via global Internet platforms, the Centre on Saturday directed social media intermediaries like Elon Musk-headed X and Meta to ensure due diligence and promptly remove misinformation that affects public order and security of the state. In an advisory, the IT Ministry said such hoax bomb threats are mostly misinformation that is massively disrupting the public order, the operations of airlines and security of airline travellers. Indian carriers have received more than 200 hoax bomb threats over a matter of days, forcing delays and emergency landings. India shows mirror to Pakistan at UNSC meet on condition of minority women AGENCIES UNITED NATIONS, 26 OCTOBER India rebuked Pakistan for raising the Kashmir issue during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) debate, condemning the move as "despicable" and a "mischievous provocation" rooted in Pakistan's "tried and tested tactic of spreading misinformation." It also showed the mirror to Pakistan on the despicable condition of minority women in the country. During the UNSC debate on "Women Building Peace in a Changing Environment," Parvathaneni Harish, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, delivered a strong Right of Reply against Pakistan. He criticised Pakistan's attempt to bring up Jammu and Kashmir at the forum, accusing it of "political propaganda" in an inappropriate setting. "It is despicable yet entirely predictable that one delegation has indulged in mischievous provocation based on their tried and tested tactic of spreading misinformation and disinformation. It's completely misplaced to indulge in such political propaganda at this important annual debate," Mr Harish remarked. The exchange followed Pakistan's remarks referring to J&K, which Mr Harish dismissed while shifting focus onto the conditions of minority women in Pak- istan. "We are well aware that the condition of women belonging to minority communities, notably Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians in that country, remains deplorable," he said. Citing data from Pakistan's Human Rights Commission, he continued: “An estimated thousand women from these minority communities are subject to abduction, forced religious conversions, and forced marriages every year. I could go on, but I end here," he said, underscoring Pakistan's lack of action. India also expressed gratitude to Switzerland for organising the debate, reaffirming its commitment to the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda. "As we approach the 25th anniversary of Council Resolution 1325, India reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda," Mr Harish noted. "We recognise that sustainable peace requires women's full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation at all levels of decisionmaking, including politics, governance, institutionbuilding, rule of law, the security sector, and economic recovery," Mr Harish said. Mr Harish highlighted India's historical role in supporting women in peacekeeping missions. Recalling the 2007 deployment of the first all-female formed police unit to Liberia, he stated that India has made "significant strides in implementing the WPS agenda." "As the fifth largest troop contributor, India deployed the first-ever all-female formed police unit to Liberia in 2007, setting a precedent in UN peacekeeping. Their work garnered tremendous appreciation within Liberia and in the UN," he said. ing with match figures of 13 for 157, the third-best by any visiting bowler in India. Santner bowled 29 overs on the trot for six wickets in India’s second essay to go with his unbroken spell of 19.3 overs in the first innings for 7 for 53 to help New ZealandbreachIndia’sfortress. His figures are now the thirdbestforaNewZealandbowler behind Richard Hadlee's 15/123 against Australia at the Gabba in 1985 and Ajaz Patel’s14/224attheWankhede Stadium three years ago. On a black soil Pune surface that was dry and spinning, Santner made full use of the conditions to trigger yet another Indian batting collapse that saw the home team losing five wickets in a span of 40 runs during their chase of 359. Santner’s role became even more crucial because India were on an almighty roll on the third morning of the Test after triggering a 5 for 24 collapse to pack the Kiwis off for 255 in their second essay, and then a sensational start to the chase by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 77 off 65 that took India to 96 for 1 at better than a run a ball. (See also: Page 12) STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 26 OCTOBER India on Saturday expressed deep concern over the developments in West Asia in the wake of Israel striking military targets in Iran and appealed to all parties to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. Israel carried out airstrikes on various targets in Iran early Saturday, following through on its vow to retaliate for a missile attack that took place on 1 October, heightening concerns of an all-out war in the region. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said: “We are deeply concerned by the evolving escalation in West Asia and its ramifications for peace and stability in the region and beyond. We reiterate our call to all concerned to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.” The statement said the ongoing hostilities are to nobody’s benefit, even as innocent hostages and civilian populations continue to suffer. “Our Missions in the region are in contact with the Indian community,” it added. On Saturday, Israel targeted multiple military sites in Iran, with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) saying that scores of its jets carried out three waves of strikes before dawn against missile factories and other sites. According to an Associated Press report, Iran claimed its air defences successfully countered the attack but two soldiers were killed and some locations suffered “limited damage”. Teheran’s foreign ministry said Iran was “entitled and obligated” to defend itself, but added that it "recognises its responsibilities towards regional peace and security", a more conciliatory statement than after previous bouts of escalation. Two regional officials briefed by Teheran told Reuters news agency that several high-level meetings were held in Teheran to determine the scope of Iran’s response. One official stated that the damage was “very minimal” and that “several Revolutionary Guard bases inside Tehran and near the capital were targeted as well". This latest round of strikes follows Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's commitment to retaliate after Iran launched around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on 1 October. Iran claimed its attack was in response to Israeli operations targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, a key Iran-backed group that the US designates as a terrorist organisation. (See also: Page 9)