TUESDAY 29 APRIL 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR CM SIDDARAMAIAH GETS TROLLED KHARGE TARGETS PM FOR SKIPPING ALL-PARTY MEET P6 SENSEX 80,218.37 p1,005.84 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Thunderstorm with light to moderate rain and gusty wind very likely to occur. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 90% Min. 51% P5 ` vs $ 85.02 Max: 33.8˚C (-1.8) Min: 27.9˚C (+1.7) SUN SETS 18:02 hrs MOON SETS 18:49 hrs Full Moon on 12 May THUMBNAILS Schoolchildren take part in an awareness campaign against child marriage ahead of 'Akshaya Tritiya' festival, in Bikaner on Monday. nANI Spain, Portugal hit by massive power outage: A major power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, including their capitals, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines. Authorities said the cause was not immediately known, though one Portuguese official said the problem appeared to be with the electricity distribution network in Spain. It was not immediately clear how many were affected. P10 GOLD `98,020 Omar’s soul-stirring speech on Pahalgam Omar said his govt would strengthen the people's crusade against terrorism STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE TEMPERATURE SUN RISES 05:06 hrs MOON RISES 05:09 hrs NIFTY 24,328.50 p289.15 RUSSIA DECLARES 3-DAY CEASEFIRE IN UKRAINE FOR WWII VICTORY DAY JAMMU, 28 APRIL C hief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that the Pahalgam terrorist attack has shaken the entire country, but he would not use this occasion to press for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Omar was speaking in the special session of the J&K Assembly here to condemn the targeted terrorist attack. The resolution of condemnation was moved by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary during the special session, which began with the members observing a two-minute silence to pay homage to those killed in the tragedy. Referring to some members of the House who demanded restoration of statehood to defeat terrorism, Omar said “The security in Jammu and Kashmir is not in the hands of the UT's elected government. But I will not use this occasion to seek statehood. How can I push for statehood now? I do not believe in cheap pol- itics”, Omar said, winding up the discussion on a resolution unanimously passed on the Pahalgam terror attack in the legislative assembly. “We have talked about statehood (with the Central government) in the past and we will continue to talk about it in future, but not right now”. “Curse be on me if I go to the Centre and push forstatehoodatthismoment,” he said. “From Arunachal to Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, the entire country has been affected by this attack. We have witnessed several attacks. We have seen attacks on the Amarnath Yatra camp, attacks in several villages of Doda. We have seen attacks on the villages of Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs. However, this attack in Baisaran on civilians has happened after 21 years. We were thinking that these attacks were now part of our past”. Omar said his government would strengthen the people's crusade against terrorism, which can be defeated only with the support of the public. He cautioned that the government should avoid any step that will alienate the peopleofKashmir.“Terrorism will finish only when people are with us. Given people's outrage against the terror, this is the beginning of its finishing if we take proper steps”. “We should not take any step that will alienate people”. Referring to the unprecedented and spontaneous protests across Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said Srinagar's Jamia Masjid for the first time observed a two-minute silence before Friday prayers. “We can understand its meaning. We will try to strengthen this change”, the Chief Minister said. “No Parliament or any state assembly can understand the pain of the loss of 26 people in the Pahalgam carnage more than the J&K Assembly”. He also warned social media handlers of spreading fake news in the wake of the terror attack. “I warn them todesistfromthisimmediately, as we will not tolerate the spread of falsehood”, Omar said. GA Mir (Congress) said that the spot where the attack happened was considered one of the safest tourist places in J&K. The attack was a major security lapse, and those responsible owe an explanation. KKR FIGHTING FOR PLAYOFF HOPES, DC EYE MOMENTUM P16 SILVER `1,00,500 CM Mamata arrives at Digha for temple inauguration STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE DIGHA, 28 APRIL Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who came to Digha this morning for the grand inauguration of the Lord Jagannath Dham on 30 April, said that the setting up of Jagannath temple would build a bridge between spirituality and tourism. Miss Banerjee, who after arriving here visited the temple and also listed out the programme scheduled for tomorrow, and the day after on 30 April. She said: "The maha yagna will continue tomorrow. On Wednesday, the installation of the idol of Lord Jagannath would be done first and the inauguration of the temple would be held 2.30-3 p.m." BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 65.65 India blocks 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for ‘provocative’ content STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 APRIL The central government has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives, and misinformation against India amid tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 people were gunned down and several others sustained injuries. The decision comes on the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), days after India announced several punitive measures, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, against Pakistan for its involvement in cross-border terrorism. The banned YouTube channels include those of leading Pakistani news outlets such as Dawn, ARY News, Geo News, Samaa TV, Bol News, Raftar, and Suno News. Additionally, YouTube channels of prominent journalists, including Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, and Umar Cheema, have been blocked. Uzair Cricket, The Pakistan Reference, Razi Naama, and Samaa Sports are other well-known YouTube Channels that are among those blocked by India for spreading false and provocative agendas. According to the Centre, the banned YouTube channels were involved in spreading provocative and communally charged content. They were also found to be disseminating false and misleading narratives against India following the Pahalgam terror attack. The channels had a total of 63 million subscribers. Meanwhile, the Centre has also written to BBC India head Jackie Marti, conveying its strong sentiments regarding the British broadcaster’s reporting on the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The government has flagged the BBC’s use of “militants” for the terrorists who killed Indian and foreign tourists. The government is also believed to have objected to the BBC referring to Jammu and Kashmir as “Indian-administered Kashmir”.