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Kolkata, May 14 (IANS) Kolkata Police said on Wednesday that a cop attached to the Special Task Force (STF) has been arrested on charges of his involvement in a robbery where a hefty amount of a foreign exchange trading entity was looted in broad daylight and on the open roads in city earlier this month.

The arrested cop has been identified as Mintu Sarkar, who was attached to the STF of the city police. Sarkar, an original resident of South Dinajpur district in the northern sector of West Bengal, was arrested late Tuesday night by the sleuths of the Detective Department of the city police, which was carrying out an investigation in the matter, an insider from the city police said.Sarkar is the seventh arrest made in the case. Sources said that the investigation is on whether Sarkar was directly involved in the robbery or just acted as a go-between in the case.At around 12 noon on May 5, two employees of the foreign exchange trading entity office boarded a taxi from in front of the office of the entity at Entally in central Kolkata with cash worth around Rs 2,66 crore, which they were supposed to deposit at a bank branch.After travelling less than a kilometre, the driver of the taxi suddenly slowed down the speed of the vehicle, taking advantage of which two other persons forcibly boarded the vehicle.Therefore, as per their direction, the taxi was taken to a secluded place nearby, where the two employees of the foreign exchange trading entity were robbed of the cash they were carrying. The miscreants escaped from the scene in the same taxi.The two employees immediately complained to the local police station, and the sleuths of the Detective Department started investigating the matter and arrested six persons, one of whom was an employee of the same foreign exchange trading entity.In the face of interrogation, the accused also named the arrested cop as their seventh associate in the crime. On late Tuesday night, the sleuths of the Detective Department reached his residence and started interrogating him.As the replies from the accused were quite inconsistent, he was arrested.–IANSsrc/dan

Islamabad, May 14 (IANS) Alarmed by reports of illegal eviction of Christians and occupation of their land in Kot Addu district, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has issued an urgent appeal to the government of Pakistan and provincial government of Punjab, calling for an immediate action against culprits who are involved in the ongoing injustice and deliberate neglect of the minority community.

The HRCP has highlighted that there is an ongoing illegal eviction of Christian families from Kot Addu in Punjab’s Derekabad district initiated by locals and land mafias. Local Christians of the area say that land grabbers were attempting to deprive the Christian community of land to which the latter had a legitimate claim, terming this as a faith-based discrimination.”The mission has found an alarming rise in land grabbing by local land mafias and a consistent failure by the state to uphold court rulings that protect these vulnerable farmers. These include a 1983 directive from the Punjab Board of Revenue, which recognises the community’s right to the agricultural land they farm,” read a statement issued by the HRCP.“Farmers who spoke to the HRCP mission said they were still awaiting land allotment letters, following judgments in their favour. HRCP is concerned that in the absence of such documentation, these farmers will lose the little land they currently cultivate. This would leave them vulnerable to forced displacement and without a source of income, increasing their risk of falling deeper into poverty”, it added.People from the local Christian community say that they have been facing continuous threats from the land grabbers who have now forcibly evicted them.”Multiple orders from the Lahore High Court to DC Muzaffargarh and DC Kot Addu have gone ignored. Promises of the Board of Revenue Punjab and even the Governor remain unfulfilled. The land grabbers here keep threatening us,” said Father Maqsood, a Christian leader of Derekabad.”We demand legal land rights and immediate protection for the poor Christian farmers, who have been left vulnerable and voiceless. They have all the paperwork done but not the muscle to attain legal rights in a corrupt environment,” he added.HRCP has called on the Punjab government to probe the matter immediately and issue land allotment letters to the eligible farmers in Derekabad.”The government must also take decisive legal action against land mafias and individuals involved in unlawful evictions and provide urgent protection to the affected families to ensure that they can live and work without fear of reprisal. As Christians, this community is doubly vulnerable and deserves recognition, legal protection and restitution for decades of state neglect,” the HRCP urged.–IANSint/hamza/as

Islamabad, May 14 (IANS) Pakistan is scheduled to start virtual discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the country’s upcoming fiscal budget after the visit of the IMF mission was delayed due to security reasons amid the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan which have affected flight operations nationwide.

Sources said that the IMF virtual talks holds pivotal value as the country’s government will present Pakistan’s proposed budget details to the newly-elected IMF mission chief to Pakistan.”We still hope that the new mission chief would be able to travel to Islamabad over the weekend, which is subject to security situation. However, the adjustment to have the discussion virtually would not affect the work or the original programme schedule,” said one official.Details revealed that the first round of the virtual discussions will start on Wednesday and continue for at least three days.”Discussions are expected to be held virtually for the first leg. For the second leg of the talks, the IMF team is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Saturday and stay till May 23,” a source said.The IMF discussion on the fiscal budget are happening at a time when Pakistan received its second tranche of funding from the IMF under the Extended Funding Facility (EFF).Pakistan’s State Bank confirmed that it has received Special Drawing Rights (SDR) Rs 760 million ($1.023 billion) as part of the second tranche under the IMF EFF programme, adding that the latest disbursement will be recorded in the country’s foreign exchange reserves.The latest disbursement of IMF’s second tranche to Pakistan follows an approval from the IMF Executive Board on May 9. The IMF also cleared a $1.4 billion funding arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) to support Pakistan’s climate resilience initiatives during the meeting.IMF has appointed a new mission chief for Pakistan, Iva Petrova, who is expected to lead the discussions along with the outgoing IMF mission chief Nathan Porter who carried the reputation of being strict on policy issues and kept a hawk eye on Pakistan finance ministry’s media policy.“Pakistan will unveil the budget for fiscal year 2025-26 on June 2, making it the second budget presentation of the sitting finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. The factors of the budget have to be in line with the parameters set during the current meetings with the IMF,” said a government source, highlighting the critical importance of the IMF budget discussions.Experts say that the fiscal budget for the year 2025-26 is expected to be another tough one for the government and the people at large.“Pakistan is expected to formulate the budget on the assumption of having 1.6 per cent of the country’s GDP primary budget surplus. This would require the government to generate at least Rs two trillion over and above the non-interest expenses,” said economic expert Shahbaz Rana.”Tax target for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is proposed to be at least 11 per cent of the GDP. IMF will review if the Pakistan government is setting credible and realistic targets and measures to back its new tax targets,” he added.The defence budget is also expected to be increased, while the overall budget to be presented hovers around Rs 18 trillion.”The overall budget deficit target after incorporating large provincial cash surpluses is projected at 5.1 per cent of the GDP or Rs 6.7 trillion,” said Rana.On the other hand, the IMF has already set multiple pre-conditions, which Pakistan said it has fulfilled despite initial setbacks.”Pakistan has met the IMF targets for a primary budget surplus by the federal government, as well as net revenue collection and cash surplus targets by the four provinces. This is why the talks with the IMF on the upcoming fiscal budget may not be as tough,” Rana said.”However, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has miserably failed in multiple domains on its enforcement measures in areas including track and trace, compliance risk management and retailers scheme, and has failed in its tax collection drive”, Rana added.Pakistan is hopeful that its past performance and the recent release of the second tranche of IMF, would justify its compliance to the IMF conditions, paving the way to a successful discussion before the fiscal budget in June 2025.–IANSint/hamza/as

London, May 14 (IANS) The English Football Association (FA) have appointed Dan Ashworth as their chief football officer, becoming the first person to assume the role, and is being brought in to lead the high-performance strategy and new-look St. George’s Park.
Ashworth was previously the FA’s director of elite development and then technical director for a six-year tenure between 2013 and 2019. More recently he spent five months as Manchester United sporting director before his abrupt departure in September.After holding key positions at three Premier League clubs, he returns to a newly created role with the FA, with strategic oversight across England men’s and women’s teams.He will also oversee the regeneration of St. George’s Park, which will undergo a significant upgrade to its world-class performance facilities and pitches as England prepares to co-host UEFA Euro 2028.Reporting into FA CEO Mark Bullingham, Ashworth will work closely with men’s technical director John McDermott and Kay Cossington’s successor in the women’s technical directorate.He will focus primarily on optimising the potential of the national football centre and building the long-term systems that underpin the FA’s performance ambitions, from winning England teams to developing more homegrown coaches.”Dan is a hugely influential and respected figure in the game, who has a long-standing commitment to England Football. We are very happy to welcome him back in this new role,” said Bullingham.Ashworth’s removal as sporting director had come as a huge shock after Manchester United had put in a lot of effort to snatch him from the hands of Newcastle United.Ashworth was involved in an extravagant spending spree at Old Trafford during the summer that cost approximately 200 million Pounds (280 million USD) and brought in Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Joshua Zirkzee.–IANSaaa/bc

Mumbai, May 14 (IANS) Indian stock markets ended Wednesday’s session on a strong note, supported by gains in metal, real estate and technology shares.Among the key highlights was the continued strength in domestic defence stocks, which have been gaining momentum for three straight sessions. The sector remained resilient and showed consistent buying interest from investors.Despite some volatility during the day, investor sentiment remained positive, helping benchmark indices close in the green.At the closing bell, the Sensex was up by 182 points or 0.22 per cent, settling at 81,330.56.Similarly, the Nifty rose by 88 points, or 0.36 per cent, to end the day at 24,666.In Nifty, key option levels show 25,000 and 25,500 as major call resistances, while 24,000 and 24,500 serve as put supports, said experts.The put-call ratio (PCR) of 0.72 suggests a mildly bearish bias, according to Sundar Kewat from Ashika Institutional Equity.On the 30-share index, Tata Steel led the pack of gainers with a 3.88 per cent rise, followed by Eternal (2.18 per cent), Tech Mahindra (2.02 per cent), Maruti Suzuki India (1.66 per cent) and others.On the downside, the biggest loser was Asian Paints, which declined by 1.78 per cent to close the intra-day session at Rs 2,283.65.Other notable losers included Tata Motors, down by 1.26 per cent and Kotak Mahindra Bank which fell by 1.11 per cent.Broader markets outperformed the headline indices, with the Nifty Midcap 100 index climbing 1.13 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index advancing 1.36 per cent — reflecting healthy investor interest in mid- and small-cap stocks.Adding to the positive market mood was the latest data on India’s retail inflation, which eased to its slowest pace in over six years in April.The decline was largely driven by lower food prices and has strengthened expectations of a potential rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).Global cues also offered support, as softer-than-expected US consumer inflation data eased concerns over inflationary pressures and lifted hopes that the Federal Reserve may adopt a more accommodative stance going forward.With domestic and global factors aligning favourably, market experts believe that investor confidence is likely to stay strong in the near term.“The retreat in crude oil prices and the overall softening of the greenback acted as tailwinds, specifically supporting the local currency during intra-day’s trading,” Dilip Parmar of HDFC Securities said.–IANSpk/na

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) India’s measured and precise military strikes on terror dens inside Pakistan as well as Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), as part of ‘Operation Sindoor’ have received praise from John W Spencer, a globally-acclaimed urban warfare researcher, who described it as a “massive victory for India.”John Spencer is a researcher of urban warfare and serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute.Sharing his observations, takeaways and impact of ‘Operation Sindoor’, he said that unlike previous attacks, this time India didn’t wait, it didn’t appeal for international mediation or issue a diplomatic demarche, rather launched warplanes on the terror infrastructure that was responsible for the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam.He said that India achieved massive victory within just four days of calibrated military action and also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the measured and targeted response to Pakistan’s terror antics.“Operation Sindoor was not about occupation or regime change. It was a limited war executed for specific objectives. India was not fighting for vengeance. It was fighting for deterrence. And it worked,” he penned in an article on India-Pakistan military escalation.“The India of 2008 absorbed attacks and waited. This India hits back — immediately, precisely, and with clarity,” he said, reflecting on the common global perception about New Delhi.Dubbing ‘Operation Sindoor’ as a decisive victory in modern warfare, Spencer wrote on X, “After just four days of calibrated military action, it is objectively conclusive: India achieved a massive victory. ‘Operation Sindoor’ met and exceeded its strategic aims — destroying terrorist infrastructure, demonstrating military superiority, restoring deterrence, and unveiling a new national security doctrine. This was not symbolic force. It was decisive power, clearly applied.”Spencer further stated, “The ‘Operation Sindoor’ was not about occupation or regime change. It was a limited war executed for specific objectives. Critics who argue India should have gone further miss the point. Strategic success isn’t about the scale of destruction — it’s about achieving the desired political effect.”Explaining why ‘Operation Sindoor’ stands out in modern warfare, he said, “The use of force in ‘Operation Sindoor’ was overwhelming yet controlled — precise, decisive, and without hesitation. That kind of clarity is rare in modern war. ‘Operation Sindoor’ offers a model of limited war with clearly defined ends, matched ways and means, and a state that never relinquished the initiative.”–IANSmr/rad

Seoul, May 14 (IANS) The South Korean People Power Party (PPP) showed signs of distancing itself from ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday, as the conservative party struggles to catch up with Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung with less than three weeks to go before the presidential election.The June 3 presidential vote is being held to pick a successor to Yoon, who was ousted over his failed martial law bid, and the PPP has remained divided about Yoon’s ouster.Asked about Yoon’s possible expulsion from the party, PPP presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo told reporters, “I believe former President Yoon will make his own decision. It is right to respect his judgment.”The remarks by Kim contrasted with his comment Tuesday, when he said he was not considering expelling Yoon from the PPP, Yonhap news agency reported.Some PPP lawmakers also said a voluntary exit by Yoon from the party would help Kim woo centrist voters.”I hope Yoon remains silent at least while undergoing trials, and that he voluntarily leaves the party,” Yang Hyang-ja, a co-chair of the PPP’s election committee, told KBS radio, saying “compulsory measures” could follow if he does not.Han Dong-hoon, a former PPP leader who trailed Kim in the primary, reiterated his calls for the party to expel Yoon to overcome his martial law debacle.In response, Kim Yong-tae, the party’s interim leader nominee, said he will clarify the PPP’s stance on its relationship with Yoon once officially appointed on Thursday.Earlier in the day, South Korean Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung called on the PPP to immediately expel former President Yoon Suk Yeol from the party, criticising him as a “military coup leader.”Lee’s call came a day after the PPP’s candidate Kim Moon-soo said he was not considering expelling Yoon, who was ousted over his short-lived martial law imposition in December and now faces criminal charges of leading an insurrection.”The People Power Party must immediately expel military coup leader Yoon Suk Yeol now,” Lee said during a campaign rally in Busan, about 320 kilometres southeast of Seoul.–IANSint/jk/dan

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) BJP and Congress leaders have welcomed the return of Border Security Force (BSF) jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw, who was released by Pakistan Rangers on Wednesday after being held in captivity for nearly three weeks.

Shaw, who had inadvertently crossed the international border into Pakistan from Punjab’s Ferozepur district, was handed back to Indian authorities at the Attari-Wagah border at 10:30 a.m. The incident occurred on April 23, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.Reacting to the development, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh praised the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.“This shows the valour of the Indian Armed Forces and the powerful leadership of Prime Minister Modi. Just like Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, Purnam Shaw too is a symbol of our pride and resilience,” Chugh told IANS.BJP’s West Bengal president and Union Minister of State, Sukanta Majumdar, also expressed joy over Shaw’s return.“After 22 days, our BSF jawan Purnam Shaw has come back. From day one, we as a party stood by him and his family. I had personally spoken to his wife and assured her that we would bring him back. This is the new India under PM Modi — we don’t abandon our soldiers. I thank the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for their efforts,” he said.Congress leader Hussain Dalwai also welcomed Shaw’s return, calling it a “humanitarian act.”Earlier in the day, the BSF confirmed the return in an official statement: “Constable Purnam Kumar Shaw has been taken back from Pakistan by BSF at Attari-Wagah border today at 1030 hrs. Shaw had inadvertently crossed over to Pakistan territory, while on operational duty in the area of Ferozepur sector on 23rd April 2025 around 1150 hrs and was detained by Pak Rangers.”The handover was conducted in accordance with established border protocols. Officials added that standard procedures will be followed, including medical examinations to determine if Shaw was subjected to any torture or inhumane treatment during his detention.Shaw’s wife, Rajni, had earlier visited Ferozepur and met with senior BSF officials to appeal for help in securing his release. She was assured that all efforts were being made at the highest levels to bring her husband back.The development comes days after India and Pakistan agreed to an “understanding” to cease military operations on May 10, apparently after the latter escalated the situation on the border, in response to India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ which pummeled and pounced on many terror bases and their key infrastructure in Pakistan as well as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.–IANSjk/dan

Srinagar, May 14 (IANS) Authorities in J&K said that 11 flights will operate on Wednesday from Srinagar International Airport, primarily to facilitate the Hajj pilgrims.

Authorities said that of these, four SpiceJet (SG) flights, three IndiGo (6E) flights and three IndiGo (IX) flights will operate from Delhi to Srinagar and back while one IndiGo (IX) flight will operate from Srinagar to Jammu and back.“These flights will be carrying pilgrims from Srinagar (SXR) to Delhi (DEL) and then onwards to Medina for their Hajj pilgrimage,” officials said.Hajj flights started operating from Srinagar to Medina in Saudi Arabia from May 4, but after the closure of the Srinagar airport, these flights including all other commercial flights were suspended.This year, a total of 3,623 pilgrims are scheduled to perform the Hajj pilgrimage from J&K and Ladakh.Of these 3,132 are from J&K and 242 from Ladakh. Between May 4 and May 15, eleven flights were scheduled to depart from Srinagar International Airport, but these were interrupted on May 6 due to the military build up between India and Pakistan.The Hajj pilgrims first report at the Hajj House in the Bemina area of Srinagar city, from where they are taken in special buses to the airport.No relatives or friends are allowed to accompany the pilgrims from the Hajj House to the airport.The first flight of pilgrims was seen off on May 4 at the Srinagar airport by the L-G Manoj Sinha and the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.Hajj is the holiest Muslim pilgrimage that is mandatory for a Muslim who has the financial means to undertake the journey.After de-escalation between the two countries, a modicum of peace has returned to border areas in J&K, where over 200 houses have been destroyed by Pakistan artillery fire on civilian facilities.Maximum damage was caused by Pakistan mortar shelling in Poonch, Rajouri and Baramulla districts of J&K.Security forces have asked border residents to wait for some time before unexploded enemy shells are defused and the border areas are declared safe for civilian activities.–IANSsq/dan

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) A new study on Wednesday said that there is no significant difference in the effectiveness of how autistic and non-autistic people communicate, thus challenging the stereotype that autistic people struggle to connect with others.Social difficulties often faced by autistic people are more about differences in how autistic and non-autistic people communicate, rather than a lack of social ability in autistic individuals.Autism is a lifelong neurodivergence and disability, and influences how people experience and interact with the world.The study, led by experts from the University of Edinburgh and published in Nature Human Behaviour, tested how effectively information was passed between 311 autistic and non-autistic people.Participants were tested in groups where everyone was autistic, everyone was non-autistic, or a combination of both. The first person in the group heard a story from the researcher, then passed it along to the next person. Each person had to remember and repeat the story, and the last person in the chain recalled the story aloud.According to the study, the amount of information passed on at each point in the chain was scored to discern how effective participants were at sharing the story. Researchers found there were no differences between autistic, non-autistic, and mixed groups.Researchers found that non-autistic people preferred interacting with others like themselves, and autistic people preferred learning from fellow autistic individuals. This is likely down to the different ways that autistic and non-autistic people communicate, experts say.Dr Catherine Crompton, Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, said “Autism has often been associated with social impairments, both colloquially and in clinical criteria. Researchers have spent a lot of time trying to ‘fix’ autistic communication, but this study shows that despite autistic and non-autistic people communicating differently, it is just as successful”.With opportunities for autistic people often limited by misconceptions and misunderstandings, this new research could lead the way to bridging the communication gap and create more inclusive spaces for all, Crompton added.–IANSna/