THURSDAY 18 DECEMBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard PUTIN ‘TOUGHER ACTION IF TALKS FAIL’ HOMEBOUND IN OSCAR SHORTLIST FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that Moscow will seek to extend its gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject its demands 4th Indian Film to Compete in This Category PAGE 9 Acclaimed Bollywood drama by Neeraj Ghaywan is among 15 films shortlisted in the best international feature category at the Oscars A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00 Lok Sabha clears nuclear bill amid Oppn walkout THE Lok Sabha on Wednesday cleared the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill to open up the nuclear sector for private players. The bill was passed by voice vote amid a walkout by the Opposition members, who raised the issues of public safety and liability in case of a nuclear disaster. Dramatic scenes are likely on Thursday as well, when the contentious VB-G RAM G Bill is expected to be taken up for passage in the House. The SHANTI Bill was passed after a four-hour debate, setting the stage for opening up the tightly controlled civil nuclear sector for private participation. Opposition MPs, barring those from the Trinamool Congress, staged a walkout during the bill’s passage after the government refused to refer it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a Standing Committee. While replying to the discussion on the SHANTI Bill, Union minister Jitendra Singh said the tough provisions of India’s nuclear liability laws led to “silent phobia” in the industry prompting the govern, ment to bring a new comprehensive bill to address concerns. Congress MP Manish Tewari said by removing nuclear equipment suppliers’ liability the govern, ment was putting citizens in harm’s way . “The government will deal only with the operator; it is upon the operator to deal with the supplier,” said Singh, Minister of State in the PMO, who oversees the Department of Atomic Energy . He said the operator’s liability has been rationalised through graded caps linked to reactor size. Meanwhile, a heated midnight debate set the stage for the passage of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill on Thursday Moving the bill on Wednesday Union . , Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said it will ensure all-around development of villages and make them poverty-free. Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh said the new bill will break the back of states like Kerala. P7 Misstep, says Cong Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the bill is a “dangerous leap into privatised nuclear expansion” with no respect for public safety COMPLETE BAN ON DEMOLITION MOOTED S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi Security oversight Safety norms, security controls over fissile material, spent fuel and heavy water, and inspections will remain under govt oversight, govt said PAGES 12 SC tweaks Aug 12 order, allows only BS-IV and above vehicles VB-G RAM G BILL TODAY P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi  Homebound will compete alongside films like Argentina’s Bel’n, Brazil’s The Secret Agent and French drama It Was Just an Accident. The award for best international feature has so far eluded India. Only 3 films—Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan—have received nominations so far LUCKNOW AQI @ 400, 4th T20I FOGGED OUT India all-rounder Hardik Pandya wearing a mask during training for the fourth T20I versus South Africa at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday. The match was delayed for two hours due to “excessive fog” with the Air Quality Index at 400 + (hazardous). Eventually, the match was called off at 9.30 pm without a ball being bowled. Ticket holders will get full refund | PTI | P11 IN view of the worsening air quality in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court on Wednesday modified its August 12 order that had stayed coercive action against diesel vehicles older than 10 and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. The SC clarified that action can now be taken against vehicles having emission standards below BS-IV . It said the August 12 order is modified “to the extent that no coercive steps shall be taken against owners of vehicles which are BS-IV and newer on the ground that they are above 10 years old (in case of diesel engines) and 15 years old (in case of petrol engines).” In other words, vehicles meeting BSIV or higher norms won’t face action solely due to their age. The court accepted the Delhi government’s plea to modify the December 12 order. It ad- Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday chaired a meeting to enforce a complete ban on demolition work in the NCR during the peak pollution period — from October to December. P3 dressed traffic congestion at Delhi’s borders, which adds to pollution. It directed NHAI and MCD to explore relocating or temporarily shutting down the nine toll plazas at Delhi’s entry points to ease traffic. Calling the pollution crisis an “annual feature,” it stressed the need for practical and realistic solutions. The three-judge bench headed by CJI Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, passed the order after noting that air quality in has severely deteriorated. Munir in pickle as Don wants Pak troops in Gaza EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi Insurance FDI 100% The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill to raise FDI in insurance to 100% from the current 74%. LS had passed it on Tuesday PAKISTAN’S most powerful military chief in decades is facing a critical test of his newly consolidated authority as the US is pressing it to contribute troops to a proposed international stabilisation force in Gaza, a move analysts say could trigger strong domestic backlash, Reuters reported. Field Marshal Asim Munir is expected to travel to Washington in the coming weeks to meet US President Donald Trump, Reuters said. The meeting would be Munir’s third in six months and is likely to centre on Washington’s push for Pakistan’s participation in the Gaza force. The proposed deployment is a key pillar of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which calls for an international force to oversee a transition period focused on reconstruction and economic recovery in the Palestinian territory, devastated by more than two years of war. Under the first phase of the plan, a fragile ceasefire took effect on October 10, with Hamas releasing hostages and Israel freeing detained Palestinians. The US officials view the stabilisation force as central to moving the plan AIRSPACE BAN FOR INDIAN FLIGHTS EXTENDED Pakistan on Wednesday extended its airspace ban for Indian aircraft by another month till Jan 23. Islamabad closed its airspace in April after the Pahalgam terror attack. The previous extension was to expire on Dec 24. India too imposed a similar ban on Pak flights | P7 into its next phase. For Munir, analysts say, the decision carries significant political risks. Any deployment of troops to Gaza could provoke public uprising in a country where support for Palestinians is strong and overseas military commitments remain politically sensitive. “Not contributing could annoy Trump, which is no small matter for a Pakistani state that appears quite keen to remain in his good graces — in great part to secure US investment and security aid,” said Michael Kugelman, senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council. One of the gunmen in Sydney’s Bondi Beach massacre was charged with 59 offences, including murder, on Wednesday | P9 U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi OUT of `93.38 crore spent by the three major political parties—BJP, Congress, AAP—during the Delhi Assembly elections this February the Con, gress incurred the maximum expenditure of `40.13 crore. The BJP followed closely with `39.54 crore. The AAP spent the least, `12.12 crore, according to Association for DemoHOW MONEY cratic Research (ADR). Ironically, SPENT IN the Congress spent the maximum ELECTIONS Funds collected money and yet failed to open its account. The BJP and the AAP seby 9 parties: cured 48 and 22 seats, respectively . `170.682 cr The total funds collected by nine Expenditure: political parties for the elections `93.375 cr amounted to `170.68 crore. The total expenditure was `93.38 crore. Parties spent The parties spent the highest, `91.45 cr on `91.45 crore, on publicity followed , publicity by `19.27 crore on lump sum `19 cr lump amounts paid to candidates, `5.95 sum money for crore on expenses on virtual camcandidates paigns by party central headquar`5.949 cr ters, `3.12 crore on miscellaneous spent on virtual expenses, `44.24 lakh on publishcampaign ing criminal antecedents of candidates, and `4.57 lakh on travel. Ex`3.123 cr on miscellaneous penditure on publicity was 76.03% under various heads. expenses Media advertisements (`52.05 crore) cost the maximum, followed by publicity materials (`34.45 crore) and meetings (`4.96 crore). Publicity expenditure from central HQs was the highest, at `51.13 crore (55.91% of publicity spending), followed by `40.32 crore (44.09%) from state CONTINUED ON P4 units in Delhi. 260+ve WADA DOPE TEST RESULTS INDIA TOPS FOR 3rd YR IN A ROW NADA tested 7,113 samples, including 537 of that of blood, in 2024 and reported 260 adverse analytical findings (AAFs) at 3.6% PAGE 11 HC pulls up govt for failing to regulate sale, transfer of used vehicles BONDI 1 CHARGED WITH 59 OFFENCES Maximum money for zero seat: Cong story in Delhi polls On toll plazas, the court said, “The NHAI to examine the possibility of shifting the nine toll collection booths operated by MCD to locations that can be manned by the NHAI.” It added that part of the toll revenue could be shared with MCD to offset losses. The SC directed MCD to cooperate and consider temporarily suspending toll operations, with a decision to be taken within one week. The top court refused to interfere with the government’s decision to close schools from nursery to Class 5. Security personnel stand behind barricades to stop protesters marching towards the Indian Mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Wednesday | PTI India expects interim govt to ensure safety of missions — MEA VISA CENTRE SHUT Indian Visa Application Centre in Dhaka was closed on Wednesday due to security concerns B’DESH ENVOY SUMMONED AMID WORRY OVER MISSION’S SECURITY J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi INDIA on Wednesday summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah and lodged a strong protest over what it described as plans by extremist elements to create a security situation around the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. Hamidullah was called to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and served a formal demarche expressing India’s “serious concerns” over the deteriorating security EXPRESS READ Belgium top court turns down Choksi appeal against extradition to India The highest court of Belgium has rejected the appeal of fugitive Mehul Choksi against India’s extradition request, while endorsing a lower court’s view that there are no grounds for his claims of flagrant denial of justice or torture in India. Goa court remands Luthra brothers to police custody for five days A court in North Goa on Wednesday remanded Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, in police custody for five days. The brothers were produced in the court after undergoing health check-ups twice. environment in Bangladesh. It came after certain groups announced plans to stage protests near the Indian mission in Dhaka. In a statement, the MEA said India “completely rejects the false narrative sought to be created by extremist elements regarding certain recent events in Bangladesh”. Hamidullah was summoned by B Shyam, Joint Secretary in charge of the BangladeshMyanmar division at the MEA, and was specifically apprised of concerns over threats to Indian diplomatic premises. “His attention was drawn, in particular, to the activities of some extremist elements who have announced plans to create a security situation around the Indian Mission in Dhaka,” the MEA said. People familiar with the developments said one trigger for the summons was a controversial speech earlier this week by National Citizen Party leader Hasnat Abdullah, who claimed Bangladesh could shelter separatist forces from India and potentially sever its seven northeastern states. THE Delhi High Court on Wednesday castigated the city government for its failure to regulate the sale and transfer of used vehicles, while stressing that a second-hand car was used to trigger the Red Fort blast on November 10. A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked, “A car changes four hands, but the original owner has not changed. Therefore, what happens? That man (original owner) goes to the slaughterhouse? What is this? How are you permitting this? You will take a call when two, three more bomb blasts take place.” The HC asked the government to file a reply while posting the matter for further hear- ing in January 2026. The court was hearing a PIL filed by an organisation, highlighting the challenges in the implementation of Rules 55A to 55H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, introduced in 2022 to regulate authorised dealers of registered vehicles. The plea argued that while the rules were intended to bring accountability to the second-hand car market, they have failed in practice due to regulatory gaps. “A gap in the amended framework is the absence of any statutory mechanism for reporting dealer-todealer transfers. In reality most , used vehicles pass through multiple dealers before reaching the final buyer, but the rules recognise only the first transfer to initial Authorised Dealer, defeating the purpose of accountability it claimed. ,” Key accused in kabaddi player’s killing held in city H A R P R E E T BA J WA @ Chandigarh TWO days after a 30-year-old kabaddi player, Kanwar Digvijay Singh alias Rana Balachauria, was killed, the mastermind of the murder, Aishdeep Singh, was nabbed from Delhi’s IGIA. Meanwhile, another accused, Harpinder Middhi, was shot dead in a police encounter on Wednesday Two police person. nel also sustained injuries in the encounter, which took place in Lalru. A tussle between gang- sters over dominance in the organisation of kabaddi tournaments reportedly had led to the crime. Senior SSP of SAS Nagar, Harmandeep Hans, said that the police arrested Aishdeep Singh, a resident of Tar n Taran who was staying in Russia. He had come to India on November 25 on the directions of gangster-turnedterrorist Dony Bal to execute this murder. He was arrested from IGIA while attempting to escape to Muscat. Hans said that based on Aishdeep’s information about his accomplice, Harpinder Middhi, police parties conducted a raid at the Ambala-Lalru Highway near the Jharmal River in Lalru. Middhi was supposed to escape with Aishdeep. “Upon seeing the police party Middhi opened fire on them, , injuring two police personnel. He was critically injured in a return fire and succumbed to his injuries,” the SSP said. Another accused, Jugraj Singh, has been arrested. Balachauria was shot dead in Mohali on December 15 by the associates of gangsters Doni Bal and Lucky Patial. The police has identified the three alleged accused including two shooters who pumped bullets into him. They are Aditya Kapoor alias Makhan, and Karan Pathak of Amritsar as 13 and 2 FIRs registered against them.