KANNUR l wednesday l fEBRUARY 04, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Paris prosecutors raid X offices over child abuse images, deepfakes The search at the offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform was part of a preliminary probe into a range of offences, including child porn Charges include denial of the Holocaust Musk summoned for ‘interview’ on Apr 20 The investigation was opened in January last year by the cybercrime unit. It is looking into alleged “complicity” in possession and spreading of pornographic images of minors, sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of the Holocaust—which is a crime in France—and manipulation of an automated data processing system as part of an organised group, among other charges ■ ■ In addition, the Paris prosecutors have sought “voluntary interviews” of Musk and Linda Yaccarino, former CEO of X, on April 20 The investigation was first opened following reports by a French lawmaker alleging that biased algorithms on X were likely to have distorted the functioning of an automated data processing system X Denied the charges and termed the investigation ‘politically motivated’ 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 Big deal Sensex soars 2,072 points, investors richer by `12 lakh cr No word from India yet on halting oil purchases: Russia The equity markets gave a thumbs up to the US tariff cut with the Sensex zooming 2,072 points and the broader Nifty closing above 25,700 on Tuesday. Stock investors’ wealth surged by I12.10 lakh crore following the sharp rally in equities in response to the positive news | P10 Russia has not heard any statement from India about stopping Russia oil purchases, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He added that Russia will continue to develop its relations with India. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Kremlin is closely monitoring the situation Jt statement soon, not opening up agri, dairy to US: Goyal PUSHPITA D E Y @ New Delhi INDIA’s sensitive sectors, including agriculture and dairy, will remain protected under the trade deal with the US, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday . “Interests of farmers have been safeguarded. There has been no compromise on sensitive sectors like dairy and agriculture,” Goyal said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently paid attention to the welfare of stakeholders in these sectors. Goyal’s clarification came after US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins claimed in a social media post that the new deal would allow exports of more American farm products to India’s massive market, thus lifting prices and pumping cash into rural America. A commerce ministry official said that no new items of agriculture will be allowed to be imported; the deal will include only some products that are currently allowed, such as dry fruits. On Monday Trump announced that , the US tariff on Indian goods would be cut from 25% to 18%. He said Washington would also remove the additional 25% tariff imposed on New Delhi as a penalty for buying Russian oil. Trump also said India has agreed to $500 billion worth of imports from the US. In a clarification, India’s commerce ministry said the $500 billion imports would be spread over five years, primarily driven by imports for India’s data centres and global capability centres. Thus, imports from US could touch $100 billion annually . Goyal said the deal will open up huge opportunities for India’s labour-intensive sectors. A joint statement is likely this week followed by a fact sheet. Quad gets lifeline, Trump may visit India this year J AYA N TH J ACOB @ New Delhi EVEN as the fine print of the India-US trade deal is awaited, key political and strategic doors appear to be opening from the revival of Quad momentum to the possibility of US President Donald Trump visiting India later this year. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are set to hold talks in Washington, DC on Tuesday at 3.30 pm EST (around 2 am IST on Wednesday), amid heightened anticipation over the India–US trade deal. At the heart of the announcement is Trump’s claim that India’s “reciprocal tariff ” rate would be reduced from 25% to 18% under the deal. White House sources have indicated that the additional 25% duty imposed on India in August for buying Russian oil would be eliminated. However, as of now, there is no executive order, legally required for tariff changes to take effect. New Delhi, for its part, has remained cautious. There has been no formal response to Trump’s assertion that India has stopped buying Russian oil, and officials are waiting for the Office of the US Trade Representative to share the detailed contours of the agreement. The proposed 18% headline tariff places India in a relatively favourable position compared to competitors Vietnam, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and China. “Purchase of oil is largely left to the companies and many of them are in the private sector. They will purchase oil which is most cost-competitive,” said ex-foreign secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla. Master of melodies Music director S P Venkatesh no more A man who mesmerised music enthusiasts with his soulful melodies, he leaves behind rich musical legacy that shaped Malayalam cinema for decades | P5 State greenlights `1.92 lakh cr Regional Rapid Transit System E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram Amid the uncertainty over the high-speed rail corridor and the absence of any such proposal for Kerala in the Union budget, the state government seems to be charting its own alternative plan. The government has issued an order granting inprinciple approval for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), a 583 km high-speed rail corridor stretching from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod. Estimated to cost `1,92,780 crore — three times that of the proposed P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi With the face-off between the government and the Opposition sharpened over blocking Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi from speaking in the Lok Sabha on the Sino-Indian border issue, seven Congress members and one CPI-M MP were suspended on Tuesday for ‘throwing papers’ at the Chair. The suspended members are Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Martial artist to be Manipur chief minister P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Guwahati Martial artist-turned-politician Yumnam Khemchand Singh, 62, of BJP is set to become the chief minister of Manipur. The swearing-in could take place on Wednesday . The state’s BJP MLAs, who met in New Delhi on Tuesday, elected Khemchand — a twotime MLA, former minister and former assembly speaker representing Singjamei in Imphal valley — as the BJP legislature party leader. Khemchand’s election signalled the withdrawal of President’s rule that was imposed on February 13 last year for six months and later, extended by another six months. It will expire on February 13. It remains to be seen if the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, including seven from BJP will participate in , the government. The Kuki-Zo community has stuck to its guns on Union Territory with separate legislature demand. Prayers, holy dip mark Mahamagha finale As sacred chants rose with the mor ning mist over the Bharathapuzha, Yathi pooja unfolded at Thirunavaya, drawing the Mahamagha Mahotsavam to a spiritually charged close. Over 18 days, more than 20 lakh devotees walked to the riverbank, turning the ancient town into a living hymn of faith, surrender, and collective prayer. The concluding day of the mahotsavam witnessed a rare spiritual confluence, as hundreds of Hindu monks from across the country gathered at Thirunavaya. From the ash-smeared Naga sadhus of Kashi to the monks of the Shankara Math, around 200 saffron-clad sanyasins were ceremonially welcomed with special Yathi pooja, offering devotees a moment of deep spiritual communion. The rituals on Tuesday began at dawn with Mahamandaleshwar Swa- Hindu monks and devotees led by festival sabhapati Mahamandaleshwar Swami Anandavanam Bharati taking a holy dip in Bharathapuzha on the final day of Mahamagha Mahotsavam on Tuesday | Vimith Shal mi Anandavanam Bharati welcoming the monks upon their arrival in the sacred town. By 9am, the Bharathapuzha became the centre of devotion as monks, devotees, and members of the Juna Akhara took the holy dip at a specially prepared ghat. The river bore silent witness as prayers Phase 1 from Tvm to Thrissur Project will be executed in four phases, eventually extending to Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod, with provisions for interstate expansion to Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, and Mangaluru. LS suspends eight ‘unruly’ Opposition MPs Thirunavaya Spiritual confluence L a k s h m i At h i r a @Malappuram SilverLine project — the RRTS is expected to be completed in 12 years, though the final figure will depend on the detailed project report (DPR). The government will now approach the Union government to secure mandatory clearances. The cabinet had already approved the RRTS project. According to the transport department’s order, the first phase (Travancore Line) will cover 284km between Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur, with construction targeted for the 2027-33 ● More on P4 period. merged with flowing waters. Following the river rituals, the monks were escorted to a specially arranged facility near the Navamukunda temple, where Yathi pooja and Bandhana pooja, on the lines of the Kumbh Mela traditions of Praya● More on P2 graj, were performed.  Tagore, Prashant Padole and Dean Kuriakose (all Congress) and S Ventakesan (CPI-M). There was a massive uproar after Rahul was stopped by the Chair from continuing with his reference to an article on former Army Chief Gen M M Naravane’s unpublished memoir in his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. He resumed his speech after authenticating the magazine article with the Chair. While he tried to address the points without directly quoting the article, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the chair, objected and called the names of the next speakers from the Opposition side. However, the Opposition members refused to speak. Amid the chaos, the House was then adjourned till 3 pm as Opposition members protested, raising slogans and throwing papers. Earlier, though Speaker Om Birla called a meeting of the Opposition and the treasury benchs to break the deadlock, it did not yield any result. Both sides remained firm on their stance regarding Rahul’s reference to the article quoting Gen Naravane. As soon as the House met at 3 pm, Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, named the eight ‘unruly’ members. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju then read out a resolution seeking their suspension for the remaining period of the Budget session. The resolution was passed by a voice vote.