Homebound in Oscar shortlist for best international feature The much acclaimed Bollywood drama by Neeraj Ghaywan is among 15 films shortlisted in the best international feature category at the Oscars. Homebound will compete alongside films like Argentina’s Bel’n, Brazil’s The Secret Agent and French drama It Was Just an Accident. The film stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor. belagavi l thursday l december 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION 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 BJP alleges minister KBG illegally acquired lake, cemetery in Kolar VB-G RAM G Bill today Lok Sabha clears nuclear bill amid Oppn walkout nuclear liability laws led to “silent phobia” in the industry, THE Lok Sabha on Wednesday prompting the government to cleared the Sustainable Har- bring a new comprehensive bill nessing and Advancement of to address concerns. Nuclear Energy for TransformCongress MP Manish Tewari ing India (SHANTI) Bill to open said by removing nuclear up the nuclear sector for pri- equipment suppliers’ liability, vate players. The bill was the government was putting passed by voice vote amid a citizens in harm’s way . walkout by the Opposition “The government will deal members, who raised the is- only with the operator; it is sues of public safety and upon the operator to deal liability in case of a nu- Insurance with the supplier,” said clear disaster. Dramatic FDI 100% Singh, Minister of State scenes are likely on in the PMO, who overThe Rajya Thursday as well, when sees the Department of Sabha on the contentious VB-G Wednesday Atomic Energy. He said RAM G Bill is expected passed a bill the operator’s liability to be taken up for pas- to raise FDI in has been rationalised sage in the House. insurance to through graded caps The SHANTI Bill was 100% from linked to reactor size. passed after a four-hour the current Meanwhile, a heated debate, setting the stage 74%. LS had midnight debate set the for opening up the tight- passed it on stage for the passage of ly controlled civil nuclethe Viksit Bharat GuarTuesday ar sector for private parantee for Rozgar and ticipation. Opposition MPs, Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill barring those from the Trina- on Thursday Moving the bill on . mool Congress, staged a walk- Wednesday Union Rural Devel, out during the bill’s passage opment Minister Shivraj Singh after the government refused to Chouhan said it will ensure allrefer it to a Joint Parliamenta- around development of villagry Committee or a Standing es and make them povertyCommittee. free. While replying to the discusCongress MP Kodikunnil sion on the SHANTI Bill, Union Suresh said the new bill will minister Jitendra Singh said break the back of states like the tough provisions of India’s Kerala. N a u s ha d B i j ap u r @Belagavi P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi 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 e x p r e ss r e a d Gruha Lakshmi claims a mistake, says Hebbalkar Belagavi: Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said her statement claiming Gruha Lakshmi scheme installments had been cleared up to August 2025 was a “mistake” | P4 India summons B’desh envoy, lodges protest New Delhi: India on Wednesday summoned the Bangladesh envoy and lodged its protest over plans by certain extremist elements to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka | P10 Political temperatures at the ongoing winter session of the legislature soared after Leader of Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy demanded the resignation of Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, alleging that he has illegally acquired ownership rights of a lake and a cemetery in Kolar district, both have reportedly been transferred into the minister’s name. Addressing a section of the media, Narayanaswamy posed a blunt question that set off a fresh political storm. “How does a cemetery become a minister’s private property? How was government land transferred into his own name,” he asked, accusing the minister of manipulating official records. According to the Opposition, the disputed properties include a 20.16-acre lake and a 1 acre cemetery in Narasapura village of Kolar district. Narayanaswamy alleged that both parcels were reclassified as ‘kharab’ land in revenue records, paving the way for their transfer. He demanded a comprehensive government inquiry, immediate restoration of the properties to the state and Krishna Byre Gowda’s resignation on moral grounds. Documents accessed by The New Indian Express show that Records of Rights (RoR) valid from 2024 list Survey Numbers 46 (20.16 acres) and 47 (one acre) in Narasapura village as belonging to Krishna Byre Gowda, son of late C Byre Gowda. In one document, the word ‘kere’ (lake) has reportedly been struck off, while the other parcel is marked as ‘kharab’ land in brackets. “Kharab land refers to government land unfit for cultivation. The value of this land runs into crores of rupees,” said Tamesh Gowda, BJP Karnataka state secretary and a former candidate from Byatarayanapura, alleging a serious loss to the public exchequer. Krishna Byre Gowda responded with a fierce counter, rejecting the allegations as politically motivated and baseCONTINUED ON: P4 less.  Munir in pickle as Don wants Pak troops in Gaza E x pre s s N e w s Ser v i c e @ New Delhi 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 soon 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 recon- struction and economic recovery in the Palestinian territory . 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 into its next phase. 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 Pakistan flights. 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.