DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES SINCE 1932 `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM DAYS BEFORE TRUMP INAUGURAL SUBMARINE, DESTROYER, FRIGATE BUILT IN INDIA COMMITTEE HAS SUBMITTED REPORT: MHA Phased deal: 6-week initial ceasefire, pullout of Israeli forces from Gaza Modi: Spirit of development, not expansionism, country’s intent Panel set up after US shared inputs on alleged role of ex-official Vikash Yadav Israel, Hamas reach deal on ceasefire, release of hostages ANDREW MILLS, NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI, CLAUDA TANIOS & NAYERA ABDALLAH CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY MUMBAI, JANUARY 15 Supporters of the Israeli hostages react to the ceasefire news during a protest in Tel Aviv. Reuters THE WORLD HOPE, RELIEF IN GAZA AND ISRAEL PAGE 12 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPLAINED PAGE 14 Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated three frontline vessels — INS Surat, INS Nilgiri and INS Vaghsheer — to the nation on their commissioning in Mumbai Wednesday. Amit Chakravarty A HIGH-POWERED committee set up by the Union government to examine inputs provided by the United States on an alleged plot to kill Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has submitted its report and recommended “legal action against an individual”, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Clean slate, due process THE MHA statement, days before US President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in, signals an attempt to approach the new US administration with a clean slate. It seeks to portray that ‘due process’ was followed, while distancing the government from the “individual”. PAGE8 Nuclear deal in mind, Fighting BJP, RSS and the 6 years, Rs 65 cr and many red flags US removes curbs on Indian State, says Rahul; later, Ahmedabad bridge hits a wall BARC and two others draws criticism from BJP BRENDAN DABHI SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, JANUARY 15 SC:GIVEDALLEWAL HEALTHREPORT P6 NEW DELHI, JANUARY 15 AS THREE frontline vessels were commissioned together into the IndianNavy,ahistoricfirstforthe country,PrimeMinisterNarendra Modi said Wednesday that India isgoingtoplayamajorroleingiving direction to “global security, economics and geopolitical A POLITICAL firestorm erupted Wednesday after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said his party was “fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself” since the ruling establishmenthadcaptured“everysingle institution”. Hisremarksdrewstrongcriticism from the BJP with its chief J P Nadda saying everything the NEW DELHI, JANUARY 15 AHMEDABAD, JANUARY 15 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE EXPRESS NETWORK MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE DOHA, DUBAI, JERUSALEM, JANUARY 15 NEGOTIATORS REACHED a phaseddealonWednesdaytoend the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after 15 months of conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and inflamed the Middle East. Theaccord,whichhasnotyet been formally announced, outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual 3 warships join Navy, PM says India key to global security Pannun plot: Govt panel for legal steps against ‘individual’ with ‘criminal links’ Claims every institution captured Congress leader does or says is “in the direction of breaking India” and “dividing” the society. The BJP alleged it was “not a secret” that Gandhi and “his ecosystem” have “close links CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DESPITE SEVERAL red flags, an overbridge built by the Railways andtheAhmedabadUrbanDevelopment Authority (AUDA) has run into a wall — quite literally. Built at a cost of more than Rs 65croreoversixyears,therailway overbridge (ROB) that links areas to the north and south of expandedAhmedabad,passesover the Gora Ghuma rail yard. While thenorth-endrampof thebridge CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 The south-end ramp of the railway overbridge. Bhupendra Rana JUST OVER a week after US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Washington wasfinalising steps to remove “longstanding regulations that have prevented civil nuclear cooperation between India's leading nuclear entities and US companies”, the US Bureau of Industry andSecurity(BIS)removedthree Indiannuclearentities—Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research(IGCAR)andtheIndian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) — from its ‘Entity List’. The US Entity List is a list of foreign individuals, businesses and organisations that are subject to export restrictions and licensingrequirementsforcertain goods and technologies. The list — compiled by the BIS of the US Department of Commerce — is ostensiblyusedtopreventunauthorised trade in items that could be diverted to terrorism, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes, or other activities that are perceived by theUSasgoingagainstitsforeign CONTINUED ON PAGE 2