Middle East

Jan. 31: ‘Axis of Resistance’ operations against Israeli occupation

admin 0

By Press TV Website Staff

Resistance groups in Palestine and across the region continue their operations against Israel and its Western backers amid the regime’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 27,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women.

The operations carried out by the Palestinian and regional resistance groups on Wednesday, January 30, are as follows:

Al-Qassam Brigades’ operations on Jan. 31:

  • Targeted three Israeli Merkava tanks with Yassin-105 shells in the axes of Khan Younis city, southern Gaza Strip.

  • Destroyed an Israeli Merkava-4 tank southwest of Gaza City, after it caught fire.

  • Targeted an Israeli military D9-bulldozer using Yassin-105 shells in Tal al-Hawa, southwest of Gaza City.

  • Shot dead an Israeli officer in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City.

Al-Quds Brigades’ operations on Jan. 31:

  • Bombed a contingent of Israeli soldiers and their vehicles with mortars, Badr-1 IRAM rockets, and 107mm rockets, in the axes east, south, and west of Khan Younis city.

  • Engaged in clashes with Israeli soldiers aboard vehicles using machine guns and anti-tank rockets in the Al-Arayshiya and Batin al-Sameen areas, west and southwest of Khan Younis city. 

  • Targeted a group of Israeli soldiers fortified in a building in the northwestern axis of central Gaza with a guided 107mm missile.

  • Engaged in clashes with Israeli soldiers aboard vehicles, using machine guns and anti-tank rockets, in the Sabra and Tal al-Hawa axis, southwest of Gaza.

  • Destroyed an Israeli Merkava tank with a “Thaqqeb” explosive device and engaged in fierce clashes with soldiers around it. 

  • Shelled Israeli soldiers and their vehicles in the vicinity of a neighborhood west of Khan Younis city, southern Gaza.

  • Shelled Israeli soldiers and their vehicles in the eastern axis of the Bureij Camp with mortars.

Mujahideen Brigades’ operations on Jan. 31:

  • Targeted the positions and deployment of Israeli soldiers, west of Gaza City, with heavy-caliber mortars, causing casualties.

  • Announced the bombing of occupied Beersheba with a barrage of rockets. 

  • Targeted the deployment and positions of Israeli soldiers west of Gaza City with heavy-caliber mortar shells.

  • Shelled the Israeli military command headquarters and the airstrip in Re’im with several rockets.

  • Engaged in clashes with Israeli regime forces in the axes of Sabra, Tal al-Hawa, and the western areas of Gaza City using appropriate weapons.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades’ operations on Jan. 31:

  • Shot dead an Israeli soldier in the western axis of Khan Younis city.

  • Shelled an Israeli military group of soldiers and vehicles with mortars and short-range Al-Aqsa rockets, west of Khan Younis city.

  • Shelled the Kissufim military site with a volley of rockets.

  • Engaged in clashes with Israeli forces using machine guns and RPGs on the axes southwest of Khan Younis.

Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades’ operations on Jan. 31:

  • Artillery units of the brigade targeted the Israeli military vehicles and soldiers with mortars in Khan Younis city, southern Gaza. 

  • Engaged in clashes with Israeli regime forces in the axes in Khan Younis city.

Martyr Omar Al-Qasim Forces’ operations on Jan. 31:

  • Pounded the invading Israeli military vehicles in the axis in Tal Al-Hawa, west of Gaza City, with several heavy mortars.

  • Shelled Israeli military vehicles while penetrating several areas in the Gaza Strip with heavy-caliber mortars.

Hezbollah’s operations on Jan. 31:

  • Targeted a gathering of Israeli regime soldiers in the Tayhat hill with rockets.

  • Targeted Israeli spy equipment at the Hanita site with appropriate weapons.

  • Targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of Metat with a barrage of rockets.

  • Targeted an Israeli Merkava tank at the Biyad Blida site with appropriate weapons.

  • Targeted a building that was housing Israeli soldiers in the Metula settlement with appropriate weapons.

Targeted the Jal al-Alam site with Falaq-1 rockets.

  • Targeted the Menara settlement with suitable weapons, resulting in damage to one of the buildings, in response to attacks on civilian buildings in southern Lebanese villages.

Yemeni military’s operations on Jan. 31:

  • Targeted the American “USS Gravely” destroyer in the Red Sea with anti-ship naval missiles.

  • Targeted the American commercial ship “KOI” in the Gulf of Aden with anti-ship naval missiles.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

Top News

Liverpool Sink Chelsea To Bolster Title Charge, Manchester City Cruise

admin 0




Premier League leaders Liverpool stepped up their title bid with a 4-1 rout of Chelsea, while Erling Haaland made his Manchester City comeback as the champions beat Burnley 3-1 on Wednesday. Jurgen Klopp’s shock revelation that he will step down as Liverpool boss at the end of the season has done nothing to stop the momentum of a team challenging for silverware in four competitions. The Reds crushed Norwich 5-2 in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday and were equally ruthless when Chelsea visited Anfield for the second game of Klopp’s long goodbye.

First-half goals from Diogo Jota and Conor Bradley put Liverpool in control.

Dominik Szoboszlai scored Liverpool’s third and, although Christopher Nkunku replied for overwhelmed Chelsea, Luis Diaz capped the hosts’ dominant display.

Liverpool sit five points clear of second-placed City, who have a game in hand as they try to spoil Klopp’s bid to bow out with the second Premier League title of his nine-year reign.

Unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions, Liverpool head to third-placed Arsenal on Sunday for another test of their title credentials.

“You have to play outstandingly well to keep Chelsea calm. But the way we started the game was really strong,” Klopp said.

“We put them under pressure. Counter pressing was top, putting them in areas where they didn’t want to be. It was a great night.”

Klopp’s men will meet Chelsea again in the League Cup final at Wembley on February 25, with the Reds also still competing in the FA Cup and Europa League.

Chelsea will have to improve significantly to win the rematch after a limp display that underlined why they are languishing in 10th place.

Haaland had been sidelined for nearly two months by a foot injury, but City barely missed the presence of the Norwegian as they won nine and drew one of the 10 games when he was absent.

Julian Alvarez again stepped up in Haaland’s absence as the Argentine struck twice on his 24th birthday to effectively end the game at the Etihad as a contest inside 22 minutes.

The Argentine headed in from Matheus Nunes’ cross and then finished off a clever free-kick from Kevin De Bruyne.

Stylish City

Rodri made it 3-0 inside the first minute of the second half, but Pep Guardiola made the expectant home crowd wait until 19 minutes from time for Haaland’s introduction.

Rather than a goalscoring return from last season’s Golden Boot winner, it was the Clarets who struck next to end a run of 22 consecutive City goals in league meetings between the sides.

Ameen Al Dakhil struck four minutes into stoppage time, but it was no more than a consolation for the Clarets, who remain second bottom and seven points adrift of safety.

“Today the game was not close. There are games with this score that feel closer, this was not,” Guardiola said.

“Kevin De Bruyne and Erling are going to help us this part of the season.”

In Wednesday’s other game, Tottenham climbed into the top four with a 3-2 win over Brentford.

Neal Maupay gave the Bees a deserved half-time lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But Ange Postecoglou’s side hit back with three goals in the first 11 minutes of the second period.

Destiny Udogie blasted home from close range to level before Brennan Johnson tapped in Timo Werner‘s low cross at the back post.

Tottenham appeared to have the points won when Richarlison turned in his ninth goal of the season.

However, an error from Udogie teed up Ivan Toney to score his second goal in as many games since returning from an eight-month gambling ban.

Spurs held on through seven minutes of added time to edge above Aston Villa on goals scored into fourth as the battle for a place in next season’s Champions League hots up.

“It’s a young, maturing team. Friday’s loss to Manchester City showed we have a long way to go and tonight was another test,” Postecoglou said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Topics mentioned in this article

Top News

Visa Sued In US Over "Vanilla" Gift Card Scam Known As "Card Draining"

admin 0

Visa Sued In US Over 'Vanilla' Gift Card Scam Known As 'Card Draining'

Visa was sued on Tuesday over a gift card scam. (Representative pic)

A group of consumers have filed a lawsuit against the Visa card company, claiming that the card payments network did not take adequate measures to prevent the theft of funds from prepaid “Vanilla” gift cards. According to Reuters, Ira Schuman, who is leading a proposed class action in the federal court of White Plains, New York, claimed that he bought 8 “Vanilla” gift cards worth $500 each as holiday gifts for employees in both 2022 and 2023. However, he was disappointed to find out later that the cards had been emptied, which led him to take legal action. 

In his complaint, Mr Schuman has alleged that Visa and two “Vanilla” card issuers were aware of their cards’ vulnerability to tampering but did not provide refunds when money was stolen. He also alleges that the defendants have violated a New York state law that prohibits deceptive and unfair consumer practices. 

According to the complaint, the non-reloadable debit cards are commonly available for purchase at popular retailers such as CVS, Target, Walgreens, and various grocers. The cards are typically packaged in thin cardboard sleeves, which unfortunately present an opportunity for theft. Thieves can open these sleeves, record the account information, and then reseal them without raising suspicion or being detected. They can then monitor www.vanillagift.com, to learn when money has been loaded, and make purchases using the stolen account information, the complaint said. The scam is known as “card draining,” it added. 

According to Reuters, Mr Schuman is now seeking both compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of individuals who purchased Visa-branded Vanilla cards in New York since January 30, 2021, and experienced the unfortunate depletion of their funds.

Meanwhile, in a similar case in November, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu sued Incomm, Pathward and two card issuers over the Vanilla cards. Visa, based in San Francisco, was not named as a defendant.

Also read | US Man, 33, Arrested After Allegedly Beheading Father And Showing His Head On YouTube

As per CNN, the lawsuit alleged InComm and its partners have “known for years that its nonreloadable Vanilla debit card’s lax security features (have led) to numerous card-draining incidents,” but have “not sufficiently improved the cards’ packaging or implemented other changes to prevent those losses.

The compaint accused InComm of poor customer service after the fact saying, “contrary to their legal obligations, defendants regularly fail to provide refunds for unauthorized transactions on Vanilla cards”. 

Top News

Sony, Zee Clashed Over Russia Assets, Cricket Deal Before Deal Collapse: Report

admin 0

Sony, Zee Clashed Over Russia Assets, Cricket Deal Before Deal Collapse: Report

Emails show there was a face-off between Sony and Zee about four Russian subsidiaries.

New Delhi:

Sony and Zee disagreed over more than 20 compliance issues, including the Indian firm’s failure to dispose of some Russian assets and its $1.4 billion Disney cricket rights deal, before their India merger was scrapped, according to internal emails reviewed by Reuters.

The communications between Sony’s legal and M&A executives in India and Los Angeles with top Zee executives provide undisclosed details on the high-stakes backroom tussle that preceded the Japanese firm’s Jan. 22 decision to pull the plug on the $10 billion merger.

Emails exchanged between Dec. 20 and Jan. 9 show executives from both companies accusing each other of not honouring the merger commitments. Zee executives repeatedly said that there was nothing out of line, and asked Sony to extend the closure deadline.

“A number of events, circumstances, state of facts, conditions have occurred, which have, or are reasonably likely to have a ‘material adverse effect’ on the business, operations,” Drew Shearer, a top Los Angeles-based Sony executive wrote in an email.

A week later, on Dec. 27, Zee’s top India counsel Shyamala Venkatachalam accused Sony of attempting to “depict a narrative which has no basis in facts”, saying Zee was dismayed by what it called was a “sudden volte face” from the company in bad faith.

Spokespersons for Zee and Sony declined to comment.

The Zee-Sony merger, in the works for two years, would have created an Indian TV juggernaut with more than 90 channels across sports, entertainment and news that would have competed with the likes of Walt Disney and billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance.

The collapse of the deal is a bigger setback for Zee, one of India’s best known TV networks that started in 1992 but has seen its business struggle over the years. Its shares have fallen 27% since the merger was called off.

Shriram Subramanian, founder of proxy advisory firm InGovern which advocates for investor rights, said mutual funds and other investors who own 96% of Zee remain clueless as to why the merger collapsed, as the company has not disclosed any details. “Investors deserve to know what went on behind scenes,” he said.

Emails show there was a face-off between Sony and Zee about four Russian subsidiaries that dealt in content creation and distribution, as the merger agreement had stipulated no dealings with entities based in countries under U.S. sanctions. Russia is under Western sanctions for the Ukraine war.

In a Jan. 5 email, Erik Moreno, executive vice president for corporate development and M&A at Sony Pictures Entertainment said Zee had not ended ties with the Russian entities even though it was “absolutely critical”, and the merged entity “would under no circumstances inherit the Russian entities”.

Zee’s counsel Venkatachalam responded by saying the divestment process had not been completed due to changing regulations in Russia and alternate structures were being explored, even though the business of those entities “was shut down in December 2022”, emails showed.

Disney Deal, Small Loan

Reuters on Monday reported Sony’s confidential termination notice which showed it accused Zee of also not meeting certain financial terms including required cash reserves. Zee denies those allegations.

The emails show another key sticking point was Zee’s 2022 decision to enter into a $1.4 billion deal with Disney to purchase certain TV cricket rights for India.

Sony said Zee had decided to furnish a bank guarantee and a deposit totaling $406 million for that deal. And Zee’s bid to take debt for the deal, which was “without prior written consent” of Sony, took the Indian firm’s total debt to more than $451 million – above the merger agreement threshold.

Moreno wrote said in the Jan. 5 email that Sony had several times “raised our concerns and reservations in relation to the (Disney) alliance agreement … including, in respect of the consideration agreed to be paid”.

In response, Zee legal executive said that Sony’s allegations were raised too late, and were “reprehensible and unfortunate”. The cricket deal violated no merger conditions as the two sides wanted to encourage Zee’s expansion into sports, it argued in the emails.

Reuters has reported that Zee has decided to terminate its cricket deal with Disney due to lack of funds.

Aside from the Disney deal, Sony accused Zee of several other merger agreement breaches, the emails show, including launching a new channel in South Africa during talks and granting a $3.3 million loan to an affiliate in India without specifying repayment term.

Zee said none of those things breached the deal terms. “We have borne great costs to ensure a successful merger between our companies,” Zee’s Venkatachalam wrote in an email.

Sports

Valencia defender Gabriel to make free transfer move to Atletico Madrid

admin 0

The former goalkeeper from Arsenal and Villarreal has signed a temporary contract until the season’s conclusion. He will be filling in for Caglar Soyuncu, who is on loan at Fenerbahce, during Jose Gimenez’s absence due to injury.

Published Date – 1 February 2024, 09:40 AM


Valencia defender Gabriel to make free transfer move to Atletico Madrid


Madrid: Atletico Madrid have signed Valencia’s Brazilian defender Gabriel Paulista, 33, on a free transfer.

The former Arsenal and Villarreal stopper has agreed an initial contract until the end of the season and will cover for Caglar Soyuncu, who has joined Fenerbahce on loan, while Jose Gimenez is injured.

The Brazilian will bring a lot of experience to an Atletico defense which has looked slightly vulnerable this season, and could make his debut against Real Madrid this weekend.

Curiously, Gabriel’s last appearance for Valencia was in their 2-0 defeat away to Atletico on Sunday night. He will be able to play for his new club in the UEFA Champions League, but is ineligible for their Copa del Rey semifinal against Athletic Bilbao as he has already represented Valencia in the same competition.

Other signings in Spain in the run up to the closure of the transfer window saw Rayo Vallecano seal a loan deal with Portuguese midfielder Miguel Crespo from Fenerbahce.

The loan is until the end of the current season, but includes an option to make the move permanent for around four million euros.

Celta Vigo are close to sealing a move for Argentinian left-back Tadeo Allende from Godoy Cruz.

In other cases, midfielder Arnau Puigmal has left bottom side Almeria to join second division Elche, while Brazilian winger Luiz Henrique is on the verge of leaving Real Betis to return to his homeland with Botafogo in what could be a record signing for the Brazilian league.

India

Mass marriage fraud unearthed in Uttar Pradesh

admin 0

A man who came to witness the community wedding, alleged that he was made to pose as a groom in exchange of Rs 2,000 to 3,000.

Updated On – 1 February 2024, 09:35 AM


Mass marriage fraud unearthed in Uttar Pradesh

Photo: IANS

Ballia: In a shocking revelation, an alleged scam has come to light in Ballia regarding the Uttar Pradesh government’s community wedding scheme, the police said.

A man who came to witness the community wedding, alleged that he was made to pose as a groom in exchange of Rs 2,000 to 3,000.

Bablu, a resident of Ballia, said that he went as a spectator at the community programme on January 25.

However, he alleged he was later told to pose as a groom in exchange of money.

He also said that the programme co-ordinators made other men to pose as grooms.

The scandal erupted when a video surfaced, exposing brides garlanding themselves.

Ballia District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said that the allocated funds for beneficiaries have not been disbursed as intended.

An immediate investigation has been launched and an FIR has been registered against nine individuals, including the Assistant Development Officer (ADO) of Social Welfare Department.

Top News

Video: Nirmala Sitharaman's Red Tablet Sleeve Ahead Of Interim Budget

admin 0

Video: Nirmala Sitharaman's Red Tablet Sleeve Ahead Of Interim Budget

Nirmala Sitharaman will present her sixth straight budget on Thursday

New Delhi:

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday posed with her digital tablet as she headed to Parliament to present the interim budget.

She also posed for a picture outside the Ministry of Finance in the national capital along with her team before presenting her sixth straight budget, equalling the record of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

Ms Sitharaman will present an interim budget as the Lok Sabha elections are due in April-May. The full budget will be presented by the newly-elected government, most likely in July.

Being an interim budget, major policy changes or big announcements may not be made, but expectations are still high. 

Salaried taxpayers are hoping for a change in income tax slabs, a higher standard deduction limit and a hike in exemptions under Sections 80C and 80D.

For Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the expectation is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government will bring in policies to ease regulatory procedures, reduce compliance burdens and provide greater access to loans.

Business

Nirmala Sitharaman arrives at Finance Ministry-Telangana Today

admin 0

The interim budget is set to be presented by the Union Finance Minister this year, coinciding with the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Published Date – 1 February 2024, 09:20 AM


Budget 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman arrives at Finance Ministry


New Delhi: Ahead of the presentation of the interim budget 2024-2025, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived at the Ministry of Finance on Thursday.

MoS finance Bhagwat Karad and Pankaj Chaudhary also accompanied her to the finance ministry.

The Union Finance Minister will table the interim budget as the Lok Sabha polls are due to be held this year. This will be her sixth Budget as the Finance Minister and last in the second term of the Modi government.

The interim budget will take care of the financial needs of the intervening period until a government is formed after the Lok Sabha polls. A full budget will be presented by the new government.

The Budget Session of Parliament commenced on Wednesday with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Sitharaman equaled the record of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who as finance minister, presented five annual budgets and one interim budget between 1959 and 1964.

In her address, the President said 2023 was a historic year for the country and among other steps, the country kept up the momentum of being the fastest-growing major economy.

“The year 2023 was a historic year for India when it grew the fastest among major economies despite the global crisis. India grew about 7.5 per cent for two consecutive quarters,” she said.

The last session before Lok Sabha polls, expected to be held in April-May this year, will have a total of eight sittings spread over 10 days.

A day before the session was set to start, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, at an all-party meeting, said the budget session would mainly be devoted to the financial business relating to the interim union budget for 2024-25 and discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address.

However, essential legislative and other business may also be taken up during this session. The all-party meeting was attended by 45 leaders from 30 political parties.

In addition, he also informed that Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2023-24 in respect of the Union Government will be discussed. The presentation and discussion on the Interim Budget of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for 2024-25 along with Supplementary Demands for Grants of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the financial year 2023-24 will also be taken up and voted.

The Indian economy is projected to grow close to 7 per cent in the financial year 2024-25 which starts this April, said the Ministry of Finance in a review report.

India’s economy grew 7.2 per cent in 2022-23 and 8.7 per cent in 2021-22. The Indian economy is expected to grow 7.3 per cent in the current financial year 2023-24, remaining the fastest-growing major economy.

The last full Budget of Modi government 2.0 had proposed to increase capital expenditure outlay by 33 per cent to Rs 10 lakh crore in 2023-24, which would be 3.3 percent of the GDP. It was almost three times the outlay in 2019-20.

Top News

Share Markets Open Slightly Higher Ahead Of Interim Budget

admin 0

Share Markets Open Slightly Higher Ahead Of Interim Budget

New Delhi:

Stock markets opened higher on Thursday, ahead of the interim Union budget leading up to national elections later this year. Sensex was trading at 71,765 points as of 9.15 am IST, suggesting the NSE Nifty 50 opened 20 points higher at 21,746.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to avoid spending big on new welfare programmes in the budget before the general election and instead focus on infrastructure, while narrowing the budget gap.

While major policy changes and announcements are unlikely, the expansion in the government’s capital expenditure and the extent of fiscal consolidation would be scrutinised closely, ICRA said in a note.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will announce the budget for the financial year 2024-25, which starts on April 1, at 11 am.

Shares of fintech firm Paytm tanked 20% after the Reserve Bank of India restricted Paytm Payments Bank from fresh deposits and credit transactions across its services due to supervisory concerns.

Top News

Amid ED’s heat on Hemant Soren, his successor Champai stakes claim to form new govt in Jharkhand

admin 0

Jharkhand Transport Minister Champai Soren said that he has the support of 47 legislators, enough to form a government in the 81 member Assembly state.

Published Date – 1 February 2024, 08:52 AM


Amid ED’s heat on Hemant Soren, his successor Champai stakes claim to form new govt in Jharkhand

Photo: ANI

Ranchi: Jharkhand Transport Minister Champai Soren, who was named as JMM legislative party leader, wrote a letter to Governor CP Radhakrishnan, staking a claim to form the new government in the state. Champai, the loyalist of Hemant Soren, who was arrested by Directorate of Enforcement officials in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the alleged land scam on Wednesday night, stated in the letter that he has the support of 47 legislators, enough to form a government in the 81 member Assembly state. Champai Soren, the state transport minister, is a seven-time MLA and he represents the Seraikella constituency in Jharkhand. Before joining the JMM, he was an independent MLA.

“I have been elected the leader of the legislature party in the meeting of the legislature party of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on January 31, 2024. Subsequently, today all the MLAs of the coalition parties have unanimously elected me as the leader of the joint legislature party. Therefore, it is a regard to Sir that after accepting my claim, I would like to take action to appoint me as Chief Minister for the formation of a new government soon,” the state minister wrote in the letter to the Governor.

This came after Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chairperson Hemant Soren got arrested by the ED in the land scam case on Wednesday night, sources confirmed. Earlier on Wednesday evening, Hemant Soren met Governor Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhawan and handed over his resignation after over six hours of questioning by the ED. As per sources, the ED had issued a fresh summons to Soren, asking him to be available for questioning on January 29 or 31, or else the agency itself would go to him for questioning. This is the tenth summons issued to the Jharkhand Chief Minister by the ED.

On Wednesday, a team of ED officials arrived at the residence of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren for questioning in the case. There was heavy police deployment around the Chief Minister’s residence in Ranchi. On Monday, officials from the ED visited Soren’s residence in Delhi to question him. The central agency seized two cars and Rs 36 lakh but did not find the JMM leader. Later, Soren, in a letter to the Enforcement Directorate, said he would record his statement before the agency officials at 1 pm on Wednesday, January 31, at his residence in Ranchi. The Jharkhand chief minister alleged that questioning him at this time was more political and was meant to disrupt the functioning of his government.

According to the ED, CM Soren was questioned as a part of the probe into the ‘huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia’. The probe pertains to huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by forging official records by showing ‘fake sellers’ and purchasers in the guise of forged or bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crores.