7 detained briefly for reciting Hanuman Chalisa during namaz at mosque on college premises
Varanasi (UP) (PTI): Seven people were detained briefly for reciting Hanuman Chalisa near a mosque on the premises of a college here when their fellow students were offering namaz there, police said on Wednesday.
However, student leader Vivekanand Singh of Uday Pratap College claimed Hanuman Chalisa was recited on Tuesday to protest against "outsiders" gathering at the mosque to offer prayers.
"We have no problem if the students here offer namaaz or worship in the mosque or temple on the college premises. But we do not accept that outsiders are gathering here in the name of offering namaz on the college premises," he said.
Additional Commissioner of Police, Varanasi Cantt area, Vidush Saxena said the students were adamant about reciting Hanuman Chalisa near the mosque in the college premises on Tuesday.
"The police pacified them and sent them back. The police also detained seven students who were released in the evening," he said.
The college's principal D K Singh said a notice was sent to the institute in 2018 claiming the mosque located on the campus was donated to the Waqf Board by the Nawab of Tonk and the land was a Waqf property.
Singh said the notice had come from Wasim Ahmed Khan, a resident of Varanasi.
In reply to the notice the college administration had said that the mosque was built illegally, while the property of the college belongs to the trust and it can neither be bought nor sold.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Varuna Zone, Chandrakant Meena said that in 2022 construction work in the mosque was stopped on the complaint of the college administration.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
