Bengaluru Stampede: CID withholds custody request of RCB, DNA executives
Bengaluru (PTI): The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday sought the custody of four accused arrested in the case related to the Bengaluru stampede, in which 11 people lost their lives outside the Chinnaswamy stadium, but later withheld its request awaiting verdict in a related case in Karnataka High Court.
The CID produced all the four accused -- Nikhil Sosale, Head of Marketing for RCB, along with Sunil Mathew (Director and Vice President), Kiran Kumar (Manager), and Shamanth SP (Ticketing Executive) of DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd -- before a magistrate court here.
The CID sought nine days of custody for detailed interrogation and further investigation.
However, the defense counsels objected to the plea for custody. Senior advocate Sandesh Chouta, appearing on behalf of Sosale, pointed out that a petition challenging the arrest was already being heard by the Karnataka High Court. "Why is there such urgency to seek custody immediately?" he questioned, urging the court not to hand the accused over to the CID until the HC delivered its verdict.
The magistrate echoed the concern, noting that the petition regarding the legality of the arrest was still under consideration. "What can really be achieved in just one day of custody? Why the rush?," the judge asked Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jagadeesh, who replied that the custody was crucial for the ongoing probe.
Following a brief recess and consultations with the Advocate General (AG), ASP Jagadeesh informed the court that the CID would withhold its request for custody until the HC proceedings concluded. The magistrate subsequently deferred the matter, and with no custody granted, the four accused were returned to Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.
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Canada, US to launch formal talks to review their free trade agreement in mid-January
Toronto (AP): Canada and the US will launch formal discussions to the review their free trade agreement in mid-January, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
The prime minister confirmed to provincial leaders that Dominic LeBlanc, the country's point person for US-Canada trade relations, “will meet with US counterparts in mid-January to launch formal discussions," Carney's office said in a statement late Thursday.
The United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA, is up for review in 2026. US President Donald Trump negotiated the deal in his first term and included a clause to possibly renegotiate the deal in 2026.
Carney met with the leaders of Canada's provinces on Thursday to give them an update on trade talks with the US.
Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and more than 75 per cent of Canada's exports go to the country's southern neighbour. But most exports to the US are currently exempted by USMCA.
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Trump cut off trade talks to reduce tariffs on certain sectors with Carney in October after the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the US. That followed a spring of acrimony, since abated, over Trump's insistence that Canada should become the 51st US state.
Carney said earlier Thursday that Canada and the US were close to an agreement at the time on sectoral tariff relief in multiple areas, including steel and aluminum. Tariffs are taking a toll on certain sectors of Canada's economy, particularly aluminum, steel, auto and lumber.
Carney also said trade irritants flagged this week by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are elements of a “much bigger discussion” about continental trade. Greer said a coming review of the Canada-US-Mexico trade deal will hinge on resolving US concerns about Canadian policies on dairy products, alcohol and digital services.
Carney and the provincial premiers agreed to meet in person in Ottawa early in the new year.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 US states. Nearly USD 3.6 billion Canadian (USD 2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.
About 60 per cent of US crude oil imports are from Canada, as are 85 per cent of US electricity imports.
Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the US and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.
Carney said US access to Canada's critical ministers is not a certainty.
“It's a potential opportunity for the United States, but it's not an assured opportunity for the United States. It's part of a bigger discussion in terms of our trading relationship, because we have other partners around the world, in Europe for example, who are very interested in participating,” Carney said earlier Thursday.
