In his first remarks after release from jail, activist Sonam Wangchuk said he is looking forward to a ‘meaningful dialogue’ with Centre on Ladakh KOCHI l wednesday l march 18, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l LATE city EDITION Release from detention A win-win, Centre open to talks: Wangchuk Wangchuk described govt’s move to release him as an “extending of hand to build trust and to facilitate meaningful, constructive dialogue” Wangchuk, who was arrested last year following violent protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and inclusion under Sixth Schedule of Constitution, said the protests were only to seek dialogue. He said any negotiation means both sides will have to make adjustments. “We were sure of a victory in court, but a win was not enough. I wanted a win-win,” he said 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 40% of young graduates can’t find work: Report PA D M I N I D H R U VA R A J @ Bengaluru NEARLY 40% of young graduates in India are unemployed, a figure that has remained largely unchanged for four decades, according to the State of Working India 2026 re por t by Azim Premji University . The report—which defines youth as those between 15 and 29 years—shows that unemployment among young graduates remains persistently high, with 40% of those between 1525 years and 20% of 25-29 years unable to find work. This is not a new trend. The report, which draws from nationally representative labour force surveys, administrative databases, and primary surveys, states that graduate unemployment has “remained more or less unchanged between 35% and 40%” from 1983 to 2023, even as the number of graduates has increased significantly over time. Even when work is found, stable employment is uncommon. Tracking young graduate men over a year, the report finds about half can find some form of work, but few secure permanent salaried employment. “ Among graduates, only 7% find permanent salaried employment within a year,” the report states. This gap between education and employment comes at a critical time as India’s demographic advantage is nearing its peak. De facto Iran leader ‘killed’ Tel Aviv claims it eliminated security chief Ali Larijani; US counterterrorism chief resigns over war A g en c ies @ Jersusalem/Tehran/Dubai ISRAEL said on Tuesday that it has killed Ali Larijani, Iran’s powerful national security chief and de facto leader overseeing the country’s decision making. Tel Aviv also claimed to have killed Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, in a strike in Tehran. Iran did not immediately confirm or reject Israel’s claims. Larijani, 68, was last seen in public on Friday at a Quds Day march in Tehran. “This morning we eliminated Ali Larijani, the boss of the Revolutionary Guards, which is the gang of gangsters that actually runs Iran,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. According to the IDF, Larijani led the political-security coordi- 1 Hormuz: Modi, UAE prez discuss safe navigation 2 22 other Indian-flagged vessels carrying 611 seafarers remain in the western Gulf IDF claims Larijani was de facto leader of after supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed Larijani led the political-security coordination of the regime, says Israel military 3 He was involved in directing the regime’s international activity after Khamenei’s death Iranian Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani nation of the Iranian day regime. His death, if confirmed, would be a blow to Iran, which is facing the brunt of a war launched by the US and Israel seeking a regime change in Tehran. Despite the perceived setback, Iran on Tuesday launched 18 a fresh wave of attacks in its neighbourhood, targeting Kuwait’s Ali al-Salem Air Base, UAE’s Fujairah, and Iraq’s Erbil. The US-Israeli war on Iran is now in its third week, killing 2,000 people in the region and setting off repercus- Second LPG tanker arrives from the Strait of Hormuz Oil tanker Jag Laadki with about 80,800 tonnes of Murban crude from UAE, set to arrive Modi, UAE President stress secure Strait of Hormuz sions across the globe due to disruption in supply of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, which is under Iran’s control. Meanwhile, Joe Kent, director of US’ National Counterterrorism Centre, resigned on Tuesday saying the Iran war is absolutely unnecessary . UDF enters the ring No surprises as Cong names Women, youth take centre 55 candidates in first list stage in IUML lineup K S S R E E J I T H @ T’Puram No major surprises. No decision on disputed constituencies like Pe r u m b avo o r, K a n n u r o r Konni. Running to catch up after a long delay Congress on Tuesday , brought out a list of 55 candidates — among them 19 sitting MLAs — for the assembly polls. By keeping alive speculation over whether sitting MPs will contest, Kannur and Konni seats have been kept vacant. MPs K Sudhakaran and Adoor Prakash have been lobbying for the two seats for long. No candidate was announced for politically volatile Nemom. Assembly elections Also, Perumbavoor has been kept vacant, due to indecision on fielding sitting MLA Eldhose Kunnappillil. No candidate has been named for Ambalapuzha constituency, where for mer CPM leader G Sudhakaran is contesting as an ● More on P6 independent.  L a ksh m i Athir a @Malappuram In a significant policy shift, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has, for the first time, fielded two women candidates in a Kerala assembly election, signalling a calibrated attempt to reshape its public image. Party national assistant secretary Jayanthi Rajan will contest from Koothuparamba and Youth League leader Fathima Thahili- ya from Perambra. Announcing 25 candidates, out of the total 27 seats allotted to the party, state p re s i d e n t Pa n a k k a d S ye d Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal confirmed that Koduvally MLA M K Muneer will not be in the fray this time. In a major reshuffle, Muslim League national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty will shift to Malappuram, while K M Shaji has been fielded in Vengara constituency as his replace● More on P6 ment.  Adoption verdict Apex court strikes down maternity leave criteria E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @New Delhi Observing that adoption is part of the right to reproductive autonomy, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a law which said a woman would be eligible for maternity leave only if she legally adopts a child below the age of three months, saying it is discriminatory . The court also urged the Centre to come up with a law recognising paternity leave as a social security benefit, noting that parenthood is not a solitary function, adding while the mother is central to a child’s development, it would be unjust to overlook the role of the father. Ruling that age-based classification under Section 60(4) of the Code on Social Security 2020 was violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, a bench comprising justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan held that an adoptive mother should be entitled to maternity leave of 12 weeks, irrespective of the age of the adopted child. 18 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express