THRISSUR l wednesday l july 01, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Supreme Court rejects don bid to halt birthright citizenship order relies on the 14th amendment Trump signed an executive order in 2025 decreeing that children born to parents in the US illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become US citizens. Lower courts had blocked the order. Chief Justice John Roberts drew from the 14th amendment and wrote, “Children born in the US to parents unlawfully or temporarily present... are citizens at birth” In a blow to Donald Trump’s anti-immigration initiatives, the SC ruled 6-3 to maintain the right to citizenship for everyone born on US soil a nail in the coffin for anti-immigration ■ ■ During arguments in April, both conservative and liberal justices questioned the order’s legality in a momentous case that was magnified by Trump’s unprecedented attendance in the courtroom Birthright citizenship was the first immigration-related policy of Trump to reach the SC for a final ruling till the closure on Tuesday | P9 3rd loss for trump this term after tariff shocker and fed guv episode 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 Data-driven rollout of Gram-G scheme today It is a tech-led, resource-optimised model for rural development P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Heavyweights pay penalty On a day of high-drama, Paraguay & Morocco prevailed over the established European powers Netherlands and Germany. A look... Germany falter Tale of two keepers Four-time champions Germany had come into the World Cup with a whole host of problems. But they were still expected to beat a limited Paraguay side in the first KO round. However, their structural issues were front and centre as they lost on penalties to Paraguay after coming from behind to equalise. For Morocco & Paraguay, it was the tale of two keepers. Yassine Bounou worked miracles in 2022 and once again displayed his penalty saving acumen. But Paraguay’s Orlando Gill, who had only two caps till 2025, emerged on top against Manuel Neuer. Netherlands suffer: When Cody Gakpo scored, all was going well for Netherlands. But that’s when they became defensive and invited pressure. Morocco scored in injury time before Yassine Bounou’s heroics in shoot-out. Today's matches England vs DR Congo 9.30 PM, Belgium vs Senegal 1.30 AM*, USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina 5.30 AM* (*IST Thursday ) Live on United8 Sports Network/ZEE5 Kane & Co aim for peaceful passage England, still seeking their first World Cup triumph since 1966, face Africa’s DR Congo in their first knockout round on Wednesday. The likes of Harry Kane will be a key player for them. This will be Congo’s first ever knockout match. E20 still at experimental stage: Centre The Centre has rolled out the new framework for the rural job scheme VB-GRAM G, marking a decisive shift from the demand-driven approach of the UPA-era MGNREGA to a datadriven planning system powered by technology . Set to be implemented from Wednesday the new framework , seeks to transform how rural jobs are identified, prioritised and implemented for 125 days a year. At the centre of the new framework is the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan (VGPP), which will replace conventional village-level “wish list” planning with a technology-led, geospatially enabled, and resourceoptimised model of rural development. Gram panchayats will now use integrated digital platforms such as Yuktdhara, PM Gati Shakti, Bhuvan and IndiaWRIS to map existing public assets, identify infrastructure gaps, and design development works based on real-time geospatial data. The framework identifies five focus areas as water secu- Social inclusion A key feature of the new framework is its focus on social inclusion. Priority in asset creation and livelihood support will be given to SCs, STs, women-headed households, persons with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups rity rural infrastructure, liveli, hoods, disaster mitigation and climate resilience. A key departure from MGNREGA is the move from activity-based planning to outcomebased governance. Instead of tracking only the number of works completed, the new system will measure improvements in water security, livelihood generation, in- Swiss giant MSC to invest $1.4 bn in Vizhinjam port s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi VARSHA SOMARAJ & ARSHAD KHAN @ T’Puram/New Delhi THE Union government informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the 20% ethanol blending programme in petrol is still an “ongoing experiment” and the impact of the policy would be clearer by next year. The SC was hearing a plea filed by BPCL challenging an order of the Karnataka High Court which directed OMCs to revisit the distribution and enhancement of ethanol allocation for 2025–26. In a relief to OMCs, the Supreme Court ordered a status quo with regard to the HC order. A two-judge bench of justices MM Sundresh and Sheel Nagu issued notice to dedicated ethanol plants which had earlier procured a favourable order from the HC for enforcement of an agreement giving them rights to supply ethanol to OMCs. “Till the next date of hearing, status quo,” SC said. Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)—the world’s largest shipping transport firm—will invest $1.397 billion (about `13,220 crore) to acquire a 49% stake in Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Ltd (AVVPL), the concessionaire of the Vizhinjam port in Kerala, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) said on Tuesday . The deal will boost the port’s visibility on the global shipping map and bring in additional cargo volumes ahead of schedule, APSEZ said. The pact, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to capture a higher share of Bangladesh cargo, which currently relies on rival Southeast Asian hubs, it added. After the transaction, which values AVVPL at $2.85 billion, APSEZ will hold 51% in AVVPL and retain majority control. Deep-water port Commissioned in December 2024, Vizhinjam International Seaport is India’s first deep-draft transshipment port with 1.6 million TEU capacity 3rd MSCAPSEZ pact The Vizhinjam deal is the third port partnership between APSEZ and MSC, after similar ventures at Mundra and Ennore ports MSC’s investment, billed as the largest private foreign investment in an Indian port, will be made through its arm Terminal Investment Ltd (TiL). Ashwani Gupta, whole-time director and CEO of APSEZ, said: “Vizhinjam port has emerged as a premier transshipment hub and ramped up at an unprecedented pace, becoming the first Indian port to earn the unique distinction of crossing 2 million TEUs within 18 months of operations.” Suresh Babu, former MD of Vizhinjam International Seaport, said the deal shows Kerala’s ability to attract FDI through private participation. “This is a landmark investment... To reap its full benefits, the long-delayed road and rail connectivity to the port must be completed. Kerala should pursue this as a joint project with the Centre and expand its scope to include Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli, which would make it even more beneficial.” ser i o u s b u t t rea t a b l e Girl’s death puts spotlight on Kawasaki disease P o o j a N a i r @Kozhikode The death of a nine-year-old girl from Kadalur in Kozhikode while under treatment for symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease has once again drawn attention to a rare but serious childhood illness that doctors say is being reported more frequently across Kerala than ever before. Aisha Helna, a Class 4 student, was admitted to hospital last week with high fever. Sources said she later developed symptoms like an intensely red tongue, which is often associated with Kawasaki disease. As her condition worsened, she was shifted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (MCH), where she died on Saturday . Doctors said while diagnosis is being evaluated, Kawasaki disease can often resemble other childhood illnesses, making identification challenging. Although it has attracted attention only recently Kerala played a , significant role in its recognition in India. The state’s first documented What is it? A rare inflammatory disease that causes swelling of small, medium-sized blood vessels. It primarily affects children below five years of age. It is noninfectious. Fa s t fac t s Origin: Named after Japanese pediatrician Dr Tomisaku Kawasaki, who first spotted the condition in children in Tokyo in 1961. In 1967, he published the first medical report on the illness, which was originally called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. Stay alert Untreated cases can affect coronary arteries and lead to heart complications. Most children recover fully when diagnosed and treated promptly. Immediate medical attention should be ensured if child experiences persistent fever lasting more than five days, especially when accompanied by rash, red eyes or changes to tongue colour. Major symptoms Fever lasting more than 5 days Red eyes without discharge Skin rash Swollen hands and feet Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck Bright red “strawberry tongue” Cracked lips and changes to mouth case was reported in 1997 at Thiruvananthapuram MCH by the late Dr Noel Narayanan. However, many cases might have gone undetected at the time due to limited awareness. Three decades later, the situation has changed, and hospitals across Kerala now consider Kawasaki dis- ease when evaluating children with prolonged and unexplained fever. The greatest concern among doctors is the disease’s effect on coronary arteries. If treatment is delayed, some children can develop coronary artery aneurysms or other long-term cardi● More on P4 ac complications.  frastructure quality and climate resilience. Water security has been accorded top priority, with the Centre linking expenditure norms directly to groundwater stress levels. At least 65% of spending is proposed for overexploited and critical groundwater blocks, around 40% in semi-critical regions, and 30% in safe groundwater zones. Climate vulnerability assessments have also been integrated into gram panchayat planning. Villages will map exposure to droughts, floods, heatwaves, cyclones and other extreme weather events. From now, gram panchayat plans will be prepared through Gram Sabha consultations and approved by local-level resolutions. These plans will then be uploaded onto the Yuktdhara portal and consolidated at block, district, state and national levels. They will then be integrated into the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack (VBNRIS), a digital repository designed to align rural development works with broader national infrastructure priorities. EXPRESS READ Kerala records 34% rainfall deficit in June T’Puram: After June ended with a 34% rainfall deficit, the southwest monsoon is likely to intensify over Kerala till mid-July. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Kerala is likely to witness intermittent spells of moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds over the next week. The IMD attributes the subdued monsoon outlook to the gradual strengthening of El Nino conditions over the Pacific | P5 Ex-TDB prez arrest likely in Sabarimala case T’Puram: The SIT probing the Sabarimala gold scam will seek legal opinion on whether to register a separate case against former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) head P S Prasanth or implicate him in the already registered case related to theft of gold from dwarapalaka idols. Once a call is taken, he will be questioned by the SIT, which may also proceed with his arrest | P4