PIC: NASA hyderabad l wednesday l august 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION NASA invites India to be part of its Moon Base mission The ambitious Moon base mission is a programme to build humanity’s first lunar outpost near the Moon’s South Pole invite follows u.s.-india space group meet According to the US space agency, the project aims to unlock scientific discoveries, and prepare for future deep space exploration. India and US explored expanding space cooperation at a meeting of their Civil Space Joint Working Group held in Bengaluru last week. The two sides agreed to advance discussions for cooperation on open scientific data sharing ■ 9th step-by-step approach to Build base ■ The Moon base will be built in phases, says NASA. It will begin with robotic missions to test new tech, then build systems & infrastructure needed to establish humanity’s first long-term presence on the Moon The first phase will focus on gaining reliable access to the lunar surface and building a deeper understanding of the environment meet of india-u.s. space joint working group was held last week 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 SIR: 45L shifted from registered addresses S B a c h a n J ee t S i n g h @ Hyderabad Over 45 lakh electors in Telangana have per manently shifted from their registered addresses, forming the largest category among the 73.39 lakh voters whose forms were “uncollectable” during the SIR enumeration exercise. The draft electoral rolls, to be published on August 17, are set to exclude these names. According to data released after the completion of the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Telangana has 3,38,26,448 electors. Enumeration Forms for 2,64,87,214 electors, or 78.3%, have been received and digitised, while 73,39,234 forms, or 21.7%, have been classified as uncollectable. Of these, the largest category comprises 45,18,961 electors found to have permanently shifted from their registered addresses. Another 11,25,546 were categorised as absent or untraceable, indicating that Booth Level Officers could not establish their presence at the registered addresses. A further 6,70,203 electors were found to be enrolled in electoral rolls elsewhere in Telangana or other states, raising the possibility E x p r e s s Re a d 1-way traffic around KBR from Aug 18 Hyderabad: Police will introduce a one-way traffic system from August 18 in view of ongoing flyover and underpass works around KBR Park under the H-CITI project. The arrangement will remain in place for nearly two years | p3 Colombia quake: 181 dead, 3,000 missing Pereira: The search for survivors of the earthquake in Colombia continued on Monday, with at least 181 people killed and more than 3,000 missing as rescuers searched collapsed units in the worst-hit areas | p9 Students demand dialogue with Soren Ranchi: Students protesting irregularities in JPSC and other examinations said on Tuesday they would continue their agitation. Representatives said they would now hold talks only with CM Hemant Soren | p8 of duplicate enrolments. Another 9,22,230 electors were reported deceased, while 1,02,294 were placed in the ‘other’ category after failing to hand over their forms to BLOs. The high number of permanently shifted and absent or untraceable electors indicates substantial movement of the electorate, particularly in urban and rapidly expanding areas. The exercise has also highlighted migration and changes in residential addresses that may not have been reflected in electoral rolls. The categorisation assumes significance as the Election Commission of India moves to prepare the draft electoral roll for publication on August 17. Electors whose forms could not be collected or submitted are likely to face exclusion from the draft roll, subject to the prescribed claims and objections process. After the draft rolls are published on August 17, electors can file claims and objections until September 16. The disposal of claims and objections, including the prescribed notice period, will continue until October 15. The final electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on October 19. Phuket flight captain fails second dope test: Sources Tests positive for marijuana in the confirmatory screening test S L a l i t h a @ New Delhi IN a new twist to last week’s mid-air incident involving Air India’s Phuket-Delhi flight that experienced a sudden altitude loss, the captain of the flight has reportedly tested positive for marijuana in the confirmatory screening test. “The Pilot-in-Command has tested positive in the second dope test too with marijuana found in the samples taken from him,” a source told this newspaper on Tuesday . Another source, a pilot, too confirmed the development, adding that the captain, in his late 30s, could be terminated. The civil aviation ministry, which had earlier insisted that the result of the confirmatory test must be awaited before drawing any conclusions, on Tuesday issued a detailed statement on the probe into the incident. However, there was no mention of the dope test. Air India declined to comment on the drug screening. Earlier in the day Union civil , aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu said strong action would File pic CEO summoned Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Tuesday summoned the outgoing CEO of Air India, Campbell Wilson. In the meeting, also attended by top officials, the minister demanded an explanation be taken if the pilot was found to have indulged in any substance abuse. “If there needs to be any tweaking of the existing legislation, we will do that also,” he told reporters. According to the civil aviation ministry’s statement, flight AI 2379, an Airbus A320 aircraft with 145 people on board, suffered a mid-air altitude drop of 300 feet on August 4 resulting in injuries to 20 passengers and four cabin crew members. Under existing DGCA norms, if a pilot tests positive for drugs, the person is referred for a rehabilitation programme. He needs to go for treatment at a de-addiction centre and can return to duty only after producing a negative confirmatory test and a fitness certificate from the airline’s medical in-charge. This could take up to eight months. If the same person tests positive again, the licence is suspended for three years. If the violation happens for the third time, the licence is cancelled. Following the August 4 incident, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau asked airport authorities in Delhi to conduct two different tests. “After the arrival of the plane in Delhi, both pilots were subjected to a breathalyser test for alcohol content, which turned out to be negative. Then, blood and urine tests were done to trace psychotropic substances. This was positive for the Pilotin-Command,” a source said. Earlier, sources said the flight might have experienced multiple technical glitches including hydraulic failures. Battle lines drawn for possible Shah show in LS today PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi THE stalemate in Parliament continued on Tuesday over the Opposition’s demand for accountability from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the student protests, despite the government offering a discussion on “student and youth agitations” and a reply by Shah, including on the alleged police action. Amid speculation that Shah may make a statement in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday the Opposi, tion signalled that it was not ready to relent. At a meeting of INDIA bloc parties chaired by Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, leaders decided to continue their protests and maintained that Shah could not be allowed to make a unilateral statement in the House. The gover nment had placed the condition that it was willing to have Shah respond on the student protests, provided the Opposition did not disrupt his reply . Keralam bill passed The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the bill seeking to rename Kerala as Keralam without debate, as Opposition members continued their protests demanding Home Minister Amit Shah’s presence in the House Sources said the INDIA bloc would take a final call on its floor strategy at the meeting on Wednesday morning. There was broad agreement with Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s position that a general response from Shah would not be enough and that the Home Minister must specifically address the circumstances surrounding the alleged use of pellet guns against student protesters on July 20, said a senior leader. The Congress has also maintained that a discussion on the alleged theft of funds related to the Ram temple in Ayodhya is ‘non-negotiable’ and has demanded an apology from Prime Minister Modi. Special Assembly session likely on August 17 & 18 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Officials told to procure more Metro coaches Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday directed officials to expedite works on the Old City stretch of the Metro Rail project Phase-II. Noting the steady rise in ridership, he directed them to take measures to handle the growing passenger load, including procuring more coaches. He held a review meeting with senior Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited officials | p3 The Telangana Legislative Assembly is likely to hold a two-day special session on August 17 and 18 to pass a resolution seeking to reduce the minimum age for contesting Assembly and Lok Sabha elections from 25 to 21, besides clearing the Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026 (CURE Bill) for areas within the Outer Ring Road (ORR). The session is expected to be held ahead of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s foreign tour, scheduled to begin on August 19. Sources said the Assembly would take up the resolution during the special session and send it to the Centre for consideration and possible introduction of a Bill in Parliament. Revanth has been vocal about lowering the minimum age for contesting elections. Recently, while addressing a student agitation at Necklace Road, he said young people should enter the Assembly and Parliament and raise their voices on issues concerning their generation. The Assembly is also likely to clear the CURE Bill, which seeks to bring the entire area within the ORR under its proposed framework. The chief minister is scheduled to visit the US, UK and other countries from August 19. IPL star Porel arrested for blackmail and rape of woman s u b h en d u m a i t i @ Kolkata WEST Bengal and Delhi Capitals cricketer Abhishek Porel was arrested late Monday night by Hooghly police on allegations of rape and blackmail. He was produced before the Chinsurah court on Tuesday . A 24-year-old UG medical student from Karnataka lodged a complaint at Mogra police station in Hooghly on June 24, alleging a three-year relationship during which the pair travelled abroad together. Porel, a Chan- dannagar resident and wicketkeeper-batsman who performed well for Delhi Capitals this IPL season, allegedly had sexual relations with her on the pretext of marriage. The complainant said Porel later refused to marry her despite repeated requests, and blackmailed her using her obscene photographs. Police registered nine nonbailable cases under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act covering rape, assault, cheating and other offences. Porel has denied all charges, stating that the complaint was an “attempt to tarnish his image amid strong IPL performances.” After the season ended he returned home. The complainant moved the Calcutta High Court alleging police inaction. The court ordered his immediate arrest and seizure of digital devices, including his mobile phone. Hooghly (Rural) Superintendent of Police Kunar Bhushan Singh said a court order led to Porel’s arrest. In this videograb, West Bengal and Delhi Capitals cricketer Abhishek Porel is seen being taken away by police on Tuesday |X Trump slinked out Nine persons die in 2 separate road accidents near Zaheerabad on Tuesday. Seven workers were killed after their auto was rammed by a speeding tanker. In the other incident, two died after after a car veered off the road and hit a divider | P2 tallest in south india When Air Force One became decoy amid threat Trump Towers Hyd set for Oct launch a g en c i e s @ Washington PRESIDENT Donald Trump secretly flew out of last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on an unheralded military , aircraft while the White House made it appear that he was flying on Air Force One, according to a report published by The Washington Post. The Post said Monday the operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. The ruse was carried out as journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe they were on the same plane as the president as he began his journey back to Washington from the annual gathering of NATO A file photograph of the legacy Air Force One | AP country leaders. Trump had flown to the summit in a new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet. But ahead of departing Turkey, he said he would fly partway home on an oldermodel baby blue Air Force One plane instead. The president at the time said the new luxury jet was being flown out ahead of his departure from Ankara to give some US troops based in eastern England a chance to check out the new Air Force One. In Ankara, Trump boarded the old Air Force One in view of television cameras before it flew to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. However, according to the Post report, after boarding the legacy Air Force One, he was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane — an Air Force C-32A — via an airport catering truck. Trump flew to Mildenhall on that smaller jet. Security experts alleged the press pool aboard the legacy Air Force One was turned into “sitting ducks”. K h yat i S h a h @ Hyderabad While Hyderabad already has a Donald Trump Avenue, another project bearing the name of the US President is set to enter the city’s luxury housing market. Trump Towers Hyderabad, coming up on Golden Mile Road in Kokapet, is expected to generate a total sales value of `3,500 crore to `4,200 crore. The developers are positioning it as the largest Trump-branded residential project in India by area and the tallest residential development in southern India. Spread across 4 acres, the project will comprise two 65-storey towers with about 2.2 million sq ft of built-up area and more than 450 residences. De- A model of Trump Towers veloped by Tribeca Developers in collaboration with Ira Realty , the project is expected to be for- mally launched around October. A member of the Trump family is expected to visit India before the end of the year for the launch. Despite sales not having officially opened, the project has already drawn significant interest. “We haven’t officially launched sales, but we started getting a lot of interest. We are already at around `250 crore worth of sales in the last two weeks,” said Kalpesh Mehta, founder of Tribeca Developers, which currently has eight Trump projects in India. One penthouse has reportedly been sold for around `60 crore, while two others have gone for about `32 crore each.  continued on p5