express illustration visakhapatnam l thursday l august 27, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Meta reaches $17 billion deal with U.S. on teen social media addiction Meta will pay $17 billion to US to end a landmark trial on Wednesday over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states payout one of the biggest in history ‘caused mental health crisis in youths’ California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 29 states that sued the tech giant in 2023, but the deal cuts short the trial, which was expected to see CEO Mark Zuckerberg take the stand before a jury in federal court in California. The agreement is worth $353 million in Virginia alone and one of the biggest in consumer protection history ■ ■ The lawsuit accused Meta of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms and hiding them from the public The lawsuit argued that Meta violated federal laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent $201 bn was meta’s 2025 revenue, and the lawsuit is a small part of it 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 95 dead, at least 133 Indian tourists, 37 NRIs among 750 missing after flash floods hit Nepal’s Rasuwa, Dhading; India steps up relief op, Isha Foundation says 77 members untraceable Gyirong County Landslide site r J AYA N TH J AC O B @ New Delhi ive Tr i s hu li r nepal New border hotlines, meeting points ahead of Xi’s India visit Rasuwa District Kathmandu Map not to scale How the flood originated 1 An ice-rock avalanche originating in a high-altitude area likely triggered the devastating flash floods that hurtled down from Tibet across central Nepal districts on Wednesday, experts at ICIMOD said 2 Researchers said the large volume of ice and rock debris may have entered the Lende Khola, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi river 3 The event could have generated a sudden surge that carried water, sediment and large boulders downstream Four pilgrims from Adoni safe in Nepal Four pilgrims from Adoni in Kurnool district, who were stranded in flood-hit Nepal, are safe, according to their family members. A group of 156 pilgrims, including Bhaskar Shastri and his family of Adoni, went to Mansarovar pilgrimage on August 18. While 12 pilgrims stayed back due to health issues, the remaining 140 were caught in flash floods A screengrab of a massive mudslide caused by flash floods at Rasuwagadhi border point on the Nepal-Tibet border | X Killer Nepal water wall washes away hundreds in a flash e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi AT least 170 Indians are among 750 tourists and travellers whose whereabouts remain unconfirmed after devastating flash floods swept through Nepal near the Tibet border, killing at least 95 people and leaving a trail of destruction across several of its districts on Wednesday . The Nepal Tourism Board said its preliminary list includes 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepali nationals, with Indians constituting the largest identified group of foreign nationals. Another 37 non-resident Indians have also been listed separately as authorities , continue efforts to verify their whereabouts and safety. The flash floods struck the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on Wednesday sending , torrents of water, mud and de- bris through settlements near the China border. The floodwaters also affected parts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts. Visuals from the affected areas showed powerful walls of muddy water sweeping through villages, engulfing buildings and carrying away vehicles and debris. Rescue and search operations are continuing, with authorities warning that the casualty figures could rise as teams reach more affected areas. The large number of Indians caught up in the disaster has prompted an immediate response from New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Nepal counterpart Balendra Shah and offered condolences over the loss of life, while assuring India’s support. “People of India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal at this difficult time,” Modi said, adding that India was ready to provide “all possible humanitarian assistance.” The Indian Air Force has dispatched a C-130J aircraft carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and essential medicines, the MEA said. The floods have also affected pilgrims travelling through the region towards Tibet. Isha Foundation chief Sadhguru said 77 members of the organisation were caught in the flash floods and their whereabouts remained unknown. “A terrible and tragic flash flood has taken place at Gyirong in Tibet, one of our Kailash groups was caught in it,” Sadhguru said. The other missing tourists were from US, Malaysia, the UK, South Africa, Australia P9 and the Netherlands.  7 AP fishermen traced safe off West Bengal coast E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada In a major relief to anxious families and State authorities, seven fishermen from Ambedkar Konaseema district who went missing in the Bay of Bengal earlier this month have been traced safe off the West Bengal coast, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Kinjar- express read Contingency plan to mitigate drought Vijayawada: Facing a severe 51% rainfall deficit driven by El Niño, the Department of Agriculture has deployed a comprehensive fourpronged contingency strategy to safeguard the Kharif season. The State’s contingency plan relies on a four-tiered structural framework conditioned by water availability locally | P4 `2,448-crore NHM plan for AP approved Vijayawada: The Centre has approved a `2,447.98 crore plan for the National Health Mission (NHM) in Andhra Pradesh for FY 2026–27, Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav said. Under the funding model, the Centre will contribute `1,468.79 crore (60%), while the State will provide `979.19 crore (40%) | P3 apu Atchannaidu confirmed on Wednesday . Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep satisfaction over their safe rescue, and commended the rescue teams and administrative machinery for their relentless search efforts. The fishermen—identified as Ramakrishna from Komaragiripatnam, Tatarao from Kaki- nada, Satish Kumar from I Polavaram, along with Srinu, Kantha Rao, Yesudas, and Ramudu from Odalarevu—ventured into the sea from the Odalarevu Fish Landing Centre in Allavaram mandal on August 3. Concer ns mounted after their vessel failed to return on its scheduled date of August 12. Communication was completely severed on August 10 after their mobile phones and VHF communication sets stopped working due to a technical snag in the boat, causing it to drift off course in strong sea currents. Family members alerted the Fisheries Department on August 17. The Chief Minister conducted three high-level review meetings to monitor the rescue opP4 eration in real time.  Raj HC acting CJ needs to go, SC judge tells CJI SUCHITRA KA LYA N M O HA N T Y @ New Delhi CHIEF Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday said that the Collegium is examining Justice Sandeep Mehta’s allegations against Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma. The CJI’s statement came hours after reports said Justice Mehta has shot off three letters to the CJI this month, levelling serious alle gations against Justice Sharma, who is due to retire on September 26. In a press statement issued in the evening, the CJI said the contents of the letters cannot be adjudicated in the public domain and that Justice Sharma must be given a fair opportunity to place his response before any conclusion is reached. The fact that allegations have been made cannot by itself be treated as a finding against the judge, he added. The CJI emphasised that the SC cannot allow individual complaints concerning judges to be determined through competing claims in the media. Earlier in the day, reports said Justice Mehta wrote to the CJI on August 2, 10 and 17, seeking the immediate replacement of Justice Sharma with a chief justice from another HC. The letters alleged Justice Sharma, who has been serving as the acting chief justice for the past 10 months, manipulated case listings and misused his administrative powers. “There are innumerable instances of Justice Sharma, exercising powers as the Acting Chief Justice in a manner unbecoming of the leader of the institution,” Justice Mehta wrote in one of his letters. He said that during his visits to Rajasthan, numerous judges met him and expressed anguish over Justice Shar ma’s behaviour. AHEAD of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to India next month, New Delhi and Beijing have agreed on a fresh set of measures to strengthen communication along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), while keeping negotiations on the boundary question moving. The decisions were reached at the 25th round of talks between India and China’s Special Representatives, held on Tuesday in Beijing, with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval representing India and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi representing China. The talks produced an eightpoint outcome that combines political engagement on the Chinese President Xi Jinping boundary dispute with practical measures aimed at preventing incidents along the LAC from escalating. Among the most significant decisions was an agreement to establish two additional meeting points for General Level Mechanism/Senior Highest Military Commander meetings, an official release said. The two sides agreed to add two new channels for border HAL, France’s Safran seal deal on multi-role combat helicopters The signing marks the start of the engine’s developSTATE-RUN Hindustan Aer- ment and production phase, onautics Ltd (HAL) and with work to be shared France’s Safran Helicopter equally between the two parEngines on Wednesday ent companies. HAL is both inked a contract to a shareholder in jointly develop a SAFHAL and the 3,500 to 4,000 shaft customer for the enhorse power-class gine as the helicop‘Aravalli’ copter enter manufacturer. gine, which will However, the two power H A L’s helicopter proplanned 13-tonne Ingrammes are yet to Beyond dian Multi-Role Helreceive acceptance Mi-17s icopter (IMRH) and of necessity and apThe IMRH is its naval variant, the proval from the Cabintended to 12.5-tonne Deckinet Committee on eventually Based Multi-Role Security, with HAL replace the Helicopter. funding preparatory Indian The contract covwork from its own ers the engine’s de- military’s fleet resources. of over 240 sign, development, HAL chair man manufacture, supply Russian-origin and managing direcMi-17 and lifecycle suptor Ravi K said the helicopters. port. The ‘Aravalli’ contract marked a The first will be developed by “significant step forSAFHAL Helicopter prototype will ward” in India’s purEngines Pvt Ltd, a be out in 2028 suit of self-reliance 50:50 joint venture in aero-engine techbetween HAL and Safran nology. Safran Helicopter Helicopter Engines, the ro- Engines CEO Olivier Antorcraft engine arm of Sa- dries said the programme fran, with the production represented a new chapter planned at HAL’s facility in in the strategic relationship Tumakuru, Karnataka. between India and France. J a v a r i a R a n a @ New Delhi Trinamool rebels get notice from Lok Sabha secretariat The Lok Sabha secretariat has given 20 rebel TMC MPs, who merged with the Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India in June, seven days to reply to a petition seeking their disqualification on grounds of defection | P7 military hotlines in the Eastern and Middle Sectors, expanding direct military communication. The agreement comes as India and China continue efforts to consolidate peace and stability along the border following years of heightened tensions. Both sides agreed that situations on the ground would be addressed promptly through existing diplomatic and military channels, including the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination, local commander-level meetings and other agreed mechanisms. The two sides also discussed ways to improve their understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas, with the aim of reducing the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation. Six killed, 12 injured as bus rams truck near Kodad E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Suryapet Six passengers were killed on the spot after a private bus rammed a stationary container truck near Kodad in Suryapet district in the early hours of Wednesday . The truck was carrying around 50 tonnes of iron pillars protruding from its rear, which pierced through the bus front windscreen and into the passenger compartment on impact. Twelve others sustained severe injuries in the incident. The accident took place near Durgapuram stage on the outskirts of Dorakunta in Kodad mandal. The bus, carrying 42 passengers, was travelling from Hyderabad to Eluru when it crashed into the truck from behind at high speed. The deceased were identified as L Mery Jyoshna (39), N Bhavana (25) and Suravarapu Shakeena (24), all from Autonagar in Vijayawada; Yasarapu Chinni (31) of Tellaprolu in Eluru district; Chennakesavula Nagendra Babu (31) of Patamatalanka, Vijayawada; and Pidikiti Lakshmi (31) of Vijayawada. The drivers of both vehicles fled the scene after the crash. Kodad police rushed to the spot and launched rescue operaP4 tions.  Sanjeevani Project statewide rollout from Jan 1 S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday directed health officials to roll out the ambitious Sanjeevani Project across Andhra Pradesh starting January 1, 2027, aiming to transform healthcare delivery through artificial intelligence (AI) and universal digital health records. Reviewing the project at his camp office alongside Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav, Health Secretary G Veerapandian, and representatives from implementation partner Tata MD, the Chief Minister emphasised that introducing predictive, preventive, curative, and cost-effective medical services CM Chandrababu Naidu holds a review meeting on the Sanjeevani Project | Express will drastically reduce out-ofpocket medical expenses for families across the State. Naidu highlighted early success from pilot implementation of the project in Kuppam constituency and Chittoor district. According to clinical data presented by the Health Department, the pilot project yielded significant health outcomes in Chittoor, bringing 56% of monitored hypertension cases under control, and reducing dia- betes severity by 16%. Furthermore, the project drove a notable surge in primary healthcare utilisation, with a feedback survey revealing that 91% of participating citizens reported heightened health awareness following AIassisted screening, treatment, and follow-up care. To ensure seamless expansion across all 28 districts, health officials presented a detailed 90-day execution roadmap to Naidu. The structured rollout plan encompasses baseline field studies, establishing digital infrastructure, conducting training for medical staff, and seamlessly integrating data with both national and State healthcare portals.  P4