kottayam l monday l march 17, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Trump launches retaliatory strikes on Yemen’s Houthis US President Donald Trump launched a largescale military strike against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday, killing at least 31 people Biggest U.S. military operation since jan The strike was in response to the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping. The unfolding strikes—which one US official told Reuters might continue for weeks—represent the biggest US military operation in West Asia since Trump took office in January. The Houthis’ political bureau described the attacks as a “war crime” | P9 ■ 101 Favoured Houthi spots targeted ■ Residents in Sanaa said the strikes hit a building in a Houthi stronghold and “shook the neighbourhood like an earthquake”. Strikes also targeted Houthi military sites in Yemen’s southwest city of Taiz, and a power station in the town of Dahya, where Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the Houthi leader, often meets his visitors people injured in the strikes, mostly women and children 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 @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a podcast with Lex Fridman, in New Delhi | PTI Pak’s terrorist mindset hurting peace, says Modi Islamabad must mend ways; disputes with China being worked out; Trump 2.0 stronger Ex p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi EVERY noble attempt by India for peace with Pakistan was met with hostility and betrayal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an interview with American computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman, broadcast on Sunday. “We sincerely hope that wisdom prevails upon them and they choose the path of peace,” Modi said in his three-hour podcast. “Wherever ter ror strikes in the world, the trail somehow leads to Pakistan,” he said, citing the example of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the attack, took refuge in Pakistan, he pointed out. Calling out Pakistan’s ‘terrorist mindset’, he said: “Today it stands as an epi, centre of turmoil not just for India but for the world.” Modi recalled how he had specially invited the then Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in ceremony in 2014 with the hope that the two countries could turn a new leaf. “Yet, every no- ble attempt at fostering peace was met with hostility and betrayal,” he said. On India’s relations with China, he said differences are natural between two neighbouring countries. “But our focus is to ensure that these differences don’ t tur n into disputes,” he said, adding that India prefers dialogue to sort out differences. Acknowledging the border dispute with China, he said efforts are on to address them through dialogue and consultation. “Slowly but surely trust should , return,” he added. Cooperation between India and China is beneficial not just for the two countries but also for global stability and prosperity, Modi noted. “Since the 21st century is Asia’s century we want India , and China to compete in a healthy way Competition is not . a bad thing, but it shouldn’t turn into conflict,” he said. When asked about his views on US President Donald Trump, Modi said in the second term, Trump seems “far more prepared than before”, adding that he has a clear roadmap in his mind with well-defined steps. On the morning of March 14, US federal immigration agents arrived at the Columbia University apartment of Indian student Ranjani Srinivasan to detain her. She had recently found out from the US Consulate in Chennai that her student visa had been abruptly revoked by the US State Department. The 37-year-old Srinivasan, a Fulbright scholar pursuing a doctoral degree in urban planning, wasn’t home. The agents didn’t stop coming. The following night, they returned. By then Srinivasan knew what could be in store for her. “The atmosphere felt so vola- tile and dangerous,” Srinivasan told The New York Times in her first interview since fleeing. “I just made a quick decision.” She packed a few belongings, left her cat with a friend, and caught a flight to Canada from LaGuardia Airport. Her roommate was left to bear the brunt of the pressure, as immigration agents persisted in their search for Srinivasan. Hours later, Mahmoud Khalil, another Columbia student, was arrested from his apartment by authorities, sending shockwaves throughout the university . The US De par tment of Homeland Security (DHS) said Hafiz Saeed’s close aide shot dead in Pakistan H a r p r e e t b a j w a @ Chandigarh A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, wanted by Indian security agencies for several deadly terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, was eliminated by gunmen in Pakistan, officials said on Sunday . Zia-ur-Rehman alias Abu Qatal was gunned down in the Jhelum area of Punjab on Saturday evening. His security guard was also killed. Considered the lead handler of LeT founder and 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, 43-year-old Rehman led the LeT strategy in planning a string of attacks in Poonch-Rajouri of J&K. Rehman was the architect behind the Dhangri attack of 2023, in which seven people were killed; the Reasi bus attack on June 9, 2024, in which nine pilgrims were killed and over 50 were injured, and the Bhatta-Durian attack on April 20, 2023, in which five Army personnel were killed. Mangled remains of the vehicle attacked in Balochistan | X To the Power of ‘H’ BPCL, CIAL at the wheel of Kerala’s first hydrogen-fuelled bus K r i s hn a K u m a r K E @Kochi In a major step towards promoting sustainable transportation solutions, the first hydrogen-fuelled bus will soon be rolled out in the state, thanks to the collaborative initiative of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL), the world’s first fully solar powered airport. A prototype of the bus, which uses green hydrogen—the ‘future fuel’— was displayed at the Global Hydrogen & Renewable Energy Summit held in Kochi on March 12 and 13. The state’s first green hydrogen plant and fuelling station is already under construction near the airport in Nedumbassery . “CIAL plans to deploy the bus as soon as the plant is commissioned. Currently 70% of the work is over. A , few more pieces of equipment need to be installed. We expect the facility to be ready in a month or two,” a BPCL official told TNIE. The bus, which uses hydrogen fuel cells developed by Pune-based firm KPIT Ltd, will be either deployed within the airport or used for providing short-distance airport connectivity Authorities will soon initiate the . registration process. The green hydrogen plant is being set up at an estimated `25 crore. Its initial output will be used to power vehicles within the airport, starting with the hydrogen bus. Under the agreement, BPCL will oversee establishment of the integrated plant and fuelling stations, providing technology and managing the operation. This collaborative effort will result in the world’s first green hydrogen plant and fuelling station located close to an air port setting. Green hydrogen, produced from water using renewable energ y sources, is recognised as a future fuel and aligns with zero-carbon energy strate● More on P4 gies.  Srinivasan had voluntarily self-deported herself through the Customs and Border Protection Home App. Srinivasan’s ordeal is part of a larger, aggressive crackdown under the Trump administration aimed at pro-Palestinian demonstrators. She is one of several non-citizens at Columbia University who have found themselves targeted Pic: X by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a statement, the DHS called Srinivasan a “terrorist sympathiser,” accusing her of supporting violence in support of Hamas. However, these accusations have been firmly denied by Srinivasan’s legal team. RAJES H ABRA H A M @Kochi The state government’s aggressive drive to promote entrepreneurship through micro small and medium enterprises (MSME) is yielding desired results, with bank lending to the sector set to cross `1 trillion (`1 lakh crore) this fiscal. Total loans outstanding to the MSME sector in Kerala stood at `92,175.63 crore as on December 31, 2024, a robust growth of 38% from `66,876 crore in December 31, 2022, as per the data released last week. The growth is significant as it indicates that credit is more accessible to the sector now. Lending to the MSME sector had shown an anaemic growth of just 1.22%, from `60,880 crore to `61,623 crore, by De- Year Dec 2020 Dec 2021 Dec 2022 Dec 2023 Dec 2024 MSME advance C60,880 cr C61,623 cr C66,876 cr C79,470 cr C92,176 cr* Y-o-Y growth — 1.22% 8.52% 19% 16% 10,70,124 accounts *38% growth since 2022 Ex p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e grow chart The atmosphere felt volatile and MSME loans in Kerala dangerous: Self-deported student poised to cross `1L cr What kind of ideology thrives on bloodshed and the export of terror? We are not the sole victims. Wherever terror strikes in the world, the trail somehow leads to Pakistan cember 2020 and 2021, respectively “We expect the advances . to MSMEs to cross `1 lakh crore by the end of this financial year. Earlier, it was very difficult to get bank loans for the sector. We have now seen a big difference in the banks’ approach towards the sector in recent years,” said A Nizarudeen, state president, Kerala State Small Industries Associa● More on P4 tion.