KOLLAM l friday l may 16, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Voyager 1 makes comeback as dormant thrusters revived NASA engineers have revived thrusters aboard Voyager 1, the farthest spacecraft from Earth, just before a planned communications blackout feat accomplished just in time: nasa revival process took lots of planning The feat was accomplished just in time, as a scheduled maintenance period for a crucial Earth-based antenna threatened to sever communication with the probe. The revived thrusters are the original roll thrusters, which have been dormant since 2004. These thrusters allow Voyager 1’s orientation in space and let it send data back to earth ■ ■ Voyager 1 operates at an immense distance, beyond the heliosphere, and the team had to carefully plan and execute the revival process In addition to the risk, the team faced time constraint. A giant antenna in Canberra went offline on May 4. The antenna is the only one with enough signal strength to send commands to the probe 56,000 kmph is the speed at which the voyager moves in space 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 Put rogue Pakistan’s nukes under IAEA watch: Rajnath Says India brushed aside the neighbour’s nuclear blackmail during Op Sindoor India rebuts Trump claim on zero tariffs D i pa k M o ndal @ New Delhi Defence minister Rajnath Singh offers sweets to an army officer in Srinagar on Thursday | PTI M AYA N K SI N GH @ New Delhi Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday demanded IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) supervision over Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, arguing they were not safe in the hands of the rogue nation. Pointing out that India was not deterred by Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail, he said Operation Sindoor sent a clear message to the terrorists in Pakistan that they no longer had a safe sanctuary . Addressing soldiers in Srinagar, Rajnath said the world has witnessed how irresponsibly Islamabad has issued nuclear threats to New Delhi several times. “I raise this question before the world: Are nuclear weapons safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation? Pakistan’s nuclear weapons should be taken under the supervision of the IAEA,” Rajnath said. Pakistan had sought to play the nuclear card amid Operation Sindoor as media reports suggested that a meeting of their Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) — the highest decision making body on the use of nukes — would be held shortly While it sent the inter. national community into a tizzy, Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif later denied any proposal to call the meeting. Another lie peddled on social media that Pakistan’s nuclear facilities were hit during Operation Sindoor, was rebutted by the IAEA, which said there was no radiation leak. “Based on information available to the IAEA, there has been no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan,” the IAEA said. Rajnath termed Op Sindoor as the biggest action ever taken by India against terror. I didn’t have a very strong relationship (with Nadeem). Things will not be the same again Neeraj Chopra, on his relationship with Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem after Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent Operation Sindoor M o r e o n Pag e 1 1 Work on CBMs to continue “Further to the understanding between the two DGMOs on 10 May, it has been decided to continue the confidence building measures so as to reduce the alertness level,” the army said on Thursday Security approval revoked Aviation watchdog BCAS revoked the security clearance of ground handling company Celebi Airport Services India, a unit of Turkiye, in the “interest of national security” | P7 US President Donald Trump on Thursday said India has decided to drop all tariffs on US goods, a statement the latter immediately denied. “They [India] have offered us a deal where basically they have agreed to charge us literally no tariffs,” Trump has said while responding to a question in Doha on Apple’s plan to shift iPhone manufacturing to India. He told the Apple CEO not to shift manufacturing to India. India rebutted the claims. “Between India and the US, trade talks have been going on. These are complicatS Jaishankar ed negotiations. Nothing is decided till everything is. Any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial; it has to work for both countries. That would be our expectation from the trade deal. Until that is done, any judgment on it would be premature,” minister of external affairs S Jaishankar said. Meanwhile, a commerce ministry official said every country negotiates with its national interests in mind. “Negotiations must balance sensitivities and strengths on both sides. The aim is always a mutually beneficial agreement, as mentioned in the joint statement.” SC raps MP minister for ‘irresponsible’ remarks S U CHITR A K A LYA N M OH A N TY @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Thursday rapped Madhya Pradesh tribal affairs minister Kunwar Vijay Shah, against whom an FIR has been filed for his scurrilous remarks targeting Col Sofiya Qureshi, saying persons holding constitutional post must exercise utmost restraint. “What kind of statement you are making? Such a person holding a constitutional office should be responsible... when this country is going through such a situation (Operation Sindoor),” said a bench led by Chief Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai. The court’s remarks came when lawyer Vibha Makhija, appearing for Shah, mentioned a petition against the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order to register an FIR against the minister for his alleged remarks. Shah’s counsel said the minister’s comments were over-hyped and he was misunderstood, adding that he has already apologised for the controversial remarks. Assam Rifles guns down 10 militants in Manipur In the ensuing firefight, 10 cadres were neutralized,” the Eastern Command posted on TEN suspected militants were X. A cache of arms and ammukilled by the Assam Rifles in nition was recovered. The an encounter near the India- Ar my did not disclose the Myanmar border in Manipur’s name of the group that these Chandel district. slain militants beThe Army’s Eastern longed to. Command said an AsThe operation is in sam Rifles unit under progress in a remote Operation is still the Spear Corps (Na- under way ... more area. “We will share g aland’s Dimapur- information will the inputs as soon as based 3 Corps) had possible,” an Army ofbe shared only launched an operation ficer said. when it is over on May 14 acting on This was among the Defence PRO specific intelligence major counter-insurabout the movement gency operations in of armed militants near New Manipur since the ethnic vioSamtal village in Khengjoy lence between Meiteis and KuTehsil of Chandel. ki-Zo tribals on May 3, 2023. “During the operation, In the past 24 hours, securitroops were fired upon by sus- ty forces apprehended seven pected cadres, to which they m i l i t a n t s f ro m T h o u b a l , quickly retaliated in a cali- Kakching, Bishnupur and brated and measured manner. Churachandpur districts. E x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e The bench declined to grant any stay on the FIR at this stage but agreed to hear the matter on Friday . “We will hear it tomorrow. You know who you are. We know nothing will happen. Just because you are a minister,” the bench said. The controversy erupted after a video clip of Shah’s speech went viral on social media, in which he was heard referring to Col Qureshi as “sister of terrorists”. The high court took suo motu cognizance of the matter and issued an order to police to book the minister for his “language of gutters”. Vijay Shah Contents of fir WEAK: HC The FIR against Shah is weak, the MP high court said, adding police seem to have drawn it in such a manner as to help the minister In a 1st, Muslim League appoints two women as nat’l office-bearers @ Guwahati E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kozhikode Sending a clear signal that the party will not toe the line of orthodox sections in the Muslim community that are against women’s entry into public life, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has appointed two women as its national office-bearers — a first for the party . Fathima Muzaffer and Jayanthi Rajan were named the national assistant secretaries at the party’s national council held in Chennai on Fathima Muzaffer and Thursday . Jayanthi Rajan Fathima, a native of Chennai, is the national president of the Indian Union Women’s League and working committee member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board. She is also a member of the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board. Jayanthi Rajan, who is from Pulpally in Wayanad, is the lead● More on P4 er of the Dalit League.  Youth murdered in road rage, two CISF men held Duo suspended The deputy inspector general of CISF suspended the two personnel reportedly involved in the incident. An internal inquiry by a senior CISF officer has been initiated, said a release issued by CISF Hit, then dragged Ivin was reportedly hit by the car driven by the CISF personnel and dragged nearly a kilometre while he was on the vehicle’s bonnet. After Ivin fell off the bonnet, he was dragged for almost another 50 metres Secondary School in Nayathode, around 8 km from the KoAn incident of road rage ended chi airport. The CISF personin the shocking death of a 24- nel’s vehicle, which was driven year-old man, Ivin Jijo, at the by Mohan Kumar, was behind hands of two Central Industri- Ivin’s car and reportedly al Security Force (CISF) per- honked aggressively in an atsonnel in Nayathode near Ned- tempt to overtake. A minor columbassery late on Wednesday . lision ensued while they overThe CISF personnel involved took Ivin. This led to a heated — sub-inspector Vinayakumar argument. and constable Mohan Kumar, Eyewitnesses said after the both attached to the Kochi air- initial altercation, Ivin atport — have been arrested by tempted to confront the offithe Nedumbassery police on cials again. He began recording charges of murder. Mothe confrontation on his han is currently underphone, which appeared going treatment for injuto have further rankled ries suf fered in the the CISF personnel. aftermath of the inciStanding in front of their dent, police said. vehicle, he sought an exThe horrific incident planation for their conoccurred around 11 pm duct. It was then, witIvin jijo when Ivin, a native of nesses claim, the Thuravoor near Angaofficials accelerated the maly and a chef at a CAFS air- car, causing Ivin to fall on its line caterers in Nedumbassery bonnet and drove off -- drag, was reportedly hit by the car ging him for nearly a kilomedriven by the CISF personnel tre. As residents gathered at and dragged nearly a kilometre the spot, Vinayakumar fled. He while he was on the vehicle’s was later nabbed by the police. bonnet. After Ivin fell off the Elias, a resident who rushed bonnet, he was dragged for al- to the scene and alerted the pomost another 50 metres. lice, said: “The left side of Ivin’s According to preliminary po- body was crushed in the incilice findings, the incident be- dent. We waited for an ambugan with a minor road alterca- lance as we were afraid that tion between the two parties moving him would worsen his ● More on P4 near the Government Higher condition.”  A B D U L N A Z E R M A @Thuravoor Man mauled to death by tiger in Kalikavu E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Malappuram A rubber tapper was mauled to death by a tiger in Kalikavu, Malappuram, in the early hours of Thursday The tiger . grabbed Kalikavu resident Gafoor by the neck and dragged him into the jungle, said fellow tapper Samad. The tiger attacked Gafoor while he was engaged in tapping in the Adaykakund Parassery rubber estate close to the forest. He is survived by three children and wife. “The tiger pounced on Gafoor from behind. It was a sudden attack,” said Samad. Samad alerted local people and police about the incident i m m e d i a t e l y, a n d t h e y searched for Gafoor for about an hour and a half before finding his body five kilometres away from the accident spot. Gafoor was working on land leased for tapping. The incident sparked widespread protests from local people who demanded the arrest of Nilambur South DFO ● More on P4 Dhanik Lal.