J&K to open tourist spots closed after terror attack Jammu & Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said closed parks at tourist places will be reopened in a phased manner starting June 17. Sinha said the tourist spots that would be reopened include Beetab Valley and the parks near Pahalgam market. In Srinagar, Badamwari Park, Duck Park and Taqdeer Park will be reopened. Several spots in Jammu will also be reopened. kochi l Sunday l june 15, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city edition 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 Dangerous escalation Iran threatens to hit US, UK bases in West Asia; Israel vows to destroy Tehran’s nuclear infra AG E N CI E S @ Jerusalem / Dubai united by cricket South Africa captain Temba Bavuma with the World Test Championship mace after beating Australia in the final. This is SA’s first ICC trophy in 27 years | AP | P11 Plane crash: Toll 270, probe panel formed D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya L25L interim relief @ Ahmedabad The death toll in the Air India flight tragedy here went up to 270, even as a body was extracted from the tail of the crashed aircraft on Saturday The Lon. don-bound flight had rammed into the BJ Medical College hostel moments after takeoff on Thursday . As of Saturday night, DNA matches of 19 crash victims with their families have been established. Since many bodies were charred beyond recognition, authorities are depending almost entirely on DNA testing for accurate identification. “This isn’t something we can afford to rush. Every case must be verified with clinical precision,” said Dr Rajnish Patel, surgery professor at B J Medical College. Gujarat Revenue Secretary Alok Pandey said many of the victims hailed from 18 of the state’s 33 districts. He said 230 teams have been formed to coordinate with families of the victims. “A grief counsellor Air India will make interim payment of I25 lakh to the families of the deceased and survivors of the plane crash — in addition to its I1 crore compensation has been assigned to every family to deal with mental trauma,” Pandey added. Gandhinagar Forensic Science Lab (FSL) Director H P Sanghvi said, “We’ve begun profile matching. Tests are ongoing in batches, each taking 36–48 hours. A team of 36 experts is working roundthe-clock with the National Forensic Lab to expedite the process.” In a related development, the Centre constituted a multi-disciplinary panel headed by the Union home secretary to probe the cause of the air crash. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged the government to fix accountability “Let . the black box reveal the truth. The government must then fix accountability,” he said after P8 visiting the crash site. IRAN and Israel on Saturday carried out waves of deadly attacks at each other, ignoring pleas from various countries including India for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities. Reports said Israeli drones struck the South Pars—the world’s largest natural gas oil field co-owned by Qatar—forcing Iran to halt production. Israel’s attacks on Iran’s military and nuclear sites on Friday and Saturday killed 78 people. Israel said it eliminated 20 army and Revolutionary Guard commanders. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s top advisor Ali Shamkhani was also killed, according to reports. Iran’s retaliatory strikes in the wee hours on Saturday killed three persons and injured 80 others in Israel. The developments come amid talks between Iran and the US seeking to reach a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme. A sixth round of negotiations scheduled in Oman on Sunday was cancelled after 19 June th 2025 EXAM DATE 22 June nd 2025 Law Management Medicine Nursing Paramedical Pharmacy Physiotherapy Public Policy Sciences MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE UP TO 100% THAT ALSO COVER FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION BENGALURU | HYDERABAD | VISAKHAPATNAM 8884984000 www.gitam.edu Iran said it was ‘meaningless’. Israel said it has destroyed Iran’s air defence systems claiming its jets flew for nearly two hours over Iranian airspace, hitting targets. “Tehran Situations in which friends and relatives have to scamper in search of blood for patients during emergency will soon be a thing of the past. A centralised software, ‘blood bank traceability application’, is being developed by the state health department that would provide realtime updates on blood availability across the state. Health Minister Veena George said a dedicated portal will also be set up as part of the project which is expected to be up and running by the end of this year. “Once the system becomes operational, the public will be able to know the availability of compatiable blood groups and quantity in blood banks located across the state,” she said. The application is being developed by the health department in partnership with K-DISC, Kerala State AIDS Control Society Blood Trans, fusion Council and e-health. LAST DATE TO REGISTER Humanities India on Saturday sought to distance itself from the statement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization criticising Israel’s strikes, saying the conflict can be sorted out only through dialogue and diplomacy | P7 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram GITAM ADMISSION TEST (GAT) Engineering India distances itself from sco statement Soon, an app to track availability of blood TAKE YOUR FIRST STEP TOWARDS TRANSFORMATION Architecture Destroyed residential buildings in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, hit by a missile fired from Iran on Saturday | ap/pti Scan the code to schedule your test Govt speeds up project to develop airstrips K r i s h n a K u m a r K E @Kochi Aiming to provide air connectivity to smaller towns, the state government has expedited the project to develop airstrips across Kerala, by kicking off the process to identify suitable land in Idukki, Kasaragod and Wayanad districts. Joint venture firm RITES-KIIFC ON h a s been tasked with conducting the feasibility study . “The three district collectors have been directed to finalise suitable land at the earliest. The spots in consideration are in Periya (Kasaragod) and Kalpetta (Wayanad), while a fresh site will be identified in Idukki,” said a senior official with the Chief Minister’s Office. In Idukki, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) has set up an airstrip at Sathram near Vandiperiyar village for training air wing cadets. The gover nment plans to develop a separate facility to cater to the air passenger traffic. “The main aim of the airstrips is to facilitate air passenger services. However, they can also be used during emergencies like landslides. The airstrips will cater only to small aircraft like ATR or below,” the official said. ● More on P5 is no longer immune; the capital is exposed to strikes,” an IDF spokesperson said, adding Israel plans to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities. As for Iran, it threatened to attack the regional military bases of Israel’s allies US, UK, and France if they helped Tel Aviv. The warning came after reports said US shot down Iranian missiles. With Israel and Iran hardening their positions, it could become a protracted, full-fledged war that could disrupt global economy by making the Red P9 Sea more unsafe. WITH THIS ISSUE Shaken & Stirred PLUS 12 P AGES EXPRESS READ Rajasthan native emerges nat’l topper in NEET-UG Cargo ship Wan Hai 503 at safe distance from Kochi Mystery shrouds death of woman ‘killed by elephant’ New Delhi: Rajasthan’s Mahesh Kumar has topped the medical entrance exam NEET-UG, while Utkarsh Awadhiya from Madhya Pradhesh bagged the second rank. Deepniya D B, a native of Perambra in Kozhikode, who secured 109th rank is the topper from Kerala. P2 Kochi: Wan Hai 503, the burning cargo ship which was drifting towards Kochi coast, was pulled away to a safe distance by the Coast Guard with support from the Navy and salvage team. The vessel was located 40 nautical miles from Kochi on Saturday evening. P2 Idukki: Mystery shrouds the death of a 42-year-old tribal woman, who was reportedly killed by a wild elephant in Meenmutty in Peermade. The forensic surgeon, who conducted the autopsy indicated that preliminary findings pointed to a murder. P5