KOLLAM l wednesday l june 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Modi reaches Canada for G7 Summit, to hold key bilateral meetings Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Kananaskis, Canada on Tuesday, to attend the G7 Summit, marking his first visit to the country in a decade Talks with Carney, Zelenskyy on the cards India eyes Reset in relations with canada Modi is on a four-day, three-nation tour to Cyprus, Canada and Croatia. He reached Canada from Cyprus. On the summit’s second day on June 17, Modi is likely to hold important one-on-one meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni | P9 ■ The Modi-Carney meeting could pave the way for renewed cooperation in trade, counterterrorism, and diaspora engagement ■ Modi’s talks with Zelenskyy could centre on Russia-Ukraine conflict ■ Meetings with German and Italian leaders will likely focus on deepening partnerships in defence, clean tech, and innovation 6th This is the sixth consecutive participation by Modi at G7 summit 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 13 Air India Dreamliners cancelled in a day E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi/ Ahmedabad India ramps up evacuation efforts as distress calls pour in from Iran 110 students safely shifted to Armenia; over 1,000 people of Uttar Pradesh stranded in Iran J AYA N T H J A C O B & N A M I TA B A J PA I @ New Delhi / Lucknow S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi As military tensions between Iran and Israel escalate, India has launched a wide-scale evacuation mission, deploying several buses to transport its citizens from the Iranian cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Gorgan, and Kermanshah to safer zones near the Armenia border. So far, 110 Indian students have been safely evacuated to Armenia, with a special flight to Delhi scheduled for Wednesday . Over 1,000 people from Uttar Pradesh are also among those stranded in Iran. Sources said many of them are pilgrims visiting Shia holy sites in Iran. Shias in UP routinely visit Iran’s key religious cities including Mashhad, Qom, and Tehran. Mashhad is home to the shrine of the eighth Shia Imam Hazrat Ali Raza, while Qom houses the shrine of Bibi Fatima, daughter of Imam Musa al-Kazim. Both cities are considered religious capitals for Shia Muslims and host thousands of international pilgrims and students each year. The relatives of families hailing from Lucknow said their kin are stuck in Qom after their return flight was cancelled. The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association said all 110 students—90 are from J&K—who crossed into Armenia have been accommodated in hotels in Yerevan. More evacuations are expected in the coming days as the Indian government monitors the volatile situation closely . Meanwhile, calls for help continued to pour in from those stranded with communication networks remaining patchy and fear of war deepening. In Kerman, Faizan Nabi, a 21-year-old student and the Iran coordinator for the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, said: “The situation is not as bad here as in Tehran. But there is still fear. We are hoping we will be relocated to some safe location soon.” On Monday, Indian students in Tehran—spread across three Evac routes Armenia Israel Iraq Iran Saudi Arabia Smoke billows from a oil refinery site in the city of Haifa, following a fresh barrage of Iranian missiles | afp ‘Nuclear site damaged’ The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Tuesday Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s Natanz enrichment site damaged the underground centrifuge halls major universities—were moved to Qom, a city deemed relatively safer. “There is fear all around. We’ve had trouble contacting our families due to weak internet,” said Ehreen Zaffar, an MBBS student at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Huzaif Malik, a student at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, said, “Luckily we were in Urmia, which was safe. We have reached Armenia.” But many others, like Ajmal Mohmed who travelled to Lar for a medical exhibition, remain stuck there. Back in India, families wait in fear. Shuja Hasan from J&K, whose daughter is now sheltering in Qom, said his daughter and other students are stuck in their hotels, unable to leave. “We just want them to return safely. Their funds are depleting,” said a relative of Maulana Nusrat from Lucknow, who is on a religious sojourn to Iran. Map not to scale Troubled airliner Air India cancelled as many as 13 of its Dreamliner flights on Tuesday due to various reasons, aviation regulator DGCA said. The highest number of cancellations in a day was 14 on Sunday In all, Air India cancelled . 66 B787 Dreamliner flights since the horrific June 12 air crash that killed 241 on board. The DGCA also said that the recent enhanced surveillance on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns, adding maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards. One of the cancelled flights on Tuesday was AI 159 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London. Its earlier call sign AI 171 was retired following the Ahmedabad aircrash. “Flight AI 159 has been cancelled due to the unavailability of aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft, and not due to any technical snag,” a Air India spokesperson said. Aviation regulator DGCA’s fiat to Air India on enhanced checks of its Dreamliner fleet created the temporary shortage. Another aircraft failed its pre-flight check. It delayed the the Delhi-Paris AI 143’s takeoff. “In view of the AI 143 coming under restrictions on night operations at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, the flight was cancelled,” the spokesperson added. Also, AI 142 from Paris to Delhi was cancelled. Besides, an Air India Express Boeing IX 1113 from Delhi to Ranchi with over 150 flyers on board developed a technical issue midair and had to return to the Indira Gandhi International Airport. IX 1113 took off at 4.40 pm and was to scheduled reach Birsa Munda airport at 6.20 pm. However, it returned to Delhi. Ground checks were done and the flight took off at 7.30 pm, a source said. ‘Can’t allow mob rule’, SC orders release of ‘Thug Life’ in K’taka Afghanistan Pakistan india UAE Don threatens Khamenei, seeks Tehran’s surrender Agen c i es @ Jerusalem / Dubai / Washington As the Israel-Iran war entered the fifth day on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump waded into the conflict, threatening to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei unless Tehran stops further attacks and surrender forthwith. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there -- We are not going to take him out, at least not for now,” Trump said on Truth Social. “But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added, later posting another message that said: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” The series of posts came hours after he asked the 10 million residents of Tehran to “evacuate immediately”. Earlier in the day Trump had , said the US was not looking for a ceasefire but a “real end” to the conflict, without elaborating what he meant by that. On Tuesday both Iran and Is, rael continued to launch air strikes, deepening worries of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the region and beyond. So far, over 450 people have reportedly been killed in Iran since the Israeli offensive began last Friday while the toll in , Israel has stood at 24. Israel’s military said it launched ‘extensive strikes’ targeting missile and drone sites in western Iran on Tuesday. Reports said explosions were heard in Iran’s western city of Tabriz, which houses a major air force base. In Israel, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv came under attack. Sirens sounded in some cities including Dimona town, home to a nuclear power plant. Israel said it intercepted the missiles. Coming down heavily on the Karnataka government over actor Kamal Haasan’s film ‘Thug Life’ not being allowed to be released in the state, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that the film be screened in the state, and noted that mobs and vigilante groups cannot be allowed to take over the streets. The apex court gave the Karnataka gover nment one day’s time to file a response by June 18. A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan said the rule of law ought to be established and guns cannot be put to people’s heads to stop them from watching the movie. The judges also clarified that Karnataka High Court had no business to seek ‘apology or regret’ from Kamal Haasan for his remark saying that “Kannada language originated Grand finale Supporters of all major political parties cheer during the culmination of the campaigning for the Nilambur by-election on Tuesday | Express | P4 Another firm debarred Get ready to say no to plastic from Oct 2 for shoddy NH work slope protection collapse E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi After KNR Constructions Ltd, another concessionaire faced punitive action for faulty construction work as part of widening of the NH-66 in Kerala on Tuesday. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) debarred Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd from participating in future bids, following the collapse of slope protection work at Cherkkala in Kasaragod along the Chengala-Neeleswaram section. The incident on June 16 was caused due to “improper design, inadequate slope protection works and poor drainage system”, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said in a statement. The concessionaire failed to execute adequate slope protection works and ensure a proper drainage system to mitigate such risks, it said. “A show cause notice has been issued to the concessionaire for debarment of one year, besides levying a penalty of up to `9 crore,” it said. The project is on Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), where the concessionaire has to maintain this section for 15 years and will reconstruct the slope protection works on its own cost. An expert committee, with senior scientist from Central Road Research Institute, retd professor of IIT-Palakkad and Geological Survey of India (GSI), has been constituted to visit the site and review the design and construction of NH66 in Kerala. The committee will suggest detailed remedial measures for the project, the statement added. On May 22, MoRTH blacklisted KNR Ramanattukara Infra Private Ltd, a subsidiary of Hyderabad-based KNR Constructions, from participating in the ongoing/ future bidding for project works for “one month or completion of investigation by the expert committee, whichever is later”, holding it responsible for the collapse of the underconstruction NH stretch at Kooriyad in Malappuram on ● More on P4 May 19.  Single-use plastic banned From October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, you’ll have to sacrifice the luxury of using small plastic water bottles and food containers during gatherings for the sake of environment. The Kerala High Court on Tuesday banned the use of water bottles of capacity below five litres, soft drink bottles of capacity lower than 2 litres, straws, plates, cups, and cutlery (all made of plastic) at all government functions and private gatherings. These plastic Use of water bottles of capacity below five litres, soft drink bottles of capacity lower than 2 litres, straws, plates, cups, and cutlery (all made of plastic) banned at govt functions and private gatherings HC also banned the use and sale of single-use plastics in hilly tourist areas with high footfall materials are also banned at all wedding auditoriums, hotels and restaurants. Prohibition of these items at functions in ho- tels and auditoriums shall be made a part of the licence conditions issued to such establishments, the court ordered. A Division Bench comprising Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas and Justice Gopinath P also banned the use and sale of single-use plastics in hilly tourist areas with high footfall. The areas are Munnar, Thekkady, Vagamon, Athirappilly, Chalakudy- Athirappilly sector, Nelliyampathy, Pookode LakeVythiri, Sultan Bathery Karlad , Lake, Ambalavayal, and Wayanad Heritage Museum. from Tamil”. The bench said SC and HCs are custodian of rule of law and rights and cited earlier court intervention for staging of a play on Nathuram Godse. The judges directed the case pending before the Kar nataka HC be transferred to the apex court. “We can’t allow mobs and vigilantes to take over the streets. The rule of law must prevail. If somebody has made a statement, counter it with a statement. If somebody has written something, you can c o u n t e r i t by some writing,” said Justice Bhuyan. Advocate A Velam, appearing for petitioner M Mahesh Reddy who had moved the SC saying that the film was effectively banned in Karnataka due to threats from fringe organisations and inaction of state authorities, said the state hadn’t filed complaints against those issuing threats. The court made it clear that the plastic ban shall not apply to 5-litre water bottles and 2-litre soft drinks bottles. Instructing the state government to take adequate steps to implement the order by October 2, the court directed it to set up sufficient water kiosks at different locations in hilly tourist areas to provide clean and safe drinking water. Alternative measures should be taken for the supply or purchase of water, through glass bottles or kiosks or such other ● More on P4 modes.  EXPRESS READ Cargo ship’s owner and crew booked Kochi: Days after a fire broke out on board Wan Hai 503 at sea following an explosion on June 9, the police on Tuesday registered a case against the owner, master and crew members of the Singaporeflagged container vessel for rash navigation of the ship and other offences. The case was registered under the BNS for offences, including rash navigation of a vessel, acts endangering public ways or navigation, etc. P5 i n re c o rd t i m e KMRL submits feasibility study for Mumbai water metro E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kochi Taking a significant leap towards expanding its national footprint, the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) has submitted a comprehensive feasibility study report to implement a water metro system in Mumbai, covering the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) modelled on the successful Kochi water metro project. The report, prepared in a record time of two months, out- lines a 250-km waterway network spanning 10 routes and having 29 terminals. The proposed project envisions connecting various water bodies, including Vaitarna, Vasai, Manori, Thane, Panvel and Karanja creeks, effectively covering the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region. “The KMRL’s consultancy division submitted the feasibility report to Maharashtra Ports and Fisheries Minister Nitish Rane, who officially accepted Kochi water metro | Representational pic 250km network, 10 routes The feasibility study report for the water metro in Mumbai outlines a 250-km waterway network spanning 10 routes and having 29 terminals. it,” a senior KMRL official said. Rane has instructed the departments concerned to take steps towards implementing the project, including the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR). “We expect the Maharashtra government to entrust us with the preparation of the DPR for the Mumbai water metro as well. He was impressed by the detailed and timely submission of the feasibility report and lauded the KMRL team,” the of- ficial said. This marks the first instance of KMRL securing a consultancy assignment through a competitive bidding process, establishing its credentials as a national-level player in sustainable urban transport solutions. Currently , feasibility studies to replicate the Kochi water metro are progressing in Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir), Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Varanasi (UP) , Patna (Bihar), Tezpur, Guwahati and ● More on P4 Dhubri (Assam).