kochi l Sunday l july 13, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city edition Screening does not stop after visa has been issued, warns U.S. embassy The US embassy in India on Saturday said that visa screening is an ongoing process and warned American visa holders against violating US laws Visa can be revoked, violators deported Must disclose Social media handles In a strongly worded warning, issued through the New Delhi-based US embassy’s X handle, the diplomatic mission said that if visa holders don’t follow US laws, then their visas can be revoked and they can be deported. The latest warning came a day after the embassy said that “falsifying or omitting information can lead to visa denial and future visa ineligibility” ■ On Friday, through a detailed video, the US embassy had sought ■ student and exchange programme applicants to list all social media handles used in the past five years on their DS-160 visa forms “If you omit your social media information, it could lead to a visa denial, and you might become ineligible for future visas,” it said June 19 An earlier embassy advisory termed American visa ‘a privilege, not a right’ 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 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kochi Two children who sustained severe burn injuries in a car explosion in Palakkad on Friday evening died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kochi. Siblings Emilina Mariam Martin, 4, and Alfred Martin, 6, passed away on Saturday . “The condition of Emilina, who suffered serious burn injuries, was critical, while Alfred was on ventilator support. Emilina’s death was recorded at 2.15 pm. Alfred succumbed to the burn injuries after 3 pm. The bodies will be handed over to the police for postmortem examination and other procedures,” said the spokesperson of the hospital. The children’s mother, Elsy Martin, 40, and their elder sibling, Aleena, 10, are undergoing treatment at the hospital. “They have been admitted to the burns ICU. Their condition is stable,” the spokesperson said. The explosion occurred in Athicode around 5.15 pm on Friday while Elsy was taking the children to a shop nearby after work. The car — a Maruti Suzuki 800 — exploded as Elsy tried to start it. P5 Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s report triggers speculation about pilot error Whodunit: Fuel cut after 3 secs in air 01:38:39 pm Air India 171 lifts off 01:38:42 pm Maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots Immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and 2 fuel cutoff switches transition from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another within 1 sec E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi One of the pilots heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why did he cutoff the engines. The other says he didn’t Fateful 26 seconds Car explosion: 2 injured siblings die in hospital 01:38:47 pm Ram Air Turbine gets deployed during initial climb immediately after liftoff as engines lose power 01:38:52 pm Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch transitions from CUTOFF to RUN Engine Fuel switch L and R 01:38:54 pm Engine 1 fuel inlet door begins to open 01:38:56 pm Location of engine fuel switches in a Dreamliner. They were inexplicably shut 3 seconds after liftoff in the ill-fated AI 171 I n the c o c k p it Engine 2 fuel cutoff switch transitions from CUTOFF to RUN Engine 1’s core deceleration stops, reverses, starts progress to recovery Engine 2 relights but fails to arrest core speed deceleration; reintroduces fuel repeatedly to increase core speed acceleration and recovery Capt Sumeet Sabharwal , 56, with 30 years of experience at AI. Had 15,638 flying hours, including 8,596 hrs on Boeing 787 01:39:05 pm One pilots transmits “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” call. Plane crashes into a building No significant bird activity observed in the vicinity Co-pilot Clive Kunder, 32, had 3,403 hours of total experience, with 1,128 on Dreamliner. Was flying AI 171 under Sabharwal’s watch Shah calls for Change, says BJP will form govt in Kerala iN ’26 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram Setting the BJP’s poll agenda in the state, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday projected 25% vote share for the saffron party in the upcoming local body election. Addressing party workers in Thiruvananthapuram, Shah trained his guns on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and claimed the BJP-led NDA will form government in Kerala in 2026. Highlighting the Centre’s contributions to Kerala’s infrastructure, Shah said contrary to perception, central allocations to the state have increased. He pointed out that the railway budget allocation for Kerala, which was just `372 crore in 2004, has increased to `3,700 crore under the Modi government. The Union minister was addressing a massive gathering of party workers at Putharikandam ground during the ‘Vikasita Keralam’ (Developed Kerala) event, which marked a significant show of strength for the BJP in the state. Union Home Minister Amit Shah looks at an ‘Onavillu’ (ceremonial bow) presented to him ahead of the party workers’ meeting at Putharikandam ground in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday | Vincent Pulickal In his speech, Shah lashed out at both the ruling LDF and the Opposition UDF, accusing them of decades of corruption and neglect. “For real change, Kerala must stop rotating power between the UDF and LDF. Both these fronts focus only on the development of their cadre. Only the BJP can ensure the development of the state,” he said. Energising the crowd of around 30,000 party workers by raising ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ slogan, he took a swipe at CM Pinarayi Vijayan. “Let our voices be loud enough so that even the chief minister who is abroad hears this powerful gathering,” he said. Shah launched a fierce attack on the LDF and UDF, accusing them of turning Kerala into a hub of corruption and lawlessness. He also drew comparisons between major corruption scandals during their respec● More on P5 tive tenures.  Kerala has given enough opportunities to both the LDF and UDF, but in return, they engaged in corruption and turned the state into a breeding ground for anti-national elements Amit Shah d u k es i n f o c us Ball change to using buffalo hide in India F i r o z M i r z a @ London India in command Just like the centuries of KL Rahul and Joe Root, even the Dukes balls used during the Test series were in the news. They were changed twice on Friday — once when the new ball was taken after 80 overs and was only 63 balls old and the second time when the replacement ball was booted only 48 balls later. It was changed once on Saturday It made Root to pro. pose a limit to ball change. “I personally think that if you want to keep getting the ball changed then each team gets three challenges every 80 overs and that’s it,” he said on Friday . Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah added a new dimension to it KL Rahul scores a hundred as India batters take control of the first innings on a placid Lord’s wicket on Saturday. Rishabh Pant and Jadeja chip in with halfcenturies as visitors look all set to go ease past England and put in a healthy score KL Rahul celebrates second hundred of series against England on Saturday | AFP when he said excessive hot and dry weather could be one of the reasons. Incidentally, Dilip Jajodia, the manufacturer of the Dukes ball, termed dry weather as one possible reason. The material used to make the balls too was in focus. Jajodia said they have been using hide of Scottish cows in England however, in their India operations, because of religious reasons they shifted to buffalo hide. “Buffalo hide is used in India instead of cow. The leather is local. You know the religious aspect. It is unfortunate because what we are using from a cow is a waste product,” he said.  P11 A month after a horrific Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad killed 260 people, including 19 non-passengers, a preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in the wee hours of Saturday indicated possible human error as fuel supply to both the engines of the aircraft was stopped just three seconds after takeoff. The two fuel cut-off switches were activated to the CUT OFF mode within a gap of a second, resulting in engine deceleration and plane crash though the fuel switches were subsequently switched back to RUN. However, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu urged people not to jump to conclusions on the role of pilots in the plane crash, as there are multiple things that need to be looked into before preparing the final investigation report. The 15-page report says the aircraft “achieved the maximum recorded air speed of 180 knots at 1.38 pm and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUT OFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their takeoff values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off,” it said. The fuel cut-off appears to have shocked one of the pilots. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report states. There was, however, no clarity on the identity of the pilot who asked and the one who responded. How the fuel switches could have flipped if no one in the cockpit took ownership for it, was also not clear. The Convention on International Civil Aviation Organization and Rule 3 of Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents), Rules 2017 mandate a preminary report on air accidents be filed within one month and final report within a year. The preliminary report said no significant bird activity was observed in the vicinity of the flight path, nor was there any quality issue with the aviation fuel. It was the cockpit voice recorder, the black box housed in the cockpit, that gave the investigators a sense of was what happened during the crucial seconds leading to the crash. Data from the second black box housed in the tail of the Dreamliner is yet to be retrieved as it has been badly damaged. The Airline Pilots’ Association of India alleged the report was biased, saying the probe “is being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots”. P7 Free all F WITH THIS ISSUE The Turbulent State of Indian Aviation PLUS 12 P AGES