tadepalligudem l sunday l august 10, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city EDITION flight disruptions at Mumbai airport due to network outage A third-party data network outage at Mumbai airport on Saturday caused a delay in flight operations of multiple airlines, including Air India Photo: IANS glitch forced shift to manual system Though the glitch affected the airport systems for a couple of minutes, it took an hour to fix it, a source said. “Around 4 pm, the passenger processing handling system was moved to manual mode as the systems reported a glitch. It took an hour to fix the issue. Due to this, there was some disruption in several flight operations,” an official source said ■ 950 air india says its flights affected too ■ Air India said on X: “A third-party data network outage impacted check-in systems at Mumbai airport ... systems have been restored; some of our flights may continue to be affected for some time.” There were no comments from Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), a joint venture of Adani Group and Airports Authority of India flight movements per day are handled at mumbai airport E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Visakhapatnam Premier coffee house Starbucks will soon serve Araku coffee, adding it to its menu. Additionally, Tata Consumer company will expand the organic Araku Coffee brand’s domestic and global reach through an agreement with Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC). This development is part of the Andhra Pradesh government’s efferts to boost tribal development, as 21 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed on the occasion of the ‘Inter national Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples’. The agreements aim to promote livelihood generation, agricultural expansion, forest produce marketing, and tourism promotion. The MoUs were formalized in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the Alluri Sitarama Raju district. Several public and private sector organizations have partnered with the state to expand the marketing of tribal and forest-based products in domestic and international markets. The Central Rubber Board signed an MoU with ITDA Rampachodavaram to support rubber cultivation by improving infrastructure and expanding P4 plantations.  CCTVs in Police Stations: IJR says 58%, DGP claims 100% E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Andhra Pradesh government and State police department have repeatedly asserted that they have strictly complied with Supreme Court directives to install closed-circuit security (CCTV) cameras in all police stations across the state. However, the latest India Justice Report 2025 presents a different picture. According to the report, only about 58.3% of police stations in the state are equipped with CCTV facilities, leaving the remaining stations without such surveillance infrastructure. This finding contradicts the government’s claim of full compliance with court-mandated security measures. Responding to the IJR 2025 findings, DGP Harish Kumar Gupta disputed the report’s data, stating that all police stations in the state are indeed equipped with CCTV cameras in accordance with Supreme Court directives. Meanwhile, neighboring Telangana state reported 88.9% CCTV cameras in their police stations, while Jharkhand state had the lowest percentage with 21.5%. In 2023, the Supreme Court of India took strong exception and gave three months to all police stations to comply with its December 2020 order to install P4 CCTV cameras. ties that bind Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with a child during Raksha Bandhan celebrations in New Delhi on Saturday. Sisters traditionally tie an amulet on the wrist of their brothers, investing in them a share of responsibility of care | PTI st Roof damage Possible Structural damage F or the first time in the global plastics treaty negotiations, India openly opposed the inclusion of any global list with phase-out dates under the article on plastic products — a move that puts it squarely alongside Kuwait and the Like-Minded Group (LMG) of countries that includes Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran. Speaking at the second part of the fifth session of the Intergover nmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) in Geneva, Vir Vikram Yadav, Chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board and member of India’s delegation, warned that such provisions would have “larger implications in respect of the right to development of Member States” and should be avoided. “T he instr ument needs to have clearly defined scope… Separate article on supply or any measures to regulate the production of primary plastic polymers has larger implications… Similarly, inclusion of any global list with phase-out dates under the article on plastic products should THE ‘March to Nabanna’ here on Saturday, called for demanding justice for the RG Kar rape victim, one year after the horrific incident, was marked by a scuffle between the participants and police in different places, leaving the girl’s mother injured. The victim’s mother said she sustained a head injury. “Why are they stopping us by force? All we want is to reach Nabanna peacefully to seek justice for my daughter,” she said. The participants in the march were seeking the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for “failing to protect women”. The victim’s parents were not satisfied with CBI investigations into the rape and murder case that shocked the country on August 9 last year. On the anniversary of the victim’s death, her parents had called for a march to Nabanna, the administrative headquarters. However, police had refused permission for the march. Police stopped the procession at Park Street, where a scuffle ensued leading to injuries to the victim’s mother. India Rajasthan Shot down at least 5 enemy fighter jets plus one surveillance plane MAYA N K SI N GH @ New Delhi The Indian Air Force for the first time since Operation Sindoor officially put a figure on the number of aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in killed during the four-day conflict from May 7-10. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Saturday said six Pakistani planes - five fighter jets and one large surveillance plane. Attributing the success to the Indian strategic S-400 multi-layered air defence system, which struck deep inside Pakistan, he said, “...We have at least five fighters confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) aircraft or an AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft, which was taken on at a distance of about 300 km. This is actually the largest-ever recorded surface-to-air kill that Very clear political will, no restrictions: Air Chief “There was very clear political will, very clear directions which were given to us, and there were no kind of restrictions... If there were any constraints, they were self-made. We, the forces, decided what will be the escalation ladder. We decided how we want to control the escalation,” the Air Chief said we can talk about.” Operation Sindoor was launched to avenge the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam in which 26 civilians were killed. The IAF and Army jointly struck nine locations that had terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. “I can say that it was more of a high-tech war was fought. In 80 to 90 hours of war, we were able to achieve so much damage to the air system that it was clear to them that if they continue, they are going to pay for it more and more,” the Air Chief Marshal said while addressing 16th edition of the Air be avoided,” Yadav told the stocktake plenary . India also reiterated that all decisions should be taken by consensus and that the treaty’s scope should focus strictly on “addressing plastic pollution only” as mandated by the 5/14 resolution, without overlapping with other multilateral bodies such as the WTO or WHO. The stance aligns with Kuwait’s call, on behalf of the Arab Group, for a “party-driven process” and for avoiding irreconcilable issues, as well as with Iran’s rejection of standalone texts on scope, supply and exemptions. This bloc has resisted broaden- ing the treaty’s mandate to include production caps or health provisions and has pushed for more procedural control by member states. The negotiations, chaired by Ecuador’s Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, face a firm August 14 deadline to deliver a final text. But divisions on scope, product bans and production controls remain entrenched. The Chair has urged delegates to clear converged articles for transmission to the legal drafting group and to avoid procedural deadlock. India’s intervention marks a shift from its image as a global model for single-use plastics (SUP) bans.  Continued on: P5 March to nabanna: rg kar Victim’s mom hurt K a u s h i k P r a d h a n @ Kolkata Bholari airbase IAF hit a sixer against Pak during Operation Sindoor India opposes plastic phase-out list TNIE in Switzerland S V Krishna Chaitanya @ geneva ki Aftermath of the missile strike A gaping hole in the roof of a hanger in Bholari airbase in Pakistan after India’s missile strike. That was where a large aircraft was destroyed Pa Araku Coffee in Starbucks: Govt inks 21 MoUs to boost tribal development an 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 BJP workers try to cross barricades during a protest marking one year of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Kolkata, on Saturday. The protesters had planned a procession to the Secretariat | PTI Chief Marshal L M Katre Memorial Lecture, at the HAL Management Academy Auditorium in Bengaluru. ACM Singh gave a detailed account of the damage on the Pakistani side, which compelled them to opt for de-escalation. “Shahbaz Jacobabad was one of the major airfields that was attacked. Here there’s an F-16 hangar. One half of the hangar is gone. And I’m sure there were some aircraft inside which got damaged. We were able to get at least two command and control centres, like Murid and Chaklala. At least six radars, some of them big, and small (were knocked out),” he said. WITH THI S I S S U E Toy Story The rise of the ‘Kidult’ is transforming the toy industry. Is it merely a hobby, or does it reflect something deeper? PLUS 12 P AGES Trump’s tariff war will push India closer to Russia, China: Ex-NSA J aya nt h J a c o b @ New Delhi FORMER US National Security Advisor John Bolton has warned that punitive tariffs imposed on India could backfire strategically pushing New , Delhi closer to Russia and China, the very outcome decades of American diplomacy have sought to avoid. In an interview with CNN, Bolton said: “Trump’s tariffs against India are intended to hurt Russia, but they could push India closer to Russia and to China to oppose these tariffs.” He warned that Trump’s leniency towards China while taking a heavy-handed approach with India was undermining long-term US interests. “Trump’s leniency on the Chinese, and heavy-handed tariffs on India, jeopardise decades of American efforts to bring India away from Russia and China,” Bolton said. In April, Trump briefly escalated a trade war with China, only to pause further action, pending a potential deal. On July 30, he announced a 25% tariff on Indian imports — a significant hike from the previous average of 2.4%. India also faces additional tariff of This is a geopolitical own goal — one that could cost the US far more than it gains economically John Bolton, Former NSA, US 25% due to its continued purchases of Russian oil, which Trump argues funds the ‘war in Ukraine.’ In his op-ed for The Hill, Bolton earlier called Trump’s trade policy “an enormous mistake and entirely counterproductive for America.” He emphasised that levying tariffs on both allies and adversaries erodes long-standing diplomatic capital with India. “The US, by levying tariffs on friend and foe alike, has likely suffered a considerable loss of trust and confidence, built over decades of effort, in exchange for minimal economic gains,” he wrote. “This is a geopolitical own goal ... one that could cost US far more than it gains economically .” Faith in full flow ‘Konaseema Tirupati’ Vadapalli temple sees unprecedented growth S T r i m u r t h u l u @ Amalapuram The Va d a p a l l i Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple has become a testament to the power of faith, transforming not just lives but an entire town. Just two years ago, the temple was hardly known beyond its local boundaries, but today it stands as one of Andhra Pradesh’s busiest spiritual destinations. On Saturdays, the temple transforms into a sea of humanity, with nearly 80,000 devotees thronging its premises to worship “Konaseema Tirupati” Sri Venkateswara Swamy . The rush is so intense that queues stretch for up to two kilometers, leaving little room to move. Most pilgrims arrive in Ravulapalem a day early, staying overnight to ensure a place in the Saturday darshan line. This growing fame has transformed Ravulapalem’s identity , making it synonymous with the temple. Vadapalli itself, a quiet hamlet in Atreyapuram Mandal, now ranks just after the world-renowned Tirupati in terms of devotional popularity within the state. The temple’s lore fuels its draw, with devotees believing that performing 11 pradakshi- nas for seven consecutive Saturdays will fulfill their wishes. This tradition has earned the shrine the title of “Seven Weeks Ve n k a t e s w a r a S w a m y Temple.” Another belief holds that participating in the Goda Devi Kalyanam ceremony ensures marriage for unmarried men and women. The presiding deity, also known as Kalyana Venkateswara, is carved entirely from rare red sandalwood, a rarity in P4 temple iconography  .