chennai l Monday l November 24, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION British Indian spy honoured with new stamp in France Noor Inayat Khan, Tipu Sultan’s descendant, has become the only Indian-origin woman honoured with a French postage stamp for her WWII role leading light of figures de resistance The French postal service, La Poste, honoured Noor with a stamp issued to honour the ‘Figures of the Resistance’ who fought against Nazi Germany. She is among a dozen war heroes and heroines chosen on the set of stamps issued this month to mark 80 years since the end of World War II. Britain honoured Noor in 2014 to mark the centenary of her birth moved to london after fall of france ■ Born Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan in Moscow in 1914 to an Indian Sufi saint father and American mother, Noor moved to London before settling in Paris for her school years ■ Following the fall of France during WWII, her family escaped to England and Noor joined the British Women’s Auxiliary Air Force 30 years noor’s age when she was executed by nazi forces in 1944 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 first Mahe class anti-submarine vessel joins navy M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi AMID Pakistan’s reported plans to boost its underwater combat strength, the Indian Navy will commission INS Mahe, the first of the Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, on Monday. The ceremony will be presided over by Ar my Chief General Upendra Dwivedi. Announcing the induction, the Navy said the commissioning of Mahe marks the arrival of a new generation of indigenous shallowwater combatants—sleek, swift, and resolutely Indian. “She will serve as a silent hunter on the Western Seaboard, powered by self-reliance and dedicated to safeguarding India’s maritime frontiers,” the Navy said. Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, Mahe has more than 80 percent indigenous design, and highlights the country’s growing expertise in warship technology and qualities critical for coastal French Navy calls out Pak media misinformation and littoral operations. Equipped with advanced sensors and weapon systems, the vessel can conduct anti-submarine missions, coastal patrols, and minelaying operations. The Mahe-class ships, 78 metres long with a displacement of about 900 tonnes, can reach speeds up to 25 knots and have an endurance of 1,800 nautical miles. A total of 16 ASW-SWC vessels are being bu i l t — e i g h t e a ch at Cochin Shipyard and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata—under contracts signed in 2019. Named after the historic coastal town of Mahe, the ship’s crest features the Urumi, the flexible sword of Kalaripayattu, symbolising agility and lethal grace. These ships will strengthen coastal defence along India’s 7,516-km coastline and enhance Navy’s shallow-water anti-submarine capabilities. The induction is keeping in mind China’s Hangorclass submarine project for the Pakistan Navy . Claims made by Geo TV, attributed to a French commander, contained “misinformation and disinformation, it said | P9 PM moots global AI compact to check misuse Says critical technologies must be human-centric, not finance-centric; announces AI summit in India next year PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged world leaders at the G20 summit in Johannesburg to forge a global AI compact, and stressed the need to prevent misuse while harnessing artificial intelligence for inclusive and responsible global development. “We all have to ensure that AI is used for the global good and its misuse is avoided. For this, we need to create a global compact on AI that is based on some core principles,” Modi said, putting emphasis on oversight, safety-by-design, transparency , and strict restrictions on AI in dee pfakes, crime, and terrorism. “AI systems that affect human life, security, or public trust must be responsible and accountable. Most importantly , AI should enhance human capabilities, but the ultimate responsibility for decision-making will always remain with humans,” he said. The PM also announced that the AI Impact Summit to be hosted by India in February next year will be themed Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay (Welfare for all, Happiness for all) and invited all G20 countries to take part in the mission. He stressed the need to shift from “jobs of today” to “capabilities of tomorrow,” underlining the importance of constant innovation. Outlining India’s approach Showers batter southern TN, cyclone likely in next few days EXPRE S S N EW S S ERV I C E @ Chennai Southern Tamil Nadu reeled under another day of relentless rainfall on Sunday as a cyclonic system developing over the southeast Bay of Bengal gathered strength and a fresh lowpressure area is set to form over the Comorin Sea. With the northeast monsoon turning vigorous over southern coastal districts and active elsewhere, most parts of TN, Puducherry and Karaikal recorded widespread rain during the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Sunday . Heavy rainfall may continue as the low-pressure area over the Strait of Malacca and adjoining South Andaman Sea intensified into a well-marked low on Sunday morning and may move west-northwestwards and become a depression on November 24 before intensifying into a cyclonic storm over the southeast Bay within 48 hours (by November 26), according to the Regional Meteorological Centre. The associated cyclonic circulation, extending up to 7.6 km above mean sea level, is fuelling strong moisture inflow into the region. The India Meteorological Department has issued heavy rain alerts for many districts till November 24. In TN, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Thoothukudi districts bore the heaviest impact on Sunday , with Nalumukku in Tirunelveli recording 26 cm in 24 hours, followed by Oothu (25 cm), Kakkachi (23 cm) and Manjolai (21 cm). Coastal Thoothukudi also saw intense spells, with Tiruchendur and Kulasekarapattinam registering 13 cm rainfall each. Several rainfall stations across the southern belt logged 9-11 cm on Sunday . Meanwhile, district collectors have declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Tenkasi and Tirunelveli, and schools in Thoothukudi on Monday  P5 . Holiday for schools With heavy rain paralysing life in southern Tamil Nadu, collectors have declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Tenkasi and Tirunelveli, and schools in Thoothukudi on Monday With a developing cyclonic system over the southeast Bay of Bengal gathering strength, high tides hit Chennai’s Kasimedu beach on Sunday | Martin Louis Power cable snapped by rain kills 3 in Cuddalore B aga l a v an P e r i e r B @ Cuddalore Three people, including a couple, died on the spot and one more person was injured when a high-tension power line snapped and fell on them due to rain at C Sathamangalam village near Chidambaram in Cuddalore district on Sunday . The victims were identified as A Mariyam Susai (70), his wife M Pilon Mary (60) and R Vanathasmary (70), all natives of the village, and A Kanagaraj (58) of Sathamangalam, who escaped with injuries. According to sources, the power cable fell on them after a tamarind tree uprooted by the heavy rain on Sunday afternoon crashed on a nearby electric pole, leading to the snapping of the cable. The couple, UN reforms a necessity, no longer optional: Modi J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi who were residing in Chennai, had come to their native village to submit application for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The victims were engaged in a conversation outside a house near the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC) on Arundathiyar Street after attending morning prayers when tragedy struck them. The three bodies have been sent to Chidambaram government hospital for postmortem. Kanagaraj is undergoing treatment at the same facility . On receiving information, Sethiathoppu DSP PV Vijayakumar, tahsildar S Geetha and electricity board officials visited the spot and conducted an inquiry. The Orathur police have registered a case, and inquiry is under way  . P7 “At a time when the world appears fragmented and divided, IBSA can provide a message of Prime Minister Narendra unity cooperation, and human, Modi on Sunday made a strong ity,” Modi added, addressing appeal for reforms in the UN South African President Cyril Security Council and urged Ramaphosa and Brazil’s Presithat the India-Brazil-South Af- dent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. rica (IBSA) grouping should He called for institutionalissend a clear message that ing NSA-level meetings within changes to global governance IBSA to strengthen security coinstitutions are no ordination among the longer optional but a three countries in the pressing necessity . fight against terrorS p e a k i n g at t h e ism. “There is no place Global institutions IBSA leaders’ summit for any double standno longer on the sidelines on the represent today’s ards on such a serious G20 summit in Johan- world. Therefore, issue,” he added. nesburg, Modi under- IBSA must send a Modi also highlightscored the role of the unified message ed the potential of to the world: grouping in projecting technology in fosterinstitutional unity and cooperation ing human-centric dereform is not an at a time when the velopment. He prooption but a world appears increasposed an IBSA Digital prerogative ingly fragmented. Innovation Alliance to “First, we all agree facilitate the exchange Narendra Modi, PM that global institutions of digital public infrado not reflect the realities of structure, including India’s the 21st century None of us is a Unified Payments Interface, . permanent member of the UN health platfor ms such as Security Council. This clearly CoWIN, cybersecurity framedemonstrates that global insti- works, and women-led technoltutions no longer represent to- ogy initiatives. The alliance day’s world. Therefore, IBSA aims to help member countries must send a unified message to leverage digital innovation to the world: institutional reform drive inclusive growth while is not an option but a preroga- strengthening collaboration on tive,” Modi said. emerging technologies. E x p r e ss n e w s s e r v ic e @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends a session at the G20 Summit, in Johannesburg | AP to AI, Modi said it rests on three pillars of equitable access, population-scale skilling, and responsible deployment. “Under the India-AI Mission, we are creating accessible high-performance computing so that the benefits of AI reach every district and every language,” he told the G 20 leaders. The PM emphasised that technology must be human-centric, global, and open-source rather than Modi meets key leaders Modi held a series of meetings on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. He separately met the prime ministers of Japan, Netherlands and Jamaica, and IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva finance-centric, national, or exclusive. “We have to promote technology applications that are ‘human centric’ instead of ‘finance centric’, which are ‘global’ instead of ‘national’ and ‘open source’ instead of ‘exclusive models’. We have tried to integrate this vision in all technology projects of India.” He cited India’s leadership in digital payments and its effective response during the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering vaccines and medicines to more than 150 countries, to underline the potential of inclusive technological and economic growth. “Development should be sustainable, business should be trusted, finance should be fair, and progress should bring allinclusive prosperity the prime ,” minister said. This is the first G20 summit held in Africa. Vijay targets DMK, defends cadre at first public meet after Karur tragedy EXPRE S S N EW S S ERV I C E @ Chennai In his first “public speech” after the Karur stampede, actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay continued to train his guns solely at the ruling DMK, trying to position his party as the principal opposition in 2026, and listed out his aspirational goals for the voters — a per manent house, a motorcycle, and a car. Taking a direct swipe at Chief Minister MK Stalin for questioning TVK’s ideology Vi, jay asserted that despite declaring that “all are equal at birth” as its core ideology, TVK was being labelled as a party bereft of principles. While targeting the ruling party on corruption, governance, and dynastic politics, Vijay gave an angry alliterative riposte to his party cadres being trolled as “tharkuri” (unlettered) on social media by oppo- TVK president Vijay addresses an indoor meeting at an auditorium in Sunguvarchattiram on Sunday | Express sition parties. “My cadres are not “tharkuris”, they are the people who will make the future of DMK a “kelvi kuri” (a question mark). They are “acharya kuri” (exclamation mark) of Tamil Nadu politics, and are the “arikuri” (indication) of the change happening in Tamil Nadu politics,” he said. Addressing nearly 2,000 of his supporters and people, brought in batches from Kancheepuram district in vehicles, at an auditorium at Sunguvarchattiram, Vijay spoke in detail about the sufferings of the weavers of the district who produce world-class silk and handloom fabrics and accused the state government of ignoring them like it did with the farmers of delta districts. Arguing that the Palar river, which he said was the lifeline of the district, had degraded over time due to illicit mining of sand, he alleged that the ruling dispensation had looted `4,730 crore through such illegal mining. He further contended that the proof for this was available with the courts and the Enforcement Directorate. “If we come to power, wait, we will come; the people will certainly bring us to power. Won’t the people willingly bring in a government that will work for them,” he asked.  P7 express read Seeman booked by Pondy cops for abusing reporter Puducherry: The Puducherry police on Sunday slapped three cases on Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) coordinator Seeman after he abused a television reporter, who raised questions on SIR and the centre’s rejection of approval for the metro rail projects, during a press interaction in Puducherry, and a few NTK cadres shoved him. Many journalist associations and political parties have condemned Seeman for his behaviour | P4 90% workers will be hit by labour codes: Baby Tiruppur: The consolidation of the 29 labour laws into four comprehensive labour codes will affect 90% of workers, CPM general secretary MA Baby said in Tiruppur on Sunday. Stating that the centre is operating as a fascist state and the labour codes were brought in to benefit corporates, he called for a grand alliance of progressive leftists to oppose the BJP, which he claimed is operating under the control of the RSS | P4 Anti-drone systems at all civilian airports, shortly m u k e sh r anjan @ New Delhi THE Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) at a joint meeting, held recently have decided to deploy , anti-drone systems at all major and minor civil airports in view of “a possible war-like situation emerging in future,” officials said on Sunday . According to them, initially, it has been decided to install the system at major airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Amritsar and also Jammu and Srinagar. The decision has been taken in view of the experience gathered during ‘Operation Sindoor’ and also due to global military escalations that have featured an increased use of drones. It is reliably learnt from of- ficials that the anti-drone equipment will thwart any possible attack using ro gue drones. The system will be installed for the first time at civilian airports only a senior official told , this paper on Sunday . The decision was arrived at after multiple high-level meetings. Though the MHA has been overseeing the project, a committee has been constituted by the BCAS, with members drawn from aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other stakeholders. Officials said the modalities and specifications of the equipment are cur rently being looked into and once everything is finalised, the MHA will coordinate with the Ministry of Civil Aviation in implementing and commissioning the project. However, officials said the entire project would be commissioned only in a phased manner, with sensitive airports express illustration like Delhi, Mumbai, Amritsar, Srinagar and Jammu covered in the first phase followed by the scheme being rolled out in the remaing airports. A senior official in the know said, “The authorities will fix deadlines for commissioning the equipment at different airports only after finalization of specifications ... then airport operators will be directed to install the technology that fits our criteria. Models successfully existing at other airports outside India are also being examined for ef fective implementation.”