KOLLAM l friday l October 02, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION 2027 ODI WC: India to begin campaign against Australia Men in Blue face Pakistan on Oct 10 In a rematch of the 2023 ODI World Cup final, the Men in Blue will take on defending champs Australia on October 7 next year. A look... 14 teams, 57 matches with eye on trophy India are in Group A with Afghanistan, Australia, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and a qualifier from the Super Series. After the Australia clash, India will go on to face Pakistan on October 10 before taking on Afghanistan on October 14. They will then take on Qualifier A in Bloemfontein before travelling to Zimbabwe for the clash against the home team ■ ■ The tournament will begin on October 2, 2027 with 14 teams going up against each other for the biggest prize in the sport The World Cup will see 57 matches played across 12 venues in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe with the summit clash to be played on November 21 in Johannesburg | P11 Nov 21 is the final of the marquee event at johannesburg 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 Hero pilot Smit airlifted to UAE Indian Ambassador meets him, says his condition is stable; UAE begins probe into terror angle E X PRE S S NE W S S ER V I C E @ New Delhi Bengal panel moots life of Mookerjee in school texts S UBHENDU M AITI @Kolkata MUGHAL history, Communism and the Singur land movement will cede space to the life story of Syama Prasad Mookerjee in West Bengal school textbooks from 2027 if recommendations of the state’s syllabus restructuring panel are accepted by the BJP-ruled government. Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the precursor to the BJP, which came to power in West Bengal for the first time this year. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had said the syllabus would be revamped from pre-primary up to Class 10. Kalyani university professor Debasish Chatterjee, who chairs the panel formed in July, said the life story of Mookerjee will be included in every book in every class. The panel was set up to bring the syllabus in line with the National Education Policy . “We are not going for an overhaul, only modifications or corrections,” he told media on Wednesday, as books have to reach schools by January 2 when the new school year begins. On the Mughals, Chatterjee said, “only as much as students should learn” will be included. Only “factual” portions on Communism would be included. Chapters on Singur movem e n t a n d K a n ya s h r e e scheme launched by the Trinamool Congress regime, are likely to be dropped. The panel has mooted Tagore’s poem Africa be replaced by Shivaji Utsav, and Sachindranath Sengupta’s play Sirajuddaula by Dwijendralal Ray’s Mewar-Patan. HDFC bank gets new MD & CEO Anup Bagchi, associated with rival ICICI Bank and its subsidiaries since 1992, will succeed Sashidhar Jagdishan, on October 27 | P10 Captain Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed and seriously injured by his co-pilot aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday has been air, lifted from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi for continued treatment, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday . “After receiving initial medical treatment in a hospital in Tabuk, he has now been shifted to Abu Dhabi for continued medical attention and recovery Our . Ambassador in UAE met Captain Machchhar in hospital and enquired about his well being. Earlier, he also met his family and assured all possible support for the Captain’s health and wellbeing,” the MEA said. Machchhar is in good health and recovering well, the Indian Embassy in the UAE said after Ambassador Deepak Mittal met the pilot and his family . Mittal said he found the pilot’s morale to be high. “He was speaking openly, smiling and laughing, which was a great re- Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun, who pulled the lever to regain control of the flight, is welcomed at Tel Aviv airport | ap/pTI Co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrination: Bibi As the UAE is probing a possible terror link in the Flydubai incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged the co-pilot who stabbed the captain had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination” | P9 lief for us and for his family .” The UAE has ordered a probe into the incident, including whether the attack by the co-pilot was linked to “any terrorist activity or purpose” or involved prior planning or direction. Flydubai said the underlying Honeymoon over? Cracks surface in Cong over CM style M S V i d ya n a n d a n @ T’Puram ‘Cold relationship’ The simmering discontent within the ruling Congress over Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s style of functioning spilled into the open on Thursday with sen, ior leader and UDF convener Adoor Prakash publicly accusing him of taking major decisions unilaterally keeping both , the party and the UDF in the dark. “Several important decisions were being taken without discussions within the UDF, and I often learn about them from media reports,” he told reporters. He also pointed out that the UDF had not met in recent times, adding that Satheesan, as its chairman, should take the initiative to convene it. “That is not happening,” he said. The immediate trigger for Prakash’s outburst was media reports on Wednesday’s cabinet decision to appoint IUML leader M K Muneer as chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) and Forward Bloc national general secretary G Devarajan as Keralam’s Special Representative in New Delhi, both with cabinet rank. However, he clarified that both Muneer and Devarajan deserved the posts and that he had nothing against either of them. His objection, he said, was to the lack of consultation within Adoor Prakash said he and V D Satheesan now shared a cold relationship. “We have not even talked over the phone since the first and only UDF meeting after this government came to power... I came to know about all appointments, be it the film bodies or the ARC, through the media. I have no answer to the questions from allies,” he said. the UDF. Stopping short of accusing Satheesan of hijacking the system, the UDF convener said matters requiring joint consultation must be decided that way . He also flagged the delay in appointments to various boards and corporations. “The UDF government has been in power for four months, yet most boards and corporations are still headed by appointees of the previous LDF government,” he said. Later talking to TNIE, Prakash said, “The UDF and the Congress party have become weak, as is evident from the front’s performance in the recent local body byelections. The UDF’s relatively poor performance has dented the image of its government.”  ● More on P4 reasons and motives remain unknown and are subject to a formal investigation. Machchhar’s actions have drawn praise from Indian and world leaders. “Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO. In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy India . is proud of Captain Machchhar. Praying for his speedy recovery , renewed strength and good health,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In an interview with CBS News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Machchhar had been seriously injured during the cockpit confrontation but managed to unlock the cockpit door while the aircraft was descending rapidly . With his family roots in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district, Machchhar had his sights set on the family’s textile business and flying was not on his radar. After completing school, he enrolled in textile engineering before pursuing management studies at a Mumbai institute. However, the aviation bug bit when he attended a seminar, which introduced him to professional flying that pushed him to abandon his origiP7 nal career plan.  India’s medal hunt continues With two days remaining, a look at India’s show at Asian Games on Thursday... Hockey, cricket teams enter final The men’s hockey team entered the gold medal match after beating Pakistan in a thrilling fashion. With the game tied at 3-3, a last minute strike from Abhishek Nain helped the Indians advance. The Indian men’s cricket team set up a summit clash vs Pak From milkman to Asiad silver medallist One of the ‘silver’ linings was Greco-Roman wrestler Nitesh Siwach. Competing in the 97kg category, he became the first Indian to play a final in this style of wrestling at the Asian Games since 1962. However, he lost to Nakazato Yuri. Not too long ago, the wrestler suffered a knee injury, which forced him to quit and deliver milk doorto-door in Haryana | P11 EXPRESS READ 160 booked over late-night clash as protests continue T’Puram: A day after late-night political clashes rocked the state capital, its ripples were felt across the state with protests against ministers in different districts. The Thiruvananthapuram City police booked 160 people — 80 each from the Youth Congress and SFI camps — on Thursday in two separate cases in connection with the late-night scuffle | P4 12% of inmates in state prisons seek mental health support T’Puram: As many as 1,201 of the 9,805 inmates – roughly 12.24% – currently in jails across the state have sought mental health support, according to figures with the prisons and correctional services department. Of these, 1,160 are men | P5 Jayathilak may face Vigilance probe in Muttil tree-felling case T’Puram: Ex-chief secretary A Jayathilak could face a Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau inquiry in connection with the Muttil treefelling case, with the home department likely to entrust the anti-graft body with probe | P5 c ap i t a l v e n u e Nizams’ jewellery collection may get a new abode Pa r v e z S u lta n @ New Delhi A rare collection of jewels of the Nizams of Hyderabad, held in the custody of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) since the government acquired it in 1995, could soon be housed permanently at the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum, which is being developed in the North and South Blocks on Raisina Hill. According to sources, the Ministry of Culture plans to display the collection, dating from the 18th to the early 20th century, in one of the museum’s galleries dedicated to adornments. The collection includes necklaces, bracelets, armlets and rings. Among its notable pieces are a 185-carat Imperial diamond, popularly known as the ‘Jacob diamond’, which is larger than the Koh-i-Noor, and a seven-stringed pearl necklace. The collection is worth thousands of crores of rupees. It has remained largely out of public view because of the security arrangements needed to move it from the RBI vaults. “The first gallery, likely to be opened to public by June next, will have adornments on display These jewels have a great . story to tell, and they are considered among the most expen- sive,” a source said . The ministry has begun work on documentation and logistics of moving the jewellery from the vaults, sources said. The government bought the jewellery in 1995 for `218 crore, after a legal battle that began in the 1970s. It was earlier held by the HEH Nizam Jewellery Trust and the HEH Nizam Supplemental Jewellery Trust, set up in 1951-52 by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, to safeguard the family’s ancestral wealth. Shifted to Delhi in 2001 After the government bought the jewellery in 1995, the trustees kept it in a bank in Mumbai. It was then moved to RBI and shifted to New Delhi in 2001 rupee crosses 96 mark D-St: Longest losing streak in 25 years a r s h a d k h a n @ New Delhi INDIA’s equity market extended its losing streak to an eighth consecutive week, the first such stretch since 2001, with the Sensex hitting a 52-week low and Nifty nearing the mark on Thursday as elevated US 10-year Treasury yields and Brent above $100 a barrel intensified sell-off. Persistent FII selling added to the pressure, with foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloading `10,148 crore on Wednesday their biggest single-day outflow in nearly , six months. Their net sales stood at `9,160 crore on Thursday. The Sensex hit an intraday low of 71,292.88. After some support, it settled at 71,909, down 0.76%. The Nifty 50 dipped 0.88% to close at 22,421. Sudeep Shah, Vice President - Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities, said Sensex has revisited the 71,000–71,300 levels for first time since Feb, 2024. The rupee also traded weak on Thursday falling 0.36% , at 96.23, as strong FII selling pressure, higher US bond yields and a stronger Dollar Index near 101.25 continued to weigh on sentiment. Siddhartha Khemka, Head of Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services said that Indian equities are likely to stay under pressure in the near term. “With Nifty earnings now below US debt, a sustained recovery is unlikely until global yields stabilise, crude eases and foreign outflows moderate,” he said.