KANNUR l friday l November 13, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Embattled jensen huang finally resigns as AI biggie Nvidia’s CEO Colette Kress Jensen Huang resigned as chief executive of US AI giant Nvidia on Thursday, the company said, after revelations he had two extramarital affairs caps 33 years at helm of U.S. AI behemoth CFO Colette Kress named interim CEO The departure marks the end of a 33-year run at the helm of the AI giant he co-founded in 1993. Nvidia board said Huang had stepped down as president, chief executive, and board member, effective immediately. Huang faced growing calls to resign after his twin affairs with an alleged Chinese spy and an Nvidia employee who reports to him, came to light ■ ■ Chief financial officer Colette Kress (L) will serve as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor, Nvidia said Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump pitched former Apple CEO Tim Cook’s name. “A Legend replaces a Legend!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Cook stepped down as Apple CEO in August 13% How much Nvidia shares fell in early trading on Thursday 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 Buzz on special session by December first week 361 votes needed to pass Constitution amend bill on women quota R A J E S H K UMA R T H A K U R @ New Delhi THE BJP-led NDA government is considering convening a special session of Parliament after November 20 or by the first week of December to secure the passage of a Constitution amendment bill aimed at implementing 33% quota for women in Parliament and state legislatures. BJP sources on Thursday said the government is confident it will get the numbers to pass the legislation. The government also proposes to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats allocated to every state by 50%, to a maximum of 850 seats in total, to address concerns of southern states over population-based delimitation, while operationalising the women’s reservation law before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. An earlier effort to pass the legislation on April 17 came a cropper. The proposed special sitting is likely to last two days and may be convened as an extension of the Monsoon Session, which has not been prorogued. BJP expects victory margin of 15-18 votes The government appears confident of mustering the numbers required to pass the bill with a margin of 15-18 votes possibly through deals with parties outside the NDA and/or abstentions Asked if any Opposition party had agreed, in principle, to support the bill, a senior BJP leader said: “Supporting someone doesn’t just mean being physically by their side; even if some people are in Opposition, they can offer support.” The government needs 361 votes to secure a two-thirds majority to pass a Constitution amendment bill in the 543-member Lok Sabha, which has three vacancies. Its efforts to push the legislation through Parliament come against the backdrop of the Assembly polls in seven states in 2027. Its successful passage could provide an additional political advantage to the NDA, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gu- jarat, where women voters are likely to play a key role. Some BJP leaders said the NDA stands to gain irrespective of the outcome of the proposed special sitting. “If they (Opposition) continue obstructing the path to secure passage for a Constitution amendment bill... we will take this doublestandard on women’s rights to the court of the people in the coming Assembly elections,” said a senior BJP leader. The monsoon session hasn’t been prorogued since 91 days, surpassing the record of 87 days in 2008. An extended sitting of an existing session requires a minimum two days’ notice; convening a new session requires 14 days’ notice. In his pushback, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said home minister Amit Shah’s “bulldozer” will not work. Referring to the buzz as Shah’s “delimitation plantation”, he pointed to the ‘15-18 margin’ and said on X: “He said the same thing seven months earlier but on April 17th faced a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha by a decisive margin.” ‘Focus on success stories’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his annual ‘Diwali Milan’ address at the BJP HQ in Delhi on Thursday, urged the media to highlight India’s achievements, asserting that positive coverage of progress would help accelerate the country’s journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. He also expressed confidence that India would achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation with the collective support of the media and the people. Here are some of the salient points: in d r a nee l d a s @ Chennai 2047 deadline Service to nation Growth gallop Fight drugs “I’ve a request for media. Communication is the strongest tool in 21st century and we need to tell ‘India story’ to the world. Deadline is very important in the world of news. We also have a deadline for making India ‘developed nation’ by 2047,” the prime minister said “I would also urge the country’s media to work on stories about India’s successes and help them reach more people. This would be a tremendous service to the nation on your part... There were earlier slogans of Garibi Hatao. But poverty has been removed by this government” “Who would have thought that India would make history by landing near the moon’s South Pole? Who would have thought India would become the world’s second-largest mobile phone producer? In 12 years, India’s solar generation capacity went by 50-fold” “I have interacted with the media and seen it evolve from the days of press releases to Instagram reels. Nothing is considered impossible in the world of news... Now we must also raise awareness about drug addiction in the same way. We must get our youth out of all this” Messi fiasco: Governor Retail inflation breaches RBI’s limit okays prosecution of The heat is on 5.54% 6.09% * 4.38% 4.45% 4.83% ex-min Abdurahiman 3.48% 3.93% PU S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @T’Puram The stage is set for a high-profile probe against for mer sports minister V Abdurahiman as Governor Om Prakash Mathur has accorded sanction for his prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The governor’s nod clears the way for the special investigation team (SIT) to arraign Abdurahiman as an accused in the case pertaining to alleged irregularities surrounding the failed proposal to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina football team to the state. The SIT led by Law and Order ADGP P Vijayan had in its report stated that there was incriminating evidence that the former minister extended favours to Reporter Broadcasting Company (RBC), the private sponsor of the proposed event. The probe team had stated that Abdurahiman misused his position to arbitrarily select the sponsor and violated protocol during the signing of sponsorship deals. The SIT probe also reportedly stumbled on evidence against Abdurahiman’s private secretary C Sathyapalan. After the SIT filed its report, the state government on October 16 sent the documents to the Lok Bhavan with a request for sanction, which is required under Section 17 A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, as the alleged offence was committed when Abdurahiman was minister. Abdurahiman had denied any wrongdoing and told the SIT during questioning that the proposal was initiated with the sole objective of bringing Messi to the state. A special team of the GST department had reported irregularities in inward and outward fund flows in the bank accounts of the event’s sponsor. It had also raised doubts about the source of funds running to about `200 crore received from two financial institutions. The department had flagged that IGST liability, which comes to the tune of `22.68 crore, remained unpaid. The sponsor had reportedly transferred `126 crore to an account registered outside India in connection with its unsuccessful bid to bring Messi to Kerala. RETAIL inflation soared to a two-year high of 6.09% in October primarily driven by high food prices, breaching the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s upper tolerance limit of 6%. The reading is the highest since October 2024, when the Consumer Price Index-based inflation stood at 6.21%. The impact of elevated food prices was visible more in rural areas where inflation hit 6.63% against 5.41% in urban. According to the latest data released by the Ministry of May June April * Provisional estimate  J u ly Statistics and Programme Implementation on Thursday, food inflation climbed to 8.94% in October from 7.74% in the previous month. Higher prices of food and Aug Oct Sep | Source: MoSPI beverage including cereals, sugar, milk and other essential food items have jacked up household expenses. “October’s inflation print was less a surprise than a cul- mination of pressures that had been building for months,” said Dipti Deshpande, principal economist at Crisil. Higher inflation was not restricted to food; the hospitality sector also witnessed a significant rise. Inflation in restaurants and accommodation services rose by 10.06% in October, while transport inflation stood at 5.84%. In its October monetary policy the RBI had raised the repo , rate by 25 bps. With the headline inflation breaching RBI’s tolerance band, economists expect another rate hike. K S S R E E J I T H @T’Puram Caught between a powerful chief minister and an influential group within the party the , Congress high command has decided to put on hold the selection of the KPCC president for the time being, as the contest for the post has become increasingly intense. The high command is learnt to have communicated to incumbent KPCC president Sunny Joseph that he should become more active in organisational matters. Sunny was present at Indira Bhavan on Wednesday evening, fuelling speculation that he would continue in the post for some more time. “D K Shivakumar held the post of Karnataka PCC president during the twoand-a-half years when he was the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka. Revanth Reddy also continued as PCC president for several months after taking over as the Chief Minister of Telangana,” Sunny Joseph told TNIE. Sunny was appointed KPCC president on May 8, 2025, succeeding K Sudhakaran. The stiff contest among leaders aspiring for the post and the lobbying they have been carrying out have reportedly prompted the national leadership to Front-runners The delay to select KPCC president has come as a setback to front-runners Benny Behanan, Kodikkunnil Suresh and Ajay Tharayil, who have been approaching senior and influential leaders seeking support. put the selection process on hold. The high command is understood to be wary of taking a decision that could upset the existing power equations in the Keralam unit or trigger fresh factional tensions. The delay has come as a setback to front-runners Benny Behanan, Kodikkunnil Suresh and Ajay Tharayil, who have been approaching senior and influential leaders seeking support. The contest became more intense after Revenue Minister A P Anil Kumar, considered close to K C Venugopal, also figured in the list of aspirants. According to Congress sources, neither of the two leaders whose positions carry considerable weight in the selection — Chief Minister V D Satheesan and AICC organisational general secretary K C Venugopal — has backed any particular candidate. Satheesan has reportedly told the high command that the new party chief should work in tandem with the government. Venugopal, meanwhile, has left the decision to THE last time archaeologists went properly looking for submerged ruins of Lord Krishna’s kingdom Dwarka was in 2007. Nineteen years on, the Archaeological Survey of India is preparing to send divers back into the Arabian Sea. Fresh explorations at major pilgrimage sites Dwarka and Bet Dwarka in Devbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat, aiming to uncover submerged led last year’s onshore and offshore expeditions. “The exploration may start in December. The extent of activities will depend on sanctions and availability of people. The final analysis of the site will be completed this time,” Behind the fresh attempt The fresh attempt to study underwater archaeology off Dwarka and Bet Dwarka assumes significance as in February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went scuba diving off the Panchkui beach to perform prayers near the ancient, submerged remnants of the ancient city Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. The AICC leadership is also dealing with several political and organisational challenges at the national level. The Congress is preparing for the next phase of protests against the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), while Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders have shifted their attention to the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. The leadership is understood to be in no hurry to take a decision on the KPCC president when the choice could upset the balance among the different power centres in the state unit. E x p r e s s Re a d ASI to resume underwater exploration of Dwarka, Bet Dwarka by Dec historical and cultural remnants, could begin by December, subject to ASI’s approval. A team of underwater archaeology experts is expected to work with Professor Alok Tripathi, ASI’s former additional Director-General, who The Indian Olympic Association election has taken yet another intriguing turn. Its current president PT Usha is refusing to leave the battlefield without a fight. As per the provisional electoral college, she has entered her name from the Ice Hockey Association of India and would be in line to contest for the president’s post again. This will put her directly against those, including some National Sports Federations and a certain section of the sports ministry that was rallying behind some of the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit representatives. This can be seen as a direct defiance to whatever had transpired during the SOM election where Usha lost after four female SOMs grouped together to defeat her. World championships medallist Anju Bobby George, London Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal, former India archer Dola Banerjee and former hockey captain Rani Rampal came together against Usha after last-minute withdrawal dynamics that put her in a corner. There were allegations against multiple people, including IOA executive committee members. Some even alleged sports ministry interference. The latest episode has given the election a new twist. Usha, who until now was seen out of the presidential race, may get a new lease of life. She had apparently written to the International Olympic Committee as well about the ‘unfair manner’ in which the SOM was conducted. This also means that she is challenging everyone who has gone against her until now. The le gendary athlete coming through a vague organisation like ice hockey itself is interesting. Now, it needs to be seen how she maneuvers her votes this time. Amid intense lobbying, KPCC prez selection put on hold sacred city Pa r v e z S u lta n @ New Delhi Usha’s ‘ice’ play to stay in the IOA polls game said a source privy to the matter. The long gap says something about the discipline itself. Underwater archaeology in India remains nascent. Since 1981, the ASI has managed limited fieldwork on only 11 occasions, at sites including Mahabalipuram and Kaveripattinam in Tamil Nadu, Arikamedu in Puducherry, Loktak Lake in Manipur and Elephanta in Maharashtra. The 2007 work at Dwarka found the area densely layered with successive structures. As per ASI, the excavation yielded terracotta objects, beads, fragmented bangles, copper rings, iron ingots and pottery . Prof Tripathi’s team resumed limited excavation work last November near the ‘56 Seedhi’ steps by Gomti Ghat. With no open space around the Dwarkadheesh Temple, the excavation was confined to a small area. This time, space shouldn’t be a constraint. SSLC examinations to begin on March 1 T’Puram: The SSLC examinations in the state will be held from March 1 to 30, and the Higher Secondary Examinations for Plus One and Plus Two from March 2 to 30, General Education Minister N Samsudheen announced on Thursday. P4 Karthikeyan is new excise commissioner T’Puram: In a fresh reshuffle of IAS officers, the government has given Dr Karthikeyan S full additional charge of Excise Commissioner. P4