THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l monday l april 14, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION trump fully fit to don role of commander-in-chief: docs Test reports of Donald Trump said he has dropped 20 pounds since his last physical test in 2020. He now weighs 224 pounds underwent colonoscopy, eye surgery In July 2024, according to the report, Trump had a colonoscopy that found a benign polyp and a condition called diverticulosis. It’s a common condition in which the walls of the intestine weaken with age. It can lead to inflammation, though most people with it never experience any problems. Trump also had cataract surgery ■ 62 faces risk of elevated blood pressure ■ Trump’s cholesterol levels have improved over time, helped by the medications rosuvastatin and ezetimibe, the report said His blood pressure was 128 over 74. That is considered elevated, and people in that situation are likely to develop high blood pressure unless steps are taken to control the condition beats per minute is the heart rate of donald trump as per reports 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 NIA seeks voice Kerala Police look to add firepower with AK-203 rifles samples of 26/11 co-conspirator T o b y A n t o n y @ Kochi modernising Probe team also plans to take Tahawwur Rana to Kochi to confront ‘mystery witness’ MUKESH R AN J AN @ New Delhi IN a bid to corroborate call recordings in possession of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the probe team is looking to collect voice samples of Tahawwur Rana, the extradited co-conspirator of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. The agency is also preparing to take him to different places across India, including Kochi, which he had visited multiple times before and after the terror attack on November 26 that year, sources said. Before taking his voice samples, investigators would need Rana’s consent. If he refuses, the NIA team can approach the special court. Once the court’s permission is obtained, experts from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory will be roped in to collect the voice samples, they added. The voice samples could then be used for matching with Rana’s call records to figure out if he was on the phone giving instructions to the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai from November 26 to 28. According to sources, a ‘mystery witness’, who is in NIA custody, belongs to Kochi and investigators plan to take Rana to the southern city to confront him. The ‘mystery witness’ had helped Rana and David Coleman Headley, another accused in the case, in arranging logistics. It is learnt that at least two officers of the NIA Kochi unit are part of the team of 12 investigators questioning Rana. Investigators are also examining if Rana was connected to Dawood Ibrahim or his criminal network based in Dubai. Rana is being questioned not just for his role in the Mumbai attacks, but also to see if he was involved in planning similar terror attacks in other cities, sources said. Keeping this in mind and to retrace events that took place 17 years ago to unravel the conspiracy, the sources said, the NIA probe team may take Rana to several other locations across the country . Besides informing the NIA team about his origins in Pakistan, family, education, immigration to Canada with his wife and opening a travel agency in Chicago, Rana largely remained uncooperative, sources said, adding that he has so far claimed his inability to recall the chain of events but confir med his presence in Mumbai one week before the attack. Accuracy rate & reliability of AK-203 claimed to be higher than that of Insas rifles used by the state police Rifles used by Kerala Police AK-47 Insas Ghatak SLR .303 (phased out) arsenal AK-203 Vs Insas 4 kg Weight 4.3 kg 880 mm-940mm Length 960mm-1110mm Calibre 5.56mm 7.62mm 7.62X39mm Cartridge 400-800 m Effective range 5.56x45mm 400 m 700 rounds/min Rate of fire 600 rounds/min 30-round box magazine/50round quadcolumn magazine Magazine 20 rounds box Insas rifles were developed in India by the Armament Research and Development Establishment Kerala Police is set to enhance its firepower with the procurement of advanced AK203 assault rifles — a modern derivative of the legendary AK47. The department has floated a tender for the purchase of 250 AK-203 rifles. An amount of `2.5 crore has been allocated from the Police Modernisation Fund for the purpose. “We are looking to replace some of the ageing rifles in the police armoury with more advanced firearms. We prefer the AK-203 as it is an upgraded version of the AK-47, which is already in use by our armed wing,” a senior officer with the Kerala Police Headquarters said. “At present, we plan to procure around 250 rifles, at an expected cost of `1 to `1.5 lakh AIADMK’s induction gives NDA comfortable majority in the RS R A J ESH KUMA R THAKU R @ New Delhi With the AIADMK joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) a few days ago, the ruling alliance now has a comfortable majority in the Rajya Sabha. “The addition of four AIADMK MPs has solidified the NDA’s support in the Upper House. Our aim is to get the One Nation, One Election (ONOE) and other important bills passed in the House as soon as possible,” said a senior Rajya Sabha member of the BJP, requesting anonymity . While the Rajya Sabha has a total of 245 seats, nine of them are vacant and are expected to be filled through nominations in the coming days. “In effect, the working strength of the Ra- jya Sabha now is 236, and the simple majority stands at 119. That was where the NDA stood before it stitched up an alliance with the AIADMK. The AIADMK has four members in the Upper House — C V Shanmugam, M Thambidurai, N Chandrasegharan and R Dharma. Its induction raised the NDA’s count to 123.” Add to that the support of seven other MPs — six nominated and one Independent. That t a ke s t h e e f f e c t ive strength to 130. T h e n t h e re i s A n d h r a Pradesh, where one Rajya Sabha seat is vacant. It was earlier held by the YSR Congress. With the party routed in the assembly elections, the seat is likely to go to the ruling TDP, which is a key NDA ally. Four seats remain vacant for nominated MPs, which the BJP may want to pocket. Four other seats are vacant from J&K. The BJP hopes to take at least one of them whenever polls are held, given its strength of 29 MLAs in the 90-member J&K assembly . If things pan out as expected by the BJP, the NDA’s strength could reach around 140. It would be the first time since 2014 that the NDA would have a clear majority in both Houses of Parliament. “If that happens, the NDA would easily be able to get important bills like the ONOE passed in the Rajya Sabha comfortably,” remarked noted political analyst Dr R K Verma. E X P RE S S RE A D Women teachers lose out on top posts: Report The New Indian Express wishes its readers a T’Puram: Kerala has the highest proportion of women among tertiary level teachers (assistant professors and above) in the country, a report released by the Union government said. However, while the state has nearly double the number of women assistant professors at the entry level compared to male counterparts, their numbers are lower than men at higher levels such as associate professor and professor. P4 Battle against Maoists in its last phase: Soren E Gokul Holiday: Our offices will remain closed today. There will be no issue of the paper tomorrow. russian missiles kill 30 in ukraine Firefighters try to put out a blaze following Russia’s missile attack that killed at least 30 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine | AP Ranchi: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren said the battle against the Maoists is in its last phase in the state. He was speaking after paying tributes to the jawan of Jharkhand Jaguar who died during an anti-Maoist operation. P8 per unit. More rifles may be acquired in subsequent phases,” the officer said. The AK-203, widely used by the Indian Army, is known for its reliability durability and ac, curacy They are manufactured . in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh through a India-Russia joint venture. So far, the Army has received nearly one lakh AK203 rifles, with an additional 70,000 units on order. Apart from military use, several states are also considering AK203 rifles for their police and commando forces. Currently, the Kerala Police arsenal includes AK-47s, Insas (Indian Small Arms System) rifles, self-loading rifles (SLRs), and Ghatak rifles. The vintage .303 rifles, once a staple of the force, have been phased out and are now used only for ceremo- nial purposes. The most modern weapon in the current inventory is the German-made Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine gun, with 20 units procured in 2020. The force also uses pistols procured from international firearms companies. The AK-203 weighs approximately 4kg (without a loaded magazine) and is designed to chamber a 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge — compared with the 5.56 mm calibre of the Insas rifle. With an effective range of 400 to 800 metres, the AK-203 supports both 30-round detachabl e b ox m a g a z i n e s a n d 50-round quad-column magazines. It also features accessory rails to mount telescopic sights and night vision devices, enhancing accuracy in low-light ● More on P4 conditions. zero levy Trump tariff fiat gives Indian electronics 20% advantage over China R a k e s h K u m a r @ New Delhi INDIA’s exports of iPhones and other electronics items — such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets — to the United States will be 20% cheaper compared to those from China, according to the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA). While the US has exempted reciprocal tariffs on electronic imports from most countries, Chinese electronics — particularly iPhones and related devices — continue to face a 20% tariff. India and Vietnam — two major iPhone manufacturing hubs — now benefit from zero tariffs on exports of iPhones, smartphones, laptops, and tablets to the US. The US had said reciprocal tariff on Indian electronics exported to the US was set at 26%, while China faced a 145% tariff and Vietnam 46%. A week later, the US postponed the imposition of these tariffs for 90 days, excluding China. On Friday the US , Customs and Border Protection published a notice strike by estaTe staff threatens to stall township work stating that electronic items — including smartphones, computer monitors, and other gadgets — would be excluded from the reciprocal tariffs announced by the Trump administration. This included the removal of the 26% tariff on Indian products and the 145% tariff on Chinese goods. According to Counterpoint Research, Apple accounted for more than half of smartphone sales in the US last year. As a result, Apple may accelerate its plans to shift and expand its manufacturing operations in India. The tariff exemption brings relief to India. India’s mobile phone exports hit an all-time high of `2,00,000 crore in FY 2024–25, a spike of 55% over the `1,29,000 crore recorded in FY 2023–24. India’s total mobile phone production is estimated to have reached `5,25,000 crore in financial year 2024-25, up from `4,22,000 crore in last fiscal year. Currently, t h re e m a j o r iPhone manufacturers operate in India: Foxconn (67% share), Pegatron (17%), and Tata Electronics (16%). Elstone Estate workers say they will allow construction of the Wayanad township project only after receiving the pending allowances and benefits | P5 7 months on, Law Commission may get new head in retd SC judge Maheshwari 16-member group defies custom, enters ‘nalambalam’ Pilicode temple Pr e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi After remaining headless for over seven months, the 23rd Law Commission may get a new chief this week. According to highly placed sources, former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Dinesh Maheshwari is likely to head the law panel. Along with Justice Maheshwari, two more members will take charge. One of them could be Prof D P Verma, former member of 22nd Law Commission, sources said. A formal notifica- tion announcing Justice Maheshwari’s appointment is expected in a couple of days, sources said. The 23rd law panel was set up on September 2 last year for a period of three years. Though there is a provision to appoint serving Supreme Court and high court judges as its chairperson and members, usually retired top court judges and ex-chief justices of high courts get to hold that high office. According to its terms of reference, the commission is also tasked to examine whether a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) can be introduced in the country . Justice Maheshwari retired from the Supreme Court in May 2023. He took oath as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court in September 2004 and was transferred to the Allahabad High Court in 2014. Justice Maheshwari was promoted as the chief justice of the Meghalaya High Court in February 2016. Two years later, he was transferred to the Karnataka High Court as chief justice. In 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court. Express News Service @ Kasaragod Breaking with tradition, a 16-member group entered the nalambalam (inner quadrangle) of the Sree Rayaramangalam Bhagavathi temple in Pilicode, Kasaragod, on Sunday to offer prayers. Historically, only members of certain castes are allowed entry to the nalambalam of the temple, which is under the control of the Malabar Devaswom Board. But this custom was disrupted under the leadership of a ‘janakiya samithi’, formed on the initiative of the ‘Ninavu Purusha Swayam Sahayaga The group returns after offering prayers inside the nalambalam Sangam.’ Sangam members took the lead by passing a resolution and forming the samithi, which organised efforts to ensure the entry of all devotees into the temple’s nalambalam. Umesh Pilocode, chairman of the samithi, said, “Many years ago, devotees were per- mitted access only up to the outer boundary of the temple premises. Even in more recent times, this was limited to beyond the nalambalam, without the opportunity to enter the inner sanctum. Following the recent puna prathishta (re-consecration) ritual, local residents submitted a petition, with the signatures of 1,900 people, requesting that all devotees be granted permission to enter the nalambalam. The appeal was forwarded to temple authorities, including the Malabar Devaswom Board, as well as to the local MLA, MP, and minister concerned.” Traditionally only Brahmins , and Ambalavasis had unrestricted access to the nalambalam, while individuals belonging to certain other castes, including Nairs and the Maniyani community were permitted , entry only on specific ceremonial occasions such as poorolsavam and patolasavam. “We contacted the temple thantri, who said those who wish to enter may do so. But he absolved himself of responsibility for what may happen upon their entry He said he was . neither permitting nor denying entry. We expect more people, including women, to enter the nalambalam in the coming days,” said Umesh.  ● More on P4