US trade court strikes down reciprocal tariffs In a big blow to US President Donald Trump, New York-based Court of International Trade blocked most of his tariffs after finding that he overstepped his authority to regulate imports under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The White House disagreed with the ruling and filed an appeal | P10 kalaburagi l friday l may 30, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION 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 Air Chief’s plainspeak on delays Tharoor calls his critics ‘zealots’ in defence acquisition timelines by a reference to the several attacks in recent years alone, A fresh war of words erupt- during which previous Indied between Congress MP an responses were both reShashi Tharoor and his par- strained and constrained by ty colleagues on Thursday, our responsible respect for underscoring the growing the LoC and the IB.” rift between them. After facAfter his clarification ing backlash for his remarks failed to broker peace with a on the surgical strike by In- section of party leaders, sendian forces in 2016 by breach- ior leader Randeep Surjewing the Line of Control ala stepped in to defuse the (LoC), ter med his situation, saying the censurers ‘zealots’. Kerala leader is part Tharoor took to soof the Congress famcial media to clarify ily though his remark his comments. was incorrect. “For those zealots Tharoor is heading fulminating about a multi-party delegamy supposed ignotion to five countries. rance of Indian val- Shashi Tharoor While speaking in our across the LoC: Panama, he reportin the past.. I was clearly and edly said India breached the explicitly speaking only LoC for the first time in 2016. about reprisals for terrorist Taking a swipe at this stateattacks and not about previ- ment, Congress spokesperous wars;… But as usual, son Udit Raj said Tharoor critics and trolls are wel- should be made a “super come to distort my views spokesperson of the BJP”. and words as they see fit. I Meanwhile, many BJP genuinely have better things leaders including Union to do,” he said. minister Kiren Rijiju came Tharoor further wrote: in support of Tharoor, ques“My remarks were preceded tioning Congress’ motives. PARVE Z S U LTA N @ New Delhi Says at times deals are signed knowing fully well that delivery schedule would not be met M AYA N K SI N G H @ New Delhi Air Chief Marshal A P Singh on Thursday did some plainspeak on the inordinate delays in defence acquisition, saying sometimes deals are signed knowing full well that the promised delivery timelines would not be met. “Why should we promise something which cannot be achieved?” he wondered while addressing the CII Annual Business Summit 2025. “While signing the contract itself sometimes we are sure that it is not going to come up, but we just sign the contract. Uske baad dekhenge kya karna hai (We will later see what is to Opening AMCA for pvt sector very big step Lauding the inclusion of private players in the development of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) as a very big step, the Air Chief said, “I’m sure this will pave the way for bigger things in future.” be done). Obviously then the process gets vitiated.” He added that there was not a single project he could think of that had been completed on time. The IAF’s lethal firepower brought Pakistan to its knees in the recent four-day war as part of Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam terror at- tack. This was despite delays in new inductions, which are perennial in the IAF. Its combat strength is not just dwindling, many of its fighter aircraft are reaching obsolescence. While its sanctioned strength of combat squadrons is 42, the actual strength hovers around 30, with each of them having around 18 aircraft. For example, Hindustan Aeronautics had assured it would begin delivery of 24 Tejas MKIA jets in February 2024. However, not one of them has been delivered yet. “Deliveries of Tejas MK-IA are delayed. The prototype of Tejas MK-2 is yet to roll out. There is no prototype yet of the stealth Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) fighter,” Air Chief Singh said. He had in March flagged the issue of the “badly off ” numbers of fighter aircraft in the force. While it will take time to fill the existing gap, he said he would favour indigenously developed jets. K’taka forms Spl Task Force to prevent communal flare-ups Express News Service @Bengaluru Part two dystopian situation in bangladesh The Yunus govt has pushed people into agitation mode and the country into a near-dystopian situation, reports senior journalist Monideepa Banerji | P9 In a bid to tackle the rising instances of communal violence, the Karnataka government has established a Special Action Force (SAF) to monitor and prevent unrest in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Shivamogga. Headed by a DIGrank officer, the task force will focus on monitoring communal elements, hate speech, and social media content, while working closely with local police to ensure peace and security . The SAF comprises 248 personnel, who have been reassigned from the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF). It will be organized into three companies, each DK top cops shunted out Mangaluru: Close on the heels of back-to-back murders, the government on Thursday shunted out Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal and Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Yatish N | P4 stationed in one of the three districts that have experienced recurring communal tensions in recent years. The force’s responsibilities include monitoring hate speech, inflammatory statements, and extremist activities, as well as tracking social media content that could incite violence. The SAF will also collaborate with local police forces to address any communal incidents. The task force will operate under the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the range. P4 Min asks film chamber to ban Haasan film M o h a mm e d Ya c o o b @Bengaluru KAMAL Haasan is renowned for his mastery of dialogue on screen. Now an unscripted slipup on a public platform, that too on the provenance of Kannada language, has resulted in a storm of protest, with Minister for Kannada and Culture, Shivaraj Tangadagi, calling for a ban on the actor’s new movie in the state. Tangadagi has sent a letter to Karnataka Film Chamber Of Commerce (KFCC) directing them to impose a ban on Thug Life, Haasan’s latest film, if the actor did not offer an apology . The minister told TNIE, “Kannada is our pride and we will not tolerate any insult to it. I have communicated to the film chamber that, until and unless the actor serves an apology, his film should not be released in Karnataka.” P Narasimhalu, President, KFCC, told TNIE that he agreed with the minister’s view.  P5 express read Apologise to K’buragi DC, HC tells BJP MLC HC sets aside decision to withdraw 43 cases Fraud amount jumps 3 times in FY25: RBI Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday orally asked BJP MLC N Ravi Kumar to tender an apology to Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner Fauzia Tarannum for his controversial remarks against her | P4 Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has set aside the state’s decision to withdraw prosecution of the accused, including former ministers and MLAs, in 43 criminal cases, including the 2022 Hubballi riots case | P4 Mumbai: The overall number of frauds, including those related to loan accounts, jumped by three times in FY25, primarily due to reclassification of 122 cases as per a SC order, the Reserve Bank said in its annual report | P11