NEW DELHI 01 JUNE 2025 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in Crack the Carb Cycle DARK AI THE BLACK HOLE PLUS: 12 PAGES MAGAZINE After the Guns Go Quiet EXCLUSIVE VOICES Pushpesh Pant Devdutt Pattanaik Ravi Shankar Preeti Shenoy Paddling through Peril and Purpose Dinesh Singh Prabhu Chawla Shankkar Aiyar Anuradha Goyal Farway Festival of Eclectic Esoterica Musk’s Mind and Mayhem SWAMI SUKHABODHANANDA SPEAKS ‘I have Imposter Syndrome’ Living with Enlightenment Forces rectified tactical mistakes and hit Pak; Islamabad’s claim of downing 6 Indian jets rubbish Suffered initial losses during Op Sindoor: CDS M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi AI Delhi-S’pore flight faces two aborted takeoffs after tech glitch S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi THE Air India flight from Delhi to Singapore on Saturday experienced a technical glitch, resulting in 8.5-hour delay for over 100 passengers. Flyers were stuck inside the flight for four hours before being deplaned and taken back to the terminal. AI 2382 took off from Terminal 3 of IGIA for Changi Airport at 12.47 pm. Problems cropped up during takeoff. Abhiraj Singh, a student pursuing MSBA at the National University of Singapore, said, “Our flight was about to take off when it was steered back and later taken to the parking bay to rectify the issue. Three hours later, as the flight moved just 10 metres from the bay the , issue persisted, and it could not take off again.” Singh said, “We were taken to the terminal building in shuttle buses and told that our flight would take off only by 8.30 pm.” Sahaj Agarwal, another student on his way to Vietnam via Singapore, said, “I wanted to stay with a friend for a night in Singapore and then head to Vietnam. That plan hangs in the balance now.” Air India sources confirmed that a technical glitch had delayed the flight. “We have given the passengers the options of complimentary rescheduling or the refund of the flight ticket if they would not like to travel by the late flight,” a source said. CHIEF of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan on Saturday acknowledged aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor, but rubbished Islamabad’s claim of downing six Indian fighter jets, including four Rafale fighters, as “absolutely incorrect”. The CDS’ comments on Operation Sindoor came during an interaction with Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of ShangriLa Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday When asked whether . Pakistan downed Indian jets, the CDS said: “What is important is not the jet being downed, but why they were being downed, what mistakes were made—that is important.” Without going into the details, he said: “The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and fly all our jets again, targeting at long range.” Earlier this month, Air Marshal A K Bharti, the DG Air Operations had noted that “losses are a part of combat” while stressing that all IAF pilots What is important is not the jet being downed, but why they were being downed, what mistakes were made—that is important GEN ANIL CHAUHAN, CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF who took part in Operation Sindoor returned home safely . The operation was jointly conducted by the Indian Air Force and the Army to destroy terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied kashmir. During the limited war, both countries deployed a large numbers of drones and missiles. “Indian Army destroyed more than 600 drones using multi-layered air defence systems”, said a source. “The Akashteer Command and Control System increased efficiency as it was able to detect, track and inform about the enemy drones, missiles and aircraft,” the source added. On US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire claim, the CDS said it was ‘far-fetched’. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi COLOMBIA has withdrawn its statement offering condolences to Pakistan for the loss of lives following India’s military strikes in response to the Pahalgam attack after an Indian parliamentary delegation explained Islamabad’s relentless support to cross-border terrorism. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading the all-party delegation to the South American country, said he was ‘very pleased’ to confirm Bogota’s withdrawal of the controversial statement after meeting Vice Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio. In the last two Shashi Tharoor days, the nine-member delegation held a series of meetings with Colombia’s senior political brass, apprising India’s policy of “zero tolerance for terrorism” and its retaliatory strikes against terror infrastructure on Pakistani soil following the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Other members of the delegation include Tejasvi Surya (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Shambhavi (LJP), GM Harish Balayogi (TDP) and former ambassador of India to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu. P7 100-DAY BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN DELHI A PRIORITY, SAYS GUPTA A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi MISS WORLD 2025 Thailand’s Opal Suchata Chuangsri after being crowned the 72nd Miss World in Hyderabad on Saturday | VINAY MADAPU EXPRESS READ Rajeev Krishna named new acting DGP of UP Senior IPS officer Rajeev Krishna appointed as new acting DGP of Uttar Pradesh replacing Prashant Kumar. Krishna recently oversaw the completion of India’s largestever police recruitment drive. Russia to deliver two S-400 batteries next yr India is set to get the remaining two missile batteries of S-400 strategic air defence system from Russia next year, according to sources. The missile system played a key role in Op Sindoor. WORDS WORK Auditions, mock commentary: How commentators prepare for IPL S WA R O O P S WA M I N AT H A N @ Chennai INDIAN cricket has moved beyond Hindi and English commentaries. The transition as always was not easy When the . Indian Premier League’s host broadcaster decided to expand their footprint by offering commentary in multiple regional languages including Haryanvi, Punjabi and Bhojpuri, the top management had to workaround an issue. Considering several Indian languages didn’t lend itself to cricket commentary they had to come up with , a dossier of sorts to get the audience hooked. That’s when they came across the idea of terms the commentators could use to connect better with the fans they were addressing. “We worked with the guys and created a bi- “There is a lot of space between conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold,” he added. He said channels of communication with Pakistan “were always open” to control the situation. He also ascertained that there were “more sub-ladders which can be exploited for settling out our issues” without needing to resort to nuclear weapons. On the issue of disinformation, the CDS said: “Combating fake news was a constant effort. Our communication strategy was deliberate; we chose to be measured, not reactive... India has always built its narratives on solid ground, even if we have sometimes been slow to present them.” Very pleased with Bogota U-turn on Pak, says Tharoor Sarandeep Singh ble,” says Siddharth Sharma, content head at JioStar (sports). He said that Bhojpuri and Haryanvi are languages that never existed (from a cricket commentary perspective). “What are some catchphrases that you could use? What happens when (Virat) Kohli comes down the track and hits a cover drive? What will you tell?” Over time, the broadcaster worked with the commentators to come up with ‘bibles’ in all 12 languages, including Hindi and English. If one thought playing cricket for India is enough to be a commentator, hiring process for commentators are a bit more complicated. It includes auditions, mock commentary sessions as well as feedback protocols. “It’s difficult,” says Sarandeep Singh, Delhi’s Ranji Trophy coach who doubles up as an expert on JioStar. “It’s all in the words and how we express them. Words will look similar but we will have to speak in a different way .” When he was asked to give an audition, his first thought was ‘why an audition? I have played Tests for India. But he quickly understood that speaking cricket on broadcast is very difP11 ferent. CHIEF Minister Rekha Gupta said her dispensation was all about honest governance, public welfare, and structural reforms. Speaking at a programme at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to mark 100 days of her government, Gupta emphasised that her administration didn’t waste time making “false promises”. On Yamuna, the CM said the previous AAP government put up a show in the name of cleaning the river, but her government made the Yamuna rejuvenation a top priority from day one. A `9,000 crore provision was made in the Delhi Jal Board budget to strengthen the sewerage system and water supply infra. “In the last 100 days, several lakh metric tons of waste have been removed from drains. Officials have been di- Education should rected to complete be accessible and fair. We are drain cleaning before committed to the monsoon. Sewer ensuring that work has been initiated no parent is in 1,700 unauthorised burdened colonies,” she said. unfairly Gupta stated that the Rekha Gupta, CM AAP government kept Delhi out of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, but the BJP dispensation corrected it in the first Cabin e t m e e t i n g by ap p rov i n g t h e implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. On education, the CM said the AAP government only focused on publicity, but her administration approved the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation & Regulation of Fees) Bill 2025, aimed at curbing arbitrary practices in private schools. SMOKING NOT CHIC ANYMORE After glamorising tobacco for decades, France is preparing for its most sweeping smoking ban. The new curbs will outlaw smoking in virtually all outdoor public areas. | P9 INDIAN-ORIGIN MIT STUDENT Megha Vemuri barred from graduation commencement for her pro-Palestine speech Trump to double steel, alu tariffs D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi THE Trump administration in the US is planning to double down its efforts to curb metal imports as it is planning to increase tariffs on steel and aluminium from 25% to 50% citing security reasons. “We’re going to bring it from 25% to 50% — the tariffs on steel into the United States of America, which will even further secure the steel industry in the United States,” US President Donald Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania. This could come as a double whammy for the Indian Steel industry, which is already facing risk of ‘dumping’ from China. The US government raised the tariff on steel and aluminium to 25% in February this year. When the US announced retaliatory tariffs on imports from around 60 countries in April, it had kept steel and aluminium out of its purview. For India, the consequences are direct, says Ajay Srivastava, founder, GTRI. India exported $4.56 billion worth of iron, steel, and aluminium products to the US in FY25. “These exports are now exposed to sharply higher US tariffs, threatening the profitability of Indian producers and exporters,” he said. The economic impact would be significant for the US as well. It is expected to push US prices to about $1,180, squeezing US industries such as automotive, construction, that depend on steel and aluminium as key inputs.