TADEPALLIGUDEM  FRIDAY  JUNE 27, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  CITY EDITION IR IRAN DELIVERED A SLAP ON FACE OF U.S., SAYS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER U. In his first comments since a ceasefire with Israel h after 12 days of war, Ayatollah Khamenei on Thursday warned US of any further attacks RECORDED SPEECH FULL OF WARNINGS IAEA CHIEF, HEGSETH CONCUR ON U.S. STRIKES Khamenei spoke in a recorded video broadcast on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19. The 86-year-old looked and sounded more tired than he did only a week ago, speaking in a hoarse voice and occasionally stumbling over his words. The 10-minute speech was filled with warnings and threats directed toward the United States and Israel ■ ■ Khamenei’s threats were preceded by IAEA director Rafael Grossi saying US attacks on Iran had largely destroyed its nuclear facilities US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted Thursday that American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites were a success. President created the conditions to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” Hegseth said | P9 1,054 IRANIANS DIED IN THE 12-DAY WAR, AS PER A U.S. BASED THINK TANK 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 Dragon spacecraft Govt to come up with Space Policy 4.0 soon EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Vijayawada 2 1. ISS crew greet Shubhanshu Shukla (C) and other astronauts after the docking of their spacecraft | PTI 1 Rajnath refuses to sign draft SCO joint statement Pak blocked inclusion of Pahalgam, mention of cross-border terror attacks in document M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi INDIA on Thursday declined to sign a joint declaration at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, China, as it failed to address the country’s concerns on terror. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who represented the country at the meet, sought the inclusion of explicit language condemning terror, particularly cross-border terrorism. However, the proposal was blocked by “one particular country,” Pakistan. Also, there was no mention of the recent Pahalgam terror attack in the draft. Sources said Pakistan wanted to include Balochistan in the joint statement, which was not acceptable to India. As the draft failed to address India’s core concerns, Rajnath refused to put India’s name on the document. In his address, Rajnath called on all SCO members to unite in combating terrorism in all its for ms and manifestations. He reiterated that the perpetrators, organisers, financers and sponsors of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, need to be held accountable and brought to justice. He emphasised that there can be no double standards in the global fight against terror. Black box data fully retrieved, analysis on EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Civil Aviation Ministry on Thursday said that the black box data of the Boeing 787 flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing over 270 people, has been successfully retrieved and is being analysed at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) lab in Delhi. The Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder of the ill-fated plane were brought from Ahmedabad to Delhi on Tuesday in an Indian Air Force aircraft. Boeing 787 aircraft has two black boxes, each having a CVR and an FDR. Both were recovered within a week after the crash. Pak wanted inclusion of Balochistan India demanded mention of the Pahalgam terror attack where 26 people were killed after regious profiling, but the proposal was blocked by ‘one particular country’. Sources said Pak wanted to include Balochistan in the joint statement, which was not acceptable to India. “I understand that the defence ministers could not adopt a joint statement. Certain member countries could not reach consensus on specific issues, and hence the document could not be finalised. India wanted concerns on terrorism to be reflected in the statement, which was not acceptable to one par ticular country,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs. Rajnath mentioned Operation Sindoor and asserted that it was launched in response to the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam. “During the Pahalgam terror attack, 26 people were shot dead after they were profiled on religious identity The Re. sistance Front, a proxy of UN-designated terror group Lashkar-eTaiba claimed responsibility for the attack.” 2. Screengrab of the docking Shux scripts history, first Indian in ISS B O S K Y K H A N N A @ Bengaluru GROUP Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS) as he floated into the space lab at 5.54 pm IST on Thursday The . Axiom-4 mission’s spacecraft capsule, Grace, carrying three other astronauts, docked with the space lab at 4.01 pm, 29 minutes ahead of schedule. Upon docking, mission commander Peggy Whitson of the USA, who is a former NASA astronaut and current director of Axiom Space (human space flight), sent a message to Mission Control Hus- SOFT CAPTURE AND HARD LOCKING After the ‘soft capture’ of the spacecraft by the ISS, the two were connected with 12 sets of hooks. A pressurised vestibule was created between the orbiting bodies and then hatches were opened to allow the Ax-4 crew to float into the ISS ton ground station and to the 11-astronaut team already on the ISS: “Grace happy to be on Harmony”. Harmony is the module on the ISS that provides international docking adapters. Shukla was the second to enter the ISS after Peggy The . entire docking exercise, in slow capture mode, was completed autonomously by `97-CR PROJECT Akhanda Godavari will give a boost to tourism: Minister E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Rajamahendravaram UNION Minister for Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has said the Akhanda Godavari Pushkara Project will boost tourism in the Godavari Region, besides providing direct and indirect employment to 8,000 people. Shekhawat, along with Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, laid the foundation stone for the `97 crore Akhanda Godavari Project at Pushkara Ghat in the city on Thursday . Speaking on the occasion, he said the allocation of funds for the project under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme will be utilised for the development of the Havelock Bridge, Pushkara Ghat and other important places. “Pushakara Ghat will become a major spiritual place in the country Tent city will be set up . in 120 acres of Bridge Lanka in the Godavari river, which is connected with the old rail bridge. Theme parks will be developed on the Havelock Bridge, showcasing the rich history of Rajamahendravaram,” Shekhawat said. The Union Minister assured that Rajamahendravaram will get heritage tag soon. He emphasised the potential of the tourism sector to generate employment opportunities, and contribute P4 to the State’s economy . Coming up, states water tax to reduce wastage for farming use J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi TO reduce wastage and misuse of groundwater, the Union government now plans to impose a tax on water usage for agricultural purposes. In collaboration with state governments, the Union government will soon launch 22 pilot projects across different states. Under this initiative, farmers will receive sufficient water and would be taxed based on its usage. “We are in the process of finalising pilot projects,” said C R Patil, Union Minister for Jal Shakti. “These will provide adequate water at a central location with enough pressure so that different farmers can uti- lize it according to their needs. Users will be taxed based on the quantity of water they consume,” he explained. According to the Annual Groundwater Extraction report, the farm sector accounts for 87% of 239.16 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water extracted. Indiscriminate extraction has led to seve r e d e p l e t i o n o f groundwater. The Centre has allocated `1,600 crore for this scheme. States would determine the tax. “It is essential to prevent misuse. Local water user associations, rather than the state, should levy taxes to control water wastage,” said Ashok K Meena, additional secretary, Dept of Drinking Water and Sanitation. GANGA WATER TREATY On the Ganga Water Treaty, which is set to expire next year, C R Patil said a decision would be made in the country’s best interest, as it is an international treaty. “The political situation in Bangladesh is not conducive to discussing another river treaty” Grace, with mission pilot Shukla’s services required only if any maneuvering glitches had occurred. All the four Ax-4 mission crew members, also including Ax-4 mission specialists Stawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, were warmly greeted with hugs and cheers by the astronauts of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Roscosmos already aboard the ISS. Incidentally, soon after docking, Ax-4 astronauts experienced a minor technical glitch with their communication system, needing five extra minutes before commencing the hatch opening procedures to enter the ISS. The entire docking exercise was completed in 13 minutes. The docking took place when the ISS was over the North Atlantic at an altitude of 400 km. Over the next two weeks, the AX-4 mission crew members will undertake 60 listed experiments. CHIEF Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to draft the Andhra Pradesh Space Policy 4.0, aiming to put the State on top in the space sector, while attracting `25,000 crore investments. The space policy is expected to create 5,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs, fostering economic growth and innovation. During a review meeting at his Undavalli camp office on Thursday, Naidu approved the establishment of Space Cities in Lepakshi and Tirupati, aligning with strategic goals for 2025-35. The policy will lay emphasis on collaboration with educational institutions to engage students in the space sector, and encourage the creation of common infrastructure under the plug-and-play model. Naidu also instructed the officials to form a technical committee to support this initiat ive, a n d i nv i t e l e a d i n g communication firms to invest in the State. Lepakshi Space City, spanning 500 acres, will focus on design, development, R&D, space startups, and innovation ecoP4 systems.