AI Express delayed Airbus engine fix, forged records, finds report DGCA rapped the budget carrier in March about not changing engine parts of an Airbus A320 on time, and forging records, Reuters reported. Quoting a DGCA memo, the news agency on Friday reported that Air India Express falsified records to show compliance with the European Union’s aviation safety agency’s norms on timely replacement of engine parts. It added that the carrier claimed to have undertaken “remedial action” hubballi l saturday l july 05, 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 India fires fresh salvo against US trade tariffs Proposes retaliatory tariffs on imports of select US auto parts under WTO norms R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi INDIA has formally notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) about its intention to impose retaliatory tariffs on select automobile parts imports from the US. This move comes as a direct response to the US decision on March 26 to implement a 25% tariff on imports of passenger vehicles, light trucks, and certain automobile parts originating in India, effective May 3, 2025, and continuing indefinitely. India asserts that these US measures are inconsistent with WTO agreements and are causing significant harm to its trade interests. In its notification to the WTO, India stated that the proposed suspension of concessions or other obligations would involve an increase in tariffs on selected US products. This suspension is slated to take effect 30 days after the date of the notification. The US tariffs will impact $2.895 billion imports of Indian-origin auto products annually, with duties totalling $723.75 million. Therefore, India will suspend trade concessions of equivalent value. India further emphasised that the US failed to formally notify these safeguard measures to the WTO—a requirement under WTO rules for transparency and accountability India maintains that the US . actions violate the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 and the Agreement on Safeguards. This is not India’s first instance of WTO-sanctioned retaliation. Last month, India submitted a similar notification to the WTO concerning tariffs imposed by the US on steel, aluminum, and their derivative products. In 2019, India also raised tariffs on 28 US products following the removal of its Generalized System of Preferences status and the continuation of metal tariffs, though those duties were rolled back in 2023 as part of a bilateral truce. The current escalation in trade tensions comes ahead of the July 9 deadline, which marks the end of a 90-day pause on the US plan to impose country-specific reciprocal tariffs. All eyes are now on the potential announcement of an interim trade deal between the two nations. After Rijiju creates flutter, govt says it has no position on religious matters J aya n t h J a c o b a n d R A J E S H K U M A R THA K U R @ New Delhi India on Friday said it neither takes a position nor comments on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion, responding to the Dalai Lama’s recent statement on the continuation of the Dalai Lama institution, which had drawn a sharp reaction from China. “We have seen reports relating to the statement made by the Dalai Lama about the continuation of the Dalai Lama institution. The Government of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Tibetan students from Belgium practice a ritual dance ‘cham’ in HP | PTI “The government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so,” he further said. The statement came a day after Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that SC verdict reserved, Centre notifies Waqf mgmt rules Pree t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Even as petitions challenging the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 are pending before the Supreme Court, the Centre notified the “Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025”, dealing with the portal and database of waqf properties. The Supreme Court reserved its verdict on petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Waqf Amendment Act. According to the new rules, to ensure tracking and monitoring of waqf properties of all states, a centralised portal and database will be set up. It will be supervised by a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Minority Affairs. The portal will automatically generate unique identification numbers for each waqf and its associated properties. All states have to appoint an officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary as a nodal officer and set up a centralised support unit, in consultation with the Centre for streamlining uploading details of waqf and properties. the decision regarding the reincarnation would rest solely with the established institution and the Dalai Lama himself, which was widely read as the official Indian position because there were no disclaimers. On Thursday, Rijiju walked back on his byte, clarifying that his comments were personal and made as a devotee of the Dalai Lama. “There is no need for any confusion on the Dalai Lama issue. All the people across the world who believe in Buddhism and follow the Dalai Lama want him to decide (on his succession),” Rijiju said. Soon enough, China rebutted, urging India to act cautiously on Tibet-related issues to avoid its impact on the improvement of bilateral ties. express read Neeraj Chopra Classic starts in B’luru today Bengaluru: The Neeraj Chopra Classic, the first-ever international javelin throw event in India that will feature top-class athletes, will kickstart at the Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday | P2 China used India-Pak war as live lab: Dy Army chief New Delhi: China used the four-day India-Pakistan conflict in May like a “live lab” to test various weapon systems and was providing all possible support to Islamabad, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul R Singh said | P10 dharmasthala former staffer ‘I burnt, buried bodies of schoolgirls, women who were raped’ the whistleblower. He claimed that along with his complaint, he has IN a spine-chilling revela- also submitted the phototion, a Dalit man, a former graphs of the remains of the sanitation employee with bodies he had buried to the the Dharmasthala temple police that he had recently administration, has con- exhumed. fessed to the Dakshina Kan“I request the police to exnada police that he was hume the remains of bodies forced to burn and bury the buried by me. About 11 years bodies of several women, in- ago, I left Dharmasthala cluding schoolgirls, who along with my family and were raped and murdered hid ourselves and lived in a in Dharmasthala and sur- neighbouring state. We are rounding areas between 1998 haunted daily that we will and 2014. also be killed. I was born into The person a lower caste family claimed that he has and I worked as a come forward after sanitation worker almost a decade now The person has from 1995 to Decemdue to remorse and requested not to ber 2014 under Dharto ensure justice for masthala temple. I reveal his the rape-and-murder identity and we used to take up cleanhave registered ing work in and victims. a case Dakshina Kannaaround the Nethrada SP Arun K told vathi river. Initially I Arun K, DK SP TNIE that a case has saw many bodies and been registered at assumed that they the Dharmasthala police might be of victims of suistation based on the com- cide or accidental drowning. plaint on July 3 under Sec- Majority of the bodies were tion 211(a) of the BNS. “The of women and most of them person has requested not to were without clothes. Some reveal his identity and after of the bodies had signs of obtaining necessary permis- sexual assault and violence sion from the court, we reg- including strangling and istered a case,” the SP said. other wounds. In 1998, my The whistleblower has supervisor directed me to sealso sought protection for cretly dispose of the bodies. him and his family The de- When I refused and told him . tails of the complaint were I would report it to the poreleased by advocates Ojas- lice, I was assaulted brutalwi Gowda and Sachin Desh- ly,” he stated in his compande, who are representing plaint. CONTINUED ON P4 E x p ress Ne w s S er v i c e @ Mangaluru