kannur l saturday l july 05, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Air India Express delayed Airbus engine fix, forged records: report DGCA rapped the budget carrier in March about not changing engine parts of an Airbus A320 on time, and forging records, Reuters reported European safety norms flouted: DGCA Papers doctored to show compliance 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 acknowledged the error to the Indian watchdog and claimed to have undertaken “remedial action and preventive measures” ■ The European Union Aviation Safety Agency in 2023 issued an ■ airworthiness directive to replace some components such as engine seals and rotating parts to address some manufacturing deficiencies DGCA’s surveillance revealed the modification was not done within the prescribed time, but records were altered to show compliance VT-ATD aircraft, which operates on domestic and some in’tl routes, needed the fix 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 After Rijiju flutter, govt says it has salvo against no position on religious matters US trade tariffs Proposes retaliatory tariffs on imports of select US auto parts under WTO norms India further emphasised that the US failed to formally INDIA has formally notified notify these safeguard measthe World Trade Organization ures to the WTO—a require(WTO) about its intention to ment under WTO rules for impose retaliatory tariffs on transparency and accountabilselect automobile parts im- ity India maintains that the US . ports from the US. actions violate the General This move comes as a direct Agreement on Tariffs and response to the US decision on Trade 1994 and the Agreement March 26 to implement on Safeguards. a 25% tariff on imports This is not India’s of passenger vehicles, first instance of WTOlight trucks, and cersanctioned retaliation. tain automobile parts Last month, India suboriginating in India, mitted a similar notifieffective May 3, 2025, cation to the WTO conand continuing indeficerning tariffs imposed nitely. India asserts by the US on steel, aluthat these US measures minum, and their deare inconsistent with rivative products. In The WTO WTO agreements and notification is a 2019, India also raised are causing significant tariffs on 28 US prodlegal and strategic step, har m to its trade ucts following the rebut whether interests. moval of its GeneralIn its notification to India will follow i z e d S y s t e m o f the WTO, India stated through remains Preferences status and uncertain that the proposed susthe continuation of pension of concessions metal tariffs, though Ajay Srivastava, or other obligations founder of Global those duties were rolled Trade Research would involve an inback in 2023 as part of a Initiative crease in tariffs on sebilateral truce. lected US products. The current escalaThis suspension is slated to tion in trade tensions comes take effect 30 days after the ahead of the July 9 deadline, date of the notification. which marks the end of a 90The US tariffs will impact day pause on the US plan to im$2.895 billion imports of Indi- pose country-specific reciproan-origin auto products annu- cal tariffs. ally, with duties totalling All eyes are now on the po$723.75 million. Therefore, In- tential announcement of an dia will suspend trade conces- interim trade deal between the sions of equivalent value. two nations. RA K E SH K UMAR @ New Delhi J aya n t h J a c o b a n d RA J E SH K UMAR THA K UR @ 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. “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 the decision regarding the reincarnation would rest solely with the established institution and the Dalai Lama himself, Tibetan students from Belgium practice ritual dance ‘cham’ in HP | PTI 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). There is no need for me or the government to say anything. Who would be the next Dalai Lama will be decided by him,” 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. The official Indian response came days after a landmark announcement by the 14th Dalai Lama, who, ahead of his 90th birthday, formally declared that the centuries-old institution of the Dalai Lama would continue after his death. The announcement ended decades of speculation surrounding the future of Tibetan Buddhism’s highest spiritual seat. “In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” the exiled Tibetan leader stated in a message posted on social media and his official website. He emphasized that only his personal institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, holds the legitimate authority to identify and recognise his reincarnation, warning that no external entities, including governments, have any right to interfere in the sacred process. China helped Pak during Op Sindoor: Army MAYA N K SI N GH @ New Delhi The government of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion Randhir Jaiswal, MEA spokesperson I speak as a devotee, I have faith in the Dalai Lama. Those who follow the Dalai Lama wish that he decides his successor Kiren Rijiju, Union minorities minister China used the four-day Operation Sindoor as a ‘live lab’ to test its weapons, as it provided Pakistan with ‘live inputs’ about key Indian positions, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development & Sustenance) Lt Gen Rahul R Singh said on Friday . The senior military officer said 81% of Pakistan’s military hardware is of Chinese make and that Pakistan was just the front face with China providing all support. “We had one border and two adversaries, actually three. Pakistan was in the front. China was providing all possible support,” said Lt Gen Singh, adding that Turkey gave Pakistan Bayraktar drones. “When DGMO-level talks were on, Pakistan had the live updates of our important vectors, from China,” he said. Lt Gen Singh made the com- Lt Gen Rahul Singh ments during a speech at the New Age Military Technologies’ event organised here by FICCI on Friday . Sharing the other lessons from Operation Sindoor, he said controlling the escalation ladder was an important consideration. “We should always be on the top of the escalation ladder. When we reach a military objective, we should try and put a stop to it,” he said. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, with an aim to destroy the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). Nipah strikes again: 2 cases confirmed, 3 districts on high alert E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Palakkad/ Kozhikode express read CM Pinarayi Vijayan to leave for US for treatment T’Puram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will leave for the United States on Saturday morning for treatment purposes in a premier hospital there. The Chief Minister’s Office said Pinarayi will leave for the US in the wee hours of Saturday. P5 Kottayam MCH witnesses violent protests Kottayam: The protests over the death of a woman following the collapse of a building at the Government MCH in Kottayam escalated to violent confrontation between police and protesters on Friday. The protests turned the MCH campus into a literal battlefield. P4 Union govt notifies Waqf mgmt rules P r ee 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 SC reserved its verdict on pleas 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 in charge of the waqf division. The portal will automatically generate unique identification numbers for each waqf and its associated properties. States have to appoint an officer as a nodal officer and set up a centralised support unit, in consultation with the Centre for streamlining uploading details of waqf and properties. Monsoon mayhem Trucks being swept away in floodwaters following heavy rainfall in Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh, on Friday | PTI ‘Resort politics’ among topics in Class X textbook E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram In addition to the powers and responsibilities of governors, Class X students in state syllabus schools will be familiarised with contemporary issues such as ‘resort politics’ — a disparaging reference to when political parties squirrel away their legislators to vacation hideaways to stave off defections — and the Supreme Court verdict striking down electoral bonds. These topics will figure in the second volume of the revised Class X social studies textbook, that was approved by the curriculum committee on Friday General Education Min. i s t e r V S iva n k u t t y, wh o chaired the meeting, said the revised second volume of textbooks for classes II, IV VI, VIII , and X would reach students before the Onam vacation. “The school textbooks are being revised after a decade and subjects such as social science that deal with political, economic and sociological concepts would require students to be familiarised with contemporary issues for better understanding,” State Council of Educational Re s e a r c h a n d T r a i n i n g (SCERT) director Jayaprakash R said. The official said topics such as electoral bonds and ‘resort politics’ have been mentioned without references to specific political parties. While electoral bonds have been mentioned to highlight the importance of transparency in democracy, the textbook mentions ‘resort politics’ as a threat to democracy while elaborating on defection by elected members. “These two topics come under the chapter ‘Democracy: An Indian Experience.’ The idea is to encourage classroom discussions on contemporary issues and generate interest and awareness among students,” the official said. Though the Emergency imposed in the country during the 1975-77 period had been mentioned in previous textbooks, it will be dealt with in more detail in the revised textbook under a separate subhead , titled ‘Emergency: A Crisis in Indian Democracy’. The move assumes significance in the wake of the Emergency becoming a major talking point during its 50th anniversary this year. More on P4 Triggering concerns, the deadly Nipah virus has resurfaced in Kerala, reportedly claiming the life of an 18-yearold girl from Malappuram. Another person, a 39-year-old woman from Palakkad, is in a critical condition after having contracted the virus. The samples of the two tested positive at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, on Friday . The teenager had died at a private hospital in Kozhikode on July 1, while the woman is under treatment at a private hospital in Perinthalmanna, Malappuram. The fresh Nipah cases have prompted heightened vigil in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad districts. Health Minister Veena George has directed authorities in the three districts to remain on high alert and initiate coordinated containment and surveillance activities. The teenager from Makkarapparamb in Malappuram was taken to Kozhikode from a private hospital in Kottakkal with high fever and vomitting on June 28. According to doctors, the Plus-Two student was brain dead when she was brought to the hospital. Meanwhile, health department officials Fresh scare The samples of a Malappuram girl, who died while under treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode on July 1, have tested positive for Nipah. A 39-year-old woman from Palakkad is in a critical condition after having contracted the virus. She is currently on ventilator support at a hospital in Perinthalmanna. said it was yet to confirm whether the cause of her death was Nipah. As many as 43 healthcare workers who came in contact with the girl have been quarantined. The patient from Palakkad is currently on ventilator support. “The woman first developed fever nearly 20 days ago and sought treatment at two places — a local clinic near her home in Palode and a facility in Karingillathani. Her movement across multiple clinics has expanded the scope of contact tracing and risk assessment,” said a senior health officer ● More on P4 from Palakkad. Suspended KU registrar calls Bharat Mata ‘lady with saffron flag’ set for historic meet The much-awaited Neeraj Chopra Classic, an event which will feature top-class javelin athletes, will be held in Bengaluru today | P11 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi Justice N Nagaresh of the Kerala High Court on Friday expressed displeasure over the suspended Kerala University registrar describing “Bharat Mata” as “a lady holding a saffron flag” in the petition challenging the disciplinary action against him. Registrar K S Anil Kumar was suspended by the vice- chancellor in-charge for cancelling permission for a June 25 event scheduled to be attended by Governor Rajendra Arlekar. He had cited the display of a controversial image of “Bharat Mata” carrying a saffron flag on the dais at the Senate Hall, Thiruvananthapuram as the reason for withdrawing the permission. During the hearing, Justice Nagaresh asked which provocative religious image was displayed at the venue. Then the counsel for the petitioner replied that there was a photograph of a lady holding a saffron flag. The court observed that it was “unfortunate” that the petitioner, in his plea, referred to “Bharat Mata” as “a photograph of a lady hold- ing a saffron flag placed in the centre of the stage on a very prominent spot, and it was garlanded as well and flowers were also laid on the table.” Though the petitioner sought an interim order staying the operation of the order of the vice-chancellor, the court did not interfere and adjourned the case to Monday . The petitioner argued that the charge that he had deliv- ered the order cancelling the permission when the governor was already on the stage was incorrect and baseless. As per the rules, only the university’s Syndicate was empowered to suspend the registrar. The VC can only initiate disciplinary action against officials up to the rank of deputy registrar and hence the registrar’s suspension was illegal, he contended.