coimbatore l sunday l july 13, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION Screening does not stop after visa has been issued, warns U.S. embassy The US embassy in India on Saturday said that visa screening is an ongoing process and warned American visa holders against violating US laws Visa can be revoked, violators deported In a strongly worded warning, issued through the New Delhi-based US embassy’s X handle, the diplomatic mission said that if visa holders don’t follow US laws, then their visas can be revoked and they can be deported. The latest warning came a day after the embassy said that “falsifying or omitting information can lead to visa denial and future visa ineligibility” Must disclose Social media handles ■ On Friday, through a detailed video, the US embassy had sought ■ student and exchange programme applicants to list all social media handles used in the past five years on their DS-160 visa forms “If you omit your social media information, it could lead to a visa denial, and you might become ineligible for future visas,” it said June 19 An earlier embassy advisory termed American visa ‘a privilege, not a right’ 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 AIADMK will form govt with majority: EPS B a g a l a v a n P e r i e r @ Cuddalore The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) will win the 2026 assembly elections with a majority and form the government, said party general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks during an exclusive interview with TNIE. Shah had said that NDA will get a landslide victory in Tamil Nadu and BJP will be part of the government. When asked about Shah’s remarks, Palaniswami responded tersely to re por ters in P u d u c h e r r y, saying, “Have I not said it clearly? AIADMK will win with a majority Palaniswami and form the g ove r n m e n t . Thank you!” He did not elaborate or categorically rule out the possibility of including alliance parties in the government if the AIADMK secures a majority on its own. Palaniswami’s comment on Saturday is seen as his most unambiguous reaction so far to the idea of an alliance government, and indication of AIADMK’s reluctance to share power with the BJP . The idea of coalition gover nment has remained a thorny issue ever since the AIADMK renewed its partnership with BJP . P5 preliminary report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau indicates AI 171 pilot error Whodunit: Fuel cut after 3 secs in air 01:38:39 pm Air India 171 lifts off 01:38:42 pm Maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots Immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and 2 fuel cutoff switches transition from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another within 1 sec E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi One of the pilots heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why did he cutoff the engines. The other says he didn’t Fateful 26 seconds reply to shah 01:38:47 pm Ram Air Turbine gets deployed during initial climb immediately after liftoff as engines lose power 01:38:52 pm Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch transitions from CUTOFF to RUN Engine Fuel switch L and R 01:38:54 pm Engine 1 fuel inlet door begins to open 01:38:56 pm I n the c o c k pit Engine 2 fuel cutoff switch transitions from CUTOFF to RUN Engine 1’s core deceleration stops, reverses, starts progress to recovery Engine 2 relights but could not arrest core speed deceleration; reintroduces fuel repeatedly to increase core speed acceleration and recovery 01:39:05 pm One pilots transmits “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” call. Plane crashes into a building No significant bird activity observed in the vicinity Capt Sumeet Sabharwal , 56, with 30 years of experience at AI. Had 15,638 flying hours, including 8,596 hrs on Boeing 787 gingee fort gets world heritage site tag The TN fort and 11 other forts that were part of the Maratha Military Landscapes got the UNESCO recognition on Friday | P4 Ball change to using buffalo hide in India, Dukes in focus F i r o z M i r z a @ London Just like the centuries of KL Rahul and Joe Root, even the Duke balls used during the Test series were in the news. They were changed twice on Friday — once when the new ball was taken after 80 overs and was only 63 balls old and the second time when the replacement ball was booted only 48 balls later. It was changed once on Saturday. It made Root to propose a limit to ball change. “I personally think that if you want to keep getting the ball changed then each team gets three challenges every 80 overs and that’s it,” he said on Friday . Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah added a new dimension to it when he said hot and dry weath- Location of engine fuel switches in a Dreamliner. They were inexplicably shut 3 secs after liftoff in the ill-fated AI 171 er could be one of the reasons. Incidentally, Dilip Jajodia, the manufacturer of the Dukes ball, termed dry weather as one possible reason. The material used to make the balls too was in focus. Jajodia said they have been using hide of Scottish cows in England however, in their India operations, because of religious reasons buffalo they shifted to buffalo hide. “Buffalo hide is used in India instead of cow. The leather is local and sometimes we use buffalo hides. You know the religious aspect, I think, it is unfortunate because at the end of the day, life is short and what we are using from a cow is a waste product,” he told this daily . P11 ‘ KL Rahul scored a hundred on Saturday | AFP India all out for 387 Century from KL Rahul and half centuries from Pant and Jadeja help India equal first innings score (387) of England Co-pilot Clive Kunder, 32, had 3,403 hours of total experience, with 1,128 on Dreamliner. Was flying AI 171 under Sabharwal’s watch IIM-C rape: Student sent to police custody K AU S HI K PRADHAN @ Kolkata A Calcutta court on Saturday remanded a student of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM-C), arrested in connection with a rape case, in police custody till July 19. According to sources, police arrested the student based on a complaint by a woman, a clinical psychologist by profession. The woman was allegedly called to the IIM-C boys hostel on Friday for a counselling session. She was allegedly given pizza laced with drugs and she fell unconscious. After she woke up, she realised she was raped, police officials said. The woman went to Thakurpukur police station to file a complaint but officials there directed her to Haridevpur police station, under whose jurisdiction the IIM-C falls. However, in a new twist, the woman’s father said later that his daughter was not raped. He claimed his daughter filed a police complaint “by force” without explaining what it meant. The IIM-C said it was cooperating with the probe. ’ ta k es U - tu r n TN schooled over classroom seating idea ‘50% of kids may develop neck issues ’ P r a v e e n a S A @ Chennai Just hours after Tamil Nadu’s Director of School Education issued a circular mandating that seating arrangement in classrooms can be in the form of a semi-circle, resembling the Tamil letter Pa ( ), the directive was put on hold as it received a wave of criticism, especially on social media, from educationists, health experts, and political leaders. The seating arrangement was intended to eliminate the stigma of ‘backbenchers’ and promote equality among students. The circular issued by S Kannappan, Director of School Education, said, “En- Mandar Pardikar gagement begins with arrangement, the ‘Pa’ shape opens the floor for open minds.” It said the arrangement would enhance interaction, ensure that all students have a clear view of the blackboard and teacher, and allow teachers to monitor all students effectively, besides ensuring students’ comfort. H oweve r, t h e p ro p o s a l sparked immediate reaction over its practicality and health implications with many questioning whether any consultations were held with stakeholders concer ned before issuing the instructions. P5 “Students on the sides will be forced to turn their necks for hours, five days a week. This can lead to 50% of the students developing serious neckrelated issues, and 15% may face very serious issues,” a neurosurgeon posted on X handle A month after a horrific Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad killed 260 people, including 19 non-passengers, a preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in the wee hours of Saturday indicated possible human error as fuel supply to both the engines of the aircraft was stopped just three seconds after takeoff. The two fuel cut-off switches were activated to the CUT OFF mode within a gap of a second, resulting in engine deceleration and plane crash though the fuel switches were subsequently switched back to RUN. The 15-page report on AI 171 says the aircraft started rolling at 1.37 pm after receiving clearance from the Air Traffic Control. “The aircraft air/ground sensors transitioned to air mode, consistent with lift off at 1.38 pm. It achieved the maximim recorded air speed of 180 knots at 1.38 pm and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUT OFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their takeoff values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off,” it said. The fuel cutoff appears to have shocked one of the pilots. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report states. AI 171 started losing altitude before it crossed the airport perimeter wall. CCTV footage showed Ram Air Turbine (RAM) getting deployed during the initial climb after takeoff and its hydraulic pump began supply hydraulic power at 1.38 pm. RAM provides emergency power if the main systems fail. The pilots then transitioned the fuel switch of Engine 1 back to RUN at 1.38 pm. Four seconds later, the Engine 2 fuel cut off switch also transitioned from CUTOFF to RUN. “When fuel control switches are moved from CUTOFF to RUN while the aircraft is in flight, each engine’s full authority dual control engine automatically manages a relight and thrust recovery sequence of ignition and fuel introduction,” the report says. While Engine 1’s deceleration stopped and it started to progress to recovery En, gine 2 could not arrest the deceleration and re-introduced fuel repeatedly to increase core speed acceleration, it added. By 1.39 pm, one of the pilots transmitted “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”. The Air Traffic Controller enquired about the call sign, did not get any response but observed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary . WITH THIS ISSUE Free all F The Turbulent State of Indian Aviation PLUS 12 P AGES
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