THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l friday l july 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION AAIB says too early to reach any definitive conclusion on crash The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said it was too early to draw any conclusion from its preliminary report into the AI 171 crash on June 12 comes in wake of wsj report on crash no room for premature conclusions AAIB’s rejoinder came after The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, quoting people familiar with US officials’ early assessment of evidence uncovered in the crash investigation, reported that “a black box recording of dialogue between the flight’s two pilots indicates it was the captain who turned off switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane’s two engines” ■ ■ Requesting all sections to refrain from drawing conclusions based on unfounded facts, AAIB said the investigation is still not complete and the final report will come out with root causes and recommendations After the release of its preliminary report on July 12, this is the first official comment from the AAIB amidst global concerns on the probe 260 people died in the Air India Dreamliner crash in ahmedabad 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 Nimisha case Govt in touch with friendly nations for help: MEA J aya nth J a c o b @ New Delhi THE Indian government is making urgent efforts to avert the execution of Nimisha Priya, the Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen, to allow her family more time to reach a “mutually agreeable solution” with the victim’s relatives, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday . Priya, a resident of Kerala, was convicted in the 2017 killing of a Yemeni man and is currently imprisoned in Sana’a, which is under Houthi rebel control. Her execution, initially scheduled for July 16, was postponed following interventions by Indian officials, members of the Indian diaspora in Yemen, and a prominent cleric. “This is a very sensitive matter and the Government of India has been offering all possible assistance. We have providNimisha Priya ed legal assistance, and also appointed a lawyer to assist the family We are in touch with lo. cal authorities ... and some friendly governments... as also family members to resolve this issue,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He, however, did not name the friendly countries. Jaiswal also declined to comment on the role of Sunni cleric Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musaliyar, in deferring the execution. “As far as the role of the entity that you mentioned, I have no information to share on this account.” India pushback Boy electrocuted at school; lapses cited against NATO’s sanctions threat E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram MEA calls out NATO’s ‘double standards’, says country’s energy security is top priority J AYA N T H J ACOB a n d RA K E S H K U M AR @ New Delhi INDIA on Thursday strongly pushed back against NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s warning that countries continuing to trade with Russia could face ‘very hard’ secondary sanctions, cautioning against ‘double standards’ in global energy policies. “We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to Rutte’s comments. “Let me reiterate that securing energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us. In this endeavor, we are guided by what is on offer in the markets, and by the prevailing global circumstances. We would particularly caution against any double standards on the matter,” Jaiswal said. The sharp response came after Rutte, during his visit to Washington on Wednesday, echoed US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of potential 100% tariffs on Russian exports, to be enforced in 50 days unless Moscow agrees to a deal on Ukraine. Rutte directly named India, China, and Brazil, warning that continued business with Russia could “slam back” on them in a “massive way.” “If you live in Beijing or Delhi… you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit No pressure, India has enough suppliers: Puri Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India will procure oil from other countries, should there be a problem sourcing it from Russia. “I don’t feel any pressure in my mind. India has diversified the sources of supply,” he said Major lapses by authorities have claimed the life of a 13-year-old student at a school in Kollam. Midhun, a class 8 student of Thevalakkara Boys High School, was electrocuted after he came in contact with a lowhanging electric wire when he climbed the roof of a cycle shed adjacent to the school building to retrieve a piece of footwear on Thursday morning. According to eyewitnesses, Midhun slipped and in a reflex action grabbed the three-phase wire to stop himself from falling off the roof. Though he was rushed to Sasthamcotta Taluk Hospital, he could not be saved. The inci- (Above) The roof of the bicycle shed at Thevalakkara school where Midhun was electrocuted after coming into contact with live wire | Express Midhun high-level investigations ordered The education and power departments have announced high-level investigations into the incident. The State Human Rights Commission and the Child Rights Commission have also initiated suo motu cases in connection with the boy’s death at Thevalakkara school. 5 years on, 70 get clean chit in Tablighi Jamaat Covid-19 case E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi you very hard,” he said. India is one of the largest importers of Russian crude oil, which is sold at a price cap of $60 per barrel, much below global market rates. As of July, Russian crude accounts for 40% of India’s oil imports. Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said India is not concerned about sanctions on Russian crude, as there are enough supplies in the market. Speaking at the Urja Varta 2025 event organised by the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Puri said, “I’m not worried at all. If something happens, we’ll deal with it. India has diversified its sources of supply — we’ve gone from buying oil from about 27 countries to around 40 now.” The Delhi High Court on Thursday quashed 16 FIRs lodged against 70 people who were booked for sheltering foreign participants of a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in March 2020, during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, in her verdict, simply said, “Chargesheets quashed,” while disposing of the batch of petitions filed by the accused. The 70 petitioners, represented by advocate Ashima Mandla, had approached the court seeking to end the criminal proceedings pending against them for allegedly hosting foreigners in violation of pandemic-related prohibitory orders. The Delhi Police, which had earlier opposed the plea, had argued that the accused sheltered foreign nationals who had attended the Markaz event at Nizamuddin, breaching lockdown orders and health protocols imposed by the government. Several of these foreign nationals have already been acquitted, discharged, or accepted guilt to leave the country . The petitioners maintained that there was no evidence, either in the FIRs or in the chargesheets, linking them to the spread of Covid-19. Their presence alongside foreigners inside mosques or homes, they e x p r e ss r e a d K’taka blames RCB, organisers for stampede T’Puram: The finance department has asked public sector enterprises (PSEs) under the state government to finalise their accounts in a time-bound manner. A circular by Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) K R Jyothilal warned of withholding future grants to organisations failing to do so. It directed secretaries of administrative departments to ensure the direction is followed by the PSEs under their control. P5 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru Keralite missing after Houthi attack on ship JUMBO FEAST A large crowd of people seen during the Aanayoottu ceremony at Sree Vadakkumnathan temple in Thrissur on Thursday, the first day of Malayalam month ‘Karkidakam’ | S Lal IIST researchers’ findings Study sheds light on formation of stars, galaxies S o v i V i d ya d h a r a n @T’Puram Massive protostars in our galaxy, that would later evolve to have mass of over 8-10 times that of the Sun, have remained an enigma for astrophysicists for decades. For the first time in the world, a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, in association with international scientists, have detected and measured magnetism near an infant massive star. The finding opens an excit- argued, could not be construed as participation in any religious congregation or violation of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. “This is a classic case of exaggerated allegations unsupported by material proof,” Mandla had submitted before the court, pointing out that the FIRs merely accused the petitioners of being present with foreign nationals, with no mention of them organising or attending gatherings. They were booked under various sections, including 188 (disobedience of public servant’s order) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection) of the IPC. The police had also cited multiple inspections between March 26–31, 2020, claiming to have found foreign nationals lodged in local mosques even after the nationwide lockdown was declared on March 24. june 4 tragedy Finalise accounts on time, govt warns PSEs Alappuzha: A Kayamkulam native posted as security officer has been missing since July 7 after Houthi rebels attacked and sunk the cargo ship he was on in the Red Sea. Anilkumar Raveendran, 52, is among the 12 crew members of Liberia-flagged M V Eternity C who are missing since attack. P5 dent triggered widespread protests with opposition parties and student outfits taking out protest marches, demanding urgent action against the KSEB and the management of the aided school. As per initial findings, the temporary shed was constructed without maintaining adequate distance from the overhanging wire. The UDF and BJP attacked the government for failure to ensure the safety of students. The education and power de- Representational image showing radio emission with a special property known as circular polarisation from near a massive, young forming star IRAS 18162-2048 ing window into the understanding of how massive stars form, which later go on to shape entire galaxies. A protostar is the earliest known stage of a star that is beginning to form. The study was carried out on protostar IRAS 181622048, located 4,500 light years away using the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Karl G Jansky Very Large Array in the US. ‘The Astrophysical Journal Letters’ brought out by the American Astronomical Society has published the study in detail. The researchers detected radio emission, with a special property known as circular polarisation near IRAS 18162-2048. The emission offers the first direct clue to the strength of magnetic fields in the immediate surroundings of a forming massive star. While strong magnetic fields have been observed earlier in low-mass protostars that go on to form stars like the Sun, measuring such fields around massive protostars has been a tough task until now. The new data allowed researchers to infer the magnetic field near the protostar to be about 20-35 Gauss, roughly 100 times stronger than Earth’s magnetic ● More on P4 field.  The Karnataka government has blamed the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), its event management partner DNA Networks Pvt Ltd and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for the stampede that claimed 11 lives on June 4. This was revealed in a status report submitted by the government to the Karnataka High Court. “The RCB Management, in association with its event management partner… and the KSCA, unilaterally decided to hold the victory celebration without prior consultation with the police and without obtaining the necessary permissions or license for such celebration,” said the report. The report said that star RCB player Virat Kohli’s video on RCB’s social media pages led to the huge turnout as well. The state had submitted its response to the HC in a sealed cover on June 12 and the court had asked it to furnish a copy to KSCA, RCB and DNA. The report listing out the sequence of events said that RCB had posted several messages on its official social media handles, inviting the public to participate in the Victory Parade, despite no permission being granted. The report noted that RCB/DNA/KSCA failed to seek appropriate permis- File photo sions as per the prescribed format required under the Licensing and Controlling of Assemblies and Processions (Bangalore City) Order, 2009. The report said the KSCA submitted a letter of intimation to the Cubbon Park police station on June 3 before the IPL final. However, that was merely an intimation, and not a requisition for permission as required. Despite this, RCB unilaterally proceeded on June 4, announcing a public ‘Victory Parade’ from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium via multiple social media posts starting at 7.01 am. The report stated, “At 8.55 am, RCB posted a video clip featuring Virat Kohli on RCB’s official handle @Rcbtweets on ‘X’, in which he stated that the team intended to celebrate victory with people of Bengaluru city…on June 4.” It also said the situation deteriorated when the organizers responsible for gate management, failed to open the gates on time. partments have announced high-level investigations into the incident. Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty said preliminary findings pointed at lapses on the part of the school management and electricity board. As per the electrical inspectorate’s findings, adequate distance was not maintained between the power line and the ground. Similarly sufficient distance was not maintained between the line and the cycle shed. The chief safety commissioner will probe the incident, said the minister. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government will take necessary steps to ensure that such incidents are not re● More on P4 peated in future.  Cong-Tharoor ties look to be on the mend K S SR E E J I T H @ T’Puram From a point of no return, there seems to be a gradual thaw in relations between the Congress leadership and working committee member Shashi Tharoor. In an “inclusive” approach, state Congress president Sunny Joseph personally invited the Thiruvananthapuram MP to an event being organised by the state Congress in connection with the second death anniversary of former chief minister Oommen Chandy The event to . be held in Kottayam on Friday will be inaugurated by Rahul Gandhi. However, since Tharoor is yet to return to the country from his visit to Athens, he has informed the leadership about his inconvenience. Though Tharoor had a strained relation with the Congress central leadership over several issues—the latest being his Shashi Tharoor criticism of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in an article published as part of the 50th anniversary of declaration of Emergency — the AICC recently reached out to the MP , inviting him to the Congress parliamentary party meeting held in connection with the commencement of the next parliament session. Though Tharoor could not attend the meeting due to his visit abroad, the MP seems to be happy with the latest developments. “The party has always taken a position of inclusiveness,” an AICC leader told TNIE on condition of anonymity “We were of the feeling that . Tharoor will stand by the party,” he said. After the event in Kottayam, Rahul Gandhi will travel to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday to visit veteran leader A K Antony. However, Tharoor, who is set to reach the country on the day, will not be able to reach the state capital ● More on P4 by that time.  cleanest Indian cities: 8 Kerala urban local bodies among top 100 For the first time ever, eight urban local bodies from Kerala — Kochi, Mattannur, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Alappuzha, Guruvayur, T’Puram and Kollam — have been named among top 100 cleanest Indian cities in the Swachh Survekshan Survey | P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express