visakhapatnam l friday l july 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 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 n t h 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 Govt blames RCB, organisers for mess against NATO’s sanctions threat E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru MEA calls out NATO’s ‘double standards’, says country’s energy security is top priority J AYA N TH J ACOB a n d RA K E SH K U MAR @ 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 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 obtain- ing 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 per- E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e 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 express read E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ Kurnool NGT slaps `1 crore fine on ONGC for violations water woes Motorists wade through a waterlogged road after a sudden spell of rain in Vijayawada on Thursday | Prasant Madugula SIPB approves 22 projects worth `39,473 crore I nv e stm e nt p ro p o s a l s worth `5,74,238 crore, related to 109 projects, were approved during the eight meetings of the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) held so far since the formation of the coalition gover nment. These projects are expected to generate employment for around five lakh people. At the eighth SIPB meeting, chaired by CM N Chandrababu Naidu at his camp office on Thursday, investment proposals totalling `39,473 crore were approved. These investments, linked to 22 projects, are pro- E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Amalapuram A 22-year-old woman was brutally murdered by her partner at B Savaram village in Razole mandal of Konaseema district on Thursday . According to Razole Inspector Naresh Kumar, the victim, Oleti Pushpa, had been living with her mother, Ganga, following a legal separation from her husband. She also had a fouryear-old son. In search of a livelihood, she moved to Vijayawada, where she came into contact with a car mechanic, Shaik Shammi. The two later decided to marry . After some time, the couple returned to Razole and began living together in a rented house. Over the past six months, the duo reportedly had frequent P4 arguments.  CM: I have a Vision to solve Rayalaseema’s Water Woes Vijayawada: The P4 (PublicPrivate-People Partnership), launched by CM N Chandrababu Naidu under Swarnandhra Vision 2047, seems to be gaining momentum with fresh support coming from the Indian diaspora in the United States. In a recent visit to the US, SAAP Chairman Animini Ravi Naidu garnered support from several NRIs I P4 S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada 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. Woman killed for refusing prostitution water diplomacy NRIs extend support to AP sportspersons Amalapuram: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the ONGC to pay over `1 crore as Compensation for violations of environmental norms at its facilities in the Krishna-Godavari Basin. In a 298-page judgment issued on July 15, the NGT Bench held ONGC accountable for noncompliance I P3 missions 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. 5 years on, 70 get clean chit in Tablighi Jamaat Covid-19 case @ 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.” File photo 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. jected to create 30,899 jobs. The investment proposals cleared by the SIPB are related to sectors like IT, food processing, energy, and tourism. Of these, 11 projects are in industries and commerce, 7 in the energy sector, 3 in tourism, and 1 each in IT and food processing. So far, under the coalition gover nment, 8 SIPB meetings have approved 109 projects. These include 46 in the industrial sector, 41 in energy 11 in tourism, 7 in , IT, and 4 in food processing. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister emphasized the need to develop a symbiotic ecosystem around upcoming industrial projects in Andhra Pradesh, ensuring mutual benefit for industries, local communities, and associated institutions. He noted that such integrated development would not only accelerate industrial growth but also uplift surrounding regions through job creation and institutional linkages. Naidu directed officials to ensure the development of robust infrastructure-roads, ports, airports, and utilities-around all upcoming industrial projects in the state. He stressed that such infrastructure is vital for stimulating economic activity and earning the confidence of local communities and farmers. “People will part with land only when they are convinced of tangible benefits,” he observed, highlighting the importance of companies adhering to project timelines. Addressing key sectors during the SIPB, meeting, the CM laid special emphasis on integrated planning for tourism development. He instructed officials to design tourism projects with a broader ecosystem approach, expanding activities beyond core attractions to encourage investments. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reiterated his commitment to Rayalaseema’s development as he released water into the HandriNeeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) canal from the backwaters of the Srisailam Reservoir near Malayala village in Nandyal district on Thursday . Later, addressing farmers, the Chief Minister emphasized that his vision is centered on providing a permanent irrigation solution to Rayalaseema to uplift the region’s economy and restore pride to a land long plagued by drought and neglect. He said this initiative would enable farmers to cultivate at least two crops a year, a long-standing goal of his for the region. Key proposed developments for Rayalaseema include the completion of the Vedavathi project ‘TG can use surplus Godavari waters’ Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said that AP has no objection to Telangana using surplus waters from the Godavari River benefiting Aluru, Adoni, and Mantralayam constituencies; `96 crore sanctioned for Ghorakallu repairs; `36 crore for restoring the Alaganur bund; and plans to complete the Adavipalli reservoir to facilitate water supply to Chittoor through the Neva branch canal. He stated that just as water reached Kuppam this year, Chittoor too will receive water by next year. The CM recalled his personal connection to Rayalaseema, noting that he was born in the region and understands its hardships firsthand. He criticised past governments for neglecting the region, asserting that the TDP a l o n e h a s c o n s i s t e n t ly worked for Rayalaseema’s welfare. He reminded people that it was NT Rama Rao who declared that Rayalaseema should receive water before Chennai, and that groundwork for major projects in the region began during NTR’s tenure. Launching a scathing attack on the YSRCP, Naidu said that while the TDP invested over `12,000 crore in Rayalaseema’s irrigation projects, the YSRCP, during its five-year tenure, failed to spend even `2,000 crore. He claimed that all major projects were completed by the TDP and criticised the YSRCP for neglecting them. He also shared his plans to transform Rayalaseema into an industrial hub by launching major projects, including a Drone City in Orvakal, Kurnool, and the establishment of the Rayalaseema Steel P4 Plant in Kadapa. CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu with farmers after releasing water to Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) canal from Srisailam Reservoir at Malyala pumping station in Nandyal district on Thursday | Express