chennai l sunday l august 10, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l late city EDITION flight disruptions at Mumbai airport due to network outage A third-party data network outage at Mumbai airport on Saturday caused a delay in flight operations of multiple airlines, including Air India Photo: IANS glitch forced shift to manual system Though the glitch affected the airport systems for a couple of minutes, it took an hour to fix it, a source said. “Around 4 pm, the passenger processing handling system was moved to manual mode as the systems reported a glitch. It took an hour to fix the issue. Due to this, there was some disruption in several flight operations,” an official source said ■ 950 air india says its flights affected too ■ Air India said on X: “A third-party data network outage impacted check-in systems at Mumbai airport ... systems have been restored; some of our flights may continue to be affected for some time.” There were no comments from Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), a joint venture of Adani Group and Airports Authority of India flight movements per day are handled at mumbai airport 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 Addressing the meeting, Dr Anbumani, referring to one of The general council of Pattali the resolutions passed at the Makkal Katchi (PMK), con- event, said his party is clear that vened by Dr Anbumani DMK should not return Ramadoss in Mahabalito power in the 2026 Aspuram on Saturday, sembly polls. He, howevelected him as president er, said the party would as his three-year tenure decide on who should ended in May Anbumani . form the government, said that he was assumand form a “mega” alliing the post out of a Dr Anbumani ance accordingly . sense of duty and not out His remarks gained of desire and blamed interme- significance as it indicated that diaries for sabotaging recon- he was keeping his options ciliation with his father and open about aligning either with party founder Dr S Ramadoss. the AIADMK-BJP alliance or S K u m a r e s a n @ Chennai with Vijay’s TVK, though the PMK contested the 2024 LS poll as part of the BJP-led NDA. “We will come to power. The alliance will be in line with your wishes,” he told the attendees. The meeting happened after the Madras HC dismissed the plea by Murali Shankar, the general secretary appointed by Ramadoss amid the ongoing tussle with his son, following a day of high drama with Justice N Anand Venkatesh speaking to both the father and son separately in a bid to resolve the dispute on Friday  . P7 3 killed in blast at illegal cracker unit in Sivakasi Express News Service @ Madurai Three workers, including two women, were killed in an explosion at an illegal firecracker unit operated out of a small house on a narrow street at Vijayakarisalkulam near Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district on Saturday morning. The deceased were identified as Jagatheeswaran (21), Muthulakshmi (70), Shanmuga Thai (60), all natives of Keel Kothai Nachiyarpuram in Virudhunagar. Another worker, Mariyammal (55), who sustained 90% burns, has been shifted to Sivakasi Government Hospital. Her condition continues to be critical, sources said. Ponnupandiyan, owner of the unit, has been arrested under Section 105 of BNS (causing death without malice) for operating the unit in a house without valid permit. He has been remanded in custody . Police said the blast occurred around 11.30am when the four workers were engaged in cracker manufacturing at the unit that was in operation for the past few months. Friction due to collision between boxes containing chemicals is suspected to have triggered the blast. According to sources, as the victims’ workspace was a narrow passage inside the small 150-square-foot house, they were unable to escape from the blaze and were killed on the spot.  P7 ties that bind Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with a child during Raksha Bandhan celebrations in New Delhi on Saturday. Sisters traditionally tie an amulet on the wrist of their brothers, investing in them a share of responsibility of care | PTI Roof damage Possible Structural damage F or the first time in the global plastics treaty negotiations, India openly opposed the inclusion of any global list with phase-out dates under the article on plastic products — a move that puts it squarely alongside Kuwait and the Like-Minded Group (LMG) of countries that includes Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran. Speaking at the second part of the fifth session of the Intergover nmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) in Geneva, Vir Vikram Yadav, Chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board and member of India’s delegation, warned that such provisions would have “larger implications in respect of the right to development of Member States” and should be avoided. “T he instr ument needs to have clearly defined scope… Separate article on supply or any measures to regulate the production of primary plastic polymers has larger implications… Similarly, inclusion of any global list with phase-out dates under the article on plastic products should THE ‘March to Nabanna’ here on Saturday, called for demanding justice for the RG Kar rape victim, one year after the horrific incident, was marked by a scuffle between the participants and police in different places, leaving the girl’s mother injured. The victim’s mother said she sustained a head injury. “Why are they stopping us by force? All we want is to reach Nabanna peacefully to seek justice for my daughter,” she said. The participants in the march were seeking the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for “failing to protect women”. The victim’s parents were not satisfied with CBI investigations into the rape and murder case that shocked the country on August 9 last year. On the anniversary of the victim’s death, her parents had called for a march to Nabanna, the administrative headquarters. However, police had refused permission for the march. Police stopped the procession at Park Street, where a scuffle ensued leading to injuries to the victim’s mother. India Rajasthan Shot down at least 5 enemy fighter jets plus one surveillance plane M AYANK SINGH @ New Delhi The Indian Air Force for the first time since Operation Sindoor officially put a figure on the number of aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in killed during the four-day conflict from May 7-10. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Saturday said six Pakistani planes - five fighter jets and one large surveillance plane. Attributing the success to the Indian strategic S-400 multi-layered air defence system, which struck deep inside Pakistan, he said, “...We have at least five fighters confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) aircraft or an AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft, which was taken on at a distance of about 300 km. This is actually the largest-ever recorded surface-to-air kill that Very clear political will, no restrictions: Air Chief “There was very clear political will, very clear directions which were given to us, and there were no kind of restrictions... If there were any constraints, they were self-made. We, the forces, decided what will be the escalation ladder. We decided how we want to control the escalation,” the Air Chief said we can talk about.” Operation Sindoor was launched to avenge the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam in which 26 civilians were killed. The IAF and Army jointly struck nine locations that had terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. “I can say that it was more of a high-tech war was fought. In 80 to 90 hours of war, we were able to achieve so much damage to the air system that it was clear to them that if they continue, they are going to pay for it more and more,” the Air Chief Marshal said while addressing 16th edition of the Air be avoided,” Yadav told the stocktake plenary . India also reiterated that all decisions should be taken by consensus and that the treaty’s scope should focus strictly on “addressing plastic pollution only” as mandated by the 5/14 resolution, without overlapping with other multilateral bodies such as the WTO or WHO. The stance aligns with Kuwait’s call, on behalf of the Arab Group, for a “party-driven process” and for avoiding irreconcilable issues, as well as with Iran’s rejection of standalone texts on scope, supply and exemptions. This bloc has resisted broaden- ing the treaty’s mandate to include production caps or health provisions and has pushed for more procedural control by member states. The negotiations, chaired by Ecuador’s Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, face a firm August 14 deadline to deliver a final text. But divisions on scope, product bans and production controls remain entrenched. The Chair has urged delegates to clear converged articles for transmission to the legal drafting group and to avoid procedural deadlock. India’s intervention marks a shift from its image as a global model for single-use plastics (SUP) bans.  Continued on: P7 March to nabanna: rg kar Victim’s mom hurt K a u s h i k P r a d h a n @ Kolkata Bholari airbase IAF hit a sixer against Pak during Operation Sindoor India opposes plastic phase-out list TNIE in Switzerland S V Krishna Chaitanya @ geneva ki st an Aftermath of the missile strike A gaping hole in the roof of a hangar in Bholari airbase in Pakistan after India’s missile strike. That was where a large aircraft was destroyed Pa Elected president of PMK, Anbumani vows to unseat DMK with mega alliance BJP workers try to cross barricades during a protest marking one year of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Kolkata, on Saturday. The protesters had planned a procession to the Secretariat | PTI Chief Marshal L M Katre Memorial Lecture, at the HAL Management Academy Auditorium in Bengaluru. ACM Singh gave a detailed account of the damage on the Pakistani side, which compelled them to opt for de-escalation. “Shahbaz Jacobabad was one of the major airfields that was attacked. Here there’s an F-16 hangar. One half of the hangar is gone. And I’m sure there were some aircraft inside which got damaged. We were able to get at least two command and control centres, like Murid and Chaklala. At least six radars, some of them big, and small (were knocked out),” he said. W I T H T H I S I SS U E Toy Story The rise of the ‘Kidult’ is transforming the toy industry. Is it merely a hobby, or does it reflect something deeper? PLUS 12 P AGES Trump’s tariff war will push India closer to Russia, China: Ex-NSA J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi FORMER US National Security Advisor John Bolton has warned that punitive tariffs imposed on India could backfire strategically pushing New , Delhi closer to Russia and China, the very outcome decades of American diplomacy have sought to avoid. In an interview with CNN, Bolton said: “Trump’s tariffs against India are intended to hurt Russia, but they could push India closer to Russia and to China to oppose these tariffs.” He warned that Trump’s leniency towards China while taking a heavyhanded approach with India was under mining longterm US interests. “Trump’s leniency on the Chinese, and heavy-handed tariffs on India, jeopardise decades of American efforts to bring India away from Russia and China,” Bolton said. In April, Trump briefly escalated a trade war with China, only to pause further action, pending a potential deal. On July 30, he announced a 25% tariff on Indian imports — a significant hike from the previous average of 2.4%. India also faces additional tariff of 25% due to its continued pur- This is a geopolitical own goal — one that could cost the US far more than it gains economically John Bolton, Former NSA, US chases of Russian oil, which Trump argues funds the ‘war in Ukraine.’ In his op-ed for The Hill, Bolton earlier called Trump’s trade policy “an enormous mistake and entirely counterproductive for America.” He emphasised that levying tariffs on both allies and adversaries erodes long-standing diplomatic capital with India. “The US, by levying tariffs on friend and foe alike, has likely suffered a considerable loss of trust and confidence, built over decades of effort, in exchange for minimal economic gains,” he wrote. “This is a geopolitical own goal ... one that could cost US far more than it gains economically .” express read GSDP growth Brahmin remark IMBL violation Caste bias PMJDY kulgam EPS bitter about TN’s performance, says Stalin VCK chief says have high regard for MGR and Jaya SL Navy arrests 7 Ramnad fishermen, seizes 1 boat ‘Untouchability wall’ demolished in Karur 10 crore Jan Dhan accounts need re-KYC: RBI dy guv Anti-terror operations in J&K: Two soldiers killed Chennai: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday said AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami is bitter about TN’s double-digit GSDP growth as neither PM Modi (for India as a whole) nor CMs of any other state could achieve the feat reached by TN under his leadership | P4 TIRUCHY: After his speech that “MGR’s entry paved the way for a Brahmin woman to lead a Dravidian party” sparked controversy, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Saturday clarified that he holds both MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa in high regard | P4 RAMANATHAPURAM: The Sri Lankan Navy on Saturday seized a boat and arrested seven Rameswaram fishers for alleged IMBL violation. Following the arrest, over 100 fishermen staged road blockade on Rameswaram-Madurai NH near Thangachimadam | P4 Karur: Two days after issuing eviction notice to caste Hindu residents, revenue authorities amid tight police security on Saturday demolished an ‘untouchability’ wall, allegedly constructed to restrict Dalits from accessing a piece of govt land at Muthuladampatti in Karur | P7 Chennai: RBI deputy governor Swaminathan Janakiraman said the number of accounts opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) since its launch has reached 55 crore, but nearly 10 crore of them require mandatory KYC updates | P4 Srinagar: Two Army soldiers were killed and as many injured in an overnight gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, in one of the longest anti-terror operations in the Valley that entered the ninth day on Saturday, officials said | P10