kochi l Sunday l august 10, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city edition flight disruptions at Mumbai airport due to network outage 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 A third-party data network outage at Mumbai airport on Saturday caused a delay in flight operations of multiple airlines, including Air India ■ 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 E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @Kochi The Messi-in-Kerala dream has spiralled into a full-blown slugfest, with the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the state government trading blame over the collapse of the plan. On Saturday, reports claimed AFA official Leandro Peterson had accused the Kerala government of breaching the contract, a charge dismissed by Sports Minister V Abdurahiman as “baseless”, insisting that if the team skipped the October visit, it would be the AFA in breach. The fresh twist has emboldened the Opposition Congress to go on the offensive, demanding that the government explain how a high-profile project, for which sponsors say they paid `130 crore and the state spent lakhs on foreign trips, has spiralled into confusion, contract disputes and allegations of public money being wasted. Abdurahiman had dampened football lovers’ hopes earlier this week, saying the visit by the Argentina team was “unlikely” to happen as planned. As per some media reports, Leandro denied his side had breached the contract by postponing the tour to next year and instead pinned the blame on the Kerala government, though without detailing the alleged violations. The minister dismissed the reports and reiterated that Kerala was not interested in hosting the team ● More on P5 next year.  Numbeo index Tvm 7th safest city in India, 149th globally E xp r ess N ews S e r vi c e @T’Puram Thiruvananthapuram has secured the 7th position among the safest cities in the country according to the Numbeo Safety Index 2025. Globally , it stands 149th with a safety index score of 61.1 and a crime index of 38.9. The Numbeo Safety Index is a crowdsourced, real-time assessment of how safe people feel in their countries and cities. It ranks cities based on public perceptions of safety in daily life, covering both daytime and nighttime experiences. It evaluates personal safety concerns such as risks of mugging, robbery, car theft, physical attacks and harassment in public places. The index also factors in discrimination based on skin colour, ethnicity, gender, or religion, alongside property crimes like vandalism and burglary, and violent crimes such as assault and homicide. A higher safety index score indicates a city is safer with lower crime rates and more effective law enforcement. Thiruvananthapuram’s position ahead of large metro cities like Chennai and Pune highlights the city’s relative security and improved public safety . The capital’s position reflects the impact of higher detection rates, swift responses to complaints and active citizen par● More on P5 ticipation.  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 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 Roof damage Possible Structural damage Pa Messi row: Govt, Argentine Football Assn lock horns; Oppn looks to score Bholari airbase India Rajasthan IAF hit a sixer against Pak during Operation Sindoor Shot down at least 5 enemy fighter jets plus one surveillance plane M AYA N K S I N G H @ 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) hit 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 that 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 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. WITH THIS ISSUE 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 India opposes plastic phase-out list Trump’s tariff war will TNIE in Switzerland S V Krishna Chaitanya @ geneva 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 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: P8 March to nabanna: rg kar Victim’s mom hurt K a u shik P r a d han @ Kolkata THE ‘March to Nabanna’ here on Saturday called to demand , 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. 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 push India closer to Russia, China: Ex-NSA J ayanth 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 .” e x p r e ss r e a d Speculation ends Cong allegation Med College row Tech-tonic shift Retirement on hold War watch A N Radhakrishnan NDA Kerala vice-chairman ‘BJP tampered with voters’ list in Thrissur’ Teachers’ assn extends support to Dr Haris KSRTC plans AI route to manage bus schedules Gopi Asan set to return to kathakali stage Ceding land can’t be part of peace deal: Zelenskyy T’Puram: The BJP has appointed senior leader A N Radhakrishnan as the vicechairman of the NDA’s Kerala unit, ending speculation and dissent within the party over his exclusion from the recently announced state core committee | P5 Thrissur: Union Minister Suresh Gopi, brother Subhash and their families added their names to the voters’ list in Thrissur LS constituency though they were not permanent residents there, DCC president Joseph Tajet has alleged, demanding a probe | P5 T’Puram: The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association has backed Dr Haris Chirakkal, who is under a cloud over alleged missing medical equipment. The association has sought a meeting with Health Minister Veena George on the issue | P5 Kochi: The KSRTC, which often catches flak for bus bunching — where two or more buses on the same route travel closely together thereby affecting revenue — is set to implement an AI-based software to manage its bus schedules | P2 Kochi: Four months after announcing his decision to retire, kathakali doyen Kalamandalam Gopi is all set to return to the stage. He will be performing as Kuchela in ‘Kuchelavritham’ at Evoor Major Sri Krishna Temple near Kayamkulam on September 14 | P2 Moscow: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected the idea that his country would give up land to end the war with Russia, after US President Donald Trump suggested a peace deal could include “some swapping of territories” | P9