High-stakes Trump-Putin meet kicks off in Alaska The summit in Alaska on Friday could determine the fate of European security as well as the war in Ukraine. The exclusion of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dealt a heavy blow to the West’s policy of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” For Putin, the summit with Trump is an opportunity to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia’s gains and block Kyiv’s bid to join NATO alliance | P9 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l saturday l august 16, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION 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 Study soon on alteration of Shwetha elected first woman prez of AMMA demographic fabric: Modi A N N A J O S E @Kochi That generation sacrificed itself for ‘Swatantra Bharat’. This generation should dedicate itself to ‘Samriddh Bharat’ — Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Just two slabs in next-gen GST reforms by Diwali P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi Amid concerns over the US President Donald Trump’s tariff action on India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday signalled that India would not succumb to pressure to open up its agriculture sector. Delivering his national address on the 79th Independence Day from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort, Modi sent a strong message that his government would not do anything that goes against the interests of farmers. He also called for making India self-reliant in every field while announcing a slew of reforms for ease of doing business, simplifying GST, and a state-of-the-art defence shield. Modi said a task force would be set up to push ‘next-generation reforms’ including revision of GST laws. The task force will complete the work within a set timeframe. He launched the PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to generate 3.5 crore jobs in the next two years. Of these, 1.92 crore beneficiaries will be first timers, entering the workforce. “India will always protect the interest of its farmers, livestock-keepers, and fishermen unmindful of what may come. Farmers have a huge contribution to the economy of India. The hard work of the farmers of India is paying off,” he said. Modi also flagged attempts to alter the demographic fabric of the country by ‘infiltrators’, adding that a ‘demographic mission’ will be set up to study dramatic changes in population. “When demographic changes take place, especially in the border areas, a national security crisis emerges,” he said in his record 103-minute address. In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the GST rates would be brought down by ushering in the ‘next-generation GST reforms’ by Diwali. Confirming the move, sources said GST regime will move away from its multiple-rate structure to a simplified one with just two rates—a lower ‘standard’ slab of 5% and a higher ‘merit’ slab of 18%. Plus, there will be a category for ‘sin goods’ such as tobacco, which is likely to be fixed at 40%. Under the new regime, 99% of the items currently taxed at 12% will move to the 5% slab. Finance ministry officials said the Centre has adopted a three-pillar approach— addressing inverted duty structures, rationalising rates to eliminate multiple tax slabs, and simplifying compliance, particularly for small and medium businesses. “Most aspirational goods like televisions and refrigerators may now fall under the 5% or 18% slabs. The restructuring is designed to benefit the middle class,” an official said. The finance ministry said the reform will boost core sectors such as agriculture, textiles, renewable energy health, care, and insurance. Lower GST on health and life insurance is expected to expand coverage for vulnerable groups, while reduced rates on medicines aim to strengthen the public health system. The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) made history on Friday, electing Shwetha Menon as the first woman president in the organisation’s 30-year history Three . other women also made it to key posts. The winds of change comes against the backdrop of mounting criticism and pressure on AMMA to give women greater representation, particularly in the wake of the Hema Committee report and the persistent demands of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). Ku k k u P a r a m e sw a r a n clinched the general secretary post, marking another first for a woman. Jayan Cherthala and A jubilant Shwetha Menon greets mediapersons and members of AMMA after taking oath as president in Kochi on Friday | A Sanesh Lakshmi Priya were elected vice-presidents. Ansiba Hassan was last month elected joint secretary unopposed. Unni Shivpal is the new treasurer. “ N o w A MM A h a s a n ‘amma’,” Shwetha told report- ers after the results were announced. “It is a responsibility , and we will work collectively. Mammootty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi are our patrons, and we plan to go ahead with their blessings. Issues in the association will be resolved Amid deep divisions, plastic treaty bombs TNIE in Switzerland S V Krishna Chaitanya @ geneva A FTER three years of negotiations, the United Nations’ effort to craft the world’s first legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution ended in a “no agreement” here on Friday. Nearly 180 countries failed to agree on a draft text during the final week of talks, with deep divisions over the treaty’s scope, how decisions should be made, and whether the deal should target plastic production itself. The collapse followed night- long consultations and a chaotic closing plenary stretching into early hours of Friday . The Chair’s revised draft in the morning lacked consensus. By dawn, weary delegates conceded there was no deal. The fault lines had been visible all week. More than 100 members of the ‘High Ambition Coalition’ — including the EU and Africa nations— pushed for binding measures to cut plastic production, phase out single-use plastic and adopt reuse and recycling. They also demanded a provision for majority voting at the future Conference of the Parties (COP), arguing that without it the treaty risked being paralysed by a small minority . Oil-producing states — led by Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia (Like-Minded Group) — rejected these demands. They insisted the treaty focus on plastic waste management rather than upstream production, and that all decisions must be by consensus. India backed this bloc. Neelesh Kumar Sah, joint secretary in Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and part of India’s delegation, spelt out New Delhi’s stance at the plenary . “The instrument we are negotiating has very wide scope. We must ensure the mandate is drawn from the UNEA 5/14 resolution. The scope of the new instrument should be limited to plastic pollution, without overlapping with other environmental pacts.” continued on: p5  through discussions,” she said. Shwetha’s election follows the resignation of the committee led by Mohanlal last August, soon after the Hema panel’s findings on workplace safety and gender parity in the Malayalam film industry were made public. Since then, AMMA has faced pointed criticism for the absence of women in top positions. The WCC, which has been vocal about the lack of female voices in decision-making, has consistently called for more women in the executive committee and leadership roles, arguing that meaningful change in the industry requires women at the ● More on P2 helm.  Cloudburst toll 60, 80 still missing e x press N e ws S erv i c e @ Srinagar BRAVING rain, rescuers intensified their search for survivors in a cloudburst-hit village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Friday, even as Chief minister Omar Abdullah put the death toll at 60, with 80 people still missing. Over 100 people have been injured. Among the dead are mostly pilgrims, local residents and two CISF personnel, who were on duty at the site. Disaster struck Chisoti, the last motorable village on the way to Machail Mata temple, on Thursday, leaving a trail of death and destruction. 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express