Onam Happy The New Indian Express wishes its readers on the occasion of Onam. KOLLAM l friday l september 05, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION Armani, who built $10 billion global fashion empire, dies Italian designer Giorgio Armani, one of the most iconic names in the contemporary fashion, died at his home on Thursday at the age of 91 Our offices will remain closed today. There will be no issue of the paper tomorrow. Giorgio Armani 11 July 1934 - 4 sept 2025 A favourite of many hollywood a-listers his designs Redefined elegance Armani’s fashion empire spanned clothing, accessories, perfumes, home furnishings, cosmetics, books, chocolates, and more. His designs graced over 200 films and became a red carpet staple, dressing stars like Anne Hathaway, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Jodie Foster. Recently, his health made headlines after he missed Milan Fashion Week in June ■ ■ In 1975, Armani and his partner Sergio Galeotti sold their car for $10,000 to launch their own menswear ready-to-wear label The first breakthrough came in the late 1970s with the creation of the liningless sports jacket, embodying his vision of relaxed, understated elegance. It was an immediate success in the West | P9 50 years since Armani founded his fashion empire 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 Ayyappa meet may have little say in devpt of Sabarimala Peace deal done with Kuki-Zos After over 2 years, NH-2 to be opened for the free movement of commuters and essential goods A n i l S @ T’Puram Terms of agreement The Kuki National Organisation and United People’s Front agreed to 1 Relocate 7 designated camps away from areas vulnerable to conflict 2 3 4 Reduce the number of designated camps Relocate the weapons with nearest CRPF/BSF camps Stringent physical verification of cadres by security forces to de-list foreign nationals, if any Another deal with GE for 113 aero engines soon M AYA N K S IN G H @ New Delhi India intends to soon sign a contract with American giant General Electric to procure 113 F404 aero engines for the advanced version of the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mark1A. The deal is in addition to a previous one for F404s for which supplies are on, though there was a brief hiccup attributed to supply chain issues, when US President Donald Trump’s tariff terror first kicked in. Sources in the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said that “negotiations with GE has been completed and the contract will be signed at the end of this month.” In August, the Cabinet Committee on Security gave its approval for 97 LCA Mk1A jets to be manufactured by HAL at a cost of around `67,000 crore. Meanwhile, a couple of LCA MK1s would be delivered to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in October this year, another source in the HAL said. “Ten aircraft have already been built and are being tested. The first delivery will take place in October, with one air- 1 Talks with GE for 113 F404 aero engines over, pact to be signed by September-end More power to Tejas 2 They are for additional Tejas Mark1As. Govt approved procuring 97 Mk1As in Aug File Photo: Tejas Contrary to the claim by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), chances are slim for the proposed Global Ayyappa Sangamam to play any major role in the development of Sabarimala. The master plan for Sabarimala, the hill shrine within the Periyar Tiger Reserve, has already been approved and any change would require clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the Supreme Court. The Central Empowered Committee (CEC), in its report before the SC, has already identified major deviations by TDB from the master plan. T h e re p o r t was submitted after green activist professor Sobhindran approached the apex court. The CEC had made several recommendations to protect the shrine and its ecosystem. As part of implementing the master plan, the state cabinet had this January approved a `1,033.62-crore layout plan. “Neither the state government nor the TDB can modify the master plan on its own,” said a former CEC official. “Since the area is governed by the Wildlife Act, any action can be taken only as per its provisions. The TDB and government will also have to get the top court’s clearance,” the ex-official said. “There is no requirement for revisiting the original plan. The position adopted by the TDB has already been included in it. Huge amounts of money have been spent. If the government still has a strong justification to revisit the plan, it will have to follow procedure and convince the SC and Wildlife Board,” said the official. Going by the master plan, no major constructions are allowed in Pampa and ● More on P4 Sannidhanam.  talks with Kuki-Zo insurgent groups to renegotiate the terms In a major breakthrough ahead and conditions of the SoO. of Prime Minister Narendra MoAs per the tripartite SoO agreedi’s proposed visit to Manipur, ment signed by the Centre, Mathe Union Ministry of Home Af- nipur government and Kuki-Zo fairs (MHA) on Thursday arrived groups on Thursday, the territoat an agreement with the Kuki-Zo rial integrity of Manipur will be insurgent groups to renew the maintained. “The parties under Suspension of Operations (SoO). the pact agree for relocation of 7 It also persuaded them to open designated camps of militants National Highway-2 that was away from areas vulnerable blocked for Meitei people for to conflict in Manipur and PM’s the last two years since the also agree for a negotiated ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur solution to bring lasting the state on May 3, 2023. peace, stability to Mavisit In an official statement, nipur,” the Union home the government said the deministry said. cisions came after a series of The Kuki-Zo Council decidmeetings between officials of the ed to open National Highway-2, MHA and a delegation of the Ku- which passes through Manipur, ki-Zo Council (KZC) over the past for free movement of commuters, few days here. Kuki National Or- essential goods, the statement ganisation (KNO) spokesperson said, adding the Council has comSeilen Haokip confirmed to me- mitted to cooperate with security dia persons that the agreement forces to maintain peace along had been signed. the National Highway . Over the last two years, the A Joint Monitoring Group will MHA had been regularly holding henceforth closely monitor enM U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi A couple of LCA MK1s would be delivered to the Indian Air Force in October this year 3 craft from Nashik already ready for handover,” he said. The Mk1A has completed weapons integration trials, including the firing of Astra and ASRAM missiles. Besides the F404s, India has already procured 10 F414 engines from GE, sources said. They will be used to develop prototypes of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft and the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighters for the Navy . Putin raps Don’s colonial tactics against India E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi Ru ssi a n P re s i d e n t Vladimir Putin has sharply criticised US President Donald Trump for employing what he described as “colonialera” pressure tactics against global powers like India and China. Speaking to the media in Beijing on We d n e s day where , he was att e n d i n g Vladimir Putin China’s Victory Day parade, Putin took aim at Trump’s a g g r e s s i v e economic policies, warning that such an approach undermines diplomacy with sovereign nations. “Powerful economies” like India and China, with heavy populations, have their domestic political mechanism and laws,” Putin said, stressing that these countries are not to be treated as subordinates. ballot paper for k’taka local body elections forcement of ground rules, the statement said, adding violations will be dealt with firmly, including review of the SoO pact. The Kuki-Zo council, an umbrella group of Kuki-Zo groups, is yet to issue a formal statement. Since May 3, 2023, after ethnic clashes broke out, the state has been divided on ethnic lines with Meiteis restricted to the valley districts and Kuki-Zo people in the hills. The first tripartite SoO agreement was signed in August 2008 and renewed every year till February 28, 2024, when the renewal was kept in abeyance following allegations that the insurgent group was indulging in ethnic clashes and providing training to village defence volunteers, a charge the groups denied. While former chief minister Biren Singh and his MLAs wanted the SoO agreement cancelled, Kuki-Zo groups and their legislators requested the Centre to renew the pact. EXPRESS READ Forensic expert Dr Shirley Vasu dies at 68 Kozhikode: Dr Shirley Vasu, Kerala’s first woman forensic surgeon who played a key role in cracking many high-profile cases, passed away on Thursday. She was 68. Shirley collapsed at her home and died at Kozhikode MCH. Over her long career, she carried out thousands of postmortem examinations, including in several sensational and sensitive cases. P4 Varsities in Kerala excel in nat’l ranking The Cong govt in Karnataka decided to recommend to the State Election Commission to hold panchayat and urban local body polls using ballot papers instead of EVMs Kochi: The state universities in Kerala bettered their rankings in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025, which was released by the Union Ministry of Education on Thursday. Kerala University ranked 5th among 100 others in the category, bettering its position from 9th in 2024. Cusat also made a great leap from 10th in 2024 to 6th this year. P5