Cyberattack hits major European airports Attack on check-in and boarding systems affected air traffic and caused delays at several major airports in Europe on Saturday Disruptions at Brussels, Berlin Brandenburg, and London Heathrow airports forced check-in and boarding to be carried out manually. Heathrow said the disruption has been “minimal” kOCHI l Sunday l september 21, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 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 Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Mohanlal E x p r e s s New s Se r v i c e @ Kochi Malayalam movie icon Mohanlal has been chosen for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023. The nation’s highest recognition in cinema marks the crowning glory of the thespian’s illustrious career that has spanned more than four decades. Announcing the honour on Saturday, the ministry of information and broadcasting, in a post on X, said, “Mohanlal’s remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations. His unmatched talent, versatility, and relentless hard work have set a golden standard in Indian film history The award will be con.” ferred at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony on September 23. Reacting to the accolade on Facebook, Mohanlal posted, “Truly humbled to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. This honour is not mine alone, it belongs to every person who has walked alongside me on this journey To . my family audience, colleagues, , friends, and well wishers, your love, faith, and encouragement have been my greatest strength and have shaped who I am today . I carry this recognition with deep gratitude and a full heart.” Congratulating the actor, This honour is not mine alone, it belongs to every person who has walked alongside me on this journey. I carry this recognition with deep gratitude — Mohanlal Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Mohanlal epitomises “excellence and versatility” and has been a “leading light of Malayalam cinema” while also excelling in other languages. Hailing the recognition, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan posted on X: “A truly deserving recognition for his extraordinary contributions to Indian cinema. This proud moment brings joy to every Malayali and to our nation as a whole.” In total, Mohanlal has won five national awards, including two best actor honours, nine Kerala state film awards, and several Filmfare awards. He was con- I don’t want you! Historically, the US was letting in the bottom quartile, earning $66,000 a year, often needing government assistance. It was illogical. This programme will now only admit people at the very top. If someone is that valuable, companies can pay $100,000 a year. If not, they can hire an American 2.8L Indian jobs on the line as Trump slaps $1L H-1B fee 2025, TCS was the second-largest recipient of H-1B visas after Amazon, which received approvals for 10,000. The Trump administration on SaturPew Research notes that since 2010, a day imposed a fee of $1,00,000 per year majority of H-1B approvals each year on each H-1B visa holder, dealing a body went to workers born in India. It added blow to the 2,83,397 (71%) skilled tech- that since fiscal 2012, about 60% or nology workers from India, as per 2024 more of H-1B workers approved each data. At 71%, India was the year held computer-related largest beneficiary of H-1B jobs. In 2023, the share was Only for new last year, while China was a 65%, with these workers reapplicants distant second at 12%. porting a median annual salIn a late night “We need great workers, ary of $1,23,600. clarification, an and this pretty much ensures Nasscom, the apex body of unnamed White that that’s what’s going to India’s technology industry, happen,” Trump said at the House official told said the steep increase in Oval Office as Commerce the New York Times H-1B visa fees will have a ripSecretary Howard Lutnick that the $1,00,000 ple effect on America’s innoH-1B visa fee will stood by The new rule would . vation ecosystem and the job apply only to new raise the cost of sponsoring market. “It will also impact applicants an Indian H-1B worker from Indian nationals working in the current $215 to a staggerthe US on H-1B visas for both ing $100,000 per year or up to $600,000 global and Indian companies. India’s over a six-year visa period. The admin- technology services companies will istration says the fee is designed to en- face business continuity challenges for sure that only “extraordinary” workers onshore projects,” it said. Nasscom also flagged the timeline for are let in. TCS accounted for over 5,505 H-1B vi- implementation, since the new rules apsas granted for fiscal year 2025 (October ply to anyone entering the US after 12.01 2024-September 2025), followed by Cog- am on September 21. “ Policy changes nizant (3,700), Infosys (2,004), LTIMind- of this scale are best introduced with tree (1,807), and HCL Tech (1,728). In adequate transition periods,” it added. S a n a l S u d e v a n / D i pa k M o n d a l @ Chennai/New Delhi Will soon reveal ‘H-bomb’ to expose ‘vote theft’: Rahul E x p r e s s New s Se r v i c e @Kalpetta Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, once again claimed that he will soon reveal a ‘hydrogen bomb’ that w i l l p r o ve vote theft by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP . Speaking to reporters in Wayanad on Saturday Rahul , lashed out at the Election Commission of India. The Congress leader alleged that even after repeated requests from the CID in Karnataka, the EC has not provided information regarding the phone calls related to the ‘vote theft’ allegations. “Once the details come out, the people of India will no longer have any doubt that Narendra Modi has done ‘vote chori’,” Rahul ● More on P7 said.  ferred the Padma Shri in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2019. In 2009, he was also inducted as an honorary lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army the first , Indian actor to receive the distinction. Even after four decades, Mohanlal continues to redefine excellence. From Drishyam to recent hits like L2: Empuraan and Thudarum, he is not only an enduring superstar but also a constantly evolving artist — an icon whose journey inspires audiences and filmmakers alike, proving that his cinematic peak is far from behind him. P2 EXPRESS READ SIR faces oppn from parties in state T’Puram: All major political parties, barring the BJP, in Kerala have registered their opposition towards conducting the Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state at a meeting convened by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)-Kerala Ratan Kelkar here on Saturday. The timing of holding the exercise in the coming months, when the local body elections are scheduled to be held in the state, was the major point of opposition raised by the parties, including CPM and the Congress. P7 —Howard Lutnick, US Commerce Secy Top H-1B beneficiaries IT firms 2025 5,005 Cognizant 3,660 Infosys 2,004 LTIMindtree 1,807 HCL 1,728 Wipro 1,523 TCS U.S. revenue for major Indian IT cos % US revenue TCS Infosys HCL Tech Wipro Tech  Mahindra 48% 58% 66% 63% 51% Stunned techies scramble to US, scrap fly out plan Invokes Bhagavad Gita At Ayyappa meet, Pinarayi makes a political statement s l a l i t h a @ New Delhi THE abrupt announcement by the US to levy an annual fee of `88.13 lakh on H1-B visa holders from September 21, with a mere 36-hour window, stunned Indian techies living in the US as well as those planning to visit the country . Plans to travel outside America or in the return direction have been abruptly cancelled or advanced by hundreds of them and their families. While many cancelled plans to travel at the last minute while waiting to board flights to India, several others already in India are scrambling to return amid lack of clarity as the US fiat comes weeks before Indian professionals and their families travel to India for Diwali and other holidays. Atal Agarwal, founder of OpenSphere, an AI company that offers Global Mobility Services for Immigrants, told this paper from Canada that he was inundated with messages for help from Indians in the US. “Never in modern history has a policy affecting 500K+ highly skilled workers been implemented with a 48-hr notice ... Airports are flooded. Flight prices are skyrocketing.” Airfares from New Delhi to the US were in excess of $4,500 on a private airline’s portal. Communication sent to staff by Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft urged employees to stay put in the US while asking those outside to return before the deadline. Individuals on H-1B visas told a news agency anonymously that the underlying emotion among H-1B visa holders and families right now is “a crazy sense of panic and worry”. Has humanitarian consequences: MEA New Delhi: India on Saturday said it is closely studying the full implication of the US decision to impose a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas, warning that the move could cause “humanitarian consequences” and disrupt families. In a measured response, MEA spokesperson said: “The implications of the measure are being studied by all concerned, including by Indian industry, which has put out an initial analysis clarifying P9 some perceptions related to the H1B program.”  Travancore Devaswom Board president P S Prasanth handing over an Ayyappa Idol to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the inauguration of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam at Pampa on Saturday | Shaji Vettipuram J a i s o n W i l s o n @ Pathanamthitta Quoting from Bhagavad Gita to delineate qualities of a true devotee and pitching Sabarimala as a rare shrine that embodies secular spirituality, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday donned an all-new avatar. In an earnest effort to win back the lost mass base among the Hindu community after the Sabarimala women entry fiasco, he rolled out a detailed road map for the future development of the hill shrine. Eyeing a consecutive third term, the Left leader sent out an evident political message ahead of the elections, as he said at the Global Ayyappa Sangamam in Pampa that Sabarimala’s uniqueness lay in transcending religious divides and attracting devotees from across faiths. Noticeably, the CM received praise from SNDP general secretary Vellappally Natesan who termed Pinarayi a true devotee at heart. Vellappally, who arrived at the venue along with Pinarayi in his official vehicle, described Pinarayi as the only leader with the quality to become a CM again. At a time when the UDF and the BJP have been eyeing inroads into the Ezhava community, Left was able to send out a message through Vellappally . Billed as a mega event by the Travancore Devaswom Board to transform Sabarimala into a global destination, the event had two ministers from Tamil Nadu in attendance, in addition to an array of prominent people from the state. Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, who presided over the meet, read out the message from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extending wishes to the meet. In a marked shift from his Marxist vocabulary Pi, narayi dipped into the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ during his inau● More on P2 gural address.  WITH THIS I SSU E Thinking Inside the Bot PLUS 12 PAGES Sports no longer a tool of India-Pakistan diplomacy swa r o o p swa m i n at h a n @ Chennai OVER the last few months, there has been a growing clamour for the Indian cricket team to refuse to play Pakistan and it grew before their first match in Asia Cup group stage. India comfortably won the game — there is honestly a noticeable difference in the skill levels of both teams — but what caught the eye was what happened on the sidelines. India’s refusal to shake hands or exchange pleasantries, a kind of common sporting brotherhood. After the match, Suryakumar Yadav expressed his solidarity with the families affected by the attack in Pahalgam in April. Following that attack the sport- ing relations between India and Pakistan nosedived. An Indian cricket team twice boycotted Pakistan in a meet in England. The Pakistan hockey team — usually habitual travellers to India — skipped the Asia Cup earlier this month; relationships are not the same anymore. Even in a heightened state of tension, sport has been used as a diplomatic tool to try and put peace at the forefront. From 1987, when Pakistan president, Zia-ul-Haq, travelled to India to watch a Test featuring the two countries to 1996, when the two teams joined forces to play a game in Sri Lanka to show it was safe. On Sunday In, dia and Pakistan will meet P13 again at the Asia Cup.