coimbatore l Thursday l December 25, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Bharti, Warburg Pincus buy 49% stake in Haier India for $2 bn Bharti Enterprises and Warburg Pincus said in a statement on Wednesday that they are making a strategic investment in Haier India Management control in Chinese hands Reliance, jsw group were in the fray The management control will continue to remain with China-based Haier Group, which will retain 49% stake in Haier India after the deal, down from 100%. The deal may provide reprieve from Press Note 3. Through PN3, the Centre had made its prior approval mandatory for investments from countries that share a land border with India, which includes China ■ ■ The announcement puts a curtain on a hotly contested race in which JSW group and Reliance Industries were participating | p10 The new capital infusion is expected to enhance Haier India’s competitiveness at a time when the company is aiming to be the number two player in the Indian electronics and appliances market `17,955 cr the size of the deal as per industry sources 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 Two new airlines get wings from govt S L a l i t h a @ New Delhi AIR travellers are set to have more options as three new domestic airlines prepare to launch operations. Two carriers—Al Hind Air and FlyExpress—received their No Objection Certificates from the civil aviation ministry this week, while Uttar Pradesh-based Shankh Air, which already has an NOC, is likely to begin flights in 2026. The development gains significance following IndiGo’s operational meltdown in early December, which drew sharp criticism over the appar- Isro launches heaviest satellite B o s k y K h a n n a @ Bengaluru The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday launched the 6.10-tonne BlueBird Block-2 communications satellite, the heaviest it has launched to date. Isro’s Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3)-M6 rocket, nicknamed ‘Bahubali’, lifted off with the satellite belonging to US-based AST SpaceMobile (AST and Science, LLC) and released it accurately into the 518.50 km altitude circular Low Earth Orbit. The launch took place at 8.55 am and the satellite was released into its orbit at 9.11 am in what ISRO scientists described as a case of “textbook launch”. Till now, the heaviest satellite that ISRO had launched was the 4.40-tonne Communication Satellite 03, also known as GSAT-7R on November 2. The LVM3M6/BlueBird Block-2 Mission was executed from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota. The launch was the result of a commercial deal between ISRO’s business arm NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) and US-based AST SpaceMobile. ent duopoly in India’s domestic aviation market. The aviation ministry is keen to have more airline operators in the country, which is one of the world’s fastest growing domestic civil aviation markets. “Over the last one week, pleased to have met teams from new airlines aspiring to take wings in Indian skiesShankh Air, Al Hind Air and F lyExpress. While Shankh Air has already got the NOC from the Ministry Al Hind , Air and FlyExpress have received their NOCs this week,” Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on X. The ministry wants to encourage more airlines in Indian aviation sector, which is amongst the fastest growing international aviation markets. Over the last one week, pleased to have met teams from new airlines aspiring to take wings in Indian skies - Shankh Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress —Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on X To challenge Sengar’s bail Meets Rahul, gets promise of top lawyer Unnao survivor to approach SC seeking justice safety and the Gandhis assured all help. A day after the Delhi High In its order on Tuesday, the Court suspended the life sen- HC granted bail to Sengar with tence awarded by a trial court conditions. It directed him not to former BJP MLA Kuldeep to come within a 5-km radius Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao of the survivor’s residence. rape case, the survivor on Sengar, who is currently in jail, Wednesday said she would will not be immediately remove the Supreme Court. leased as he is also serving a 10On Wednesday, she and her year term in the custodial mother staged a protest death case of the survinear Mandi House vor’s father. He is yet to against the HC verdict. get bail in that case. Earlier in the day, the The survivor was a miWe will go to duo met Congress lead- the Supreme nor when she was kiders Rahul Gandhi and napped and raped by Court and Sonia Gandhi after alleg- have sought Sengar in 2017. ing ill-treatment by Delhi Rahulji’s help Deploring the alleged Police. On Tuesday night, ill treatment meted out Unnao rape the survivor and her to the survivor during survivor mother were reportedly her protest in Delhi, Raforcefully removed by pohul Gandhi said she is lice from a protest site near In- being punished for seeking jusdia Gate. tice. “Is such treatment of a Speaking to the media, she gang-rape survivor approprisaid no one from the govern- ate? The fact that her perpetrament came forward to help her tor has been granted bail is exwhile Rahul Gandhi promised tremely disappointing and to get a top lawyer to fight the shameful—especially when the case in the Supreme Court. survivor is being repeatedly The survivor termed the Del- harassed and is living under hi High Court’s decision to sus- the shadow of fear,” he said in pend the jail term of Sengar a social media post. “Bail for ‘death’ for her family Sources rapists and treating survivors . said she also sought relocation like criminals—what kind of to a Congress-ruled state for justice is this?” he asked. @ Tirunelveli The special court for Pocso cases in Tirunelveli on Wednesday awarded death penalty to a 49-year-old daily wage labourer for sexually assaulting and impregnating his 14-year-old daughter. The court also imposed a fine of `25,000 on the accused and directed the government to pay `10 lakh compensation to the survivor. Sources said the incident came to light in February this year, when the survivor’s mother lodged a complaint at the Nanguneri All-Woman Police Station against the accused. A case was filed under relevant provisions of the Pocso Act and the man was arrested. Police conducted a detailed investigation and a final report was filed before the trial court. In the meantime, Tirunelveli police detained the accused under the Goondas Act and lodged him in the Palayamkottai central prison. @ Cuddalore P REETHA NAIR @ New Delhi File photo of Kuldeep Singh Sengar being taken away from the CBI court in Lucknow on April 14, 2018 | pti HC decision death for my family, says rape survivor The Unnao rape survivor said on Wednesday that the Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s jail term in the 2017 case is kaal (death) for her family. “If the convict gets bail in a case like this, how will the country’s daughters remain safe? For us, this decision is no less than kaal,” she said We may be turning into a dead society, says Rahul Deploring the ill-treatment meted out to the rape survivor during her protest in Delhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said she deserves respect, safety and justice. “We are not just becoming a dead economy—with such inhuman incidents, we are also turning into a dead society,” he said Double life for man who raped 8-year-old A special court for Pocso cases on Wednesday sentenced Kale Biswakarma (35) of Assam to double life imprisonment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault of an eight-year-old girl near Arambakkam village in Tiruvallur district and imposed a fine of `1.45 lakh, failing to pay which he will serve three years of additional jail term | P2 The judgment in the case was delivered by Justice K Suresh Kumar. According to the prosecution, the accused sexually assaulted his daughter and threatened to murder her mother if the survivor revealed the abuse to her. Subsequently the , child fell ill and her mother took her to a nearby PHC where tests revealed she was pregnant, following which the complaint was filed. Nine, including a child, killed as TN bus crashes into cars after tyre burst Express News Service Man gets death sentence for assaulting, impregnating his 14-yr-old daughter in Nellai Express News Service Al Hind Air is being promoted by Kerala-based alhind Group, which was founded in the 1990s. Schemes like UDAN, have enabled smaller carriers Star Air, India One Air and Fly91 to play an important role in the regional connectivity within the country and there is scope for further growth, he added. Currently there are nine oper, ational domestic carriers in the country: Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Alliance Air, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Star Air, Fly91 and IndiaOne Air, as per data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. brothers in arms Ending a 20-year political feud, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS president Raj Thackeray forged an alliance on Wednesday for BMC polls | pti At least nine people, including a two-year-old child, were killed when a State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) bus ploughed through two cars on the Tiruchy-Chennai National Highway near Thittakudi in Cuddalore district late on Wednesday . According to police and local sources, the accident occurred at Ezhuthur when the government bus plying from Tiruchy to Chennai suffered a front tyre burst around 8 pm. The driver lost control of the vehicle, and the bus rammed through the median and entered the opposite lane, colliding with two oncoming cars. All seven occupants of the cars — three women, three men and a child — were killed on the spot, they added. All seven car occupants, including a two-year-old, were killed on the spot | express Ramanatham police rushed to the scene, recovered the bodies and sent the injured to the Perambalur Government Hospital. Two more bus passengers later succumbed to their injuries at the GH, sources said. Two of the deceased were identified as car drivers Jeya- cozy ride, lower fare tn govt to operate luxury buses along long-distance routes b a n b u s e lv a n @ Chennai Nearly 15 years after the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka introduced premium multi-axle buses to provide enhanced comfort for long-distance travellers, the Tamil Nadu transport department has joined the initiative. The ticket fare for multiaxle buses will be `1.7 per km, which is about 25% higher than standard AC SETC buses, and 30% cheaper than private omni buses that charge between `2.6 and `2.9 per km, inclusive of all fees. For instance, for a Volvo bus ticket to Madurai from KCBT (435km), the price charged by SETC will CM M K Stalin inaugurated the new be nearly `800, against the buses on Wednesday | express fare of `1,240 charged by private operators. Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday flagged off 20 AC multi-axle semi sleeper buses for the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC). This marks the first time that the SETC, which operates long-distance services, will use such buses. The buses provide a smoother ride with minimal impact from road bumps and vibrations. Enhanced shock absorption ensures greater stability and comfort for passengers. The 20 buses were procured at a total cost of `34.3 crore.  P7 No fresh leases allowed for mining in the Aravallis J i t e n d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi THE Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has directed states to completely ban new mining leases in the Aravalli Range, stretching from Delhi to Gujarat, to save them from unbridled mining activities. The move follows reports that the Central Empowered Committee—established by the Supreme Court in 2002 and reconstituted in December 2023 — had contradicted a government-headed committee’s recommendations on definition of the Aravallis. The controversy centers around the Supreme Court accepting an Environment Ministry committee’s kumar (65) of Karur and M Durairaj (40) of Lalgudi. Rajeshwari (55) and Rajarathinam (65), passengers of a car from Karur, were also among the dead, police sources said. Investigation is on to ascertain the identity of other victims, sources said. p ro p o s a l t h at l a n d fo r m s over 100 metres constitute “Aravalli hills”. Critics argue this new defin i t i o n i n c re a s e s t h e range’s vulnerability to mining. It is also believed the Forest Survey of India and the SC’s amicus curiae had opposed this definition. Despite this, the Supreme Court accepted the ministry’s 100-metre proposal on November 20. The Ministry has now asked the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education to identify additional no-mining zones and preparing a management plan for “sustainable mining. Senior Cong ress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Centre “is misleading the public.” Vijay Hazare trophy For the record, this is big On any other day former India captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli scoring hundreds in Vijay Hazare ties would have been the talking points. But not on Wednesday as three of the four fastest List A ton were scored. 22 centuries As many as 22 centuries were scored on Day 1, the most in VH history. Previously, 19 tons were scored on Dec 12, 2021 and Jan 3, 2025 38 Total sixes Hit by Bihar is by far the most in a men’s List A innings as they posted 574/6, the highest ever List A total fastest hundreds Ishan Kishan followed his T20 World Cup callup with a 33ball 100 against Karnataka as Jharkhand post 412. Karnataka raced to a five-wicket win. Sensational Vaibhav Suryawanshi hit a 36-ball 100 against Arunachal Pradesh. But his teammate Sakibul Gani eclipsed all with a 32-ball 100 to help Bihar post 574 for 6 14 yr, 272 days Suryawanshi became the youngest to score a List A hundred