hyderabad l wednesday l april 22, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Tim Cook to step down as Apple CEO, transition to executive chairman After 15 years at the helm, Apple CEO Tim Cook will leave the job he inherited from late Steve Jobs and assume the role of executive chairman on Sept 1 Hardware boss John Ternus to be new CEO Levinson to quit non-executive chair role Cook, 65, will turn the CEO duties to 51-year-old John Ternus, Apple’s head of hardware engineering. Ternus is taking over at a challenging time when AI is disrupting traditional markets and US-China trade tensions remain a threat to business. Cook will work Ternus to help him with “certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world” ■ ■ To allow Cook to assume his new job, Arthur Levinson will relinquish his role as non-executive chairman while remaining on Apple board Cook’s stepping down as chief executive and taking over as executive chairman is similar to the transitions made by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Netflix’s Reed Hastings after they ended their successful tenures $350 mn Apple’s valuation When Tim Cook took over as ceo in 2011; It’s $4 trillion today 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 Spectre of war Talks fail, TGSRTC staffers start indefinite strike again as peace talks elusive S i d d h a r d h a Gat t i m i @ Hyderabad Trump says he would rather go to war than extend the ceasefire; Iran refuses to relent A g e n c i e s @ Washington/Tehran/Islamabad After a brief lull, Gulf countries are bracing for renewed airstrikes as the twoweek ceasefire between Iran and the US is set to expire on Wednesday and the suspense over the proposed second round of peace talks continues. Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said that as of Tuesday evening, Iran was yet to send a formal response regarding its participation in the peace talks, to be held in Islamabad. A US team led by Vice President J D Vance was scheduled to leave for Pakistan on Tuesday morning, but delayed the departure following Iran’s public comments that it was not interested in holding any more talks with the US. Late on Monday night, CNN reported that Vance’s trip to Pakistan is “on hold”. President Donald Trump, who announced the second round of day peace talks, on Tuesday warned that he would rather go back to war than extend the ceasefire, which ends at 4.50 am PST Wednesday . Iran also hardened its stance with parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf saying Tehran cannot enter negotiations “under the shadow of threats”. He also claimed that if the war resumes, then Iran will deploy some new, surprise weapons. Islamabad, the proposed venue of the peace talks, is under tight security cover. Over 10,000 personnel have been deployed for protecting foreign delegates. Some reports said security teams from both the US and Iran are already in the Pakistani capital to oversee preparations. Meanwhile, Trump dropped hints that he may address some of Iran’s concerns. “They have to negotiate... If they make a deal, they can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again,” he said in an interview to CNBC. 53 Free 8 women on death row, Don tells Iran Trump on Tuesday requested Iran to release the eight women awaiting execution, ahead of the proposed peace talks. “Please do them no harm! Would be a great start to our negotiations!!!” he wrote on Truth Social, taking a remarkably softer tone than in his usual posts Trump misled by fake news, says Iran Iran denied that the eight women face execution. “Trump was misled by fake news,” Iranian judiciary’s official Mizan Online website said. “Some of the women have been released. Others face charges that, if convictions are upheld, would at most result in imprisonment.” Bus services of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation ground to a halt across the state from the wee hours of Wednesday after talks between the state government and the TGSRTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) failed on Tuesday, with unions confirming an indefinite strike from midnight. JAC leaders held discussions through the day with a high-level committee of IAS officers constituted by the government to examine employees’ demands. Officials sought four weeks to review the issues and asked unions to defer the strike, but the JAC rejected the request. “We have clearly explained our issues. The committee sought four weeks, but our demands are not new and are based on earlier assurances. The committee itself indicated it may or may not accept them. L/E PK  Red uce wor kloa d; sto p KMPt targ et-l inke d har ass men Under these circumstances, we have no option but to go on strike,” said JAC chairman Eeduru Venkanna. He said the strike would continue until all 32 demands are addressed, accusing the government of delaying action through committees. Following the breakdown of talks, unions alerted staff across depots and called for a complete halt to services from the first shift at midnight. With supply of commercial LPG yet to return to normalcy and private commercial transport hit, the disruption in RTC services is expected to affect lakhs of commuters, including office-goers, students and longdistance passengers, especially during peak hours. At an earlier press meet, Venkanna said that despite a strike notice issued 41 days ago on March 13, there had been no response. He also said the demand to merge RTC employees with the government, part of the ruling party’s election manifesto, remained unaddressed. HC junks procurement tender bypassing TSCO TG Na i d u @ Hyderabad The Telangana High Court has set aside a government tender for procurement of bedsheets, blankets and towels, holding that it bypassed the prescribed mechanism for sourcing handloom goods through cooperative institutions. The petition was filed by the Veeranjaneya Handloom Weavers Coo p e r a t iv e S o c i e t y against the education department’s decision to procure items through an open-market process under a “project monitoring unit”, instead of routing orders through the Telangana State Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society (TSCO). Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti noted that a March 2024 gov- ernment order (GO Ms. No. 1) mandates all departments to procure handloom products through TSCO. Alternative procurement is permitted only upon issuance of a Non-Availability Certificate by TSCO. The court found that the impugned tender did not comply with this requirement and declared it invalid. It directed all departments to adhere to the government order in future procurements. The court also referred to the conditions affecting the handloom sector, including competition from mechanised production and rising costs. The ruling is expected to impact procurement involving handloom products and cooperative societies across the state.  State to procure EV buses; no allocation of RTC lands  Merge rental buses and drivers into RTC  Cancel transfers from GH zone; withdraw 2019 strike cases  Address women employees’ issues; strengthen welfare measures  Increase fleet strength; fill vacancies across categories  Clear all pending dues of retired employees He further alleged that under the pretext of introducing electric buses, staff were being shifted from Hyderabad depots to districts, calling it part of a move towards privatisation. Later in the day, RTC management invited JAC leaders for another round of talks, which lasted about four hours but ended without agreement. Meanwhile, the government issued GO Ms. No. 66, constituting a high-level committee to examine service conditions and pending demands. The Disruption in webcasting ECI cracks whip on foul play Ahead of polling in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the Election Commission of India read the riot act to all poll officials to ensure the process is free and fair. Since the entire exercise would be monitored through webcasting, even a brief disruption, such as a camera going offline for a few seconds or a technical glitch, could lead to re-poll being ordered, the panel warned. “To prevent irregularities and violence, several measures have been implemented, including the large-scale deployment of paramilitary forces,” a senior ECI official said. The commission is also on high alert to curb booth capturing and fake voting, the officials said. “If the ECI still finds that malpractice has not been effectively controlled, it may even withhold the results for the entire Legislative Assembly,” another Election Commission of India official said. Amid an escalating tussle over the women’s quota bill and delimitation, the Congress on Tuesday submitted a privilege notice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that the prime minister committed a breach of privilege during his address to the nation last week by “casting aspersions” on members of the Lower House. In the notice submitted under Rule 222, Congress MP K C Venugopal urged the Speaker to take immediate and decisive steps to uphold the sanctity of Parliament and the constitutional protections afforded to its members. He said on April 18, the prime minister addressed the nation on TV following the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on April 17, which failed to secure the required two-thirds majority . In the 29-minute speech, Modi criticised the blocking of the bill, made direct reflections on the voting pattern of members of the Opposition and attributed motives to them, he said. It is well established that casting reflections, aspersions, and imputing motives to MPs regarding speeches in Parliament is tantamount to gross breach of privilege and contempt of the House, he added. “Addressing the nation by the PM on the government not being able to muster the requisite majority in Parliament for criticizing the Opposition parties is unprecedented, which is unethical and a blatant abuse of power,” Venugopal alleged in his notice. @ Thrissur @ Hyderabad On the boil Security personnel fire tear gas shells to disperse a mob advancing towards the BDO office in Thoubal district of Manipur on Tuesday, where Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh’s event was scheduled. One person sustained bullet wounds in the firing | PTI at least 13 workers were killed and over 13 injured — five of them critically — after a powerful explosion ripped through a firecracker-manufacturing unit set up in a paddy field at Mundathicode in Thrissur district on Tuesday . The facility was engaged in preparing firecrackers for Thiruvambady devaswom ahead of the Thrissur Pooram scheduled this Sunday . The unit, comprising makeshift sheds, was flattened in the blast leaving behind widespread devastation across the dry fields where temporary Address to the nation draws privilege notice P r e e t h a Na i r @ New Delhi Express News Service Express News Service panel, chaired by the special chief secretary (Transport, Roads and Buildings), includes senior officials from Labour and Finance departments, with the TGSRTC vice chairman and managing director as member-convener. It has been asked to submit a report within four weeks. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the government was taking a “positive and considerate” approach while seeking to minimise inconvenience to passengers. He urged unions to present their concerns before the committee and said action would follow its recommendations. Noting that around 65 lakh passengers depend on RTC services daily particularly from ru, ral and economically weaker sections, he said, “Bus transport is a lifeline for the poor,” adding that both the government and employees share responsibility for maintaining services. M U K ESH R A N J A N @ New Delhi 13 dead in KL firecracker unit explosion TG records first land registration with survey map In a major step forward in resolving land disputes, the first land registration using a survey map was carried out in Gattu Singaram village in Kusumanchi mandal in Khammam district on Tuesday. Survey (LPM) and Bhudhaar numbers have been assigned to the land. This is the first-ever registration completed with a survey map. A farmer, Bhagam Kishan Rao, from Muthapuram village, Nelakondapalli mandal, sold one acre and four guntas of land located in Survey No. 156/E/1 of Gattu Singaram revenue village in Kusumanchi mandal to Katta Venkateswara Rao of the same village. During the transaction, the farmer attached a boundary map of his land and completed registration at the Kusumanchi tahsildar office. A Bhudhaar number (Land Encumbrance Map-1, Bhudhaar Number: 795GCHDCUPJ7H0) was assigned by the tahsildar. The government stated that this system will be implemented across the state in phases to per manently resolve land disputes. Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said that the Integrated Bhu Bharati Portal would serve as a model for the entire country and ensure permanent security for land ownership rights.  continued on P5 T h e sp e e d b u m ps  Immediate initiation of RTC staff merger with the government  Lift curbs on unions; conduct recognised union elections  Implement 2021 PRC with 30% fitment; carry out 2025 revision  Release `400 crore monthly to RTC under Mahalakshmi scheme  Ensure job security; fill breadwinner posts on permanent basis Injured being taken to hospital | Express structures were erected as part of festival preparations. Nearly 40 labourers were present at the unit when the explosion occurred around 3 pm. The impact was so intense that nearby residents initially mistook it for an earthquake. Sources said nearly 2,000 kg of explosive materials were stored at the facility The initial . blast triggered a series of secondary explosions, sending unexploded firecrackers flying into surrounding fields and hampering rescue efforts. Fire and rescue personnel were forced to operate from a distance for hours as intermittent explosions continued. Unable to immediately access the site, they sprayed water while waiting for the blasts to subside before moving in. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of `2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and `50,000 for the injured. forward training node Army’s skill lab where soldiers learn how to win the drone war J a v a r i a Ra n a @ Bhuj Computer screens display simulated terrain, moving targets and live telemetry as young soldiers pilot virtual drones through obstacle-heavy scenarios that resemble a video game, but are configured to replicate combat conditions. This newspaper visited one such forward training node on the western front, part of the Army’s post-Operation Sindoor push to build its next generation of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators. Drones, once limited to intelligence, surveillance and re- connaissance (ISR) roles, are now central to battlefield operations, delivering low-cost surveillance and precision strikes while compressing decision timelines. During Operation Sindoor, Army units deployed UAVs for surveillance, targeting and loitering munition strikes, allowing tactical formations to generate a real-time battlefield picture with reduced dependence on higher headquarters. The Army began setting up these labs about two years ago across infantry formations and independent brigades to standardise training and build a Soldiers operate an FPV drone through an obstacle course during training at an Army drone lab | Javaria Rana steady pipeline of operators. “We follow the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGQA) protocols and train in phases, starting on simulators before moving to live systems,” a Colonel overseeing the node told this newspaper. Training begins on simulators using homegrown software to familiarise personnel with controls, mission scenarios and emergency handling, before they transition to live platforms. “It may look like a video game, but the focus is on building muscle memory and decision-making under pressure,” the officer said. After completing the required flying hours, soldiers undergo structured training followed by hands-on exposure across a spectrum of systems, from micro UAVs used for close reconnaissance to first-person view (FPV) drones and loitering munitions. The modules cover mission planning, payload integration and operations in contested environments, including scenarios involving signal disruption and electronic interference. In the next stage, obstacle courses are used to rigorously test control, manoeuvrability and responsiveness in constrained, high-pressure settings. Those who perform well are taken on for advanced pilot and instructor roles. Each lab can run up to 40 courses annually and, when required, also trains Border Security Force (BSF) personnel as part of inter-agency coordination to counter crossborder drone activity . The training pipeline now feeds directly into operational units. In the infantry each unit , is being equipped with ‘Ashni’ platoons carrying surveillance UAVs and loitering munitions for tactical ISR and strike roles. In artillery ‘Divyastra’ batteries , integrate UAV-based targeting with guns, while ‘Shaktibaan’ regiments are tasked with longrange precision strikes using swarm drones and remotely piloted aircraft systems.