BHUBANESWAR l wednesday l april 22, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE 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 again as peace talks elusive POSCO set for Odisha comeback 13 killed in firecracker with JSW Steel JV for steel plant unit blast in Thrissur E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar In a major boost to state’s steel vision, JSW Steel and South Korean steel major POSCO have signed a joint venture (JV) agreement to establish a 6 million tonne per annum (MTPA) integrated greenfield steel plant in Dhenkanal district. The agreement was formalised in New Delhi on Monday . The project signals a significant comeback for POSCO, nearly eight years after it exited the ambitious Paradip steel project in 2017. The South Korean major had earlier signed a $12 billion MoU with the state government in 2005 to build a 12 MTPA plant near Paradip. Tipped to be one of the largest-ever foreign direct investment proposal for the country at the time, the project could not see the light of the day due to prolonged delays in land acquisition and environmental concerns forcing the company to withdraw. The new JV builds on a series of prior engagements between 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 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, accusing Washington of breaking the promises it made in the first round of talks. 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 accommodate some of Iran’s demands. “They have to negotiate... If they make a deal, they can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again,” he told 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 Social Truth, taking a remarkably softer tone than in his usual posts Address to the nation draws privilege notice Trump misled by fake news, says Iran P r eeth a N a i r @ New Delhi 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.” Disruption in webcasting ECI cracks whip on foul play M U K E S H RAN J AN @ New Delhi 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, adding that during webcasting, even a brief disruption, such as a camera going offline for a second or any technical glitch could lead to a re-poll being ordered by the authorities. “If the ECI still finds that malpractice has not been effectively controlled, it may even withhold the results for the entire legislative assembly,” another ECI 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 is unprecedented, which is unethical and a blatant abuse of power,” he alleged. JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal shaking hand with POSCO chairman Chang In-Hwa | express the two companies, including an MoU in October 2024 and a heads of agreement (HoA) in July 2025. The integrated steel project will include steelmaking, hot rolling and cold rolling/ coating facilities, with land already secured. Designed to produce highgrade flat steel products, the plant will cater to sectors such as automobiles and electrical equipment. Leveraging POSCO’s advanced technological capabilities, the venture aims to complement JSW Steel’s existing portfolio while opening up new product opportunities in India’s rapidly expanding market. The project is expected to be operational by 2031, sources familiar with the development said. Officials indicated that the JV will also benefit from synergies with POSCO’s 1.8 MTPA downstream facility in Pune, enhancing value-added steel production and supply chain efficiency . The Dhenkanal venture is being executed through Saffron Resources Pvt Ltd, a whollyowned subsidiary of JSW Group. Saffron Resources has a land parcel of 970 acres, which it had acquired from Lanco Babandh Power Limited after its parent company Lanco Infratech became insolvent in 2017. Earlier, in March 2025, the High-level Clearance Authority (HLCA) chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had approved the 6 MTPA joint venture steel project of JSW and POSCO in Keonjhar district with an estimated investment of `35,000 crore.  Continued on P5 J a v a r i a R a 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 reconnaissance (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 Soldiers operate an FPV drone through an obstacle course during training at an Army drone lab | Javaria Rana 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 steady pipeline of operators. “We follow the Directorate General of Aeronautical Qual- 18 projects worth `3.8K crore approved by state govt for 11 districts The state government on Tuesday cleared 18 new projects with an investment of `3,877.14 crore that are expected to generate 7,565 employment opportunities. These projects will be set up in Balasore, Deogarh, Ganjam, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Khurda, Koraput, Puri, Sambalpur and Sundargarh districts | P3 Poll rush sparks exodus of WB patients from Odisha hospitals On Tuesday morning, the director of Chanakya Hospital in Cuttack, Harish Chandra Mohapatra, had to rush to the facility after frantic calls from the staff. An elderly patient from Bardhaman district in West Bengal, who had undergone a total hip replacement just days earlier, was insisting on being discharged immediately, and even demanded that his stitches be removed ahead of date. Doctors advised at least another week of hospitalisation but no amount of reasoning or appeal from Mohapatra, nurses and staff made any difference. Eventually, left with no choice, they discharged him under a Leave Against Medical Advice (LAMA) notice. The reason was not medical, but political. With elections underway in West Bengal, and Bardhaman scheduled to vote on April 23, the patient and his family had reportedly received urgent calls to return home to cast their votes. This incident is far from isolated. Hospitals across Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, both private and public are witnessing a similar pattern. While patient inflow from the neighbouring state, which accounts for a substantial chunk of admissions in the hospitals here, has dropped to a trickle, those under treatment are desperate to leave Elections in the state this time is like nothing before. While many are deferring treatment, even serious ones are taking the risk of delays to exercise their franchise – Prof SP Singh, gastroenterologist at least 13 workers were killed and over 40 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 structures were erected as part of festival preparations. Nearly 70 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 sec- Injured being taken to hospital | Express ondary 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. Army’s skill lab to teach drone war to soldiers Duty first SN A g r a g a m i @ Bhubaneswar E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Thrissur mid-treatment. As the election heat in the neighbouring state reaches its crescendo, hospitals in Odisha, particularly the Twin City, are taking a hit. For long years, Cuttack and recently Bhubaneswar have been preferred by patients from West Bengal, particularly the southern and western districts of the state, due to quality and affordable treatment. Cuttack has traditionally been the hub of healthcare not only in Odisha but for neighbouring states like West Bengal and Continued on P5 Jharkhand.  ity 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 firstperson view (FPV) drones and loitering munitions. The modules cover mission planning, payload integration and operations in contested environments, including scenarios involving signal disrup- tion 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 cross-border drone activity . The training pipeline now feeds directly into operational units. In the infantry each unit , is being equipped with ‘ shni’ A platoons carrying surveillance UAVs and loitering munitions for tactical ISR and strike roles. In artillery ‘Divyastra’ batter, ies integrate UAV-based targeting with guns, while ‘Shaktibaan’ regiments are tasked with long-range precision strikes using swarm drones and remotely piloted aircraft systems.