THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 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 Gulf war again as US-Iran peace talks elusive Trump says he would rather go to war than extend the ceasefire; Iran refuses to relent A g en 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 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. day 53 Address to the nation draws privilege notice P r eet h a N a i r @ New Delhi 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 PM 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 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 and imputing motives to MPs regarding speeches in Parliament is tantamount to gross breach of privilege and contempt of the House, he added. 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express 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 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.” 13 killed in explosion at pooram fireworks unit  5 injured in critical condition  Cause of blast yet to be ascertained Magisterial probe ordered into incident E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Thrissur At least 13 people were killed and more than 13 injured — five of them critically — after a powerful explosion ripped through a firecrackermanufacturing 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 Thrissur Pooram scheduled this Sunday . The unit, comprising a cluster of makeshift sheds, was flattened in the blast, leaving behind widespread devastation across the dry fields where temporary structures were erected as part of the festival preparations. Three of the deceased have been identified as Suvin, 38, of Kundannur; Sudarshan, 54, and Vasudevan, 54, both from Mundathicode. More than 40 labourers — most of them from Kundannur in Thrissur — were present at the unit when the explosion occurred around 3pm, sending shock waves across the region. The impact was so intense that nearby residents initially mistook it for an earthquake. Thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky following the blast. A few workers managed to escape narrowly, running away from the site. Sources said nearly 2,000kg 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 cautiously while waiting for the blasts to subside before moving in. The explosion shockwave was felt several kilometres away even shattering window , panes of the Kerala Institute for Local Administration and damaging nearby structures. Tremors were reportedly felt as far as Chavakkad, nearly 24 km away from the blast site. Thrissur Collector Sikha Surendran has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident, assigning sub-divisional magistrate and Thrissur RDO to investigate the cause of the blast. Local residents were among the first responders at the site, carrying the injured across fields to waiting ambulances. E ye w i t n e s s e s d e scribed horrific scenes, with human remains scattered across the muddy terrain. “Body parts were lying scattered. We helped gather them and send them to hospitals,” said a local resident, his voice trembling. All the injured persons have been admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Mulankunnathukavu, with 10 of them under treatment in the ICU. According to sources, three coordinators who were involved in the final stages of firecracker preparation, were among the deceased. The licensed operator of the unit, Satheesan of Mundathicode, also sustained burn injuries and is undergoing ● More on P4 treatment.  Fire and rescue services personnel dousing the blaze at the blast site at Mundathicode in Thrissur on Tuesday | Express wheN tragedy struck... Explosion occurred at a firecracker manufacturing unit at Mundathicode around 3pm Puthuruthy Blast site Parlikad Mundathicode Thrissur Athani Initial blast triggered a chain of secondary explosions at the makeshift sheds due to large quantity (around 2,000 kg) of stored explosive materials Over 40 labourers were present at the unit when the explosion happened Intermittent explosions continued for hours, forcing fire and rescue services personnel to delay entry into the site and carry out operations from a distance Rescue teams could enter the site by around 5pm. Minor blasts occurred even amid rescue operations. State to cap tourist inflow based on waste mgmt capacity Solid Waste Management Rules for hilly areas S h a i n u M o h a n @ T’Puram In a significant move aimed at promoting sustainable tourism and curbing environment pollution in ecologically sensitive hilly areas, the local self-government department (LSGD) has initiated a statewide mapping of tourist destinations to regulate visitor inflow based on local waste processing capacity . The step comes as part of the implementation of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2026, which came into force on April 1, 2026. The LSGD has launched a study to find the infrastructure gap and carrying capacity at destinations Local bodies can levy user fees on tourists to manage waste generation Tourist inflow can be regulated based on the available waste management infrastructure capacity at the destination Hotels and restaurants must establish decentralised processing units for waste management. Designated collection points will be established for managing non-biodegradable waste falling under such ecologically sensitive hilly terrains. A senior official with the LSGD told TNIE that efforts are in full swing to implement the Solid Waste Management Rules in the state. Recently the , government constituted a statelevel committee chaired by the chief secretary for the purpose. In February the Supreme Court , directed states to implement the rules effectively . The new rules mandate levying user fees on tourists to manage waste generation at the destination, regulating tourist influx based on the available waste management infrastructure capacity decen, tralised processing of wet waste generated at hotels and restaurants at the destinations, and setting up of designated collection points for handling non-biodegradable waste. “The SWM rules give special emphasis to hilly regions. We have directed our district officials to undertake a mapping of hilly destinations across the state. Visitor footfall, peak tourism seasons and waste generation patterns will be studied. We need to find out the requirements at each destination for the implementation of the rules,” said a top LSGD of● More on P5 ficial.  PM Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of I2L each for kin of deceased and I50,000 for those of injured. All govt systems have been directed to be fully mobilised to ensure comprehensive medical care for the injured Pinarayi Vijayan, CM ‘District administration should act tough’ Kochi: Terming the fire cracker unit explosion in Thrissur as distressing, Justice P S Gopinathan, who investigated the 2016 Puttingal accident, said such incidents can be avoided if the district administration strictly implements the law. P4 Recurring accidents: Hot weather a villain Kochi: Exploring the reasons for the recurring tragedies during festivities, experts say, the time of the festival plays a key role. Major festivals happen during the peak of summer. Hot weather and unsafe handling of explosives are the main reasons for such incidents, said R Venugopal, a former joint chief controller of explosives with PESO. P4 Disruption in webcasting ECI cracks whip on foul play M U K E SH RA N J A N @ 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 EC 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 could lead to a re-poll being ordered by the authorities. forward training node Army’s skill lab where soldiers learn how to win the drone war 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 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.