THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l sunday l june 07, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION Mirra-cle in paris:Andreeva wins French Open maiden final Mirra Andreeva took 1 hour 22 minutes to defeat Maja Chwalinska in straight sets. 19-year-old is 2nd youngest winner since Monica Seles (1992) the Russian’s tale of teen spirit Maja’s dream run ends in heartbreak From playing with elder sister Erika in Siberia, situated 4000 kilometres east of Moscow, teenager Andreeva has scaled the French summit. She broke into the scene aged 16, winning multiple WTA titles but stumbling in Major events halted her natural progress. A year after losing in the quarterfinals in 2025 edition of this event, Andreeva revels in title glory ■ ■ Qualifier Chwalinska, ranked 114 and without sponsors had a dream run at the Rolland Garros. The wait for a qualifier to win French Open singles title continues but she was pleased with heself for the run In journey towards the final, Chwalinska defeated Diana Shnaider, who bettered top seed and favourite Aryna Sabalenka 11 Number of years taken for a russian woman to win title 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 With comic & tragic touch, he captured cinema’s true sway Public homage in Paravur today A N N A J OS E @ Kochi PM Narendra Modi at the Economic Advisory Council meet in New Delhi | PTI Modi reviews road ahead for the economy Discusses strategy with the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister D i pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi WITH dark clouds looming over the economy amid the West Asia crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday convened a meeting of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) to assess the evolving situation and discuss the country’s long-term development strategy . The meeting came a day after the finance ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a slew of measures aimed at boosting foreign investment inflows and supporting the rupee, which has depreciated by around 6% since January 2026. While most members remained tight-lipped about the deliberations, Modi said on X that the council discussed a wide range of issues related to India’s economic transformation and long-term development priorities. “Also shared perspectives on adding more momentum to the reform journey and ensuring Ease of Living as well as Ease of Doing Business,” the PM said on X. According to sources, members of the council shared their assessment of the im- WITH THIS ISSUE Princess Diaries PLUS 12 P AGES express read Karuvannur: Court summons CPM leaders Kochi: In a major setback to CPM in the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank money laundering case, the PMLA Court on Saturday found prima facie evidence against the accused. The court issued summons to all accused, including CPM leaders K Radhakrishnan and A C Moideen, directing them to appear before it on July 4. P4 ‘Potency test without nod of accused is legal’ Kochi: The Kerala High Court has held that a potency test can be conducted on a man, who is accused in a sexual assault case, without his consent and it is not violative of Article 21 of the Constitution of India. P5 pact of the West Asia conflict on India and the global economy Three members present . at the meeting declined to comment on the discussions when contacted. PM’s Principal Secretaries PK Mishra and Shaktikanta Das were present. The meet assumes significance amid concerns over the economic fallout from the conflict in West Asia. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has warned that an “economic tsunami” could hit the country Although the econ. omy expanded by a robust 7.8% in the fourth quar ter of FY26, many economists expect growth to moderate in the coming quarters. The RBI has revised its FY27 GDP growth forecast downward to 6.6% from 6.9% earlier. Reflecting these risks, the RBI on Friday raised its FY27 inflation forecast to 5.1% from 4.6%. The EAC is an independent body that advises the Prime Minister on economic issues. At present, it comprises of a chairman, three full-time members and 11 part-time members. S Mahendra Dev is the chairman, while full-time members are Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Sanjeev Sanyal and Shamika Ravi. CPM, JMM join chorus against Cong after DMK Ahead of the INDIA bloc meeting, the CPM shot off a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, criticising the conduct of the party, the largest in the bloc | P7 Actor, director and National Award winner Salim Kumar passed away on Saturday. He was 56. He was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi on Saturday morning after his health condition deteriorated because of pneumonia and was placed on ventilator support. He had undergone a liver transplant several years ago following a diagnosis of liver cirrhosis. For movie lovers, Salim Kumar was the face of laughter. His elastic expressions, impeccable timing and unforgettable one-liners made him one of Malayalam cinema’s beloved comedians. Yet, behind the laughter was an actor of extraordinary depth, a performer who would eventually prove that he was capable of much more than comedy . Born in 1969 in Paravur, Salim Kumar began his artistic journey as a mimicry performer, entertaining audiences by imitating teachers, neighbours and public figures. Like many actors of his generation, he en- Kochi: The mortal remains of actor Salim Kumar will be kept at the Parvaur Town Hall from 9am on Sunday for the public to pay homage. By noon, the body will be taken to his residence in North Paravur. The funeral will be held later in the day. Salim Kumar ( 1969-2026) tered cinema through mimicry circuit that flourished in the state in the 1980s and 1990s. His film debut came with Ishtamanu Nooru Vattam in 1996. The early years offered little more than fleeting appearances and minor roles. But perseverance paid off. Around the turn of the millennium, films such as Sathyame- Vaibhav@15 ready for India F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai A day before the 2026 IPL started, teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi turned 15. And what transpired next in little over than two months left everybody bamboozled. The world had already witnessed what Sooryavanshi can do with the willow in 2025 but the teenager from Bihar took it several notches higher this season when he finished as the leading scorer of the tournament, amassing 776 runs at an awe-inspiring strike rate of 237.30 from 16 matches. The spectacular show meant his inclusion in India’s T20 set up was a mere formality and selectors completed it when they named him in the national squads for England, Ireland tours, and the 2026 Asian Games on Saturday . Manish Ojha, Sooryavanshi’s childhood coach, however, feels his ward’s entry into the national team only got delayed due to an ICC rule. The ICC had introduced minimum age rules a few years ago which said no player below the age of 15 should play an international match even at U19 level. Sooryavanshi though did that when he helped India win the 2026 U19 World Cup. But the age barrier apparently prevented the BCCI from giving him a break in senior team. But it’s better ‘late than never. At 15 years and 71 days old, Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to feature in an Indian cricket men’s team, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record. Just a trailer, says CJP head after Delhi protest A d i t i R ay C h o w d h u r y & N i t i n R a w at @ New Delhi HUNDREDS of students, parents and young professionals descended on Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Saturday as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staged its first major street protest, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and issuing a seven-day ultimatum to the government. The demonstration, led by CJP founder Abhijit Dipke — a Boston University graduate who flew into Delhi early Saturday morning — drew participants from across the country many wearing cockroach , masks and carrying flowers and the national flag. Six individuals were taken into preventive custody by the police after they were found allegedly attempting to create disturbance near the protest site. “Today’s protest was just a trailer. Thank you for showing up in CJP founder Abhijit Dipke with supporters in Delhi on Saturday | sayantan such huge numbers,” Dipke wrote on X. Climate and social activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the rally at around 1.30 pm, lending heft to the youth movement. At a post-protest press confer- ghosh ence, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka sought Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation within seven days. He warned that the movement would spread across the country if Pradhan does not re- sign. Another spokesperson Saurav Das said participants had travelled from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Northeast to participate in the protest. The Opposition stood vertically split on support to the CJP — a sceptical Congress on the one side, while the rest of the parties cheered on from the sidelines.A section of the Congress trashed the CJP protest, calling it “performative” and a “brainchild of the AAP”. The Samajwadi Party Left , parties, Shiv Sena (Uddhav), Trinamool and AAP threw their weight behind the CJP . Born as a satirical Instagram account in May following a controversial remark by Chief Justice Surya Kant comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches, the CJP has since amassed over 2.2 crore followers. The party’s other demands include banning political rewards for retiring SC judges. va Jayate and Thenkasipattanam brought him wider recognition, launching a career that would eventually span more than 300 films. Salim Kumar often said that comedy was the most difficult form of acting. Few could dispute that claim after watching him. His characters transcended the screen and entered eve- ryday life. Dharmapalan’s bewildered “Appo ente chodyam ithanu, njan aaranu?”, Maakri Gopalan’s famous observations, Dance Master Vikram’s exaggerated instructions, Manavalan’s comic despair, and Omanakuttan’s unforgettable “I am the sorry Aliya, I am the sorry” became part of Kerala’s popular vocabulary . His face itself became cultural shorthand. Long before memes dominated social media, Salim Kumar’s expressions had become a language of their own. They would later find a second life in the digital era through countless trolls and memes, introducing his comedy to younger audi● More on P4 ences.  Suspension of IAS officers revoked E x p re s s N e w s Ser v i ce @T’Puram After falling out of favour with the previous LDF government, IAS officers N Prasanth and B Ashok are set to return to service under the UDF regime. Chief Minister V D Satheesan revoked the suspension orders against both officers on Saturday with , their fresh postings expected soon. Both officers had been highly critical of t h e p r e v i o u s P i n a r a y i Vi j a y a n government. While 2007 batch IAS officer Prasanth had been under suspension for two years, his senior Ashok, of the 1998 batch, underwent the disciplinary action for one-and-ahalf months. Prasanth was suspended on November 11, 2024, for criticising chief secretary A Jayathilak on social media. The suspension has since been extended multiple times. Ashok was suspended in April following an interview in which he allegedly criticised Pinarayi and LDF government’s functioning. The charges levelled against Ashok included speaking to the media without prior permission and tarnishing the image ● More on P4 of the government.