THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l friday l june 19, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION Latest IMD data puts Monsoon rain deficit at whopping 41% With the southwest monsoon stalled over Maharashtra, India is facing a nationwide rainfall deficit of 41% between June 4-18, the IMD said A dried-up pond at Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary, Tirunelveli dist | KARTHIKALAGU IMD’s reasons for weak monsoon surge weak phase of madden-julian oscillation There are five main factors behind the slowdown in monsoon’s northward progress. First, the current monsoon flow lacks a strong surge from the Arabian Sea, according to IMD. Second, low-level southwesterly winds associated with the monsoon circulation have weakened over the Arabian Sea. Third, the cross-equatorial flow over the western Indian Ocean ■ ■ IMD said the fourth reason is cyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, or an offshore trough along the west coast that facilitates monsoon advancement, are absent The last factor is the weak phase of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), a moving system of wind, cloud, and pressure that brings rain 4-5 days more wait for maharashtra for rainfall to resume, predicts IMD 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 Poll rout triggers power equation shift within CPM would have gone for someone other than a relative as The humiliating assembly poll candidate. debacle appears to have jolted Notably, Pinarayi Vijayan the Kerala CPM into introspec- himself stepped in to counter tion, with the party gearing up attempts to pin the blame for for significant organisational the party’s poor electoral perchanges. While a changing of formance on Govindan alone. the guard is unlikely, at least Responding to questions on Bauntil the next state conference, by’s remarks, the former chief there is growing stridency in minister made it clear that the calls for a major shake-up of CPM would not permit individthe state committee and uals to be singled out. “The secretariat, after the exparty conducted a detended committee tailed review of the meetings in August. electoral setback. That The electoral setreview did not hold any back has triggered individual responsible realignments within for specific shortcomthe CPM, with leaders ings,” Pinarayi said at pushing for sweeping a media briefing, in an Going by the changes starting to reindirect rebuttal of discussions at g roup. The recent Baby’s criticism. recent district and public criticism by Sources said the area committee party general secre- meetings, internal CPM is in for an inevitary M A Baby and debates appear to table churn, with new central committee power equations be making a comeback. member P Rajeeve is emerging. While PiCriticism now being viewed as the narayi continues to extends beyond emergence of a new wield considerable inGovindan; even power axis within the fluence, Govindan Pinarayi is facing party . finds himself on a scrutiny. As demands for a sticky wicket. leadership overhaul A central committee “If you notice, leadmember grow and state secreers like Baby, Thomas tary M V Govindan Isaac and Rajeeve have comes under mounting pres- been vocal about the need for sure, the central leadership is introspection. Both Govindan moving to tighten its grip on and Pinarayi faced criticism at the Kerala unit. most lower-level committee In what is widely seen as a meetings. With a section of veiled swipe at Govindan over leaders pushing for sweeping his wife’s candidature in Tali- changes, a new axis is taking paramba, Baby reportedly re- shape within the party a sen,” marked that had he been in a ior leader from Thiruvanan● More on P4 position to take the decision, he thapuram said.  A n i l S @ T’Puram Telegram: HC’s poser on proportionality of ban u d aya n k i s h o r e @ New Delhi SOCIAL media App Telegram was banned “temporarily” to prevent misleading crores of students so that they do not come on the streets, the Centre told the Delhi High Court on Thursday claiming that the app was the most preferred platform for terror activities. The Centre made the submission after Justice Tejas Karia questioned how can the rights of 150 million people just be stopped because one set of citizen are appearing in examinations. “The question is can you block somebody else’s rights to protect someone else’s rights,” the judge asked. The judge reserved verdict on Telegram’s plea challenging the government order banning the platform till June 22 in view of the NEET re-exam. Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, said Telegram, because of its architecture, was a “Frank- enstein”. “If a country like ours cannot take preventive action, where do we go?” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the government, said Telegram operates through cloud, “even if we block something and someone does a mischief, law enforcement agency can’t reach the person... This is the most preferred platform for terrorist activities,” the SG submitted. To this, the bench asked, “How can we stop rights of 150 million people?” The law has been laid down in the Anuradha Bhasin judgment of the SC, the bench said. Diaz Kane hero for Colombia sets stage alight Skipper Harry Kane, coming of a record-breaking domestic season with Bayern Munich, sparkled as his brace helped England overcome Croatia 4-2 in a thriller. The striker, who equalled England’s World Cup record of 10 goals (Gary Linekar), will be key if they are to match the exploits of 1966 when they won the cup for the only time Luis Diaz, who has gone up a level over the last 12 months, was all-action as his country saw off Uzbekistan 3-1 in Wednesday’s final game in Mexico. The winger displayed all his typical traits as he contributed a goal and an assist to help them begin their campaign with a win Three Lions roar with four England got their campaign off to a rousing start while Colombia eased past the challenge of Uzbekistan as the World Cup’s first round comes to an end. A look... Today's matches USA vs Australia l 12:30 AM Scotland vs Morocco l 3:30 AM Brazil vs Haiti l 6AM Turkiye vs Paraguay l 8:30 AM Live on United8 Sports & ZEE5 (All IST Saturday) India-UK free trade pact to kickstart on July 15; bid to energise economy on fast track UK steel deal clears FTA rollout path P u s h p i ta D e y @ New Delhi India has secured additional concessions under the free trade agreement with the United Kingdom, resolving all outstanding issues that had delayed its implementation, setting the stage for its roll out on July 15. The gains include an extension of the social security contribution exemption for Indian professionals working temporarily in the UK from three years to five years and a resolution of concerns over Britain’s proposed steel safeguard measures. The Ministry of Commerce on Thursday said around 85% of India’s steel exports have been kept outside the UK’s new import restrictions. “The key issue which was holding us back was the new steel measures. Around 85% of our exports to the UK are outside the steel measures,” an official said. The UK had announced a 60% reduction in tariff-free steel import quotas from June and imposed a 50% duty on shipments exceeding those quotas to protect its domestic steel industry In its pushback, In. dia had warned that it could revisit the concessions under the FTA if the issue remained unresolved. Since nearly 85% of India’s steel exports to the UK fall outside the product categories covered by the British safeguard regime, it will ensure continued market access through a combination of countryspecific quotas, residual quotas and an authoriseduse mechanism. Of India’s nearly $900 million steel exports to the UK, only about $137 million will now be subject to the new safeguard measures. Sources said both countries spent the last two months negotiating the outstanding issues. Under the revised agreement, Indian professionals employed by Indian companies in the UK, as well as employees transferred to subsidiaries or affiliated entities, will be exempt from making social security contributions in the UK for up to five years, provided they continue contributing to India’s social security system and obtain a Certificate of Coverage (CoC). Earlier, the exemption was limited to three years. As for the UK’s proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), discussions will continue separately . Multiple areas have been negotiated. Course corrections in multiple areas have been discussed and finalised. We have resolved all issues Union commerce ministry official Deft balancing “Balancing has been done in a manner that does not impact FTA. Also, the proportionate benefits and market access to both sides under Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement have been preserved,” the official said Final FTA text by July 1 Prime ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday that CETA will come into force on July 15. The final legal text and details of the agreement are expected by July 1 PM meets French CEOs The PM also met Benoit Bazin, Chairman and CEO of SaintGobain, Martin Sion, CEO of Alstom, and Arthur Mensch, co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI. The talks were part of the broader effort to draw investment Modi call to democratise technology J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday positioned India as a global hub for inclusive technology and innovation, telling business leaders and entrepreneurs at the VivaTech Summit 2026 in Paris that technology can drive progress only when it is accessible to everyone. He also met top French CEOs to discuss fresh investments and expansion plans across sectors including artificial intelligence, shipping, logistics, railways and construction. Speaking at VivaTech, Europe’s largest technology and startup event, where India is the Country Partner and has set up the largest national pavilion, Modi highlighted India’s technology-led transformation over the past decade and presented a vision of AI that prioritises inclusion and broad-based growth. “When it comes to technology along with , innovation, what matters is access. Technology can lead to progress only when it is democratised. India believes that in this era of disruption, technology must deliver for all,” Modi said. His comments assume significance amid growing global debates over access to advanced AI technologies and recent restrictions by the United States on the use of certain cutting-edge AI models by foreign nationals. Using a phrase that drew applause from the audience, Modi said: “For India, AI means ‘All Inclusive’.” He said artificial intelligence should be leveraged to improve lives, expand access to services, accelerate economic growth and support sustainability goals. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the PM’s discussions focused on strengthening collaboration across shipping, logistics, railways, construction and AI. Prominent among the key meetings was the one with Rodolphe Saade, Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM, where discussions centred on maritime shipping, logistics and global supply chains. Saadé said: “I believe India has a major role to play in the supply chains of the world. The fact that we are now in a position to build container ships in India is definitely a good step forward. The future of India is happening now.” Uddhav Sena on the verge of a split, again PREETHA NAIR @ New Delhi As the Shiv Sena (UBT) appears to be headed for a second major split, six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs skipped the parliamentary party meeting on Thursday signalling that a for, mal crossover to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is imminent. The MPs who skipped the meeting are Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure. The party issued a show cause notice to them to explain their absence within seven days. Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje attended the meeting, along with Sanjay Raut, the party’s lone Rajya Sabha MP. Raut said the MPs’ no-show will be considered a violation of the party whip and legal action will be initiated to disqualify them as lawmakers. He also claimed the rebel MPs had been given an additional `10 crore, over and above the `15 crore paid earlier, and moved to a safe location in Rajasthan. Sources said all six dissident MPs have signed a letter seeking a merger with the Shindeled Sena and submitted it to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The process, however, is not complete as the Speaker’s office requires the physical appearance of some of the MPs for verification and that is “expected to happen in the coming days”, they said. Budget today The UDF government led by V D Satheesan, who also holds the finance portfolio, is set to unveil its financial plan for state | P4 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express Mob trial in Kuttiady as duo attacked in cops’ presence Now, Kerala Kalamandalam comes up with textbooks for classical artforms L e s ly J o s e p h @ Kozhikdoe In a shocking incident, an aggressive crowd subjected a man and a young woman travelling with him to public trial and physical assault, that too in the presence of police, at Kuttiady in Kozhikode. The crowd intercepted their car and dragged the man — a narcotics case accused booked under KAAPA — and the woman out of the vehicle before assaulting them. The visuals of the incident that happened on Wednesday have been widely circulating on social media, triggering a A video grab shows Ajmal being moved to ambulance after being tied up fierce debate over the rising trend of moral policing and unchecked crowds taking the law into their own hands. The violent episode traces back to a multi-vehicle road ac- cident that occurred on Friday at Kakkatil near Nadapuram, where a car hit an autorickshaw and sped off. The car crashed into three other vehicles, including an ambulance, before fleeing. Following this, the owners of the vehicles involved in the accidents filed a police complaint. Even as active search was on for the car by the complainants, local residents and the local police, information emerged on Wednesday evening that the vehicle was spotted at Nilechukunnu in Kuttiady . In a sequence described as cinematic, a large group of lo- cal residents on motorbikes, along with the police personnel, chased and intercepted the vehicle. The car was driven by Ajmal Manthattil, 34, a historysheeter with 16 criminal cases against him, including assault, narcotics, and attempt to murder. He was actively defying a ban on entering Kozhikode district under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA). He was accompanied by a woman passenger. However, instead of letting the legal process take its course, the situation rapidly degenerated ● More on P4 into mob rule.  G o p i k a V a r r i e r @Thrissur For the first time in its history , Kerala Kalamandalam has introduced textbooks for various classical artforms in high school classes. Acclaimed Kathakali artist Kalamandalam Gopi released the textbooks at a function on Thursday . Since its establishment in 1930, Kalamandalam, one of the most reputed institu- tions in the country for learning classical artforms, followed lessons as per the conviction of its teachers. With the introduction of textbooks, the teaching process, which focused on oral and performance-based interactions between teachers and students, will now become more systematic and standardised. “Textbooks have The cover page of kathakali text for Class 8 been prepared for 15 subjects, including kathakali thekkan and vadakkan. The teachers of Kalamandalam worked hard to come up with a syllabus and standard textbooks under the guidance of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). The books will definitely act as a documental foundation for all courses helping students learn better,” said P Rajesh Kumar, Registrar of Kalamandalam. A total of 42 books were released ● More on P4 on Thursday  .