colombia in Round of 32, eng to wait Colombia became the latest side to secure knockout berth while England were held 0-0 by Ghana. A look... Colombia beat stubborn DR Congo side to secure a 1-0 win. Victory in Guadalajara, courtesy of a 76th-minute goal from Daniel Munoz, took them top of Group K with six points. On the other hand, England were unable to find the invention needed to break through, creating hardly any chances that troubled the Black Stars | P13 Today's matches (1:30AM): Curacao vs Ivory Coast, Ecuador vs Germany. (4:30AM): Tunisia vs NED, Japan vs Sweden. (7.30AM) Turkiye vs USA, Paraguay vs Aus All IST Friday | Live on United8 Sports & ZEE5 mangaluru l Thursday l June 25, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION 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 5th gen jet hits air pocket as GE triples engine price J A V A RI A R A N A @ New Delhi Negotiations to procure GE F414 engines that would power India’s fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) have hit a wall with the US aerospace giant seeking a whopping 300% increase in prices than earlier estimates, sources said. According to sources, the F414 engine was estimated to cost `70-80 crore per unit but GE is now quoting prices that are three times higher. Technical negotiations for F414 engines have already been completed but commercial discussions to fix engine price, technology transfer and manufacturing arrangements are now stuck, putting both costs and timelines of the flagship fighter programme at risk. The setback comes at a time when Pakistan is reportedly moving closer to inducting China’s J-35 stealth fighter, which could introduce 5th gen combat aircraft into the region before the AMCA enters service. The indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter is expected address the Indian Air Force’s squadron shortfall. The IAF currently operates 29 fighter squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42.5. The AMCA prototype programme requires 15 F414 engines. India has approved `15,000 crore for five flying prototypes. The F414 is also slated to power Tejas Mk-2 and Twin Engine Deck-Based Fight- Manufacturer’s leverage GE knows AMCA is built around the F414. Changing it at this stage would be difficult. That gives it leverage for negotiations F414 engine was initially estimated to cost around L 70-80 cr per unit er (TEDBF), taking the projected requirement to 200 engines. “The company knows the programme is built around the F414 and that changing engines now would be extremely difficult. That gives GE significant leverage during commercial negotiations,” a source said. Sources further said GE has sought around `6,000 crore for setting up a dedicated F414 assembly and manufacturing line in India, which would cater to future requirements of the Tejas Mk-2, initial AMCA production batches and the TEDBF. It is learnt that Indian negotiators are now considering the option of reducing the initial order quantity to ease the immediate financial burden. “The F414 has already been factored into the design and development plans for the AMCA GE has now quoted prices almost 300% Mk-1 as well as the Tejas Mk-2. Any new engine would require fresh integration, software work, testing and certification,” a source said. “The AMCA design has been frozen. If another engine is eventually selected, it will have to be adapted to the aircraft’s existing configuration rather than the aircraft being redesigned around the engine.” The F414 was selected for the AMCA Mk-1 because it is a proven engine already powering several frontline fighter aircraft. Generating around 98 kN of thrust, the engine is seen as a critical component of India’s future combat aircraft plans. The AMCA Mk-2 is slated to be powered by a more powerful 110-120 kN class engine being developed through an international partnership. Passport travel document, not proof of citizenship, says MEA E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi A passport is a travel document and not proof of citizenship, External Affairs Ministry officials said on Wednesday “The passport re. mains a travel document, and not a document of citizenship, as it attests the nationality of Indians when they are abroad,” the officials sought to explain. A passport is among the accepted documents for the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The ministry’s statement triggered debate on social me- express read Govt to earn `1,094.27cr from power connections Bengaluru: The state government would earn Rs 1094.27 crore from consumers getting permanent electricity connections without applying for occupancy certificates during the 15-day window granted for it. Five of family drown in Cauvery river in Mandya Mysuru: Five members of a family drowned in the Cauvery river in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district on Wednesday.The family had visited the Mutthettaraya Temple around 5 pm and later entered the river to take photographs when they were swept away. dia over what constitutes a conclusive proof of citizenship, an issue that remains a grey area as it has not been explicitly addressed by the Centre. Section 6(2)(a) of the Passport Act 1967 requires the issuing authority to refuse a passport if the applicant is not a citizen of India. It reads: “Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the passport authority shall refuse to issue a passport or travel document for visiting any foreign country under clause (c) of sub-section (2) of section 5 on any one or more of the following grounds, and on no other ground, name- ly:-- (a) that the applicant is not a citizen of India.” Officials said, “a passport is issued after a lot of due diligence, and it is based on documents from several government agencies.” A total of 14.7 million e-passports have been issued since the chip-based documents were rolled out last year as part of the revamped Passport Seva Programme, according to the officials. The epassports, which contain an embedded antenna and a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip storing personal particulars and biometric data, account for around 10% of all passports issued so far. Excise official, PWD min’s bro-in-law, raided by ED E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Belagavi The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations linked to Belagavi Additional Excise Commissioner Y Manjunath, who is the brotherin-law of Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, over an alleged disproportionate assets and money laundering case. The central agency conducted coordinated searches at six locations across the state, including Belagavi, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Tumakuru and Arsikere. The officials are scrutinising documents, financial records and property-related transactions that were unravelled during the raids. Among the premises searched were Manjunath’s residence in Belagavi’s TV Centre area, his apartment in the Race Course Road locality in Bengaluru, his friend Yamuna’s house in Mysuru, a close associate’s residence in Arsikere and properties linked to acquaintances in Ainapur village of Athani taluk and other locations. CONTINUED ON: P7 after 7 years China trade via Lipulekh from tomorrow N A R E N DR A S E T H I @ Dehradun The India-China border trade through the Lipulekh pass will resume on June 26 after nearly seven years, in a significant economic and strategic development for Uttarakhand’s frontier region. For the first time, Indian border traders will be able to travel by road in vehicles up to a r e a s cl o s e t o the Lip u l e k h Pass. The local adminThe Lipulekh Pass istration h a s r e - was closed in 2020 ceived an encouraging response, with 103 applications submitted for trade permits this year. In the first phase, 26 trade passes have been issued, including those for 17 traders and nine assistants. A customs office and other essential arrangements have also been made operational at Gunji. “After verification of the remaining applications, 25 to 30 more passes are likely to be issued in the next two to three days,” Dharachula Sub Divisional Magistrate Ashish Joshi told this newspaper. Trade via this route was halted in 20192020 due to Covid-19 and border tensions. The revival of trade is expected to provide a major boost to generate local jobs and support small businesses.