THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l saturday l august 08, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION Sweeping russia sanctions bill clears senate by a big margin The bipartisan legislation would penalise countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports to deprive Putin of revenues outcome of a year-long campaign china, india could pay heavy tariffs The punishing Russian sanctions package, passed 86-11 by the Senate, was the result of a year-long campaign by the late Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal to reinforce US support for Ukraine and to try and control Putin. “Today we say to the people of Ukraine: You are not alone. And to Putin: You will not conquer,” Blumenthal said ■ ■ The bipartisan package that carries Graham’s name allows the president to impose humongous tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, including China and India The bill heads to the House of Representatives, where a vote will not take place until at least early Sept due to the congressional recess 100% levy is what Trump can impose on purchasers of Russian oil and gas 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 Nato-style Pak-Saudi-Turkey pact India says it is closely monitoring the trilateral defence agreement signed in Mecca on Friday E X P RE S S N EW S S ER V ICE @ New Delhi AMID escalating tensions in West Asia due to the lingering Iran war, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Friday signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a NATO-style pact under which an attack against one will be treated as an attack against all three. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the trilateral agreement in the holy city of Mecca early on Friday . India said it is closely monitoring it. “This is a development that we are closely following, and we shall keep you updated,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, in response to questions at a media briefing. When asked about reports of a separate defence cooperation agreement between Pakistan and Somalia, Jaiswal said: “We continue to follow the develop- India assigns names to 27 places in Arunachal m u k e s h r a n ja n @ New Delhi Amid multiple attempts by China to rename several places in Arunachal Pradesh, the Centre has assigned standard names to 27 locations and geographical features in the border state located along the Line of Actual Control. Officials said the decision is “a riposte to China’s efforts to rename dozens of locations in Arunachal Pradesh in recent years”. The newly designated names have been incorporated into the maps of the Survey of India, providing uniform legal, administ r a t ive a n d cartographic recognition to the places. “It is expected to improve administrative coordination, infrastructure planning, disaster management and public service delivery by establishing a uniform reference for all government agencies,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said, adding that it eliminate ambiguities in geographical references. The 27 locations include settlements, mountain passes, water bodies and memorials. The notified geographical features include the strategically significant mountain passes of Dzo La, Riza La, Pukur La and Thag La, and Sambho Sarovar, a lake, and the Sher-e-Thapa Memorial, which commemorates India’s military history in the region. From left: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sign a trilateral defence agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Friday | Saudi Press Agency via AP Paper agreement does not offer security, says Iran The trilateral defence agreement was signed a day after Iran said it was in the final stages of an agreement with Oman on a framework for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei said the trilateral “paper agreement” will not bring security ments between Somalia and the other country mentioned.” The trilateral pact brings together oil-rich Saudi Arabia, nuclear-armed Pakistan and Turkey which has NATO’s sec, ond-largest military and a rapidly growing defence industry . Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the pact is aimed at strengthening security. “The Agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all. It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defence cooperation among the three States.” Saudi Arabia, which is bracing for attacks from the Tehranbacked Houthis, said the pact would not affect the kingdom’s existing partnerships. “The agreement does not represent any orientation toward building a military axis or sectarian/religious bloc, and it is not linked to nuclear endeavors or an arms race, but rather to building sustainable self-reliant capabilities,” its statement read. A Turkish government official described the agreement as “purely defensive in nature” . The pact comes amid heightened instability in West Asia and follows Saudi Arabia’s efforts to diversify its security partnerships after attacks on its critical infrastructure. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia already have a bilateral defence pact, under which an attack on one country would be treated as aggression against both. Buzz back on Akali-BJP pact ahead of Punjab polls as Badal meets Modi H a r p r e e t B a j w a @ Chandigarh SHIROMANI Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his office in the Parliament House complex, triggering speculation that the Punjab-based party may revive its alliance with the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections less than six months away . However, Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon sought to downplay its implications. “The PM is for everyone; anybody can meet him,” he said in Chandigarh. And sources close to Badal described the interaction as informal. The SAD walked out of the NDA in 2020 over the three farm laws, ending more than two decades as one of the alliance’s oldest constituents. The laws were later withdrawn. Observers believe state-specific issues such as deteriorating law and order, recurring Kejriwal’s poser The first to take note of the meeting was AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who asked if an alliance between SAD and BJP was in the works. ”Are the two parties coming together?” he posted on X paper leaks, drug menace and other challenges may have figured in the talks. A few days earlier, Badal met Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini at the latter’s residence, where it is believed the meeting with PM was discussed. With elections due in Punjab in six months, both parties face internal pressures. In the BJP’s Punjab unit, senior leaders including former minister Tikshan Sud have publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the state leadership. The SAD, too, is battling factionalism, with several leaders having joined the SAD (Punar Surjit), and the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) of jailed MP Amritpal Singh seeking to expand in rural areas. Sources said the present situation could favour an alliance, given infighting in the Congress and the AAP government’s poor record. Yet both sides have repeatedly ruled out a tie-up. In June, BJP national president Nitin Nabin said the party would contest all 117 seats independently. Badal has likewise said the SAD will go it alone. SAD leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal was cautious. “Details of the meeting have not been shared yet,” he said. River fest axing rocks Kerala’s global image P o o j a N a i r @Kozhikode The Kozhikode district administration’s decision to abruptly cancel the competitive events of the 12th Malabar River Festival has triggered an unprecedented backlash from international kayakers, race officials and Indian competitors, who accuse the authorities of calling off Asia’s premier whitewater event without a technical assessment of river conditions. Besides the financial implications involved, several athletes said the move has robbed them of a rare international sporting opportunity and dented Kerala’s credibility as a global adventure sports destination. Many questioned why an international competition was scrapped over safety concerns while commercial rafting was allowed to continue in the same river system. The festival was scheduled on the Chalipuzha and Iruvanjipuzha rivers from July 30 to August 2, 2026. It had drawn around 70 national and international kayakers, including 32 elite athletes, from New Zealand, Italy Rus, sia, Malaysia, Nepal and the Czech Republic, besides competitors from Karnataka, Lad a k h , M e g h a l aya a n d Kerala. The district administration cancelled the competition on August 1 citing heavy rain and safety concerns. Athletes and organisers, however, have challenged the decision, pointing out that commercial rafting for tourists continued during the pe- A scene from Pulikkayam on Iruvanjippuzha river in Kozhikode on the first day of the internationallevel white water kayaking competition on July 30. The event was cancelled on August 1 | file pice We invited elite athletes from across the world, many of whom suffered heavy financial losses because of the cancellation. Our team included internationally certified kayakers and safety experts, who assessed that the river was safe for racing Malik Taneja, race director riod. They argue that this raises serious questions over the consistency and credibility of the administration’s safety assessment. “We travelled to Kerala after months of preparation and invested significant money to compete here. If the river is considered unsafe for trained athletes, it is difficult to understand how commercial rafting for the public was allowed to continue in the same waters,” a foreign participant told TNIE. For Indian athletes, the cancellation meant more than the loss of a competi● More on P4 tion.  Vande Mataram to make Red Fort debut as I-Day itinerary J a v a r i a R a n a @ New Delhi VANDE Mataram will be played at the Red Fort on August 15, marking the first time the national song will feature as a scheduled item in the Independence Day programme, a defence ministry official said. The national song will be rendered immediately before the national anthem at the close of the Prime Minister’s address. The addition comes just over a week after Parliament passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, extending to Vande Mataram the protection the 1971 law affords to the national anthem. Introduced in the Rajya Sabha on July 24, the bill makes intentionally preventing the singing of the national song or disturbing an assembly engaged in it punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both, with a minimum one-year jail term for a second conviction. The legislation now awaits presidential assent. The full Red Fort programme is yet to be released. The government has already invoked an Independence Day precedent for the song. Replying during the parliamentary debate, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said that on August 15, 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had asked Pandit Omkarnath Thakur to render the complete Vande Mataram on All India Radio at 6.30 am to mark the beginning of India’s first Independence Day His ref. erence to the complete rendition assumes significance because the government has not indicated whether the Red Fort ceremony will feature only the two stanzas in national use or a longer version. EXPRESS READ 4,765 Pocso cases registered in state in ’25 Hunt on for Ayanki; brother booked Nipah survivor makes full recovery, discharged T’Puram: In a worrying trend, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights reported that the number of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (Pocso) cases registered in state reached 4,765 in 2025. Based on data sourced from State Crime Records Bureau, the report of the commission revealed that this was up from 4,607 in 2024. P4 Kochi: In the wake of historysheeter Arjun Ayanki openly challenging Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala to order a fresh probe into the case against him and daring the police to act, a 10-member special squad has been formed to trace him. Meanwhile, the police have booked Arjun’s brother Akhil Ayanki for allegedly helping him evade arrest. P4 Kozhikode: A 43-year-old man from Farook who was undergoing treatment for Nipah virus infection at the Govt Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, has been discharged after making a complete recovery. Health Minister K Muraleedharan said the patient’s recovery was the result of efforts by healthcare staff, ranging from cleaning workers to doctors. P5 toxic flow Local residents row a country boat through the waters of the Malankara dam reservoir in Idukki, which was polluted allegedly after chemical effluents from a plywood factory at Velliyamattom leaked into the reservoir. The contamination has triggered concerns as several drinking water projects draw water from the reservoir | Shiyami pr i c e o f d u ra b i l i t y When churches pulled the plug on Chinese coffins in Kerala Stray dog control: LSGs told to set up 24x7 task forces Task forces will respond to complaints, capture stray dogs from schools, hospitals and other public spaces and shift them to shelters | P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express M S V i d ya n a n d a n @ T’Puram Globally, Chinese goods have a reputation for being cheap and disposable. But Chinese coffins that entered the Kerala market failed for the opposite reason — they were just too good. The treated wood did not decompose easily and became unacceptable for churches. The Christian community accounts for nearly all coffin sales in Kerala. According to official figures, deaths in the community rose 126% over a decade, from 50,095 in 2014 to 63,172 in 2024. Coffin prices, on average, range from `4,000 to `30,000, and more for premium variants. Local manufacturers dominate Kerala’s coffin market, which is worth crores of rupees. Chinese coffins, first imported around 2012, sold well for a few years. Things changed when churches asked people to avoid these long-lasting prod- ucts and switch to environment-friendly alternatives. Murukan, partner of the firm which introduced the Chinese products, said quality itself was the problem. “We demanded that our Chinese associates supply the best. But we did not anticipate the consequences. They did not decompose like local variants and be- A coffin finished with automotive paint, which is one of the prevailing trends came a concern for churches,” he said. Opulence has given way to elegance in the coffin market, says Sujeesh Chacko, a 38-yearold seller in Chengannur. “Our prices start at `4,000. We often get orders for custom-made items. Coffins finished with automotive paint, mostly pearl white, is the prevailing trend, They (Chinese coffins) did not decompose like local variants and became a concern for churches — Murukan, partner of a company which introduced Chinese coffins in Kerala with artwork and subtle gold detailing done by hand. Premium orders are rare and their prices depend on the wood and artwork,” he said. “Some people now prefer caskets. But the traditional sixsided coffin is the most common,” he added. Mid-range products are made of mahogany with prices going , up when teak or rosewood is used. Starting price of a teakwood product is `20,000 and ● More on P4 rosewood `60,000.