PIC: NASA bengaluru l wednesday l august 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 22 l late city EDITION NASA invites India to be part of its Moon Base mission The ambitious Moon base mission is a programme to build humanity’s first lunar outpost near the Moon’s South Pole invite follows u.s.-india space group meet According to the US space agency, the project aims to unlock scientific discoveries, and prepare for future deep space exploration. India and US explored expanding space cooperation at a meeting of their Civil Space Joint Working Group held in Bengaluru last week. The two sides agreed to advance discussions for cooperation on open scientific data sharing ■ 9th step-by-step approach to Build base ■ The Moon base will be built in phases, says NASA. It will begin with robotic missions to test new tech, then build systems & infrastructure needed to establish humanity’s first long-term presence on the Moon The first phase will focus on gaining reliable access to the lunar surface and building a deeper understanding of the environment meet of india-u.s. space joint working group was held last week 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 Phuket flight capt fails 2nd dope test: Sources S L a l i t h a @ New Delhi IN a new twist to last week’s mid-air incident involving Air India’s Phuket-Delhi flight that experienced a sudden altitude loss, the captain of the flight has reportedly tested positive for marijuana in the confirmatory screening test. “The Pilot-in-Command has tested positive in the second dope test too with marijuana found in the samples taken from him,” a source told this newspaper on Tuesday . Another source, a pilot, too confirmed the development, adding that the captain, in his late 30s, could be terminated. The civil aviation ministry, which had earlier insisted that the result of the confirmatory test must be awaited before drawing any conclusions, on Tuesday issued a detailed statement on the probe into the incident. However, there was no mention of dope test. Air India declined to comment on the drug screening. Earlier in the day Union civil , aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu said strong action would be taken if the pilot was found to have indulged in any substance abuse. “If there needs to be any tweaking of the existing legislation, we will do that also,” he told reporters. According to the civil aviation ministry’s statement, flight AI 2379, an Airbus A320 aircraft with 145 people on board, suffered a mid-air altitude drop of 300 feet on August 4 resulting in injuries to 20 passengers and four cabin crew members. Under existing DGCA norms, if a pilot tests positive for drugs, the person is referred for a rehabilitation programme. He needs to go for treatment at a de-addiction centre and can return to duty only after producing a negative confirmatory test and a fitness certificate from the airline’s medical incharge. This could take up to eight months. If the same person tests positive again, the licence is suspended for three years. If the violation happens for the third time, the licence is cancelled. Following the August 4 incident, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau asked airport authorities in Delhi to conduct two different tests. “After the arrival of the plane in Delhi, both pilots were subjected to a breathalyser test for alcohol content, which turned out to be negative. Then, blood and urine tests were done to trace psychotropic substances. This was positive for the Pilotin-Command,” a source said. Release 12K cu of water to TN: CWMA to K’taka Shivakumar to hold meeting today to decide next course of action E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on Tuesday directed Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days from Wednesday. The CWMA affirmed the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) decision earlier in the day. On Wednesday, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar will hold a meeting with Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy sen, ior officials from the Water Resources Department, senior advocates and technical advisors to decide on the future course of action, including a legal battle to protect the state’s interests. Karnataka is likely to approach the Supreme Court, questioning the CWMA direction. The CM told reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday that the future action will be taken after carefully assessing the water situation. He emphasised the need to protect farmers’ interests, while also complying with the CWMA directions. The CWMA order has come Rain deficit hits sowing Rainfall deficiency has severely affected sowing across Karnataka with the state is staring at an initial estimated loss of at least 50 lakh tonne of foodgrain production. If the deficit rainfall continues even this month, food production losses will increase further | P4 two days before the start of the state legislature session on Thursday and the state bandh call given by Kannada organisations on the same day Soon after . the CWMA direction, farmers in Mandya took to the streets, blocking the highway urging the , CM not to release water. “I work transparently I do not . act just because something is highlighted in the media. No one can hold back water. People must remain patient. We will not allow any farmer to face trouble under any circumstances. If we remain patient, all issues will be resolved amicably. Nature will sustain us,” the CM said, responding to a question on farmers’ protests. At the CWMA meeting, Karnataka contended that it had complied with the earlier directions and already ensured 86,942 cusecs at Biligundlu, against the prescribed 52,500 cusecs. Stating that there is no scope for further release, the state argued that given the deficit monsoon, dwindling inflows and limited storage, Karnataka needs to conserve water for drinking, essential uses and kharif agriculture. The officials from the state also informed CMWA that four Cauvery reservoirs received only 77.746 tmcft, about 47% below the 30-year average, with rapidly declining inflows. They also contended that the distress sharing must be equitable. A rigid pre-determined/pro-rata formula based only on Karnataka’s reservoir inflows could disproportionately burden the state. CONTINUED ON: P4 Battle lines drawn for possible Shah show in LS today PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi In this videograb, Abhishek Porel being taken away by police on Tuesday | X IPL star Porel held for rape, blackmail s u b h en d u m a i t i @ Kolkata WEST Bengal and Delhi Capitals cricketer Abhishek Porel was arrested late Monday night by Hooghly police on allegations of rape and blackmail. He was produced before the Chinsurah court on Tuesday . A 24-year-old undergraduate medical student from Karnataka lodged a complaint at Mogra police station in Hooghly on June 24, alleging a threeyear relationship during which the pair travelled abroad together. Porel, a Chandannagar resident and wicketkeeperbatsman who performed well for Delhi Capitals this IPL season, allegedly had sexual relations with her on the pretext of marriage. The complainant said Porel later refused to marry her despite repeated requests, and blackmailed her using her obscene photographs. Police registered nine nonbailable cases under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act covering rape, assault, cheating and other offences. Porel has denied all charges, stating the complaint was an “attempt to tarnish his image. THE stalemate in Parliament continued on Tuesday over the Opposition’s demand for accountability from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the student protests, despite the government offering a discussion on “student and youth agitations” and a reply by Shah, including on the alleged police action. Amid speculation that Shah may make a statement in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday the Opposi, tion signalled that it was not ready to relent. At a meeting of INDIA bloc parties chaired by Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, leaders decided to continue their protests and maintained that Shah could not be allowed to make a unilateral statement in the House. The gover nment had placed the condition that it was willing to have Shah respond on the student protests, provided the Opposition did not disrupt his reply . Man uses gelatin sticks to blast in-laws’ house E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kalaburagi Two persons were killed and four others sustained serious injuries after an explosion blew away a house at Mataki Tanda in Aland taluk on Tuesday morning. The deceased have been identified as Sevalal Baliram Rathod (50) and his daughter Meera Sevalal Rathod (15). Police sources said Sevalal, who worked at a quarry, used gelatin sticks from the quarry to blast the house of his in-laws as he suspected his wife’s character. The issue of her fidelity was the subject of their constant quarrelling and they fought on Monday too. Frustrated with this, his wife Savita (40) left for her parents’ home, which is nearby at night. , An angry Sevalal decided to eliminate everybody including , his wife, children, in-laws and Keralam bill passed The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the bill seeking to rename Kerala as Keralam without debate, as Opposition members continued their protests demanding Home Minister Amit Shah’s presence in the House Sources said the INDIA bloc would take a final call on its floor strategy at the meeting on Wednesday morning. There was broad agreement with Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s position that a general response from Shah would not be enough and that the Home Minister must specifically address the circumstances surrounding the alleged use of pellet guns against student protesters on July 20, said a senior leader. The Congress has also maintained that a discussion on the alleged theft of funds related to the Ram temple in Ayodhya is ‘non-negotiable’ and has demanded an apology from Prime Minister Modi. 2 workers killed in soil collapse at BDA site E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru Two workers died and three others were injured after a portion of soil collapsed at a Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) underpass construction site near FTII Circle on Tuesday morning. The deceased have been identified as Sunaram Tiri (37) from Odisha, and Parimal Basak (31) from West Bengal. The injured workers are Sunil Xalxo (28) from Chhattisgarh, and Sadanand Kindo (35) and Irmiyaz Toppo (30), both from Jharkhand. According to the police, the incident occurred around 11 am when the five workers were engaged in work inside a pit more than 20 feet deep. They were draining water using motor that had accumulated in the pit, which had been dug for Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) work. As the water was being Rescue personnel shift the body drained, the soil reportedly collapsed, trapping all five of a victim from the underpass site near FTII Circle on Tuesday workers underneath. While three workers managed to escape, two others were trapped under the soil. Sonaram was rescued and shifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Parimal died after being trapped under the soil. His body was later retrieved by rescue personnel. The fire personnel conducted a rescue operation that lasted for more than an hour. The police said that a case is yet to be registered and that they are examining whether proper safety precautions were followed. The police also said that during the rescue operation, they did not notice the workers wearing helmets or using other mandatory safety equipment.  CONTINUED ON: P3 Express Read Tr u m p s l i nk e d o u t When Air Force One became decoy amid Iran attack threat a g en c i e s @ Washington The house at Mataki Tanda was completely damaged after the blast himself. He got hold of gelatin sticks from his workplace and blasted his father-in-law’s house around 10.30 am on Tuesday . Sevalal and Meera died on the spot, while Savita, son Prakash (19) and two others -Nandinin Chauhan (30) and her son Vivek -- sustained serious injuries. The intensity of the blast was so high that the bodies of the deceased were badly mutilated. Kalaburagi SP Adduru Srinivasalu said an investigation is being conducted following a complaint filed by Savita at Aland police station.  PRESIDENT Donald Trump secretly flew out of last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on an unheralded military , aircraft while the White House made it appear that he was flying on Air Force One, according to a report published by The Washington Post. The Post said Monday the operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. The ruse was carried out as journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe they were on the same plane as the president. Trump had flown to the summit in a new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet. But ahead of depart- A file photograph of the legacy Air Force One | AP ing Turkey he said he would fly , partway home on the older Air Force One instead. The president at the time said the new luxury jet was being flown out ahead of his departure from Ankara to give US troops in England a chance to check out the new Air Force One. In Ankara, Trump boarded the old Air Force One in view of cameras ahead of the plane flying to the United Kingdom. However, according to the Post report, after boarding the legacy Air Force One, he was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane — an Air Force C-32A — via an airport catering truck. Trump flew to Mildenhall on that smaller jet. Metro records highest daily boarding of 11.19L Bengaluru: Namma Metro recorded its highest daily boardings since the network expanded to 96 km with three operational lines, with 11,19,815 boardings recorded on Monday. The previous highest was 10,82,394, recorded on August 14, 2025. The Purple Line accounted for the highest share at 5,54,161, followed by Green Line (4,22,315) and Yellow Line (1,43,339). Will acquire Bidadi land only from the willing: CM Bengaluru: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said the government will acquire land for the Bidadi Township project only from willing farmers. He said the final notification for the land acquisition will be issued after discussions with officials. He said hundreds of farmers met him and expressed willingness to give up their lands once the final notification is issued | P5