KOCHI l monday l december 15, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE city EDITION Global airlines body warns of rising GPS interference Rising incidents of flights experiencing GPS spoofing and jamming is a safety concern, warns International Air Transport Association (IATA) pilots need to be more vigilant: IATA chief rise in cases at major Indian airports IATA Director General Willie Walsh said incidents of GPS spoofing and jamming require pilots to be more vigilant in terms of operation, because the increase has been very significant. Data from IATA showed the GPS loss rate measured as the number of GPS loss events per 1,000 flights is estimated to be at 59 in 2025 compared to 31 in 2022 ■ GPS spoofing and jamming involves manipulating an aircraft’s navigation system with false signals, potentially causing it to be misrouted and come dangerously close to other aircraft ■ There has been a rise in instances of GPS spoofing and interference at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai airports 1,951 cases of GPS interference reported in India since November 2023 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 12 killed in terror attack at Jewish festival in Sydney An act of evil antisemitism & terrorism, says Australian PM Albanese A G E NCI E S Meeting of gods Football legend Lionel Messi along with Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar during an event at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. Tendulkar presented Messi with his signed ODI jersey on the occasion in front of packed stands | Pti Express read Cong show of strength in Delhi against ‘vote chori’ VC postings: Governor slams judicial overreach New Delhi: Congress on Sunday mounted a major show of strength at Delhi’s Ramlila Ground, accusing the Narendra Modi government of “vote chori”. Addressing the party’s rally, Rahul Gandhi accused the EC of bias. P9 T’Puram: Governor Rajendra Arlekar has criticised the Supreme Court for its overreach in selection of university VCs. He was referring to the search committee formed by SC to appoint VCs to Digital varsity and KTU. P2 India win maiden Squash World Cup title Chennai: India scripted history, clinching its maiden Squash World Cup title to become the first Asian country to achieve the feat after overwhelming Hong Kong 3-0 in the summit clash in Chennai on Sunday. The historic win marked an improvement on India’s previous best finish of a bronze medal at the 2023 edition. P13 AT least 12 people were shot dead and 29 others, including two police officers, were injured as two gunmen opened fire at a crowd during a Jewish festival in Sydney Australia on , Sunday evening. One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second was in a critical condition, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters. He added that police were looking into whether a third gunman was involved in the shooting. Police said the incident happened when over 1,000 people gathered at Sydney’s Bondi Beach for a Menorah lighting, which marks the beginning of the Jewish festival Hanukkah. As gunfire erupted, crowds fled from the beach. Video footage showed two gunmen with long guns firing from a footbridge leading to the beach. One clip broadcast on Australian television showed a civilian tackle one gunman by snatching his rifle. Police said investigators FOLLOWING NDA’s landslide win in the Bihar assembly election, the BJP on Sunday appointed five-term Bihar MLA and minister Nitin Nabin (45) as its National Executive (Working) president, elevating a lowkey, next-generation leader amid preparations for elections in key states. Pradesh BJP president, BJP national general underscores the parsecretary Arun Singh ty’s thrust on young, issued the notification disciplined workers which said Nabin’s elfrom Bihar. Nabin, who evation was approved belongs to the Kayastha by the party’s Parliacaste, currently serves mentary Board, and is as Bihar’s road conNitin Nabin effective immediately. struction minister and The decision, anBJP in-charg e for nounced hours after Pankaj Chhattisgarh, where his boothChaudhary’s election as Uttar level strategies fuelled a victo- Post LSG poll debacle, bruised Left front starts introspection A n i l S @ T’Puram Left reeling after the local body poll debacle, a battered LDF has set in motion a thorough review of its electoral performance. Calls have already begun from within the front for deep introspection and course correction, similar to the exercise it undertook after the 2019 electoral defeat. Both the CPM and the CPI state secretariat meetings on Monday and the LDF meeting scheduled on Wednesday are set to explore measures to win back the ruling front’s lost mass base. A quick analysis by the CPM leadership feels that the Sabarimala issue and failure to reach out to the grassroot level led to the electoral backlash. The party should seriously introspect why it lost in strongholds like Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and certain pockets of Kozhikode, said a CPM state committee member. “It’s a fact that campaigns initiated at the top level never reached the grassroots. Naturally attempts to , expose a supposed JamaatSDPI-League axis failed miserably. Similarly, with regard to controversies like the Sabarimala gold theft, the party failed to reiterate an effective campaign narrative that could convince the common man. Sabarimala being an emotional issue, it served as a catalyst for the anti-incumbency factor,” the leader said. Calls for introspection have already begun in the LDF. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam, in a social media post, called for people’s suggestions and opinions on what went wrong with the LDF. Obviously, the intent is to set in motion the wheel of course correction. CPM central committee member Thomas Isaac has come out with a social media post saying that the party would explore whether the people were misled by any lapses. The CPM assesses that there was considerable erosion in the ● More on P7 Hindu votes. Bangladesh summons Indian envoy over Sheikh Hasina’s comments J aya n th ja c o b @ New Delhi Bangladesh summoned the Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma on Sunday to convey its concerns over what it described as “incendiary statements” by fugitive political figures, including for mer Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who are currently in India. The interim government expressed “serious concern” over Hasina’s contin- ued public statements, alleging that these were encouraging her supporters to engage in violent acts aimed at disrupting the upcoming parliamentary elections slated for February next year. It urged India to take immediate steps to stop such activities and extradite those allegedly involved. It also sought India’s cooperation in preventing suspects linked to the re- cent attempted assassination of Sharif Osman Hadi, an independent candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, from fleeing to Indian territory Dhaka requested . that, should any of the suspects enter India, they be apprehended and extradited without delay . Stating that India is a close neighbour, the Bangladeshi foreign ministry said it expected New Delhi to support the people of Bangladesh in upholding justice and protecting democratic processes. ‘Not every citizen in this country is treated equally before law’ E x p ress Ne w s S er v i c e @ Kochi Emergency workers evacuate a victim at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Inset: Videograb of a civilian tackling and disarming a gunman | afp were examining a number of suspicious items recovered from the premises, including several improvised explosive devices found in one of the suspect’s cars. Australian Prime Minister High alert in India In view of the terror attack in Sydney, security agencies in India have sounded high alert across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and other metro cities warning of imminent threat during the festival period of Hanukkah Anthony Albanese called the attack an act of evil antisemitism and terrorism. “This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy a celebration of , faith,” he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack. In a post on X, Modi said, “Strongly condemn the ghastly terrorist attack carried out today at Bondi Beach, Australia, targeting people celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.” P11 Nitin Nabin named BJP’s new national working president RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR & R amasha n kar @ New Delhi/Patna ‘Why i lost faith’ ry. Nabin won the Assembly election from Patna’s Bankipur constituency (previously Patna West), defeating Rekha Kumari of the RJD by over 51,000 votes. Born on May 23, 1980, Nabin entered politics in 2006 through a bypoll after his father, veteran BJP leader late Navin Kishore Prasad Sinha died of a heart attack. Starting with the Bharati- ya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) as national general secretary and Bihar president, Nabin built a reputation as a top strategist with strong RSS roots, focusing on outreach among the youth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him on X, praising Nabin as a “hardworking karyakarta” with “rich organisational experience.” Nearly a week after the trial court acquitted actor Dileep in the 2017 actor abduction and sexual assault case, actor Bhavana, the survivor in the case, broke her silence on Sunday expressing anguish and questioning whether the law delivers equal justice. In an emotional Instagram post, she wrote, “After years of pain, tears, and emotional struggle, I have come to a painful realization: Not every citizen in this country is treated equally before the law.” She said the verdict made her realise how strongly human judgment can shape decisions, and that the experience has shaken her faith. However, she acknowledged that “every court does not function in the same way”. Stating that the verdict did not surprise her, she listed out the reasons why she lost faith in the trial court. Shortly after the post appeared on social media, actor Manju Warrier, former wife of Dileep, said the survivor was yet to get complete justice, and the architect of the heinous crime still walks free. In a social media post, Manju said, “I have utmost respect for the Honourable Court. But in this case, justice for the survivor is still incomplete. Only those who committed the crime have been punished. The mind that planned and enabled the heinous act, whoever that is, still walks free, and that is Bhavana’s Instagram post terrifying.” Justice will be complete only when everyone behind the crime is held accountable, she added. Bhavana began her post with the date December 12, 2025. “After 8 years, 9 months and 23 days, I finally saw a small ray of light at the end of a very long and painful journey. Six of the accused have been convicted, and for that, I am GRATEFUL!!” she said. “This moment is dedicated to those who chose to call my pain a lie and this case a made-up story I hope . you are at peace with yourselves today she said. ,” “And to those who still keep saying that Accused No.1 was my personal driver, this is completely false!! He was not my driver, not my employee, and not someone I knew. He was a random person who happened to be assigned as a driver for a movie I worked on in 2016!!” she ● More on P7 said.  (The survivor is named with her permission)