kottayam l thursday l December 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Homebound in Oscar shortlist for best international feature The much acclaimed Bollywood drama by Neeraj Ghaywan is among 15 films shortlisted in the best international feature category at the Oscars 4th Indian Film to Compete in This Category Homebound will compete alongside films like Argentina’s Bel’n, Brazil’s The Secret Agent and French drama It Was Just an Accident. The film stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor. The award for best international feature has so far eluded India. Only three films—Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan—have received nominations so far ■ Mar 15, 2026 final five Nominations on january 22 ■ After a film is shortlisted, it competes for a place among the final five official nominees, which will be announced on January 22 Homebound, which portrays the childhood friendship between a Muslim and a Dalit as they pursue a police job, counts Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese among its executive producers when The award ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. 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 Lok Sabha clears nuclear bill amid Oppn walkout PR E E THA NAIR @ New Delhi THE Lok Sabha on Wednesday cleared the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill to open up the nuclear sector for private players. The bill was passed by voice vote amid a walkout by the Opposition members, who raised the issues of public safety and liability in case of a nuclear disaster. Dramatic scenes are likely on Thursday as well, when the contentious VB-G RAM G Bill is expected to be taken up for passage in the House. The SHANTI Bill was passed after a four-hour debate, setting the stage for opening up the tightly controlled civil nuclear sector for private participation. Opposition MPs, barring those from the Trinamool Congress, staged a walkout during the bill’s passage after the government refused to refer it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a Standing Committee. While replying to the discussion on the SHANTI Bill, Union minister Jitendra Singh said the tough provisions of India’s nuclear liability laws led to “silent phobia” in the industry prompting the govern, ment to bring a new comprehensive bill to address concerns. Congress MP Manish Tewari said by removing nuclear equipment suppliers’ liability the govern, ment was putting citizens in harm’s way . “The government will deal only with the operator; it is upon the operator to deal with the supplier,” said Singh, Minister of State in the PMO, who oversees the Department of Atomic Energy . He said the operator’s liability has been rationalised through graded caps linked to reactor size. Meanwhile, a heated midnight debate set the stage for the passage of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill on Thursday Moving the bill on Wednesday Union . , Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said it will ensure all-around development of villages and make them poverty-free. Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh said the new bill will break the back of states like Kerala. Security oversight Safety norms, security controls over fissile material, spent fuel and heavy water, and inspections will remain under govt oversight, govt said 173/lakh: Kerala’s cancer burden highest in South U n n i k r i s h n a n S @T’Puram It’s alarming. Kerala has witnessed a steep rise in cancer cases over the past decade, with annual incidence climbing by 54%, from 39,672 cases in 2015 to 61,175 in 2024. More worryingly the state’s , per capita cancer incidence— cases per 1 lakh population— rose to 173 in 2024 from 114 a decade ago, according to figures from the ICMR-National Cancer Registry Programme. The data was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Union Health Minister J P Nadda in response to a question from DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi. The surge in Kerala’s cancer cases was particularly pronounced after 2018, with a sharp jump recorded in 2019 followed by a steady increase of about 1,000 cases in subsequent years, the figures revealed. Experts felt the number reflected both a genuine rise in disease burden and improved detection through expanded Insurance FDI 100% The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill to raise FDI in insurance to 100% from the current 74%. LS had passed it on Tuesday Disturbing stats State Population Cancer Cases per in 2024 cases 1 lakh (approx) (2024) population Kerala 3.5 crore 61,175 173 Tamil Nadu 7.2 crore 98,386 137 Karnataka 6.8 crore 94,832 139 Andhra Pradesh 5.3 crore 76,708 144 146 crore 14,13,316 98.5 India Cancer cases in state saw sharp jump in 2019 and steadily rose by about 1,000 cases a year 2015 39,672 2016 42,004 2017 44,566 2018 47,382 2019 56,148 2020 57,155 2021 58,139 2022 59,143 2023 60,162 2024 61,175 Asim Munir in pickle as Trump wants Pakistan troops in Gaza E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi Misstep, says Cong Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the bill is a “dangerous leap into privatised nuclear expansion” with no respect for public safety n at i o n a l s c re e n i n g p ro grammes and strengthened healthcare delivery . Among souther n states, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka rep o r t e d a h i g h e r a n nu a l caseload, but were behind Kerala in per capita cancer incidence. With a population of about 3.5 crore, Kerala’s incidence of 173 cases per 1 lakh people in 2024 was significantly higher than Tamil Nadu (137), Karnataka (139) and Andhra Pradesh ● More on P4 (144).  Estimated incidence of cancer cases in Kerala VB-G RAM G Bill today Lucknow AQI @ 400, 4th T20I Fogged out India’s Hardik Pandya wearing a mask during training for the fourth T20I versus South Africa at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday. The match was delayed for two hours due to “excessive fog” with the Air Quality Index at 400+ (hazardous). Eventually, the match was called off at 9.30pm | pti EXPRESS READ Mid-2026 revised target for six-lane NH-66 connectivity Kochi: The long-drawn-out widening of NH 66 in Kerala is now targeted for a phased completion between March and August 2026, with most major stretches unlikely to be ready before the assembly elections. Revised timelines released by the ministry of road transport and highways indicate that the bulk of the work will be completed only by the middle of next year | P5 B’desh envoy summoned amid worry over security J aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi India on Wednesday summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah and lodged a strong protest over what it described as plans by extremist elements to create a security situation around the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. Hamidullah was called to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and served a formal demarche expressing India’s “serious concerns” over the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh. It came after certain groups announced plans to stage protests near the Indian mission in the Bangladesh capital. In a statement, the MEA said India “completely rejects the false narrative sought to be created by extremist elements regarding certain recent events in Bangladesh”. Hamidullah was summoned by B Shyam, Joint Secretary in charge of the Bangladesh-Myanmar division at the MEA, and was specifically apprised of concerns over threats to Indian diplomatic premises. “His attention was drawn, in particular, to the activities of some extremist elements who have announced plans to create a security situation around the Indian Mission in Dhaka,” the MEA said. Pakistan’s most powerful military chief in decades is facing a critical test of his newly consolidated authority as the US is pressing it to contribute troops to a proposed international stabilisation force in Gaza, a move analysts say could trigger strong domestic backlash, Reuters reported. Field Marshal Asim Munir is expected to travel to Washington in the com- ing weeks to meet US President Donald Trump, Reuters said. The meeting would be Munir’s third in six months and is likely to centre on Washington’s push for Pakistan’s participation in the Gaza force. The proposed deployment is a key pillar of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which calls for an international force to oversee a transition period focused on reconstruction and economic recovery in the Palestinian territory . Under the first phase of the plan, a fragile ceasefire took effect on October 10, with Hamas releasing hostages and Israel freeing detained Palestinians. For Munir, analysts say, the decision carries significant political risks. Any deployment of troops to Gaza could provoke public uprising in a country where support for Palestinians is strong. “Not contributing could annoy Trump, which is no small matter for a Pakistani state that appears keen to remain in his good graces,” said Michael Kugelman, senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council.