kottayam l SATURday l july 04, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION Top Defence panel clears buys worth about L52,000 crore The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting on Friday cleared major capital acquisition proposals worth around L52,000 crore | P9 Op Sindoor’s influence on priorities First meet after big shake-up at the top The approvals by the DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, pointed to how Operation Sindoor influenced acquisition priorities, as counter-drone systems, layered air defence, anti-tank weapons and persistent surveillance platforms were on the shopping list. The Army’s request for the indigenous Akash-Tarang, an anti-UAV system, was cleared ■ This was the first DAC meet since a shake-up at the top, with Gen Raja Subramani taking over as Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Dhiraj Seth as Army chief and Adm Krishna Swaminathan as Navy chief DAC’s “acceptance of necessity” is the first of the procurement steps, which includes tendering, technical evaluation and cost negotiations ■ 2,300 indigenous anti-tank guided missiles, 100 launchers, 5 simulators okayed 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 Govt plans separate law to address AI challenges Existing legal framework inadequate to regulate evolving tech: IT secy R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi With policymakers across the globe grappling with the challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI), from disinformation to cyber security threats, the government is considering the option of bringing in a separate legislation to regulate AI, IT secretary S Krishnan said on Friday . India’s existing legal framework has managed to address the initial concerns around AI, such as deepfakes and labourrelated issues. However, as the AI technology evolves and new threats emerge, a dedicated regulation or law may be required to deal with them, Krishnan added. “In AI and cybersecurity the , regulations regarding the legal process in India have been adequate in addressing our initial concerns... We addressed these by making new rules under the existing laws. But now we feel that we may need to think more deeply and make additional regulations. We may need to make a new law,” Krishnan said. Without giving a timeframe for the proposed law, he said: “It is a conversation which has commenced... My minister (IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw) and I have both been on record earlier that we will look at AI regulation when the time is right, and it appears that the time is getting right, and we will start looking at it.” EXPRESS READ Operation Toofan gets special task force Kochi: Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Friday announced the formation of a special task force under the leadership of the state police chief to strengthen Operation Toofan. The STF will coordinate anti-narcotics operations across Kerala and spearhead efforts to dismantle interstate drugtrafficking networks. P7 PM’s Indo-Pacific tour to focus on trade ties New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand from July 8 to 11 is expected to advance India’s strategic and economic interests across the IndoPacific, with cooperation on critical minerals, resilient supply chains, trade and defence taking centre stage. P9 Vaishnaw directs meta officials be summoned IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed his ministry to summon Meta officials over Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material. According to sources in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the govt has sought an explanation from Meta. The move follows a BBC report on paid Insta ads with the key words “rape video” and “child video”. These advertisements allegedly redirected users to Telegram channels that sell child sexual abuse material. Meanwhile, Meta representatives met MeitY officials on Friday in connection with the government’s earlier notice on the proposed “usernames” feature on WhatsApp The IT secretary, who was speaking on the sidelines of a CII cybersecurity event in Delhi on Friday also acknowledged , the knotty issue of VPN (virtual private network) service providers refusing to register in India and offering services from other countries. “There is a system for VPNs to register, but many do not register in India and offer services from elsewhere. We have to look at both technology solutions and legal solutions to address this issue,” he said. VPN encrypts internet connection and routes it through a remote server to enhance privacy security and access to re, , stricted content. It provides anonymity to users who can bypass government censorship and access sites that are banned in their country . Krishnan said the government has asked Google Play Store and Apple App Store to remove three Chinese apps— BAT-BMS, Lossigy and Epochi-ion—after they were found to have been misused to disable battery-operated vehicles remotely The decision was taken . after viral videos showed erickshaws being rendered inoperable through a remote shutdown feature in the BATBMS app, triggering concerns over cybersecurity risks associated with internet-connected vehicle management systems. “A couple of apps came to our notice. Both have been taken down,” Krishnan said, adding that any other app found to be similarly misused would also be blocked. The power struggle within the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) escalated dramatically on Friday, with three members of the outgoing executive committee resigning in open rebellion against president Shwetha Menon, even as a court in Ernakulam temporarily barred the ad hoc committee from functioning. Vice-president Jayan Cherthala and executive committee members Joy Mathew and Kailash formally submitted their resignations, distancing themselves from Shwetha, a day after she insisted that her Ramos’ late decider Goncalo Ramos headed Portugal into the lead in the fourth minute of stoppage time before Croatia saw a last-gasp equaliser ruled out for offside in Toronto. Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo had helped haul his team back into the contest, burying a 68th-minute penalty to cancel out Croatia’s opener 3 cheers for Spain Earlier, Spain advanced to last 16 stage with a scintillating 3-0 win over Austria in Los Angeles. Two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and a Pedro Porro header sealed victory for the Spaniards. Switzerland also advanced with a 2-0 win over Algeria At the point of contact, the tech shows a small spike as seen in the image | FIFA Media Tech denies Croatia Portugal were stunned when Josko Gvardiol prodded home an apparent equaliser. Yet VAR chalked off the goal after a chip embedded in the ball detected that it had brushed Croatia striker Igor Matanovic while Mario Pasalic was in an offside position in the build-up Pre-quarters from today The last-16 stage begins today with Canada facing Morocco before France’s tie vs Paraguay Today’s matches: Canada vs Morocco 10.30 PM, France vs Paraguay 2.30 AM* (IST Sunday) Toe party line on Adani, Cong high command tells Satheesan K S S R E E J I T H @ T’Puram In a setback for Chief Minister V D Satheesan, the Congress high command has taken a dim view of the controversy over the proposed transfer of a stake in Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL) to the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) without the state government’s approval. According to Congress sources, a high command representative conveyed the party’s displeasure to the chief minister two days ago and reminded him that the state’s handling of the issue must be in line with the Congress’ national stand on the Adani Group. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly accused the Adani Group of monopolising key sectors of the economy Adani Group resubmits proposal T’Puram: Amid strong response from Chief Minister V D Satheesan against the proposed transfer of shares in Vizhinjam port to MSC, the Adani Group has resubmitted the request seeking approval from the state government. through the political patronage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP . The high command is learnt to have told the chief minister that the concession agreement signed during the Oommen Chandy government’s tenure was designed to safeguard the state’s interests. Any dilution of those safeguards would be unacceptable, it reportedly said, urging the government not to yield to pressure from the Adani Group. The leadership also recalled allegations that corporate funding had been used to engineer defections of opposition legislators to the BJP sources said. , It was the high command’s intervention that prompted Satheesan to harden his stand on the proposed share transfer on Thursday evening, Congress leaders said. “His response to questions and a submission in the assembly a day earlier lacked bite. He described MSC as the world’s largest container shipping company and even remarked that the issue had not generated much public interest,” a Congress MLA said. However, leaders close to the chief minister dismissed the claim as a “witch hunt” aimed at undermining his cred● More on P4 ibility  . RSS raps Ram temple donation theft, seeks action against guilty RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR and N amita Baj pai @ New Delhi/Lucknow The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday broke its silence over the sensational donation theft at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, with general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale observing that the condemnable act had deeply hurt the sentiments of the entire society and demanding stringent punishment for the guilty . Emphasising the need to restore public confidence, Hosabale said the prevailing confusion and uncertainty must come to an end. “In this regard, we expect the tem- Reverberations in UP The pilferage of donations has already snowballed into a political controversy, particularly in UP, one of the seven states due to hold assembly elections in 2027 ple management and the UP government-appointed special investigation team (SIT) to take all necessary initiatives.” He appealed to the Hindu community to exercise patience and restraint, urging them not to allow antinational forces to exploit the incident. Hosabale said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra AMMA crisis turns murkier; 3 quit executive committee E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @ Kochi Ronaldo & Co advance after VAR drama executive committee remained the only legitimate governing body of the organisation. In a social media post on Thursday, Shwetha dismissed the ad hoc committee headed by actor-MLA Ramesh Pisharody as “illegitimate”, asserting that under AMMA’s bylaws only one committee could exist. “Our committee should continue until fresh elections are held and a new committee takes charge,” she wrote. On Friday evening, Shwetha secured temporary legal relief after the Ernakulam Munsiff Court issued an ad-interim injunction restraining the ad hoc committee from functioning until further orders. Acting on her petition, the court barred the respondents from claiming to function as members of the ad hoc committee, convening meetings in AMMA’s name, or passing resolutions on behalf of the association. The case will be heard again on July 13. However, Shwetha’s stand drew sharp criticism from actor Usha Haseena, who accused her of clinging to power despite having lost the confidence of the general body . “Please stop trying to justify this by playing the ‘woman card’. This is the very committee that collectively targeted and attacked a young woman,” ● More on P4 Usha said.  Trust should treat the theft as an exceptionally serious matter and take steps to rectify all shortcomings in the temple management. This is crucial to ensure that the faith and reverence of crores of Ram devotees remains unbroken, he said. “We all are extremely pained and angered,” Hosabale said in a video message, recalling that the temple was a symbol of reverence and devotion owing to the sacrifices of generations of Ram devotees. The controversy has already claimed its biggest casualty with Trust general secretary Champat Rai putting in his papers. Hosabale’s statement came days before the RSS’ annual Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharak Baithak in Belagavi, Karnataka. Iran in Mourning The coffin of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei carried into the Mosalla Grand Mosque ahead of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on Friday | AP 4 China firms get waiver for bids in power projects R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi THE Centre has granted a twoyear exemption to four Chinalinked electrical equipment makers with manufacturing facilities in India, allowing them to participate in government tenders for critical power infrastructure projects. The four companies are TBEA Energy India, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese company TBEA Group; Nanjing Electric India, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese power equipment manufacturer Nanjing Electric; New Northeast Electric India, which has technology transfer ties with Chinese power sector companies; and Taikai Electric (India), a subsidiary of China-headquartered Taikai Group. The exemption has been granted by the finance ministry under the Public Procurement Order (Rule 144(xi) of the General Financial Rules, 2017), which restricts companies from countries sharing a land border with India, including China, from participating in government procurement without prior approval. TNIE has reviewed the copy of the order. Following the 2020 border clashes, Chinese bidders were required to obtain political and security clearances before bidding for public contracts. In May 2026, the finance ministry notified new rules allowing overseas companies with Chinese shareholding of up to 10% to invest in India under the automatic route. With the exemption, these firms will be eligible to bid for public sector contracts involving critical power equipment, particularly high-voltage transformers and gas-insulated switchgear. E P L C o n n ec t i o n TNPL team owner has stake in Leeds United Gurusamy’s investment in sports G o mesh S @ Chennai IN a first, the upcoming edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) will see a USbased franchise owner who has stakes in English Premier League club Leeds United FC. Palani Gurusamy — founder of Circlebase, an IT consulting firm — will be taking over Madurai Panthers franchise from Siechem Technologies going forward as they assembled the team at the TNPL auction in Chennai on Friday . “My family is from Kovilpatti. We moved to the US in the early 90s, went into the IT business. We also started getting into sports investments around Leeds United FC (EPL) Glasgow Rangers FC (Scottish Premiership) Texas Rangers (Major League Baseball) FC Victoria Berlin (German women’s football) Palani Gurusamy Bos Nation FC (Women’s football team in Boston) the world. We are currently part owner of Leeds United in the UK,” Gurusamy told this daily from the US. Apart from Leeds, they also have investments in Texas Rangers (Major League Baseball), Glasgow Rangers FC (Scottish Premiership football) and women’s football teams in Germany and the United States. What made them invest in the TNPL? Gurusamy’s answer is simple. “We all grew up with cricket and we wanted to get involved in the sport. We tried to do something in Major League Cricket in the US, but couldn’t get in. When this opportunity came in TNPL, and we are close to Madurai, we wanted to take the chance,” he said, adding that Mahesh S will continue to remain CEO while former TN cricketer KB Arun Karthik has been named head coach. “Whenever I come home and I talk to my classmates or friends circle, everyone talks about TNPL. There is a lot of connection to local players whom we usually don’t hear about. I think TNPL is reaching out to the rural areas and youngsters are actually eyeing to get in,” Gurusamy explained. He went on to add that they will retain the Madurai Panthers name for the upcoming edition as the 2018 winners have a local connection. The next edition begins on August 4.