source: NASA tirupati l saturday l january 10, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION NASA cuts ISS mission short after astronaut takes ill The space agency said on Thursday a crew of four astronauts aboard the International Space Station will return to Earth earlier than planned no emergency, just being careful: nasa First-ever medical evacuation from ISS The crew included NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke along with Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. NASA did not identify the astronaut or the medical issue, citing privacy. The crew member with the ‘serious medical condition’ is stable. Dr James Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer, said it was not an emergency, but NASA being careful ■ ■ Two crew members, Fincke and Cardman, were to carry out a spacewalk for a rollout of solar panels. It was Fincke’s fourth visit to ISS and Yui’s second; and a first for Cardman and Platonov This was NASA’s first medical evacuation from ISS though astronauts have been treated aboard for things like toothaches and ear pain | P8 2030 is time limit nasa has set to bring back the iss out of its orbit 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 ‘Not accurate’: India rejects U.S. charge on Modi no-call J ayanth J a c ob @ New Delhi India on Friday rejected claims by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that a long-pending India-US trade agreement collapsed because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not place a phone call to President Donald Trump and termed the characterisation of events “not accurate”. Responding to Lutnick’s remarks, the External Affairs Ministry said New Delhi and Washington have been engaged in sustained, detailed negotiations on a bilateral trade pact for over a year and remain committed to concluding a “balanced and mutually beneficial” agreement. The MEA also highlighted that Prime Minister Modi and President Trump spoke to each other eight times in 2025, covering a wide range of issues. “We remain interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies and look forward to concluding it,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Lutnick, speaking on the AllIn Podcast, had claimed that the Trump administration was keen to finalise an early trade agreement with India after concluding a deal with the UK in May 2025. According to him, India was offered a limited window, “three Fridays” to close the deal, with the incentive of lower tariffs for early signatories under what he described as a “staircase” tariff framework. “It was all set up. But you had India voiced concern over the killing of a woman by a federal agent in Minneapolis in the US. “We are closely following it,” Jaiswal said. “We are concerned as we have a large Indian community in the US, including students, professionals and others.” to have Modi call President Trump. They were uncomfortable doing it. So Modi didn’t call,” Lutnick said. He further claimed that when India later indicated readiness to finalise a deal, it was too late. “Are you ready for the train that left the station three weeks ago?” he said, arguing that tariff terms had already hardened by then. Trade talks formally began in February 2025 and included several rounds of in-person discussions, including a visit by a US delegation led by Deputy US Trade Representative Rick Switzer in December. Trump imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods, including a 25% levy linked to India’s purchases of Russian energy . On energy sourcing, and the questions related to the proposed bill to raise tariff to 500% for energy ties with Russia, Jaiswal said India’s position was clear and guided by global market dynamics and the need to secure affordable supplies for its 1.4 billion people. rbi cuts u.s. treasury exposure for first time in four years Country-wise US treasury holding ($ Bn) 1200 1200 JAPAN 1000 UK 800 600 877.9 CHINA 200 INDIA temple arrested mega protest march West Bengal Chief Minister chief Mamata Banerjee leads a protest march against the ED’s searches linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC, in Kolkata on Friday | PTI | P8 Naidu: Telangana can utilise Polavaram project water E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Rajamahendravaram Making it clear that there will be no compromise in safeguarding the interests of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has asserted that there will be no use with conflicts among riparian States on river water sharing. Addressing a public meeting at Rayavaram village in East Godavari district on Friday, Naidu said, “Andhra Pradesh is ready to supply water to Telangana from the Polavaram Irrigation Project to effectively utilise the surplus as hundreds of TMC goes waste into the sea every year. The Polavaram project will ensure supply of water not only to the droughtprone Rayalaseema but also to other backward regions of the State once completed.” 190.7 0 October 2024 to October 2025 B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai IN a major strategic shift towards foreign exchange reserve diversification and non-dollar assets amid rising global economic and geopolitical risks, the Reserve Bank of India has cut 21% of its holdings of US Treasury securities. According to the US Department of Treasury RBI’s holding of US , bonds dropped from $241.4 billion on October 31, 2024 to $190.7 billion on October 31, 2025, marking a shift in forex strategy towards better asset diversification. The US follows October-September as its fiscal year. According to a Bloomberg analysis, this is the first annual dip in US treasury investments by RBI in the past four years. The drawdown comes despite relatively attractive yields in US bonds. During the period, the yield on the benchmark 10-year US bonds traded in 4-4.8% range. Experts say this steep reduction is not driven by yield considerations but by a reassessment of the allocation of reserves, which hovered around $700 billion in October. As part of diversification, RBI has been building its gold reserves. After a record 64 tonnes of gold buy in 2024, the central bank has been going slow in adding the yellow metal in 2025, which as of September-end stood at 880.8 tonnes. Gold’s share in the total foreign exchange reserves shot up to 13.9% by September, up from 9% in the year-ago period. In 2025, RBI made only modest direct purchases of gold to the tune of 4 tonnes till September, but significantly increased its domestically held reserves by repatriating over as much as 64 tonnes from overseas vaults. Currently 575.8 tonnes of gold are stored in the country , , with the remainder held abroad, mostly in London. CM takes part in pattadar passbook distribution at Rayavaram | Express Ensure no negativity on GGH services: Minister E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e 688.7 400 Thantri of Sabarimala Minneapolis killing matter of concern @ Vijayawada Revealing that there is 60 to 70% positive response from patients pertaining to medical services in Government General Hospitals (GGHs), Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education Y Satya Kumar Yadav has underlined the need to ensure that there is total satisf action among people. Holding a State level meeting with superintendents of all government teaching hospitals and principals of medical col- leges at Dr NTR University of Health Sciences in Vijayawada on Friday he made it clear that , the absence of doctors without prior permission will not be tolerated, and the government will not hesitate to remove them from service. Though there is 8% growth in the attendance of doctors and other staff due to the efforts made by the NDA government, it could not be taken as a criterion to assess the quality of medical services in GGHs, and it is important to take the feedback of patients into conP4 sideration, he said.  Naidu underlined the need for mutual cooperation and understanding among the riparian States in river water sharing to utilise the available quantum in an optimum manner. He alleged that former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy lacked basic knowledge of irrigation, and unnecessarily created controversies, particularly over the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme. “I am not here to politicise water issues or create regional conflicts. We irrigate Rayalaseema lands with Krishna water from Srisailam dam, and Godavari water from Polavaram project,” Naidu said. He said all water-related issued should be resolved in an amicable manner to promote growth, highlighting his vision to transform Andhra Pradesh P4 into a green hub.  Lokesh: Same party rule must continue for growth E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Mentioning that several industries shifted to neighbouring States with the previous YSRCP regime cancelling the Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), Minister for HRD and IT Nara Lokesh has underlined need for continuation of same party governments in States for sustained development. People need to be sensitised in this regard, he said. Delivering the keynote address at ‘Public Policy Festival’ organised by Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune on Friday Lokesh recalled , that prestigious projects like Hitech City Microsoft, ISB and , several others were completed in Hyderabad, providing employment to lakhs of people because of TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu becoming the Chief Minister for two consec- express read 2nd AP Digital Tech Summit begins PK: Sankranti needs to reflect Godavari image Visakhapatnam” The second AP Digital Technology Summit and the first AP Innovators Summit commenced in Visakhapatnam on Friday. Organised by the AP Digital Technology Industry Network, the event focused on the theme ‘Beyond Automation: The Intelligent Era.’ | P3 Kakinada: Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan on Friday said the Sankranti festival in the Godavari districts had gained a negative image due to rooster fights, gundata, betting and other gambling activities, and stressed that this perception must be erased | P4 Shared cattle shelters to come up for rural farmers Vijayawada: In a major push to strengthen rural livelihoods, the State government is set to establish Community Animal Hostels (Mega Gokulams) aimed at providing shared shelter facilities to farmers who do not have individual cattle sheds. The initiative seeks to enhance milk production, ensure scientific livestock management and significantly reduce economic stress among rural households. Mega Gokulams will be constructed under MGNREGA | P4 Uttarakhand Hill yes! How thousands are reverse migrating N A R E N D R A S E T H I @ Dehradun THE migration pattern that hollowed out Uttarakhand’s villages for decades is showing signs of reversal. As per an estimate, 6,282 people have returned across 13 districts in five years, swapping jobs abroad and in Indian cities for entrepreneurship back home. Among those are 169 who left 27 countries including China, Dubai, France, Australia and the United States to establish ventures in agriculture, tourism and animal husbandry, said Dr S S Negi, Vice Chairman of Uttarakhand Migration Mitigation Commission (UMMC). About 39 per cent have turned to agriculture and horticulture, data shows, while tourism and homestays account for 21 per cent, animal husbandry 18 per cent, and small businesses like shops and restaurants make up a further 6 per cent of returnee ventures. “In Uttarkashi, returnees are successfully marketing millets online,” said Dr Negi, the commission’s vice-chairman. “The experience these people bring is invaluable. We expect this reverse migration trend to accelerate significantly .” Tehri district recorded the highest number of returnees, many leveraging global exposure to tap local resources in ways their migrant parents never imagined. Whether the trickle meta- The SIT probing the Sabarimala gold loss case on Friday arrested Thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru for his alleged close links with prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty | P5 morphoses into a flood depends partly on state support. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered ‘Pravasi Panchayats’ (migrant councils) at district level this year, which are forums where returnees can discuss both successes and challenges. For its part, UMMC is drafting plans for these panchayats to institutionalise what remains a fragile trend in a state that loses thousands to urban migration annually . “These entrepreneurs aren’t just setting up businesses; they’re instilling hope across the rural landscape,” a source from UMMC said. IT Minister Nara Lokesh speaks at ‘Pune Public Policy Festival’ on Friday | Express utive terms in 1995 and 1999. The people should recognise the necessity for continuation of the same party government, he said. Informing that Quantum Valley is a passionate project of the Chief Minister, Lokesh said the first Quantum Valley in South India will be unveiled soon in Amaravati. Parliament from Jan 28, Budget Feb 1 E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ New Delhi THE Budget session of Parliament is likely to commence on January 28 with the Union Budget possibly being tabled on February 1, a Sunday . Officials, citing the tentative schedule finalised by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, said on Friday that President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of the two Houses on January 28. The customary address of the President takes place on the first day of the first Parliament session of a year. The two Houses will not meet on January 29 due to Beating Retreat ceremony . Parliament will sit on January 30 when the Economic Survey is expected to be tabled. On January 31, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will not meet. The Union Budget is set to be tabled on February 1. After discussions on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address and Union Budget, Parliament will adjourn for a month-long recess on February 13. It will reconvene on March 9 and the session will conclude on April 2. The Budget session is likely to be stormy, with the Opposition set to target the government over US tariffs and the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in various states.