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 ■ ■ visakhapatnam l Saturday l October 11, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Nobel Peace Prize goes to Venezuelan leader Machado, who dedicates it to US President Humbled, grateful Thank god it’s not Trump! Agencies There was a collective sigh of relief across the world after the Norwegian Nobel committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, passing over US President Donald Trump in the process. Months of badgering by Trump for the most coveted award came to nought despite loads of nominations in his favour. He knew he had little chance of making it, as most of those nominations came after the February 1 deadline for this year’s award, yet he went on bullying the Nobel committee like a spoilt child. That the panel showed spine to fob him off came like a breath of fresh air. After the announcement, he went into a sulk, despite Machado dedicating the award to Trump. “Today more than ever , we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our main allies to achieve freedom and democracy she said. ,” Her opposition to Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro aligns with the Trump administration’s stance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously praised her as ‘the personification of resilience, tenacity and patriotism’. , The first nation to face Trump’s anger was China, as he said he no longer felt it nec- essary to meet President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit later this month. He lit into China’s hostile trade practices, including new export controls on rare earths, and threatened it with massive tariff hikes. Democracy activist Machado who sought to challenge President Maduro in last year’s elections, has become a “unifying” figure in Venezuela, the Nobel jury said. “In the past year, Ms Machado has been J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada express read AP to get three new AYUSH med colleges Vijayawada: Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav has announced that two new Ayurvedic medical colleges will come up at Dharmavaram and Kakinada, while a Unani college will be set up in Rayalaseema, each at a cost of `70 crore | P3 Displaced Palestinians walk along the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in central Gaza Strip on Friday | ap Gaza peace process kicks in Cautious optimism as ceasefire takes effect A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect Friday, hours after Israel’s Cabinet cleared the deal. However, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to return to war if the ‘objectives’ are not met 72-hour countdown for Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages began on Friday after Israeli forces said they completed the first phase of their withdrawal from Gaza Tata Trusts board meet cordial amid public listing call B e n n K o c h u v e e d a n @ Mumbai The board of Tata Trusts, recently hit by an unprecedented revolt from four trustees led by Mehli Mistry — a close friend of the late Ratan Tata and first cousin of the late Cyrus Mistry — against chairman Noel Tata, held a ‘cordial’ meeting on Friday . It discussed only routine charity matters, even as the government urged the warring sides to resolve their differences quickly . The meeting took place a day after the first death anniversary of Ratan Tata and amid growing questions over Noel Tata’s leadership. Tata Trusts owns 66.6% of Tata Sons that controls around 400 companies, 30 of them publicly listed with a combined market capitalisation of about `30 trillion. While the meeting was underway, the Shapoorji Pallonji Group — which owns 18.4% of Tata Sons, making it the second-largest shareholder after the Trusts — issued a statement urging that Tata Sons be taken public to improve transparency and governance. The company has already missed the Reserve Bank’s September 30 deadline for its listing. “The board met for a few hours and discussed only routine issues, mainly funding for hospital and rural development projects. No contentious issues were raised, and the meeting ende d c o r d i a l l y, ” a source said. “Though the atmosphere was tense, none of the attendees expressed it openly the source added. ,” Jimmy Tata, brother of Ratan Tata and a trustee, did not attend the meeting. He was also absent from the September 11 meeting where the internal rift became public. The spokesperson for Tata Trusts did not respond to calls or text messages from this newspaper. Navy commissions Static Firing Facility Visakhapatnam: The Indian Navy inaugurated a new stateof-the-art Static Firing Facility ‘Trinetra’ at Naval Station Bheemunipatnam on Friday. The facility has been indigenously designed and developed, aimed at enhancing self-reliance | P4 Height row leads to murder of groom Vijayawada: In a shocking incident, a man was brutally murdered by his brother-in-law barely 10 days after his marriage — allegedly because of his short height in Guntur district. The victim was identified as Kurra Ganesh of Edavuru village | P3 forced to live in hiding,” said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Nobel committee. “Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.” Machado was set to run against Maduro in last year’s presidential election, but the government disqualified her. She then campaigned for her stand-in, ex-diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, seen by much of the international community as the rightful winner. The run-up to the election saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations to ‘steal’ the mandate. It’s not for me to judge whether the current US president deserves the Nobel prize — I don’t know. He’s really doing a lot to resolve these complex crises, which have lasted for years, even decades Vladimir Putin, Russian President It should... remind those of us lucky enough to live in America that we have a solemn responsibility to constantly preserve and defend our own hard-won democratic traditions Barack Obama, former US President Democracy is a precondition for peace. However, we live in a world where democracy is in retreat Nobel Peace Prize jury India upgrades its technical mission in Kabul to embassy Key accused in spurious liquor case held at airport In a major development in the Mulakalacheruvu spurious liquor case, Excise and Prohibition officials reportedly arrested Addepalli Janardhan Rao, the prime accused, at Gannavaram Airport on his return from South Africa on Friday . Rao, listed as A1 in the case, had fled abroad on September 24, and released a video denying any links between local TDP leaders and the spurious liquor racket. He had promised to cooperate with the investigating authorities after his return from abroad. Excise officials arrested Rao’s brother Jaganmohan Rao, who allegedly assisted him in running the illicit liquor racket. Investigation revealed that Rao and his aide Raju had rented a house in Mulakalacheruvu of Annamayya district, where they manufactured illicit liquor. Spurious liquor worth `1.75 crore was seized in Excise raids. The racket extended to Ibrahimpatnam in NTR district, where a bottling unit for spurious liquor was unearthed. Machinery, spirit, and packaging materials were seized, and a bar owned by Rao was sealed. Additionally, the officials found a distribution centre behind ANR Bar in Ibrahimpatnam to supply illicit liquor to outlets. Preliminary probe has revealed that Rao had run the entire network with the assistance of his brother and locals. The investigating team is said to be probing the financial trail, examining how the illicit racket was funded, and the involvement of local political leaders. “This is something that the Venezuelan people deserve,” Machado said in a call with the Nobel Institute. ‘I am just part of a huge movement... I’m humbled, I’m grateful and I’m honoured.” Palestinians start returning to Gaza After Israeli troops began pulling back under the agreement to end the war, thousands of displaced Palestinians on Friday started returning to what is left of their homes in Gaza | P9 IN a recalibrated diplomatic strategy India has officially up, graded its Technical Mission in Kabul to a full-fledged Embassy , the clearest sign yet of New Delhi’s intent to deepen engagement with Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The announcement was made at External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s meeting in New Delhi with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Friday where , the two leaders held wide-ranging discussions spanning security cooperation, infrastructure development, humanitarian aid, education, trade, and people-to-people ties. Muttaqi used the occasion to publicly reassure India on one of its core concerns: terrorism emanating from Afghan soil. “We had a detailed discussion on security cooperation. We S Jaishankar with Afghani counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi | PTI will not allow Afghan territory to be used against any country ,” he said. He further urged restraint over cross-border tensions, cautioning that “issues cannot be solved through this approach” and referencing Afghanistan’s historical resistance to foreign aggression. “The Afghan people’s patience and courage should not be challenged. If someone doesn’t know, they should ask the British, Soviets, or Americans.” In response, Jaishankar acknowledged Kabul’s assuranc- Spearhead development of your departments: Naidu to ministers S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is said to have made it clear that the responsibility of efficiently handling the department lies with the minister concerned. During an interaction with the ministers after the Cabinet meeting at the State Secretariat on Friday, Naidu felt that the ministers should act as the driving force, and deal with the issues of their respective departments efficiently . Though officials explain the guidelines and give suggestions, it is the minister, who should take the final decision to ensure growth of the department, he said. “In case of non-cooperation from officials, you should speak to them, even warn them, and ensure the work is done,” Naidu said, and reminded the ministers that it is they who have to contest the next elections, but not officials. The Chief Minister has also expressed dissatisfaction over the ministers for failing to counter the opposition’s false `1.27L cr investments get Cabinet approval The State Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the State Secretariat, approved investment proposals worth `1.27 lakh crore cleared by SIPB, and other key projects propaganda against the NDA government effectively . He also pointed out that some ministers are lagging behind in explaining the NDA government’s achievements in implementing election promises to the people. Observing that it is the natural phenomenon for the government to go on enhancing power charges, Naidu said though the coalition government has reduced tariff by 13 paise per unit benefiting consumers to the tune of `980 crore, the ministers have failed to take it into the public effectively . “Though I served as the Chief Minister for 15 years, the last 15 months gave me immense satisfaction as the State has attracted huge investments. After the clearance of investments, the ministers should take the responsibility to ensure that the units that come under the purview of their respective de par tments are grounded within the timeframe,” he said. As Visakhapatnam is being developed as an IT hub with the arrival of prestigious companies like Google, TCS and other firms, thousands of jobs will be generated by 2028. Visakhapatnam is poised to emerge as a great city on the East Coast on the lines of Mumbai on the West Coast, Naidu predicted. trump tyranny? Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee, Duflo leaving the US a g e n c e f r a n c e p r e ss e @ Geneva US-based Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will soon join the University of Zurich, where they will establish a new centre for development economics, the institution said Friday . The University of Zurich (UZH) said the married couple, who currently work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), would join its economics faculty from July next year. The statement made no mention why the pair -- who won the 2019 Nobel Economics Prize alongside Michael Kremer for their “experimental approach to alleviating global poverty” — had decided to leave. But they will be moving to Switzerland at a time when experts are warning US President Donald Trump’s cuts to research funding and attacks on u n ive r s i t i e s ’ a c a d e m i c freedoms could lead to a brain Abhijit Banerjee Esther Duflo drain, with some countries trying to attract US scientists. Duflo, a dual US-French national, herself co-signed an edi- torial in Le Monde newspaper back in March denouncing “unprecedented attacks” on US science. She and Indian-born Banerjee will each have an endowed professorship at UZH funded by the Lemann Foundation, the university said. They will also establish and co-lead the new Lemann Center for Development, Education and Public Policy, with an aim to foster policy-relevant research and connect researchers and educa- tion policymakers around the world, it added. “We are delighted that two of the world’s most influential economists are joining UZH,” university president Michael Schaepman said. Duflo said the new Lemann Center would enable the couple, who will retain part-time positions at MIT, to “build on and expand our work, which bridges academic research, student mentorship and real-world policy impact”. es and said that India and Afghanistan shared a common goal peace, prosperity, and regional stability “We appreciate . your sensitivity towards India’s security concerns. Your solidarity with us in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack was noteworthy,” he said. Announcing the embassy upgrade, Jaishankar said: “Our relationship is rooted in deep civilisational ties, and this decision reflects our intent to remain a reliable development and humanitarian partner.” India reiterated its role as one of Afghanistan’s major development partners, having invested over $3 billion in more than 500 projects across the country Jaishankar announced . the launch of six new development projects, with details to be finalised soon. He also offered support in maintaining and completing infrastructure projects that had been previously initiated. irrigation Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage to get `150-cr facelift soon K V S a i l e n d r a @ Rajamahendravaram The historic Dowleswaram Barrage, an engineering marvel constructed by Sir Arthur Cotton in 1852 across the Godavari river in East Godavari district, is poised for a major facelift. The State government has sanctioned `150 crore for the repair and restoration of the 175-year-old structure, which transformed agriculture in the Godavari region by irrigating over 10 lakh acres. The barrage, a lifeline for the Eastern, Central, and Western Godavari deltas, has faced neglect over the years. Of its 175 gates across Dowleswaram, Ralli, Madduru, and Vijjeswaram arms, 116 have rusted, and become dysfunctional, causing significant water loss and challenges during Godavari floods. Superintending Engineer Gopinath highlighted that many bottom plates have developed large holes, wasting lakhs of cusecs of water annually . The restoration project will replace these damaged gates, including 12 new head sluice gates—three of the Eastern Delta, four of the Central Delta, and five of the Western Delta. All eight scour sluices, used to flush out post-flood silt and mud, will be replaced. Administrative approval was granted in July 2025, and funds have now been released. Previously included under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP) with a 70:30 Centre-State funding ratio, the project suffered delays due to mismanagement by the previous government, which failed to secure Central funds. Now, the Chandrababu Naidu government has prioritised the barrage renovation.