TIRUNELVELI l wednesday l october 22, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Sanae Takaichi wins historic vote, is Japan’s first woman pm Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative who admires Margaret Thatcher, became Japan’s first woman prime minister on Tuesday hardliner with eye on defence, economy votary of aggressive monetary easing The 64-year-old, who won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership this month, has positioned herself as a hardliner focused on defence and economic security. After forging a last-minute coalition deal, Takaichi was appointed by parliament on Tuesday as the country’s first woman head of government and Japan’s fifth leader in as many years ■ ■ Takaichi supports aggressive monetary easing and big fiscal spending, echoing her political mentor’s Shinzo Abe’s“Abenomics” policies, which, if implemented again, could rattle markets | P9 On tariffs, she said she won’t shy away from renegotiations with US if the deal is implemented in a way deemed harmful or unfair to Japan 237 votes were won by takaichi, 4 more than a majority 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 Relief as $1L H-1B fee does not apply to visa holders J AYAN T H J ACOB & PU S HPI TA D EY @ New Delhi New Delhi Chennai Heavy smog (L) near India Gate at dawn on Tuesday; and at 11.30 pm on Mount Road on Monday | Sayantan Ghosh/ Shiba Prasad Sahu Post-Diwali air quality in Delhi worst in 4 years Revellers flouted time limit for firecrackers PM2.5 Levels in Delhi I f r a h M u f t i @ New Delhi Despite a Supreme Court fiat and the Delhi government’s repeated appeals for a “Green Diwali”, the national capital woke up to a thick, suffocating haze the morning after the festival, as pollution levels shot through the roof across Delhi-NCR on Tuesday The city witnessed its . worst air quality since 2021, with PM2.5 levels zooming to 488 micrograms per cubic metre within 24 hours after Diwali—over three times the prefestival level of 156.6. PM2.5 represents the quantity of fine particles that easily penetrate the respiratory system. This year’s spike was the highest in five years (see graphic). Though the SC allowed bursting firecrackers only between 8 -10 pm, crackers boomed till 2.30 am. By 6.05 am on Tuesday , the city’s overall AQI was 347, falling in the ‘very poor’ category Of the 37 air quality moni. toring stations, 34 recorded readings in the red zone — ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’. Last year, the AQI stood at 359 the morning after Diwali. Among the city’s 10 most polluted areas, Bawana topped the list with AQI of 418, followed by Wazirpur at 408 and Jahangirpuri at 404, all falling in the severe category. Slightly better, but still alarming, were Burari Crossing and Shadipur, both recording 393, and Ashok Vihar at 386, placing them in the very e x p r e ss r e a d AIADMK cites Pawan Kalyan to woo Vijay Chennai: In an open offer to actor Vijay of deputy CM post, senior AIADMK leader RB Udhayakumar cited political journey of Andhra deputy CM Pawan Kalyan to woo the embattled TVK chief | P4 Minor boy rams car into moped, kills two Tirunelveli: A 65-year-old man and his 14-year-old granddaughter died after a car driven by a minor boy rammed into their moped in Tirunelveli on Monday | P2 Pre-Diwali | 500 454.5 Post-Diwali Worse 488 than 2021 400 319.7 300 220 168 200 163.1 100 129.3 2021 204 92.9 2022 2023 156.6 2024 2025 Particulate Matter(PM)2.5 in µg/m³ poor range. Other localities like RK Puram (369), Rohini (367), and Vivek Vihar (367) also saw heaqy pollutants. As for the NCR, its overall average AQI was 388. Health experts raised alarms over the worsening situation. “Studies show pollution causes a 22–25% rise in heart, asthma, and bronchitis attacks,” said Dr G C Khilnani, chairman, PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. A 2017 tweet by Delhi’s current CM Rekha Gupta resurfaced online: “My city is melting, it’s all smoke, in the air… So much poison, who is spewing it?” It went viral on Tuesday, capturing the city’s toxic irony . rain saves tn Parts of Chennai gasp as quality of air plummets S V KRI S HNA CHAI TANYA @ Chennai Though widespread showers due to northeast monsoon helped disperse pollutants on Deepavali day, air quality in parts of Chennai turned ‘very poor’ on Monday, according to data released by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB). The TNPCB surveyed 39 air quality and 34 noise monitoring stations across the state. In Chennai, the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Deepavali day (measured from 6am on October 20 to 6am on October 21) ranged from 190 (Moderate) in Besant Nagar to 332 (Very Poor) in Valasaravakkam, according to the board’s manual monitoring data. Nungambakkam has also recorded AQI of 326, falling in the very poor category . Other central and suburban zones such as T Nagar, Tiruvottiyur, Triplicane and Sowcarpet also saw spikes and recorded ‘poor’ AQI, breaching the national ambient standards. The elevated levels were largely attributed to the short but intense firecracker window between 6-7 am and 7-8 pm, coupled with low wind speeds overnight. Meteorologists, however, noted that the timely rains during the festival period prevented a severe build-up of pollutants. “Rain-induced washout helped to limit the spike, par ticularly over coastal and northern parts of Chennai,” a senior IMD official said. “Without precipitation, PM2.5 levels would have easily crossed the hazardous levels,” the official said.  P5 A month after US President Donald Trump’s proclamation jacking up the fee for H1-B visas to a steep $100,000 caused panic among international students and professionals, the US government has now clarified that the fee won’t apply to most current visa holders and recent international graduates. In a detailed clarification issued on Monday, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the fee will not be applicable to those already in the country seeking a ‘change of status’ or an ‘extension of stay’. The fee is only applicable to petitions filed on or after 12:01 am ET on September 21, 2025, for beneficiaries outside the US. Proclamation applies to new H-1B petitions filed on or after Sept 21 on behalf of beneficiaries outside US and don’t have a valid H-1B visa — USCIS statement The USCIS also confirmed that the proclamation does not impact travel for current H-1B visa holders or those with an approved change of status petition. Importantly, USCIS said that even those with expired F-1 or H-1B visas who depart the US and later return on an Low-pressure may turn into depression REBEL and independent candidates may spin the poll arithmetic for both the ruling NDA and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan in the Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled in two phases on November 6 and 11. As many as 30 rebels and independents are contesting in the first phase of the Assembly poll. Several aspirants denied tickets have joined smaller outfits like the Jan Suraaj of Prashant Kishore or entered the fray as independents. The nominations of Shashi Bhushan Singh, sitting MLA from Sugauli (East Champaran), and Seema Singh of the LJP (Ram Vilas) from Marhaura (Saran), were cancelled due to technical reasons. Singh had filed papers as a Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) candidate — one of the INDIA bloc allies — while LJP (RV) is part of the NDA. Discontent, as per sources, simmers within both alliances. In NDA, many denied s e at s h ave t u r n e d rebels. JD(U) MLA Narendra Kumar Neeraj is contesting as an dvac files fresh case in tender scam DVAC registered a fresh case over ‘irregularities’ in highway tenders awarded in highways and minor ports portfolios handled by then chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami from 2016-21 | P4 orange alert for 10 districts Red alert in eight districts, TN braces for heavy rainfall E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai Flood water inundated houses after heavy rainfall in Ramanathapuram | express 90 dams in TN touch 87% storage capacity Holiday declared for schools and colleges Chennai: At 196.202 tmcft, the combined water level in 90 TN reservoirs had reached 87.46% of their total capacity of 224.343 tmcft on Tuesday. Sixteen big reservoirs touched 95% capacity and have been placed under “red alert” | P4 Chennai: Holiday declared for schools and colleges in Chengalpattu, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Tiruvallur, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Kallakurichi, Puducherry, and Karaikal on Wednesday. In Chennai, only schools will be closed. ENS At least 30 rebels give NDA, Oppn a headache RAMA S HANKAR @ Patna approved petition will not be subject to the fee, provided their original petition was filed before September 21. The update offers long-awaited clarity to thousands of skilled foreign workers and international graduates navigating an already complex immigration landscape in the US. Healthcare professionals, workers under national interest waivers (such as defence personnel), and employees of universities, nonprofit research institutions, and government research bodies are believed to be exempt, though clarification is awaited. According to the Open Doors report for 2023-24, there are over 3.3 lakh Indian students in the US and 95% of them are enrolled in post graduate courses or PhD programmes. Prashant Kishor has slammed BJP-JDU for ‘pressuring’ his candidates Independent from Gopalpur, which he has represented four times. The JD(U) has fielded former MP Shailesh Kumar, alias Bulo Mandal, from the seat. Similarly BJP MLA Rash, mi Verma is fighting as an Independent from Narkatiaganj. Several Patna constituencies — Digha, Patna Sahib, Kumharar, Maner, Paliganj, Danapur, Bikram, and Barh—are witnessing intra-alliance resistance. In Digha, BJP MLA Sanjeev Chaurasia faces JD(U) rebel Ritesh Ranjan Singh of Jan Suraaj and CPI(ML) Liberation’s Divya Gautam. In Parihar, RJD rebel Ritu Jaiswal is taking on party candidate Smita Purbe, daughterin-law of former RJD chief Ram Chandra Purbe. More reports: P8 The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) on Tuesday issued a red alert for eight districts in Tamil Nadu, as a wellmarked low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal triggered widespread heavy rainfall across the state. The red alert covers Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Tiruvallur, and Ramanathapuram districts, where extremely heavy rainfall exceeding 20 cm is expected on Wednesday An orange . alert has been sounded for Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, and Ranipet districts, forecasting very heavy rain (12–20 cm) over the next 48 hours. According to the Met office, the system is likely to intensify into a depression by Wednesday afternoon and move west-northwestwards towards the north Tamil Nadu–south Andhra Pradesh coast, strengthening further thereafter. “The associated upper air cyclonic circulation extends up to 7.6 km above mean sea level and will cause intense spells of rain accompanied by thunder and lightning over the next two days,” said P Senthamarai Kannan of RMC, Chennai. RMC Director B Amudha said the system over the Bay of Bengal is being reinforced by another low-pressure area persisting over the southeast Arabian Sea. “Both systems will sustain monsoon activity on either side of the peninsula. Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea till October 25,” she added. P5 inside Stalin deploys 12 senior officers to rain-hit districts | P4 Tata Trusts reappoints Venu Srinivasan for life The development comes amid reports of a vertical split Tata Trusts, which owns and within Tata Trusts, with one controls the $180-billion faction aligning with Tata empire, has ‘unaniNoel Tata, who took mously’ reappointed over as chairman folVenu Srinivasan, chairlowing Ratan Tata’s man emeritus of the death, and the other TVS Group, as a trustee comprising loyalists of for life. With the reapthe former doyen. pointment of Srinivas“Renewal and fresh an, 73, ahead of his term Venu Srinivasan appointment is required expiring on October 23, to be unanimous acthe focus now shifts to the up- cording to past practice of the coming decision on Mehli Mis- trusts. Renewal, after which it try, whose trusteeship expires will be for life, requires unanion October 28. mous approval,” a source said. BENN KOCHUVEE D AN @ Mumbai