visakhapatnam l monday l december 08, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION FORMULA one: Dream comes true for new king Norris McLaren’s British driver Lando Norris navigates tricky test in season-closing Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday to clinch his maiden F1 crown emotional brit ends max’s dominance A tearful Norris won the title by two points ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who relinquished his crown after four consecutive years, in a tense and emotional season-ending race dominated by strategy and tactics. Max, despite finishing on top of the podium, fell just short in the overall equation as Norris finished third to seal the deal | P11 champ thrives under pressure ■ The 26-year-old showed great discipline and patience as he executed his race under extreme pressure knowing that any error could gift the title to Verstappen or teammate Oscar Piastri ■ A journey that began with kart racing when he was eight years old, Norris became Britain’s first F1 world champ since 2020 423 NORRIS FINISHED WITH 423 POINTS WHILE VERSTAPPEN ENDED WITH 421 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 Fireworks during dance performance likely caused blaze; nightclub did not have fire safety clearance; owners on the run; probe ordered PM to open Vande Mataram debate in LS today New rules for Goa clubs Anjuna  Baga Beach Following the tragedy, the Goa administration has issued an order to all nightclubs, restaurants and bars to maintain a valid fire NOC, enforce occupancy limits, ensure working alarms, detectors and firefighting systems, use certified electrical setups and keep exits illuminated goa Arpora Calangute P REETHA N AIR @ New Delhi THE penultimate week of the Parliament session is set to be very busy with both Houses set , to debate ‘Vande Mataram’ and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open the debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha, where he is expected to highlight several previously unknown facets of the national song. The BJP has been allotted three hours for its interventions in the Lok Sabha, while the total debate time will span about 10 hours. A videograb of the fire in Arpora in North Goa late on Sunday. Eyewitnesses said the nightclub did not have well-defined exits | Express 25 killed in blaze at packed Goa nightclub s u d h i r s u r ya w a n s h i @Mumbai A massive fire tore through a jampacked nightclub in North Goa around midnight on Sunday killing at least 25 , people, including five tourists and 20 employees of the club. The club, ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ at Arpora, 25 km from Panaji, did not have the mandatory fire department no-objection certificate. Since the club stands in the backwater of Arpora river, a narrow bridge leading to it made it tough for panic-stricken tourists to escape, fire officials said. A preliminary inquiry found that electric firework inside the nightclub was the likely cause of the blaze, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, adding that he had ordered chief secretary Dr V Candavelou and DGP Alok Kumar to identify and act against government officials who allowed the club to operate without fire safety clearance. The club’s chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur were arrested by the police. Separately police have launched a manhunt for , the club owners — Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, who’ve been named in the FIR. At least 100 people were on the dance floor at the time of the fire. In an attempt to rush out, some visitors ran downstairs to the kitchen where they got trapped in the blaze along with the staff, said Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad. “There was a sudden commotion as the flames started erupting. We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said. Officials said there were no proper exits to the premises. Police have detained the sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa Panchayat, Roshan Redkar, who had issued a trade licence to the nightclub in 2013. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, among others, condoled the deaths. An ex-gratia of `5 lakh for the kin of each deceased and `50,000 for the injured were announced by the CM. Rahul calls for fair probe Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while extending condolences to the bereaved families, said the tragedy reflected a serious failure of safety measures and governance. “The authorities should conduct a transparent probe to ensure similar tragedies are avoided in the future.” germany, too many India suffered a 1-5 defeat against holders Germany in the semifinal stage of the ongoing Junior Hockey World Cup in Chennai on Sunday | PTI | P11 j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi Passengers looking for their bags in the massive buildup of unclaimed luggage at IGI Airport on Sunday | Sayantan Ghosh IndiGo flight ops stabilising, cancellations down to 650 S LALITHA @ New Delhi AIR travel chaos due to IndiGo’s operational disruptions continued on Sunday though , the situation appeared to improve with the country’s largest airline set to operate 1,650 flights until midnight – up from 1,565 on Saturday and 706 on Friday . This still resulted in 650 flights across the country being cancelled with hundreds of them delayed by hours. In a statement, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said air travel operations across the country were stabilising. “All other domestic airlines are operating smoothly and at full capacity, while IndiGo’s performance has shown steady improvement today, with flight schedules moving back towards normal levels. IndiGo’s flight operations are likely to reach up to 1,650 by the end of today (Sunday),” its statement read. NSU student accuses two assistant professors of sexual harassment @ Tirupati National Sanskrit University (NSU), Tirupati, has been drawn into a controversy following allegations of sexual harassment made by a female student against two assistant professors. The case has sparked intense debate in academic and political circles, amid claims that the university management delayed filing a formal police complaint. Acting on a complaint lodged by NSU Incharge Registrar Rajani k a n t Shukla, Tirupati West Police registered a case late Saturday night. The charges include sexual harassment, intimidation, blackmail, and mental harassment. Police have begun questioning the accused, and seized their mobile phones, which are being examined for call records, messages, photographs, and video evidence. Sections 75(1), 77, 79, read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have been invoked in the FIR N o . 183/2025 filed by Tirupati West Pol i c e against Assistant P ro f e s s o r L a k s h man Kumar of the Department of Education. EXPRESS ILLUSTRATION and Wednesday Leader of the . Opposition Rahul Gandhi will speak on SIR on Tuesday He is . also expected to raise the issue of ‘vote theft’ and the accountability of the Election Commission of India. During the debate on SIR, the Opposition members are also expected to raise suicides of Booth Level Officers reportedly due to intense work pressure related to the voter list re-verification drive. Key opposition leaders inc l u d i n g C o n g r e s s ’s K C Venugopal and Manish Tewari, DMK’s Kanimozhi, and Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav are also expected to take part in the discussions. Boosting ties with India top agenda of US official’s visit Droupadi Murmu, President U s h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam Nethaji Kumaramangalam the Congress and BJP were at loggerheads over the latter’s allegations that important stanzas of the national song were dropped in 1937, which sowed the seeds of partition. While inaugurating the year-long commemoration of Vande Mataram to mark its 150 years, Modi said a “divisive mindset” is still a challenge for India. In response, the Congress said the PM insulted Vande Mataram, noting that Rabindranath Tagore himself had recommended adopting only the first two stanzas. The Lok Sabha will take up the debate on SIR on Tuesday Deeply pained by the tragic fire incident in North Goa resulting in the loss of lives. My heartfelt condolences. May they find strength during this difficult time. I pray for the speedy recovery AP records steady rise in cancer cases over last 10 yrs Andhra Pradesh has reported a steady rise in the estimated incidence of cancer cases over the last decade. According to data presented in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the State recorded 76,708 estimated new cancer cases in 2024, compared to 75,086 in 2023, 73,536 in 2022, and 71,970 in 2021. The number stood at 70,424 in 2020, 68,883 in 2019, 62,978 in 2018, 60,475 in 2017, 58,072 in 2016, and 55,776 in 2015, highlighting a consistent upward trend. Health experts attribute the rise to multiple factors, including population growth, increased life expectancy lifestyle , changes, pollution levels in urban and industrial pockets, and improved screening that has helped detect cases earlier. With rapid urbanisation and changing dietary habits, public health officials say the overall quality of life has been affected, contributing to a higher burden of non-communicable diseases, including cancer. According to the Global Cancer Observatory (IARC), India ranks third in estimated cancer cases globally, with 14.13 lakh cases at the rate of 98.5 per 1,00,000, following China (48.25 lakh cases, 201.6 per 1,00,000) and the USA (23.80 lakh cases, P4 367 per 1,00,000).  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to be the second speaker in the debate, which will also feature the participation of Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda, Manipur MP Dr Bimol Akoijam, and Praniti Shinde, among others. The Rajya Sabha will take up the debate on Vande Mataram on Tuesday, with Home Minister Amit Shah leading the discussion. Health Minister and Leader of the Rajya Sabha J P Nadda will be the second speaker. The debate on Vande Mataram is likely to see fireworks as Local reports suggest that three staff members visited the police station on November 24 and 25 without the victim, but the police did not accept the complaint at that time. Rumours later spread that the student, feeling helpless, collected her Transfer Certificate from the university saying “nothing , would happen.” Later, the Sanskrit University management has suspended Lakshman Kumar. University officials have clarified that online rumours about pregnancy of the student are unfounded and do not figure in the FIR or any official complaint documents. The university administration has also come under scrutiny for the delay in filing a formal police complaint despite being ‘aware’ of the situation P4 earlier.  To ensure financial protection for passengers, the ministry directed IndiGo to complete refunds for cancelled or severely delayed flights by 8:00 PM on Sunday . The ministry also asked IndiGo to ensure that no additional fees are levied for rescheduling travel impacted by cancellations. On how much more refund was pending, an Indigo source said the process of calculating the amount to be refunded was still on. The ministry also said In- Refunds being processed IndiGo has processed refunds of `610 crore so far against cancelled or delayed flights, and delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers as of Saturday, the civil aviation ministry said diGo successfully delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers as of December 6. It had mandated a 48-hour deadline for delivery of luggage separated from flyers due to the flight delay and cancellation chaos. In an update on the situation, Indigo said its on-time performance shot up to 75% on Sunday from 30% on Saturday . The airline also said it will “root cause analysis” into flight disruptions. Meanwhile, the DGCA extended the deadline for IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers to respond to the show cause notice to Monday 6 pm. IndiGo sources said the airline would soon respond to the show cause notice. “We are readying our response by explaining the reasons that flights were cancelled and delayed and the steps we are taking to mitigate them,” a source said. Virat Kohli offers prayers at Simhachalam temple Express News Service @ Visakhapatnam Star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli visited the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Simhachalam on Sunday and offered prayers. , He was accompanied by allrounder Washington Sundar, India fielding coach T Dilip and officials from the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA). Simhachalam Devasthanam Deputy Executive Officer S Radha and Assistant Executive Officer K Tirumaleswara Rao received Kohli, and the visiting team members. Kohli embraced the ‘Kappa Sthambam’ (sacred pillar) before taking darshan of the presiding deity and offered , special prayers. After the darshan, Vedic scholars rendered Veda Ashirvachanam, accompanied by A top US official is scheduled to visit New Delhi and Bengaluru from December 7 to 11. The visit of US’ under secretary of state for political affairs Allison Hooker is expected to sharpen the strategic focus of the US-India partnership at a time when both sides are navigating economic friction, geopolitical volatility and rapid technological shifts. According to the US Embassy, Hooker will prioritise advancing the US-India strategic partnership, deepening economic and commercial ties, expanding American exports, and accelerating collaboration in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and space exploration. Her visit comes amid renewed efforts in Washington and New Delhi to stabilise ties after weeks of heightened tensions over US’ 50% tariff. Hooker has been closely involved in India engagement in recent months. In September, she met Indian ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra, as both sides worked to ease friction over trade and energy issues. In November, Indian publicsector oil companies signed a one-year agreement with US energy majors to import 2.2 million tonnes of LPG, roughly 10% of India’s annual LPG imports. Then, India and the US finalised a $946 million sustainment package for the Indian Navy’s fleet of 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, strengthening defence industrial ties. During her stay in New Delhi, Hooker will meet her counterpart Foreign Secretray Vikram Misri, and other senior officials to discuss regional security, economic cooperation and shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific. Kerala Nadaswaram and Vedic chants. On behalf of the temple administration, Kohli was presented with Swami Vari Sesha Vastram, a portrait of the deity, and prasadam. The visit took place a day after India clinched the One Day International (ODI) cricket series against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. On Saturday In, d i a h e a d c o a ch G a u t a m Gambhir also offered prayers at the Simhachalam temple. actress assault case verdict today Eight years after the 2017 abduction and sexual assault of a Kerala actress, the Ernakulam Sessions Court will deliver its verdict Monday at 11 am; the survivor was assaulted in a moving car by a gang led by Pulsar Suni, who filmed the act; actor Dileep is also an accused | P5