BELAGAVI l sunday l august 31, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE CITY EDITION Court of appeals chucks don’s Tariff Power; case to go to SC A federal court ruled that President Trump had no legal right to impose tariffs on almost all nations. But his protectionist powers remain for now Tariffs Stay in Place Until mid-October Court Rejects Trump’s IEEPA Claim By 7:4, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a decision taken in May by a Manhattan Trade Court. Both courts concurred on the misuse of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) under which the tariffs were ordered. But the ruling allows Trump’s administration until mid-October to appeal to the Supreme Court ■ ■ Trump’s attempt to justify tariffs under IEEPA was rejected, with court ruling trade deficit does not meet the criteria for an emergency Several legal challenges remain against Trump’s tariffs, including cases from businesses and states. While the recent ruling limits presidential power, the government is expected to appeal | P9 159 billion dollars may be refunded if tariffs are struck down 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 Dhankhar seeks Raj MLA pension after quitting as VP R a je s h A s n a n i @ Jaipur Barely a month after resigning as Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar has applied for a pension as a former member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly . Dhankhar, who represented the Kishangarh constituency in Ajmer district from 1993 to 1998 as a Congress MLA, has submitted his request to the Rajasthan Assembly Secretariat in Jaipur. If approved, he will receive a monthly pension of `42,000, along with other benefits av a i l a b l e t o former legislators in the state At 74, he joined the BJP in 2003 and had been Jagdeep receiving the Dhankhar MLA pension until 2019 when he was appointed Governor of West Bengal. After stepping down as Vice President in July citing health reasons, Dhankhar has largely stayed out of the public eye. Opposition questioned his resignation, but home minister Amit Shah said it was due to health reasons. Dhankhar’s political journey spans decades, and his pension application is under review. pushback to concerns on E20 from industry Overall gains in the usage of 20% ethanol-blended petrol outweigh their downside, claim officials of automotive and petroleum industries | P10 Both sides looking at long-term stability while addressing geopolitical challenges All eyes on Modi-Xi talks to stabilise bilateral ties today Don no longer plans to visit India for Quad Summit: NYT J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in China for his first visit in over seven years, marking a significant moment in the evolving India-China relationship. Modi’s arrival in Tianjin on Saturday evening is set against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty by US tariffs, which have disrupted international trade and altered geopolitics. The timing of the visit couldn’t be more critical, with Modi scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday for a high-stakes discussion on “stabilising the bilateral ties long term” and enhancing economic cooperation. The buzzword ahead of the meeting is stability Both India . and China are seeking to chart a course that ensures long-term stability in their relationship, while also addressing larger geopolitical issues. With both countries being key players in the global economic landscape, the talks will focus on collaborating to restore stability to the international economic order, which has been shaken by trade disputes, especially those instigated by Trump’s tariffs. A source said: “The long-term stability in the bilateral relationship is what the two sides are looking at, through greater trust and sensitivity to each other’s concerns.” Both nations have already made efforts to normalise ties since Modi and Xi’s last meeting in Kazan, prior to the 2020 border clashes that severely strained relations. The economic angle is central to the discussions. With the trade relationship under pressure, both sides are keen to explore ways to expand economic ties. Additionally, the resumption of direct flights and the E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi revival of people-to-people exchanges are expected to be key topics. “PM Modi himself spoke about the need for India and China, as two of the world’s largest economies, to work together to bring stability to the world economy amid current volatility said a ,” source familiar with the preparations. Modi’s visit is also set within a broader geopolitical context. With tensions in India-US ties over trade and tariffs, the prime minister’s diplomatic outreach to China is viewed as a move to carefully and pragmatically recalibrate India’s foreign policy in the face of shifting global alliances. The SCO summit, where Modi is attending, also provides an opportunity for him to m e e t Ru s s i a n P r e s i d e n t Vladimir Putin and other global leaders on the sidelines. As the summit progresses, all eyes will be on Modi and Xi’s talks, with the world watching to see how two major powers navigate the complexities of their ties and contribute to global economic stability . Prime Minister Narendra Modi with members of the Indian community in Tianjin, China | PTI Look forward to meeting leaders: PM “Landed in Tianjin, China. Looking forward to deliberations at the SCO Summit and meeting various world leaders,” Modi said on social media Border peace is the basis of better ties Peace along the border remains a critical issue. A source added, “There is an understanding that peace along the border is the basis for the growth of our ties” US President Donald Trump no longer has plans to visit India for the Quad Summit later this year, The New York Times reported on Saturday, outlining how relations between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi deteriorated in recent months. In its report titled “The Nobel Prize and a Testy Phone Call: How the Trump-Modi Relationship Unraveled”, sources familiar with Trump’s schedule revealed that after initially assuring Modi of a visit to India for the Quad Summit later this year, Trump now has no plans to make the trip in the fall. There has been no official word on the NYT’s claims. The fallout reportedly began after the US President’s repeated claims that he had “solved” the India-Pakistan conflict in May — a statement India vehemently denied. The report indicates that Modi became increasingly frustrated with Trump’s interventions, with tensions reaching a boiling point after their June 17 phone call. Trump claimed during the call that Pakistan was going to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. The not-so-subtle implication was that Modi should do likewise, the paper said. But Modi said US role had nothing to do with the truce. The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will meet in New Delhi on September 3-4 to discuss moving to a two-slab taxation system and review recommendations on rate rationalisation, compensation cess, and health insurance THE registration cost of properties in the state will double from Sunday The . state government had issued a notification on August 29 stating that the registration fee of properties will increase from 1% to 2%, with effect from August 31. The notification was made public on August 30. Interestingly, various subregistrar offices in the state had shut operations from Friday 4 pm citing maintenance works. Services in most of the sub-registrar offices resumed from 4 pm on Saturday . Sources in the stamps and registration offices said: “We had stopped registration of properties as revisions as per notifications were to be made on servers. The services were resumed from Saturday 4 pm onwards. But the number of people who came was less as many were under the assumption that the offices close on Saturday afternoon.” Another sub-registrar said there was a debate among the officials whether to shut operations or not as it was equivalent of denying the right to people. “However, at many places services were hindered and so property registrations saw a lull since Friday evening till Saturday evening,” the official said. Citing an example, Manandi Suresh, a real estate expert from FKCCI said: “The registration cost of property depends on guidance value and market value. A flat in most places in Bengaluru costs Rs one crore, then the registration cost which was Rs 1 lakh will now increase to Rs 2 lakh.” He added that lease/ rental agreements, advance registration charges and even bank registration charges will also increase from 1% to 2%. With this the state government is looking to earn additional revenue of around Rs 3,000 crore, from August 31 to March 31, 2026, said Munish Moudgil, Principal Secretary, Revenue Department.  CONTINUED ON P5 express read MA Saleem appointed full-time DG&IGP Bengaluru: MA Saleem, who had been holding concurrent charge as the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP), was on Saturday appointed full-time head of the state police force | P4 11 killed in landslide, cloudburst in J&K Jammu: Seven of a family were killed when a landslide struck a house in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir early on Saturday while four people died after a cloudburst in Ramban district | P8 Looting people, BJP hits out Bengaluru: Hitting out at the state government, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said the Congress’ so-called Karnataka model really means looting Kannadigas at every step. BJP state president BY Vijayendra said price hikes and corruption have become the daily guarantee of the Congress government | P5 Memory Fights Back PLUS 12 P AGES for SatChi after Olympic heartbreak 2 nd Second time the Indian pair has won a worlds medal P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi GST Council to Meet on Two-Slab Taxation E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru Roman de la Paris GST 2.0 revenue loss: 8 Oppn-ruled states seek relief for 5 years with 2024-25 as the base year. They have also demanded that The Congress party announced any additional levies on ‘sin’ on Saturday that eight opposi- and luxury goods be fully tion-led states have backed the transferred to the states. proposal to simplify the Goods Ramesh further pointed out and Services Tax (GST) rate that the Centre retains 17-18% slabs and reduce rates for mass of its revenue through cesses consumption items. However, that are not shared with the these states have stressed the states. He called these demands need for safeguards to protect perfectly legitimate and backed their fiscal interests. by research from the Congress leader Union Finance MinisJairam Ramesh urged try’s National Institute the government to enof Public Finance & Polsure that the benefits of icy (NIPFP). rate reductions are The Congress leader passed on to consumers reiterated that his party and not used as a headhas long advocated for a line-grabbing tactic. simplified GST system, Jairam Ramesh He also emphasised particularly one that the importance of adbenefits small and mevancing cooperative federal- d i u m - s i z e d e n t e r p r i s e s ism during the upcoming GST (MSMEs). Council meeting. The eight The Congress leader said his states—Karnataka, Himachal party has advocated for a simPradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, plified GST framework, parPunjab, Tamil Nadu, Telanga- ticularly for MSMEs, and hopes na, and West Bengal—have that the upcoming GST Councalled for compensation for the cil meeting will prioritise genpotential revenue losses they uine cooperative federalism will incur due to the rate cuts, over political posturing. Registration fee for properties in state doubles from today 4th SatwikChirag’s fourth win against Malysian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty celebrate their win and secure second World Championships medal on Friday | BAI S w a r o o p S w a m i n at h a n @ Chennai PARIS is often referred to as the city of love. It’s easy to see why . The leitmotifs of the French capital has been one of romance, allure and seduction. The Notre Dame. The Monalisa. The Eiffel Tower. In Before Sunset, a movie set in Paris, Richard Linklater’s in a seminal three-part exploration of love and relationships, Jesse, played by Ethan Hawke, remarks to Celine (Julie Delpy), ‘Life is tough... If we didn’t suffer, we would never learn anything’. In a way wherever there’s love, heartbreaks linger. To a dreamer, pain is a reminder that they have to work harder. Eleven months ago, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were crestfallen. The dream of an Olympic medal had slipped past them in Paris, their favourite city Facing Malaysia’s . Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, their arch-rivals, in quarterfinals of the Games, they had come within five points. Post that loss, for three months, the duo didn’t play a competitive tie as they wanted to heal. What a difference a year makes. As India slept on Friday night, they exorcised those demons in the same city and against the same opponents in the quarterfinals of the World Championships. Sure, there’s perhaps no greater heartache than missing out an Olympic medal but winning a Worlds medal will act as a balm. The straight games win is also a reminder of the talent they possess. In 2024, they suffered. In 2025, the deliverance will be sweet.  P11 Ganesha’s message of harmony: Muslim youth celebrate fest here R a g h o t ta m K o p pa r @Gadag It is a powerful message of communal harmony from this small village in North Karnataka. Muslim youth in Sandigavad village of Ron taluk from Gadag district have installed a Ganesha idol and performed puja for the last four days. To top it, these youth recite Ganesha stotras without referring to any book or text. They have been celebrating Ganesha Chaturthi for the last three years, by placing the idol at an Ashoor Khana (a Muslim religious site) to promote communal harmony In this village, . Hindus, Muslims and others celebrate all festivals like Ramzan, Deepavali, Christmas, Muharram, Ganesha Chaturthi, Dasara, Eid Milad and Ugadi together. The youth decided to create awareness on communal harmony in the village and surrounding areas as they were disturbed by increasing inci- dents of communal disturbance and started Ganesha celebration in 2023. They also learnt the stotras and other rituals. Prodded by other villagers, they also started singing folk songs, so that the children could learn them and carry forward the tradition. Soon after, the villagers started celebrating other festivals too by gathering residents from all religions and denominations. The initiative by the youth, especially Munna Nad- af, Dawalsab Nadaf, Ladsab and Hasansab, has made the village famous in the district. Villagers said they are proud of their youth. “We wish this could be followed in other villages too, so that the entire Gadag district can be a model for communal harmony said Nin,” gappa, Honnappa and others. Munna Nadaf and Hasansab said, “We have set an example by installing the Ganesha idol and celebrating festivals together. We are all equal here.” Muslim youths perform Ganesh puja at Ashoor Khana in Sandigavad village of Ron taluk in Gadag district | EXPRESS