vijayawada l saturday l september 06, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION rain in Punjab, J&K damages fence along 110 KM of Indo-Pak border Approximately 110 km of the fence along the zero line of Indo-Pak international border has been damaged, defence sources said on Friday 65 bsf posts in punjab get inundated beating retreat ceremony cancelled Of the 110 km of damaged fencing, around 80 km is in Punjab and 30 km is in Jammu sector. The fence in these areas has been submerged, uprooted, or tilted. Additionally, around 65 BSF posts in Punjab have been inundated across Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Pathankot, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Fazilka districts along the international border, with 20 posts affected in Jammu ■ ■ Due to the submerged border fencing, the BSF has deployed its water wing, equipped with motorboats and surveillance drones, to secure the international border. Searchlights and drones are also being used Sutlej River has inundated joint check post at Hussainiwala, leading to the indefinite cancellation of the ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony | P10 10 Days in last 10 days, BSF has nabbed drug smugglers on the border 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 Messaging across geographies Don’s drivel: China biggest Lost Russia & challenge to India to China security: CDS j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump has sounded a stark warning about shifting geopolitical allegiances, claiming the United States has “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China,” just days after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit where images of camaraderie between President Vladimir Putin, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi made global headlines. In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” The SCO summit has sparked concerns in Washington about the trilateral alignment between Asia’s largest powers, all of whom currently have strained relations with the West. When pressed on Trump’s comments, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We share a comprehensive global strategic partnership anchored in shared interests, democratic values, and people-to-people ties... We remain focused on our substantive agenda with the US.” Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu takes part in the International Mediation Conference in Visakhapatnam | express Naidu: We are ready to set up Int’l Arbitration Centre in Vizag E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has expressed his government’s readiness to establish an International Arbitration Centre in Visakhapatnam, aiming to create an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) ecosystem, surpassing Singapore’s globally recognised model. Speaking as a chief guest at the International Mediation Conference organised by the Asian Centre for International Arbitration and Mediation (ACIAM) in Visakhapatnam on Friday Naidu emphasised that , the ease of justice system, driven by mediation and arbitration, ensures swift and accessible justice. He highlighted India’s rich tradition of mediation, citing Lord Krishna as an exemplary mediator, and noting how our ancestors and village elders historically resolved disputes. Naidu underscored that India’s judicial system, a cornerstone of democracy, upholds constitutional rights with commitment, impartiality, and transparency, instilling public confidence despite occasional delays. He stressed that robust ADR mechanisms are essential to reduce disputes, stabilise the economy and bridge the gap be, tween haves and have-nots for a healthier society He noted that . conventional legal processes can be intimidating for many, making mediation a dignified alternative. With increasing companies and systems, Naidu advocated for technology-driven ADR systems to ensure accessible justice, alongside establishing new cour ts to address rising P4 caseloads.  N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Friday identified India’s unresolved boundary dispute with China as its main security challenge, closely followed by Pakistan’s ongoing proxy war. Coming as it did amid New Delhi’s efforts to improve ties with Beijing, and US President Donald Trump’s meltdown following the recent bonding of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Chinese and Russian presidents at the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, the CDS’ statement appeared intriguing. Speaking at two events in Gorakhpur, he stressed the inseparable link between geopolitics and conflict, noting that war is a medium to achieve political ambitions. “The boundary dispute with China is India’s biggest challenge and will continue to remain so,” General Chauhan told a gathering. “The second major challenge is Pakistan’s proxy war, with a strategy of ‘bleed India by a thousand cuts.” The CDS underlined that the nature of warfare has expanded into new domains, making it more complex for nations like India. “It now includes cyber and space. Both of our opponents are nuclear powers, and it will always remain a challenge to decide what kind of operations we want to undertake against them,” he said. AI helps avoid human-animal conflict in Seshachalam forest Ne t h a j i K u m a r a m a n g a l a m @ Vijayawada The Tirupati Forest Division has launched a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence-based initiative to enhance wildlife monitoring, and conflict mitigation, aiming to ensure the safety of pilgrims while protecting the rich biodiversity of the Tirumala Hills, especially the Seshachalam Biosphere. A key component of the new initiative is deployment of a sophisticated surveillance system to monitor the movement of wild animals, particularly leopards and sloth bears. The Forest Division has installed 100 camera traps along the Alipiri footpath, the popular pedestrian pilgrim route, to track the wildlife activity . Additionally more than 30 so, lar-powered live-streaming cameras have been set up at strategic locations, providing real-time alerts to control stations. This integrated system ensures a quick response to potential hu- The movement of an elephant herd captured on camera traps in Seshachalam Biosphere | Express man-wildlife encounters. To further strengthen this system, the division is set to introduce AIbased technologies, including AI-enabled camera traps, predictive analytics for conflict forecasting, and drones for aerial monitoring. For leopard management, the division has set up cage traps in high-conflict zones. Two leopards were recently captured from Sri Venkateswara University premises, and released into P4 forest habitats.  Our collective efforts will ensure pilgrim safety and mitigate humanwildlife conflict in the Seshachalam forest Vivek, District Forest Officer zen and the art of relaxing Japan hockey team finds solace in Rajgir S w a r o o p S w a m i n at h a n @ Rajgir Rajgir is steeped in history It was . one of the early Magadhan capitals and a spiritual place associated with Buddhism and is close to two of the behemoths of Buddhist centres — Bodh Gaya and Nalanda University . And it has a very close Japan connect too. When the venue for the Asia Cup hockey was announced, some of the Japanese players turned to the internet to find out about ‘Rajgir’. To be fair to them, the city a 150-minute drive on , a good day from Patna airport, doesn’t lend itself automatically to be a sporting destination (though it is changing of late). The place does have historical importance — it’s cultural, spiritual and educational significance goes back more than 2,500 years ago. But when Japan’s players first tried to read up about Rajgir on the internet, they were intrigued about what they found. They were a bit taken Japanese team in front of the Vishwa Shanti Stupa in Rajgir I special arrangement aback when Ippei Fujimoto, who had been here earlier with the women’s team, conveyed the message that they couldn’t drink alcohol (Bihar is a dry state). Transforming spirit to spiritualism was easy . Soon enough, though, the absence of alcohol didn’t deter them because ‘this is a place rooted in Buddhism’ and there is a distinct Japanese connect. Raiki Fujishima & Co wanted to experience that first hand, so they undertook a spiritual journey to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, a pagoda representative of world peace. The monument was built by the Japanese (in 1969). The plan was to be guided by a Japanese priest who has called Rajgir home for the last 50 years. “The priest (Buddhist monk T Okonogi) came and visited the team in the ground a few days ago,” Fujimoto, the assistant coach as well as the official translator, said. “He spent some time and passed on a few messages.” The team has also bonded with some Japanese tourists ‘because it’s easy to get close to Japanese people because of Buddhism’. Japanese priest (Buddhist monk T Okonogi) came, and visited the team in the ground a few days ago. He spent some time, and passed on a few messages Fujimoto, assistant coach as well as the official translator Tata Motors 1st off the blocks to pass GST cut to customers ARSHAD K HAN @ New Delhi TATA Motors on Friday said it would pass on full benefit of GST rate cut to customers buying its cars and SUVs from September 22, when the revised rates come into effect. With this, prices of Tata Motors’ most affordable model Tiago will be cheaper by up to `75,000 and prices of sub-4 metre SUV Nexon up to `1.55 lakh. Among other top-selling models, Altroz will be cheaper by up to `1.10 lakh. Punch will see a cut of up to `85,000, Harrier price will come down by up to `1.40 lakh, and Safari will see a reduction of up to `1.45 lakh. “The reduction in GST on passenger vehicles is a progressive and timely decision that will make personal mobility more accessible for millions Advantage buyers Model Price drop Nexon Up to `1,55,000 Safari Up to `1,45,000 Harrier Up to `1,40,000 Altroz Up to `1,10,000 Punch Up to `85,000 Tigor Up to `80,000 Tiago Up to `75,000 Curvv Up to `65,000 across India,” said Shailesh Chandra, managing director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles & Tata Passenger Electric Mobility . Tata Motors is the first automaker to pass on the GST benefit to consumers. This is expected to put pressure on other carmakers to follow suit. The GST Council on Wednesday reduced levies on small cars and mass-market motorcycles (engine size below 350cc) from 28% to 18%. However, premium cars will now attract a 40% GST. The Council made no changes to the GST rate for electric vehicles (EVs) across segments. At present, small cars are taxed at 28% plus cess, while large cars (above 4 metres in length and 1200CC engine capacity) face a combined rate (GST plus cess) of 43-50%. Under the new regime, large cars will be taxed at flat 40% with no cess. Ever since the GST refor ms were announced on August 15, buyers have been delaying purchase in anticipation of price cuts, impacting automobile sales. express read Monsoon session of Assembly from Sept 18, key bills likely to be tabled Vijayawada: The monsoon session of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly is scheduled to start on September 18, 2025, as per notification issued by Governor S Abdul Nazeer on Friday. The session’s duration will be determined in the Business Advisory Committee meeting on the first day. Key bills are expected to be tabled during the Assembly session Utilise AIIMS expertise to identify Turakapalem mysterious illness: CM Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu convened an emergency review meeting with health officials on Friday, treating the mysterious illness that has claimed 23 lives in Turakapalem of Guntur district as a public health emergency. He ordered collaboration with AIIMS experts, and, if required, international specialists to identify the cause | P6