exam centres based on aadhaar Starting from 2026-27 academic session, the National Testing Agency will assign exam centres for JEE Main, NEET-UG, and CUET-UG based solely on candidates’ Aadhaar card addresses. The policy aims to enhance fairness by reducing instances of cheating in national-level entrance exams | PTI | P11 chennai l Friday l October 10, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 108 l late city EDITION 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 Coldrif deaths: Pharma firm owner arrested R aja l a k s h m i Sa m path & Sin d u ja J an e @ Chennai G R anganat h an, t h e 75-year-old proprietor of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, was arrested in Chennai on Thursday morning for allegedly manufacturing the Coldrif cough syrup linked to the deaths of 22 children in Madhya Pradesh. The state government also suspended two senior drug inspectors — Deepa Joseph and Karthigeyan — for allegedly failing to conduct routine inspections at the manufacturing unit over the past two years. Ranganathan was taken into custody from his residence around 12.30 am on Thursday by a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Madhya Pradesh led by Parasia Sub-Divisional Police Officer Jitendra Jaat.  P9 WITH THIS ISSUE CHENNAI’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 108 PAGES, INCLUDING 88 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Modi calls Trump, praises Gaza truce, discusses trade J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, congratulating him on the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire deal and reviewing the status of bilateral trade negotiations. Modi described Trump as a “friend” in a post on X and praised the “success of the historic Gaza peace plan”. “I spoke to my friend, President Trump, congratulating him on the success of the historic Gaza peace plan. We also reviewed the progress in trade negotiations and agreed to remain in close contact in the coming weeks,” Modi posted on social media platform X. Later, Modi called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and congratulated him for the peace deal. According to a statement by the Israeli PMO, Netanyahu ‘paused’ the security cabinet meeting dis- Narendra Modi Donald Trump cussing the Gaza deal to take Modi’s phone call. The Gaza deal—announced by Trump on his Truth Social platform—includes a ceasefire, the release of all hostages held in Gaza, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a largescale prisoner exchange. Negotiated in Cairo with the US, Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari officials, it marks the first phase of a 20-point US-backed peace framework. “We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. This is also a reflection of the strong leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Modi said. The Modi-Trump call also revives the possibility of a meeting between the two later this month on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. Both have been invited, and going by the diplomatic calendar, it may be the last multilateral event this year where they can meet. “This is a multifaceted relationship. We are confident of sailing through this phase,” said a source, adding “the trade negotiations have been going on and the next round is being planned.” Trade tensions between India and the US escalated after Washington imposed a 50% tariff on certain Indian goods. While talks have resumed, many sticking points remain. “The relationship is going through an unexpected patch,” said a source familiar with the talks, adding, “despite that, there is a strong personal equation between Modi and Trump.”  Joy, relief in Gaza: P17 UK to supply missiles worth £350 mn to India J ayanth J acob @ New Delhi India and the UK on Thursday unveiled a wide-ranging set of agreements across trade, defence, education and technology, as prime ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer sought to build on the momentum of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) signed in July . “India and the UK are natural partners. In today’s time of global uncertainty our growing partnership stands , as an important pillar of global stability and economic progress,” Modi said. Both leaders hailed the potential of CETA to double bilateral trade by 2030 through tariff cuts, greater market access, and enhanced investment. A key outcome was the announcement of a £350 million defence deal under which the UK will supply Lightweight Multirole Missiles to the Indian Army. The missiles, manufactured by Thales in Northern Ireland, will not only boost India’s defence capabilities but also support 700 jobs in the UK. The UK announced two new university campuses in India— Lancaster University in Bengaluru and the University of Surrey in Gujarat’s GIFT City  P11 . express read Vijay seeks security cordon for Karur visit Stalin opens Global Startup Summit Chennai: TVK has requested the state DGP to enforce a “zero-tolerance” crowd control strategy and one-km security cordon around the venue, among others, during Vijay’s proposed visit to Karur to meet families of those who died in the stampede | P6 Chennai: To encourage the creation of new venture capital firms, the state government will create a co-creation fund with an allocation of `100 crore, said CM Stalin after inaugurating a two-day Global Startup Summit in Coimbatore | P6