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 ■ ■ MADURAI l Saturday l October 11, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Nobel Peace Prize goes to Venezuelan leader Machado, who dedicates it to US President Humbled, grateful Thank god it’s not Trump! Agencies There was a collective sigh of relief across the world after the Norwegian Nobel committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, passing over US President Donald Trump in the process. Months of badgering by Trump for the most coveted award came to nought despite loads of nominations in his favour. He knew he had little chance of making it, as most of those nominations came after the February 1 deadline for this year’s award, yet he went on bullying the Nobel committee like a spoilt child. That the panel showed spine to fob him off came like a breath of fresh air. After the announcement, he went into a sulk, despite Machado dedicating the award to Trump. “Today more than ever , we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our main allies to achieve freedom and democracy she said. ,” Her opposition to Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro aligns with the Trump administration’s stance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously praised her as ‘the personification of resilience, tenacity and patriotism’. , The first nation to face Trump’s anger was China, as he said he no longer felt it nec- essary to meet President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit later this month. He lit into China’s hostile trade practices, including new export controls on rare earths, and threatened it with massive tariff hikes. Democracy activist Machado who sought to challenge President Maduro in last year’s elections, has become a “unifying” figure in Venezuela, the Nobel jury said. “In the past year, Ms Machado has been J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi SUCHITRA K A LYAN M OHANTY @ New Delhi continued on: P7 express read Armstrong murder: SC stays Madras HC order New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Madras High Court order quashing the chargesheet filed by Tamil Nadu police in BSP leader Armstrong murder case. A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and N V Anjaria, however, refused to stay the HC’s direction transferring the probe to the CBI | P5 HC orders CB-CID probe in Madurai ‘custodial’ death Madurai: The Madras HC on Friday ordered CB-CID probe into the alleged custodial death of V Dinesh Kumar (30) at the hands of Anna Nagar police in Madurai on October 9. The court asked the authorities to preserve the CCTV footage recorded in Vandiyur outpost on October 9 between 4.30am and 2pm | P4 Top court allows SIT to probe kidney racket New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the petition filed by Tamil Nadu against the special investigation team set up in the kidney scam case. The High Court had ordered the formation of the SIT after allegations were raised against two hospitals whose owners are allegedly linked to the ruling party forced to live in hiding,” said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Nobel committee. “Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.” Machado was set to run against Maduro in last year’s presidential election, but the government disqualified her. She then campaigned for her stand-in, ex-diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, seen by much of the international community as the rightful winner. The run-up to the election saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations to ‘steal’ the mandate. It’s not for me to judge whether the current US president deserves the Nobel prize — I don’t know. He’s really doing a lot to resolve these complex crises, which have lasted for years, even decades Vladimir Putin, Russian President It should... remind those of us lucky enough to live in America that we have a solemn responsibility to constantly preserve and defend our own hard-won democratic traditions Barack Obama, former US President Democracy is a precondition for peace. However, we live in a world where democracy is in retreat Nobel Peace Prize jury India upgrades its technical mission in Kabul to embassy Karur deaths: SC questions HC over SIT probe ruling The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the Madras High Court for constituting a special investigation team (SIT) to probe into the Karur stampede in which 41 people were killed. The top court also asked how the postmortem examination of the victims were conducted at midnight and completed within four hours. A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and NV Anjaria, which was hearing petitions filed by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and others seeking an independent investigation into the stampede, wondered why the Madras HC constituted an SIT when the prayer is for creating SOP for crowd control. “Instead of considering prayer for SOP for crowd control, HC forms SIT,” Justice Maheshwari remarked. While the TVK has sought an investigation monitored by a retired Supreme Court judge instead of the SIT composed of only TN police officers, other petitioners wanted CBI investigation. The court reserved the judgment in the case. “We will pass appropriate orders. We will see what we can do,” the bench said. One of the petitioners contended that the state government conducted the postmortem examination of the bodies at midnight, and they were cremated at 4 in the morning “This is something that the Venezuelan people deserve,” Machado said in a call with the Nobel Institute. ‘I am just part of a huge movement... I’m humbled, I’m grateful and I’m honoured.” Displaced Palestinians walk along the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in central Gaza Strip on Friday | ap Gaza peace process kicks in Cautious optimism as ceasefire takes effect A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect Friday, hours after Israel’s Cabinet cleared the deal. However, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to return to war if the ‘objectives’ are not met 72-hour countdown for Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages began on Friday after Israeli forces said they completed the first phase of their withdrawal from Gaza Tata Trusts board meet cordial amid public listing call B e n n K o c h u v e e d a n @ Mumbai The board of Tata Trusts, recently hit by an unprecedented revolt from four trustees led by Mehli Mistry — a close friend of the late Ratan Tata and first cousin of the late Cyrus Mistry — against chairman Noel Tata, held a ‘cordial’ meeting on Friday . It discussed only routine charity matters, even as the government urged the warring sides to resolve their differences quickly . The meeting took place a day after the first death anniversary of Ratan Tata and amid growing questions over Noel Tata’s leadership. Tata Trusts own 66.6% of Tata Sons that controls around 400 companies, 30 of them publicly listed with a combined market capitalisation of about `30 trillion. While the meeting was underway, the Shapoorji Pallonji Group — which owns 18.4% of Tata Sons, making it the second-largest shareholder after the Trusts — issued a statement urging that Tata Sons be taken public to improve transparency and governance. The company has already missed the Reserve Bank’s September 30 deadline for its listing. “The board met for a few hours and discussed only routine issues, mainly funding for hospital and rural development projects. No contentious issues were raised, and the meeting ende d c o r d i a l l y, ” a source said. “Though the atmosphere was tense, none of the attendees expressed it openly the source added. ,” Jimmy Tata, brother of Ratan Tata and a trustee, did not attend the meeting. He was also absent from the September 11 meeting where the internal rift became public. The spokesperson for Tata Trusts did not respond to calls or text messages from this newspaper. Palestinians start returning to Gaza After Israeli troops began pulling back under the agreement to end the war, thousands of displaced Palestinians on Friday started returning to what is left of their homes in Gaza | P11 IN a recalibrated diplomatic strategy India has officially up, graded its Technical Mission in Kabul to a full-fledged Embassy , the clearest sign yet of New Delhi’s intent to deepen engagement with Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The announcement was made at External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s meeting in New Delhi with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Friday where , the two leaders held wide-ranging discussions spanning security cooperation, infrastructure development, humanitarian aid, education, trade, and people-to-people ties. Muttaqi used the occasion to publicly reassure India on one of its core concerns: terrorism emanating from Afghan soil. “We had a detailed discussion on security cooperation. We S Jaishankar with Afghani counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi | PTI will not allow Afghan territory to be used against any country ,” he said. He further urged restraint over cross-border tensions, cautioning that “issues cannot be solved through this approach” and referencing Afghanistan’s historical resistance to foreign aggression. “The Afghan people’s patience and courage should not be challenged. If someone doesn’t know, they should ask the British, Soviets, or Americans.” In response, Jaishankar acknowledged Kabul’s assuranc- 38km ECR stretch turns 4-lane road, travel time may come down by 2hrs B A n b u s e lv a n @ Chennai Motorists travelling towards Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, and Nagapattinam along the East Coast Road (ECR) can look forward to smoother and faster travel with a saving of up to two hours in travel time as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has completed the four-laning of the 38-km Puducherry–Poondiyankuppam stretch, ending near Cuddalore. The works, executed at a cost of `1,588 crore under Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase I, mark another milestone in the ongoing ECR widening project. The travel time between Chennai and Nagapattinam (320km) by car may come down from seven hours to six hours and by bus from nine hours to seven hours, sources said. With this, 220 km of the 300km Thiruvanmiyur–Nagapattinam section of the ECR have now been widened into four lanes and made operational, significantly improving road connectivity to Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvanmiyur– Nagapattinam ECR four-laning project (300 km)  Completed–220 km Thiruvanmiyur – Mamallapuram: 41 km Puducherry – Poondiyankuppam (near Cuddalore): 38 km Poondiyankuppam – Sattanathapuram (near Sirkazhi): 57 km Partially completed stretches under construction (included): 84 km  Under construction–34 km Sattanathapuram – Nagapattinam (57 km total; 50 km completed) Mamallapuram – Marakkanam (62 km total; 35 km completed)  Works on the anvil–46 km Marakkanam – Puducherry delta and coastal districts. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will dedicate the newly completed sections to the nation on October 13. He will also lay the foundation stone for the four-laning of the 46-km Marakkanam–Puducherry stretch — the final segment of the 300-km ECR widening project, according to official sources. The 220 km of completed four-lane roads include the Thiruvanmiyur–Mamallapuram (41 km) and Poondiyankuppam–Sattanathapuram (57 km) stretches, which were already opened to traffic. Civil works are presently under way on two sections covering 119 km — Sattanathapuram–Nag ap at t i n a m ( 5 6 k m ) a n d Mamallapuram–Marakkanam (62 km) — of which 85 km have been completed. The remaining portions are expected to be finished by mid-next year, while works on the final stretch between Marakkanam and Puducherry will commence shortly, officials said. The four-laning of the ECR — a long-standing demand of residents in the delta districts — was originally approved in 2008 but suffered delays due to land acquisition hurdles, environmental concerns, and prolonged litigations.  trump tyranny? Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee, Duflo leaving the US a g e n c e f r a n c e p r e s s e @ Geneva US-based Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will soon join the University of Zurich, where they will establish a new centre for development economics, the institution said Friday . The University of Zurich (UZH) said the married couple, who currently work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), would join its economics faculty from July next year. The statement made no mention why the pair -- who won the 2019 Nobel Economics Prize alongside Michael Kremer for their “experimental approach to alleviating global poverty” — had decided to leave. But they will be moving to Switzerland at a time when experts are warning US President Donald Trump’s cuts to research funding and attacks on u n ive r s i t i e s ’ a c a d e m i c freedoms could lead to a brain Abhijit Banerjee Esther Duflo drain, with some countries trying to attract US scientists. Duflo, a dual US-French national, herself co-signed an edi- torial in Le Monde newspaper back in March denouncing “unprecedented attacks” on US science. She and Indian-born Banerjee will each have an endowed professorship at UZH funded by the Lemann Foundation, the university said. They will also establish and co-lead the new Lemann Center for Development, Education and Public Policy, with an aim to foster policy-relevant research and connect researchers and educa- tion policymakers around the world, it added. “We are delighted that two of the world’s most influential economists are joining UZH,” university president Michael Schaepman said. Duflo said the new Lemann Center would enable the couple, who will retain part-time positions at MIT, to “build on and expand our work, which bridges academic research, student mentorship and real-world policy impact”. es and said that India and Afghanistan shared a common goal peace, prosperity, and regional stability “We appreciate . your sensitivity towards India’s security concerns. Your solidarity with us in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack was noteworthy,” he said. Announcing the embassy upgrade, Jaishankar said: “Our relationship is rooted in deep civilisational ties, and this decision reflects our intent to remain a reliable development and humanitarian partner.” India reiterated its role as one of Afghanistan’s major development partners, having invested over $3 billion in more than 500 projects across the country Jaishankar announced . the launch of six new development projects, with details to be finalised soon. He also offered support in maintaining and completing infrastructure projects that had been previously initiated. Madurai hill HC says no to animal sacrifice, allows prayer on Muslim festivals J EGADEES W ARI PANDIAN @ Madurai The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Friday ruled that any animal sacrifice, cooking, carrying or serving of any non-vegetarian food cannot be permitted on Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai, until a decision is rendered by a competent Civil Court with regard to the customary practice of animal sacrifice upon the hill. There is also a statutory bar against the practice on the hill as the same is in violation of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rules, 1959, the court added. The court, however, permitted conduct of prayers and gatherings at the Nellithoppu area of Thiruparankundram hill during Bakrid and Ramzan alone, on condition that it does not affect the traditional footsteps which belong to the Subramaniya Swamy temple. The order was passed by Justice R Vijayakumar, who was appointed as the third judge to provide clarification on the issue of permitting animal sacrifices, prayers and gatherings by the Sikandar Badusha Avuliya Dargah on the hill, after a division bench of justices J Nisha Banu and S Srimathy took divergent views on a batch of petitions filed in connection with the issue. Justice Vijayakumar agreed with Justice Srimathy that the hill cannot be called Sikkandar Malai as both the revenue records and the gazette notifications issued by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) refer to the hillock only as ‘Thiruparankundram hill’ and not ‘Sikkandar Malai’.  continued on: P7