tirupati l wednesday l october 22, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Sanae Takaichi wins historic vote, is Japan’s first woman pm Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative who admires Margaret Thatcher, became Japan’s first woman prime minister on Tuesday hardliner with eye on defence, economy votary of aggressive monetary easing The 64-year-old, who won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership this month, has positioned herself as a hardliner focused on defence and economic security. After forging a last-minute coalition deal, Takaichi was appointed by parliament on Tuesday as the country’s first woman head of government and Japan’s fifth leader in as many years ■ ■ Takaichi supports aggressive monetary easing and big fiscal spending, echoing her political mentor’s Shinzo Abe’s“Abenomics” policies, which, if implemented again, could rattle markets | P9 On tariffs, she said she won’t shy away from renegotiations with US if the deal is implemented in a way deemed harmful or unfair to Japan 237 votes were won by takaichi, 4 more than a majority 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 Relief as $1L H-1B fee does not apply to visa holders J AYAN T H J ACOB & P U S HPI TA D EY @ New Delhi New Delhi Vijayawada Heavy smog (L) near India Gate at dawn on Tuesday; The city’s smoke filled sky on Diwali night | Sayantan Ghosh/Prasant Madugula Post-Diwali air quality in Delhi worst in 4 years aqi moderate No spike in pollution levels in State U s h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam Revellers flouted time limit for firecrackers PM2.5 Levels in Delhi I f r a h Mu f t i @ New Delhi Despite a Supreme Court fiat and the Delhi government’s repeated appeals for a “Green Diwali”, the national capital woke up to a thick, suffocating haze the morning after the festival, as pollution levels shot through the roof across Delhi-NCR on Tuesday The city witnessed its . worst air quality since 2021, with PM2.5 levels zooming to 488 micrograms per cubic metre within 24 hours after Diwali—over three times the prefestival level of 156.6. PM2.5 represents the quantity of fine particles that easily penetrate the respiratory system. This year’s spike was the highest in five years (see graphic). Though the SC allowed bursting firecrackers only between 8 -10 pm, crackers boomed till 2.30 am. By 6.05 am on Tuesday , the city’s overall AQI was 347, falling in the ‘very poor’ category Of the 37 air quality moni. toring stations, 34 recorded readings in the red zone — ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’. Last year, the AQI stood at 359 the morning after Diwali. Among the city’s 10 most polluted areas, Bawana topped the list with AQI of 418, followed by Wazirpur at 408 and Jahangirpuri at 404, all falling in the severe category. Slightly better, but still alarming, were Burari Crossing and Shadipur, both recording 393, and Ashok Vihar at 386, placing them in the very express read Tata Trusts reappoints Venu Srinivasan for life Mumbai: Tata Trusts, which owns and controls the $180-billion Tata empire, has ‘unanimously’ reappointed Venu Srinivasan, chairman emeritus of the TVS Group, as a trustee for life. With the reappointment of Srinivasan, 73, ahead of his term expiring on October 23, the focus now shifts to the upcoming decision on Mehli Mistry, whose trusteeship expires on October 28. “Renewal and fresh appointment is required to be unanimous according to past practice of the trusts. Renewal, after which it will be for life, requires unanimous approval,” a source said. Pre-Diwali | 500 454.5 Post-Diwali Worse 488 than 2021 400 319.7 300 220 168 200 163.1 100 129.3 2021 204 92.9 2022 2023 156.6 2024 2025 Particulate Matter(PM)2.5 in µg/m³ poor range. Other localities like RK Puram (369), Rohini (367), and Vivek Vihar (367) also saw heaqy pollutants. As for the NCR, its overall average AQI was 388. Health experts raised alarms over the worsening situation. “Studies show pollution causes a 22–25% rise in heart, asthma, and bronchitis attacks,” said Dr G C Khilnani, chairman, PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. A 2017 tweet by Delhi’s current CM Rekha Gupta resurfaced online: “My city is melting, it’s all smoke, in the air… So much poison, who is spewing it?” It went viral on Tuesday, capturing the city’s toxic irony . The overall air quality across Andhra Pradesh remained largely moderate after Diwali, with no major spike in pollution levels recorded. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) across key monitoring stations in the State on October 21, 2025, stood at 101, placing it under the Moderate category The sta. ble air quality levels can be attributed to the rainfall witnessed in several parts of the State over the past few days, which helped in dispersing pollutants. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Amaravati recorded an AQI of 64 under the Satisfactory category, with PM2.5 as the prominent pollutant. Anantapur and Chittoor registered AQI of 125 and 122, both falling under the Moderate category due to PM2.5. Rajamahendravaram recorded an AQI of 98, indicating Satisfactory air quality, while Tirumala continued to maintain good air quality with an AQI of 25, where CO remained the major pollutant. Tirupati recorded 161, indicating Moderate levels, while Vijayawada stood at 98 under the Satisfactory category with ozone (O3) and PM2.5 as key pollutants. Visakhapatnam recorded an AQI of 113, also under the Moderate category with , PM2.5 being the major contributor. A day earlier, on October 20, the average AQI across these cities was much lower, indicating Good to Satisfactory air P4 quality . A month after US President Donald Trump’s proclamation jacking up the fee for H1-B visas to a steep $100,000 caused panic among international students and professionals, the US government has now clarified that the fee won’t apply to most current visa holders and recent international graduates. In a detailed clarification issued on Monday, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the fee will not be applicable to those already in the country seeking a ‘change of status’ or an ‘extension of stay’. The fee is only applicable to petitions filed on or after 12:01 am ET on September 21, 2025, for beneficiaries outside the US. Proclamation applies to new H-1B petitions filed on or after Sept 21 on behalf of beneficiaries outside US and don’t have a valid H-1B visa — USCIS statement The USCIS also confirmed that the proclamation does not impact travel for current H-1B visa holders or those with an approved change of status petition. Importantly, USCIS said that even those with expired F-1 or H-1B visas who depart the US and later return on an REBEL and independent candidates may spin the poll arithmetic for both the ruling NDA and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan in the Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled in two phases on November 6 and 11. As many as 30 rebels and independents are contesting in the first phase of the Assembly poll. Several aspirants denied tickets have joined smaller outfits like the Jan Suraaj of Prashant Kishore or entered the fray as independents. The nominations of Shashi Bhushan Singh, sitting MLA from Sugauli (East Champaran), and Seema Singh of the LJP (Ram Vilas) from Marhaura (Saran), were cancelled due to technical reasons. Singh had filed papers as a Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) candidate — one of the INDIA bloc allies — while LJP (RV) is part of the NDA. Discontent, as per sources, simmers within both alliances. In NDA, many denied s e at s h ave t u r n e d rebels. JD(U) MLA Narendra Kumar Neeraj is contesting as an strong pitch for ap-oz seafood trade HRD Minister Lokesh met representatives of Seafood Industry Australia (SIA), and sought stronger ties between aqua industrialists in AP and Australian importers | P4 robust law and order is essential to win investors’ confidence: CM E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday emphasised that a robust law and order environment has instilled confidence in global IT giants like Google to invest in Andhra Pradesh. Speaking at the Police Commemoration Day event at the APSP 6th Battalion Ground in Mangalagiri, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to strengthening the police force, urging cops to elevate the Andhra Pradesh Police as a distinguished brand in the country . Earlier, Naidu placed a wreath at the Martyrs’ Stupa, and donated to the Police Flag Fund. Later, he inspected the guard of honour. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, Chief Secretary K Vijayanand, Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta and other senior officials attended the Smriti Parade organised to mark the Police Commemoration Day, and paid tributes to martyrs. Addressing the police on the occasion, Naidu said the State government was com- Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, DGP Harish Kumar Gupta, Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha and Chief Secretary K Vijayanand take part in the Police Commemoration Day event at APSP 6th Battalion in Mangalagiri on Tuesday | Express mitted to the welfare of the police. He paid homage to 192 police men (six from AP) who laid down their lives while discharging duties nationwide this year. “Global tech giant Google has agreed to invest in Andhra Pradesh. The company is ready to set up the biggest AI data centre in Vizag. This has become possible due to the State’s strong law and order At least 30 rebels give NDA, Oppn a headache RAMA S HANKAR @ Patna approved petition will not be subject to the fee, provided their original petition was filed before September 21. The update offers long-awaited clarity to thousands of skilled foreign workers and international graduates navigating an already complex immigration landscape in the US. Healthcare professionals, workers under national interest waivers (such as defence personnel), and employees of universities, nonprofit research institutions, and government research bodies are believed to be exempt, though clarification is awaited. According to the Open Doors report for 2023-24, there are over 3.3 lakh Indian students in the US and 95% of them are enrolled in post graduate courses or PhD programmes. Prashant Kishor has slammed BJP-JDU for ‘pressuring’ his candidates Independent from Gopalpur, which he has represented four times. The JD(U) has fielded former MP Shailesh Kumar, alias Bulo Mandal, from the seat. Similarly BJP MLA Rash, mi Verma is fighting as an Independent from Narkatiaganj. Several Patna constituencies — Digha, Patna Sahib, Kumharar, Maner, Paliganj, Danapur, Bikram, and Barh—are witnessing intra-alliance resistance. In Digha, BJP MLA Sanjeev Chaurasia faces JD(U) rebel Ritesh Ranjan Singh of Jan Suraaj and CPI(ML) Liberation’s Divya Gautam. In Parihar, RJD rebel Ritu Jaiswal is taking on party candidate Smita Purbe, daughterin-law of former RJD chief Ram Chandra Purbe. More reports: P8 situation. Peace ensures development and prosperity. When there is peace, opportunities and welfare follow. Social unrest drives investors away. That’s why I have always been firm on law and order,” he said.  Emphasising that the development of the State is possible only with investments, he said police should play an active role in thwarting the at- tempts of anti-social elements to disturb peace. “Police should update their professional skills to tackle with the fast changing modus operandi of criminals in the cyber era,” the Chief Minister said. Naidu praised the police for their record in eliminating factionism, Naxalism and rowdyism in the State, calling P4 them ‘a model force’. TTD receives staggering `918.6 cr donations this year B Mu r a l i @ Tirumala The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the governing body of the revered Sri Venkateswara temple, has recorded an unprecedented surge in donations for the year 2025, marking a significant recovery in its financial landscape postCovid-19. From November 2024 to October 16, 2025, the TTD has received a staggering `918.6 crore donations from devotees. T h i s r e m a rk a b l e surge in donations is attributed to the unwavering faith of devotees, and the TTD’s efforts to enhance pilgrim amenities and streamline darshan experience, as highlighted by TTD Chairman BR Naidu and Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal. The iconic Hundi collection, a cornerstone of TTD revenue, has seen a dramatic rise. From an average of `2.78 crore per day preCovid times, the Hundi collection has soared to `3.92 cr in 2025. P4