Cyclone montha to hit Andhra coast tomorrow: met office The deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada on Tuesday evening, it said 110 km/hr visakhapatnam l monday l october 27, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION is the maximum windspeed expected when storm hits the coast The IMD warned of ‘extremely heavy rainfal’ in south Odisha on 28th and 29th. The Odisha government has put all 30 districts on alert “Yesterday’s depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression at 0530 hrs IST today, Oct 26, over the same region,” the meteorological department said on Sunday The system is expected to further intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of Oct 28 and cross the AP coast by evening, it said 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 red alert coastal andhra districts brace for cyclone fury U s h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for several coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, including Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, Nellore, West Godavari, Konaseema and Kakinada, for October 27, in view of the deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal, which is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm ‘Montha’ by October 28. According to the IMD, the system lay centered at 5.30 pm on October 26 over the same region about 670 km west of Port Blair, 720 km east-southeast of Chennai, 780 km southeast of Kakinada, 790 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, and 900 km south-southeast of Gopalpur. The system is expected to move west-northwestwards, and intensify further into a cyclonic stor m over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal within the next 24 hours. It is then likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 28, and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kakinada on the evening or night of October 28. Wind speeds are likely to range between 90 to 100 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 110 kmph during landfall. For Tuesday a red alert , has been issued for Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Anakapalle, Kakinada, Yanam, BR Ambedkar Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru, NTR, Krishna, Guntur and Bapatla districts. Orange alert has been sounded for Parvathipuram Manyam, Palnadu, Prak a s a m , S P S R N e l l o re, Tirupati, YSR Kadapa, Kurnool and Nandyal districts, while Chittoor, Annamayya, Sri Sathya Sai and Anantapur remain under a yellow P4 alert.  21st century belongs to India and ASEAN: PM Reaffirms the bloc as a key pillar of India’s Act East Policy; 2026 declared ASEAN-India year of maritime security JAYANTH JA C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the 21st century “belongs to India and ASEAN”, asserting that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remains a central pillar of India’s Act East Policy and a vital partner in shaping an inclusive and sustainable Indo-Pacific. Delivering his opening remarks at the India-ASEAN summit in Malaysia virtually, Modi said India and ASEAN together represent nearly onefourth of the world’s populat i o n , b o u n d n o t j u s t by geography but also by “deep historical ties, shared values, and a common vision for the Global South”. “We are not only commercial partners but also cultural companions,” Modi said, reaffirming India’s support for ASEAN centrality and its Indo-Pacific outlook. “Even amid global uncertainties, our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has made steady progress and is emerging as a strong foundation for global stability and development... The 21st century is our century — the century of India and ASEAN,” he said. “The express read Pilots warn of fatigue as DGCA extends duty time 5 thalassemia-affected children test HIV +ve NEW Delhi: The pilots’ body on Sunday urged the DGCA to withdraw the flight duty time extension for two-pilot Boeing 787 Dreamliners, warning it could lead to fatigue-induced errors. The duty time was extended from 13 to 14 hours due to the need to reroute flights because of closed Pakistani airspace | P7 Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday ordered the suspension of the West Singhbhum Civil Surgeon after five children suffering from thalassemia tested HIV-positive following blood transfusions. The CM ordered the health department to conduct an audit of the blood banks in state | P8 FESTIVE RUSH Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam on the second day of Chhath Puja festival in JP Ganga Path, Patna on Sunday | PTI East Timor admitted as new member Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addresses the ‘India-ASEAN Annual Summit’ via video conferencing | PTI ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and India’s goal of Viksit Bharat 2047 will together shape a bright future for humanity .” The prime minister highlighted that the summit’s theme, Inclusivity and Sustainability, mirrors India-ASEAN priorities, from digital inclusion and resilient supply chains to food security and green energy . “India fully supports these priorities and is committed to advancing them together,” Modi added. Talking about the growing collaboration in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and maritime security, Modi announced that 2026 will be cele- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Sunday welcomed East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, as its newest member. It was ASEAN’s first expansion since the 1990s. Meanwhile, Cambodia and Thailand signed a pact expanding a ceasefire on their borders | P9 brated as the ‘ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation’, marking an intensified push for joint work in the blue economy and ocean governance. He said that the partnership now extends across education, tourism, science and technology, health, green energy, and cyber security, while also emphasising shared efforts to preserve cultural heritage and deepen people-to-people ties. The 10-member ASEAN bloc, with a population of about 680 million and a combined GDP of over $3.9 trillion, is the world’s fifth-largest economy if treated as a single entity Timor-Leste . became the 11th member of ASEAN on Sunday . US ties with Pakistan not at India’s expense: Rubio JAYANTH JA C O B @ New Delhi THE US is keen to expand its strategic partnership with Pakistan but not at the cost of its ‘deep’ ties with India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, in a bid to calm concerns in New Delhi over Washington’s fresh outreach to Islamabad. Speaking to reporters, Rubio stressed that both India and the US maintain independent relationships with different nations, terming it “part of a mature, pragmatic foreign policy .” “Just like India has ties with countries that the US doesn’t, the vice-versa applies,” Rubio said: “I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India, which is deep, historic, and important.” Rubio is expected to meet External Affairs Minister S Jais- Forensic laboratory report confirms biker was drunk K M A D H U S U D HA K AR @ Kurnool The Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) report has confirmed that the biker, identified as Shivashankar, was drunk and primarily responsible for triggering the Vemuri Kaveri Travels bus fire near Chinnatekuru in Kurnool district in the early hours of Friday which claimed 19 lives. , According to the report, alcohol traces were found in the viscera samples of Shivashankar, establishing the fact that he was in an inebriated condition while riding the bike. Kurnool SP Vikrant Patil said Shivashankar lost control of his bike, and it hit the road divider. He died instantaneously in the incident. A complaint lodged by his friend Yerriswami, the pillion rider who survived, led to the registration of a new case under Sections 281, 125(A), and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Yerriswami had admitted that they both consumed liquor. Two other buses that passed the same route avoided the fallen bike, but the Kaveri Travels bus hit it at a high speed, causing sparks that led to the massive fire. Earlier, the police had registered an FIR naming the Kaveri Travels bus driver (A1) and owner (A2) for negligence under the same Sections of BNS, based on a complaint lodged by passenger Ramesh. Apart from this, the inquiry of the Excise Department has revealed that the biker purchased liquor from Renuka Yellamma Wines, a licensed outlet at Peddatekur. The CCTV camera footage had clearly showed that the person purchased liquor from the shop twice, at 7 pm and 8.25 P4 pm on Thursday  . Probe launched into edu qualifications of Kaveri bus driver The police have taken up a probe into allegations that Miriyala Lakshmaiah, driver of the ill-fated Vemuri Kaveri Travels bus, obtained a heavy vehicle driving licence by submitting fake educational certificates. Speaking to TNIE, Kurnool SP Vikrant Patil said, “We are awaiting a report from the RTA, and a case will be registered against the bus driver if the allegations are proven true.” However, the SP made it clear that the driver was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the bus fire. Uttarakhand to greet out-of-state vehicles with green tax from December Tourists and pilgrims driving into Uttarakhand will soon be greeted not just by its scenic mountains, but also by a new ‘green cess’. The state government has finalised plans to roll out a mandatory fee on all vehicles entering the hill state from other regions from December. The decision aims to generate revenue specifically for environmental protection and infra- structure improvement within the ecologically sensitive Himalayan state. The objective is to balance booming tourism with fragile mountain ecology . “Starting December 2025, a Green Cess will be collected from vehicles entering Uttarakhand from other states,” said S K Singh, Additional Commissioner of the Transport Department. He added that the fee collection will be automated, deducted directly via the vehicle’s existing FASTag system. proposed daily rates K80 K250 K140 K120 Cars Delivery vans K140-700 Trucks Buses Heavy vehicles EC to release schedule of pan-India roll revision today M uk e s h r a n j a n @ New Delhi nature’s cut NAREN D RA SETHI @ Dehradun hankar on Monday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. It will be the fourth in-person meeting between the two leaders this year, a sign of high-level engagement continuing despite friction over trade and energy issues. The Jaishankar–Rubio meeting is expected to cover trade negotiations and India’s continued imports of Russian oil. The US Secretary of S t a t e ’s c o m m e n t s come amid Washington’s efforts under US President Donald Trump to recalibrate ties with Pakistan including deals on critical mineral mining and energy cooperation, a move that has raised eyebrows among the policy makers in New Delhi. Rubio defended the US engagement with Pakistan as an attempt to “rebuild a strategic partnership,” citing past cooperation on counterterrorism. To ensure seamless monitoring of the collection process, the state has installed Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at 16 strategic entry points. The Transport Department anticipates that the cess could yield an estimated annual revenue ranging between `100 crore and `150 crore. The entire automated system is being managed through a contract with a private firm to maintain transparency . However, not all vehicles will be subject to the new tax. Exempted vehicles include twowheelers, electric and CNG vehicles, gover nment vehicles, ambulances and fire brigade trucks. Furthermore, vehicles re-entering the state within a 24hour window will not be charged the Green Cess a second time. According to the department, the revenue generated will be utilised for “air pollution control, road safety improvements and urban transport development”. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the schedule for the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on Monday sources said. , The ECI is holding a media briefing on Monday afternoon, which will be attended by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. According to ECI sources, the poll panel will announce the schedule during the briefing. The exercise will be conducted in two phases, sources said. The first phase will cover more than 10 states and one Union Territory, including the election-bound states of Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry, they said. “The SIR is likely to be rolled out in two phases. The first phase will include Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry Kera, la and West Bengal, where Assembly elections are due in 2026,” a source said, adding: “The second phase will cover states that are holding local body elections and where severe winter weather may create challenges for the electoral revision process.” The sources said the first phase will begin on 1 November, and all the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the states and the Union Territory covered in this phase have been told to remain alert, as work may start at any moment. The ECI recently reviewed the readiness of all states and Union Territories for the nationwide SIR during a two-day conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), which concluded in New Delhi last Thursday .