tadepalligudem l friday l october 31, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Trump’s fiat to resume u.s. nuclear tests alarms world Remarks on restarting nuclear weapons testing have confused experts and raised fears of a worrying return to Cold War-era tensions Experts puzzled by unclear statement Last NUKE tests conducted decades ago Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had ordered the Pentagon to begin nuclear weapons testing “on an equal basis” with China and Russia. Experts were unsure whether he meant live nuclear tests, missile system trials, or subcritical experiments. Many said his comments reflected confusion rather than a concrete policy shift ■ ■ The announcement on social media was issued right as Trump was going into a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea The United States last tested a nuclear bomb in 1992 and Russia in 1990, while North Korea remains the only nation to test this century, raising fears of renewed global testing | P9 1992 marked the last U.S. nuclear bomb test before Trump’s latest call 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 Man killed, hostage drama over Police rescue 17 children and two adults from Powai studio after tense two-hour standoff S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai US President Donald Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea | AP Trump-Xi talks successful, 10% tariff down. Time for India to wrap up its pact China’s development and rejuvenation are not incompatible with President Trump’s goal of ‘Making America Great Again — Xi Jinping, in his conversation with President Trump P u s h p i ta D e y @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump on Thursday gushed about a summit he had with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea, describing it as a roaring success. On a scale of 1 to 10, Trump gave the meeting a 12. With Beijing agreeing to allow the export of rare earth elements and start buying American soybeans, Trump reduced China’s total tariff from 57% to 47%, which is now 3% less than India’s 50%. Experts say New Delhi must not lose momentum in pursuing its own trade pact with Washington so as to protect market access and remain competitive. Without an early trade deal, India risks losing further ground in its largest export destination, they said. Even with higher tariffs (57%) than India earlier, China’s exports to the US rose from $28.8 billion in May 2025 to $34.3 billion in September 2025, indicating no tariff impact, while India’s exports to the US plunged 37% during the same period — from $8.8 billion to $5.5 billion. “China did pressure the US as it is more competitive than India because of lower cost of manufacturing. India should focus on bringing down the tariff to 15% or the lowest level possible,” said Arpita Mukherjee, professor, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). China used its cost-effective manufacturing and dominance in rare earths as bargaining chips against the US, factors India lacks. In lieu of lower tariffs, China has agreed on a one-year rare earths supply deal with the US. “Weak domestic manufacturing and persistent cost advantages have kept US buyers reliant on Chinese supply Beijing, however, un. derstands that America’s dependence extends far beyond rare earths—to green-energy inputs, pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and mass-market consumer goods—giving China multiple levers of influence, even after tariff cuts,” said Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI). P9 Rare earth import licence Some Indian companies have secured licences to import rareearth elements, including highperformance magnets, from China, the foreign office said. “Some Indian companies have received licenses for importing rare earth magnets from China... We have to look at how the US and China talks will play into our domain,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. While the ministry didn’t disclose the beneficiary companies, reports suggested that Continental India, Hitachi and Jay Ushin In an exchange of fire during a rescue operation at a Powai studio on Wednesday, police shot dead a man who had held 19 people hostage for over two hours. The accused, identified as Rohit Aryan, was hit in the chest after he allegedly tried to open fire at the police team that entered the premises to free the captives. According to the police, the hostages included 17 students and two adults whom Aryan had called to a studio in the Mahavir Classic building in Powai under the pretext of conducting acting classes and auditions. The hostages were kept inside for more than two hours before the police entered the premises. Police officials said there were indications that Aryan might have been mentally disturbed, though this has not been confirmed. They added Drama over unpaid government dues Aryan staged the hostage act to allegedly draw public and government officials’ attention over pending payments for work that he did for government A screengrab shows the situation at R A Studio in Mumbai | express that the accused’s motive was linked to some pending government-related work. Aryan and his associates had u n d e r t a k e n g o ve r n m e n t projects for which payments had reportedly not been made. To draw the attention of the public and the government, Aryan decided to hold the stu- dents hostage. The Powai and Sakinaka police received a distress call around 1.45 pm and reached the studio soon after. A rescue operation was launched, during which the police entered the premises and freed all 19 hostages. The operation continued for about two hours. The police recovered an airgun, chemical substances, and other materials from the studio. Police sources said that more than 100 children had initially come for the auditions, out of which Aryan shortlisted 17 and confined them in a room while asking the remaining students to leave. The children were kept inside the studio between 1 pm and 4 pm. When the shortlisted students failed to return home for lunch, parents alerted authorities, leading to the police response. The rescued children, aged between 13 and 17 years, were later handed over to their parents and guardians. The accused and his associates were taken for medical examination. A detailed investigation has begun, and police are verifying all aspects of the case, including the alleged pending government work and payment delays that may have led to the incident. The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the Tirupati ghee adulteration scandal, has arrested Kasuri Chinna Appanna, former personal assistant to YV Subba Reddy, former chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Appanna was summoned for questioning on October 29, 2025 as part of the probe. It was alleged that he did not cooperate with SIT, and gave evasive answers about his disproportionate assets, and refused to surrender his mobile phone for analysis. After his arrest, the SIT has included nine more accused in the chargesheet, taking the total to 24. Appanna was produced before the ACB Court in Nellore late Tuesday night, which re- manded him till November 11, 2025. According to sources, Appanna, a native of Pamula Valasa in Vizianagaram district, served as Subba Reddy’s PA between 2019 and 2024. During this stint, he allegedly accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, including Justice Surya Kant has been appointed as the India’s 53rd Chief Justice; will assume office on November 24 and serve till February 9, 2027, marking a 15-month tenure Bihar will never forgive insult Preliminary estimates put to ‘Chhathi Maiyya’, says PM cyclone loss at `5,265 cr RA J E SH K UMAR T HA K UR @ Chapra/Muzaffarpur A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched an all-out attack on Prime Ninister Narendra Modi, the latter lit into him and the Opposition’s chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav, in two back-to-back rallies in Bihar’s Chapra and Motipur on Thursday. Lampooning them as princes who want to bring back ‘jungle raj’ in Bihar, he alleged that their parties have always been mired in corruption and scams. Responding to a Rahul barb on the PM’s participation in the ‘Chhath puja’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Muzaffarpur | PTI Modi said it was an insult to ‘Chhathi Maiyya’ and her devotees. “For some, the worship of ‘Chhathi Maiyya’ was mere drama,” he said, adding that no person from Bihar could forget this insult. He informed the gatherings that the Centre is working to get ‘Chhath’ included in UNESCO’s list. “We are continuously striving to include Chhath Mahaparv in UNESCO’s list of world heritage as humanity’s grand festival,” he said, drawing loud applause from the crowds. Mocking the two ‘princes’ he said, “Both of them are on bail in scams worth thousands of crores of rupees.” Reviving memories of the ‘jungle raj’ during RJD’s tenure in power, Modi recalled the frequent kidnappings during that time, including in Muzaffarpur, where a young boy Golu was abducted while on his way to school in 2001. “When his parents could not pay the large ransom, RJD henchmen brutally dismembered the boy Modi said. ,” E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada We contained the impact of severe cyclonic storm Montha wit the help of technology Naidu, CM Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the severe cyclonic storm Montha caused an estimated damage of `5,265 crore in the State. Of the total, R&B suffered a damage of `2,079 crore, aquaculture `1,270 crore, agriculture `829 crore, water resources infrastructure `207 crore, municipal services `109 crore, sericulture `65 crore, horticulture `39 crore, electricity `16 crore, Panchayat Raj `8 crore, and animal husbandry `71 lakh. About 120 head of cattle perished in the cyclone. Addressing a media conference at the State Secretariat on Thursday, Naidu said the figures are preliminary, derived using satellite imagery, drones, CCTV cameras, and real-time data lakes. A detailed damage assessment report will soon be submitted to the Centre seeking financial aid, he said. Despite the scale of cyclone, technology played a key role in reducing its severity Satellite image. ry, real-time data lakes, and early warnings enabled swift decisions, and timely evacuation of people from vulnerable areas.  P4 Chittoor district leads the way in fight against bonded labour 20 lakh youths to be skilled by 2029 “Naipunyam portal, designed to facilitate job opportunities for the youth, should serve as a gateway to ensure employment,” says CM Naidu | P4 D S u r end r a K u m a r @ Chittoor SIT: YV’s former PA demanded `25 commission a kg of ghee from dairy E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Nellore New CJI appointed five residential flats in Vizianagaram and one at Rushikonda. Investigators found over `5 crore suspicious transactions through his bank accounts. Appanna had also served as a Protocol Officer (OSD) at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi, and challenged the SIT probe in the High Court. The investigation revealed Appanna contacted PP Srinivas of Bhole Baba Dairy, and demanded `25 commission per kg of ghee supplied to the TTD. When the dairy management refused to concede his demand, he allegedly made anonymous complaints to the TTD officials against the dairy, and pressured them to conduct an unauthorised second inspection of the plant, a strategic move intended to disqualify the company from taking part in the P4 ghee tenders.  india script historic win Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur led India to a historic win against Austarlia in the second World Cup semis in Navi Mumbai on Thursday. India will meet South Africa in the final on Sunday | AFP | P11 6-mth US curbs waiver on Chabahar J aya nt h J a c o b @ New Delhi The US has granted India a six-month waiver from sanctions on the strategically significant Chabahar Port project in Iran, External Affairs Ministry confirmed on Thursday. The waiver, which came into effect on March 29, will allow India to continue operations and development ac- tivities at the port without facing punitive US measures. “I can confirm that we have been granted exemption for a six-month period on the American sanctions that were applicable on Chabahar,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Chabahar has been central to India’s vision of enhanced trade connectivity with Af- ghanistan and Central Asia. It serves as a gateway that bypasses Pakistan, ensuring access to landlocked regions through an alternative trade route. Since India took operational control of the Shahid Beheshti terminal, it has handled over eight million tonnes of cargo and facilitated the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, particularly after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. With six rescue operations in just four months, and the launch of a dedicated helpline, Chittoor district has emerged as a model in Andhra Pradesh’s fight against bonded labour. Even amid cyclone preparedness, the district authorities recently rescued a family of six, including four children, from a brick kiln where they had been held in exploitative conditions for two years. The family had been sold from one owner to another after being lured with an advance of `37,000. The rescue took place on October 27, 2025. All survivors from the six recent rescues have been issued release certificates, and provided support for rehabilitation under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976. The latest operation began after Thenmoyi, leader of Jeevan Jwala Bonded Labour Association, submitted a petition to the Revenue Divisional Officer of Chittoor. Acting promptly RDO Srini, vasulu directed the Mandal Revenue Officer to verify the complaint. A joint team comprising officials from the Revenue, Labour, and Police departments visited the site and P4 rescued the victims.