hyderabad l friday l october 31, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 36 l late 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 1992 marked the last U.S. nuclear bomb test before Trump’s latest call 45708/8 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 Warangal underwater & out of answers Toll rises to 4, 2 more feared dead; no steps taken to stop yearly flooding: Tri-cities’ residents U M a h e s h @ Hanamkonda/Warangal 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).  P9 Rare earth import licence Some Indian companies have secured licences to import rareearth elements, including high-performance 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,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Warangal woke up on Thursday to death, damage, destruction and despair as overnight rain exacerbated the devastation triggered by Cyclone Montha through Wednesday . Families across Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet spent the night trapped by floodwaters as the tri-cities turned into a vast lake. Power lines snapped, roads vanished under slush, and residents carried children and belongings through waistdeep water to reach safety . The flooding, eerily familiar from past years, once again exposed the collapse of the city’s stormwater and drainage systems. Many residents said the Greater Warangal Municipal Cor poration (GWMC) had failed to clear nalas and drains before the monsoon. With no underground network, open drains overflowed through the night, sending sewage coursing through colonies. “For 24 hours, we have been without food or sleep. No one has come to help,” said K Ramu of Hanamkonda’s TV Tower area. At Santhoshi Matha Colony, Bhukya Lakshmi said successive governments had ignored repeated appeals. “Every monsoon, our homes get flooded. We need proper drainage and permanent housing,” she said.  Continued on P2  ■ related reports on P2 E x p r e s s Re a d New CJI appointed New Delhi: Justice Surya Kant has been appointed as India’s 53rd Chief Justice. He will assume office on November 24 and serve till February 9, 2027. INSIDE SI suspended for helping fraud accused flee I P3 US grants India 6-month waiver from sanctions on Chabahar Port project I P7 An aerial view of the flooded Hunter Road near Bhadrakali lake in Hanamkonda | SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Deluge impact n  District in-charge ministers told to review relief measures, expedite return to normalcy n  Severe cyclone impact reported in erstwhile Warangal and Nalgonda districts, and parts of Karimnagar n confirmed dead, 2 feared dead after 4 being washed away in separate cases; 1 rescued from flash floods in Warangal dist n  Munneru river floodwaters inundate low-lying areas of Khammam n  A Revanth Reddy to conduct an CM aerial survey of flood-ravaged areas in the erstwhile Warangal district and Husnabad Assembly constituency on Friday Agriculture dept (preliminary report) To address procurement issues  Shift grains from IKP centres to nearby godowns/mills/function halls Standing crops damaged in 4,47,864 acres, spread across 179 mandals in 12 districts 2,53,033 farmers affected due to Cyclone Montha Paddy damaged across 2.82 lakh acres; cotton over 1.51 lakh acres  In-charge officer to be appointed for each procurement centre  Officers told to conduct field visits  Leaves of all agricultural officials have been cancelled  Action promised against negligent officials Price of a detour: Woman swept away, man clings to tree Jangaon: One woman is feared dead after being washed away while her friend survived flash floods near Thimmampet village on Wednesday. As per police, the duo — B Shravya and B Shiva Kumar — was travelling from Hyderabad to Warangal on a motorcycle when they were caught in the floods. Due to heavy waterlogging on the main highway, they took a bypass road, unaware that an adjoining lake was overflowing. The force of the water swept away their motorcycle and Shravya, while Shiva managed to survive by clinging to a tree. Officials said DRF teams have been deployed to trace Shravya | p2 All set for Azhar’s induction into Cabinet Express News Service @ Hyderabad The ruling Congress is set to expand its Cabinet on Friday ahead of the Jubilee Hills byelection to accommodate for mer Indian cricket captain and exMP Mohammad Azharuddin. On Thursday, arrangements were be- ing made at the Raj Bhavan for the swearing-in ceremony at 12.15 pm on Friday in the Durbar Hall. Gover nor Jishnu Dev Varma will administer the oath of office to Azharuddin as a member of the Council of Ministers. Invitations have been sent by the General Administration Department Mohammad (GAD) to ministers, Azharuddin M L A s, M L C s a n d o t h e r dignitaries. The BJP has objected to the Cabinet expansion, arguing that it violates the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) since the Jubilee Hills byelection process is underway . The party alleged that the move is aimed at influencing Muslim voters, who form a sizeable portion, about 1.4 lakh, of the electorate in the constituency  . continued on p4 Bihar won’t forgive insult to ‘Chhathi Maiyya’: Modi RA J ESHKUMAR T HAKUR @ Chapra/Muzaffarpur A day after senior 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-toback rallies in Bihar’s Chapra and Motipur on Thursday Lam. pooning 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’, 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. 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. Record chase: Happy women’s day for India Man killed, hostage drama over G o m e s h S @ Navi Mumbai A ustralia, the defending champions, seventime champions. They are the perfect definition of a winning combination. Coming into the match, the numbers did not look favourable for India at all. The 3-11 head-to-head in World Cups seemed even more intimidating. When Australia set a target of 339, the total seemed lofty because of the enormity of the game. It was the semifinal of the ICC Women’s World Cup, but India had made 330 against Australia during the group stage. The target seemed achievable but statistics did not favour India. That’s what sport is all about. Defying odds and rising up beyond challenges. On Thursday , India did chase down the total and kept their dream of a World Cup title alive. A strong 35,000odd fans let out a collective roar as India romped into the final. Eight years after the historic evening at Derby, England, when the Women in Blue pulled down the Aussie juggernaut in a World Cup semifinal, there was an encore at home. Harmanpreet Kaur-led team came into the match knowing Australia have lost only twice to India in the last eight years. But India knew one thing, they have to keep calm and not give in. And then came Jemimah Rodrigues. Her sublime form and a bit of luck helped her to a matchwinning innings. She added 167 runs for the third wicket with Kaur to set the tone for a surreal evening in Navi Mumbai. The seven-time champions felt the pressure too. There were misfields, dropped catches and ugly bowling lines. In 2023, India suffered against Aussies but not today. In front of their friends, family and a packed stadium, they beat Aussies in a record chase to set up a final clash versus South Africa. S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai Jemimah Rodrigues with her teammates after leading India to five-wicket win against Australia in the ICC Women’s World Cup semis on Thursday | AFP | P11 In an exchange of fire during a rescue operation at a studio on Wednesday police shot dead , a man who had held 19 people hostage for over two hours. The accused, 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. Police officials said there were indications that Aryan might have been mentally disturbed, though this has not been confirmed. They added 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 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 projects for which payments had reportedly not been made. To draw the attention of the public and the government, Aryan decided to hold the students hostage. Police received a distress call around 1.45 pm and reached the studio soon. 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. 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, were later handed over to their parents and guardians.