kochi l sunday l august 30, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION deal with Venezuela to take control of oil reserves: don President Donald Trump said the US has struck a deal with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels oil reserves of the country 9 months after maduro’s capture will lower gas prices in u.s.: rubio Trump in a social media post announced the agreement he said was negotiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez. The announcement of the deal comes nearly nine months after the US armed forces captured Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro ■ ■ Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, with an estimated 303 billion barrels of crude oil. That’s about 17 per cent of the world’s supply, according to the US Energy Administration Rubio said on X the agreement would usher in $100 billion in private investment into Venezuela and lead to lower gas prices in US 1% of world’s oil output comes off venezuela despite vast reserves 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 Congman shown door for blocking CM’s motorcade E xpress News S erv i ce @T’Puram In a swift action, the Congress on Saturday expelled district leader Chenthi Ani from the party’s primary membership, hours after he was booked for blocking Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s motorcade in the state capital. The party leadership strongly condemned the a c t by t h e T h i r u v a n a n thapuram DCC member, terming it unacceptable. The Sreekaryam police ar- Residents carry belongings salvaged from their flood-hit homes in Nepal’s Devighat area on Saturday | AP Toll 675, India steps up rescue, forensic support 88 Indians rescued in Nepal so far; 128 PIOs reported missing E xpress News S erv i ce @ New Delhi India on Saturday stepped up rescue and relief assistance to Nepal following the devastating flash floods, with 88 Indian nationals rescued so far while 287 remained uncontactable. Four Indian nationals were rescued from a hydropower project in Nepal’s Rasuwa district and are expected to reach Kathmandu shortly , the External Affairs Ministry said. Besides, 128 persons of Indian origin (PIOs) are missing. As many as 120 Indian nationals crossed into Nepal from China on Saturday the , MEA said. India is also deploying specialised expertise to support Nepal’s search and identification efforts. Six forensic expert teams from India are expected to reach Kathmandu to assist Nepalese authorities in analysing DNA samples and identifying mortal remains. “Forensic expert teams from India (six) are expected to reach Kathmandu today to assist in analysis of DNA samples for identification of mortal remains,” the MEA said. India has also moved to bolster tunnel-rescue operations in the floodhit areas. An Indian technical team for tunnel-rescue reconnaissance reached Kathmandu on Friday Based . on its assessment, a specialised tunnel-rescue team equipped with necessary equipment is in Nepal. The Indian assistance comes as Nepal m o u n t s a m a s s ive search and rescue operation across the worst-affected districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Relief supplies being Dhading and Chitwan. delivered by drone at Nepal Foreign Minis- Devighat in Nepal | PTI ter Shisir Khanal said the government had mobilised all available resources following the August 26 flash floods. “Our immediate priority remains clear: to save lives, locate missing persons, rescue them, provide urgent relief to survivors,” Khanal said. So far, 675 bodies — 246 from Chitawan, 165 from Nawalparasi East, 63 from Nawalparasi West, 57 from Gorkha, 45 from Dhading, 51 from Nuwakot, 35 from Tanahu and 13 from Rasuwa district — have been recovered and around 2,400 people remain uncontactable, while more than 4,450 people, including over 187 foreign nationals, have been rescued. Khanal said the figures could change as search and verification operations continue. 10 bodies from Nepal recovered in UP’s Gandak N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow At least 10 bodies have been recovered from river Gandak in eastern UP in Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts over the past two days, with authorities yet to identify the deceased or trace their families. Originating from Nepal, Gandak flows into India. Official sources said all 10 were natives of Nepal and were adults. The bodies were bloated and in an advanced state of decomposition. They were taken to mortuaries in Maharajganj and Kushinagar, where they would be kept for 72 hours, said the district administration River brings in authorities. vehicles, drums The details of jewelGandak is also lery and other belongbringing other items, ings found on the bodincluding vehicles, ies were recorded along household goods, with distinctive physigas cylinders, cal features such as tatdrums, toos and other identifyfurniture, logs ing marks. Photographs and other of the deceased have debris also been circulated in apparently nearby areas. from Nepal. According ADM MaVillagers were seen harajganj, four of the gathering along the bodies — three women river to retrieve the and a young man — articles being washed had been found in the ashore district. “If no one comes forward during the next 72-hour period, further action will be taken in accordance with government guidelines,” Kumar said. In Kushinagar, six bodies — three men and three women— were recovered from Gandak. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and the flood battalion of the Provincial Armed Constabulary are working alongside the district administration and police in the affected areas of Maharajganj and Kushinagar. However, as per official sources, immediate flood threat has eased as water levels has receded. However, residents were advised to stay away from rivers and low-lying areas for now. B e n n K o c h u vee d a n @ Mumbai SASHIdhar Jagdishan, chief executive and managing director of HDFC Bank, who was handpicked by the bank’s founding CEO Aditya Puri to succeed him in 2020, has decided not to seek reappointment when his current term ends in October, bringing to an end his nearly threedecade career with the country’s largest private sector bank. “Despite persuasion, Jagdishan reiterated his decision to not seek reappointment when his term ends on October 26, 2026. The board deeply appreciates his commitment, leadership, contribution to the Taking a bite of that tasty unniyappam or crispy achappam is likely to burn a bigger hole in your pocket. Keralam’s traditional snack and bakery industry is bracing for shock as surge in prices of sugar, eggs, cornflour and other key ingredients threatens to drive up the cost of local delicacies like unniyappam, halwa and achappam as well as confectionery like cakes, biscuits, pastries and sweets. With demand for snacks and sweets typically rising during festive season, small bakeries and traditional snack makers, who operate on relatively thin margins, say they are finding it difficult to absorb the rise in raw material prices without passing at least part of the burden on to consumers. “Sugar prices have shot up tiple cases against Ani, but I am unaware if the party has received complaints against him,” Sakthan said, adding that Ani had been a DCC member for over a decade. A slew of senior leaders too condemned Ani’s action. KPCC president Sunny Joseph said the party’s stance was clear through the disciplinary action. “The CM had intimated the organisers earlier that he had to cancel the event,” Sunny ● More on P2 told reporters. growth and stability of the bank and his role in the successful completion of one of the largest mergers in corporate India,” the bank informed the stock exchanges on Saturday. The board has now fasttracked the process of finding his successor, it added. Jagdishan’s biggest achievement at the bank was arguably the merger of parent Housing Development Finance Cor poration (HDFC) with HDFC Bank in July 2023. Valued at around $44 billion, the transaction was one of the largest M&A deals in corporate India. However, the merger also brought a host of challenges, particularly on the asset-liabil- ity and margin fronts. The bank also faced several other issues during Jagdishan’s tenure, the most significant of which was in March 2026 when non-executive chairman Atanu Chakraborty resigned citing concer ns over the bank’s functioning. The bank also faced allegations of mis-selling low-investment-grade bonds to NRIs through its Dubai branch, with customers allegedly promised higher returns that were not received. In a separate case involving the alleged mis-selling of Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bonds issued by failed Swiss lender Credit Suisse, American investors reportedly threatened to initiate a class-action lawsuit against the bank. WITH THIS ISSUE Private Eye PLUS 12 P AGES E XPR E SS R E A D Onam rush lifts KSRTC ridership and revenue T’Puram: KSRTC had a stronger Onam season this year, with both ridership and collections risinbg from last year. The biggest gain came on Chathayam (Friday), when KSRTC recorded a record collection of D8.07 cr, up from D7.1 cr on corresponding day last year. Ridership rose by over 3.8 lakh to touch 22 lakh | P2 No extension for Behera as KMRL MD wild celebrations Led by a young performer, pulikkali artists bring Swaraj Round to life with their vibrant performances, adding a festive spirit to the Onam celebrations in Thrissur on Saturday | Express | P2 Snack bites set to go from dear to dearer by 10-15%, and cornflour, for which we rely entirely on other states, has seen a 10-20% hike. On end products, a minimum 10% price rise is inevitable,” said Khaled K, a baker in Kozhikode. Egg prices have added to the pressure. On average, sugar and cornflour prices per kg have gone up to `75 and `85, respectively . Eggs cost `8 apiece. The price escalation is also raising concerns about the quality of ingredients being used. “Many are turning to artificial flavours and substandard substitutes. For those of us alism prompted the decision, Thiruvananthapuram DCC president N Sakthan told TNIE that the action was taken for obstructing the CM’s convoy . “Whatever the reason, a person stopping the chief minister before the public cannot be treated as a trivial incident, especially when a Congress member indulges in such an act when UDF is in power. There are mul- HDFC Bank boss on way out, won’t seek reappointment Su g a r , e g g p r i c e s s u r g e S h a i n u M o h a n @T’Puram rested Ani on Saturday for blocking the CM’s convoy and misbehaving with him for not attending the Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi celebrations at Chenthi the night before. Soon after, the Congress district leadership initiated action against him as it felt publicly waylaying the CM could not be taken lightly. Rejecting allegations that faction- committed to quality and genuine products, standing ground without raising prices has become impossible,” Khaled said. Vijesh Viswanath, owner of a popular bakery chain in Kochi, said small bakers have been severely impacted by the price rise. “There has been a 40% rise in egg prices from last year, while sugar prices have gone up by almost `12-13 per kg since last month. With Diwali and Christmas coming up, the price escalation is a major issue that heavily impacts our ● More on P2 profits,” he said.  Kochi: Ernakulam collector G Priyanka will temporarily hold charge of MD of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) from Monday, after the tenure of incumbent Loknath Behera ends on Sunday, the government said. It did not say how long Priyanka will continue in the post or when a permanent appointment will be made | P3 League’s Achutha Menon-era reminder to CPI as ‘big brother’ continues tirade EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @T’Puram/Malappuram Amid its tussle with CPM over the deputy leader of opposition post, CPI received an unexpected surprise from IUML: an ‘invitation’ to join the UDF But the over. ture was politely rejected, even as the ‘big brother’ continued its onslaught on its junior ally . In an article titled ‘Right-wing CPM and the survival of CPI’ in Chandrika daily on Saturday, IUML national vice-president K P A Majeed reminded CPI of the ‘good old days’ of the C Achutha Menon government when the party, Congress and League ruled the state together. Majeed wrote that CPI had been pushed to the sidelines after falling into CPM’s trap and described the Left alliance as a “master-slave system” dominated by CPM. “The foundation of Kerala’s growth was laid during the Achutha Menon government, when Muslim League, CPI and Congress ruled together. No matter how much time has passed, CPM cannot accept that Kerala became number one when the three ruled together,” he wrote. Majeed later said he had neither issued an invite to CPI to join UDF through his article and nor did he have the authority to do so. IUML state general secretary P M A Salam, too, said the article was not an invitation. “It is about the neglect CPI is facing in the Left front,” Salam said. However, he said it was for CPI to decide whether it wanted “a shade” from the ● More on P2 scorching sun.