vijayawada l friday l september 25, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION India’s Russian oil imports hold at 1.8 million barrels per day India’s Russian crude imports held at 1.8 mn bpd in September as stronger Chinese buying curbed flows, but West Asian suppliers filled the gap lost volumes replenished by gulf nations giving up russian crude will be pricey India imported 2.82 mn bpd of Russian crude in July, which slipped to 2.08 mn bpd in August, according to global commodities data and analytics firm Kpler. Iraq and Saudi made up for the drop in Russian volumes. Iraq supplied 505,000 bpd of crude this month, up from 163,000 bpd in Aug. Saudi volumes rose to 576,000 bpd in Sept from 347,000 bpd last month ■ ■ The outlook for Russian supplies could become more complicated if the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 results in tougher restrictions on countries continuing to buy Russian oil Nikhil Dubey, lead analyst at Kpler, said India can technically replace Russian crude, although the shift would come at a higher cost 2022 when India became an important buyer of Russian crude 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 Demand to sack Torrential downpour lashes Coastal AP CEC snowballs, Rahul urges him to turn approver S G u r u S r i kan t h @ Vijayawada Assam rules for compulsory regn of Muslim marriages Prasan ta m a z u m dar @ Guwahati THE assam government on Thursday approved rules for compulsory registration of Muslim marriages and divorces in the state. The rules prohibit registrations that contravene the legal age of marriage—18 years for females and 21 years for males. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government had earlier taken a decision that kazis would not register Muslim marriages. “Today, the Cabinet approved the Assam Muslim Marriage Registration (Compulsory) Rules, 2026. Muslim couples will now be able to register their marriages with the registrars of marriages,” Sharma said. He said the government will allow panchayat officials to register marriages if there is a large number of applications. E x p r e s s Re a d Moisture-stressed crops get a lifeline Vijayawada: In a major relief to farmers across the State, the widespread downpour following the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has provided a crucial lifeline to moisture-stressed crops, particularly those at a critical stage of growth and facing the threat of withering | P5 The high alert remains in place across Andhra Pradesh as the deep depression made landfall near Kalingapatnam, bringing torrential downpours in several coastal districts, and raising the threat of flash floods in low-lying and riverine habitations. Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, the Godavari belt, and the erstwhile undivided Krishna and Guntur districts bore the brunt of the deluge, with local administrations rushing to set up relief camps, and clear waterlogged transit Parv e z S u ltan @ New Delhi The demand to sack Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar gained more momentum on Thursday with Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi suggesting he turn approver as an act of nationalism. The Congress also reached out to the Opposition parties to step on the gas amid the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) issuing a 48-hour ultimatum for Kumar to resign so as to seize the political initiative. Pressure on Kumar built up after a media report revealed that fellow election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to decisions pertaining to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on multiple occasions but the CEC had brushed them aside. Congress sources said the Opposition INDIA bloc is working together to file notice in two weeks for moving a motion in both Houses of Parliament seeking removal of the CEC. This will be the Opposition’s third bid to impeach Kumar. In April, 73 Opposition MPs moved an impeachment notice in the Rajya Sabha, accusing the CEC of acting in a partisan manner. The notice is still pending. Meanwhile, the Congress directed its state units to organise protest marches to their respective State Election Commission offices on Friday demanding the immediate arrest and , removal of Kumar and a review of decisions and electoral roll changes made under him. Addressing reporters here, Rahul accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Amit Shah of conspiring in ‘vote chori’ (vote theft) that benefitted the BJP in elections. Rahul claimed Modi and Shah would be investigated in due course of time for what they had done to the Indian electoral system, which he termed “anti-national” and an “attack on the idea of India”. “Kumar must resign immediately… This is not just some small rigging of an election. This is an attack on the Constitution of India… And the people who are responsible for this are going to get punished,” he said, warning the CEC to seriously consider the position he’s in. “He should turn approver.” he added. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke demanded Kumar resign within 48 hours or the outfit would launch another nationwide stir on the lines of P7 its Jantar Mantar protest in June.  3pm 4pm Closing 73,580.54 Change 1247.71 (-1.67%) sensex 1pm 73,000.00 In the red 11am 74,000.00 9am Stock markets tumbled on Thursday with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tanking over 1.6%—the steepest singleday decline in three months— as geopolitical tensions jacked up Brent crude oil prices and US bond yields hit a 19-year high, triggering an across-theboard selling pressure. Nifty 50 fell 1.64% to close at 23,063 while the Sensex slipped 1.67% to 73,580 on Thursday . Global sentiments, too, re- 75,000.00 mained muted as US equities fell sharply amid signs of further monetary tightening. Brent crude oil prices rose 2% to $106/bbl, amid growing uncertainty over US-Iran ties. The US 10-year Treasury routes. Educational institutions remained closed as a precautionary measure. Andhra Pradesh State Disas- We are going to cooperate with the Opposition parties. It is our sacred duty to protect the Constitution and vote Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader ECI refutes charges The ECI on Thursday claimed changes to Form 6 and functioning of its digital platform, ECINET were both in accordance with the law ‘Vote rights undermined’ CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that the ECI under CEC Gyanesh Kumar had undermined the right to vote. He accused the poll panel of manipulating electoral rolls yield surged to around 5.11%, its highest level since 2007. Elevated US bond yields mean more risk-free returns for foreign institutional investors, who tend to divert liquidity away from emerging markets. Experts say Indian equities are likely to remain weak in the near term as investor sentiment has turned risk-averse amid lingering uncertainties around inflation and economic growth. In the absence of positive triggers, the sentiment will remain cautious, they add. ISA project launch on Oct 2 US President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington on Thursday | PTI Xi asks Don to end Iran war, adds ‘let’s race, not wrestle’ a g e nc i e s @ Washington CHINESE President Xi Jinping, during his talks with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, suggested that he return to the peace accord with Iran he signed earlier this year and the end of naval blockade, Chinese state media reported. Xi urged Trump to show prudence on the issue of Taiwan’s independence, while calling for the US and China to manage their superpower rivalry and keep artificial intelligence under human control, apart from making a case of ease of access for Chinese companies. “I hope Chinese firms are treated fairly here,” he said. Xi said achieving the “great rejuvenation of the Red carpet Chinese nation and making welcome America great again can go Senate hand in hand.” He also an- Majority Leader nounced an invitation for 1 Chuck Schumer lakh young Americans to accused Trump visit China for study ex- of being in change programmes over thrall to the next five years. Xi fa- authoritarian voured healthy bilateral leaders, competition, saying “the attacking the race should be of catching red-carpet up with one another, not a welcome for wrestle in which when ei- Xi Jinping ther wins, or loses.” In his opening remarks, Trump said, “Working together, President Xi and I have made tremendous strides on the issues facing our two countries... During this visit, we will discuss security technology and super , , intelligence.” While Trump has dismissed AI’s threat to humanity Xi took a measured , tone. “We both have the capability and responsibility to develop and manage AI for good and ensure AI is always under human control,” he said. China and the US also agreed to extend a trade truce, due to lapse on November 10, by P9 two months.  Asian games Iran’s rower trained through war, bombings to win gold Indraneel Das I Express @ asian games Nagoya magine training to compete at the Asian Games, in double sculls rowing. An event where your endurance and the precise coordination you have with your teammate, developed through hours and hours spent together in the water, mean everything. Now, imagine doing that, except there is no water and no teammate. All you have is an ergometer. That, and the sound of mis- Kimia Zarei siles dropping outside her home in the Iranian city of Hamadan, was all that Kimia Zarei had to get in shape for the Games in Nagoya. Yet on Tuesday, she and her partner Zeinab Norouzi won gold in the women’s lightweight double sculls. Iran’s rowers are among the strongest at the Games. The war back home could not break their spirit or resolve as Iran won two gold, as many silver and a bronze. “We were bombed everyday,” Zarei remembers her preparation. “When I was training at home, I would hear the sound of bomb explosion. It was close to our home and when you go to the window, you can see everything.” Zarei and her fellow athletes had their practice at Urmia cut short. On the first day of the war, the federation sent athletes back home. Each of them were given an ergometer to train. ter Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director Prakhar Jain stated that the deep depression moved north- Harness rain-induced inflows to fill water bodies in State: CM Gyanesh Kumar, CEC Sensex, Nifty tumble to 3-month low A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi The road between Galavalli and Chinna Galavalli was washed away due to a breach in Tamara Cheruvu embankment in North Coastal Andhra on Thursday | Express westwards at a speed of 10 kmph over six hours, and lay centered over South Odisha and adjoining North Coastal AP at 4 pm on Thursday . Positioned approximately 60 km from Parvathipuram in Andhra Pradesh, 90 km from Bhawanipatna in Odisha, and near Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh, the system is expected to weaken into a depression by Thursday night, and reduce further to a well-marked lowpressure area over the subsequent 24 hours. The Doppler Weather Radar in Vizag maintains continuous surveillance over the system, he said.  P4 Hat-trick of Asian Games medals for Roshibina India’s wushu athlete Naorem Roshibina Devi made the most of a second chance at the Games on Thursday. After initially failing to qualify in the selection trials, she bounced back to win a silver medal in the women’s 60kg sanda event on Thursday. In the process, she completed a hat-trick of medals at the Games (2018, 2023 & 2026) Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said the foundation stone for the Indian School of Agriculture (ISA) will be laid on October 2. Stone for Horticulture Hub at Madanapalle will also be laid on the same day S V i s w anat h @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to harness all rain-induced inflows generated by the deep depression to fill reservoirs, tanks and minor water sources across the State. Holding a review meeting with senior officials at the RealTime Governance (RTGS) Centre at the Secretariat on Thursd ay, t h e C h i e f M i n i s t e r discussed the use of AI-based technology data analytics, and , strategies to mitigate the impact of El Niño. The officials informed the Chief Minister that groundwater levels had improved to some extent due to the rainfall received over the past three days following the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal. Around 11,000 cusecs of water is flowing into the Prakasam Barrage from the Munneru and other catchment areas, the ofP4 ficials informed.