villupuram l sunday l september 27, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city EDITION U.s., China decide on $30 billion reciprocal tariff cut; ai talks China said on Saturday that it had agreed with the US on a $30 billion reciprocal tariff-cut arrangement and on launching a dialogue on AI discussing investment opportunities next round of dialogue in november The two countries reached consensus on recommendations for a more favourable tariff treatment for $30 billion of non-sensitive goods in each direction, the White House said. The two countries established the Board of Investment to discuss investment opportunities and impediments, and to provide a channel to address investment-related issues ■ ■ On artificial intelligence, the leaders agreed to establish a China-US AI dialogue to exchange views on AI-related risks and benefits, with the next round to be held in November, the White House said The two leaders agreed to use the term “super intelligence” rather than “artificial intelligence” to describe emerging technologies $495 bn is the bilateral trade between U.S. and China annually, as per ustr 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 EC announces doorstep verification for voters facing notice, greater use of online hearings SIR eased, experts to review ECINET system Sept 30 INDIA bloc meeting to intensify stir against CEC Pa r v e z Su lta n & Su b h e n d u M a i t i @ New Delhi/ Kolkata m u k e s h r a n j a n @ New Delhi WITH THIS ISSUE The New OTT Stars Binge Brigade PLUS 12 P AGES INSIDE US president rejects Iran offer, attacks may resume after midterms | P9 WHILE seeking to address issues at the centre of a row over decision-making in the Election Commission and concerns of voters who have been issued notices or are left out from the poll rolls, the EC on Saturday asserted that all SIR orders received unanimous consent from all three Commissioners and that the updates to Form 6 for voter enrolment were upheld by the Supreme Court. After a meeting attended by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Dr S S Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, the EC announced a number of measures including additional time for filing claims, home visit by election officials and help desks for those facing notices for removal from the rolls. Announcing a complete review of its ECINET system, the poll panel said a committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT will review the system. On the legal framework governing SIR, the Commission said the declaration attached to Form 6 for the exercise has Stalin slams frequent power cuts across state E X PRESS NEWS SERVI C E @ Madurai DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday slammed Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over widespread power outages across the state, terming the CM’s recent inspection at the TNPDCL headquarters a publicity stunt. “It seems the CM did not conduct a review; he only shot reels,” Stalin said in a post on X. Sharing a collage of news reports on power outages during recent events attended by ministers K A Sengottaiyan, Aadhav Arjuna, P Viswanathan, C T R Nirmal Kumar, and V Gandhirajan, Stalin asked, “If this was the situation for ministers, what would be the condi- tion of the general public?” Stalin’s criticism came a few hours after the speech of High Court judge, Justice A D Jagadish Chandira, during the Government Law College convocat i o n o n S at u rd ay w a s disrupted for a few seconds due to a power outage. Minister C T R Nirmal Kumar and sitting and retired judges of the Madras High Court took part in the event, held at Tamukkam Convention Centre in Madurai. In his reply to a journalist’s post on X regarding the outage, the minister said generators were used to supply power. There was an outage for five seconds as the power was switched from one source to another, he said. P5 been upheld by the Supreme Court. “For periods outside SIR, applications will continue to be processed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960,” it said. The EC also sought to clarify concerns surrounding a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary, saying it was not related to any policy matter concerning either the Commission or its IT division. According to the EC, the communication “concerned the functioning of an officer on deputation to the Commission”. “The work-reallocation orders issued by the officer were not implemented after directions from two Commissioners and that oversight of the IT division by the Deputy Election Commissioner was never withdrawn,” EC said. “The order for the SIR issued on 24.6.2025 for all States/UTs, starting with Bihar, and 30 other States/UTs was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission,” EC said. It added Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit homes to upload documents for unmapped persons or those with logical discrepancies. Authorised family members can also attend on the elector’s behalf, the EC said. CEC Gyanesh Kumar with Election Commissioners Dr S S Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi at a meeting on Saturday | PTI The order for SIR starting with Bihar, followed by West Bengal and 30 States/UTs was issued with unanimous approval of EC Election Commission of India Extends deadline The EC extended deadlines for filing claims in two states. In Delhi, claims and objections can be filed till Oct 30, while all claims have to be disposed by Nov 30. In Maharashtra, Oct 12 and Nov10 are the 2 deadlines, respectively THE INDIA bloc is expected to go into a huddle on September 30 at the Constitution Club in Delhi to deliberate and strategise a joint programme aimed at cornering the Centre on the issue of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, amid concerns over special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The decision to hold the meeting was taken after the top leadership of INDIA bloc parties touched base on Saturday Leader of . the disputed Trinamool Mamata Banerjee spoke at length over the phone to Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and CPM general secre- NDA allies tary MA Baby to discuss clear the air the course of action against the BJP and CEC, Hours after EC’s clarification on sources said. Besides Rahul, Con- SIR, NDA allies gress chief Mallikarjun TDP, LJP (RV) Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Shiv Sena Mamata, her nephew Ab- (Shinde) came hishek Banerjee, SP out in support of chief Akhilesh Yadav, the poll panel. Andhra Pradesh Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, and CM N ChandBaby are expected to at- rababu Naidu said EC’s tend the meeting. Sources said INDIA statement “puts bloc leaders are likely to to rest all chalk out a roadmap for misconceptions.” pan-India protests seeking removal of Kumar and an independent inquiry into the EC’s decisions. Discussion will focus on three core agenda items, including impeachment motion against Kumar, nationwide stir in poll-bound states including UP Punjab and Uttarakhand. , Speaking in Sreerampur in West Bengal’s Hooghly Mamata on Saturday said, “I sent , a message to Rahul Gandhi, and told him we must sit together.” CPI (Marxist-Lenin) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya termed the controversy as “major national crisis”, and called all Opposition parties to come together. For Rahman visit, Dhaka wants new water-share treaty J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Bangladesh is seeking a new agreement on sharing the Ganga’s waters rather than merely renewing the 1996 treaty as Dhaka presses India for what it describes as its “dues” as a lower-riparian state and seeks assurances against political activities by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from Indian soil. These two issues are emerging as important elements as both sides look at a possible November visit to India by Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. A high-level meeting in Dhaka on September 17 discussed various aspects of the ties, diplomatic sources said. India and Bangladesh have since “remained engaged” at senior levels as they work towards finalising the visit, which is being looked at for the latter half of November. Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam who Dhaka is sending as its next High Commissioner to India is expected to arrive in the first week of November, sources said. Dhaka’s new water demand comes in the wake of the expiry of the 30-year Ganga Water Sharing Treaty on December 12. It now wants a fresh treaty rather than a “straightforward extension” of the existing arrangement, arguing that a new framework should better reflect its requirements as the Express @ asian games Nagoya v ADA Pav! No, that’s not Aslam Inamdar’s favourite food. At 14, that was literally the only item on the menu he could afford, the food that kept him alive. When developing athletes his age were building their physique with protein shakes and health food, all Inamdar had — could have — was vada pav, rotis or anything he could lay his hands on. This was a time when he slept without a roof over his head; his full-time job was washing utensils in a tea shop or in a nearby juice shop. But Aslam Inamdar (third from bottom left) & the rest of men’s kabaddi team celebrate their victory on Saturday | pti now, after India’s kabaddi team defended their gold medal against Iran on Saturday, he’s a two-time Asian gold medallist. There is nothing quite like sport when it comes to throwing up gripping, inspirational stories. “Kya kya nehi kiya maine (What all did I not do),” he says, while sitting on a bench, after his team’s gold winning performance. He lost Joint Rivers Commission dealing with the matter The water issues are now being handled within the broader framework of the IndiaBangladesh Joint Rivers Commission, which deals with the two countries’ shared rivers. India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers downstream country . Bangladesh minister Forhad Hossain Azad had said Dhaka will seek a higher share of the Ganga, including a stronger guarantee for flows during the dry season. For India, however, the question is not merely a bilateral renewal. Consultations have been held with Indian stakeholders, including West Bengal, on water requirements. Alongside water, Dhaka is seeking assurances regarding Hasina, who remains in India. Bangladesh has objected to what it describes as political activities and public statements by Hasina and the Awami League from Indian territory, which is being flagged as a potential irritant in ties. MATAselfless service is the epitome of Mata Amritanandamayi transformed selfless service into a global movement, home minister Amit Shah said | P5 golden ticket out of poverty Indraneel Das Tarique Rahman his father when he was young and the focus quickly turned on survival. Washing utensils, cleaning toilets, working in juice bars, tea shops — name any menial job and he has done it. That was when he was a child. “I worked at tea stalls, juice bars, cleaned washrooms and utensils. I even used to work in farm fields too,” he says. “I even gathered scrap bottles to sell to dealers’ just to buy food.” Kabaddi found him around this time and gave him an extra source of food — leftovers from tournaments. “I survived on vada pav or free food, and food saved from tournaments. I used to take whatever I could in my bag to eat later, even if it was spoiled.” He was around 14 then and was playing in age group competitions. | P11 E x p r ess Re a d Veeramani case: SIT seeks DSP-rank officers Chennai: The SIT investigating the Pocso case against GEM Group Chairman R Veeramani has sought additional officers in the rank of deputy superintendent of police to assist in the investigation. Each of the four members of the SIT had suggested one or two names. The proposals will be scrutinised and a final order is likely to be issued in a few days | P4 Village to get new name after years-long demand Virudhunagar: The additional chief secretary of the Revenue department has recently directed the district collector to take steps to rename the Paracheri village in Achamthavilthan panchayat near Srivilliputhur to North Achamthavilthan, following the years-long demand of the SC residents in the locality | P4 Undergrad bitten by venomous snake at govt hostel Pollachi Dalit man’s arm chopped off, kin allege caste-based violence VIVANESH PARTHIBAN @ Tiruchy A third-year BSc Physics student of Thanthai Periyar Government College in Tiruchy has been hospitalised after he was bitten by a venomous snake at the on-campus hostel. The student — K Deepak (21) from Valayapatti in Namakkal district — has been receiving treatment at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) since Friday. The student was initially critical, but his condition had stabilised by Saturday morn- Vegetation overgrowth at Thanthai Periyar Govt College hostel in Tiruchy | express ing, according to sources. The incident has renewed the demand among hostel inmates for measures to ensure students’ safety and proper maintenance, including clearing of vegetation overgrowth, which they cited as a cause for the snakebite incident. A senior professor and hostel in-charge said that Deepak was part of a student committee and was in charge of overseeing motor operations and garden maintenance. Deepak was bitten by the snake when he went to turn on the water motor around 6.30 am on Friday, added the professor. Of the nearly 3,500 students in the college, 310 reside in the campus hostel, which has 52 rooms. Over 600 students are accommodated in three community halls, including two for women and one for men. P5 E X PRESS NEWS SERVI C E @ Coimbatore The district police have expanded the investigation into a brutal attack on the husband of a DMK councillor at Odayakulam near Pollachi on September 23 to examine charges of caste-based violence, after the victim’s family accused the police of initially treating the attack as the fallout of a land dispute. According to sources, the right arm of the victim — M Murugan (52), the husband of Odayakulam town panchayat ward 13 councillor Vijayavani — was hacked off allegedly by his neighbour, V Aruchamy (45), on September 23. Murugan’s severed right arm was reattached after an eighthour-long surgical procedure, and he has been under treatment, said Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) Dean Dr M Geethanjali. Framing the attack as a land dispute, Anaimalai police initially registered a case under sections 296(b) (obscene acts and songs) and 109(1) (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and arrested Aruchamy . However, the victim’s family accused the police of covering up the caste-based violence and not properly recording their complaint. P5