THURSDAY 30 OCTOBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Shafali Verma INDIA WOMEN FACE DOMINANT AUSSIES FOR SPOT IN FINAL PEACE DEAL CEASEFIRE BACK IN GAZA POST STRIKES Israel’s military said Wednesday that the ceasefire was back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy airstrikes overnight across the Palestinian territory PAGE 9 Harmanpreet and Co will have to play out of their skin to overcome an indomitable Australia in the second semifinals of ICC Women’s World Cup KAUR & CO FACE STIFF CHALLENGE A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI President Droupadi Murmu with Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, India’s first woman Rafale fighter jet pilot, at the Indian Air Force Station in Ambala. Pakistani social media had falsely claimed to have captured Singh during ‘Operation Sindoor’ A scheduled seminar at the Delhi School of Economics (DSE), University of Delhi, was cancelled following directions from the university administration. The seminar, part of the Department of Sociology’s long-running Friday Colloquium series, was titled “Land, Property and Democratic Rights” and was to discuss judicial interpretations of the Right to Property . According to faculty members, the department received instructions from the ViceChancellor and Registrar to cancel the event and report compliance immediately. No formal reason for the cancellation was provided. Taking to social media, the convener- Professor Nandini Sundar from DSE said, “Since I can no longer guarantee the intellectual integrity of the research colloquium and that it will not be cancelled arbitrarily at the last minute, I have resigned as convenor of the colloquium,” read the post. She also alleged, “No reasons for the cancellation were given, in writing or otherwise, so we can only speculate that the RSS led Government is scared of any discussion around land and democratic rights.” The post further read, “The Friday Colloquium is among the oldest academic forums at the Department of Sociology, with a history spanning several decades. It has traditionally served as a platform for scholarly discussion and has been integral to the department’s teaching and research culture. Graduate students are required to attend the sessions as part of their course work.” India, China agree to maintain border peace M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi INDIA and China agreed to maintain peace and stability at the border during the 23rd round of Corps Commanders’ talks on October 25, the MEA confirmed on Wednesday . “This was the first meeting of the ‘General Level’ mechanism in the western sector since the 22nd round of Special Representatives’ talks held on August 19,” the Ministry of External Affairs said. “Both sides agreed to continue to use existing mechanisms to resolve any ground issues along the border to maintain stability,” it said. The Chinese Defence Ministry said India and China “engaged in active and in-depth communication on the management of the western section of the China-India border.” The Cor ps Commanders agreed “to continue communication and dialogue through military and diplomatic channels under the guidance of the Meet took place at Chushul-Moldo point The meeting of Corps Commanders of the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army took place at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh on October 25 important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the China-India border areas,” it said. This meeting of the Corps Commanders took place after one year, as the two had met in October 2024, after which troops from both sides disengaged to their designated points. Though the two sides disengaged their troops from the friction points, they are yet to deescalate the situation by pulling back the frontline forces from the border. IN a move to spare ally CPI’s blushes and dial down the tensions that had built up in the ruling front ahead of polls, the CPM-led LDF gover nment Wednesday agreed to put the PM SHRI (PM School for Rising India) scheme on hold until a Cabinet sub-committee reviews it and submits a report. The govt will convey the deci- India-bound Russian oil tanker does U-turn US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he is “doing a trade deal with India,” while lavishing praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “the nicest-looking guy” and “tough as hell.” Speaking at the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, Trump also reiterated his controversial claim that he personally averted a war between India and Pakistan by using trade pressure on both nations. “Prime Minister Modi is the nicest-looking guy He’s a killer. . He’s tough as hell. No, we will fight. I said, Whoa, this is the same man that I know,” Trump told business leaders, then he recounted how he ‘persuaded’ both India and Pakistan to halt military action. “I said, ‘You’re starting a war with Pakistan — we can’t make a trade deal.’ And within two days, they called me back and said, ‘We stopped fighting.’ Isn’t that amazing?” he said. The US President also referred to the ongoing trade negotiations with India, emphasising that A tanker carrying Russian crude oil to India turned around and went adrift in the Baltic Sea after US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Bloomberg reported. Loaded with about 730,000 barrels of crude from Rosneft on October 20, it set sail for Sikka in Gujarat and was expected to arrive in mid-November. United States President Donald Trump speaks at the APEC CEO summit in Gyeongju, South Korea | PTI both countries share “a great relationship.” “I’m doing a trade deal with India, and I have great respect and love for Prime Minister Modi. We have a great relationship,” he said. Trump also praised Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, describing him as “a great fighter,” and said he warned both countries that trade with the United States would cease if hostilities continued. “These are two nu- clear nations. I told both sides we won’t do trade if they fight. Within 24 to 48 hours, it was over,” he claimed. Trump claimed that the leaders of both India and Pakistan called him after two days and stopped fighting. “After literally two days, they called up, they said, we understand, and they stopped fighting. How is that? Isn’t that amazing? Now, you think Biden would have done that?” Trump said. P R A B H AT S H U K L A & N A M I TA B A J PA I @ New Delhi / Lucknow DELHI’S attempt to coax rain out of the clouds hit a temporary roadblock on Wednesday, with the next round of cloud-seeding operations called off due to low moisture levels in the atmosphere. The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, which is leading the experiment in collaboration with the Delhi government, said the process was “highly dependent on suitable atmospheric conditions” that were not met. “According to the IMD, the moisture levels are currently at 10-15% and are expected to rise further. We will begin the next phase of the trial when the level is around 20-25%, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Wednesday . He further declared the cloud-seeding trials a success. AAP challenged the government’s claim, pointing out there was no rainfall and raising doubts about the experiment’s effectiveness in the city . The development comes a day after two sorties were car- sion, which marks the end of a week-long standoff between the allies, to the Centre. The move comes after the CPI softened its stance on opposing implementation of scheme in the state. CM Pinarayi Vijayan announced the decision after the Cabinet meeting, also attended by CPI ministers, on Wednesday. The CPI state leadership had on Tuesday decided to boycott the meeting if its demand was not met. However, after marathon party meetings and bilateral discussions, the allies decided to put to rest the controversy that had dealt a blow to the LDF. Pinarayi said the state will inform the Centre that the project would be put on hold until the report is received. EXPRESS READ CASH FOR JOB TN minister, aides named in scam In its dossier sent to the TN police chief, the ED has explained in detail the alleged role played by Minister KN Nehru, his brothers KN Manivanan and Ravichandran, and close associates in the alleged cash-for-job scam. P5 FIRING IN CANADA Singer Nattan’s house targeted Gunshots were fired at the house of Punjabi singer Channi Nattan in Canada. The responsibility for the firing was claimed in a Facebook post by Goldie Dhillon, a known member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. BHULLAR CBI books Punjab DIG in DA case The CBI has registered a case of amassing disproportionate assets against arrested and suspended Punjab DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar. The seizure have reportedly thrown open alleged illicit wealth, prompting a fresh FIR. Rahul warns of ‘poll theft’ bid in Bihar RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ Muzaffarpur/ Darbhanga ARRIVING late but greeted by roaring crowds both at Sakra in Muzaf far pur and Darbhanga, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi touched the hearts of mostly youthful audiences waving Congress and RJD flags amid drizzle on Wednesday . Launching his first election rally in Bihar’s Sakra in Muzaffarpur district, Rahul chose Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his prime target for a blistering attack at election rallies at Sakra and Darbhanga. He made passing references to the grand alliance’s RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav in conversation with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Sakra | PTI chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav and the current CM Nitish Kumar while going after the PM and listing all his policy ‘follies’ from demonetisation to GST and beyond. At Sakra, about 60 km from Patna, in a densely populated Muslim and Scheduled Caste area, Rahul accused Modi of attempting to steal the Bihar election. “Whatever you are getting is due to this Samvidhan, but this Constitution is attacked by the BJP and RSS. Cloud seeding fails to open up the skies, politics follows CPM agrees to put PM SHRI rollout in Kerala on hold after CPI’s opposition K S S R E E J I T H @ T’Puram PAGES 12 J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi President Murmu on Wednesday took a sortie in a Rafale jet from Ambala Air Force Station. She called it an “unforgettable” experience | PTI I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi  ‘I’m doing a trade deal with India.’ Adds he has great respect for PM President Murmu takes ‘unforgettable’ Rafale flight DU sociology dept seminar on property right cancelled J8.00 Trump latest: Modi tough as hell, nicest-looking guy ‘CUSTODY’ JOKE ON PAK CONVENOR QUITS  After what was a topsy-turvy road to the semis, it seemed like India were going in with a settled unit. But injury to Pratika Rawal meant Shafali Verma came in as a replacement. Australia are the defending champions and haven’t lost a world cup game since 2017. For them to be beaten, the hosts will have to be perfect across all 100 overs | P11 An aircraft sprinkling silver iodide over clouds over Northwest Delhi | X ried out over parts of Delhi, including Burari, North Karol Bagh, Mayur Vihar and Badli, as part of the capital’s first artificial rainfall trials, but it did not lead to rainfall in Delhi. According to IIT-Kanpur, despite the absence of rainfall, the trials yielded valuable scientific data. “Monitoring stations across Delhi recorded real-time variations in particulate matter and moisture levels. The data indicates a measurable reduction of 6 to 10 per cent in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, suggesting that even limited cloud-seeding efforts can have a positive effect on air quality,” the institute said. “This shows that even with a very small or low level of moisture in the cloud, when we do the seeding, it does re- sult in some impact, not the impact that one would ideally like to see, but still some impact,” said IIT-K Director Manindra Agrawal. The Delhi government’s posttrial report backed these findings, showing a drop in particulate matter levels soon after the experiment. PM2.5 concentrations at Mayur Vihar, Karol Bagh and Burari, recorded at 221, 230 and 229 micrograms per cubic metre respectively before seeding, fell to 207, 206 and 203 afterwards. Similarly, PM10 levels dipped from around 207–209 to between 163 and 177 across the same locations. P3 Former captain Md Azharuddin likely to be inducted into Revanth cabinet E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad FORMER Indian cricket captain and Congress government’s MLC nominee Mohammed Azharuddin is likely to be inducted into the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s cabinet, in a move seen as politically significant ahead of Jubilee Hills by-election. Party insiders believe that bringing the former cricketer into the Cabinet would not only strengthen the Congress’s appeal among minorities in Jubilee Hills, where Muslims constitute around 33% of electorate, but also project a positive image at the national level. On August 30, the state Cabinet had recommended the nomination of Azharuddin and Prof M Kodandaram to the Legis- lative Council under the Governor’s quota. However, the approval from Governor Jishnu Dev Varma is still pending. Sources in the ruling party indicated that the oath-taking ceremony could take place on Friday at Raj Bhavan, though there has been no formal confirmation either from the Chief Minister’s Office or the Raj Bhavan. Modi chunav chura rahe hai (stealing polls). He stole it in Maharashtra and Haryana, and is now attempting in Bihar,” Rahul alleged. He went on to place the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of poll rolls conducted by the Election Commission of India in the same ‘election theft’ basket. The controversial SIR was first done in Bihar and is to be replicated in 12 other states/UTs. “I will ask the people of the state, especially the extremely backward classes, to give up the illusion that the government is run by Nitish. It is run through remote control. The BJP is using the face of Nitish Ku m a r f ro m b e h i n d t h e scenes,” Rahul charged. NDMC doubles parking fee as part of GRAP II EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi TO discourage private vehicle use and curb emissions as pollution levels rise in the national capital, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has doubled parking fees across most of its facilities from October 29, as part of Stage-II of GRAP, which was activated after air quality slipped into the “very poor” category this week. Car parking will now cost `40 per hour, up from `20, while two-wheelers will be charged `20. Bus parking fees have been raised from `150 to `300 per hour. On-street parking and monthly pass holders remain unaffected, as NDMC said these are already priced higher. The revised rates will remain in effect until the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) withdraws Stage-II of GRAP Stage-II was implement. ed after the city’s AQI touched 302 at 7 pm on Tuesday . “In compliance with the CAQM’s order, parking fees at all off-road and indoor NDMCmanaged sites have been enhanced to twice the existing rates until Stage-II restrictions are lifted,” said an official.