MONDAY FORMULA ONE: DREAM COMES TRUE FOR NEW KING NORRIS 08 DECEMBER, 2025 423 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard NORRIS FINISHED WITH 423 POINTS, WHILE VERSTAPPEN ENDED WITH 421 X.com/TheMornStandard A I R S PA C E T E N S I O N CHINESE RADAR ON JAPAN JETS: TOKYO CHAMP THRIVES UNDER PRESSURE Chinese military aircraft locked radar onto Japanese fighter jets southeast of Okinawa’s main island, Japan’s defence ministry said on Sunday A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI Fireworks during dance performance likely caused blaze; nightclub did not have fire safety clearance; owners on the run; probe ordered  J8.00 Anjuna ARPORA Calangute P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi Following the tragedy, the Goa administration has issued an order to all nightclubs, restaurants and bars to maintain a valid fire NOC, enforce occupancy limits, ensure working alarms, detectors and firefighting systems, use certified electrical setups and keep exits illuminated GOA THE penultimate week of the Parliament session is set to be very busy with both Houses set , to debate ‘Vande Mataram’ and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open the debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha, where he is expected to highlight several previously unknown facets of the national song. The BJP has been allotted three hours for its interventions in the Lok Sabha, while the total debate time will span about 10 hours. A videograb of the fire in Arpora in North Goa late on Sunday. Witnesses said the nightclub did not have well-defined exits | EXPRESS 25 killed in blaze at packed Goa nightclub S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai A massive fire tore through a jampacked nightclub in North Goa around midnight on Sunday killing at least 25 , people, including five tourists and 20 employees of the club. The club, ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ at Arpora, 25 km from Panaji, did not have the mandatory fire department no-objection certificate. Since the club stands in the backwater of Arpora river, a narrow bridge leading to it made it tough for panic-stricken tourists to escape, fire officials said. A preliminary inquiry found that electric firework inside the nightclub was the likely cause of the blaze, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, adding that he had ordered chief secretary Dr V Candavelou and DGP Alok Kumar to identify and act against government officials who allowed the club to operate without fire safety clearance. The club’s chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur were arrested by the police. Separately police have launched a manhunt for , the club owners — Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, who’ve been named in the FIR. At least 100 people were on the dance floor at the time of the fire. In an attempt to rush out, some visitors ran downstairs to the kitchen where they got trapped in the blaze along with the staff, said Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad. “There was a sudden commotion as the flames started erupting. We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said. Officials said there were no proper exits to the premises. Police have detained the sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa Panchayat, Roshan Redkar, who had issued a trade licence to the nightclub in 2013. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, among others, condoled the deaths. An ex-gratia of `5 lakh for the kin of each deceased and `50,000 for the injured were announced by the CM. Rahul calls for fair probe Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while extending condolences to the bereaved families, said the tragedy reflected a serious failure of safety measures and governance. “The authorities should conduct a transparent probe to ensure similar tragedies are avoided in the future.” P7 E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi THE Goa fire incident drew the attention of city parties, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) taking charge in giving it a political colour. Former Chief Minister and AAP Goa incharge Atishi alleged that it was not an accident, but the direct outcome of a system where illegal establishments flourished without clearances. She blamed the situation on “hafta-vasooli” and bribes demanded and given for basic approval, like water and electricity connections and house bifurcation. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta made her presence felt with restraint, calling the tragedy “extremely distressing”. “The news of the accident in the Arpora area of Goa is extremely distressing. My heartfelt condolences are with the bereaved families,” she said. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also weighed in: “Deeply saddened by the tragic fire incident at Arpora, Goa, that has claimed several precious lives. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.” IN the wake of the Goa incident and ahead of Christmas and the New Year, the Delhi Police has made a comprehensive plan to tighten security across the city’s busiest nightlife hubs. Officials said the seasonal spike in visitor count at clubs, pubs, and event spaces requires close supervision for safety norms and crowd management measures. A senior official said district units have been instructed to carry out coordinated inspections with civic and fire authorities to ensure that venues meet required safety standards. They include keeping emergency exits unobstructed, ensuring that fire extinguishers are in working condition, and preventing electrical overloading—issues that, according to officials, often surface during high-density festive gatherings. The police said the broader strategy for the upcoming celebrations includes enhanced patrols and reinforced deployment in areas known for heavy evening and late-night rush. P3 & 7 The Supreme Court will on Monday hear a plea filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of jailed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, terming his detention under the NSA “illegal, and an arbitrary exercise violating his fundamental rights.” Cold conditions likely in north India, says IMD Cold conditions prevailed across north India on Sunday. The IMD said cold wave conditions were “very likely” to prevail in isolated pockets over Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Odisha on Monday and Tuesday. Army to get 40k Israeli light machine guns in 5 years The infantry of the Indian Army will get a firepower boost beginning next year, as an Israel-based defence firm confirmed it will supply the first batch of 40,000 light machine guns (LMGs) to India starting early next year. The full supply will take place over five years. | P7 A tearful Norris won the title by two points ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who relinquished his crown after four consecutive years, in a tense and emotional season-ending race dominated by strategy and tactics. Max, despite finishing on top of the podium, fell just short in the overall equation as Norris finished third to seal the deal | P11 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to be the second speaker in the debate, which will also feature the participation of Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda, Manipur MP Dr Bimol Akoijam, and Praniti Shinde, among others. The Rajya Sabha will take up the debate on Vande Mataram on Tuesday, with Home Minister Amit Shah leading the discussion. Health Minister and Leader of the Rajya Sabha J P Nadda will be the second speaker. The debate on Vande Mataram is likely to see fireworks as the Congress and BJP were at loggerheads over the latter’s allegations that important stanzas of the national song were dropped in 1937, which sowed the seeds of partition. While inaugurating the year-long commemoration of Vande Mataram to mark its 150 years, Modi said a “divisive mindset” is still a challenge for India. In response, the Congress said the PM insulted Vande Mataram, noting that Rabindranath Tagore himself had recommended adopting only the first two stanzas. The Lok Sabha will take up the debate on SIR on Tuesday and Wednesday Leader of the . Opposition Rahul Gandhi will speak on SIR on Tuesday He is . also expected to raise the issue of ‘vote theft’ and the accountability of the Election Commission of India. During the debate on SIR, the Opposition members are also expected to raise suicides of Booth Level Officers reportedly due to intense work pressure related to the voter list re-verification drive. Key opposition leaders inc l u d i n g C o n g r e s s ’s K C Venugopal and Manish Tewari, DMK’s Kanimozhi, and Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav are also expected to take part in the discussions. Boosting ties with India top agenda of US official’s visit J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi Droupadi Murmu, President Delhi Police wakes up to fire safety norms in city bars, nightclubs SC to hear plea against Wangchuk detention PAGES 12 EMOTIONAL BRIT ENDS MAX’S DOMINANCE Deeply pained by the tragic fire incident in North Goa resulting in the loss of lives. My heartfelt condolences. May they find strength during this difficult time. I pray for the speedy recovery AAP makes incident topic of discussion in city, BJP takes note EXPRESS READ  A journey that began with kart racing when he was eight years old, Norris became Britain’s first F1 world champ since 2020 PM to open Vande Mataram debate in LS today New rules for Goa clubs Baga Beach McLaren’s British driver Lando Norris navigates tricky test in season-closing Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday to clinch his maiden F1 crown Passengers looking for their bags in the massive buildup of unclaimed luggage at IGI Airport on Sunday | SAYANTAN GHOSH IndiGo flight ops stabilising, cancellations down to 650 S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi AIR travel chaos due to IndiGo’s operational disruptions continued on Sunday though , the situation appeared to improve with the country’s largest airline set to operate 1,650 flights until midnight – up from 1,565 on Saturday and 706 on Friday . This still resulted in 650 flights across the country being cancelled with hundreds of them delayed by hours. In a statement, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said air travel operations across the country were stabilising. “All other domestic airlines are operating smoothly and at full capacity, while IndiGo’s performance has shown steady improvement today, with flight schedules moving back towards normal levels. IndiGo’s flight operations are likely to reach up to 1,650 by the end of today (Sunday),” its statement read. To ensure financial protection for passengers, the ministry directed IndiGo to complete refunds for cancelled or severely delayed flights by 8:00 PM on Sunday . The ministry also asked IndiGo to ensure that no additional fees are levied for rescheduling travel impacted by cancellations. On how much more refund was pending, an Indigo source said the process of calculating the amount to be refunded was still on. The ministry also said In- REFUNDS BEING PROCESSED IndiGo has processed refunds of `610 crore so far against cancelled or delayed flights, and delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers as of Saturday, the civil aviation ministry said diGo successfully delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers as of December 6. It had mandated a 48-hour deadline for delivery of luggage separated from flyers due to the flight delay and cancellation chaos. In an update on the situation, Indigo said its on-time performance shot up to 75% on Sunday from 30% on Saturday . The airline also said it will “root cause analysis” into flight disruptions. Meanwhile, the DGCA extended the deadline for IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers to respond to the show cause notice to Monday 6 pm. IndiGo sources said the airline would soon respond to the show cause notice. “We are readying our response by explaining the reasons that flights were cancelled and delayed and the steps we are taking to mitigate them,” a source said. P3 ROLL CONFUSION EXISTS ACROSS NCR TOWNS OVER SIR Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar are in the midst of intense electoral revisions. The process has put BLOs under pressure to meet deadline and citizens under uncertainty | P4 A top US official is scheduled to visit New Delhi and Bengaluru from December 7 to 11. The visit of US’ under secretary of state for political affairs Allison Hooker is expected to sharpen the strategic focus of the US-India partnership at a time when both sides are navigating economic friction, geopolitical volatility and rapid technological shifts. According to the US Embassy, Hooker will prioritise advancing the US-India strategic partnership, deepening economic and commercial ties, expanding American exports, and accelerating collaboration in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and space exploration. Her visit comes amid renewed efforts in Washington and New Delhi to stabilise ties after weeks of heightened tensions over US’ 50% tariff. Hooker has been closely involved in India engagement in recent months. In September, she met Indian ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra, as both sides worked to ease friction over trade and energy issues. In November, Indian publicsector oil companies signed a one-year agreement with US energy majors to import 2.2 million tonnes of LPG, roughly 10% of India’s annual LPG imports. Then, India and the US finalised a $946 million sustainment package for the Indian Navy’s fleet of 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, strengthening defence industrial ties. During her stay in New Delhi, Hooker will meet her counterpart Foreign Secretray Vikram Misri, and other senior officials to discuss regional security, economic cooperation and shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific. Trump stamp on country road to US consulate in T’gana EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad THE Telangana government has decided to name the road alongside the US Consulate General in Hyderabad after US President Donald Trump. The stretch will be christened “Donald Trump Avenue.” Officials will soon write to the Ministry of External Affairs and the US Embassy, formally conveying the proposal. The move comes months after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, while speaking at the USIndia Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) annual conclave in New Delhi, suggested naming key roads in Hyderabad after leading global corporations to reflect the city’s growing international stature. In line with this vision, the government has also approved naming the upcoming greenfield radial road connecting the Nehru Outer Ring Road (ORR) at Raviryala to the proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR) after Padma Bhushan Ratan Tata. The interchange at Raviryal has already been named the “Tata Interchange.” Further, a significant stretch in the city will be designated as “Google Street” to acknowledge the global influ- ence of Google Maps and the company’s broader technological contributions. These initiatives are part of the state’s effort to showcase Telangana as a hub of innovation and global partnerships. As part of this exercise, roads and junctions named after Microsoft and Wipro — including the proposed “Microsoft Road” and “Wipro Junction”— are also under consideration, in line with the chief minister’s vision. The government is exploring additional proposals to honour distinguished individuals and leading corporations by naming other important roads after them, the officials added. The announcements were made on the eve of the Telangana Rising Global Summit, beginning on Monday at the upcoming Bharat Future City near Hyderabad. The two-day event aims to demonstrate vast investment oppor tunities in Telangana.