MONDAY 27 CYCLONE MONTHA TO HIT ANDHRA COAST TOMORROW, SAYS MET OFFICE OCTOBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard FRAMEWORK DEAL AMERICA, CHINA AVERT TARIFFS PIC: PRASANT MADUGULA The deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada on Tuesday evening, it said A trade deal between the US and China is drawing closer as they reached an initial consensus for Trump & Xi to finalise in their meeting EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE CYCLONIC STORM A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 ROLLS REVISION EC TO RELEASE PAN-INDIA SIR SCHEDULE TODAY second phase will cover states that are holding local THE Election Commission body elections and where seof India (ECI) will announce vere winter weather may the schedule for the nation- create challenges for the wide Special Intensive Revi- electoral revision process.” sion (SIR) of electoral rolls The sources said the first on Monday sources said. , phase will begin on 1 NoThe ECI is holding a me- vember, and all the Chief dia briefing on Monday af- Electoral Officers (CEOs) of ternoon, which will the states and the be attended by Chief Union Territory covElection Commisered in this phase sioner Gyanesh Kuhave been told to remar and Election main alert, as work Commissioners Sumay start at any khbir Singh Sandhu moment. and Vivek Joshi. The ECI recently 10 states in According to ECI reviewed the readifirst phase sources, the poll ness of all states and The first phase Union Territories panel will announce the schedule during will cover more for the nationwide the briefing. The ex- than 10 states SIR during a two-day and one UT, ercise will be conconference of Chief including the ducted in two phasElectoral Officers es, sources said. The election-bound (CEOs), which constates of first phase will cover cluded in New Delhi Assam, Tamil more than 10 states last Thursday . Nadu, Kerala, The nationwide and one Union TerWest Bengal SIR was earlier anritory including the , and nounced by the EC election-bound Puducherry. on June 24, 2025, states of Assam, alongside the SIR Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Puduch- for Bihar. The process has faced legal challenges in erry they said. , “The SIR is likely to be the Supreme Court. While the court did not rolled out in two phases. The first phase will include As- question the ECI’s authorisam, Tamil Nadu, Puduch- ty to conduct the SIR, it inerry, Kerala and West Ben- structed that Aadhaar g a l , w h e r e A s s e m b l y should be included as the elections are due in 2026,” a 12th document for proof of . source said, adding: “The identity P3 M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 “Yesterday’s depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression at 0530 hrs IST today, October 26, 2025, over the same region,” the meteorological department said on Sunday. The system is expected to further intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 28 and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast by evening, it said | P5 21st century belongs to India and ASEAN: PM Reaffirms the bloc as a key pillar of India’s Act East Policy; 2026 declared ASEAN-India year of maritime security US ties with Pakistan not at India’s expense: Rubio J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the 21st century “belongs to India and ASEAN”, asserting that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remains a central pillar of India’s Act East Policy and a vital partner in shaping an inclusive and sustainable Indo-Pacific. Delivering his opening remarks at the India-ASEAN summit in Malaysia virtually, Modi said India and ASEAN together represent nearly onefourth of the world’s populat i o n , b o u n d n o t j u s t by geography but also by “deep historical ties, shared values, and a common vision for the Global South”. “We are not only commercial partners but also cultural companions,” Modi said, reaffirming India’s support for ASEAN centrality and its Indo-Pacific outlook. “Even amid global uncertainties, our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has made steady progress and is emerging as a strong foundation for global stability and development... The 21st century is our century — the century of India and ASEAN,” he said. “The ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and India’s goal of Viksit Bharat 2047 will together shape a bright future for humanity .” The prime minister highlighted that the summit’s theme, Inclusivity and Sustainability, mirrors India-ASEAN J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addresses the ‘India-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Annual Summit’ via video conferencing in New Delhi | PTI priorities, from digital inclusion and resilient supply chains to food security and green energy . “India fully supports these priorities and is committed to advancing them together,” Modi added. Talking about the growing collaboration in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and East Timor admitted as new member The Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Sunday welcomed East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, as its newest member. It was ASEAN’s first expansion since the 1990s. Meanwhile, Cambodia and Thailand signed a pact expanding a ceasefire on their borders | P9 maritime security, Modi announced that 2026 will be celebrated as the ‘ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation’, marking an intensified push for joint work in the blue economy and ocean governance. He said that the partnership now extends across education, tourism, science and technology, health, green energy, and cyber security, while also emphasising shared efforts to preserve cultural heritage and deepen people-to-people ties. The 10-member ASEAN bloc, with a population of about 680 million and a combined GDP of over $3.9 trillion, is the world’s fifth-largest economy if treated as a single entity Timor-Leste . became the 11th member of ASEAN on Sunday . India counts ASEAN among its top trading partners, alongside China, the US, the EU, Japan, and South Korea. THE US is looking to expand its strategic partnership with Pakistan but not at the cost of its ‘deep’ relationship with India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, in an apparent bid to calm concerns in New Delhi over Washington’s renewed outreach to Islamabad. Speaking to reporters, Rubio stressed that both India and the US maintain independent relationships with different nations, terming it “part of a mature, pragmatic foreign policy .” “Just like India has ties with countries that the US doesn’t, the vice-versa applies,” Rubio said, adding: “I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India, which is deep, historic, and important.” Rubio is expected to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. It will be the fourth in-person meeting between the two leaders this year, a sign of high-level engagement 3 ‘stalkers’ attack student with acid near DU college Survivor’s account EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi FESTIVE RUSH Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam on the second day of Chhath Puja in JP Ganga Path, Patna, on Sunday | PTI CHHATH BIHAR’S FESTIVAL HAS A DELHI CONNECTION The upcoming Assembly election has got the Delhi government in overdrive on the banks of the Yamuna | P4 EXPRESS READ Minister’s remark on Oz women players stirs row 5 J’khand children HIV+ after blood transfusion A local court in Indore sent Aqeel Khan to 15-day judicial custody for allegedly stalking Australian women cricketers in the city on October 23. Meanwhile, state Cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya stirred a row by dismissing the incident as a lesson for all and saying the players should have been careful. CM Hemant Soren has ordered the suspension of the civil surgeon and other officials at Sadar Hospital in West Singhbhum district after five children contracted HIV following transfusions with infected blood. The matter came to light after the family of one of the affected children lodged a complaint.| P8 A 20-year-old woman from Mukundpur sustained acid burn injuries after being attacked near Laxmibai College in north Delhi’s Ashok Vihar on Sunday morning. Police said a call regarding the incident was received from Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, where the victim was admitted with injuries to both her hands. During the inquiry she , told police that she is a secondyear student and had gone to the college for an extra class when she was assaulted. According to her statement, three men, identified as Jitender, Ishan and Arman, all residents of Mukundpur, approached her on a motorcycle. Ishan allegedly handed the bottle to Arman, who threw acid on her. The woman managed to shield her face but suffered burns on her hands. The accused fled the spot soon after, she added. “She was intercepted by the accused and two of his associates on a motorcycle. The main According to the survivor’s statement, three men—Jitender, Ishan and Arman, all from Mukundpur—approached her on a bike. Ishan allegedly handed the bottle to Arman, who threw acid on her. The woman managed to shield her face but suffered burns on her hands. The accused fled the spot soon after, she added. Initial inquiries revealed that Jitender had been stalking the survivor for several months. accused has been identified as Jitender, a resident of Mukundpur, where the victim also resides,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Nor thwest) Bhisham Singh said in a statement. According to police, initial inquiries revealed that Jitender had been stalking the woman for several months. About a month ago, the two allegedly had a heated argument, after which the harassment intensified. Following the incident, a crime team and forensic experts visited the scene and collected evidence. A case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those related to acid attacks, has been registered. “Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the accused. CCTV footage from the area is being examined for further investigation,” the officer said. The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Delhi University, reacted sharping to the incident on Sunday, terming the acid attack a “reflection of systemic negligence and indifference” by authorities responsible for ensuring women’s safety in the national capital. NATURE’S CUT Uttarakhand to greet out-of-state vehicles with green tax from December N A R E N D R A S E T H I @ Dehradun TOURISTS and pilgrims driving into Uttarakhand will soon be greeted not just by its scenic mountains, but also by a new ‘green cess’. The state government has finalised plans to roll out a mandatory fee on all vehicles entering the hill state from other regions from December. The decision aims to generate revenue specifically for environmental protection and infra- structure improvement within the ecologically sensitive Himalayan state. The objective is to balance booming tourism with fragile mountain ecology . “Starting December 2025, a Green Cess will be collected from vehicles entering Uttarakhand from other states,” said S K Singh, Additional Commissioner of the Transport Department. He added that the fee collection will be automated, deducted directly via the vehicle’s existing FASTag system. PROPOSED DAILY RATES K80 K250 K140 K120 Cars Delivery vans K140-700 Trucks Buses Heavy vehicles To ensure seamless monitoring of the collection process, the state has installed Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at 16 strategic entry points. The Transport Department anticipates that the cess could yield an estimated annual revenue ranging between `100 crore and `150 crore. The entire automated system is being managed through a contract with a private firm to maintain transparency . However, not all vehicles will be subject to the new tax. Exempted vehicles include twowheelers, electric and CNG vehicles, gover nment vehicles, ambulances and fire brigade trucks. Furthermore, vehicles re-entering the state within a 24hour window will not be charged the Green Cess a second time. According to the department, the revenue generated will be utilised for “air pollution control, road safety improvements and urban transport development”. continuing despite friction over trade and energy issues. The Jaishankar–Rubio meeting is expected to cover trade negotiations and India’s continued imports of Russian oil, a major friction point for the Trump administration. The Secretary of State’s comments come amid Washington’s efforts under US President Donald Trump to recalibrate ties with Pakistan including deals on critical mineral mining and energy cooperation, a move that has raised eyebrows among the policy makers in New Delhi. Trump’s administration has also maintained high tariffs of 50% on key Indian exports, while Islamabad continues to enjoy preferential treatment in some sectors. Rubio defended the US engagement with Pakistan as an attempt to “rebuild a strategic partnership,” citing past cooperation on counterterrorism. “We’re fully aware of the challenges with regard to India and everything else,” he said. “But our job is to create opportunities for partnerships where possible,” he added. Fake antacid unit busted, 91K sachets seized; 2 held EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Delhi Police have busted a fake antacid manufacturing unit in north Delhi’s Ibrahimpur, and seized a massive cache of counterfeit products designed to mimic a popular overthe-counter brand. Two accused—Sandeep Jain (45) and Jitender alias Chotu (23)—both residents of Ibrahimpur, have been arrested in connection with the illegal operation, officials said on Sunday . According to the Crime Branch, the unit was discovered during a raid following a complaint from the authorised manufacturer of the antacid brand. The accused had rented a local premise and set up a complete production and packaging line that replicated the genuine product’s branding, including sachets, stickers, and printed rolls. During the search, officers recovered over 91,000 sachets of counterfeit antacids, 80 kg of raw material, 13 kg of company-branded rolls, 54,780 stickers, 2,100 unfilled packets, and a packaging machine. Police said the products were prepared for large-scale distribution and could have posed significant health risks to their unsuspecting consumers. An investigating officer said the racket’s scale and sophistication underline how counterfeit operations have expanded beyond luxury goods into dailyuse healthcare and hygiene items. “The fake products were nearly indistinguishable from the originals and ready to be pushed into retail markets,” the officer added. Police have remanded both the accused to two days’ custody and are probing the supply network and possible links to other counterfeit operations.