DUO WINS CHEMISTRY NOBEL FOR SOLVING ‘MIRROR IMAGE MYSTERY’ THURSDAY 08 France’s Henri Kagan and Japan’s Kenso Soai on Wednesday won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for untangling the mirror images in molecules OCTOBER, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard CRACKDOWN US PROPOSES $70,000 STUDENT FEE HENRI B KAGAN MAKING THE PREFERRED VARIANT OF A MOLECULE In an attempt to crack down on foreign enrolments, Trump administration has proposed a $70,000 fee for international students seeking to work in US A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 Borrowing costs to go up as RBI raises repo rate In first hike since Feb 2023, key rate raised to 5.5%; RBI signals rate-hike season is on B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai look,” RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra told reporters. THE Reserve Bank of India The hike was Malhotra’s on Wednesday joined other first since he assumed office central banks in biting the in December 2024. During his rate-hike bullet, delivering its tenure, RBI has delivered six first repo rate hike since Feb- rate cuts totalling 125 bps. ruary 2023. RBI’s Monetary The MPC, however, sent a Policy Committee (MPC) mixed signal by raising its raised the key policy rate by growth forecast by 40 basis 25 basis points (bps) to 5.5%, points to 7.1% for the current immediately raising the inter- financial year while increasest burden on borrowers. ing its inflation projection by At its policy meeting held 20 bps to 5.2%. between October 5 and OctoThe rate hike comes amid ber 7, the MPC signalled that rising inflation risks and glohigher interest rates bal macroeconomic are here to stay for pressures, including some time, changing the threat of a its policy stance from drought and elevated ‘neutral’ to ‘calibratbond yields. Typicaled tightening’. This, ly central banks raise , according to anainterest rates to conlysts, is a signal that tain inflation by modtwo or three more erating demand, Sanjay Malhotra hikes could be in the which in turn slows offing, depending on economic activity. how inflation and other mac- RBI’s higher growth forecast, roeconomic conditions evolve alongside the increase in its in the near term. inflation projection presents a RBI’s action sent stocks complex policy outlook. lower by 0.6-0.76%, while the “The duration and the exrupee breached the 97-per-dol- tent of the rate hike cycle lar mark for the first time would be contingent on the acsince June and closed at a tual growth-inflation developfive-month low of 96.78. Bond ments and outlook, especially yields hardened by 5-7 basis that of underlying inflation, points to 7.25%. the extent of broadening of “Rate cuts are off the table price pressures and secondfor the time being, and any round effects of the supply further action will be a hike shock, as well as the impact of or a pause, depending on the demand impulses,” the RBI evolving macroeconomic out- governor said. P10 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.25 6.25 6.00 6.25 6.00 REPO RATE HISTORY 5.75 5.50 5.25 5.50 Figures in % 5.00 7 Dec 2022 8 Feb 8 June 9 Oct 2023 2023 2024 6 Dec 2024 5.50 5.50 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 7 Feb 9 April 6 June 6 Aug 5 Dec 6 Feb 5 June 5 Aug 7 Oct 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 EXPRESS READ GE ships four more engines for Tejas Mk-1A US aerospace giant GE Aerospace has said that it shipped four F404-IN20 engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in September for the indigenous Tejas Mk-IA aircraft. This shipment takes the total supplied engines for the Mk-1A programme to 14. Delayed supply of engines has made HAL miss delivery deadlines. P7 No self-promotion for doctors, says NMC National Medical Commission (NMC) has released guidelines to stop self-promotion and celebrity or patient endorsement habits by registered medical practitioners, hospitals, medical institutions and other stakeholders on social media platforms. P7 KENSO SOAI Hit by lightning, IndiGo flight lands at Lucknow An IndiGo flight from Patna to Lucknow was hit by lightning and suffered a nose damage. It prompted an emergency landing at Lucknow Airport eight minutes early unaware of the extent of the impact. All 104 passengers and six crew members were unharmed.  NEW DELHI  J8.00  Molecules exist as two mirrored variants. But in living organisms, only one variant is found. While nature produces only the variant it requires, scientists have failed to create a specific version and have always ended up with an equal mix of both. Kagan and Soai discovered a solution to this puzzle, which has transformed modern medicine | P9 PAGES 12 Aged 20 or under & unemployed? No US visas to nine wrestlers F I R O Z M I R Z A @ Chennai IN a big setback to the Indian wrestling contingent scheduled to compete at the U23 World Championships, the US Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday refused visas to nine out of 16 athletes. The wrestlers appeared for the visa interviews but were declined visas as their age was 20 or below and all of them, except one, were unemployed. The one woman wrestler, who recently got a job with the Indian Railways, was also denied visas as she could not furnish her salary and bank account details. The championship is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from October 12 to 18. A total of 24 members from the Indian contingent including 16 wrestlers appeared in the first round of interviews at the US Embassy on Wednesday The second lot . comprising 14 wrestlers will visit the Embassy on Thursday . Concerned with the development, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) mailed the US Embassy and copied it to the USA Wrestling and United PRESS CLUSIVE PIC: UWW UWW assured us I will speak to the that wrestlers will WFI & then speak get the visas on the issue Sanjay Kumar Singh, WFI president Nenad Lalovic, UWW president World Wrestling (UWW), the world governing body When ap. prised of the issue by this daily , UWW chief Nenad Lalovic said he would speak to the WFI in this regard. Later in the day La, lovic made a call to the WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh. “We got a call from the UWW president. We have written to him, seeking intervention from the UWW and USA Wrestling in this matter. He assured us that our wrestlers will participate in the event,” Sanjay Kumar told this daily Meanwhile, a WFI of. ficial also confirmed that USA Wrestling also got in touch with the federation. A total of 30 wrestlers (10 each in men’s Greco-Roman, freestyle and women’s wrestling) were selected to compete in the competition. If things go as planned, they will be accompanied by coaches, medical staff and referees for the event. The wrestlers, who were denied visas, are Samarth Gajanan Mhakave, Dheeraj Kumar Malik, Sachin Kumar, Nikhil, Hard e e p, P a r ve e n , A h i l ya Shatrughn Shinde, Neha Sharma and Neha. P11 3 dead, 8 injured as four-storey house collapses in Seemapuri EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other INDIA bloc members lie on the road with a copy of the Constitution in New Delhi on Wednesday | PARVEEN NEGI Flash stir adds to pressure on CEC P R E E T H A N A I R & U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi THE face-off between the INDIA bloc and the Chief Election Commissioner spilled onto New Delhi’s streets for the second consecutive day on Wednesday as police forcibly detained , Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition MPs for the third time in two days. This came after a flash protest demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. After an hour-long standoff, police carried Rahul Gandhi into a bus and forcibly removed Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who lay on the road holding a copy of the Constitution. The siblings and other detained leaders were released later. Rahul said the Opposition’s protest would continue until Kumar resigned, calling it a fight to protect the “most sacred thing” in the country. Later asked about the FIR against him for Tuesday’s eight-hour sitin, he said, “I have 45 FIRs against me. My target is that there should be 100 FIRs against me. Every FIR against me is a medal for me.” The protest followed a luncheon for INDIA bloc leaders hosted by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge at a restaurant on Janpath in central Delhi. The leaders then boarded buses to head to Jantar Mantar, where heavy security had been deployed. When police stopped their buses on Ashoka Road, Rahul and other leaders got out and staged a sit-in, triggering a confrontation with security personnel. As police bodily removed Rahul and put him in the police bus, some Congress leaders climbed atop the bus and bonnet. A large posse of women personnel removed Priyanka and others and took them away in buses. The show of Opposition unity was marked by the absence of the Samajwadi Party How. ever, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “In the future, you might hear about a meeting over tea. We could all sit down and eat samosas too... Diplomacy will continue.” As for the Cockroach Janta Party it will launch its protest at , Jantar Mantar on October 10. P3 Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling on veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani at the latter’s residence, in New Delhi on Wednesday | PTI ‘We will do it’ Says PM on Viksit Bharat, adds criticism a motivator RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi Split verdict recall: SC to examine plea The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to examine a plea seeking recall of its split verdict on whether challenges to the 2023 law governing the appointment of the CEC and Election Commissioners should go to a larger Constitution bench | P7 As I said yesterday, those who have done this work are traitors and we will take action against them. I am telling you Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign. We will not stop till he resigns Rahul Gandhi Leader of Opposition INJECTING fresh momentum into the Viksit Bharat vision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday coined a new slogan, ‘We will do it’, and called on citizens to work hard to help achieve the goal of becoming a developed country by 2047. The prime minister was addressing the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha’ held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi to mark his 25 years as the head of a government. “The dream we are seeing today in 2026 of a developed India will surely come true. There is no reason for India to stop now. A hundred years ago, we were even less than 40 crore; today, we are more than 140 crore. The 140 crore citizens together will build a developed India by 2047, and we certainly will. We Will Do It,” Modi said. He repeated the new phrase 19 times during his 50-minute address. “Viksit Bharat by 2047: we will do it. Top 3 economy: We will do it. Self-reliant India: we will do it. Global manufacturing hub: we will do it. Hosting the Olympics: we will do it. Forging ahead in space exploration: we will do it,” he said with the crowd echoing him. The prime minister said criticism has always motivat- ed him to perform better. Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Modi said, “Those who tried to defeat me showed me humility. Those who tried to pull me down showed me resilience. Those who challenged me showed me the power of determination.” He said India is now advancing across multiple sectors. “The Indian Tricolour flies high in technology, sports and industry Indian pilots are be. ing talked about across the globe today. A day will come when the world discusses “Made in India” aircraft. These goals will be realised only if we formulate visionary policies and strive with the utmost dedication. This is not the time for rest; it is a time to move forward with purpose and to dedicate ourselves entirely to the nation,” he declared. Modi cautioned that political fragmentation for votebank gains remains one of the nation’s steepest hurdles, reminding citizens that when adversity strikes, it impacts every community and caste without discrimination. “When a farmer’s field lacks water, does the problem affect only one caste? When there is no electricity, does darkness fall only on one community? If the problem belongs to everyone, the solution must be for everyone,” he said. P4 A pregnant woman and two children were killed, while eight others, including a toddler, were injured on Wednesday after a four-storey building collapsed in northeast Delhi’s New Seemapuri area. The body of one of the children was pulled out of the rubble with the head severed. According to the Delhi Fire Services, they received information around 3.30 pm regarding the collapse near Idgah Machhli Mandi, New Seemapuri. Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and a rescue operation was initiated. DCP (Shahdara) Rajendra Prasad Meena said, “The building, constructed on a plot of around 25 square yards, collapsed and partially damaged two adjoining buildings. Eleven people have been rescued from the debris so far, of which eight have been shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, Tahirpur, for further treatment,” he said. The injured have been identified as Momin Mirja, 56, Abdaan, 3, Abdul Rehman, 28, Devruddin, 28, Salma, 50, Chote, 34, Sakina, 35, and Samad, 30. The victims include four months pregnant Gulafsa, 21 and two unidentified children, Meena said. One Saleem, known to the victims, stated that the house developed cracks after Tuesday night’s quake. “We were vacating the house when it collapsed,” he said. CONTINUED ON P3 NO UPKEEP SC RAPS ASI FOR POOR MONUMENT CARE The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the ASI saying there is absolutely no seriousness on its part in protecting heritage monuments, while also rapping MCD over poor upkeep in Delhi | P4 NGT slaps fine of `25K on Odisha chief A gau rakshak façade, a cattle-smuggling C’garh racket secy for not appearing in mining case E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Cuttack THE National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) East Zone Bench has slapped a fine of `25,000 each on the chief secretary and seven other officials of the Odisha government for failing to appear through counsel before the tribunal and file responses in a case of alleged illegal sand mining in Angul district. The bench of Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, judicial member, and expert members A Senthil Vel and Ishwar Singh imposed the fine on the eight respondents, observing the repeated non-appearance of their counsels was delaying the adjudication of environmental issues. Apart from the chief secretary other respondents include , the principal secretary of the water resources department, Angul SP, deputy director of mines (Talcher circle), regional transport officer (Angul), tehsildars of Talcher and Parajang, and inspector-in-charge of Talcher police station. The order, issued on September 28, was uploaded on Tuesday The tribunal was hearing a . petition filed by an NGO alleging mining beyond the permitted lease area and excess extraction by the private lessee of Nizgarhzami Sand Quarry . THEY arrived in daylight claiming to protect cows. They told villagers that stray cattle were being rounded up for their own safety and would be taken to a gaushala, where they would be looked after. But Chhattisgarh police busted their case: the men allegedly used villagers’ trust to gather animals for sale. The operation be gan in Narharpur in Kanker district, where former Bajrang Dal lead- ers Gaurav Shori and Himanshu Tiwari approached villagers, assuring them that stray cattle would be taken to the gaushala at Pandripani. What happened next was very different. On the night of September 30, police said, 41 cows and heifers were loaded into six pickup vans and driven towards neighbouring Dhamtari district instead of Pandripani. There, the consignment was allegedly handed over to a buyer, Hemant Yadav, for `2.8 lakh. The police case said the animals rounded up in the day had, by night, become the subject of an illegal commercial transaction. The deception came to light when cattle owner Ravikant Thakur went looking for his cow and heifer. The animals routinely grazed outside and normally returned, but this time they did not come back. Villagers told Thakur that Shori and Tiwari had collected cattle on the pretext of taking them to a gaushala. Thakur and other villagers went to Pandripani to discover that not a single animal had been brought there. When they con fronted the accused by phone and later in person, the accused gave evasive replies. The Narharpur police then arrested four men—Gaurav Shori, Himanshu Tiwari, Manish Baghel and Vishwanath Kaushik, all residents of Jamgaon. The police subsequently recovered 27 cattle from Dhamtari.