THE SUNDAY 7 MAA KATYAYANIE COLOUR: ORANG Vol. 37 No. 1 | Sunday, September 28, 2025 31 Pages | `5 & for State `6 | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 FREE PRESS JOURNAL Heavy rain forecast for city INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation CHAOS AT KARUR | Actor Vijay’s roadshow turns fatal with over 50 rushed to hospitals following overcrowding Over 36 die in TN stampede Shefali Parab-Pandit Telecom Bullet train from infra gets Ahmedabad to 4G boost arrive by 2029 FPJ News Service MUMBAI MUMBAI The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a Red Alert warning of extremely heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, for Mumbai and its neighbouring districts of Raigad and Thane from Sunday through Monday morning. A Red Alert, indicating the likelihood of extremely heavy rainfall in isolated pockets, will remain in effect until Monday morning, after which an Orange Alert has been issued as a precautionary measure. Palghar district has also been placed under a Red Alert for two consecutive days Sunday and Monday due to the forecast of intense rainfall. According to the weather bureau, the surge in rainfall activity across Maharashtra is attributed to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. This system is expected to move westward and intensify into a depression within the next 12 hours. Additionally, a trough extends from this low-pressure area toward the south Maharashtra coast. 4Contd on | Nation Extortion calls to Kapil Sharma: man held in WB N Chithra CHENNAI In one of the worst tragedies at a political roadshow, over 36 persons including several children were killed following a stampede at actor-politician Vijay’s roadshow in Karur in western Tamil Nadu on Saturday night. With many more In a significant breakthrough, the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested an accused from West Bengal for issuing threats and demanding extortion from comedian Kapil Sharma. The accused, identified as Dilip Chaudhary, allegedly threatened Sharma in the name of notorious gangsters Rohit Godara and Goldy Brar. He demanded an extortion of ₹1 crore from the popular comedian. According to police officials, the accused not only made threatening phone calls but also sent intimidating videos to Sharma. 4Contd on | Nation being rushed in a critical condition in ambulances to various hospitals – at the time of filing of this report at 9 pm – the casualty is likely to go up. Health Minister Ma Subramanian confirmed 29 persons were brought dead to the Karur Government General Hospital and over 50 others were undergoing treatment. In- Probe on Wangchuck’s ‘links with Pakistan’ M Saleem Pandit SRINAGAR Poonam Apraj MUMBAI Director General of Police of Ladakh, S D Singh Jamwal, on Saturday claimed that Sonam Wangchuk was being probed for alleged links with Pakistan during last year's agitation over the incorporation of the Sixth Schedule in the Constitution to give more rights to the Union Territory of Ladakh. He disclosed that the police had arrested a Pakistani intelligence operative last month, who was found sending videos of his protests across to his mentors in Pakistan. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) on Friday, and he provoked youth to violence demanding statehood for the Union Territory, which resulted in the deaths of four youths and injuries to 80 others on Wednesday last, DG Jamwal said. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation What has been found in the investigation (against Wangchuk) cannot be disclosed at this moment. The process is going on, and if you look at his profile and history, it is all available on YouTube. His speech worked as an instigation as he talked about the Arab Spring and the recent unrest in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. – S D Singh Jamwal, DG, Ladakh US unveils 21-point Gaza roadmap MUMBAI The United States has unveiled a sweeping 21-point proposal aimed at ending the Gaza war and laying the groundwork for long-term stability in the Middle East. The plan, presented on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, calls for an immediate ceasefire, Israel’s phased withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas’s disarmament, and a structured path to eventual Palestinian statehood. According to officials fam- iliar with the initiative, the document was quietly circulated this week to a select group of Arab and Muslim nations. Its provisions include the immediate release of hostages, amnesty for Hamas members who renounce violence, and international oversight of Gaza’s reconstruction. The move marks a dramatic policy shift for President Donald Trump, who earlier this year suggested relocating Gaza’s two million residents and dismissed talk of a two-state solution. 4Contd on | Nation dependent reports from the ground suggested at least 33 were dead. The Karur Government General Hospital was overflowing with the arrival of patients and wailing relatives. Subramanian said 24 doctors from neighbouring Tiruchi district and 20 doctors from Salem were being rushed to Karur to handle the situation. Chief Minister M K Stalin, who expressed serious concern over the development, directed Health Minister Ma Subramanian and School Education Minister, local legislators and the district administration to monitor and handle the tragedy on a war-footing. 4Contd on | Nation In a big step towards self-reliance in telecom infrastructure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) fully indigenous 4G stack, marking India’s entry into the exclusive club of nations manufacturing their own telecom equipment. The launch coincided with BSNL’s silver jubilee celebrations and was accompanied by the commissioning of over 97,500 mobile towers, built at a cost of nearly ₹37,000 crore. The PM hailed the rollout as a transformative stride in line with his government’s Digital India vision, which aims to bridge the digital divide and empower rural communities. The 4G stack, designed to be cloud-based and futureready, can seamlessly upgrade to 5G, positioning India at the forefront of next-generation telecom technology. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation Jaishankar flags tariff volatility ANI NEW YORK External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called upon BRICS to defend the multilateral trading system amid tariff volatility during a meeting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers here on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. Addressing the gathering, Jaishankar said that “when multilateralism is under stress, BRICS has stood firm as a strong voice of reason and constructive change.” He emphasised that in a turbulent world, BRICS must reinforce the message of peacebuilding, dialogue, diplomacy and adherence to international law. Concerns over rising trade barriers took centre stage at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting. The meeting, held on Friday and chaired by the Ex- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hosts BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting, in New York. –ANI ternal Affairs Minister, highlighted India’s upcoming BRICS Chairship in 2026, a strong stand against terrorism, and calls for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms. The meeting saw unanimous support for India’s presidency next year. A joint statement confirmed that the ministers extended full backing to India’s Chairship and the hosting of the XVIII BRICS Summit in 2026. Jaishankar, in a post on X, described BRICS as a “voice of reason” and highlighted food and energy security, digital transformation, and UN reforms as priorities for India’s tenure. A strong condemnation of terrorism was issued, with ministers specifically referring to the April 22, 2025, attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people. 4Contd on | Nation Amazon to pay $2.5 bn for tricking customers Online Report SEATTLE Amazon has reached a historic $2.5 billion settlement with Federal Trade Commission, which said the online retail giant tricked customers into signing up for Prime memberships and could not cancel it. The Seattle company will pay FPJ News Service FPJ News Service MUMBAI $1 billion in civil comes days after penalties — the the trial began in PRIME largest such fine in US District Court MEMBERSHIP the agency's hisin Seattle this tory for a rule violweek. At the heart ation — and $1.5 billion will be of the case is the Restore Online paid to consumers uninten- Shoppers' Confidence Act, a tionally enrolled in Prime, or 2010 law designed to ensure were deterred from cancelling people know what they are subscriptions, the agency said. being charged for online. The surprise settlement “It just took a few days for them to see they were going to lose. And they came to us and they paid out,” said Chris Mufarrige, director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Amazon said it was confident of a win but it resolved it quickly instead of going through potentially years of trial and appeals. 4Contd on | Nation The 50-km stretch of India’s first Bullet Train project between Surat and Bilimora in Gujarat will open in 2027, and by 2029 the entire corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be operational, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday. Vaishnaw, who visited the under-construction Surat Bullet Train station to inspect track installation works and its first turnout installation, said the project is “progressing very well”. Once operational, the bullet train will cover the 508-km distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in just two hours and seven minutes. “The first 50-km section between Surat and Bilimora will be ready by 2027. By 2028, the Thane–Ahmedabad section will be commissioned, and by 2029, the entire Mumbai– Ahmedabad stretch will open,” the minister told reporters. The high-speed rail will run at 320 kmph on the main line and 80 kmph on the loop line. Vaishnaw said the most advanced technologies are being deployed to ensure safety, stability and efficiency. “This is a very complex movement of trains. Several vibration-absorbing mechanisms are in place, and the utility cable has been designed to take the vibrations whenever the train runs at 320 kmph,” he explained. Even within the tracks, special systems are built to absorb shocks from gusty winds Railway Minister Vaishnaw sets phased launch timeline, says project will link Mumbai–Ahmedabad in just over two hours or even sudden earthquakes. The railway minister noted that the major construction work for Surat station is complete, with finishing and utility works progressing at speed. The first turnout — where tracks join or separate — was installed at Surat station on Saturday, using new roller-bearing technology and composite sleepers. Vaishnaw said the project would integrate the economies of Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad, spurring growth similar to Japan after the launch of its first Shinkansen. Looking ahead, he added, “In our party’s manifesto, we have promised three more bullet train corridors in the north, one in the east and one in the south. With Mumbai–Ahmedabad in the west, India will soon have four bullet train corridors.” South Korea seeks Trump’s mediation FPJ News Service MUMBAI South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to use his influence with Kim Jong Un and act as a “peacemaker” to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Friday. Cho told the Associated Press that Lee made the appeal during recent talks, stressing that Seoul was prepared to step aside and let Trump take the lead in any renewed diplomacy. “We want President Trump to exercise his leadership to pull North Korea to the dialogue table,” Cho said. “President Lee relegated himself to the role of pacemaker.” Trump, who returned to office in January, “welcomed” the request and expressed willingness to engage with North Korea again, according to Cho. There was no immediate confirmation from the White House. Trump and Kim Jong Un met three times between 2018 and 2019, beginning with the historic Singapore summit. But talks collapsed in Hanoi over differences on sanctions relief and denuclearisation, and a brief encounter at the interKorean border failed to restart negotiations. Kim has since shunned diplomacy with Washington and Seoul, while steadily expanding his nuclear arsenal. 4Contd on | Nation Yunxian 2 skull rewrites human evolution timeline Vidhi Santosh Mehta MUMBAI A million-year-old human skull discovered in China is challenging what scientists thought they knew about the origins of our species. A new study published in the journal Science suggests that Homo sapiens may have begun to emerge more than one million years ago at least 400,000 to 500,000 years earlier than previously believed. If confirmed, this finding would dramatically rewrite one of the earliest chapters of human history. The fossil, known as Yunxian 2, was unearthed in Hubei Province in 1990 but had long been assumed to belong to Homo erectus, the first large-brained humans. Its age, roughly a million years old, seemed too early for more advanced humans. However, a digital reconstruction carried out by an international team of scientists has revealed that Yunxian 2 is not Homo erectus, but instead belongs to the Asian Homo longi clade, a group closely related to both Homo sapiens and A new study published in the journal Science suggests that Homo sapiens may have begun to emerge more than one million years ago at least 400,000 to 500,000 years earlier than previously believed. Neanderthals. Professor Xijun Ni of Fudan University, who co-led the research, admitted the results initially seemed unbelievable. “From the very beginning, when we got the result, we thought it was unbelievable. How could that be so deep into the past? But we tested it again and again to test all the models, use all the methods, and we are now confident about the result, and we’re actually very excited,” he told BBC News. The skull had been badly crushed, making classification difficult for decades. Using advanced CT scanning, structure light imaging, and computer modelling, scientists restored it to its original shape and compared it with over 100 other fossils. The re- construction revealed a mosaic of traits: a broad, flat braincase and projecting lower face like Homo erectus, but also features such as a larger brain capacity and derived characteristics closer to Homo longi clade and Homo sapiens. Professor Chris Stringer, an anthropologist at London’s Natural History Museum and co-lead of the study, said the discovery shifts the timeline of human evolution much further back. 4Contd on | Nation