FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 134 | BHOPAL | MONDAY | OCTOBER 27, 2025 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports I THOUGHT I’D GET THROUGH THIS WITHOUT CRYING: SOPHIE P.10 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY The US sees an opportunity to expand its strategic relationship with Pakistan but it will not be at the expense of its historic and important ties with India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said. Ahead of his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Rubio, referring to India's energy ties with Russia, said New Delhi has already expressed a desire to diversify its procurement of crude oil. The US secretary of state was interacting with journalists ahead of his trip to Malaysia for the ASEAN summit. Rubio, to a question on the US' ties with Pakistan, said New Delhi is "concerned for obvious reasons" and that Washington's relationship with Islamabad will not be at the expense of the ties with New Delhi. "But, I think they (India) US-China tension cools down fp Briefs NEW DELHI 11 nations to join Maritime Week Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the five-day India Maritime Week 2025 on Monday at NESCO Grounds in Mumbai, to be held from October 27 to 31, which is poised to be the largest maritime gathering globally. Ministers from 11 countries, along with their industry delegations, will participate in various sessions throughout the five-day event, reflecting the growing global interest in India’s maritime sector. PARIS Louvre heist suspects held Suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of crown jewels from Paris' Louvre museum, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday, a week after the heist at the world's most visited museum that stunned the world. The prosecutor said that investigators made the arrests on Saturday evening, adding that one of the men taken into custody was preparing to leave the country from Roissy Airport. French media BFM TV and Le Parisien newspaper earlier reported that two suspects had been arrested and taken into custody. I think Indians are very mature when it comes to diplomacy and things of that nature Marco Rubio US Secretary of State have to understand we have to have relations with a lot of different countries. We see an opportunity to expand our strategic relationship with Pakistan," he said. "I think the Indians are very mature when it comes to diplomacy and things of that nature. Look, they have some relationships with countries that we don't have relationships with. So, it's part of a ma- Trump raises tariffs on Canada Trade tensions between the US and China appeared to cool on Sunday ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with the Chinese government suggesting that a mutual understanding had been reached between the world's two largest economies United States President Donald Trump on Sunday raised tariffs on Canada by 10%, over and above the already-imposed tariffs, due to the "fraudulent" advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan that was broadcast during the MLB World Series. Multiple Canadian products already face a 35% tariff ture, pragmatic foreign policy," he said. "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 added. The US-Pakistan ties have witnessed an upswing in the last six months, especially after US President Donald Trump's meeting with Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir following the military conflict between India and Pakistan in May. While India rejected Trump's repeated claims that he brokered a ceasefire between the two countries, Pakistan credited the US president for ending the hostilities between the two countries. 4Continued on | P8 Kailash says players must alert local officials while going out Our Staff Reporter INDORE Amid an outrage over the alleged molestation of two Australian women cricketers in the city, urban development and housing minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday said cricket players must keep the local authorities informed while stepping out, as they are very popular in India. "Players must keep in mind that when they leave their place, their security and local MOLESTATION OF AUSSIE CRICKETERS Two women players were stalked and one of them was molested by a motorcycle-borne man in Indore administration should be informed because there is a huge craze for cricketers (in India)," Vijayvargiya said. PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Brand Sutra The Winner Takes It All P.12 US-Pak relations not at expense of India: Rubio PTI PRESS Edit Making bus travel safer P.6 A whirlwind week ahead, indeed! EXPANDING TIES | US-Pak ties witnessed upswing in last six months, especially after Trump’s meeting with Asim Munir WASHINGTON UJJAIN The two women players, who are taking part in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, were stalked and one of them was molested by a motorcycleborne man in the city on Thursday morning. The incident took place in the Khajrana Road area and the accused was traced and arrested on Friday, an official said. 4Continued on | P8 ‘2026 will be ASEAN-India yr of maritime cooperation’ EAM, South Korea minsiter discuss defence, semiconductors PTI Agencies NEW DELHI KUALA LUMPUR The India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is emerging as a powerful foundation for global stability and growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday. In a virtual address at the India-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) annual summit, Modi also said that the grouping is a key pillar of New Delhi's Act East Policy. "India has always fully supported 'ASEAN centrality' and ASEAN's outlook on the IndoPacific," he said. "Even in these times of uncertainty, the India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has made steady progress. Our strong partnership is emerging as a powerful foundation for global stability and growth," Modi said. The prime minister said India has "stood firmly with its ASEAN friends" in every crisis and the two-way cooperation in the spheres of maritime secur- GOYAL IN BRUSSELS NEW DELHI: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will visit Brussels on Monday (October 27) for talks with his EU counterpart to give political impetus to the proposed trade pact, as the deadline to conclude negotiations nears. During the twoday visit, Goyal will meet Executive Vice-President and European Commissioner for Trade of the European Union Maros Sefcovic, the commerce ministry said on Sunday. "The visit comes at a crucial stage in the ongoing India-EU FTA negotiations, as both sides intensify efforts to conclude a comprehensive, balanced, and mutually beneficial trade agreement at the earliest," it said. Even in these times of uncertainty, the India-ASEAN Strategic Partnership has made steady progress Narendra Modi Prime Minister ity and the blue economy is growing rapidly. "In light of this, we are declaring 2026 as the ASEAN-India year of maritime cooperation," he announced. "We are also vigorously advancing mutual cooperation in education, tourism, science and technology, health, green energy and cybersecurity. We will continue to work together to preserve our shared cultural heritage and strengthen people-to-people ties," he said. ASEAN is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region, and India and several other countries, including the US, China, Japan and Australia, are its dialogue partners. The ASEAN-India dialogue relations started with the establishment of a sectoral partnership in 1992. This graduated to a full dialogue partnership in December 1995 and a summit-level partnership in 2002. The ties were elevated to a strategic partnership in 2012. The two-way relations between India and ASEAN have been on a significant upswing in the last few years, with focus being on boosting cooperation in the areas of trade and investment as well as security and defence. External Affairs Minsiter S Jaishankar on Sunday met his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur and appreciated the deepening of the India-South Korea Special Strategic Partnership. Both leaders also discussed further cooperation in automotive, electronics, semiconductors, defence, and shipbuilding between the two nations. Sharing the details of the meeting, Jaishankar wrote on X, "Delighted to meet @FMChoHyun of RoK, on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Malaysia. Appreciate the deepening of our Special Strategic Partnership. Discussed cooperation in automotive, electronics, semiconductor, defence and shipbuilding." 4Continued on | P8 Omar’s statement to step down on J&K statehood stirs buzz IANS SRINAGAR Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Sunday that he would resign as the CM if statehood was not restored in a finite period. In an interview with NDTV, Omar Abdullah has said that he would resign as the chief minister if statehood was not restored. The statement assumes significance for more than one reason, as it comes in the aftermath of alleged cross-voting in the recently concluded Rajya Sabha elections in which four seats were won by the Na- tional Conference (NC) and one by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP victory on the 4th seat has come as a surprise to Omar Abdullah and his party, as he had said with confidence that the NC would win all four seats. Omar Abdullah has now said that no MLA from the NC went against the party whip and all of them voted for the four NC candidates, Mohammad Ramzan Chowdhary, Sajad Kichloo, Shami Oberoi and Imran Nabi Dar. Imran Nabi Dar lost to BJP's J&K president Sat Sharma, contesting for the 4th Rajya Sabha seat. Omar Abdullah has been accusing those MLAs belonging to non-NC political parties of having declared support for NC but finally voting for the BJP candidate on the 4th seat. The BJP candidate got 32 votes against 22 taken by the NC candidate on the 4th seat. 4Continued on | P8 Three held with tiger Dalit man beaten to death, Cryptocurrency hide in East Mandla mob attacks accused’s homes property under Hunt on for others Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Three persons were arrested with a tiger skin in East Mandla late Saturday night, in a joint operation by forest teams from East Mandla and Kanha Tiger Reserve. Officials said the accused were trying to sell the skin when they were trapped by forest officers posing as buyers. District Forest Officer (East Mandla) Pretha said two per- sons were initially detained with the tiger skin, followed by arrest of a third accused. Preliminary questioning revealed that others were also involved in the poaching. A search has been launched to trace them. The accused claimed that someone else had killed the tiger, and investigators are now verifying this claim. Forest teams are also trying to determine where the tiger was hunted and what happened to its remaining body parts. 4Continued on | P8 FP News Service BHIND A dalit man was fatally beaten with sticks over a long-standing feud between two families in Bhind, as reported on Sunday. According to information, the victim was identified as Ali, also known as Rudra Pratap Singh Jatav and the incident took place in  Daboh’s Raipura village. It is said he succumbed to his injuries while being taken to Gwalior for treatment. His maternal uncle was also seriously injured in the attack and is undergoing treatment in Gwalior. The dispute reportedly involved the Jatav family and the Kaurav family, who have had ongoing conflicts for a long time. Local police had previously received complaints about frequent clashes between the 2 sides. After the killing, angry members of the Jatav community attacked the houses of the accused and set a car and a bike on fire. Tension escalated in the village, prompting deployment of a heavy police force. On Saturday, the confrontation turned violent, leading to Rudra Pratap’s death. 4Continued on | P8 offgrid Albania’s AI min ‘pregnant’ with 83 digital children Diella was appointed to ensure public procurement with transparency FP Online MUMBAI Albania's artificially intelligent government minister, Diella, is expecting, according to Prime Minister Edi Rama. He has disclosed in- tentions to develop "83 children", digital assistants, with one designated for each Socialist Party parliamentarian. "We took quite a risk today with Diella here and we did very well. So for the first time Diella is pregnant and with 83 children," he stated at the Berlin Global Dialogue (BGD). Rama explained that these "offspring", or digital assistants, would document all parliamentary proceedings and keep MPs briefed on dis- cussions or events they might have missed. "Each assistant will serve the individual MP by attending parliamentary sittings, maintaining a comprehensive record of proceedings, and providing recommendations. These children will possess their mother's knowledge," Rama noted. He anticipates the system will be completely functional by the close of 2026. Rama elaborated on the AI assistants' capabilities: "For instance, should you pop out for coffee and lose track of time, this offspring will inform you of what transpired in your absence and advise you on whom to challenge. When you invite me next, there will be 83 additional screens displaying Diella's offspring." 4Continued on | P8 Indian law: HC IANS NEW DELHI In a significant ruling, the Madras High Court has held that cryptocurrency qualifies as "property" under Indian law, an asset capable of being owned, enjoyed, and held in trust. "There can be no doubt that cryptocurrency is a property. It is not a tangible property, nor is it a currency. However, it is a property which is capable of being enjoyed and possessed (in a beneficial form). It is capable of being held in trust," observed a single-judge Bench of Justice N. Anand Venkatesh. Delivering its order, the Madras High Court drew support from apex court verdicts in Ahmed G.H. Ariff vs CWT and Jilubhai Nanbhai Khachar vs State of Gujarat cases to expand the meaning of "property" under Indian law. "Property in the legal sense means an aggregate of rights which are guaranteed and protected by law. It extends to every species of valuable right and interest. everything that has an exchangeable value or which goes to make up wealth or estate or status," quoted Justice Venkatesh. He also noted that cryptocurrency falls within the definition of a "virtual digital asset" under Section 2(47A) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, and is not treated as a speculative transaction. The ruling came in a case where the applicant sought protection of her holdings of 3,532.30 XRP coins on the WazirX platform, which had been frozen following a 2024 cyberattack. The Madras High Court recognised the applicant's holdings as her property, restraining interference pending arbitration proceedings. 4Continued on | P8