Monday, August 25, 2025 | Vol. 68 No. 277 | 27 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation GAMES NATION Rajnath calls Gaganyaan mission ‘pivotal moment’ in India’s journey towards self-reliance Cinema Esha recalls mom Hema Malini’s priceless advices Indian Test cricketer Pujara announces his retirement from all forms of cricket Edit Let’s begin with a small step in our fight against graft TOUGH SHARE | Equal tally likely for BJP and JD(U), while Chirag’s party eyes 40 & HAM 20 Dheeraj Kumar PATNA aramjeet Singh transforms lives in M-East Ward through food, education and skills. Turn to the Mumbai page to find out how. SEE P3 P As Indian envoy Vinay Mohan Kwatra discussed "fair, balanced and mutually beneficial trade ties" with US lawmakers amid tariff tensions, Republican leader Nikki Haley said New Delhi should take President Donald Trump's concerns over its procurement of Russian crude oil seriously. India should work with the White House to find a solution to the issue, Haley posted on X a portion of an opinion piece she wrote in the Newsweek four days ago. The seat-sharing talks between allies of the NDA for upcoming Bihar assembly election are in the final stage as BJP and JD(U) are expected to contest an equal number of seats. However, both parties are likely to face a huge challenge in satisfying small allies like union ministers Chirag Paswan's LJP(RV) and Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM, as they are flexing their muscles by demanding 40 seats and 20 seats respectively. A senior LJP(RV) leader on the condition of anonymity said, “We will not accept 20 seats as we will not contest less than 40 seats in the elections.” Even if Chirag's LJP(RV) relents, it is not expected to contest less than 30 seats, sources added.On the other hand, a senior Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader said, “My party would not settle for less than 20 seats. We should not be offered fewer seats than what LJP gets. We have four legislators while the LJP has none.” 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation Haley to Delhi: Take Trump seriously on oil Agencies NEW YORK 8 DAYS TO GO, 98% FILE SIR PAPERS NEW DELHI The EC on Sunday said documents of 98.2% of electors have been received with eight more days left for people to file claims and objections to the draft electoral roll published as part of special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar voters’ list. Only ten complaints from the recognised 12 political parties have been registered, it said. It underlined that the claims and objections period gives an opportunity to the electors to not only rectify mistakes in the draft rolls, but also submit their requisite documents which they may not have provided while submitting their enumeration forms. "As per information from the office of CEO Bihar, till date documents of 98.2% of electors have been received," it said. From June 24 to August 24, in 60 days, 98.2% persons have submitted their documents. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation Agencies FPJ New Service NEW DELHI Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav in Araria on Sunday FPJ News Service Ukraine drone hits Russian N-plant, no radiation scare MOSCOW – PTI NDA hard talks over Bihar seats Focus on J&K, Naxals, CRPF ex-chief Singh named dy NSA Former CRPF and ITBP Director General Anish Dayal Singh has been appointed the new Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA), with a specific mandate to oversee internal security affairs, including Jammu & Kashmir, Naxal-affected regions, and insurgency in the Northeast, official sources said. Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer from the Manipur cadre, retired from active service in December 2024. He brings with him over three decades of experience in internal security, having served extensively in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) before heading two of the country’s premier Central Armed Police Forces — the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). In his new role, Singh joins a team of senior security officials under National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The other current Deputy NSAs include retired IPS officer TV Ravichandran and former IFS officer Pavan Kapoor, while Rajinder Khanna, former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), serves as the Additional NSA. 4Contd on | Nation As Ukraine celebrated 34 years since its independence, it launched a drone attack on Russia on Sunday, sparking a fire at a nuclear power plant in the western Kursk region, Russian officials said.The Kursk nuclear power plant is just 60 km from the border with Ukraine. Several power and energy facilities were targeted in the overnight strikes, the officials said. The fire at the nuclear facility was quickly extinguished with no injuries reported, according to the plant’s press service on Telegram. While the attack damaged a transformer, radiation levels re- mained within normal ranges. Two other reactors are operating without power generation and one is undergoing scheduled repairs. The UN’s nuclear watchdog said it was aware of media reports that a transformer at the plants had caught fire “due to military activity,” but hadn’t re- ceived independent confirmation. Its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that “every nuclear facility must be protected at all times.” Ukraine did not immediately comment on the alleged attack. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | World After Op Sindoor, India tests advanced air defence system FPJ News Service NEW DELHI India has successfully conducted the maiden flight tests of its indigenous Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) off the coast of Odisha, marking a significant milestone in the country's defence capabilities amid an evolving regional security landscape. The multi-layered system is designed to neutralise a wide range of aerial threats The IADWS is a sophisticated, multi-layered air defence system that integrates indigenous Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missiles (QRSAM), Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missiles, and a high-power laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) system. According to the Ministry of Defence, the system is designed to neutralise a wide range of aerial threats, ensuring robust area defence for critical infrastructure and military assets. 4Contd on | Nation