THE SUNDAY Vol. 37 No. 05 | Sunday, October 26, 2025 30 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 INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation ‘North Korea is sort of a nuclear power’ Agencies WASHINGTON PHASED ROLL OUT | Officials say SIR will begin with 10-15 states and will not be carried out in states where local body elections are underway or due soon EC set to launch first phase of SIR PTI NEW DELHI US President Donald Trump has characterised North Korea as a quasi nuclear state. Trump said, “I think they are sort of a nuclear power. They got a lot of nuclear weapons, I’ll say that.” This is a new first in terms of such a description for North Korea from the US. He also said he is open to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his upcoming trip to Asia, raising the possibility of a fresh encounter between the two leaders after years of stalled dialogue. “I would. If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One as he departed for the region, adding that he “had a great relationship” with Kim. Trump made history during his first term by becoming the first sitting US president to step into North Korea when he and Kim met in 2019. 4Contd on | Nation The Election Commission is likely to roll out the first phase of its pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ lists next week, beginning with 10 to 15 states, officials said on Saturday. The initial phase will include states such as Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal, all of which are scheduled to go to polls in 2026. The poll authority is expected to announce the first phase of the exercise in the middle of next week. Officials said the SIR will not be carried out in states where local body elections are cur- rently underway or due soon, as the election machinery there is occupied with those polls. The voter list cleanup exercise in such states will be conducted in later phases. The Election Commission has already completed the exercise in Bihar, where the final list containing nearly 7.42 crore names was published on Sep- tember 30. Bihar will go to the polls in two phases, on November 6 and November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14. To prepare for the nationwide rollout, the Commission has held two conferences with state Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to finalise the roadmap. Several states have already uploaded their voter Goodbye and well played, captain Shruti Pandit MUMBAI ‘Well played, Captain,’ said the posters at the Shivajipark crematorium. Below the caption was the smiling face of Piyush Pandey, the adguru of the globe. Most present at the funeral of the Global Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy were still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that their friend/philosopher/ guide/mentor was no more. Some looked lost, some searched for a familiar face the sea of people in attendance to find solace in a handshake or hug. Since yesterday quite a few groups of Ogilvy alumni suggested that we should honour the man (man in black) and wear black for the funeral instead of the customary white. And some followed it. That included Balki, the directorproducer and people from the ad fraternity, who at some time of their life worked directly or indirectly with Piyush Pandey. Everyone in black condoled each other, hugged each other; even if it was a face that they didn’t remember. 4Contd on | Nation lists published after the last SIR on their official websites. In Delhi, the CEO’s website displays the 2008 voter list, when the last intensive revision took place. In Uttarakhand, the last SIR was conducted in 2006, and that year’s roll is available online. 4Contd on | Nation Ro-Ko rule Sydney FPJ News Service MUMBAI Advertising icon Piyush Pandey's brother Prasoon Pandey (2nd left), niece Ishita Arun (3rd left) , sister Ila Arun and other family members at his funeral. – Salman Ansari Sydney glittered not with fireworks but with the crack of willow against leather, as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli turned the final ODI into a glowing masterclass of batting brilliance. Against a formidable Australian attack, the two modern giants of Indian cricket delivered a performance that transcended statistics — a celebration of timing, composure, and the enduring spirit of champions. 4Contd on | Games Satish Shah no more Kanti Gala MUMBAI Satish Shah (74) noted actor, best known for his comic roles in Hindi films and television serials died on Saturday at his apartment in Bandra reportedly due to kidney failure. His death was confirmed by his personal assistant of 30 years Ramesh Kadatala. He was married to designer Madhu Shah. Shah, a kutchi from Mandvi in Gujarat, graduated from the Film and Television Institute, Pune, and made is debut in 1978 in Arvind Desai ki Ajeeb Dastan directed by Saeed Mirza and did some cameo roles in few other films. But the real break came when he played the role of municipal commissioner Mr D'Mello in the hugely-popular Jane Bhi Do Yaro directed by Kundan Shah in 1983. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Cinema Trump to ‘play dirtier’ with Canada over ad Agencies WASHINGTON Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced that Canada will suspend the U.S. ad that angered President Trump, pausing the campaign from Monday in an effort to restart trade talks. Trump, speaking to reporters on Friday before leaving for Asia, again criticised the ad sharply. “You know, it’s a crooked ad,” he said. “They could have pulled it tonight. Well, that’s dirty play, but I can play dirtier than they can.” Trump announced on his Truth Social platform late Thursday, accusing Canada of releasing a “fake” and “crooked” ad that he claimed misrepresented Reagan’s views on tariffs. 4Contd on | Nation