Monday, October 27, 2025 | Vol. 69 No. 18 | 28 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 ‘STRONG PARTNERSHIP’ | In a virtual address, PM Modi calls the grouping a key pillar of New Delhi's ‘Act East’ policy ‘21st century belongs to India and ASEAN’ T urning a promise into purpose, St Jude India ChildCare Centres gives children battling cancer a home to heal and a reason to hope. Turn to the Mumbai page to find out how. SEE CITY OMAR GOING SOFT ON STATEHOOD: PARTY MP Agencies SRINAGAR National Conference Lok Sabha MP Aga Ruhullah on Sunday accused Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah of warming up to the BJP-led Centre and forgetting the goal of getting the Union Territory statehood -- a key promise in the party's election manifesto. The Srinagar MP alleged that the fight before the elections was for the restoration of the people's rights and statehood, but that fight was now forgotten. "If normalising relations with the establishment in Delhi was the purpose, they should have said it to the people during elections," the lawmaker said at an event. 4Contd on | nation 2 SUSPECTS IN LOUVRE HEIST HELD NEAR PARIS Agencies PARIS Two suspects have been arrested over the brazen jewellery heist at the Louvre, just as one of them was about to fly out of France, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday. Two men in their 30s and originally from the capital's Seine-Saint-Denis suburb -which includes some of the country's most deprived areas -- were detained on Saturday evening, according to Le Parisien newspaper, which first broke the story. They were known to French police and one of the suspects was about to fly to Algeria from Charles de Gaulle airport, the newspaper said. There was no indication on Sunday that any of France's stolen crown jewels had been recovered. 4Contd on | nation FPJ News Service NEW DELHI 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. "The 21st century is our century. It is India and ASEAN's century," Modi asserted, expressing confidence that initiatives like "ASEAN Community Vision 2045" and "Viksit Bharat 2047" will create a brighter future for humanity. "India has always fully supported 'ASEAN centrality' and ASEAN's outlook on the IndoPacific," he said. "Even in these times of uncertainty, the IndiaASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has made steady progress. Our strong partnership is emerging as a powerful foundation for global stability and growth," Modi said. "India and ASEAN together represent one-fourth of the global population. We not only share geography, we share deep historic relations and shared values. We are part of the Global South," Modi said. He said India has "stood firmly with its ASEAN friends" in every crisis and the two-way cooperation in the spheres of maritime security 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. Agencies US president Donald Trump said on Saturday he was increasing tariffs on Canada by an additional 10% "above what they're paying now," after the province of Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan. He called the advert a "fraud" and lashed out at Canadian officials for not removing it ahead of the World Series baseball championship in a social media post. Ontario's premier said he would take it down to allow trade talks with the US to pro- Not at expense of India: Rubio on US-Pak ties ‘Part of the Global South’ ■ 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 ■ India has always fully supported 'ASEAN centrality' and ASEAN's outlook on the Indo-Pacific ■ Almost one-fourth of the world’s population is represented by us. We don’t just share geography but also culture and values. We are partners in the Global South. We are not just trade partners but also cultural partners ■ Early review of the ASEAN-India FTA (AITIGA) can unleash the full economic potential of our relationship for the benefit of our peoples and further strengthen regional cooperation 4Contd on | nation 4See also | world Agencies Top Chinese and US economic officials agreed on the framework for a trade agreement on Sunday as US President Donald Trump said he was confident of hashing out a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping when they meet in the coming days. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Obviously the more we sell them (oil), the less they'll buy from someone else. Marco Rubio US Secretary of State Goyal heads to Brussels Kurnool bus fire: for FTA talks with EU Cops say duo on bike was drunk ceed, after Trump withdrew -but that it would still run in the US over the weekend. Canada is the only G7 country that has not reached a deal with the US since Trump began seeking to charge steep tariffs on goods from major trading partners. The US has already imposed a 35% levy on all Canadian goods -- though most are exempt under an existing free trade agreement. It has also slapped sector-specific levies on Canadian goods, including a 50% levy on metals and 25% on automobiles. PTI NEW DELHI Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will visit Brussels on Monday for talks with his EU counterpart to give political impetus to the proposed trade pact, as the deadline to conclude negotiations nears. During the two-day visit, Goyal will meet Executive VicePresident 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 4Contd on | nation Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, as both sides intensify efforts to conclude a comprehensive, balanced, and mutually beneficial trade agreement at the earliest," it said. The minister's visit aims to provide strategic direction and "political impetus" to the talks, it added. Discussions are expected to cover key areas of the proposed FTA, including market access, non-tariff measures, and regulatory cooperation. "The visit will also serve to review progress achieved so far and to identify areas requiring further convergence," the ministry said. The EU team is also expected to visit New Delhi this week for trade talks. Differences that still need to be ironed out in certain areas such as steel, automobiles and non-tariff barriers. 4Contd on | nation US, China ease trade tensions KUALA LUMPUR Agencies WASHINGTON important.” "But, I think they (India) 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. Agencies The US is seeking to expand its strategic partnership with Pakistan, but not at the cost of its longstanding relationship with India, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday. Just like India has ties with countries that the US doesn’t, the vice versa applies, Rubio told reporters on board a flight to Doha. 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. “It’s part of a mature, 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 ‘India is cutting back Russian oil purchases fully’ US President Donald Trump once again claimed that New Delhi is going to stop buying oil from Russia, emphasising that India is cutting back Russian oil purchases "completely" while China will cut back "very substantially." Talking to reporters onboard Air Force One on his way to Malaysia on Saturday, Trump said he might discuss Russian oil purchases with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting. "I may be discussing it, but you know China, you probably saw it today. China's cutting back very substantially on the purchase of Russian oil," Trump said. The US president and his administration have been claiming for the past few days that India has assured that it will significantly reduce its oil imports from Russia. However, India has been maintaining that its energy policy is guided by its own interest, especially ensuring affordable and secure supplies for its consumers. WASHINGTON Trump hikes Canada tariff over advert tiff WASHINGTON TRUMP ADMIN CHARTS THE ‘CRUDE’ COURSE Li Chenggang on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur for a fifth round of inperson discussions since May. "I think we have a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss on Thursday," Bessent told reporters. Bessent told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he anticipated the agreement would defer China's expanded export controls on rare earth minerals and magnets and avoid a new 100% US tariff on Chinese goods threatened by Trump. He said Trump and Xi would discuss soybean and agricultural purchases from American farmers, more balanced trade and resolving the US fentanyl crisis, which was the basis of 20% US tariffs on Chinese goods. China's Li said both sides had reached a "preliminary consensus" and will next go through their respective internal approval processes. "The US position has been tough," Li said. "We have experienced very intense consulta- tions and engaged in constructive exchanges in exploring solutions and arrangements to address these concerns." Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for ASEAN summit, his first stop in a five-day Asia tour that is expected to culminate in a face-to-face with Xi in South Korea on October 30. After the talks, he struck a positive tone, saying: "I think we’re going to have a deal with China". Both sides are looking to avert an escalation of their trade war. Trump said he was confident of hashing out a deal with Xi when they meet in South Korea on Oct 30 Agencies KURNOOL The Andhra Pradesh police on Sunday confirmed that the two bike-borne persons connected to the Bengalurubound bus fire accident, which claimed the lives of 20 passengers, were drunk. "We just received the forensic confirmation that the two bike-borne persons (Siva Shankar and Erri Swamy) were drunk," Kurnool Range DIG of Police Koya Praveen said. Though police were aware that the duo was in an inebriated condition, they did not confirm this fact as they were waiting for forensic evidence. The DIG on Saturday night said that the duo had food in a dhaba and Swamy had admitted to consuming liquor. In the wee hours of October 24, the sleeper bus ran over a two-wheeler, which had already met with an accident, at Chinna Tekuru village in Kurnool district. There were 44 passengers on the bus and several managed to escape. 4Contd on | nation ‘Drunk drivers are terrorists’ erming drunk drivers as terrorists who destroy families, Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar on Sunday warned that there will be zero tolerance for drunk driving. "Drunk drivers are terrorists. Period. Drunk drivers are terrorists, and their actions are nothing short of acts of terror on our roads. The horrific Kurnool bus accident, which claimed the lives of 20 innocent people, was not an accident in the truest sense. It was a preventable massacre, caused by the reckless and irresponsible behaviour of an intoxicated biker. This was not a road mishap but a criminal act of negligence that annihilated entire families within seconds," Sajjanar, who is known for his strong stance against drunk drivers, posted on X. T offgrid 8k schools. 20k teachers. Students? 0 PTI West Bengal accounts for most such schools, govt data show. The state also has maximum number of teachers (nearly 18,000) in such schools NEW DELHI Nearly 8,000 schools across the country had zero enrolments during the 2024-25 academic session, with West Bengal accounting for most of them, followed by Telangana, official data show. A total of 20,817 teachers were employed in the schools with zero enrolments. In a peculiar case, West Bengal accounted for 17,965 such teachers, along with the highest number of schools with- out enrolments (3,812). According to the Ministry of Education's statistics, 7,993 schools had zero enrolments, down by over 5,000 from the previous year's count of 12,954. Meanwhile, Haryana, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura had no such schools. "School education is a state subject, states have been advised to address the issue of zero enrolments in schools. Some states have merged some schools for optimum utilisation of resources such as infrastructure as well as staff," a senior official said. There were no schools with zero enrolment in the Union Territories of Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, and Chandigarh, according to the data. Delhi also had no schools with zero enrolments. 4Contd on | nation Cryptocurrency is property under Indian law, says HC Agencies CHENNAI The Madras HCt has held that cryptocurrency qualifies as property under Indian law, capable of ownership and being held in trust. Justice Anand Venkatesh on Saturday held that while cryptocurrency is intangible and not legal tender, it possesses the essential characteristics of property. "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 Justice Anand Venkatesh, Madras HC It’s not a tangible property nor is it a currency. However, it’s a property capable of being enjoyed and possessed (in a beneficial form). It is capable of being held in trust,” it said. 4Contd on | nation