tirupati l wednesday l november 04, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l anantapur EDITION IISc Bengaluru, 5 IITs among Asia’s top 100 universities India continued to remain Asia’s second most represented higher education system, with 325 ranked universities, as per QS rankings All 6 institutes drop in y-o-y rankings India leads in research output per faculty According to the London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), IIT Delhi was ranked 59th last year and slipped to 66th this year, followed by IISc Bengaluru, which was 64th last year and is 79th now. IIT Bombay fell from 71st to 83rd, IIT Madras fell from 70th to 85th, IIT Kharagpur fell from 77th to 90th, and IIT Kanpur fell from 77th to 97th ■ ■ India leads Asia for universities excelling in research output per faculty, with 27 universities in the top 50 for papers per faculty and five in the top 10, more than any other higher education system India also increased its representation among the top 200, with 21, up from 20 last year and 17 in 2018 in the QS rankings 7th Rank obtained by iit-b in employer reputation category CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI India, Israel vote against UNGA arms resolution J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi An electric pole fell at Naguluppalapadu in Prakasam district | Express Murasu brings heavy rain after landfall near Ongole E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Visakhapatnam Even as Andhra Pradesh continues to assess the damage caused by Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab, another cyclone, Murasu, has affected the State, bringing heavy rain and strong winds across coastal districts. Murasu, which crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast early on Tuesday, weakened from a severe cyclonic storm into a cyclonic storm by the afternoon, but continued to pose a threat with heavy rainfall and strong winds. The cyclone made landfall between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole in Prakasam district, between 3.30 and 5.30 am, with sustained wind speeds of 100-110 kmph and gusts up to 120 kmph. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the system moved north-northwestwards at a speed of 7 kmph during the six hours preceding 2.30 pm on Tuesday . It was centred over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, about 40 km west-northwest of Bapatla, 60 km north of Ongole and 80 km southwest of Vijayawada. The cyclone was packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 80-90 kmph, gusting to 100 kmph. It is likely to continue moving north-northwestwards, and weaken into a deep depression by midnight on Tuesday, with wind speeds of 55-65 kmph and gusts up to 75 kmph, the IMD said. The system left a trail of damage across coastal Andhra Pradesh after crossing the coast, uprooting trees, damaging hundreds of electric poles, and wrecking fishing boats. Several low-lying areas were inundated, while road transport was disrupted in parts of P4 the State.  INDIA and Israel were the only two countries to vote against a United Nations General Assembly First Committee resolution on conventional arms control at regional and subregional levels, with New Delhi arguing that security concerns cannot be confined by geographical boundaries. The draft resolution, moved by Pakistan and Belarus, was adopted with 180 votes in favour, two against and no abstentions in the 193-member world organistation. Explaining India’s vote, Anmol Sher Bedi, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said conventional arms control was a global issue and should not be addressed primarily through regional and subregional frameworks. “We read this request with a certain degree of curiosity,” Bedi said, questioning the need for further deliberations on a subject that had already been extensively discussed within the UN Disarmament Commission. The resolution argues that Regional security India opposed a draft resolution paragraph on arms control in South Asia, which noted regional initiatives like consultation among Latin American nations, and its use for regional security Cold War era arise among countries within the same geographical regions. It also calls for agreements aimed at strengthening regional peace and security while maintaining armaments and military forces at the lowest possible levels. Bedi pointed out that the Commission had adopted three consensus outcomes on the subject: guidelines and recommendations on regional disarmament in 1993, guidelines on conventional arms control and disarmament in 1999, and rec- ommendations on practical confidence-building measures involving conventional weapons in 2017. “We fail to understand why a subject already deliberated at length needs another round of deliberation unless the aim is to keep the UN disarmament machinery busy Bedi said. ,” India also objected to the resolution’s emphasis on maintaining a balance in defence capabilities within specific regions, arguing national security concerns often extend beyond geographical limits. SC: No one can occupy a protest site indefinitely Says protests must be time-bound, directs traders to implead organisers in their plea day but they remained in Jantar Mantar for 17 days. In their plea, the traders arTHE Supreme Court on Tues- gued that the Opposition parday said everyone has the right ties’ protests against the Speto protest but no individual or cial Intensive Revision have led organisation can occupy a pro- to traffic diversions, police bartest site indefinitely as it will ricading and restricted access deny the right of others to shops, causing huge to use the venue. financial losses to small “You cannot occupy a shops and businesses. site for all times. Where The plea sought direcwill farmers, journaltions to shift the protest ists, etc go? The desigto an alternative site or nated sites must be givlimit the duration of en for a designated the demonstration. Notice period,” said a bench S e n i o r a dvo c a t e to Rahul of Chief Justice Surya Mukul Rohtagi, appearThe SC asked Kant and justices Joying for Kirana Commitmalya Bagchi and V Congress leader tee Delhi, said: “We Rahul Gandhi Mohana, while emphahave lost thousands of sising that the right to to file his reply crores. Nobody is able protest must be bal- to a plea filed to do business in Conby a female anced against the rights naught Place. Thoujournalist of others, including sands of auxiliary traders and daily-wage alleging that he workers connected to had pushed her these businesses are workers. The bench was hear- during a protest without jobs as sales at the apex ing a litany of petitions are down in the middle including one filed by court premises of the festive season.” Kirana Committee DelRohtagi said busihi, which alleged that traders nesses have suffered losses runsuffered huge loss of business ning into thousands of crores due to the protests. and sought a two-month restricSolicitor General Tushar Me- tion on protests, especially durhta, appearing for the Centre ing the festive season. and Delhi Police, said the CockThe court asked him to imroach Janta Party’s protest in plead the organisers of the proJuly was permitted only for one tests as parties to the plea. S UCHITRA KALYAN MOHANTY @ New Delhi TN man killed as two choppers collide near Mt Everest base camp in Nepal G a u t h a m S e lv a r a j a n @ Chennai Two helicopters collided on Tuesday while trying to land just below Mount Everest’s base camp, killing Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu (47) of Chennai and injuring three others at Pheriche village, which is located at an altitude of 4,200 metres (13,780 feet) in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district. Vasanth’s fellow passenger Shailesh Krishna Patel from New Zealand and Nepalese pilots Rabindra Prajapati (Fishtail Air) and Prajwal KC (Dynasty Air), who were injured in the incident, were taken to Kathmandu for treatment. According to the Nepal police, Vasanth’s mortal remains were sent to Kathmandu for a postmortem. The two helicopters collided around 8.11 am (local time) while landing at Pheriche in Solukhumbu, according to Nepal police. Vasanth’s chopper took off from Lukla Airport, the gateway to Mt Everest. The base camp trek lasts up to two weeks and goes from the only conventional ar ms control should primarily be pursued at regional and subregional levels, noting that most threats to peace and security in the post- TRUMP’s midterm test Voters at a polling location during the US midterm elections in Edinburg, Ohio on Tuesday. Americans voting in the midterm elections will decide who gets to control Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency, along with dozens of governorships and thousands of state offices. The first results are expected from 6 pm EST (4:30 am IST Wednesday) | AFP | P11 HC raps netas over Dia Mirza’s video S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai The Bombay High Court on Tuesday slammed BJP leaders for their remarks against actor Dia Mirza and her video message for a peaceful and pollution-free Diwali posted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on the HC’s orders. Stating that India is a secular country the HC said politicians , should not give a religious colour to awareness campaigns. A Division Bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale, taking suo moto cognisance of the issue, said it was “disturbed by the stray comments made by some politicians” against Mirza, who had participated in the campaign in accordance with its directions. The court directed the BMC, which had taken down the video after the remarks by BJP leaders, to re-upload the video on its social media handles. The bench asked why the actor’s participation in an awareness campaign should become a matter of religious controversy and stressed that the campaign was intended to create awareness on the harmful effects of firecrackers and need to follow the restrictions imposed by the court. Referring to the Supreme Court’s observation that Diwali is celebrated by people irrespective of their religion, the HC questioned the logic behind objecting her participation on religious grounds. The HC said she delivered a “really good message” and warned leaders against spinning any other angle. NDA registers landslide victory in municipal polls S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The ruling NDA, comprising TDP, JSP and BJP, has registered an impressive performance in the municipal elections, with alliance candidates securing victories in several key municipal corporations and municipalities and nagar panchayats. TDP and JSP mayor candidates have won, and are leading in 12 municipal corporations out of the total 13 that went to polls on November 1. Apart from winning the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) mayoral post, Mukka Sravani of TDP, who won as Mayor of Visakhapatnam | G Satyanarayana NDA candidates have been elected as Mayors of Guntur, Eluru, Machilipatnam, Tirupati, Chittoor and Kurnool. The counting of votes for the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is going at a slow pace, and NDA mayoral candidate Vangaveeti Radhakrishna is leading, according to the trends available at the time of reporting. In a significant political setback to the YSRCP, the TDP also won the Pulivendula municipal chairperson post in Kadapa district, the home constituency of YSRCP president YS P4 Jagan Mohan Reddy  . express read TDP achieves 100% strike rate in Kuppam by winning all 32 wards TDP ends YSRCP dominance over Pulivendula, wins civic chief post Naidu credits teamwork for limiting cyclone damage Tirupati: TDP registered a landslide victory in Kuppam civic polls, winning all 32 wards and securing a 100% strike rate in the home segment of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. It marks a dramatic turnaround for TDP in its traditional stronghold | P4 Kadapa: In a major political setback to the YS family, the TDP has wrested control of Pulivendula municipality, ending the family’s uninterrupted dominance in its stronghold since 1978. TDP nominee T Geetha Kumari defeated YSRCP candidate Prameelamma Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the coordinated efforts of government departments and field-level staff helped Andhra Pradesh avert loss of lives and minimise property damage during the successive Arnab and Murasu cyclones | P4 AP polls: Kotia residents confront Odisha police E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Parvathipuram-Manyam Rescue workers inspect the mangled wreckage of a helicopter after two choppers collided while attempting to land at Pheriche in Nepal on Tuesday | pti airstrip in the area at Lukla to base camp located at 5,300 metres (17,380 feet). Anxiety gripped Vasanth’s house on the Peramballu Street in Old Washermenpet as shocking visuals of the chopper crash flashed across news channels. The family had been tense ever since they saw the news, as they knew Vasanth was in Nepal for a trek. A visit from revenue department officials confirmed what they had been dreading. The cries of Vasanth’s elderly parents Balaramanadu (80), mother Parameshwari (74) and maternal grandparents from their first-floor house could be heard on the street as the family struggled to come to terms with the news of the death. Tension prevailed at the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) on Tuesday after a confrontation erupted between Odisha police and residents of the disputed Kotia region over restrictions pertaining to Andhra Pradesh’s local body elections. According to reports, Odisha authorities set up a temporary check-post at Nerellavalasa village in Salur mandal to prevent the residents from participating in AP’s local elections. T he Odisha police had stopped a vehicle carrying PDS rice to Ganjaibhadra and surrounding villages in the disputed Kotia region on Monday . The police refused to allow the vehicle to proceed, despite efforts by AP’s officials to resolve the matter. When AP police intervened on Tuesday afternoon, heated arguments took place, resulting in physical pushing and shoving between the two groups. Enraged by Odisha’s continuous efforts to obstruct them from exercising their voting rights in AP’s local polls, the residents disputed Kotia region joined the confrontation with P4 the Odisha police.  Residents of several villages in the disputed Kotia region involved in an argument with Odisha police at Nerellavalasa check-post in Salur mandal | Express Tribal communities keen to vote in panchayat polls Odisha has deployed heavy security in the Kotia region, while local tribal communities have reiterated their intention to participate in the AP elections despite restrictions and heightened security measures. The situation remains tense, with authorities from both the States closely monitoring developments in the sensitive border villages