HYDERABAD l Thursday l November 05, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l LATE CITY EDITION Kohli in cruise control as India take 1-0 lead against Black Caps Kamboj puts behind debut blues While Virat Kohli stole the show with a sublime fifty, Anshul Kamboj, with just two wickets, broke the match for India during the middle-overs. Arshdep Singh (4/70) and Gurnoor Brar (3/44) led the charts, but Kamboj, after a forgettable debut vs West Indies, stole the show with a mesmerising spell of 2/22 in 10 overs as NZ were all out for 185 Virat Kohli turned back the clock, rising to the occasion in a rain-affected encounter to help visitors beat New Zealand. A look... vintage virat in full flow at eden park ■ On an Auckland pitch that had a lot of assistance for pacers, Kohli made a mockery of the hosts as he cruised to 51-ball 74, making it look like he was batting on a different surface ■ Despite not having any game-time since the WI series, Kohli smashed 13 fours and a six in his stroke-filled knock | P13 80 It was Kohli’s 80th half-century in the odi format 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 Iran exempts Indian vessels from Hormuz transit curbs J ayant h J ac o b @ New Delhi Iran has exempted merchant vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar from restrictions on transit through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, with the move aimed at facilitating medicine imports from India, an Iranian lawmaker has said. Amir Hayat-Moghaddam, deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said ships from the four countries were allowed to pass freely through the waterway and were not being intercepted by the United States. “We have currently exempted India, China, Iraq and Qatar from transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. Ships from these countries pass freely and , the Americans do not intercept them either,” Hayat-Moghaddam told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) in an interview on Tuesday . Explaining the rationale behind the exemptions, HayatMoghaddam said Iran was facilitating the passage of Indian vessels to enable the procurement of medicines from India. The exemption for Chinese ships, meanwhile, was intended to secure Beijing’s political support, he indicated. There was no immediate reaction from the Ministry of External Affairs or Iran’s Foreign Minister. But Tehran seems to be using selective exemptions from transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz to advance its diplomatic and economic interests amid tensions over the route and fresh threats from Donald Trump. Senate 54 House of Representatives 7 Democrats @ New Delhi IN a landmark decision, the Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the poll disqualification of a former sarpanch for having more than two children, noting that laws prescribing such penalties have lost all relevance in modern India. The court also referred the SC’s 2003 precedent-setting judgment on such laws to a larger bench. Mangala Bhimrao, former sarpanch at the Kakoda Gram Panchayat, was disqualified under Section 14(1)(j-1) of the Maharashtra Village Panchayat Act, 1959, following the birth of her third child. This bar has been in place since September 2000. However, the bench of justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said the rationale for restricting democratic participation based on family size has 7 50 Not up for election 44 Republicans 234 28 218 to win 28 Democrats 139 Republicans Trump loses U.S. grip J a v a r ia Rana @ New Delhi Democrats wrest control of Congress; Vance blames Iran war for Republican mid-term losses The Union Cabinet on Wednesday rewrote a key provision of the Agnipath scheme, giving two more years in uniform for 75% of personnel not retained after the initial four-year stint, along with another shot at becoming regular soldiers. It comes weeks before the first batch of Agniveers, who joined in 2022, is due to leave the armed forces after completing their four-year stint. The new “second engagement period” effectively creates a six-year pathway to regular military service for those willing to stay on and able to meet the selection criteria. The original provision for 25% of each batch to be absorbed on merit at the fouryear mark remains untouched. Announcing the decision, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General N S Raja Subramani said the scheme was “not set in stone” and would be reviewed periodically, adding that more tweaks could fol- A G E N C I E S @ Washington IN a major political setback to US President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, the opposition Democratic Party swept the mid-term elections by winning a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and flipping key gubernatorial posts. Of the 470 Congressional seats for which elections were held on November 3, the Democrats won 288, according to the Associated Press race call. The Dems crossed the halfway mark of 218 in the 435-seat House with 234 seats, pushing the Republicans to 139, with 62 seats yet to be called. In the outgoing House, the Republicans had a slim margin of 220-215. In the 100-seat Senate—of which 35 went to polls—the Democrats now have a comfortable majority with 54 seats, while the Republicans have 44. Republicans had a 53-47 majority in the outgoing Senate. conductor succumbs to injuries sustained after being pushed off moving bus A dispute with a woman passenger over `100 change costs 24-year-old G Pravalika her life | P2 Poll bar on people with over two kids irrelevant, says SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N MOH A N T Y Early Diwali for Agniveers as def hire path opens MID-TERM ELECTIONS crumbled due to demographic changes. In 2003, the SC had upheld the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act of 1994, validating the disqualification of local poll candidates with more than two children, in the Javed vs State of Haryana case. With the latest order finding it infructuous and sending the 2003 verdict for review to a larger bench, the court has opened the door to an overhaul of poll eligibility rules across local bodies. Pronouncing the verdict, Justice Narasimha said, “The foundation of such laws, that is the fear of overpopulation, has crumbled due to demographic changes... We have explained how, from 2003 after Javed vs State of Haryana upheld such laws, India’s total fertility rate has fallen from 3 to 1.9. A total rate of 2.1, known as the replacement rate, would allow one generation to completely replace itself...” Roots in Hyd, winners in US midterms Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, take the stage after he declares victory; and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman (R) dances with supporters at an election night event Wednesday | ap With an upper hand in Congress, the Democrats have effectively ended the Republicans’ hold on Washington and opened the window to challenge Trump’s agenda over the remaining two years of his presidential term. The results are believed to indicate voters’ frustration with Trump’s policies, including the war on Iran, which contributed to rising living costs. Trump conceded defeat but ducked responsibility In an on. line post, he claimed the election outcome would have been different had he been running. “I wasn’t on the ballot, and there was nothing that could be done about that. If I was, we would have won” he boasted. He also threatened to use his presidential veto power to strike down legislation passed by Congress. “I think they’re Hyderabad: Two women of Indian origin with roots in Hyderabad, Aruna Miller and Nabeela Syed, have won in the US midterm elections, while Teluguorigin Republican candidate Saritha Komatireddy suffered defeat in the New York Attorney General race | p5 gonna want to work with me. Otherwise I’d just veto everything,” he said. Trump later posted an image of a red cap bearing the word ‘VETO’ on social media. Meanwhile, US Vice President J D Vance sought to distance himself from the defeat, blaming the Iran war for Republican losses. “The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote in a post on X.  P9, 11 SDRF, Fire team swept away while rescuing fishers B S at yana r ayana Re d d y @ Khammam Ten rescue personnel and a local guide were swept away after two boats capsized while they were trying to rescue eight fishermen stranded in floodwaters at Bethupalli tank in Sathupalli on Wednesday. While all eight fishermen were rescued, six SDRF personnel and the guide remained untraced. Four Fire Services personnel were in contact with officials and coordinating rescue efforts, Sathupalli MLA M Ragamayi said. A team of 10 SDRF personnel and a local guide entered the tank after it breached following heavy rain triggered by Cyclone Murasu. They rescued three fishermen before the boats overturned in the strong current as they proceeded to rescue the remaining five. The SDRF personnel and guide were suspected to have been swept into the Thammileru stream. There were also reports that the boats had become en- Water gushes from the breached Peddavagu project bund in Aswaraopeta mandal, Bhadradri Kothagudem district, on Wednesday tangled in fishing nets. Police sources said the SDRF personnel were expert swimmers and were wearing life jackets. Another team of 11 SDRF personnel was deployed and rescued three fisher men. Around 25 NDRF personnel from Kothagudem joined the operation and rescued the remaining two. A drone was also deployed as part of the search and rescue efforts. District collector Divakara TS was monitoring the operations. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed the collector to ensure the safe rescue of the missing personnel. Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy spoke to the collector and senior officials after learning about the incident and directed them to intensify rescue operations. Officials later informed the minister that four Fire Services personnel had been located in a safe area near the incident site and efforts were under way to bring them ashore. The minister is scheduled to visit the area on Thursday . Meanwhile, nearly 300 families living in double-bedroom houses in Sathupalli town were stranded after the overflowing Vasyakanthala tank inundated nearby areas. Tractors and lorries deployed for evacuation also got stuck in the floodwaters. Peddavagu bund breaches Heavy rain continued to disrupt life in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, where the temporary ring bund of the Peddavagu project in Aswaraopeta mandal breached on Wednesday releas, ing floodwaters downstream. Mulakalapalli recorded the highest rainfall in the district, at 197 mm in the 24 hours ending Wednesday . The project was damaged by heavy rain two years ago, following which a temporary bund was constructed. Less than two metres high, the bund could not withstand the fresh inflows and was completely damaged by the gushing waters.  continued on P5 Express Read State Cabinet to meet today TG missile attack victim succumbs Nod for 5 projects worth `3.8K cr Hyderabad: The Cabinet will meet on Thursday to discuss preparations for the Invest Telangana Global Summit 2026, drought conditions and a report to be submitted to the Centre. CM A Revanth Reddy will hold a meeting with ministers ahead of the session. The Cabinet may also discuss a proposed self-employment scheme. Kamareddy: Sheikh Saeed, a 36-year-old man from Kamareddy who was grievously injured in a missile attack carried out by Houthi forces at the King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia on October 10, died while undergoing treatment at a military hospital in Riyadh. According to sources, the funeral is slated to be held in Riyadh on Wednesday | P2 Hyderabad: The Centre has approved five urban infrastructure projects in Telangana worth `3,892.38 crore, with an assistance of `873.49 crore. These include `398.40 crore for Phases II and III of Hyderabad’s Godavari Drinking Water Supply Project. Other projects cover Warangal’s drainage, fort moat and Hanamkonda’s business district | P5 ‘We cannot live without him’ Couple may lose adopted son again as state challenges custody order T G N ai d u & N a v een K u m a r Ta l l a m @ Hyderabad/Karimnagar For Kasarapu Saritha and Srinivas, the sense of security that they could finally move on with life after getting their three-year-old adopted son Rudhra Mahesh back lasted barely a day . No sooner had Rudhra been placed back in their arms on Tuesday than the couple faced with the prospect of being separated from him again, with the state government moving the Telangana High Court on Wednesday to challenge the order restoring his custody to them. The couple, who had fought a months-long legal battle to get their son back, asked their advocate, K Raghunandan Reddy to file a coun, ter petition challenging the government’s move. “If the boy is taken away from us, we will not be able to live. We have developed an emotional bond counter complaint in the works The couple, who had fought a months-long legal battle to get their son, Rudhra Mahesh, back, asked their advocate, K Raghunandan Reddy, to file a counter petition challenging the government’s move. “If the boy is taken away from us, we will not be able to live. We have developed an emotional bond with him over the last three years,” they told TNIE. with him over the last three years,” they said. The appeal came up before a bench of Acting Chief Justice P Sam Koshy and Justice Sud- dala Chalapathi Rao on Wednesday. The bench adjourned the matter to November 18, 2026. The adjournment has given the couple a fortnight before they have to confront the possibility of another separation. The couple’s ordeal began when child protection authorities took Rudhra away from them. They approached the High Court alleging that the child had been forcibly removed from their care, despite his biological parents, Anasuri Sumalatha and Laxman, having given him in adoption with their consent on November 26, 2023. They maintained that the adoption had been performed according to Hindu traditions. On October 16, a single judge directed the authorities to restore the child’s custody to the couple. The order was implemented on Tuesday when Inte, grated Child Development Services (ICDS) officials handed over Rudhra to them. The reunion came after months of separation and mental agony for the couple, and a video of the child pleading with his adoptive parents to take him home had gone viral, triggering widespread debate.  continued on p5 Army personnel patrol along the Line of Control (LoC) in Akhnoor | PTI low. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dubbed it a ‘Second Tour of Duty’. To sweeten the deal, the second tour comes with higher pay and a bigger Seva Nidhi package. Agniveers, however, remain outside the pension and gratuity net. Those enrolled as regulars after six years will rank below the 25% of personnel absorbed at the four-year mark, the CDS said. The push came from the ar med forces themselves. They had increasingly questioned the logic of showing the door to soldiers just when they had become operationally useful. Plaint lodged 2.73L tillers get bogus SMS on Rythu Bharosa C h it h a l u r i Re v ant h @ Hyderabad Nearly 2.73 lakh farmers received SMS alerts on Wednesday claiming that Rythu Bharosa (investment support scheme) amounts had been credited to their bank accounts. The Agriculture department, however, termed the messages a mischievous act and lodged a complaint with the cyber crime police. According to the complaint lodged by Director of Agriculture B Gopi, fraudsters sent unauthorised SMS messages to approximately 2,73,100 farmers in the name of the Rythu Bharosa scheme. He clarified that the department had neither initiated nor authorised any such communication. Gopi said the Agriculture department uses the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) SMS Service Portal to send official messages to farmers, but had not initiated any SMS transmission on Wednesday. He warned that the incident raised the possibility of unauthorised access to or misuse of the department’s name and SMS communication channels. The director asked the cyber crime police to investigate the source of the messages and identify the agency, individual or entity responsible for sending them. He also sought an examination of possible unauthorised access to or misuse of the CDAC portal or any other SMS gateway . He requested the police to trace technical details, including the SMS gateway sender ID, , transmission logs and related IP addresses, wherever available. “The matter is of serious concern, as such unauthorised messages may create confusion among farmers and adversely affect the credibility of the department and the Rythu Bharosa scheme,” he said in the complaint.