HYDERABAD l friday l october 02, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 38 l LATE CITY EDITION 2027 ODI WC: India to begin campaign against Australia Men in Blue face Pakistan on Oct 10 India are in Group A with Afghanistan, Australia, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and a qualifier from the Super Series. After the Australia clash, India will go on to face Pakistan on October 10 before taking on Afghanistan on October 14. They will then take on Qualifier A in Bloemfontein before travelling to Zimbabwe for the clash against the home team In a rematch of the 2023 ODI World Cup final, the Men in Blue will take on defending champs Australia on October 7 next year. A look... 14 teams, 57 matches with eye on trophy ■ ■ The tournament will begin on October 2, 2027 with 14 teams going up against each other for the biggest prize in the sport The World Cup will see 57 matches played across 12 venues in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe with the summit clash to be played on November 21 in Johannesburg | P13 Nov 21 is the final of the marquee event at johannesburg 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 Hero pilot Smit airlifted to UAE Indian Ambassador meets him, says his condition is stable; UAE begins probe into terror angle E X P RESS NE W S SERV I C E @ New Delhi SIR notices: BLOs to visit electors, collect papers Exp r e s s N e w s S e r v ic e @ Hyderabad Ruling out any further extension of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy on Thursday said that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would visit electors who have received notices and collect the required documents from their homes. The BLOs will upload the documents on the ECINet platform for consideration by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs (AEROs). Electors will not ordinarily be required to appear before EROs/AEROs for hearings. Hearings will be held only in exceptional cases, preferably online, and an elector may authorise an adult family member to appear on their behalf. EROs have also been instructed to conduct local inquiries and take appropriate decisions in cases involving genuine electors who do not possess the required documents, the CEO said. Helpdesks and special camps will be organised for people staying in night shelters, labour sites, homeless persons and other electors to f a c i l i t at e t h e rev i s i o n process. The Declaration Form attached to Form-6 will apply only during the SIR period. Speaking orders will be required only where an ERO/ AERO finds an elector ineligible. Special care will be taken in dealing with bulk Form-7 applications, Sudharshan Reddy said. The status of disposal of notices will be displayed daily on ERO office notice boards and shared with political parties. Lists of claims and objections received in Forms 9, 10, 11, 11A and 11B will also be displayed every working day The claims and . objections will be uploaded on the CEO’s website for citizens to view and file objections.  continued on P4 HDFC bank gets new MD & CEO | p12 Captain Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed and seriously injured by his co-pilot aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday has been air, lifted from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi for continued treatment, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday . “After receiving initial medical treatment in a hospital in Tabuk, he has now been shifted to Abu Dhabi for continued medical attention and recovery Our . Ambassador in UAE met Captain Machchhar in hospital and enquired about his well-being. Earlier, he also met his family and assured all possible support for the Captain’s health and wellbeing,” the MEA said. Machchhar is in good health and recovering well, the Indian Embassy in the UAE said after Ambassador Deepak Mittal met the pilot and his family . Mittal said he found the pilot’s morale to be high. “He was speaking openly, smiling and laughing, which was a great re- Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun, who pulled the lever to regain control of the flight, is welcomed at Tel Aviv airport | ap/pTI Co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrination: Bibi As the UAE is probing a possible terror link in the Flydubai incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged the co-pilot who stabbed the captain had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination” | P11 lief for us and for his family .” The UAE has ordered a probe into the incident, including whether the attack by the co-pilot was linked to “any terrorist activity or purpose” or involved prior planning or direction. Flydubai said the underlying Ministers to visit Delhi, ask Centre to declare 235 mandals drought-hit Exp r e s s N e w s S e r v ic e @ Hyderabad The state Cabinet has decided to send a delegation of Ministers to Delhi to meet Union Ministers and submit a comprehensive report on the drought-like situation prevailing in 235 mandals due to deficient rainfall attributed to El Nino conditions. The Cabinet also requested the Union government to declare the affected mandals as drought-hit and provide financial assistance to the state to take up relief measures. The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday, discussed the deficient rainfall and its impact on agriculture and power consumption. Briefing the media later, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srini- vasa Reddy said the rainy season ended on Wednesday and the state recorded a 17% rainfall deficit. “The drought-like situation prevailed in 235 mandals. The Cabinet discussed the immediate steps to be taken in the drought-hit mandals. We will soon convene an all-party meeting and seek the views of all leaders. Later, an emergency Cabinet meeting will be held. The government will also hold meetings with farmers’ organisations and agriculture experts,” he said. The Cabinet noted that power consumption had increased due to the El Nino conditions. Against the normal daily consumption of 15,000 MW demand , has risen to 19,892 MW The peak . demand this year was 19,892 MW compared with 16,613 MW , last year.  continued on P4 Other decisions Paddy DA arrears Two pending DA instalments to state employees will be released in instalments, at a cost of `2,500 crore Section 22-A Pending pleas under Sec 22-A of Registration Act to be taken up at next Cabinet meeting Kharif procurement centres will be opened to purchase an estimated 65 lakh tonnes Irrigation Canal works under the Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy Irrigation Scheme were approved to irrigate 15,000 acres. Around 10 incomplete EPC works awarded in 2006-07 were cancelled and will be retendered reasons and motives remain unknown and are subject to a formal investigation. Machchhar’s actions have drawn praise from Indian and world leaders. “Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO. In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy India . is proud of Captain Machchhar. Praying for his speedy recovery , renewed strength and good health,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In an interview with CBS News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Machchhar had been seriously injured during the cockpit confrontation but managed to unlock the cockpit door while the aircraft was descending rapidly . With his family roots in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district, Machchhar had his sights set on the family’s textile business and flying was not on his radar. After completing school, he enrolled in textile engineering before pursuing management studies at a Mumbai institute. However, the aviation bug bit when he attended a seminar, which introduced him to professional flying that pushed him to abandon his original career plan.  P9 India’s medal hunt continues With two days remaining, a look at India’s show at Asian Games on Thursday... Hockey, cricket teams enter final The men’s hockey team entered the gold medal match after beating Pakistan in a thrilling fashion. With the game tied at 3-3, a last minute strike from Abhishek Nain helped the Indians advance. The Indian men’s cricket team set up a summit clash vs Pak From milkman to Asiad silver medallist One of the ‘silver’ linings was Greco-Roman wrestler Nitesh Siwach. Competing in the 97kg category, he became the first Indian to play a final in this style of wrestling at the Asian Games since 1962. However, he lost to Nakazato Yuri. Not too long ago, the wrestler suffered a knee injury, which forced him to quit and deliver milk doorto-door in Haryana | P13 Khairatabad bypoll to be deferred; HC seeks EC affidavit TG N a i d u @ Hyderabad The Telangana High Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to file an affidavit stating that the proposed byelection to the Khairatabad Assembly constituency would not be notified until the final adjudication of an election petition challenging the 2023 election of former MLA Danam Nagender. A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Vakiti Ramakrishna Reddy was hearing a writ petition filed by former corporator P Vijaya Reddy seeking a direc, tion to the ECI not to notify the byelection while her election petition remains pending before the high court. Vijaya Reddy filed the election petition on January 20, 2024, challenging Nagender’s election on several grounds, including alleged suppression of material information in his Form-26 affidavit.  continued on P4 capital venue Nizams’ jewellery collection may get a new abode Pa r v e z S u lta n @ New Delhi A rare collection of jewels of the Nizams of Hyderabad, held in the custody of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) since the government acquired it in 1995, could soon be housed permanently at the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum, which is being developed in the North and South Blocks on Raisina Hill. According to sources, the Ministry of Culture plans to display the collection, dating from the 18th to the early 20th century, in one of the museum’s galleries dedicated to adornments. The collection includes necklaces, bracelets, armlets and rings. Among its notable pieces are a 185-carat Imperial diamond, popularly known as the ‘Jacob diamond’, which is larger than the Koh-i-Noor, and a seven-stringed pearl necklace. The collection is worth thousands of crores of rupees. It has remained largely out of public view because of the security arrangements needed to move it from the RBI vaults. “The first gallery, likely to be opened to the public by June next, will have adornments on display. These jewels have a great story to tell, and they are considered among the most ex- pensive,” a source said. The ministry has begun work on documentation and logistics of moving the jewellery from the vaults, sources said. The government bought the jewellery in 1995 for `218 crore, after a legal battle that began in the 1970s. It was earlier held by the HEH Nizam Jewellery Trust and the HEH Nizam Supplemental Jewellery Trust, set up in 1951-52 by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, to safeguard the family’s ancestral wealth. Shifted to Delhi in 2001 After the government bought the jewellery in 1995, the trustees kept it in a bank in Mumbai. It was then moved to RBI and shifted to New Delhi in 2001 rupee crosses 96 mark D-St: Longest losing streak in 25 years a r s h a d k h a n @ New Delhi INDIA’s equity market extended its losing streak to an eighth consecutive week, the first such stretch since 2001, with the Sensex hitting a 52-week low and Nifty nearing the mark on Thursday as elevated US 10-year Treasury yields and Brent above $100 a barrel intensified the sell-off. Persistent FII selling added to the pressure, with foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloading `10,148 crore on Wednesday their biggest single-day outflow in nearly , six months. Their net sales stood at `9,160 crore on Thursday. The Sensex hit an intraday low of 71,292.88. After some support, it settled at 71,909, down 0.76%. The Nifty 50 dipped 0.88% to close at 22,421. Sudeep Shah, Vice President - Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities, said Sensex has revisited the 71,000–71,300 levels for the first time since Feb, 2024. The rupee also traded weak on Thursday falling 0.36% , at 96.23, as strong FII selling pressure, higher US bond yields and a stronger Dollar Index near 101.25 continued to weigh on sentiment. Siddhartha Khemka, Head of Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services said that Indian equities are likely to stay under pressure in the near term. “With Nifty earnings now below US debt, a sustained recovery is unlikely until global yields stabilise, crude eases and foreign outflows moderate,” he said.