hyderabad l monday l april 27, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE City EDITION Kenya’s Sawe enters history books in London marathon African athlete, the current World No. 1, created history by becoming the first human to dip under the two hour mark in the marathon. A look... importance of breaking two-hour barrier For a long time, humans thought this record would be impossible to achieve. Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, in association with Nike, in fact dipped below the two hour mark at Vienna in 2019. However, he did it in a controlled environment so it wasn’t valid for the purposes of a world record. Now, Sawe has done it. Yomif Kejelcha, who came second, also went under two-hour mark (1:59.41). ■ 1:59.30 why it was only a matter of time? ■ Shoe technology has improved massively. The importance of science and holistic training approaches is evident. Also, the marathon, at the elite level, has seen official times be repeatedly slashed. The 16 fastest timings in history have all come since 2019. In fact, this is one record which has kept breaking. Sawe’s timings at London marathon on sunday 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 Big breach as gunman opens fire at US says Iran sent DC gala attended by Trump, Vance ‘better’ proposal, Suspect stopped by Secret Service agents as he rushed to ballroom where prez was seated Gunman was ‘engineer’ and ‘teacher of the month’ A g en c ies @ Washington Passengers being evacuated from Swiss International Airlines flight | X 4 hurt amid rescue after fire on Swiss jet in Delhi S lalitha @ New Delhi Four passengers were injured during evacuation after a Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) jet carrying 245, including four infants, aborted takeoff from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport due to a fire in the early hours of Sunday . A source said the passengers were injured during the evacuation process and are being treated at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. It is not clear how they were injured. Flight No LX147, bound for Zurich, was about to take off at 1.08 am from runway 10/28 of Terminal 3 with 245 on board, including four infants and 13 crew members, when smoke was detected near a wheel, prompting the pilot to abort takeoff. “The Airbus A330 aircraft was accelerating on the runway for take-off when the pilot detected smoke from the left wheel located at the rear of the plane. He immediately decided to abandon the take-off,” the source said. The airline spokesperson later said an issue occurred with one of the engines during the takeoff. An emergency was declared for 30 minutes at the runway 10/28 in Delhi airport, he added. “Four passengers remain in the hospital... A cabin crew member sustained a sprained ankle. The other crew members are unharmed,” an airline spokesperson said. All passengers and crew were evacuated via the emergency slides. “For a small number of individuals who were unable to use the slides, stairs were provided,” the airline spokesperson said. Switzerland to send specialists to Delhi The Swiss said technical specialists from Switzerland will travel to Delhi to inspect the aircraft. Passengers have been accommodated in hotels and rebooked onto alternative flights A man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby of a hotel in Washington where US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night. Reports said the gunman was confronted and stopped just outside the ballroom of the hotel where the president and other senior government officials had gathered. Investigators said they believe the gunman, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Los Angeles, planned to target Trump. Video posted online showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was tackled to the ground and was not injured. The security breach occurred after the welcoming speech and during dinner, before Trump was due to speak.Vice President J D Vance was removed from the room first, while agents initially covered Trump in place before escorting him and first lady Melania Trump from the room. They were held On his LinkedIn profile, suspect Cole Tomas Allen calls himself an engineer with a passion for game development. It says he was also a part-time teacher at a test prep firm, which named him as “teacher of the month” in an Instagram post from 2024 Trump calls for unity and bipartisan healing Secret service agents evacuate US President Donald Trump from the venue of an event after gunshots were fired; (inset) Trump speaks at the White House later on | AP I heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray going down. It was a pretty loud noise, and it was from quite far away. He hadn’t reached the area at all. They really got him — Donald Trump for some time in a secure presidential suite at the hotel before returning to the White House. According to acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche the suspect was staying at the Washington Hilton hotel where the black-tie dinner was held on Saturday evening. As per reports, he is a teacher, who donated to Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. His motive was not clear. Trump said the suspect had written an anti-Christian mani- festo. “The guy is a sick guy he ,” told Fox News. “When you read his manifesto, he hates Christians.” Trump said the suspect’s family had reported him to the police ahead of the event. Questions swirled regarding the security at the reception and how a gun was brought into the hotel. Attendees pointed out while there was a magnetometer placed outside the ballroom, there was no security screening at the entrance to the hotel itself.  P9 US President Donald Trump called for unity and bipartisan healing after the incident, saying his personal politics had made him a repeated target. “It’s always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes,” a subdued Trump told reporters Relieved to learn Trump and Vance are safe: Modi Reacting to the shooting incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was relieved that US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President J D Vance are safe and unharmed. Violence has no place in a democracy, he added Araghchi back in Pak A g en c ies @ Washington / Islamabad There were hopes on Sunday that the eagerly awaited second round of talks between Iran and the US could take place in the days ahead, after President Donald Trump said Iran has sent a “better proposal” and the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Pakistan briefly for further talks with the Pakistani leadership. Trump proposed the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict. In an interview on Fox News Channel, Trump said he made that decision rather than send day a delegation on a 17-hour flight. It came hours after he told reporters that his administration received a new proposal from Iran. Israel bombs “They gave us a paper that should south Lebanon have been better. And interestingly , immediately, when I cancelled it, Lebanese official media said within 10 minutes, we got a new paIsrael’s military began striking per that was much better,” Trump the country’s south on Sunday after issuing an evacuation said. warning for seven locations, In a sign that indirect efforts were despite a ceasefire with the ongoing, the ISNA news agency reIran-backed Hezbollah group. ported that Iran had transmitted “Israeli warplanes launched “written messages” to the Ameria strike” in Kfar Tibnit—one cans via Pakistan that were “about of the locations included in some of the red lines of the Islamic the warning—the state-run Republic of Iran, including nuclear National News Agency said issues and the Strait of Hormuz”. Meanwhile, a day after he left Islamabad without meeting the US delegation, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Pakistan on Sunday and met Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Geo News, quoting sources, reported that Araghchi left for Moscow after the brief visit. The Iranian leader arrived at Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi after completing a day-long visit to Oman, the Dawn newspaper reported, quoting sources. Araghchi was to convey “Iran’s positions and views on the framework of any understanding to completely end the war”, Geo TV reported. 58 44.5°C at Jainad: State Census 2027 self-enumeration begins in TG sees a scorching Sunday E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad How hot is too hot? In Telangana on Sunday seven districts , answered with temperatures above 44°C, with Jainad leading in the state at 44.5°C. With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting similar heat for 18 districts over the next two days, the heatwave shows no signs of relenting. According to the Telangana Development Planning Society (TGDPS), another 12 districts recorded temperatures above 43°C and another 13 districts saw highs above 42°C, indicating widespread heat stress across the state. The IMD said temperatures crossed 41°C in at least 20 districts on Sunday. Among the highest temperatures recorded were Jainad (44.5°C) in Adilabad, Beeravelli (44.3°C) in Nirmal, Kammarpally (44.3°C) in Nizamabad, Ibrahimpet (44.3°C) in Nalgonda, Dhanora (44.1°C) in Komaram Bheem Asifabad, and Jaina (44.1°C) in Jagtial district. Vemulawada in Rajanna-Sircilla district recorded 44°C. Several other regions also witnessed severe heat, including Pitlam (43.9°C) in Kamared- Heat claims farmer’s life Khammam: A 55-year-old farmer, Madineni Babu, died of suspected sunstroke in Jaggaram village of Aswapuram mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district on Sunday. On Saturday, he went to the field as usual but did not return home. His family found him dead in the chilli field on Sunday morning. They suspect he succumbed to sunstroke amid intense heat. A complaint was lodged with the tahsildar and police. The body was shifted to the Government Area Hospital, Manuguru, for postmortem. A case has been registered | p2 dy Indurthy (43.9°C) in Karim, nagar, Kalluru (43.7°C) in Khammam, Garidepalle (43.7°C) in Suryapet, Pothareddipet (43.6°C) in Siddipet and Bheemaram (43.6°C) in Mancherial, along with multiple locations across Jayashankar B h u p a l p a l l y, M u l u g u , Bhadradri Kothagudem, Narayanpet and Na g arkur nool districts. The IMD has issued a also heatwave alert, forecasting temperatures between 41°C and 44°C across 18 districts over the next two days.  The self-enumeration phase of Census 2027 commenced in Telangana on Sunday with Chief , Minister A Revanth Reddy and Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla leading by example by registering their details online and urging citizens to actively participate in the nationwide exercise. After formally inaugurating the operations in the state, the governor described the Census as a vital national exercise that provides a comprehensive snapshot of the population and its socioeconomic profile. Emphasising its importance, Shukla said the data collected forms the backbone of policy formulation, governance and equitable distribution of resources, ensuring development reaches all sections of society . He noted that the Census plays Director of Census Operations (Telangana) Bharathi Holikeri helps Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in the self-enumeration process of Census 2027 in Hyderabad on Sunday a crucial role in shaping policies related to education, healthcare, employment, housing and infrastructure. Calling it the first Census since the formation of Telan- gana, he said the exercise carries special significance for the state’s future development. He added that the self-enumeration phase will be conducted from April 26 to May 10, followed by house-listing operations from May 11 to June 9. Highlighting the digital nature of Census 2027, he said both phases would leverage technology to ensure greater accuracy, transparency and efficiency. He described the process as simple and convenient and urged citizens to provide accurate information and extend full cooperation. Union Coal & Mines Minis- The chronicler of the real India story, who captured the nation’s fleeting moments with his lens for six decades, lost his battle to cancer on Sunday. He shot some of the most significant historical events, including the Bangladesh refugee crisis and Bhopal gas tragedy, and his black-and-white photos shed light on ordinary lives with abundant clarity and unmatched compassion | P7 Swing factors ahead of crucial phase-2 polls in West Bengal tHE calculations may all come down to whether the talk of a 5-6 per cent “Hindu swing” is fully borne out, even if that may not necessarily be the correct political designation for those looking for a change in West Bengal. With the state careening towards the climactic second and final phase of voting in the remaining 142 out of 294 assembly constituencies on Wednesday, the signs are certainly not those of unquestioned status quo. But how much mobility will be there in set voting patterns? Polarisation has created tight consolidation at the core but also shakiness at the edges, with even Trinamool Congress supporters not immune to doubt and restlessness. Speaking to this newspaper, Debashis Ghosh, a packaged milk seller, said: “I have been voting for Mamata Didi since 2011 but this time, I may not.” Ghosh participated in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Sunday roadshow around Thanthania Kalibari and Shobha Bazaar in north Kolkata. The BJP’s campaign, spearheaded by Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and backed up by meticulous ground work by RSS volunteers, preaches to the choir with its strong antiimmigrant line, and with the debate raised to fever pitch, it may be winning some new converts. Not all of it is on account of the politics of religion. Plain old anti-incumbency and the desire for change may be enough to explain it. For TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the crucial part is whether there is any parallel thinning of her minority vote bank, estimated at around 30per cent. Neither the Hindu vote nor the Muslim bloc is a monolith, with competitive voting restricted to certain areas and vote blocs. continued on page 4 Shiv Pratap Shukla, Governor Final lap S U B H E N D U M A I T I @ Kolkata  The Census plays a crucial role in shaping policies related to education, healthcare, employment, housing and infrastructure. As this is the first Census since the formation of Telangana, it carries special significance for the state’s future development trajectory Raghu Rai no dies at 83 more legendary photo journalist continued on page 2 ter G Kishan Reddy also completed his self-enumeration through the portal. Speaking at a press conference in Hyderabad, he described the Census as a foundational pillar of India’s development journey and a key instrument for planning and inclusive growth. He said digital adoption would enhance transparency, efficiency and inclusiveness. The senior BJP leader stressed that accurate and reliable data would help policymakers better understand socioeconomic conditions and ensure targeted delivery of welfare schemes. Subtle shifts of allegiance are visible even on the latter side. Matiur Rahaman, a resident of Murshidabad district (70 percent Muslim population), said: “A large number of Muslim voters are worried about Didi’s stand on Waqf and OBC issues and may support the Left and the Congress this time.” It is on these buffer zones that the match may get decided. E x p r e s s Re a d Guv nominates Azhar, Kodandaram to Council Hyderabad: Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Sunday nominated minister Mohammad Azharuddin and Prof M Kodandaram Reddy as Members of the Legislative Council for a term of six years from the date of notification. In the notification, the governor stated that the appointments are subject to the final outcome of all pending appeals related to both nominees | p4 India, NZ to sign free trade pact today New Delhi: India and New Zealand are set to sign a free trade pact on Monday, more than four months after announcing the conclusion of negotiations on December 22 last year. The pact will give India companies duty-free access to the island nation’s markets. The FTA will be signed in the presence of commerce minister Piyush Goyal and Todd McClay, New Zealand’s trade minister, in New Delhi.