kalaburagi l Thursday l October 01, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION Centre notifies tighTer, more fuel efficient CAFE-III norms Softer targets for lighter vehicles The benchmark for average fuel consumption will tighten from 3.996 litres per 100 km in 2027-28 to 3.327 litres per 100 km in 2031-32, a 16.7% improvement. The reference vehicle weight has been raised to 1,229 kg from 1,082 kg under the existing norms, meaning relatively softer targets for lighter vehicles and greater efficiency requirements for heavier ones | P12 The new Corporate Average Fuel Economy norms for passenger vehicles target a 16.7% improvement in fleet-average over five years Expect more fuel-saving tech in cars ■ ■ Battery electric and range-extended electric vehicles will get a 3.0 volume multiplier, meaning every vehicle sold will be counted as three, helping carmakers score more efficiency points than fossil fuel cars The number of accepted fuel-saving technologies has risen from 4 to 12. These include start-stop systems, tyre-pressure monitoring etc April 1, 2027 when the new norms will kick in. They will remain in effect till 2032 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 Flight FZ1073 1 5.21 UTC: Flight begins steep descent, followed by a sharp ascent, repeats it, as per Flightradar24 Modi, Trump hold first call since Russia bill’s passage 2 2 1 3 4 J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump agreed to maintain close engagement to advance the India-US strategic partnership in their first conversation since the US passed the Russia sanctions law. The call also came as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is in the US for talks aimed at advancing a proposed bilateral trade agreement and securing an interim trade arrangement. During the telephone conversation, Modi and Trump reviewed cooperation in trade, defence, energy and critical technologies and other areas of mutual interest, an official release said. They “reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the IndiaUS Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and agreed to maintain close engagement to deepen cooperation,” the statement said. “Had a productive conversation with President Trump,” Modi wrote on X. The call came amid rising trade tensions after the US enactment of the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, allowing the US to slap up to 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India. express read Gill and Rohit power India’s victory over WI Guwahati: Skipper Shubman Gill clobbered an unbeaten 223, the fastest double hundred in 50-over cricket, and Rohit Sharma belted a 101 to give India an eight-wicket win over the West Indies in the second ODI here on Wednesday | P13 BCom student stabbed to death by classmate Bengaluru: A 19-year-old BCom student was stabbed to death by his classmate and five others outside their college in Papareddypalya, Bengaluru, on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased, Yogesh, was killed during an argument after two groups clashed | P7 Route of Fly Dubai flight 5.28.48 am: Aircraft begins squawking 7700, a discreet international code to indicate general emergency 3 05:33 am: Aircraft then oscillates around an altitude of about 15,000 feet. Ground speed varies significantly 4 05:35 am: Switches to squawk 7500, another code to indicate unlawful interference. Flight then turns west, briefly entering Jordanian airspace before turning back 180 degrees and heading southwest toward Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. It switches back to squawk 7700 as it approached Tabuk, lands at 6.58 am INFLIGHT TERROR High drama aboard Flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight as co-pilot stabs captain, tries to crash plane; aircraft plunges 17,000 ft; off-duty pilots take control, make emergency landing A g e n c i e s @ Dubai/Jerusalem A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport on Wednesday after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain with a knife and tried to intentionally crash the plane with 174 passengers, most of them Israelis. The incident prompted Israel to close its airspace and scramble warplanes over fears that the jet had been hijacked. Flight-tracking data showed the plane suddenly plummeted, losing around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute. The aircraft subsequently transmitted emergency signals, including a code indicating possible unlawful interference. Following the pandemonium, two off-duty Flydubai pilots who were travelling in the same plane as passengers entered the cockpit and took control of the flight. The knife-wielding copilot was subdued with the help of passengers and the plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia for emergency landing. The off-duty pilots landed the No confirmation Israeli news website Ynet, citing officials, reported that the pilot was Indian and the co-pilot was an Omani national, who was suspected of trying to crash the aircraft. The Indian captain fought with him to prevent the crashing, with Israeli passengers later helping subdue the co-pilot. But there was no independent confirmation of the pilot’s nationality plane safely and the passengers were later flown to Tel Aviv in another aircraft. “The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty Flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport. All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for,” a Flydubai spokesperson said. Flydubai said the reasons for the fight between the pilots were unknown. “At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts,” a spokersperson said. The airline said it was cooperating with the relevant authorities and that all passengers were safe. “The captain and copilot were found to have injuries and were transported to hospital,” a statement from the Tabuk airport said. An Israeli official said there may have been an attempt to attack Israelis, and an investigation is ongoing. He said that a “major disaster was narrowly avoided” adding passengers had prevented an ‘Israeli 9/11’ by tying up the assailant. While Flydubai did not disclose the identities of the pi- INDIA to take fight against CEC to streets P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Thick smoke billows out of MRPL at Jokatte after the blast on Wednesday. Inset: Deceased Manish Karkada, a contract worker One killed, 12 injured in massive MRPL blast V i n c e n t D ’ S o u z a @ Mangaluru A major blast followed by a fire at the Coker Hydrotreater (CHT) Unit of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) at Jokatte near Mangaluru claimed one life and left 12 others injured on Wednesday afternoon. The impact of the explosion was felt in several nearby areas, damaging houses, a school and a church in a radius of nearly 3 km. The deceased, Manish Karkada (23), was a resident of Mulki and was working with MRPL on a contract basis for the past 18 months. His charred body was recovered from the affected unit. Rajesh Prasad, who suffered around 35% burns, was shifted to Srinivasa Hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit. Doctors said his condition is stable and he is out of danger. The injured are, Ravi Poojary, Indrajeet, Raman Kumar, Lokesh Kulai, Jayaram, Jerom, Avinash, Akshay, Jagajeevan Singh, Sharat Shetty and Rajesh Poojary and they were treated as outpatients. The polilce booked an FIR against two unnamed MRPL officials under Section 287, 125(b) and 106 of BNS for negligence in properly maintaining the plant leading to the mishap. An MRPL statement said the incident occurred after a cold separator operating at around 70 bar pressure in the CHT ruptured, triggering the fire around 12.20 pm. The affected unit was immediately isolated and evacuated, while firefighting operations were launched. Fire tenders from New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) and the Fire and Emergency Services brought the blaze under control by 2.27 pm. CONTINUED ON: P7 IN a show of unity, 20 INDIA bloc parties came together here on Wednesday to announce a joint action plan demanding the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a return to ballot papers over EVMs. Kumar has been under Opposition and civil society fire for a week since reports revealed a rift in the functioning of the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. After a three-hour-meeting, the INDIA bloc parties, in a joint press meet, announced country in October and Novemthey would rope in youngsters ber, including one in Delhi on and civil society organisations November 1. and hold ‘Save Democracy’ Congress president Mallikarmarches from October jun Kharge, former 2-8 before district magparty chiefs Sonia istrate offices to press Gandhi and Rahul their charge of ‘vote Gandhi, TMC chief chori’. On October 6, Mamata Baner jee, all opposition MPs will CPM general secretary march to the EC headM A Baby Jammu and , quarters in Delhi. OpKashmir Chief Minisposition leaders will ter Omar Abdullah, Gyanesh Kumar seek an appointment RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav with the President in and NCP (SP) MP Suthe second week of October to priya Sule were among those at submit a representation on the the meeting; Shiv Sena (UBT) matter. The bloc will also hold chief Uddhav Thackeray and five massive rallies across the Jharkhand CM and JMM chief State govt likely to hike bus fares soon E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Bengaluru A decision on increasing bus fares of Karnataka’s state-run transport corporations is likely soon, with the high-level committee headed by retired officer Atul Tiwari set to submit its report to the government in a day or two, Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh said on Wednesday . Speaking to reporters after a meeting in Bengaluru on traffic congestion, road safety and enforcement of traffic rules, Suresh said a fare hike had become necessary as the transport corporations were facing severe financial difficulties. He said diesel prices had increased by Rs 15 to Rs 16 per litre following four hikes by the BJP-led central government in the past year. This, he said, had resulted in an annual loss of Rs 8,000 crore to the state transport corporations. The Atul Tiwari committee has examined the financial poCabinet to decide on milk price hike today? The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday will likely deliberate on the milk price hike with 16 cooperative milk unions under the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) demanding an increase of Rs 12 per litre. Sources said that the cabinet could consider a hike of anywhere between Rs 5 and Rs 8 | P4 sition of all the transport corporations. Its report will be placed before the Cabinet for discussion, following which the fare revision will be taken up after obtaining Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s approval, Suresh said. Meanwhile, the government will introduce smart cards for women beneficiaries of the Shakti scheme, which provides free travel on state-run buses. The move is aimed at ensuring that the benefit is restricted to women from Karnataka, following reports of women from other states availing themselves of free travel. The tender process for issuing smart cards to one crore women in the first phase has been completed. The cards will be ready and distributed within two months, Suresh said. B u l l’s e y e S From almost quitting archery to two gold at Asiad: Sahil’s story OME two years ago, Sahil Jadhav wanted to walk away from archery His ca. reer, he thought, was going nowhere. He was living on borrowed time: mother’s jewellery had already been sold to ensure he would get the required paraphernalia to keep the fire of ambition burning. That flame was about to be extinguished when he was forced to compete with borrowed arrows at a selection lots, some Israeli media outlets identified them as Omani and Emirati nationals. Meanwhile, some reports claimed the captain was Indian national Smit Machchhar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of the pilots stabbed the other and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft with Israeli passengers on board. He said the pilot who carried out the stabbing had been arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities. Netanyahu said an Israeli passenger told him that the aircraft went into a spin and began descending, after which the passenger and a crew member managed to break into the cockpit and, together, they overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft’s systems. He said another crew member then entered the cockpit and helped stabilise the aircraft. “I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage. They prevented a major disaster,” he said. trial to make it to the Indian team. Over the last two years, though, Sahil has only known big wins. The apogee of his career came on Wednesday Twice in. side the first half of the day at the archery ranges, Sahil occupied the top step of the podium — as part of the mixed team and the men’s side — as Indian archers dominanted the proceedings with three gold medals on Wednesday. The com- Indraneel Das Express @ asian games Nagoya pound archer, whose gold in the mixed team event also gave India a quota at LA2028, said he faced no pressure in the final. In fact, his last shot was a 10. A product of the famed Archery Academy in Satara, Maharashtra, he shifted to the National Sahil Jadhav celebrates with his gold after the men’s team event | PTI Centre of Excellence in Kolkata two years ago. Despite their meagre savings, the parents and the coach, Pravin Sawant, kept him in good spirits. “He competed with borrowed arrows during the selection trials and earned a place in the India team,” said his father Rajesh Jadhav. The breakthrough came at the World University Games in 2025 where he came within a whisker of scoring 150 (ended up with 149). Soon, he became the country’s top compound archer. Securing Olympic quota for India was a bonus. “The feeling is great and result of a lot of hard work,” said Sahil, who is still hoping for a Class One job from Maharashtra government. Hard work, determination and no less grit took him from the verge of retirement to the top step of the podium. Next stop? It could well be Los Angeles. Hemant Soren joined online. At the briefing, Kharge said the bloc will appeal to the Supreme Court to expedite the cases related to the SIR and electoral malpractices. Kharge said everyone had agreed that all polls should be conducted on ballot papers and that laws framed by this “chori government” should be annulled. He dubbed Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah as real “puppeteers” of EC. Sources said Mamata, during the meeting, called for a broader Opposition mobilisation and urged all leaders to set aside their egos to fight the BJP  P7 . sticky wicket Tunnel Road to face legal hurdle over wetland B o s k y K h a n n a @ Bengaluru Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s pet project -- the twintunnel road from Hebbal to Silk Board -- will now be on another sticky wicket. It is likely to face legal hurdles as the project violates Supreme Court orders on the protection of water bodies. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has got clearance from the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (KTCDA) to divert 3.45 acre of Hebbal Lake land for the project. But the Supreme Court orders clearly state that all wetland and water bodies must be protected and not diverted for any other purposes. The apex court orders specify that any water body spanning over 2.25 acre is considered a wetland. If one applies this yardstick, 14,000 wetlands in the state fall under the category. But most of them are not protected by the state government, said experts who are now working on approaching courts. Prof TV Ramachandra from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) said KTCDA and BDA should take permission from the Karnataka Wetlands Authority (KWA).