vijayawada l monday l july 29, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Fears of Israel-lebanon war as 12 killed in israel-held golan Israel on Sunday vowed to ‘hit the enemy hard’ after rocket fire from Lebanon killed 12 youngsters in Israeli-annexed Golan Heights ‘Hezbollah has crossed all red lines’ Call for calm as Israel strikes lebanon A rocket strike Saturday at a football field killed at least 12 children and teens, Israeli authorities said. Israel blamed Hezbollah for the strike, but the Lebanese group said it has nothing to do with the attacks. “There is no doubt Hezbollah has crossed all the red lines here, and the response will reflect that,” Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israeli media | P9 ■ ■ Israel’s military said on Sunday it had hit Hezbollah targets “both deep inside Lebanese territory and in southern Lebanon” Iran warned Israel of “unforeseen consequences” if it attacks Lebanon. Western powers including France and Britain have called for calm. Those dead in Golan were aged between 10 and 16 22 Israeli soldiers killed near border with lebanon since OCtober last 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 karma, Bhagavad Gita Coaching centre owner and the legend of Manu Bhaker held for student deaths, sent to judicial custody I 5 NE Manu Bhaker is India’s first woman shooting medallist at the Games. It is also India’s first medal in the 10m air pistol event Overall, this is India’s fifth medal in shooting in the history of the Games and first since Gagan Narang in 2012. Others to have won include Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Abhinav Bindra and Vijay Kumar Green signal UltraTech board clears acquisition of India Cements A r s h a d K h a n @ New Delhi THE board of directors of India’s largest cement maker UltraTech Cement on Sunday approved the purchase of 32.72% equity stake held by the promoters and their associates in Chennai-based India Cements Limited (ICL). UltraTech, an Aditya Birla group firm, will pay `3,954 crore at `390 a share to buy the entire 28.42% stake of ICL promoters — Srinivasan N, Chitra Srinivasan, Rupa Gurunath, and S K Asokh Baalaje—and 4.3% stake from Sri Saradha Logistics. This share purchase will trigger a mandatory open offer at `390 a share. The open offer, which will allow UltraTech to add another 26% stake, will be done subsequently after obtaining regulatory approvals. UltraTech had made a financial investment in ICL to acquire 22.77% equity at `268 per share in June 2024. Billionaire investor Radhakishan Damani and his associates had offloaded shares worth `1,889 crore in the deal. “Post this financial investment, the promoter group approached us as they wanted to sell their holding in the company UtraTech said. ,” Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said: “Every investment in a core sector like cement accelerates economic activity and drives progress. These investments have also facilitated India’s nationwide infrastructure upgrade.” New Guvs for eight states and one Union Territory The President, following the recommendations from the Centre, on Saturday night appointed new governors for Telangana, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Punjab and Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry | P7 T is perhaps more than just providence that Manu Bhaker won a medal in the town of Chateauroux, where a river named Indre flows. After all, religion, spirituality and philosophy were all vital ingredients in this story It is difficult to not . be a touch philosophical when talking about the 22-year-old’s bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol final. She had secured a quota in the 25m pistol event and qualified for the 10m event only through trials. On Sunday , she won India’s first shooting Olympic medal since 2012 (London). Fittingly, Manu kept speaking about inspiration after her feat. Much of that inspiration came from that profound book of 700 verses – The Gita. In the final, Manu was calm. There were also occasional glances at Jaspal Rana, her coach sitting among the audience. “One look at him and that gives me courage,” she said. Karma is what she believes about how he knew how to get in, more so after the Tokyo in but not about getting out. Games where public criticism Use your information. Just do caused her to hit the nadir. “I it. Win or you die. So she won,” read a lot of Gita,” she said. Rana said. The training rituals, “One of the famous quotes is according to Manu, was even (Krishna’s advice to Arjuna) more challenging than the ackarma pe dhyan do, aur phal ke tual Olympics. “Perhaps, that chinta mat karo (focus has made me stronger,” on the work but don’t she said. One such ritual inworry about the reward). The same was TNIE @ olympics volves Manu meeting specific targets or payrunning through my ing a fine. “For exammind from last night ple, he sometimes sets a (Saturday). I told mytarget, and if you score self ‘whatever hapthat much, then fine. If pens, I’ll handle it’.” not, for the deficit in Manu and her coach Indraneel Das points (for example, if spoke about several Paris the target is 582 and you motivating parables, score 478), you have to anecdotes and stories. He doesn’t believe in getting an give 40 euros or 400 euros, deexternal psychologist. “My pending on the situation.” They coach is my psychologist,” she donate the entire proceeds or had said earlier. Just before the buy gifts and distribute it. One over, two to follow. She final, the duo were talking about Abhimanyu – Arjuna’s will pair with Sarabjot Singh in son. How he knew how to enter the mixed 10m air pistol event the chakravyuh but did not before the 25m event later on in P11 know how to exit. “So we talked the week.  Bangladesh braces for more youth protests Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi Even as the authorities in Bangladesh maintain that the law and order is under control, the country remains tense with the student groups warning that they are preparing to resume protests over the arrests of their leaders who spearheaded the quota agitation. Some analysts have gone as far as suggesting that what began as a student protest is turning into a revolution. Students Against Discrimination, the student group that has led the protests, said on Sunday they would end their week-long protest moratorium. The group is demanding that the police free all student leaders arrested Mobile internet restored The mobile internet connection was restored in Bangladesh on Sunday, 10 days after it was restricted by the authorities across the country to stop the spread of fake news. The mobile internet connectivity was restored at around 3.00 pm local time over protests. However, sources say the police are pressing with covert action against protest leaders. Block raids are reportedly happening on a daily basis and youngsters are being rounded up and put in detention. “The situation is tense even now as on the pretext of ‘block raids’ young people are being rounded up and put under detention in cells,” Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, a politi- cal commentator in Bangladesh, told this newspaper. Reports said fully armed police are knocking at the doors in random order to arrest those considered as troublemakers. “For the first time in the history of Bangladesh, there were helicopters used during the protests,’’ Kalimullah said. However, the protesters are staying firm with their demands, one of which is that “visible actions” be taken against government ministers and police officers responsible for the deaths of protesters. “From being a mere student protest, this is soon turning into a revolution against the government,” Pinaki Bhattacharya, exiled Bangladesh rights activist, told this newspaper. “Our statistics confirm 266 people have died. (The government) is maintaining power through brutal force,” he added. At least 9,000 people have been arrested nationwide since the unrest began, Bangaldesh daily Prothom Alo reported. Bangladesh home minister Asaduzzaman Kha on Sunday said 147 people had been killed in clashes. Bangladesh officials in Delhi did not immediately respond. U J WAL J ALALI @ New Delhi A day after three young IAS aspirants were killed after they got trapped in a pool of water that entered the basement of a civil service coaching centre in central Delhi following heavy rains, the police on Sunday arrested the owner Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh. The accused were produced before a local court, which sent them to 14 days of judicial custody . The three IAS aspirants who lost their lives in the tragedy are Shreya Yadav of Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Navin Dalwin from Ernakulam in Kerala. Initial police investigation revealed that the coaching institute was illegally operating a library in the basement area. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the BNS, including culpable homicide. Police said the owner was at the spot at the time of the incident. DCP (central) M Harsh Vardhan said they received information around 7 pm that the basement of a UPSC coaching institute in Rajender Nagar Students protesting over the deaths of three IAS aspirants, in Delhi | Parveen Negi Madanapalle fire: Residences of Peddireddy PA, ex-MLA searched E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Tirupati The bus stand at Kotipalli was completely inundated on Sunday | express Rising flood level triggers panic in low-lying areas Express News Service @ Rajamahendravaram As floodwater level continued to hover near the danger mark with the River Godavari and its tributary Sabari receiving heavy inflows, panic prevailed among the people living in flood-prone areas of erstwhile East and West Godavari districts. Water-level at Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage stood at 15.80 feet. Officials released floodwater at the rate of 16 lakh cusecs into the sea on Sunday . According to River conservator Kasi Visveswara Rao, the second warning, issued at the Cotton Barrage, is likely to be withdrawn in a day or two after the floods recede. He pointed out that as the floodwater was receding at Bhadrachalam, third warning might be revoked and second warning will be continued. Incessant rains in the catchment areas of the River Godavari for the last few days has once again posed a threat of inundation in low-lying areas of five mandals in Alluri Sitarama Raju, two mandals in Eluru and Lanka villages in Godavari districts. As many as 30 villages in Velerupadu mandal have been severely-hit, while 14 villages in Koyida and Katkuru revenue panchayats were cut of f completely from the mainland. A team of ministers, comprising K Atchannaidu, Vangalapudi Anitha, and Kandula Durgesh, toured flood-affected Suryaraopalem, Pasalapudi, Kaldhari, Tallapalem, Kamsalapalem, Singavaram and Ravimetla villages in Nidadavolu and Undrajavaram mandals in East Godavari on Sunday and interacted with the P3 farmers.  As part of the investigation into the fire incident at the Madanapalle Sub-Collector’s office, police and CID officials reportedly questioned a former MLA and conducted searches at the residence of a close aide of senior YSRC leader and former minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy . Circle Inspector Ramesh conducted searches at the residence of Shashikant, who is reportedly Peddireddy’s personal assistant, in Ayyappa Society locality in Hyderabad. The searches started on Sat- urday night and continued till Sunday afternoon. Police seized several documents and shifted them to Madanapalle for further probe. Shashikant allegedly left his residence minutes before the Andhra police reached there. Subsequently, police served notices on Shashikant, summoning him for questioning. Additionally, searches were also reportedly conducted at the residence of former YSRC MLA Nawaz Basha. Basha, who represented Madanapalle from 2019 to 2024, was in Bengaluru when police arrived at his residence on Sun- had been flooded with the possibility of some students trapped inside. “Immediately the local police reached the spot,” the DCP said. The entire road outside the Rau Coaching Centre was submerged in at least 2 feet deep water. The Fire Brigade was also alerted, which rushed 7 rescue vehicles and began pumping out the water. But as the street was already waterlogged, the basement was getting flooded fast. The NDRF was then intimated which dispatched its divers after which they retrieved the first body of a woman at 10.40 pm, the second at 11.10 pm, and the third around 1 am. Locals said the torrential rains had waterlogged the entire area and gushing waters broke down the airtight gate of the basement after which the water entered the basement at a very high speed. The tragedy left the student community in a state of shock. They staged protests against the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the coaching institute’s management for their alleged negligence. Minor scuffles also broke out between police and students. day morning. When contacted by phone, he assured the police that he would return for questioning. Searches were still underway when Basha reached his residence in the evening. Police reportedly questioned the former legislator for nearly two hours. Several individuals such as J Venkata Chalapathi (vice-chairman of Madanapalle municipality), YSRC leader Bob John, and senior jour nalist B Akkualappa, all linked to Pedireddy and his son PV Midhun Reddy (Rajampet MP), have been questioned in the case pertaining to the fire incident.  P3 express read Chevireddy Mohith Reddy held, freed Tirupati: Chevireddy Mohith Reddy, former chairman of Tirupati Urban Development Authority, was detained, and subsequently released by police on Sunday in connection with an attempt to murder case. The case is related to an attack on TDP MLA Pulivarthi Nani | P3 Union Budget rendered justice to AP: Minister Guntur: The Union Budget rendered justice to Andhra Pradesh, said Union Minister Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar. He hailed the Centre’s commitment to the development of the capital city of Amaravati and completion of the Polavaram Irrigation Project | P3 Boat capsizes, man carrying out relief works drowns Express News Service @ Kakinada A 26-year-old man, deployed to carry out flood relief works, drowned in the gushing floodwaters at Udimudi Lanka in P Gannavaram mandal of Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district when the boat he was travelling in capsized on Sunday . The victim, identified as Chadalavada Vijay Kumar, and five others were transporting water cans to flood-hit regions when the mishap took place. According to Fisheries Department district officer Lal Mohammad, local authorities arranged four boats to carry out relief works in the submerged villages of P Gannavaram mandal. The boats were commuting between Udimudi Lanka and Chintavaripeta since July 19. Two swimmers, three workers and the captain of the boat were headed to the island village to supply water. Officials explained that as the boat operator was not aware of the local area, he took a different route, when the bottom of the boat collided with an unknown object and overturned. “The boat operator tried to reach the floodaffected area by choosing a shorter route, unmindful of the lurking danger,” District Collector Mahesh Kumar Ravirala said. The local fishermen saved five persons, who were floating due Local fishermen saved five persons, who were floating due to life jackets. Vijay’s life jacket loosened as he was not wearing it properly Officials to life jackets. “Vijay’s life jacket loosened as he was not wearing it properly,” officials said, adding that an NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) team and local swimmers have launched a search operation. According to officials, water in the River Godavari was flowing at a speed of 20 to 30 nautical miles. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of `5 lakh to the family of Vijay Kumar. He appealed to the people of flood-affected areas to maintain vigil.