MANGALURU  SATURDAY  OCTOBER 05, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 14  CITY EDITION APPLE SAYS IT WILL MANUFACTURE ENTIRE iPHONE 16 LINEUP IN INDIA PREMIUM DEVICES TO ROLL OUT THIS MONTH Weeks after launching its iPhone 16 series, Apple said that it will manufacture its entire iPhone 16 lineup, including premium devices, in India FOUR MORE APPLE STORES COMING UP This marks the first instance of Apple producing its premium devices outside China. The company said Indian-made iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models will be rolled out this month. These will be available for local customers and will also be exported. “Apple is now manufacturing the entire iPhone 16 lineup, including iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, in India,” it said ■ ■ The iconic phone maker also said that it will open four more stores in India, to be located in Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai Apple’s manufacturing partners in India include Taiwanese giants Foxconn and Pegatron, as well as the Tata-owned Wistron. The Tata Group is Apple’s only Indian manufacturing partner | P12 2017 WHEN THE U.S.-BASED TECH GIANT BEGAN MANUFACTURING THE IPHONE IN INDIA 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 Modi convenes urgent Cabinet meet to discuss West Asia crisis RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi AMID rising global tensions over the prospects of an IsraelIran war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has convened a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to discuss the evolving situation and its potential impact on India. According to sources, a significant portion of the discussion focused on fuel and crude oil supplies, with Finance Minister Nir mala Sitharaman putting the status on trade with other countries. The committee deliberated on whether the rising international fuel prices, influenced by the situation involving Iran, could affect India’s oil sector. A source said the Ministry of Finance ruled out any immediate adverse implications for India. The CCS meeting, held late on Thursday evening, lasted over 20 minutes, during which various aspects of the unfolding situation were discussed. Apart from ministers, officials from Home Affairs, External Affairs, Finance, and Defence were also present. The ministers deliberated on the potential for trade relations with countries affected by the conflict, noting that India’s trade interests could be hit. Prime Minister Modi urged ministers and officials to maintain heightened vigilance and to closely monitor developments. He stressed the need to ensure the safety of Indian nationals working in West Asia. According to estimates, over 30,000 Indians are currently in Israel, while there are about 10,000 Indians are in Iran. Jaishankar-led team to attend SCO meet in Pak 28 MAOISTS KILLED IN SOUTH BASTAR E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur First Indian foreign minister in nine years to visit the neighbour amid frosty bilateral ties Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi received a high-level welcome in Pakistan. It is disappointing EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S and condemnable, but it is not Jaishankar will lead the Indian surprising,” said Jaiswal. delegation for the upcoming Bilateral ties became frosty SCO Summit in Islamabad, after Indian Air Force jets making him the first Indian bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed foreign minister to visit Paki- training camp in Balakot deep stan in nine years. “Jaishankar inside Pakistan in February will lead the Indian delegation 2019 in response to a terror atfor the SCO Summit for Islama- tack on a CRPF bus in J&K’s bad on October 15-16,” said Pulwama. Months later, J&K’s Ministry of External Affairs special powers under Article spokesperson Randhir 370 were read down. Jaiswal on Friday . Pakistan retaliated by Foolproof The last time an Indowngrading diplosecurity dian external affairs matic ties with India. Pakistan minister went to PakiDuring his recent s t a n w a s S u s h m a minister Mohsin UN General Assembly Naqvi said Swaraj’s visit in 2015. address, Jaishankar personnel from said, while many counThere was no clarity the Army, on whether India will tries get left behind have any bilateral Rangers, FC and due to circumstances Punjab police talks with other Shangbeyond their control, hai Cooperation Or- will be deployed some make conscious to ensure ganisation (SCO) choices with disasfoolproof members as Jaiswal trous consequences, said Jaishankar is security for the pointing to Pakistan SCO guests, travelling to Pakistan as a prime example. “A reports Dawn only to attend the sumdysfunctional nation mit. During the SCO coveting the lands of foreign ministers’ meeting in others must be exposed and Goa in 2023, Pakistan’s foreign countered,” he said. minister Bilawal Bhutto had He was rebuffing the false travelled to India along with 11 equivalence Pakistan Prime journalists from his country . Minister Shehbaz Sharif Significantly Indian fugitive sought to draw between Kash, and radical Islamist Zakir Naik mir and Palestine in his UNGA is in Pakistan since the past address the previous day Later, . few days. He also met Pakistani defence minister Rajnath Singh Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said India could have extended on Thursday . much more aid to the neigh“We are not surprised that a bour than the IMF’s $7 billion fugitive from Indian justice has had it mended its ways. Bastar Inspector General of Police Sundarraj P inspects weapons recovered from Maoists after an encounter on September 25 in Narayanpur | EXPRESS Major encounters in Bastar this year MARCH 27: 6 Maoists killed in Bijapur APRIL 2: 13 Maoists killed in Bijapur APRIL 6: 3 Maoists killed along C’garhTelangana border APRIL 16: 29 Maoists killed in Kanker APRIL 30: 9 AUG 29: 3 Woman MAY 23: 7 SEPT 3: 9 Maoists killed at inter-district border Narayanpur-Kanker Maoists killed on borders of KankerNarayanpur Maoists killed on inter-district border Narayanpur-Bijapur Maoists killed on inter-district border Dantewada-Bijapur JUNE 6: 7 SEPT 25: 3 Maoists Maoists killed on Narayanpur, Dantewada and Kondagaon killed In Narayanpur OCT 4: 28 Maoists killed on inter-district border DantewadaNarayanpur June 15: 8 Maoists killed in Narayanpur EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru MYSTERY shrouds the death of a 13-year-old schoolgirl in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar after an autopsy revealed that she had been murdered. The police are yet to crack the murder case registered more than three months ago. Gargi Murulidhar, a resident of Ushas Apartment, 16th Main Road, Jayanagar 4 ‘T’ Block, was found dead in her room on May 23. Her mother Shruthi New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday set up a five-member independent SIT to probe the allegations of use of animal fat in preparing Tirupati laddus. The development assumes significance as the top court-appointed panel substitutes the Andhra Pradesh government’s SIT constituted to probe the allegations | P5 Haryana goes to polls today Chandigarh: The fate of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Vinesh Phogat of the Congress besides JJP’s Dushyant Chautala and 1,027 other candidates will be decided on Saturday as elections to the 90-member Haryana assembly will be held with over 2 crore people eligible to vote | P10 India trying to equal China: IAF chief New Delhi: Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Friday said India needs to catch up with China on technology and speed in production of military equipment, holding that “we are way behind” the neighbour. “We are trying to match up with it. We are upgrading our airfields,” he said. SPIC AND SPAN In Lakkundi, plastic-free campaign sugar-coated R A G H O T TA M K O P PA R @ Gadag LAKKUNDI Gram Panchayat (GP) in Gadag district has come up with a novel idea to make this village of ancient temples plastic-free. Employees of the GP will offer sugar if villagers give them plastic waste. If villagers give 2kg of plastic waste, they will get 2kg of sugar. If they give 10kg of plastic waste, they will get 10 kg of sugar. This idea came up at a meeting of the panchayat recently and the campaign will start on Saturday. Lakkundi is 12 km from Gadag. It is believed that Lakkundi once An ancient temple complex in Lakkundi village near Gadag | EXPRESS 65 2020 40 2021 51 2022 30 2023 20 2024* 185 (*till Oct 4) Deshpande, who tried to wake her up in the morning, found Gargi’s bed wet, indicating that she had urinated at the time of her death. Hearing Shruthi’s screams, Gargi’s father Murulidhar sought the help of two doctors residing in the same apartment. The doctors, who examined Gargi, asked Murulidhar to rush her to hospital. The couple then took Gargi to a private hospital in Jayanagar, where she was declared brought dead. SC forms SIT to probe laddu row Children play huli vesha (tiger dance) during Makkala Dasara in Mysuru on Friday | UDAYASHANKAR S 2019 Whodunnit? B’luru girl killed at home EXPRESS READ ROARING TIGERS Maoists killed in last five years AT least 28 Maoists were killed in a fierce gun battle with the security forces close to the forested NendurThulthuli area along the inter-district border of Dantewada and Narayanpur in south Bastar on Friday . Bastar range inspector general of police Sunderraj P said the troopers have recovered 28 bodies so far. The count could go up further. “Based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoists in the region, a joint team comprising District Reserve Guards and Special Task Force launched parallel search operations. While the encounter began around 1 pm, intermittent exchange of firing continued till late in the evening. Search operations in the region are underway,” Prabhat Kumar, Narayanpur district police chief told this newspaper. A large cache of assault weapons, including AK-47, self-loading rifles, explosives, besides other items of Maoists were recovered from the site, the police said. There was no report of any injury sustained by the forces. The recovered bodies will be identified after the safe return of the security forces engaged in the operation. Dantewada and Narayanpur are among the seven Maoist-affected districts in the Bastar zone. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hailed the operation and said the ‘double engine’ government (BJP government in the state and at the Centre) is determined to eliminate the menace. As many as 185 Maoist fighters have been neutralised by security forces this year alone (see table). Besides, 663 others have been arrested and 556 surrendered since January in the conflict-ridden Bastar zone. Since 2019, as many as 277 new camps of central armed police forces were set up to fill the security vacuum in the Maoist-affected areas of the state. had 101 ancient temples and 101 lakes. But now, only a few of them remain. The village recently received Rs 5.66 crore for its comprehensive development and to make it a major tourism centre in the state. The Tourism Department has prepared a blueprint and the Lakkundi Heritage Area Development Authority has started renovation and restoration work on 13 ancient temples. Two modern toilets and restrooms will be built in the village soon. Members and employees of the GP will raise awareness among the people on the plastic menace after launching the campaign on Saturday. Their aim is to get the whole village cleaned in a few weeks. They decided to launch this campaign after many efforts to keep Lakkundi clean and tidy failed in the past. Gram panchayat president KS Pujar said, “We came up with the sugar for plastic waste campaign when people of the village did not cooperate with the GP in implementing the ban on use of plastic items such as carry bags. We have earmarked funds to make this campaign a success. We will soon make Lakkundi a plastic-free village.” Suspecting foul play in his daughter’s death, Murulidhar filed a complaint with Tilak Nagar police. After registering an unnatural death report, the police shifted the body to Victoria Hospital for postmortem. Death due to asphyxia, says forensic report On July 18, the head of the hospital’s Forensic Medicine Department gave a report to the police stating that the “death was due to asphyxia as a result of smothering.” Based on the report, the police registered a murder case on July 18. Even after four months of the girl’s suspicious death, the police are yet to crack the case. They, however, suspect that the accused must be known to the victim. “Gargi’s father works as a delivery manager with a private company while her mother is a , teacher. Gargi was having summer holidays. On May 22, she visited her grandfather’s house P5 in Ashok Nagar.