SpaceX ‘catches’ rocket booster in historic first SpaceX on Sunday successfully caught the returning first-stage booster minutes after the launch of its fifth Starship test flight Catching the booster The launch tower sported monstrous metal arms that caught the descending booster. It comes after the US regulator granted SpaceX its long-awaited licence to move forward with the fifth test launch of Starship How it helps SpaceX Recycling boosters will help SpaceX speed up the launch rate and save millions in cost kozhikode l Monday l October 14, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION 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 Palestine, Syria among 34 eyeing BRICS membership Bishnoi gang claims responsibility for Baba Siddique murder, two held Y es h i se l i @ New Delhi S UDH I R S U R YA W A N S H I @Mumbai Palestine, Syria, and Myanmar could be among the 20 countries that would either become members or partners of the BRICS grouping during its annual summit in Russia this month. In all, 34 countries have applied to join the bloc, sources said ahead of the upcoming meet in Kazan, Russia. Ten new members and 10 partners are expected to be announced after existing members of the bloc arrive at a consensus during the summit scheduled to be held from October 22 to 24, sources said. Partners won’t have the same rights as members, but will, in all likelihood, become permanent members by the next summit, a source said. According to the source, the 34 candidates are: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Honduras, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, State of Palestine, Syria, Thailand, Turkey , Uganda, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. PM Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Russia later this month to attend the summit. HOURS after former Maharashtra minister and NCP (Ajit Pawar) leader Baba Siddique was shot dead in Mumbai late on Saturday night, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the murder, citing his close relationship with Bollywood star Salman Khan. The gang has threatened the actor for allegedly poaching blackbucks in Rajasthan during a film shoot in 1998. The Bishnoi community considers blackbucks holy In April this . year, some Bishnoi gang members were held in connection with the firing outside Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai. Siddique, 66, was gunned down outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Mumbai’s Bandra East. According to police, three shooters were involved in the murder and two Two suspects on the run; FB post of purported gang member threatens actor Salman Khan Zeeshan Siddique and Arshia Siddique, son and daughter of NCP leader Baba Siddique, lead his funeral procession in Bandra, Mumbai on Sunday | ANI of them, identified as Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh (23) and Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19) have been arrested. The third accused, Shivkumar Gautam of UP, is on the run. A fourth person, believed to be express read CM accuses guv of ‘vilification campaign’ T’Puram: CM Pinarayi Vijayan has given a strongly-worded reply to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s letter seeking clarity on his remarks on alleged “anti-national activities” in the state. “Such misconceived versions...are a part of a vilification campaign to malign the state,” the CM said in his letter to Khan | P4 Kerala GSDP a modest 6.52% in 2023-24 Kochi: Latest data has put Kerala Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth for 2022-23 at 4.24%, a downward revision from the quick estimates of 6.6%. However, in 2023-24, the state GSDP showed a growth of 6.52%, according to the data available at Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation | P5 the handler and did the recce for the shootout, is also on the run, police sources said. “Between 9.00 and 9.30 pm on Sunday night, Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his son’s office. The assailants fired multiple rounds, fatally striking the politician in the chest. A case has been registered and handed over to the Crime Branch for further investigation. The police nabbed two accused and recovered two pistols and 28 rounds from them,” said Datta Nalawade, deputy commissioner of police (crime branch), at a press conference. Nalawade said the police are also investigating the role of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which claimed responsibility for the murder through a Facebook post, in the crime. “Probe agencies are perusing the post, reportedly linked to a Facebook account of Shubuu Lonkar, who may actually be Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar, who was arrested earlier this year for possession of illegal weapons. He is believed to have strong connections with the Bishnoi network,” a P8 police source said.  Veena questioned in payoff case, UDF, BJP trade barbs which comes under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, following the Karnataka V e e na V i jaya n, t h e High Court’s refusal to stay daughter of Chief Minister the investigation in FebruPinarayi Vijayan, was re- ary. This was shortly after portedly questioned by the the Centre ordered the SFIO Serious Fraud Investigation probe into the affairs of ExaOffice (SFIO) in Chennai re- logic as well as CMRL and cently as part of the latter’s Kerala State Infrastructure investigation into Development the alle ged kickCorporation. backs her IT firm Responding to the Exalogic Solutions development, Leader received from the of Opposition V D Cochin Minerals and Satheesan said the Rutile Ltd (CMRL). questioning was an Soon after the election stunt, as annews broke, the Con- Veena Vijayan nouncement for the gress-led UDF albypoll is expected on leged a “deal” between the Monday “It is an attempt to . CPM and BJP ahead of the mislead the public into bebypolls in Kerala, while the lieving that the CPM and BJP claimed the case ex- BJP are fighting face-to-face posed the LDF-UDF nexus in in the state. We saw it in the the state. case of Thrissur Lok Sabha Veena appeared before the seat and in the Karuvannur SFIO last Wednesday for the issue,” he said, emphasising , second time. She had earlier that the CPM and BJP could appeared before the SFIO, not hide the nexus. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Kochi Social media injurious to mental health: Top US doc EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru SOCIAL media has created a culture of comparison that impacts self-esteem, particularly among young people grappling with feelings of inadequacy and isolation, US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy said. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, Dr Murthy said many young people feel disconnected despite being connected online, adding that the pressure to showcase an ideal life on social media contributes to these feelings. Addressing the immense academic and social pressures faced by students, both in the US and India, he said this pressure to succeed academically, coupled with comparison fostered by social media, can lead to significant stress. Dr Murthy called for urgent reforms in medical education to better integrate mental health training, noting that many medical curricula have not adequately addressed mental health issues. For far too long, mental and social health have been viewed as less important than physical health, America’s top doctor said, adding that mental health is an issue on which the US and India can work together.