blackouts in Ukraine as Russia launches fiercest attack in months Russia on Sunday launched a massive drone and missile attack targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, killing two civilians. Russia launched 120 missiles and 90 drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Explosions were heard across the country, including in capital Kyiv, the key southern port of Odesa, as well as the west and central regions. It was the biggest missile and drone attack on Ukraine since August | P9 belagavi l Monday l November 18, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late 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 Shah holds key meet as Manipur simmers India tests hypersonic missile, joins elite club Hemant Kumar Rout & M aya n k S i n g h Cancels Maha poll rallies, rushes to Delhi to hold high-level meeting NPP withdraws support to Biren Singh-led govt M u k e s h R a n j a n @ New Delhi Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday cancelled his campaign in poll-bound Maharashtra and rushed to Delhi to hold a high-level review meeting on the fresh violence in Manipur. Sources said Shah sat down with senior officials to take stock of the situation, and directed them to take all possible measures to bring back normalcy in the strife-torn state. It is learnt that Shah has called another meeting on Monday for a detailed discussion on the state’s law and order situation. Meanwhile, the director-general of the Central Reserve Police Force, Anish Dayal, was sent to Imphal to assess the security situation in the state, which has been witnessing intermittent violent incidents since May 2023 following the ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities. Tensions escalated in Manipur on Saturday following the recovery of the bodies of six individuals, who were reportedly abducted and killed by militants in Jiribam. On Saturday, irate mobs attacked the residences of state ministers and MLAs. The protesters also attempted to storm Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s house, prompting security forces to respond with tear gas to disperse the crowds. The fresh incidents of vio- @ Bhubaneswar/New Delhi P R ASANTA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati Amit Shah lence took place on Saturday night even as an indefinite curfew was clamped after people, agitated by the killing of three women and children each by militants in Jiribam district, attacked the residences of three state ministers and six MLAs earlier in the day . The angry mobs torched the houses of PWD Minister Govindas Konthoujam at Ningthoukhong, Hiyanglam’s BJP MLA Y Radheshyam at Langmeidong Bazar, Wangjing Tentha’s BJP MLA Paonam Brojen in Thoubal district and Khundrakpam’s Congress MLA Thokchom Lokeshwar in Imphal East district, according to officials. On Sunday morning, there was a tense calm in all five districts of the Imphal Valley, where the curfew was imposed and internet services were suspended following violent protests after the discovery of the bodies of six people who were allegedly abducted and killed by militants in Jiribam. Last week, Manipur police said it shot dead 10 militants. THE National People’s Party (NPP) on Sunday withdrew its support to the BJP-led government in Manipur saying it has “completely failed” to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy . In a letter addressed to BJP president J P Nadda, NPP chief and Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma expressed deep concern over the prevailing law and order situation in Manipur, where innocent lives have been lost and people are going through immense suffering. “…we strongly feel that the Manipur government under the leadership of Shri Biren Singh has completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy Keeping the . current situation in mind, the NPP has decided to withdraw its support to the Biren Singh-led government with immediate effect,” the letter read. The NPP has seven MLAs. The BJP-led government’s survival will not be threatened by this development as the NDA still has 46 members in the 60-member House. As there is an apprehension of further attacks, security has been beefed up outside the houses of the legislators in the Imphal valley . Test missile being fired from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the Odisha coast | PTi In a significant demonstration of India’s growing military prowess, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Saturday successfully flight-tested the country’s first long-range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha coast. The test missile was launched from a ground-based mobile launcher positioned at the launching complex-IV of the Integrated Test Range at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island around 6.55 pm on Saturday . The missile, developed by the Max temperature will rise 1.5oC by 2047, projects report A k n i s r e e K a r t h i k @ Bengaluru The average annual maximum temperature will increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2057, under the ‘Middle of the Road’ emission scenario (where society is assumed to take moderate steps to cut emissions). The more extreme ‘Fossil Fuel Development’ (society relying heavily on fossil fuels for energy) emission scenario predicts that the temperature will rise a decade earlier, by 2047, reveals the Climate Change Projections for India (2021-2040) report of Azim Premji University, released on Sunday . States like Karnataka, Gujarat, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, including parts of Ladakh, will experience an increase in precipitation by 20 to 60 per cent, according to the report. The new climate data offers critical insights into how climate change will impact the country over the next two decades, revealing key information about India’s climate, detailing how extreme weather events -- like heat waves, droughts, and intense rainfall -- could affect communities, a g r i c u l t u re a n d n at u r a l P5 resources.  laboratories of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, Hyderabad along with other DRDO laboratories and industry partners, can carry various payloads for ranges greater than 1,500 km, an official readout said. At present, only a few countries like the US, Russia and China, have hypersonic missiles. These missiles can travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound or roughly around 6,200 kmph). With such extreme speed, manoeuvrability, and the ability to fly at lower altitudes than traditional ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles are harder to detect and intercept. express read Delhi min Kailash Gahlot quits AAP New Delhi: In a jolt to AAP ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, state Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot quit the party on Sunday, alleging “political ambitions” have overtaken its commitment towards people | P8 press Intake CM: BPL cards of only those ineligible will be withdrawn | P4 AP cops intensify crackdown on abusive social media posts | P5 Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group sets up centre for growth | P10 Three students drown in M’luru resort pool E x pr e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Mangaluru Three engineering students from Mysuru, who were enjoying their weekend at a beach resort near here, drowned in the swimming pool of the property on Sunday The deceased have . been identified as N Keerthana (21), from Devaraj Mohalla in Vijayanagara; MD Nishitha (21), from Kurubarahalli; and S Parvathi (20), from K R Mohalla. According to the Ullal police, the incident occurred around 10.05 am, at Vazco Beach Resort in Peribail, near Batapady in Someshwar village.  CONTINUED ON P5  Man dies at work, body dumped in front of his house E x pr e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Mangaluru The body of a 69-year-old dailywage labourer, who fell seriously ill and allegedly died at his workplace, was brought in a pickup truck and dumped on the road in front of his house, without even his family members being informed. The incident was reported on Saturday in Chikkamudnoor village of Puttur taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. The deceased has been identified as Shivappa, a resident of Salmara Tarigudde, who was working at a mill owned by P5 Henry Tauro.