china PoK Awantipura afghanistan PA K I S TA N Umerkot’s Chhor Operational range 40N6E missile[3] Long-range surveillance radar 240 km 150 km 48N6DM(E3) missile 48N6M(E2) missile 48N6(E) missile Command vehicle 120 km 40 km 9M96M(E2) 9M96 missile Engagement radar Launch vehicle Bhuj Map not to scale INDIA REPELS @ Srinagar/ Chandigarh/New Delhi Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on Thursday evening after Pakistani drone attacks were reported across parts of Jammu, Punjab and Rajasthan. The Indian air defence system responded swiftly, intercepting multiple drones, triggering air raid sirens and enforcing blackouts in border towns. As the tension ratcheted up in the evening, US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and called for “immediate de-escalation”. He offered “support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications,” US state department said. Jaishankar said India “will firmly counter any attempts at escalation”. The chain of events began with Pakistan launching missiles and kamikaze drones targeting the Jammu airport and the civilian areas around, which also houses the Indian Air Force station. All missiles and drones were neutralised. Soon after, explosions were reported in Punjab, followed by Pakistani shelling near Pathankot and Kupwara. Moments later, Pakistani drones were seen being intercepted over Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, with visible explosions and flashes lighting up the sky . The situation quickly escalated as civil administrations across northern India moved into action. Hoshiarpur in Punjab declared an immediate blackout after loud explosions were heard. “The blackout will continue till further orders,” said Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain, confirming that it was enforced following instructions from Air Force au- Nipah returns in state, Malappuram woman extremely critical E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Malappuram A 42-year-old woman from Malappuram has tested positive for Nipah, triggering concerns across the state. Health officials are on alert following the development, which comes nearly a year after the death of a 14-year-old boy from the same district. The officials said the condition of the woman, a native of Valanchery is extreme, ly critical and she is undergoing intensive treatment at a private hospital in Perinthalmanna. This is the third consecutive year since 2023 that Nipah has been reported in Kerala. After the first-ever outbreak in 2018 in Kozhikode, the infection was reported in Kochi in 2019, in Kozhikode in 2021 and 2023, and in Malappuram in 2024. A total of 21 Nipah-related deaths have been recorded in the state so far. The officials said the woman had been under treatment for four days for symptoms like high fever, persistent cough and acute breathing difficulty Suspecting Nipah, the . medical staff collected her samples, which were first tested at the Kozhikode Microbiology Lab and then sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, which ● More on P4 confirmed the infection.  LeT commander Hafiz Abdul Rauf leads funeral prayers in Muridke | PTI ‘IC-814 hijacking mastermind Rauf Azhar killed’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting secretaries of various ministries | PTI PM meets top officials, calls for emergency preparedness RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting with top officials from various ministries to review national preparedness and inter-ministerial coordination in light of the escalating conflict with Pakistan. According to sources, several key issues were discussed in the meeting, including strengthening of civil defence, combating misinformation and fake news, and securing critical infrastructure. The Cabinet secretary senior , officials from the prime minister’s office, and secretaries from key ministries including defence, home affairs, external affairs, information & broadcasting, power, health, and telecommunications attended the meeting, sources said. The secretaries were directed to conduct a comprehensive review the operations of their respective ministries and to ensure the fool-proof functioning of essential systems, with particular emphasis on readiness, emergency response, and internal communication protocols. M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Abdul Rauf Azhar, Jaish-eMohammed founder Maulana Masood Azhar’s brother and the terror outfit’s operational head, was killed in India’s airstrikes under Operation Sindoor, officials said on Thursday . The slain terrorist was considered the mastermind of the IC-814 hijacking in 1999 and involved in the 2001 Parliament attack. Terming it major victory, officials said he was killed in the Indian strikes on the Bahawalpur terror hideout early on Wednesday . Masood Azhar acknowledged that 10 members of his family and four of his close associates were killed EAM to Saudi, Iran: India will respond with a very firm hand jayanth ja c o b @ New Delhi EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India will respond with a “very , very firm” hand to any military aggression from Pakistan, amid a flurry of diplomatic engagements with Iranian and Saudi ministers as tensions mount between the neighbours. In his opening remarks during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New Delhi, Jaishankar said Pahalgam attack had forced India to retaliate across the bor- der. “ ...It is not our intention to escalate this situation. However, if there are military attacks on us, it will be met with a very , very firm response,” he said. The two ministers co-chaired the 20th India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting. Araghchi had visited Pakistan on Monday . Jaishankar also met Adel AlJubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and spoke on India’s response. “A good meeting with Adel Al-Jubeir this morning. Shared India’s perspective on countering terrorism.” Our response was measured. It is not our intention to escalate this situation S Jaishankar ‘Sunny days’ for Congress in Kerala K S SR E E J I T H @ T’Puram After much drama, the Congress central leadership has appointed three-time MLA Sunny Joseph as the party’s new state chief. Outgoing president K Sudhakaran, who had openly revolted against his removal, has been accommodated as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC). The AICC has replaced UDF convener M M Hassan with Attingal MP Adoor Prakash. Three working presidents were also announced. MLAs PC Vishnunath and AP Anil Kumar and MP Shafi Parambil will replace New entrants Three-time Peravoor MLA Sunny Joseph is KPCC president MP and outgoing KPCC president K Sudhakaran now permanent invitee to Congress Working Committee Sunny Joseph MP Adoor Prakash replaces M M Hassan as UDF convener P C Vishnunadh, A P Anil Kumar and Shafi Parambil new working presidents 1 st POpe from U.S. Robert Prevost, the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, waves from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica. He has taken the name Pope Leo XIV | AP | P9 THREAT NEUTRALISED Military stations of Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur in proximity to the International Boundary, in Jammu & Kashmir targeted by Pakistan using missiles and drones. No losses. Threat neutralised by #IndianArmedForces as per SoP with kinetic & non-kinetic means. ABHRA Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile Missile, drone attacks on Jammu airport neutralised; unmanned aerial vehicles trying to bomb parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and elsewhere shot; US urges immediate de-escalation thorities. Amritsar, Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, and parts of Barmer in Rajasthan soon followed with similar blackout orders. Debris believed to be from missiles was recovered from Kumahi Devi village near Hoshiarpur’s Talwara, officials said. “Military stations of Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur in proximity to the International Boundary in J&K were targeted by Pakistan using missiles and drones. No losses. Threat neutralised by #IndianArmedForces as per SoP with kinetic & non-kinetic means,” the Army said. As many as eight missiles from Pakistan directed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia across the bord e r w e r e neutralised. “More hostile drones were sighted at multiple places along western front and were being engaged by the air defence systems,” Army sources said. Earlier in the day, India had targeted Pakistani air defence systems, including one in Lahore, in response to overnight drone and missile attacks launched by Pakistan. These strikes came just a day after India carried out Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructures in Pakistan, following the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 civilians. Meanwhile, in Gujarat’s Kachchh district, border villages plunged into darkness following blackouts. Blackouts were enforced across the Bhuj region amid anticipation of cross-border attacks. Security agencies remain on high alert, and civil defence protocols are being rolled out across multiple states bordering Pakistan as the military standoff continues to intensify . There were no immediate reports of any casualty or damage from the Pakistani attack. Pakistan sites hit by India India’s Air Defence SYSTEM PAKistan DRONE BLITZ F aya z Wan i , H a r p r eet Baj w a , M ayank S i n g h Indian sites hit by Pakistan Kapurthala Phalodi Engagement radar helps guide missiles towards target ■ Jalandhar Barmer Karachi 200 km Ludhiana Uttarlai Jaisalmer Bikaner Jodhpur Sindh How S-400s neutralised the enemy 400 km Lahore Bhatinda Interception The Air Force used the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system to obliterate Pakistan’s escalation bid Pathankot Amritsar Rawalpindi Chakwal Gujranwala kottayam l friday l may 09, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Srinagar Jammu Attock 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 ■ Kodikkunnil Suresh, T N Prathapan and T Siddique. The name of the new president was announced in the evening through a press release issued by AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal. By noon, AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Venugopal contacted Sudhakaran and convinced him about the necessity to have a change of guard. The two top leaders reportedly assured Sudhakaran that the party still considers him one of its tallest leaders in Kerala, and his services will be needed further. ● More on P4 EXPRESS READ Gates of two dams opened in India’s precision air strikes on JeM’s headquarters in Bahawalpur. Those killed included Masood Azhar’s sister and brother-in-law. “Now we have confirmation from our sources in Pakistan that Rauf was killed along with 10 of Masood’s family members and four close associates,” a senior intelligence official said. “Rauf Azhar’s role in orchestrating the IC-814 hijacking directly facilitated the release of Omar Saeed Sheikh, a key Al-Qaeda operative who went on to kidnap and murder Daniel Pearl, an American-Jewish journalist working with the Wall Street Journal,” the official added. ABHRA is a joint development between India’s DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries. It’s a state-of-the-art air defence weapon system, range 70 km, designed to neutralise aerial threats and drones. It is powered by a dual-pulse solid propulsion system AKASH: Mobile surface-to-air missile The Akash missile system can engage targets up to a range of 25 km. It is a short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) designed to protect from air attacks. The Akash system has been showcased for its ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously at this range SPYDER air defence system: A workhorse This air defence system includes the Elta EL/M-2106 ATAR radar, which can control missile firing units up to 10 km. It also includes Python-5 infrared missiles of range up to 12 km and Derby radar-guided missiles up to 50 km IGLA-S: Russian portable air defence A Man-Portable Air Defence System that can hit low-flying aircraft, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles, and UAVs within a 6 km range The gates of two dams in J&K – Salal hydro project in Reasi and Baglihar hydro project in Ramban – were opened on Thursday allowing flow of Chenab water to Pak. Chenab was among the rivers Pak got as part of the Indus Waters Treaty | P8 RECORDED VIDEO COURSES for IIT JEE + CBSE + NEET Physics, Chemistry, Maths & Biology Class 7 to 12 UPTO 15 BUY NOW! CJI recommends impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma New Delhi: Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna is learnt to have recommended to the Centre impeachment of Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma following his indictment in the cash row by an SC-appointed committee. The CJI wrote to President Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi and shared the report of the three-member committee along with the response received from Justice Varma. to Register 96001 00090 96001 00020