BHUBANESWAR l saturday l october 17, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l JEYPORE EDITION elon Musk unveils Tesla’s ‘flying’ car adept at barrel roll During a livestreamed event at SpaceX facility, Musk revealed his new Roadster car with cold gas thrusters and a multi-mode suction system 0-96 kmph in less than a second! production won’t begin till 2028 “Turns out the future does have flying cars,” Musk, Tesla’s CEO, wrote on his social media platform X shortly after the launch. Beyond quick jumps and flips, Tesla also said the car can accelerate from zero to 60 miles (96.6 km) an hour in less than a second. The launch came after years of delays around the Roadster — and Tesla shares climbed up slightly in early trade ■ ■ Musk said production for consumers won’t begin until 2028. Tesla also didn’t immediately set a price tag on its latest electric vehicle There are ample regulatory hurdles for flying vehicles across the globe. The fine print of the Roadster’s “rocket” feature on Tesla’s website notes: “Not approved for public road use” $1.1 billion is net income of tesla in the second quarter of this financial year 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 Pvt teachers can be roped in as Census enumerators e x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi Student groups & CJP supporters with Tricolour as security forces look on in Delhi on Friday | Parveen negi E x p r e s s Re a d CM clears 6-mth pay for PRI representatives Bhubaneswar: In a politically significant move ahead of the panchayat elections scheduled next year, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday approved `56.55 crore for payment of six months’ honorarium to sarpanches and naib sarpanches in the state. The release of honorarium is being seen as an outreach by the Mohan Majhi government to the panchayat representatives | P3 Teacher’s scolding not abetment of suicide : HC Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against four teachers and staff members of a Champua-based school accused of abetting the suicide of a 16-year-old Class X student, ruling that routine disciplinary action cannot be treated as criminal abetment without evidence of deliberate instigation or intent | P3 One-time relief to MBBS students New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has granted one additional attempt, or mercy attempt, to eligible MBBS students admitted from the 2019-20 academic year onwards to clear the First Professional MBBS Examination. The move will increase the maximum attempts from four to five | P9 Flags of dissent amid Dipke, Bora detention Both held on way to Tiranga rally amid heavy security cover UDAYAN K ISH O RE & ANUP VER M A @ New Delhi Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and AISA’s Neha Bora were detained on Friday even as thousands of people, holding Tricolours, banners and raising slogans, held a march to Connaught Place circling around the Central Park amid a thick security blanket. The was the latest in a series of protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities. Dipke and Bora were detained while on their way to join the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga (unfurl the Tricolour)’ gathering called by the CJP Dipke was de. tained from NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande’s house in Jhandewalan while Bora was at Mandi House. Dipke was taken to Jafarpur Kalan police station after being detained. Hundreds of CJP supporters and members of student organisations, including those from AISA, AISF (All India Students’ Federation), and SFI (Students’ Federation of India), held a series of flash protests in CP and Mandi House in the evening. At one such march at around 6 pm, the protesters walked through the inner circle of CP, around the Central Park — which remained closed and protected by paramilitary forces. While the rally held a large Tricolor, several of its members carried smaller national flags, banners and placards as they raised slogans against Kumar. Security personnel cordoned off the park, forming a human chain along its metal railings. Just before the CJP protest at 5 pm, people gathered between Palika Market and the Central Park, as over 6,000 Delhi Police personnel, 220 companies of Central Armed Police Forces conducted flag marches and manned Metro station gates. Security ar rang ements around CP, Rajiv Chowk, Central Park, Jantar Mantar, Palika Bazaar, nearby Metro stations and other sensitive locations in Lutyens’ Delhi were tight, with additional personnel being mobilised from other districts to prevent any law and order situation. The forces also monitored the crowd through an expanded CCTV network. Teargas and a Vajra vehicles were stationed outside the park, while Rapid Action Force personnel did the rounds. Traffic police were deployed to regulate movement along the inner and outer circles of CP . CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke (top) and AISA’s Neha Bora being detained on the way to the rally on Friday | PTI 6K police, 200 CAPF companies About 6,000 Delhi police personnel and 220 companies of CAPF were deployed in and around Lutyens’ Delhi while additional forces were mobilised from other districts No US levy seen on Russian buy PUSHPITA DE Y @ New Delhi THE US is unlikely to penalise India under the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which authorises President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian oil and g as, of ficial sources said on Thursday . Asserting that the government is confident that India will remain protected from US sanctions, sources pointed out that New Delhi has clearly communicated to Washington India’s position. “From what we sense, the US government will not put sanctions on India. We have been in touch with the US team and India’s standpoint has already been conveyed regarding the challenges that could arise because of that,” a government official said. The clarification came a day after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor Talks with Rubio on Oct 20 External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 20 during the latter’s visit to Mumbai, MEA said. Jaishankar will also attend the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Independence of the US as a Guest of Honour said Trump would soon decide on the sanctions under the new law. He also indicated the Trump administration was likely to adopt a pragmatic approach towards India rather than demand an immediate halt to its purchases of Russian energy . Indian officials pointed out that the country had previously avoided US sanctions despite purchasing the S-400 Triumf missile defence system from Russia under a deal worth more than $5 billion. “Even previously, there was a threat of US sanctions when India bought Russian weapons a few years ago, but we didn’t get sanctions for buying the S-400 Triumf missile system. The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) doesn’t say that just because it has been signed by the President, the US government needs to apply it,” another official said. CAATSA is a US federal law that provides for sanctions against Iran, Russia and North Korea. Although India has longstanding commercial and defence ties with Russia, the application of sanctions depends on the relevant legal provisions and decisions by the US administration. The US House of Representatives passed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 in September, giving Trump broad powers to impose sanctions on Russia and tariffs of up to 100% on countries purchasing Russian oil. verdict on ‘Khula’ Court tells woman to return gold, gift to ex SH YA M P V @ Palakkad IN a rare ruling on khula, a form of divorce initiated by a woman under the Muslim Personal Law, a family court in Kerala has ordered a woman to return 11 sovereigns (88 gm) of gold ornaments to her former husband, including the mahr and gifts received by her at the time of their marriage in 2008. The Ottapalam family court directed the woman to return five sovereigns of gold received as wedding gifts and six sover- eigns of jewellery (mahr) given by her husband, within 30 days of the judgment. It also ordered that the amount could be recovered from her property in the event of noncompliance. “This is a rare instance where a man approached the court to get back the mahr and other valuables gifted by him at the time of marriage. The court has passed the verdict in the man’s favour,” said advocate Shahul Hameed P T, who appeared for the petitioner. The case began in 2021 after the woman, following a breakdown of the marital relationship in 2019, invoked her right to seek separation through khula and issued a notice dissolving the marriage with her husband. Though the husband accepted divorce through khula, the woman did not return the mahr. He subsequently approached the family court. Talaq vs Khula While talaq is a divorce initiated by the husband and takes effect by pronouncing the word ‘talaq’ to his wife in the presence of witnesses, khula is a divorce initiated by the wife upon the return of mahr THE Centre on Friday amended the Census Rules, 1990, permitting state governments and Union Territory administrators to appoint teachers from aided and unaided private institutions as enumerators. A gazette notification issued by Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said eligible personnel include teachers of government, local authority, and aided or unaided private institutions, as well as clerks and officials of central and state governments, public sector undertakings, banks, companies and trusts. The amendment follows a petition by the Haryana Progressive Schools Conference in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging the state’s move to requisition teachers from private unaided schools. It argued that the government lacked statutory authority under the Census Act, 1948, or the rules framed under it, to requisition teaching staff from private unaided schools for census work. The HC on October 8 stayed two Haryana government communications seeking details of available teachers. Guv’s check-in involves spl aircraft and long guest-list close to 200 guests to be accommodated in four hotels of the city apart from Circuit House and OTDC. Over 80 Newly appointed Governor Braj Mo- rooms are being reserved in the four han Ram will arrive in the state capi- hotels for this purpose, reportedly by tal on Saturday, a day ahead of his t h e P a r l i a m e n t a r y A f f a i r s scheduled swearing-in on October 18. department. A special aircraft arranged by the It is reliably learnt that the Home state government will fly in the Gov- department is making arrangements ernor-designate from Jharkhand to at Lok Bhavan for guests and invitees Bhubaneswar. whose number could be in excess of On Sunday, around 600 guests and 600 for the swearing-in ceremony . invitees are likely to attend the oathA three-time Lok Sabha MP from taking ceremony at Lok Bhavan here. Palamu in Jharkhand, Ram was apThe Home department has pointed Governor of Odisha by been asked to appoint a nodal President Droupadi Murmu on officer and coordinate with October 12. Lok Bhavan to make necesRam has already landed in a sary arrangements for the political row even before taking incoming Governor’s guests. oath over his remarks suggestInitially, a request had ing that he would work to been placed for accommodastrengthen the BJP’s Scheduled tion of 300 guests accompa- Braj Mohan Ram, Caste (SC) Morcha in the state Governor nying the Governor-desigafter assuming office as the nate for his swearing-in. A Governor and help the party letter communicated by the Lok Bha- garner more votes. He later backvan to the Home department on Octo- tracked amid a sharp backlash. Following the uproar, Ram clariber 14 (seen by TNIE) had sought lodging and boarding facility for the guests fied that his statement had been misfor four days from October 17 to 20. construed. “I did not say this. I said The Home department had also been that I will work in coordination with proposed to appoint a nodal officer for everyone. I am above party politics now, but the party I belong to is my the purpose. However, the idea was dropped sub- capital. I will always have affinity . sequently and it was conveyed to and love for that party But I will not . make arrangements for 300-plus work for any particular party Hum guests and invites to attend the swear- sabke hain, sab hamare hain (I being-in ceremony. Sources said, ar- long to everyone, and everyone berangements are now being made for longs to me),” he said. S u d a r s a n M a h a r a n a /A s i s h M e h ta @ Bhubaneswar