The New Indian Express Wishes its readers a Our offices and press will remain closed today and there will be no issue of the paper on Monday BHUBANESWAR l sunday l november 08, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l LATE CITY EDITION Iran says 2,000-km missile range limit off after fresh U.S. attacks Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Saturday it has lifted a self-imposed limit of 2,000 kilometres on the range of its ballistic missiles U.S. Officials point to Iran’s space tech Trump announces fresh attacks While it is not clear whether Iran currently possesses missiles capable of exceeding the 2,000 km limit, US officials say technology from its space programme can be repurposed to build such intercontinental ballistic missiles. Iran’s supreme leader had recently warned any fresh US attack would invite an Iranian response “without geographic limits” | P11 ■ ■ A range of over 2,000 km would allow Iran to hit deep inside Europe. The announcement comes a day after President Donald Trump said the US military carried out new limited strikes on Iranian targets The fresh US attacks came as Trump named hardliner Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, after midterm losses 2017 when iran announced self-imposed missile range limit of 2,000 km 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 P o litical j o ust South fuels ethanol war on the Centre Cong alleges ethanol blending surpasses prescribed limits, Keralam orders tests P r eet h a n a i r @ New Delhi THE Centre on Saturday rubbished allegations of excess ethanol blending in petrol, stating that all 893 samples tested across 27 states and Union Territories met prescribed standards. This comes even as Keralam ordered inspections of fuel outlets and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi demanded disclosure of actual ethanol content in petrol sold across the country . Keralam’s decision followed Karnataka government’s allegation that petrol supplied by major oil marketing companies contained ethanol above the prescribed limit, with tests recording levels as high as 31.2 per cent. Countering the allegation, the Petroleum Ministry said tests by Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum found all 893 samples within the perUse of third missible 19–21 per cent range under the party laboratory Bureau of Indian Standards’ IS 17021 questioned specification. These included 56 samples collected across Karnataka from The oil companies outlets of the three companies. questioned Keralam said it ordered the inspeccertificates issued by tions as a precaution following Karnaa third-party taka’s allegations, though no instance laboratory in of excess ethanol blending had been deKarnataka, saying they didn’t specify the tected in the state so far. Samples will be collected from outlets in Thiruvananstandard test method thapuram, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Kannur districts and sent for testing. Rahul, meanwhile, cited Karnataka’s findings to question the Centre’s assurances. “Look at the results,” he said, citing readings of 31.2 per cent at an IOC outlet and 30.5 per cent at an HPCL outlet. He alleged that samples from outlets of IOC, HPCL, BPCL, Nayara and Shell had exceeded the limit. The three public sector oil companies, however, challenged the sampling and testing procedures adopted during Karnataka’s October exercise. They said the findings could not be independently validated without technical details and compliance with prescribed procedures. The October exercise was conducted without their representatives, they said. Despite requests through the coordinator, they said they had not received retention samples, outlet details or laboratory reports. Entire Oz cricket team part of 2018 sandpapergate scandal: Usman E x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Bengaluru NEW light has been shed on one of the most orchestrated cricketing scandals in recent times — the ball-tampering one featuring members of the Australian team against South Africa in a Test in 2018 — by Usman Khawaja. The recently retired Australian batter has told an Australian publication that everybody was in on it. “It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us,” he said ahead of the release of his autobiography next week, where a chapter is dedicated to the issue. In 2018, after TV cameras picked up Cameron Bancroft using the material on the ball in the hope of achieving reverse swing, Cricket Australia conducted an internal investigation and banned then captain Steve Smith, deputy David Warner for 12 months and Bancroft for nine months. Now, according to Khawaja all of them, including current captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, knew. “In an ideal world, I don’t want to do this,” Khawaja told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I don’t want to be the one who comes out and talks about the truth. The issue is that I genuinely thought after eight years the truth would have been out by now. Maybe I thought Davey (War ner) would have exposed it, or someone else would have talked about it more. I just didn’t think it was going to come down to CONTINUED ON P7 this.” ‘Never seen such devastation’: Naveen breaks down over Ganjam people’s plight E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar/Berhampur Moved by the suffering of people in Ganjam district, leader of Opposition and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik became emotional during his visit to the cyclone Arnab-induced flood-affected areas on Saturday . He virtually broke down as the locals recounted how the waters had swallowed their homes, crops, belongings and livelihoods. “Several cyclones have battered southern Odisha over the years but I have had never witnessed devastation of such magnitude,” Naveen said as people gathered to narrate their ordeal before him. The BJD president visited four flood-hit blocks of Sheragada, Hinjilicut, Aska and Sorada. Thousands gathered at Sheragada to greet Naveen on his arrival and draw his attention to their problems. The administration had to put up barricades to manage the crowd. A visibly moved Naveen Patnaik in Ganjam Several farmers carried rotten and damaged paddy plants to show him the extent of crop loss. They explained how floodwater had submerged their fields, destroyed standing crops and their livelihoods. People also apprised him of damage to houses, roads and other infrastructure caused by the cyclone and subsequent floods. Naveen raised concern over the handling of the flood situation and alleged shortcomings in the government’s disaster management response. He demanded that the government ensure prompt distribution of relief materials, assess the damage without delay and extend adequate assistance to all affected households. Naveen has represented the Hinjili Assembly constituency for six consecutive terms since 2000, making the visit particularly significant for his political base. He said a large number of people had suffered serious losses and the government needed to adopt a more proactive approach to address their problems. “I have witnessed the suffering of flood-affected families and farmers during my visit to four affected blocks, including my own constituency Hinjilicut. People are passing through extremely difficult times and need immediate assistance. I appeal to the state government to provide adequate compensation to affected farmers and relief to floodhit families. Their suffering should not be ignored under any circums t a n c e s , ” N av e e n s a i d a t CONTINUED ON P7 Sheragada. Bharat Ratna L K Advani Ji at 100! | P9 CM announces `120 cr mega lift irrigation projects for Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj | P4 IAF touches new heights with heavy lifter J a v a r i a R a n a @ New Delhi In the highest-ever landing by an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft anywhere in the world, an Indian Air Force (IAF) IL-76MD, nicknamed ‘Gajraj’, has touched down at the 13,629 feet MudhNyoma airbase in easter n Ladakh. Nyoma lies around 25 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. With the landing, the IAF has shown it can now take the Russian-origin heavy-lift transport aircraft almost to the frontline, in a boost for India’s strategic airlift capability . Announcing the landing on Saturday, the IAF hailed it as “a new height in aviation history” and “a milestone that reinforces India’s strategic airlift capability”. Strategic airlift is the ability to move troops, tanks, artillery and supplies in bulk over long distances. It was put to the test after the 2020 standoff in eastern Ladakh, when the IAF flew in over 68,000 soldiers, around 90 tanks and 330 BMP infantry combat vehicles. “An Indian Air Force IL-76MD has scripted history with a successful landing at Nyoma, marking the highest-altitude landing ever achieved by the aircraft anywhere in the world,” the IAF said on social media. The landing also comes amid e x press rea d Neighbour shoots tech firm COO dead over Faridabad parking row Faridabad: A senior executive of a private firm in Singapore was shot dead by his neighbour over a parking dispute in Faridabad. The accused fired around 12 to 15 rounds at Paramjith Dhankhar, who had returned to India to celebrate Diwali, late on Friday night. Dhankhar was COO of FPT Asia Pacific. Police arrested the accused, Monu Sharma, a resident of Sector-21C in Faridabad. According to police, the dispute between the two neighbours was over the broken gate of their parking area, apart from a fight on a dog defecating in the parking lot. On Friday night, when Dhankhar returned from the gym and asked Sharma to move his car from the parking area, both had a verbal duel. Shortly after, Sharma shot Dhankhar dead. An Indian Air Force IL-76MD transport aircraft lands at Ladakh’s Nyoma airfield | PTI continuing friction along the 3,488-km LAC. Patrolling has resumed in Ladakh, but the temporary buffer zones at Galwan, Gogra-Hot Springs and Pangong Tso still cover areas Indian troops historically patrolled. The four-engine Gajraj can carry about 45 tonnes and has been airlifting T-72 tanks and BMP-2 vehicles to Ladakh since the early 1990s. But Nyoma’s earlier mud strip could handle only smaller aircraft like the C-130J and AN-32, as well as helicopters. At over 4,000 metres, the thin air saps engine power and wing lift, so aircraft land faster and need longer runways. The decision to upgrade it into a fullfledged airbase came after the 2020 military confrontation with China. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) built a 2.7-km runway under the `218-crore project, and the base was operationalised last November. Nyoma is now the IAF’s fourth airbase in Ladakh, after Leh, Thoise and Kargil. WITH THIS ISSUE The Rise, Fall, And Rise of Rahul Gandhi PLUS 12 P AGES