kannur l monday l September 30, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION SpaceX launches mission to bring back Sunita williams A SpaceX rocket lifted off late on Saturday that will bring back the two American astronauts stranded at International Space Station (ISS) dragon capsule to return in february ’25 The Falcon 9 rocket carrying Dragon spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov on board, leaving two seats empty for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. The spacecraft will return with all four in February 2025. By then, Williams and Wilmore will have logged over eight months in space ■ 200 Spaecraft to dock with ISS early monday ■ ■ Williams and Wilmore arrived in ISS in June on the newly developed Boeing Starliner, which was making its first crewed flight However, the shuttle developed a cascade of thruster troubles and helium leaks and NASA decided it was risky for the duo to return on it Dragon spacecraft is set to dock with ISS around 3 am (IST) on Monday Experiments to be conducted by Hague and Gorbunov during their time at ISS 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 After Nasrallah, Qaouk killed in Israeli airstrike Blow to Hezbollah’s command structure as top leader eliminated AGENCIES Two days after Hezbollah suffered its biggest blow in recent times in the loss of its longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah, another high-profile leader of the Lebanese group was killed in an Israeli air strike on Sunday . Nabil Qaouk, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Central Council was the seventh senior Hezbollah leader to be killed in Israeli attacks in a little over a week. Hezbollah has confirmed Qaouk’s death. He was killed in a targeted strike on Beirut on Sunday Qaouk was one of the . earliest members of Hezbollah and led the force against Israel in the 2006 war. Since 2020, he was under US sanctions for his involvement in Hezbollah’s activities. “Qaouk was close to Hezbollah’s senior commanders and was directly engaged in terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and its citizens,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on X. In the post announcing his death, IDF warned that it will continue to strike and e l i m i n at e t h e H e z b o l l a h commanders. Hezbollah also confirmed on Sunday that another senior commander Ali Karaki was among those killed along with Nasrallah in Friday’s attack. Giving more insights into that attack, the Israeli military said, “More than 20 other terrorists of varying ranks, who were present at the underground headquarters in Beirut located beneath civilian buildings, and were managing Hezbollah’s terrorist operations against the state of Israel, were Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on villages near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Sunday | AFP Iran seeks UNSC meet: Iran on Sunday sought a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon also Eliminated.” structure. “We’re watching to Among other senior figures see what they do to try to fill killed in recent are Nasrallah’s this leadership vacuum. It’s goright-hand man Fuad ing to be tough. Much Shukr, head of the elite of their command Radwan Force Ibrahim structure has now been Aqil. Israel has stepped wiped out.” up its attacks on LebaReports said 21 peonon in recent days, carple were killed on Sunrying out a number of day in Baalbek-Hermel. air strikes on targets in “The Israeli enemy southern Lebanon and raids on Baalbek-HemNabil Qaouk other par ts of the el have killed 21 people country . and wounded 47,” LebWhite House national secu- anon’s health ministry said in rity spokesman John Kirby a statement. Israel said it hit said Israeli attacks have wiped over 120 Hezbollah targets in out Hezbollah’s command the latest attacks. Prakash Karat to lead CPM till Party Congress as interim coordinator P r ee t h a N ai r @New Delhi The CPM on Sunday appointed former general secretary Prakash Karat as the “coordinator of the politburo and the central committee” until the 24th Party Congress scheduled next year. Karat served as general secretary from 2005 to 2015. “The central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), now in session in New Delhi, has decided that Comrade Prakash Karat will be the coordinator of the politburo and the central committee, as an interim arrangement until the 24th party Congress to be held in April 2025 at Madurai,” the CPM said in a statement. Just seven months before the crucial summit, Yechury’s death came as a heavy blow to the party. “This decision was taken due to the sad and sudden demise of the sitting general secretary of the CPI(M), Comrade Sitaram Yechury,” the party said. A CPM leader said the central committee was unanimous in its decision on Karat, with a majority opining that a fulltime general secretary should be selected at the Par ty Congress. The thinking in the party is that as a former general secretary Karat will be able to steer , the party ahead of the crucial Party Congress. As the coordinator, Karat will be handling the day-to-day affairs of the party. He will be in charge of preparing the draft political resolution and organisational reports for the party summit. After Yechury’s demise, Karat had called for a “ c o l l e c t i v e leadership”. While Yechury had played a leading role in forming the INDIA bloc to take on the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha elections, it needs to be seen whether Karat will take his legacy forward in dealing with the allies. One of the key faces of the party for decades, Karat was at the helm of the CPM when it decided to withdraw support to the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre in 2008. The subsequent years saw a decline in the strength of the Left in parliament. Balaji sworn in Back as power, excise minister in TN cabinet 3 other DMK MLAs also take oath as ministers in the presence of TN CM M K Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi, the new DyCM EXPRESS READ NTPC to supply 177 MW to state from tomorrow T’Puram: Close on the heels of a meeting between officials of the KSEB and Union Power Ministry, the latter has ordered supply of 177 MW of electricity to Kerala from October 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025. Of this, 80 MW of power will be supplied from National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) Barh Super Thermal Power Station’s first unit in Bihar, while the remaining 97 MW will be supplied from the second station. ‘Would have given Pak more money than IMF...’ distance from us. You are our neighbouring country Our be. defence Minister Rajnath loved leader and former Prime Singh on Sunday said that In- Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee dia could have given a larger used to say that you can change bailout package to Pakistan the friends but not the neighthan what it is begging from bours,” Singh said. the IMF, had Islamabad mainThe defence minister said tained friendly relathat whatever money tions with New Delhi. the central govern“The money that Pament spends in J&K, kistan is begging from it is for the region’s IMF, our government development and to has spent more money improve the living than that in Jammu standard of people. and Kashmir,” Singh “In contrast, Pakisaid while addressing stan has been misusan election rally in ing the financial asRajnath Singh border area of Gurez, sistance granted to it close to Line of Control in Jam- by other countries. After takmu and Kashmir on Sunday . ing money Pakistan is running , The IMF recently approved a factory of terrorism,” he $7 billion to Pakistan under a said. In a stern warning to Pa37-month loan programme, kistan, the defence minister with $1 billion earmarked for said: “I want to tell them that if immediate disbursement. a big terrorist attack takes “I am saying to my Pakistani place in India then we will friends, why are you keeping strike inside Pakistan”. F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar Campaigning ends for final phase PARTIES IN FRAY BJP 40 seats up for grabs Voting on: Oct 1 415 no. of candidates MAJOR ISSUES Statehood Congress Article 370 NC Jobs PDP Power tariff Results: Oct 4 Won’t die till Modi is removed: Kharge Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, 83, on Sunday fell unwell while addressing a poll rally in Kathua. After receiving medical attention, he said he is fine and won’t die till Prime Minister Narendra Modi is removed from power. “I am 83 years, I am not going to die so early. I will stay alive until PM Modi is removed...” he said In show of strength in Nilambur, ANvar continues his offensive E x p r ess N e w s S e r v ice What he said @ Malappuram In a show of strength on his home turf, Nilambur MLA P V Anvar addressed a massive public rally on Sunday where , he asserted his claims of criminality within the police force and nexus among top leaders of all political parties in the state. However, he didn’t reveal his future course of action, and said he will take any decision only after seeking public opinion through a process that would span the next 15 days. Anvar also challenged CPM leaders, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state secretary M V Govindan, declaring that none can threaten him, as he possesses the courage to live with minimal resources, like a person in extreme poverty . At the public meeting in Chandakunnu near Nilambur, Anvar began his speech by honouring the memory of Pushpan, a survivor of the 1994 Koothuparamba police firing who passed away on Saturday . Anvar said he will not stop speaking out against criminal activities within the police department and urged the public to rise up against the “undue influence” of government officials and political nexus. The MLA said he was ex- I believed in Pinarayi Vijayan as a leader who could unite Kerala and stand against communalism. I defended the party multiple times, but I cannot remain silent when it comes to the current corruption MLA P V Anvar addressing a public gathering in Nilambur on Sunday | Express pelled from the LDF for raising the same questions posed by the CPI. He said both he and CPI leaders had urged the state government to take action against ADGP M R Ajith Kumar. “While I was expelled from the LDF, CPI members continue to demand action against Ajith Kumar. In the Thrissur Pooram disruption case, no action will be taken against him. Instead, a new post might be temporarily offered to the ADGP to deceive the public. Ajith Kumar should be dismissed. I have lost faith in the state government and the CPM,” declared Anvar, adding that his last hope lies with the judiciary, and he would pur- Runners-up to challenge result of Nehru Trophy Boat Race final E x p r ess ne w s se r v ice @Alappuzha With the declaration of the winners of the 70th Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR) stirring up a controversy, the Village Boat Club (VCB), Kainakari, representing the rowers of the second-placed Veeyapuram Chundan, have decided to challenge the results. The NTBR Society declared Karichal Chundan, rowed by Pallathuruthy Boat Club, as the winner of the race, following a thrilling final at the Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha on Saturday. According to the official results, Karichal crossed the finish line in 4:29.785 minutes, just ahead of Veeyapuram, which clocked 4:29.790 minutes. VBC’s vice president Akhil Dev said the club intends to file a petition with District Collector Alex Varghese, who also J&K polls sue legal measures to address these “injustices”. Anvar said Pinarayi was a “fatherly figure” to him, but the CM tried to brand him as a thief for raising concerns about the state’s police force and the involvement of certain officers in gold smuggling activities. “I believed in Pinarayi Vijayan as a leader who could unite Kerala and stand against communalism. I defended the party multiple times, but I cannot remain silent when it comes to the current corruption,” Anvar stated. “I never imagined that I will have to expose those I once supported and for whom I raised my voice in the past,” ● More on P4 he said. are prepared to take the matter to court,” said Akhil. Following the final race, VBC members staged a protest at Nehru Pavilion regarding the result. They alleged that their members were forcibly removed by the police. Additionally, Kumarakom Town Boat Club (KTBC), which finished third (4:30.13 minutes) rowing Nadubhagom Chundan, also filed a complaint with the NTBRS chair man via email, alleging a fault on the part of the starter. I have no fear of being imprisoned in the phone tapping case. Even if Anvar ends up in prison, the youth of this state must not retreat from this battle against the political nexus Kerala is heading towards a dangerous path where people are labelled based on their identity. Just because my name is Anvar, there is an attempt to paint me as a radical Islamist I will not stop speaking out against criminal activities within the police departmen FIR against Snehamayi surfaces amid his battle with Siddaramaiah against Siddaramaiah. In her complaint, the woman RTI activist Snehamayi Krish- alleged in that Krishna, along na, who recently secured a with some others, attacked her, c o u r t o r d e r t o r e g i s t e r pulled her clothes, and issued an FIR against Kar nataka death threats, on July 18, 2024. Chief Minister SidThe complaint also daramaiah in the Mysalleged that Krishna ore Urban Developwas harassing her m e n t Au t h o r i t y over a proper ty (MUDA) site-allotment dispute. case, has found himThis also involves self in a tight spot as it claims over her hushas come to light that band’s death benefits criminal charges have and her jewellery, been filed against him which is currently unfor allegedly harass- Snehamayi Krishna der litigation. Her ing a woman. husband died in 2020, Though the woman filed a she stated. police complaint on August 21, In another development, the 2024 and an FIR too was regis- RTI activist wrote to the ED tered the same day, the news seeking a probe into the MUDA started doing the rounds in the scam, alleging that `5,000 crore light of Krishna’s actions has been misappropriated. E XPR E S S N E W S S E RV I C E @ Mysuru serves as the chairman of the NTBR Society, on Monday. Akhil expressed dissatisfaction with the final race results, noting that initially, both Karichal and Veeyapuram were shown to have finished at 4:29.79 minutes on the screen. “However, the authorities later declared Karichal as the winner. VBC strongly believes that we should be recognised as joint winners of the race,” Akhil said. “If the collector does not provide a satisfactory resolution to our demand, we The government provides no justice to the common people. When I voice these concerns, they try to silence me, claiming it’s against the party and the state government. Now, I have no restrictions. I have decided to continue this verbal assault on the state government and the CPM
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