SpaceX ‘catches’ rocket booster in historic first SpaceX on Sunday successfully caught the returning first-stage booster minutes after the launch of its fifth Starship test flight Catching the booster The launch tower sported monstrous metal arms that caught the descending booster. It comes after the US regulator granted SpaceX its long-awaited license to move forward with the fifth test launch of Starship How it helps SpaceX Recycling boosters will help SpaceX speed up the launch rate and save millions in cost | P10 hyderabad l Monday l October 14, 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 Telanganites at second place in borrowings M a n da Rav i n d e r R e d dy @ Hyderabad People of Telangana stood second in borrowings in the country On an average, 42,407 . persons out of one lakh have taken loans from various institutions in the state. The neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has occupied the first position with 60,092 persons per one lakh taking loans, while Tamil Nadu is in the third place with 35,703 individuals per one lakh borrowing money from banks and other financial institutions. According to the Comprehensive Annual Modular Survey 2022-23 (National Sample Survey 79th round) released by the Ministry of Statistics, males in Telangana are more indebted than females. The number of male borrowers in the state is 54,538 compared to 30,287 females. In Telangana 97.5 persons, aged 18 years and above, have bank accounts, according to the survey . A person is considered indebted if he or she has taken a cash loan of `500 or above from banks or other financial institutions and that loan remained outstanding as on the date of survey The survey also reveals . other interesting facts. According to it, Telangana has more number of persons, aged 21 and above, who have graduated in science and technology than the national average. Telangana has 62.3 percent graduates in science and technology stream, while AP has 58.5 percent.  Continued on P4 Bishnoi gang claims responsibility for Baba Siddique murder, two held Two suspects on the run; FB post of purported gang member threatens actor Salman Khan S U D H I R S U R YA W AN S H I @ Mumbai HOURS after former Maharashtra minister and NCP (Ajit Pawar) leader Baba Siddique was shot dead in Mumbai late on Saturday night, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the murder, citing his close relationship with Bollywood star Salman Khan. The gang has threatened the actor for allegedly poaching blackbucks in Rajasthan during a film shoot in 1998. The Bishnoi community considers blackbucks holy In April this . year, some Bishnoi gang members were held in connection with the firing outside Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai. Siddique, 66, was gunned down outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Mumbai’s Bandra East. According to police, three shooters were involved in the murder and two Zeeshan Siddique and Arshia Siddique, son and daughter of NCP leader Baba Siddique, lead his funeral procession in Bandra, Mumbai on Sunday | ANI of them, identified as Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh (23) and Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), have been arrested. The third accused, Shivkumar Gautam of UP, is on the run. A fourth person, believed to be express read Prof Saibaba dead, kin donate body to hospital Hyderabad: The family members of former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba, who passed away on Saturday night, have decided to donate his mortal remains to the state-run Gandhi Hospital. The 58-year-old noted rights activist breathed his last following postoperative complications after undergoing surgery for gallbladder stones at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) here on Saturday. Saibaba is survived by wife and a daughter. Immediately after his death, Saibaba’s family members donated his eyes to LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI). In March, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court acquitted wheel-chair bound Saibaba in the alleged Maoist links case. | P7 the handler and did the recce for the shootout, is also on the run, police sources said. “Between 9.00 and 9.30 pm on Sunday night, Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his son’s office. The assailants fired multiple rounds, fatally striking the politician in the chest. A case has been registered and handed over to the Crime Branch for further investigation. The police nabbed two accused and recovered two pistols and 28 rounds from them,” said Datta Nalawade, deputy commissioner of police (crime branch), at a press conference. Nalawade said the police are also investigating the role of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which claimed responsibility for the murder through a Facebook post, in the crime. “Probe agencies are perusing the post, reportedly linked to a Facebook account of Shubuu Lonkar, who may actually be Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar, who was arrested earlier this year for possession of illegal weapons. He is believed to have strong connections with the Bishnoi network,” police sources said.  P8 Palestine, Syria among 34 eyeing BRICS membership Y e sh i s e l i @ New Delhi Palestine, Syria, and Myanmar might be among the 20 countries that would either become members or partners of the BRICS grouping during its annual summit in Russia this month. In all, 34 countries have applied to join the bloc, sources said ahead of the upcoming meet in Kazan, Russia. Ten new members and 10 partners are expected to be announced after existing members of the bloc arrive at a consensus during the summit scheduled to be held from October 22 to 24, sources said. Partners won’t have the same rights as members, but will, in all likelihood, become permanent members by the next summit, a source told this newspaper. According to the source, the 34 candidates are: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Honduras, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, State of Palestine, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vi e t n a m , a n d Zimbabwe. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Russia later this month, his second visit to that country in three months, to take part in the summit. He is likely to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders on the sidelines of the event. There’s also speculation about Modi sitting down with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a one-on-one talk. Social media injurious to mental health: Top US doc R i sh i ta K h a n n a @ Bengaluru SOCIAL media has created a culture of comparison that impacts self-esteem, particularly among young people grappling with feelings of inadequacy and isolation, US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy said. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, Dr M u r t hy s a i d m a ny both in the US and Inyoung people feel disdia, he said this presconnected despite being sure to succeed acaconnected online, adddemically coupled with , ing that the pressure to comparison fostered by showcase an ideal life social media, can lead on social media contribto significant stress. utes to these feelings. Dr Murthy called for Dr Vivek Murthy Addressing the imurg ent refor ms in mense academic and social medical education to better pressures faced by students, i n t e g r at e m e n t a l h e a l t h training, noting that many medical curricula have not adequately addressed mental health issues. For far too long, mental and social health have been viewed as less important than physical health, America’s top doctor said, adding that mental health is an issue on which the US and India can work together.