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 licence 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 |P9 BENGALURU  MONDAY  OCTOBER 14, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 16  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 Kharge’s son asks KIADB to take back 5-acre land EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru AFTER criticised by opposition parties and others, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Rahul M Kharge, who is also chairman of the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, has written to the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) to cancel the civic amenity (CA) site allotted to the trust. The letter, dated September 20, 2024, was shared by IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge’s office on Sunday. The trust had proposed to set up multiple skill development and research centres on the plot. The five acre land was allotted for ten years on lease cum sale basis after Rahul Kharge earlier this year applied to purchase the land at the Defence and Aerospace Park at Devanahalli, which is close to the Kempegowda International Airport. Interestingly, this letter has come to light after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife Paravathy BM wrote to the MUDA chairman to cancel the 14 sites allotted to her at Vijayanagar in Mysuru in exchange for her 3 acre 16 guntas of land. In the letter, Rahul Kharge stated the purpose of the land was to train youngsters and students and make them employable. The trust had preferred this area as it is close to many industries. 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 A N 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 of Zeeshan Siddique and Arshia Siddique, son and daughter of NCP leader Baba Siddique, lead his funeral procession in Bandra, Mumbai, on Sunday | ANI 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 the EXPRESS READ Gauri murder accused felicitated in Vijayapura Siddaramaiah calls Joshi a ‘terrorist’ Vijayapura: Two of the accused in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, who were released on bail recently, were honoured by leaders of Hindutva organisations here on Saturday. Parasuram Waghmore and Manohar Yadawe were felicitated with shawls and garlands. The video has gone viral on social media | P5 Hubballi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday called Union Minister and Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi a terrorist over the latter’s recent remarks that the Congress supports terrorists. Joshi reacted that the chief minister, in his frustration over losing power, is saying all sorts of things | P4 handler and who did the recce for the shootout, is also on the run, police sources said. “Between 9 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,” poP8 lice sources said. Palestine, Syria among 34 eyeing BRICS membership Y E S H 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, Türkiye, 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 S H I TA K H A N N A @ Bengaluru SOCIAL media has created a culture of comparison that negatively impacts self-esteem, particularly among young people grappling with feelings of inadequacy and isolation, US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy pointed out during his recent visit to Bengaluru, where discussions focused on loneliness and the pressing need for accessible mental health resources. Murthy stressed the urgency of these issues and emphasised how the pressure to present a perfect life online is exacerbating mental health challenges. “Many young people report feeling disconnected despite being connected online,” he noted, pointing out that the pressure to showcase an ideal life on social media contributes to these feelings. “Three key elements are essential when it comes to mental health — acceptability accessi, bility and affordability he said, , ,” adding that there is a need to create an environment where discussing mental health is acceptable, with enough providers and facilities for accessible care, to make these services affordable. “If these facilities are lacking, individuals may hesitate to seek help,” he remarked. P3