HYDERABAD l sunday l march 01, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 28 l LATE CITY EDITION above-normal heatwave days between March and May: IMD Representative pic entire gangetic plain under heatwave The regions under a severe heatwave risk include West Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, southern and eastern Maharashtra, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of north Karnataka and northern regions of Tamil Nadu, said IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra Above-normal heatwave days are expected over most parts of the country between March and May, the IMD said in its forecast on Saturday | P11 risks to vulnerable population ■ ■ The likelihood of a severe heatwave may pose risks to vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, outdoor workers, and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions Many parts of the country are may experience above-normal rainfall in March, while northeast India may get below normal rainfall Third highest minimum temperature witnessed this feb since 1901 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 Tehran hits back against Tel Aviv, Gulf allies of the US Ilam Shiraz Busherhr Kuwait Saudi Arabia a g e n c i e s @ Tehran/Tel Aviv IN what appears to be a hit more focussed on a regime change than the nuclear proliferation talks, the US and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday Short. ly after, Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and US military bases in West Asia. The Israeli army said around 200 fighter jets took part in the “extensive attack” on military targets in Iran. Some of the first strikes hit areas around the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A strike on a school in southern Iran killed 63 people, a local official said. The Iranian Red Crescent said at least 201 people were killed and 747 wounded in the strikes. Iran soon launched a counter missile salvo, whose impact could be heard in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait UAE and Israel. Iran intends to continue its offensive “until the aggressor is punished,” an Iranian source said.“No significant damage has been done to Iran’s missile and defense capabilities, and Iran has prepared itself for a long war,” the source added. Plumes of black smoke hung over Tehran, including in the Pasteur district, site of the home of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Iranian local media said Khamenei, Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and “all the commanders” of Iran’s army were in good health. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards sent radio messages to vessels warning them not to enter the Strait of Hormuz, the EU’s Red Sea naval mission told AFP in a statement. The attacks came after US President Donald Trump expressed frustration at Iran’s stance in negotiations over its nuclear and missile programmes. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,” Trump said, warning of possible US casualties. Explosions were heard over central Doha and near Al-Udeid military base, the largest US facility in the region. Witnesses in Dubai saw missiles streaking across the sky. The famed Fairmont The Palm hotel and Atlantis The Royal, were attacked, and the area was evacuated. Kuwait and the UAE reported intercepting incoming Iranian missiles. Abu Dhabi said it “reserves its full right to respond.” Iran called on the UN Security Council to take “immediate” steps to halt the aggression. In a letter to UN secretary-general, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the council must “take immediate measures to halt this unlawful use of force.” P13 welfare initiative CM gives officials 99 days to improve lives of the people Express News Service @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday announced a 99-day statewide programme — ‘Praja Palana–Pragati Pranalika’ — aimed at taking welfare schemes, development works and public services closer to citizens. The drive will run from March 6 to June 12. At a meeting with departmental secretaries and senior officials, Revanth directed that the programme be implemented from village to state level under a structured schedule. He asked departments to prepare and operationalise action plans immediately and instructed Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao to design a logo and draw up a comprehensive calendar of activities for the 99-day period. Revanth said decisions taken on files must translate into results on the ground and that the entire administrative machinery should function with the objective of delivering benefits directly to eligible citizens. Alongside clearance of pending files, departments and offices from village to state level will Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy reviews the 99-day action plan on Saturday conduct sanitation and cleanliness drives. Officials were told to work in mission mode and treat each day of the 99-day period as critical. Revanth said he would personally review progress and warned that lapses would not be tolerated. He directed officials to expand the use of technology in governance and further simplify delivery of schemes and services. Citizens, Revanth said, should be able to access services such as electricity connections, building permissions and water connections online without visiting government offices. Citing vehicle registration at showrooms as an example, he called for similar reforms across departments.  continued on P4 Sites hit in Iran Iran’s retaliation Mapping the attack and counter-attack The map shows the joint US-Israel strikes targeting key military installations in Iran such as Isfahan, Bushehr, Minab, Tabriz and a host of other regions. In response, Iran struck Gulf allies of the US such as Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and parts of Israel West asia on the boil 1 2 3 At the time of going to press, Israeli PM Netanyahu claimed there were signs that Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. But there was no confirmation. His palace though was bombed Several flights across West Asia were cancelled as countries closed their airspace. Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait and the UAE announced closure of their skies. People were evacuated from the bombed sites The US said it used single-use drones to attack Iran for the first time. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned vessels against entering the Strait of Hormuz, which is a global energy chokepoint Baramati air crash report faults plane operator, airport S L a l i t h a @ New Delhi The preliminary report on the Baramati air crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar last month revealed the aircraft operator VSR Ventures’ failure to adhere to Standard Operating Procedures, and the bypassing of the visibility norms for safe operation of flights at the aerodrome. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday made public its report on the accident involving Learjet-45XR. Despite poor visibility (3 km instead of the mandatory 5 km), the cockpit crew chose to land and those manning the control gave the go-ahead, the report specified. It pointed to the poor infrastructure and maintenance at the airport where the runway markings, which guide the pilots in landing, had faded as recarpeting was done 11 years ago. The airport also lacked navigational aids. “The last runway re-carpeting was carried out in March 2016 and thereafter no runway re-carpeting was carried out which resulted into fading of all the runway markings and presence of loose gravels on the runway surface,” the report read. Sharing details of the accident which occurred at 8.46 am on January 28, the AAIB said the aircraft was handed over from Pune ATC to Baramati airport when it was 38 miles away from it. The tower at Baramati airfield that morning was manned by a ground instructor of a Flight Training Organisation. He was communicating with the incoming aircraft to assist the landing. The champagne was on ice since Friday evening. After 66 years of hardships and painful wait, Jammu and Kashmir, which was once considered the punching bag of North Zone cricket, lifted the Ranji Trophy title, getting the better of a more-fancied Karnataka. The team was ecstatic and celebrated with every ounce of what- J&K players celebrate after winning their first Ranji Trophy title | d hemanth ever energy was left after five days of toil. They were dancing, hugging, yelling and shouting. Their chief minister Omar Abdullah was in attendance and stood there watching the team script history . The team was not a hurriedly assembled cast. It was years in the making, brick by brick. They had beaten the likes of Mumbai and came close to making their first semifinals last Minab Qatar UAe Baa-Hubballi, the beginning: J&K’s crowning moment A m i t S U pa d h y e @ Hubballi Bahrain year when Kerala took a one-run lead. On Saturday a draw was all J&K , needed after taking a 291-run lead in the first innings. Skipper Paras Dogra, a veteran of many seasons, puts it succinctly. “I cannot explain and I don’t have any words. It is the biggest thing in my life. Biggest gratitude I will have in my life before I leave this world,” he said. Express Re a d Regime change war J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Lorestan Province Isfahan Jordan Combo footage of social media videos — verified by AFPTV teams — of an explosion in Tehran on Saturday, after the US launched its attack on Iran | AFP New Delhi urges restraint, respect for sovereignty Tabriz Tehran Urmia Karaj Damavand Zanjan Qom Iran Kermanshah Iraq Syria Israel Brazen bid to disturb peace, say Russia, China Oman US, Israel launch a flurry of strikes on Iranian targets India on Saturday voiced deep concern over the escalating situation in Iran and the wider Gulf region, urging all sides to exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states. In a statement, the External Affairs Ministry said: “India is deeply concerned at the recent developments in Iran and the Gulf region. We urge all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation, and prioritise the safety of civilians.” The government underscored that dialogue — not military confrontation — must guide the path forward. “Dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate tensions and address underlying issues. Sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected,” the statement added, reiterating India’s longstanding position on adherence to international law. Parallelly, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar worked the phones and held separate conversations with the foreign ministers of Iran and Israel, conveying India’s deep concern over the situation and reiterating New Delhi’s call for restraint and diplomacy . “Had a telecon with Iranian FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi this evening. Shared India’s deep concern at the recent developments in Iran and the region,” he said on X. Jaishankar had also spoken with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar. “Spoke with Israeli FM Gideon Sa’ar this afternoon. Reiterated India’s call for dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate tensions.” INDIANS IN IRAN, ISRAEL TAKE SHELTER | p4 IAS officer Arvind Kumar suspended Hyderabad: The state government has suspended senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar in connection with the alleged Formula E race irregularities case. Sources said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has already signed the file | P4 WITH THIS ISSUE Eat Play Talk PLUS 12 P AGES