BELAGAVI  SUNDAY  MARCH 22, 2026  `12.00  PAGES 24  LATE CITY EDITION Muslims offer special prayers on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr at the Eidgah Maidan on Mysuru Road in Bengaluru on Saturday | SHASHIDHAR BYRAPPA 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 Loaded message in Iran attack on Diego Garcia A G E N C I E S @ London, Tehran, Tel Aviv WITH THIS ISSUE Two Tales of One City PLUS 12 P AGES ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS REPLACED BY ASSAM CONG TURNCOAT, BJP MLA EMERGES KEY FIGURE I P8 IRAN was “unsuccessful” in targeting the joint UK-US Indian Ocean military base at Diego Garcia, a UK official source confirmed to AFP on Saturday , after the Wall Street Journal reported that Tehran fired two ballistic missiles at it. Die go Garcia, which is around 4,000 kilometres from Iranian territory, is one of the two bases the UK has allowed the US to use in this war. The launch suggests that Tehran has missiles with longer ranges than previously thought. Iran has “always had missiles of that sort of range that we’ve known about, maybe not declared”, former UK Royal Navy commander and defence expert Tom Sharpe told AFP . The US military said on Saturday it had taken out an Iranian bunker housing weapons threatening oil and gas shipments in the Strait of Hormuz. The standoff has sent crude oil prices soaring, with a barrel of North Sea Brent crude up more than 50 percent and now more than $105. Iran’s atomic energy body said US-Israeli strikes hit the Natanz nuclear facility but “no , leakage of radioactive materials” was reported. The Revolutionary Guards said they “struck” an Israeli F-16 over Iran. Shortly after, Russian president Vladimir Putin said “Moscow remains Tehran’s loyal friend.” IRAQ Tehran IRAN SAUDI ARABIA THE BIG PICTURE Sending missiles to Diego Garcia, a strategic UK-US base in the Indian Ocean about 4,000 km away from Tehran, sent a loud message that Iran could even reach the US. This was the first time Iran fired missiles beyond 2,000 km range INDIA Cannon Point Peacekeeper Inn (PK) Sunset View Park Diego Garcia Nsf Point Marianne DAY 22 Commercial LPG supply The petroleum ministry on Saturday increased the allocation of commercial LPG by an an additional 20% to states and UTs, taking the total allocation to 50%. the ministry said the enhanced allocation would support restaurants and hotel industry. INDIAN OCEAN Diego Garcia Protect shipping routes, Modi urges Pezeshkian J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stressed the urgency of protecting global shipping routes and critical infrastructure during a phone call with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian. In a post on X, Modi said, “Spoke with President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian ... condemned attacks on critical infrastructure in the region, reiterated importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation and ensuring that shipping lanes remain open and secure,” the post said. The PM said uninterrupted maritime movement is vital for global commerce. CASE BOOKED T’kuru official, retiring soon, ends own life, blames senior D E V A R A J B H I R E H A L L I @Tumakuru A taluk-level officer with the social welfare department died by suicide at his office in Pavagada town late on Friday night, alleging harassment by his senior officer. In a two-page letter, addressed to the Madhugiri deputy superintendent of police, the deceased, Mallikarjunaiah GE (59), has written in detail the harassment he was subjected to by his senior official for the last four years. As per his letter, the harassment was over money and the irregularities he exposed in the department. Mallikarjunaiah, who was an assistant director, allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan after recording a video, in which he blames H Krishnappa, joint director, for his extreme action. Mallikarjunaiah, who was to retire on March 31, was scared that his pension and other retirement benefits would be withheld over an old case of irregularities. After Mallikarjunaiah’s wife, Jayalakshmi KM, filed a complaint, the Pavagada police registered an FIR and booked Krishnappa on charges of abetment to suicide under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Mallikarjunaiah hailed from Gudarlahalli of Pavagada taluk and is survived by his wife, mother and two sons. P4 Lambo spotted doing ‘donuts’ in Bengaluru, case registered EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru A white Lamborghini was spotted doing donuts (a manoeuvre where the driver spins either the front or rear of the vehicle in a continuous circle and creates smoke) at Anil Kumble Circle on MG Road under the Metro flyover in the early hours of Saturday A . video, recorded by either a motorist or a resident, had tagged the Bengaluru Traffic Police seeking action. The video, posted on X at 7.57 am on Saturday has gone viral. , Along with the 10-second video, a photograph of the car, clearly showing its registration number KA-05-NR-0009, P5 too has been posted on the social media site. EXPRESS READ AI to introduce cabin crew fitness policy Mumbai: Air India is planning to introduce a health and fitness compliance policy for its cabin crew, under which those found underweight, overweight or obese could face derostering and loss of pay. The compliance assessment will be based on the cabin crew members’ Body Mass Index (BMI) | P8