Akasa Air, SpiceJet flights collide Narrow escape for passengers after incoming SpiceJet flight came in contact with a stationary Akasa aircraft waiting to depart. None was hurt. Both aircraft were damaged in the collision and were grounded. The bizarre incident happened in the apron area of Terminal 1 at 2.15 pm. After the incident, all passengers disembarked safely. Akasa Air said it would make arrangements to fly its passengers to Hyderabad vijayawada l friday l april 17, 2026 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 No change in LS seat share in the South, clarifies Shah Women’s bill important for all parties that want to succeed in future: PM J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi The mangled remains of a vehicle which met with an accident in Kurnool | Express Eight die as Bolero collides with tanker E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kurnool In a ghastly road accident, eight pilgrims from Karnataka were killed and 13 others injured when a Bolero pickup vehicle collided head-on with a tanker near Chilakaladona village in Mantralayam mandal of Kurnool district in the early hours of Thursday . According to the police, the Bolero, carrying nearly 20 pilgrims from Chikmagalur region in Karnataka, was on its way to Sri Guru Raghavendra Swamy Mutt when it veered off course and rammed into an oncoming tanker. The deceased were identified as vehicle driver Kumar (60), Deepika Veena (35), Sunil (40), Belli (3), Puttamma (60), Meenakshi (50), Lolakshi (30), and Tayamma alias Yashoda (60). All the victims belonged to Udeva in Tarikere Taluk of Chikmagalur district. The injured included Shobha, Amrutha, Dhanyashree, Deepak, Deekshitha, Pratap, Tejaswini, Varshita, Naveen, Jayamma, Sanjana, Bharathamma and Sunil. They were initially admitted to Yemmiganur government hospital, and later shifted to Kurnool Government General Hospital. Some of the injured are out of danger, while a few are said to be in a critical condition. The impact of the collision was severe, leaving the Bolero completely mangled and trapping passengers inside. It took several hours for rescue teams to extricate the victims bodies from the mangled P4 vehicle.  Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday asserted in the Lok Sabha that the number of seats in the southern states will not be reduced as he sought to counter what he described as a “manufactured narrative” that delimitation and related legislative changes would weaken the region’s political influence. During the debate on women’s reservation and delimitation, Shah said: “The biggest narrative being created is that these three bills — the Constitution Amendment Bill, two laws on delimitation, and changes to the constituency election law — will harm the power of the South.” Putting the initiative in context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his intervention, highlighted women’s rising “political leadership” at the grassroots level, adding the quota bill is important for every political party if they want to succeed in future. Shah backed his argument with state-wise projections to demonstrate how South’s representation would increase both in absolute numbers and in the overall share. “Of the total 543 seats, 129 MPs currently sit in this House, which is 23.76%. In the new House, 195 MPs will be sitting here, and their share will be 23.97%,” he said. The explanation comes amid concerns that population-based delimitation could reduce the relative representation of the South Screen grab of Union home minister Amit Shah speaking in the Lok Sabha on the first day of the special session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Thursday | PTI Current LS seats % of 543 LS seats Karnataka 28 5.15% Andhra Pradesh 25 Telangana 17 State After % After delimitation delimitation 42 5.44% 4.60% 38 4.65% 3.13% 26 3.18% Tamil Nadu 39 7.18% 59 7.23% Kerala 20 3.68% 30 3.67% 129/543 23.76% 195/816 23.87% Total strength of the South in Parliament. Shah also clarified the concerns over the caste census raised by some Opposition members and said, “Modi cabinet has decided to conduct a caste census. The ongoing census is being conducted on the basis of caste enumeration. There is no need to spread confusion.” On the legal framework governing delimitation, Shah emphasised continuity with existing provisions. “The Delimitation Commission law is strictly in accordance with the existing (old) law. There is no change. It will not impact the onP7 going elections.”  Israel-Lebanon truce amid Asim Munir, Shehbaz diplomacy A g en c i e s @ Tehran / Washington pAKISTAN on Thursday stepped up its diplomatic efforts for a second round of peace talks between Iran and the US that could end the ongoing West Asia war with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir meeting Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Munir, who is camping in Tehran to persuade the Iranians to reach a deal with the US, also visited the Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), where he met with its commander. According to Iranian media reports, Munir discussed with the IRGC commander the steps taken under the framework for ending the war and their recent talks in Tehran. Parallelly Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif , is touring the Gulf countries in a bid to gauge the mood and seek their support in finding an early end to the conflict. Shehbaz Sharif ’s office said the premier had discussed with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani “the latest regional and inday ter national developments, particularly in the Middle East”. According to Iran’s Press TV Munir is car, rying a message from the US for the Iranian leadership. After hearing from the Iranian leaders, he is expected to consult Washington and try and schedule another round of talks. The first round, held on April 10 in Islamabad, failed to arrive at an agreement. On Thursday an Al Jazeera report claimed Pakistan , is expecting a “major breakthrough”, hinting Iran may have softened its stance of some sticking issues. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, also said that Tehran is “cautiously optimistic” about its negotiations. Hours after Munir’s meetings in Tehran, US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon starting Thursday 21:00 GMT (05:30 IST). One of Iran’s major demands was that Israel end its strikes on Lebanon targeting P9 Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.  48