mangaluru l saturday l october 03, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Centre marks 28 strategic Ladakh sites on official map The Centre on Friday formally identified 28 strategic places and geographical features in Ladakh on the official map of India LAC friction points among sites identified The government said in a statement that formally identifying them on the Survey of India map of Ladakh will help streamline official cartography, facilitate accurate recognition and promote greater public awareness. Gogra and Hot Spring, key friction points during the 2020 India-China military standoff, are among the strategic locations identified on the map ■ 10 Comes after similar action in Arunachal ■ The list includes Alisha Giri, Brangsa, Chapchingal Pass, Kanishka Peak, Karun Pir mountain, Kuksel, Martand Giri, Parpik glacier, Skamri Glacier, Shachmirik Pass, Shkorga Valley and Zorawar Peak It comes nearly two months after the government identified a total of 27 places and features located in Arunachal Pradesh | P7 peaks and three mountains among the 28 places/features identified 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 Spl enrolment drive after SIR exercise B o s k y K h a nn a @Bengaluru The Election Commission of India has issued orders to all Chief Electoral Officers (CEO) in the states where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is going on to conduct a special enrolment drive after the exercise is over. This exercise will start in Karnataka after October 27, 2026 when the final electoral roll will be published after the SIR. The orders were issued on Thursday and made public on Friday, a day after opposition parties in different parts of the country and the ruling Congress in Karnataka protested, opposing the SIR exercise and alleged deletion of names. Along with the orders, ECI issued a detailed questionnaire, answering multiple questions including the functioning of ECI app, ‘vote chori’ and method of SIR operation. Officials at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer Karnataka said the communication has just come in, and it will be looked into. They said that to ensure the enrolment of electors, special campaigns were held. While conducting the house-to-house survey, in the first phase of SIR, Form-6 (for inclusion), Form-7 (for deletion) and Form-8 (for correction) were distributed. Citizens are also being encouraged to fill the forms online, they said.  P5 Organised bid to delete 15K names in B’gavi: Rahul Belagavi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the BJP made an organised attempt to delete the names of nearly 15,000 voters, particularly Muslims, SC/ STs and Other Backward Classes from the electoral rolls in Belagavi city through a surge in Form 7 applications. P4 Was terror attack on G7 to release 100 mn barrels Flydubai, says UAE Presidential adviser cautions against conspiracy theories E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi RAK E SH KUMAR @ New Delhi UAE Presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on Friday described the cockpit attack aboard a Flydubai plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv as a “dangerous terrorist act”, and praised Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his role in preventing a potentially catastrophic outcome. Gargash said Machchhar “deserves every bit of appreciation” for demonstrating exemplary courage after he was allegedly attacked by his co-pilot during Flydubai Flight FZ1073 on Wednesday . He also cautioned against speculation, saying that “vigilance and caution remain essential in confronting the risks of extremism and terrorism. Gargash, a former UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, praised Machchhar for preserving the safety of those aboard the His (Smit) aircraft during the professionalism emergency . and moral sense in The flight, carry- the darkest of ing 174 people, in- circumstances cluding 27 children, make him a hero was travelling from Anwar Gargash, Dubai to Tel Aviv Presidential adviser, when the incident UAE occurred. According to reports, the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar with a knife inside the cockpit, causing the aircraft to plunge nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. Other crew members and passengers intervened and overpowered the attacker, restoring control over the aircraft. The plane was subsequently diverted to Saudi Arabia and landed safely in Tabuk. The co-pilot, identified by Israeli officials as an Omani national, was arrested after the landing. Gargash also hit out at conspiracy theories surrounding the incident. “Modern aircraft are not merely traditional control devices, but fully digital environments of surveillance.” AS diesel shortages have hit supplies and pushed up fuel prices, the Group of Seven (G7) industrial nations on Friday announced the release of up to 100 million barrels of crude oil and diesel from their emergency reserves to ease soaring prices. Following the announcement, oil prices fell by $2. Brent was down $1.80, or 1.76%, at $100.50 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate dropped $2.02, or 2.18%, to $90.85 a barrel. The move is also expected to help calm the Indian stock market, which has recorded its longest losing streak in 25 years amid pressure from high Election crude oil prices. issue The decision came after US PresiSoaring diesel dent Donald Trump urged European price has allies, particularly Germany and become a France, to immediately release emersource of gency diesel reserves or face a potenconcern for tial US diesel export ban. Trump as it Trump is under pressure to adcould affect dress surging prices ahead of Novoters ahead of vember’s midterm elections. the November The G7 said the reserves would be midterm polls released immediately over four months. The release will be coordinated through the International Energy Agency . Diesel and crude oil prices have been on the rise amid the deepening US-Iran conflict. Diesel shortage has also been linked to Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil-processing facilities. Subsequently, Russia imposed strict restrictions on diesel exports. Captain Smit Machchaar speaks in a video call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from the UAE | PTI PM to pilot: You showed spirit of non-violence r a j e s h k u m a r t h a k u r @ New Delhi “I was doing it for my own life but at the same time I also knew that I cannot let him kill all of them,” said Captain Smit Machchaar, who foiled an attempt by his co-pilot on Wednesday to crash an Israel-bound Flydubai flight. Machchaar was speaking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday in a video call from a hospital in the UAE. “Today is Gandhi Jayanti; you have demonstrated the true essence of nonviolence by living it,” Modi said. Hailing Machchaar’s grit, Modi added, “We Indians are not people who take lives, we are people who save lives,” he said. He told the pilot that prayers were being offered across India for his recovery, and that he had already spoken to the pilot’s mother and wife, adding he remained “just a phone call away India was waiting to .” welcome him, PM Modi told the pilot. Machchaar, who has flown for 17 years, said he opened the cockpit door when he realised the aircraft was going down. “I knew that it’s one last push,” he said, adding that he acted with whatever energy was left in him while lying injured in the cockpit. Man stages own kidnap to extort `90L from dad E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru Heat on poll panel Thousands, including members of CJP, SFI and AISA, took to the streets in New Delhi and Mumbai on Friday demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner. In the capital, police detained around 700 people | AP | P8 The 40-year-old son of a timber businessman allegedly staged his own kidnap and demanded Rs 90 lakh from his father on Tuesday. The Rajarajeshwari Nagar police cracked the case and arrested the son and his two friends, who were his accomplices in the crime. The businessman-father, Manohar Patil (62), filed a police complaint immediately after he received a call saying his son, Manish Patel, had been kidnapped. Manish left home on September 28, telling his father that he had some money transaction in Gadag. But at 8 am the next day, his father received a WhatsApp call from Manish’s mobile number. An unknown person spoke to him and said Manish had been kidnapped and he would be killed if the ransom of Rs 90 lakh was not paid.  P5 AS I A N G A M E S S Gold rush: India smash massive six IX gold in a day — this is by far the best day for India at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. If India were struggling to win gold medals in the first 10 days, the last three days have been quite productive. The day however, belonged , to the boxers and women’s hockey team. If three boxers secured a top of the podium finish, sending the country into a celebratory frenzy, the icing on the cake came later in the day on the hockey field. For the first time in 44 years, the women’s team rose from the lows of Paris 2024 to beat China 1-0 and clinch of oil reserves Indraneel Das Express @ asian games Nagoya gold at the Asian Games. In the process, they also sealed their berth for the LA 2028 Olympics on Friday Lalremsiami landed . the first strike in the tenth minute but from thereon, it was goalkeeper Bichu Devi’s heroics and a defence that ensured India a historic gold medal. Meanwhile, archers created history by winning India’s first-ever recurve gold. Sujeet Kalkal in wrestling was also Indian women’s hockey team celebrate their gold medal | PTI unstoppable. The three boxers, who stood on the top of the podium, were Lovlina Borgohain in the morning and two youngsters – Parveen Hooda and Ankush Panghal. With this, India have climbed to fifth place in the medals tally with 16 golds. P11 2 more gold in the offing On Saturday, India have a chance to add at least two more gold to the tally in men’s hockey and cricket team events. E x p r e s s Re a d Woman gets caught in waste machine, dies Bengaluru: A 45-year-old woman died after she got trapped in a waste segregation machine while working at a waste processing unit in Chiguranahalli, Doddaballapur taluk, of Bengaluru Rural, on Friday. The victim suffered grievous injuries and died on the spot. 1 dies, 18 hurt as KSRTC bus falls into ditch Karwar: A woman from Bhatkal died and 18 others were seriously injured after a KSRTC bus fell into a deep ditch in Devimane Ghats in Kumta taluk, Uttara Kannada district, on Thursday night. The driver was reportedly speeding and lost control of the bus | P5 INSIDE Patch-up effort Failure to register FIR against Pinarayi a crime: ED letter | P5 Navy to induct multi-purpose vessels for sub-hunting | P7