MONDAY SPACEX CATCHES ROCKET BOOSTER IN HISTORIC FIRST 14 OCTOBER, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard SpaceX on Sunday successfully caught the returning first-stage booster minutes after the launch of the fifth Starship test flight. GAZA WAR NETANYAHU EXAMINING PLAN How to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas militants, a paln that could endanger thousands of people CATCHING THE BOOSTER A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 PAGE 09 Doctors renew shut-down call in support of RG Kar stir A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi NEARLY two months after the suspension of the nationwide strike in the aftermath of the RG Kar incident, the medicos have again given a national call to shut down all non-essential services, including outpatient department (OPD) and planned surgeries to support the demands of West Bengal junior doctors who continue to remain o n “ f a st unto death” in Kolkata. The doctors’ response came after three protesting doctors were admitted to ICU following 160 hours of hunger strike as their health parameters worsened. The call for a countrywide boycott of medical services has been given by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA). “As of early morning on the October 13, three of our fellow doctors have been admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), their health critically compromised, simply because they sought justice and safety After . exhaustive discussions, we have unanimously decided that it is time to unite on a national scale,” said FAIMA. “We had given an ultimatum for escalation to the West Bengal CM in a previous letter. However, no satisfactory action has been seen, forcing us to request RDAs and medical bodies to join us in our call,” FAIMA said. P8 SpaceX brought the first-stage booster back to land at the pad from which it had soared seven minutes ago. The launch tower sported monstrous metal arms, dubbed chopsticks, that caught the descending 232-foot booster. 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 Zeeshan Siddique and Arshia Siddique, son and daughter of NCP leader Baba Siddique, lead his funeral procession in Bandra, Mumbai on Sunday | ANI of 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 EXPRESS READ President’s rule revoked in J&K Paving the way for the formation of first elected govt in J&K UT, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday revoked President’s rule. A gazette notification was issued on Sunday. The decision came two days after NC leader Omar Abdullah met J&K Lt Governor and staked his claim. 518 kg drugs recovered in Gujarat, 5 arrested Delhi and Gujarat Police recovered at least 518 kg of cocaine from Gujarat’s Ankleshwar on Sunday and five people were arrested. The officials said the new seizure was linked to recovery of 700 kg of cocaine in Delhi. So far 1,289 kg of drugs have been recovered. the handler and did the recce for the shootout, is also on the run, police sources said. “Between 9.00 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,” police sources said. P8 TOWERING 400 FT THE EMPTY STARSHIP BLASTED OFF AT SUNRISE FROM SOUTHERN TIP OF TEXAS HOW IT HELPS SPACEX SpaceX has been recovering the first-stage boosters of its smaller Falcon 9 rockets for nine years. Recycling Falcon boosters has sped up the launch rate and saved SpaceX millions. The company intends to do the same for Starship 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 impacts self-esteem, particularly among young people grappling with feelings of inadequacy and isolation, US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy said. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, Dr M u r t hy s a i d m a ny both in the US and Inyoung people feel disdia, he said this presconnected despite being sure to succeed acaconnected online, adddemically coupled with , ing that the pressure to comparison fostered by showcase an ideal life social media, can lead on social media contribto significant stress. utes to these feelings. Dr Murthy called for Dr Vivek Murthy Addressing the imurg ent refor ms in mense academic and social medical education to better pressures faced by students, i n t e g r at e m e n t a l h e a l t h Delhi ‘clean air days’ over? AQI slides to ‘poor’ category DELHI AQI ON SUNDAY 224 (POOR) Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is categorised esponse categ o rii sed g sed into 4 stages based on Delhi’s air quality: ges  STAGE I: ‘Poor’ (AQI 201-300) II: ‘Very Poor’ (AQI 301-400);  STAGE III: ‘Severe’ (AQI 401-450);  STAGE IV: ‘Severe Plus’ (AQI more than 450)  STAGE Despite Dussehra celebrations, people are breathing clean air, a phenomenon last seen in 2020 due to Covid-19induced curbs’ —Gopal Rai, Delhi minister A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi DELHI Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Sunday said the capital witnessed 200 clean air days between January and October 12 for the second consecutive year with air quality ranging between categories of “good”, “satisfactory” and “moderate” on the air pollution index. However, Delhi’s air quality worsened to the “poor” category on Sunday, the day after Dussehra, with the Centre deciding to closely monitor the situation before taking anti-air pollution measures under Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). GRAP is categorised into four stages based on Delhi’s air quality: Stage I: ‘Poor’ (AQI 201-300), Stage II: ‘Very Poor’ (AQI 301400); Stage III: ‘Severe’ (AQI 401450); and Stage IV: ‘Severe Plus’ (AQI more than 450). Delhi’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 224 on Sunday, according to the 4 pm AQI bulletin from the Central Pollution Control Board. Rai observed that despite Dussehra celebrations in the city, people are breathing clean air, a phenomenon last seen in 2020 due to Covid-19 induced restrictions. On Saturday, the AQI was in the “moderate” category with a reading of 155, as per the Central Pollution Control Board. “Achieving 200 good air quality days out of 365 without a lockdown is a major achievement. The figure was 109 days in 2016. I believe in the coming months, if we continue to work together, we can increase the number of days,” he said. While Rai credited his government, he also acknowledged the role of extended rains that helped keep air pollution at bay . “Recent good air quality days can be attributed not only to government initiatives but also to increased rainfall. During July, August, and September, the AQI remained around 50 for extended periods, largely due to rainfall,” the minister said. TEACHERS have again been penalized in Gujarat for errors in evaluating board exam papers. In the latest incident in the Gujarat board exams, several teachers were found making mistakes while totaling marks. One case involved a Math teacher who made a significant totaling error of 30 marks, resulting in a student failing the Class X board exam. The Gujarat State Education Board (GSEB) discovered the error when students applied for re-assessment, revealing that the Math teacher had incorrectly calculated the marks. This is not the first time such mistakes have occurred. In February 2024, it was revealed in the Gujarat Assembly that over 9,000 teachers had been fined a total of `1.54 crore over a two-year period for similar errors in total- ing marks during the evaluation of Class X and XII board exam papers. In a recent crackdown, the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSEB) has fined 4,488 teachers for making totaling errors while marking Class 10 and 12 board exams. These mistakes Collectively, over `1.5 cr fines paid in 2 yrs In a written reply submitted to the Assembly in February 2024, the state government said it had imposed fines totaling `1.54 crore on 9,218 teachers for errors in evaluating board exam papers. The average fine per teacher stood at approximately `1,600. training, noting that many medical curricula have not adequately addressed mental health issues. For far too long, mental and social health have been viewed as less important than physical health, America’s top doctor said, adding that mental health is an issue on which the US and India can work together. LAW & ORDER Accused on bail in Gauri Lankesh case honoured F I R O Z R O Z I N D A R @ Vijayapura INDIAN WOMEN LOSE India’s Renuka Thakur, 2nd left, is congratulated by teammates after she took the wicket of Australia’s Georgia Wareham during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 at Sharjah Stadium, UAE. The Indian squad lost by 9 runs and is out of tournament | PTI | P11 BIG DRUG SEIZURE IN DELHI PUZZLING The surge in narcotic activities in the national capital comes as a big surprise. Has Delhi become a transit point? | P4 Marking error fails student, Gujarat teachers fined D I L I P S I N G H K S H AT R I YA @ Ahmedabad FAA APPROVAL The launch comes hours after US regulator Federal Aviation Administrator granted SpaceX its long-awaited license to move forward with a fifth uncrewed test launch of Starship will collectively cost the teachers `64 lakh in fines, according to GSEB officials. In a fresh wave of penalties, the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSEB) has fined 1,654 teachers who served as paper checkers for Class 10 exams, collectively imposing fines amounting to `20 lakh for errors in marking. Teachers are penalized `100 for every mistake of one mark. Similarly, 1,404 teachers involved in checking Class 12 general stream papers have been fined a total of `24.31 lakh. 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, Turkey, 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. TWO persons, accused in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh and who were released on bail recently, were welcomed and honoured by leaders of Hindutva organisations on Saturday evening. The accused, Parasuram Waghmore and Manohar Yadawe, participated in a religious ritual at Kalikadevi temple and performed a puja to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji before garlanding it at Shivaji Circle. Hindutva activists shouted “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and expressed support to Sanatan Dharma. The group’s leader Umesh Vandal honoured the two accused with shawls and garlands. The video of the two accused being honoured has gone viral on social media sites. Sriram Sene leader Neelkantha Kandagal claimed that innocent people were unjustly sentenced to seven years in prison for Gauri Lankesh’s murder. He alleged that the Congress government was targeting only Hindu activists. Recently, a sessions court in Bengaluru granted bail to eight accused involved in the Gauri Lankesh murder case. Bail was granted to Amol Kale, Rajesh D Bangera, Vasudev Suryawanshi, R u s h i k e s h D e v a d e k a r, Parshuram Waghmore, Ganesh Miskin, Amit Baddi and Manohar Yadawe The Karnataka HC granted bail to four accused in the case on September 4. Gauri Lankesh, who was the editor of Lankesh Patrike newspaper, was shot dead on the night of September 5, 2017, outside her house in Bengaluru.