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 ■ ■ mangaluru l friday l june 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l city EDITION All 3 missing seafarers dead Two bodies recovered; another vessel with 20 Indian crew members comes under attack J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi All three Indian seafarers who had been reported missing after the US attack on the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello off the coast of Oman have been confirmed dead, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday . The tanker, carrying 24 Indian crew members, was struck by the US military earlier this week, triggering a search-andrescue operation involving Indian and Omani authorities. In a post on X, Sonowal described the development as “deeply unfortunate”, confirming that the three crew members initially reported missing had lost their lives. “Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after two bodies were recovered,” the minister said. Calling the deaths a “profound loss to our maritime family”, Sonowal said the government stood firmly with the bereaved families and would give all necessary assistance. Will take total control of Iran’s oil: Trump US President Donald Trump threatened to launch major strikes on Iran and seize control of its oil industry. Trump said in a social media post that the US would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT” and would “assume total control” of Iran’s oil and gas industries, including the vital Kharg Island oil terminal | P14 The minister added that officials had been instructed to facilitate the immediate repatriation of the 21 rescued crew members and ensure the swift return of the deceased sailors’ mortal remains. On Wednesday India strong, ly condemned the attack on the commercial vessel and formally lodged a protest with the US by summoning Jason Meeks, the US Chargé d’Affaires in New Delhi. Meanwhile, crew members of a Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel identified as MT Jalveer, carrying 20 Indians, were evacuated on Thursday after the vessel came under attack off an Oman port. This is the third instance of a ship with Indians coming under attack from the US military in the recent past. Court poser on legality of expelled TMC MLA’s recognition as LoP s u b h en d u m a i t i @ New Delhi press Intake Homemakers are nation builders, says SC | P11 Shah says govt plans to lift AFSPA from next year | P12 Third TMC MP quits THE Calcutta High Court on Thursday questioned the legality of West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindranath Bose’s decision to recognise expelled Trinamool MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of the Opposition (LoP) without the consent of the political party . Justice Krishna Rao raised the question while hearing a plea against the Speaker’s decision to recognise Banerjee as LoP and Akhruzzman, another rebel MLA, the Chief Whip at a time when the party leadership had already The crisis in the Trinamool Congress deepened on Thursday as Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from both the Upper House and the party, becoming the third TMC parliamentarian to quit this week after Sukhendu S Ray and Sushmita Dev. expelled the former. The Trinamool leadership led by Mamata Banerjee had expelled Banerjee, MLA from Uluberia Purba, and Sandipan Saha, another legislator from Entally for anti-party ac, tivities. Veteran MLA Sob- handeb Chattopadhyay from Ballygunj in Kolkata, who was selected by the party leadership as the LoP in the House, moved the High Court on 8 June challenging the Speaker’s decision to recognise Banerjee as LoP . Trinamool MP and senior lawyer Kalyan Bandyopadhyay , appearing for petitioner, submitted that the Speaker’s decision hits the basic structure of the Constitution. However, Ritabrata dismissed the allegations and said “all norms have been followed.” The court adjourned the matter to June 16, two days before the Assembly is slated to convene. Brazil's Vinicius Junior trains in New Jersey on Thursday. Brazil play Morocco on June 14 (June 15, 3.30 am IST) | AFP Today's matches (IST) (Jun 13) Group D: Paraguay vs USA (6.30AM) Group B: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (12.30AM) Canada & U.S. begin campaign On the second day of the tournament, the other two hosts begin their campaigns. Canada taking on Bosnia & Herzegovina in Toronto. Meanwhile United States of America face Paraguay in their first game of the tournament in Los Angeles. The two co-hosts will look to leave a mark. P17 Doc charged int’l roaming after visiting Nathu La China. Dr Sankaran described the experience as frustrating. An Indian physician has been He later took to X, tagging Telbilled for international roam- ecom Regulatory Authority of ing charges after his mobile India (TRAI): “Request TRAI to phone reportedly picked up a clarify I was charged interna. Chinese network signal during tional roaming while being in a brief family visit to Nathu La Sikkim, saying I travelled to pass in Sikkim, sparking fresh China. Is it allowed when I nevconcerns over borderer went to China this area telecom coverage year? I was in Sikkim and billing practices. border of China, I unDr Sundar Sankaran, derstand. It’s sad our telwho was holidaying in ecom networks are so Sikkim with his family, weak and Chinese netsaid he received a hefty work so good, I am asked bill claiming he had used to pay for international his phone in China, roaming despite being in though he remained well Sundar Sankaran India.” within Indian territory . The surgeon’s post The incident occurred has drawn widespread when the group spent only a attention, with several users few minutes at Nathu La, a sharing similar experiences of high-altitude pass near the Line erroneous international roamof Actual Control (LAC) with ing charges in border regions. B a n s y K a l a p pa @ Bengaluru DCM Dr G Parameshwara meets Tiptur MLA K Shadakshari at a hospital in New Delhi on Thursday | Express Tiptur MLA rushed to Delhi hospital, stable E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru Senior Congress leader and Tiptur MLA K Shadakshari was rushed to a private hospital at Saket in New Delhi on Thursday after he fell ill at the Karnataka Bhavan with complaints of uneasiness and difficulty in breathing. He has been admitted to the ICU and his condition is said to be stable. Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara visited him in hospital. Shadakshari had gone to Delhi a couple of days ago to call on high command leaders seeking a ministerial post in the DK Shivakumar cabinet. Many senior leaders wished him speedy recovery . CM DK Shivakumar meets PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday Tap youth power for growth: PM E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e PUSHPITA D E Y @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked states to tap into India’s 70-crore youth population and convert this unique demographic dividend into a development dividend for the country’s progress. “Creating the right ecosystem for our youth through quality education, demanddriven skilling and employment opportunities must remain a priority. Empowered youth will be the driving force behind our journey towards,” he said while chairing the 11th Governing Council Meeting of Niti Aayog, attended by chief ministers, Lt governors and administrators representing 28 States and five UTs. This was the first time chief ministers of all 28 states participated in the governing council meeting of NITI Aayog. The meeting primarily focused on human development index and creating alternative energy sources In India. Governing council members debated pushing rooftop solar energy on residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and government properties to reduce household dependence on grid electricity . @ Bengaluru As new technology comes, we have to adapt. We cannot get stuck in 1990s or 2000 technology Ashok Lahiri, VC, Niti Aayog Go for FDI, PM tells states The PM asked states to aggressively court foreign investments from nations with which India has signed FTAs E x p r e s s Re a d Two killed, houses torched in Manipur Guwahati: Violence broke out at Senapati district in Manipur on Wednesday night after the mortal remains of six Naga “hostages” were recovered by the police, while unidentified gunmen killed two Kukis and set ablaze several houses at a village in Kamjong district early on Thursday morning. The six Nagas were among 20 people from the community who were abducted on May 13 | P12 Kharge, Khera, 2 others elected unanimously to RS from K’taka Kozhikode man tests positive for Nipah Kozhikode: The Kerala health department has stepped up surveillance and containment preparedness in Kozhikode district after the National Institute of Virology, Pune, confirmed Nipah virus infection in a 43-year-old man. Meanwhile, the district administration has identified 77 people who had possible exposure to the infected person. The contacts have been categorised based on the level of risk | P7 THREE Congress candidates, including All-India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge, and one BJP nominee were declared elected unanimously to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka on Thursday . Apart from Kharge, the other two Congress candidates elected are AICC media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera and the son of former Union minister K Rahman Khan, Mansoor Ali Khan. BJP’s Prof M Nagaraja was also declared elected. All four members will have a full term of six years. The elections, to be held on June 18, were declared to fill four vacant seats. As only four candidates filed nominations, elections were not necessitated, and as a result, Assembly Secretary MK Vishalakshi declared the four candidates elected unanimously to the Upper House. Khera, who was in Vidhana Soudha, told reporters that it was a matter of great pride for him. “It is a matter of great pride for me that I was given this opportunity by my leadership to serve the people of Karnataka through the Rajya Sabha seat here. I hope to do justice to all the aspirations. I also hope that the next time when I address you (media), I’ll try and speak in Kannada, which is a beautiful language,” he said, after receiving his election certificate. CONTINUED ON: P7