FIFA WC opens amid fanfare, full house Shakira and Nigerian singer Burna Boy had the spectators out of their seats in the opening ceremony for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico City. Dancers twirled around a giant model of the World Cup trophy while fireworks went off in the historic 80,000-capacity stadium Today's matches (IST) KOchi l friday l june 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Colombian singer Shakira performs during the opening ceremony ahead of the 2026 World Cup tie between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday | AFP | P11 (All June 13) Group D: Paraguay vs USA (6.30AM) Group B: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (12.30AM) 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 All 3 missing seafarers dead J aya nth 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,” Trump threatens to strike Iran, backs off hours later Hours after threatening to hit Iran ‘very hard’ and “assume total control” of its oil and gas, US President Donald Trump called off the strikes claiming negotiations were “brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership” 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. 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. 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. Tap youth power for growth: PM P U S H P I TA 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, demand-driven skilling and employment op- portunities must remain a priority. Empowered youth will be the driving force behind our journey towards,” he said while chairing the 11th Gover ning Council Meeting of Niti Aayog, attended by chief ministers, Lt governors and administrators representing 28 states and five UTs. This was the first time CMs of all 28 states participated in the governing council meeting. The meeting focused on human development index and creating alternative energy sources. Governing council members debated pushing rooftop solar energy on residential buildings, schools, hosp i t a l s , a n d g o ve r n m e n t properties. Kozhikode man tests positive for Nipah, 77 contacts identified P o o j a N a i r @ Kozhikode The state health department has stepped up surveillance and containment preparedness in Kozhikode district after the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, confirmed Nipah virus infection in a 43-year-old man from Ramanattukara. This is the 11th episode of Nipah infection reported in Kerala since the outbreak was first detected in the state in 2018. The patient, a resident of the fifth division of Ramanattukara municipality, has been admitted to a specially arranged Nipah isolation facility at the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital, and he remains in critical condition. Doctors said the patient is on ventilator support and is being monitored continuously by a team of specialists. He was shifted to the hospital after testing positive in a preliminary examination conducted at the MCH’s Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL). Following confirmation from NIV Pune, health authorities have begun extensive contact tracing, with the district administration identifying 77 people who had possible exposure to the infected person. The contacts have been categorised based on the level of risk. District Collector M S Madhavikutty said none of the identified contacts are cur rently showing symptoms, and there is no immediate need to declare a containment zone. She said among the 77 contacts identified, 15 have been classified as priority Of these, . two are in the highest-risk category and 13 are in the highrisk category. The remaining 58 contacts are healthcare work● More on P4 ers. HC poser on Bengal LoP recognition su b hendu m a i t i @ New Delhi THE Calcutta High Court on Thursday questioned the legality of West Bengal assembly speaker Rathindranath Bose’s decision to recognise rebel Trinamool Congress MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as leader of the Opposition (LoP) without the consent of the TMC. 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 expelled the former. Veteren MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay who was select, ed by the party leadership as the LoP, moved the HC on 8 June challenging the Speaker’s decision. TMC MP and senior lawyer Kalyan Bandyopadhyay , appearing for petitioners, submitted that the move hits basic structure of the Constitution. 16 pages, including 4 pages of Kochi Express