Brazil survive scare, Oz and Scotland win Vinicius Jr. helped Brazil hold Morocco to a 1-1 draw while Australia stunned Turkiye 2-0 and Scotland, on their return to the event, beat Haiti 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Today's matches (IST) NAGAPATTINAM l monday l june 15, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION Brazil’s Vinicius Junior (7) celebrates a goal against Morocco on Saturday | AP Group H: Spain vs Cabo Verde (9:30 PM); Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (3:30 AM*). Group G: Belgium vs Egypt (12:30 AM*); Iran vs NZ (6:30 AM*) (*Tuesday) 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 Let’s not blow it, Trump tells Israel and Iran E x p r e s s Re a d Egg prices in TN may go up in coming days Namakkal: Citing mounting losses and rising operational costs, the TN Poultry Farmers Association has stated that egg prices may increase in the coming days, with farmers deciding that the minimum procurement price should be raised to `7 per egg | P2 Shanmugam takes on EPS, calls for meeting Villupuram: Weeks after the two AIADMK factions appeared to have made up, ex-minister and rival faction leader C Ve Shanmugam on Sunday turned on party chief EPS with a slew of allegations, reiterating the demand for a general council meeting at the earliest | P4 Will establish cancer centres in all dists: Min Erode: Steps will be taken to establish specialised cancer treatment centres in all districts, Health Minister K G Arunraj told reporters in Erode on Sunday. “The CM’s aim is to provide quality medical services to everyone in the state,” he said | P2 Raps Israel for striking Beirut and hindering peace efforts, claims a deal is ‘very close’ ag e n c i e s @ Dubai US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged no further attacks by anyone after Israel’s military said it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, potentially complicating efforts to finalize a deal to end the US-Iran war. Smoke rose over the Dahiyeh in Lebanese capital Beirut, where at least three people were killed and 16 others wounded. Iran threatened a military response. Trump reacted on social media: “We are very close to a deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon” and “Let’s not blow it!” The deal in its current form is a deep disappointment to Israel’s government, which has been sidelined in negotiations led by Pakistan and others. The last time Israel struck the Beirut suburbs a week ago, it set off the most serious escalation of fighting between Iran and Israel since the tenuous ceasefire took hold April 7. Trump, who had said the deal could be signed Sunday has pressed Israeli Prime Min, ister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop hitting Lebanon hard while a deal is near, but the prime minister has defied him. Netanyahu’s office said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah attacks on Israel. Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a lead negotiator for Tehran, warned the US that “if you lack the will and ability to fulfill your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible.” We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down... Let’s not blow it! Donald Trump, US President Iran warns of attacks Brig General Mohammad Jafar Asadi, deputy commander of Iran’s military command warned that Israel’s strike would not go “unanswered.” “Without a doubt, these crimes won’t go unanswered,” Asadi told a news portal India, France deepen ties with tech focus India, France agree to double trade J aya n th J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday elevated the momentum in India-France ties with a strong push for innovation-led growth, positioning India and France as key partners in emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, defence manufacturing, space exploration, and resilient supply chains. Earlier in the day addressing , innovators, investors and entrepreneurs at Bharat Innovates, Modi projected India as a rising innovation powerhouse and called for technology that serves humanity rather than markets alone. “An India that is emerging not merely as a consumer of The two sides also announced creation of a high-level mechanism for realising the goal of doubling bilateral trade in the next five years. The current bilateral trade volume is USD 16 billion. The two sides also decided to expand the use of UPI at Paris airport and Nice Innovation Roadmap 2030 launched Prime Minister Narendra Modi with French President Emmanuel Macron during ‘Bharat Innovates’ event | PTI solutions, but as a contributor of solutions. Here, some are working to transform rural life through AI, while others are using satellite technology to support farmers. Some young innovators are shaping the future through smart cities, ad- The India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030 seeks to deepen cooperation in critical and emerging technologies as well as startup and incubator ecosystems besides promoting academic mobility and industry-academia linkages, External Affairs Ministry said vanced manufacturing, and new materials. At the same time, several start-ups are developing new technologies in the fields of defence and security Modi said. ,” Modi urged startups to build technologies that are “trusted, inclusive and human-centric”. Following extensive discussions covering defence, technology, space, trade, mobility and global affairs, the two sides announced 13 agreements and initiatives aimed at strengthening long-term cooperation. TMC rebel MPs announce merger with NCPI, seek separate bloc in LS P r e e tha Na i r @ New Delhi Rebel lawmakers from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday, claiming they have the support of 20 of the 28 party MPs and had merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a regional outfit. TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said, “We 20 MPs, who were elected from the AITC, have met the Speaker and given him a letter urging him to allow us to sit as a separate bloc. And these 20 MPs, who constitute more than two-thirds of the Rebel TMC MPs meet Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Sunday | Special arrangement TMC’s strength, have merged with the NCPI. We will support the NDA,” she said. Speaking to reporters rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said two more parliamentarians were set to join the dissident group, which would take its strength in the Lok Sabha to 22. Earlier, TMC parliamentary party leader Abhishek Banerjee wrote to Birla, urging that no recognition, status, or facilities be granted to any group claiming to be a separate faction of the party. Banerjee contended that any merger claim would require both a merger of the political party and the support of two-thirds of legislators, and that satisfying only one of these conditions would not be sufficient under the law. Flying START FOR INDIA Women AT T20 WC Smriti Mandhana’s fifty (68) and Deepti Sharma (5/10) help India beat Pakistan by 64 runs in their opening game | P11