KOCHI l wednesday l june 17, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION El Nino to hit 12 states severely, govt calls for contingency plan The impact of El Nino weather phenomenon, linked with a weaker monsoon in India, is likely to be “severe” in 12 states, including UP and TN weak monsoon across majority of states El Nino is a climate phenomenon linked to weaker monsoons. As per IMD, El Nino conditions are present over the equatorial Pacific Ocean and expected to strengthen during the southwest monsoon season. Other states likely to be impacted are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, MP, Jharkhand and Maharashtra ■ 20% reliable inputs critical for farmers ■ Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed states to identify vulnerable districts and prepare crop-wise contingency plans so that farmers can be provided with options, advice and assistance Chouhan said the government’s priority is to ensure farmers receive “reliable, and solution-oriented messages based on scientific inputs” cut in Mumbai water supply for commercial usage due to low storage 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 G7 Summit Israel’s war on Lebanon has gone too far, says Trump A g e nCi e s @ Evian-les-Bains (France) A day after the US and Iran announced an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday panned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his aggressive military campaign in Lebanon causing civilian casualties, urging him to be “more responsible” in the way he fights Hezbollah. “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody There are lots of . people in those apartments… and they’re not all Hezbollah,” he said. Speaking to reporters in France at the G7 Summit, Trump said Israel’s war with Hezbollah has gone too far and “too many people are being killed.” According Without the United to Iran, the States, there peace deal in- would be no cludes IsraIsrael. el’s exit from Without me, Lebanon. Is- there would rael’s contin- be no Israel, because no ued attacks other on Lebanon could jeop- president was willing to do ardise the what I did pact, which is Donald Trump scheduled to be signed in Switzerland on Friday . Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday said Israel’s continued occupation of southern Lebanon would violate the deal. Netanyahu, who is under tremendous pressure ahead of elections in October, has rejected the peace deal saying Israel is not part of it. Cautioning Netanyahu against defying his directions, Trump said: “Without me, there would be no Israel… no other president was willing to do what I did. Israel would have been blown up a long time ago, had I not gotten involved.” Terming Hezbollah threat ‘minor’, the US president described the Iran-backed militant outfit in Lebanon as “the little pinprick out there that constantly rears its head”. PM plain speak 81% surge in women ridership on Day 1 on trust deficit, lack of respect 13,29,938 for global law J aya nt h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told G7 leaders that global partnerships can succeed only when they are founded on trust, stressing that the world today suffers not from a shortage of resources but from a shortage of trust. Calling for renewed international solidarity in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, Modi said mutual trust is the most important strategic asset and warned that disregard for international law remains the biggest obstacle to building global cooperation. He highlighted that dialogue and diplomacy must be prioritised to ensure peace, stability and stronger international partnerships. The remarks came shortly after Modi was seen exchanging a handshake and a brief conversation with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit. The interaction, ahead of a scheduled bilateral meeting between the two leaders on Wednesday drew attention amid on, going discussions on trade, technology security , and geopolitical challenges. Addressing the Outreach Session on “Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity Modi, ,” seated next to Trump, said that while global interdependence has increased, confidence among nations has eroded. “In a world that is getting more interconnected and interdependent than ever before, this subject becomes all the more vital. But partnerships can succeed only when they are founded on trust,” Modi said. A major focus of Modi’s address was the need to redefine engagement with developing countries and the Global South. He said nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America were looking for equal partnerships rather than traditional aid arrangements. “The Global South has immense expectations from the world. More than support, it seeks partnership,” he said. Protect seafarers Modi said it’s important that sea lanes are kept safe and seafarers are able to perform their duties without any fear. “It is our responsibility to protect the seafarers,” he said while welcoming progress in the peace talks Indian lives lost “Due to this conflict, our friendly countries in West Asia have suffered loss of life and property. The world economy was damaged... Many Indian civilians had to lose their lives,” the prime minister said Howdy trump Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with US President Donald Trump before the plenary session at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday | AP Women ridership in KSRTC ordinary services saw an 81% surge with the launch of the state government’s free travel scheme. A staggering 13.3 lakh women and transgender passengers availed the ‘Priyadarshini’ scheme on the inaugural day . Compared to 7.35 lakh female passengers recorded the previous Monday (June 8), 5.95 lakh more women travelled in ordinary buses on June 15. The overwhelming response on Day 1 translated into an estimated single-day ticket value of `2.2 crore for women passengers alone. Meanwhile, only 2.26 lakh male passengers travelled in ordinary services on the day. To meet the demand, the corporation operated 3,125 ordinary services Centre bans sale of cough syrups without prescription KA V I TA B A J E L I - D AT T @ New Delhi THE Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has amended rules to prohibit sale of cough syrups without a doctor’s prescription. The decision comes months after contaminated cough syrups caused deaths in India and abroad. “The measure is expected to promote responsible sale of cough syrups while ensuring greater compliance with regulatory standards,” officials said. Welcoming the government’s decision, Dr Kuldeep Kumar Grover, associate director, pulmonology and critical care at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, said: “A cough can be a symptom of other serious conditions, such as infections, asthma, and allergies. Prescriptionbased access encourages proper evaluation, accurate treatment, and safer medication use.” Dr Mohsin Wali, senior consultant and head of preventive cardiology at Pacific One Health, said some African countries reported deaths due to cough syrups from India that contained industrial solvent. “This brought a bad name to our country he said. ,” Discolouration of sreekovil roof sparks concern E x p r e s s N e w s S e rvi c e @ Pathanamthitta An unusual discolouration on the gold-plated roof of the sreekovil at Sabarimala has triggered an inspection by senior temple and devaswom officials, including the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner. The colour variation (dark patch) was noticed on a section of the roof, raising initial concerns that some liquid may have been poured onto the goldplated surface. Following the discovery, a team of officials Priyadarshini free travel scheme E x p r e s s N e w s S e rvi c e @T’Puram conducted a detailed examination of the affected area. Dismissing concerns over any deliberate attempt to damage or discolour the roof, the TDB officials said more examinations are under way “An in. spection has confirmed that it was not any chemical substance. Further examinations are under way he said. ,” According to preliminary findings, the discolouration is believed to have been caused by ghee flowing onto the roof. Officials suspect that ghee offered by devotees as part of temple The discolouration seen on the roof of the sreekovil of Sabarimala temple rituals may have spilled and spread over the gold plating, resulting in the visible change in colour. However, authorities are continuing their investigation to ascertain the exact cause. The matter is being treated with utmost seriousness, particularly in the backdrop of the ongoing SIT probe into the alleged Sabarimala gold theft case. The inspection comes days after the SIT carried out a detailed examination at Sannidhanam as part of its investigation. The team reportedly inspected various structures after obtaining special permission from the Kerala High Court. Women travel on a ‘Priyadarshini’ bus from Kozhikode KSRTC depot to Kuttiady on Tuesday | Vincent Pulickal 3,125 KSRTC ordinary services operated across the state on launch day women and transgender passengers on Day 1 (June 15) L2,20,49,159 Estimated value of ‘Zero Tickets’ issued on Day 1 across the state, issuing ‘Zero Tickets’ to beneficiaries. While the initial numbers appear overwhelming, KSRTC is keenly monitoring ridership trends for the coming days. “The inaugural day saw enthu- 5,95,245 more female commuters on Day 1, compared to 7,34,693 women passengers on previous Monday (June 8) L800 cr - Annual financial burden of the scheme borne by the government siastic participation from UDF’s supporters. There could be a slight stabilisation in the days to come. We will get a clear picture by the end of the week,” a KSRTC official said. Meanwhile, private bus op- Telegram app banned till NEET-UG re-exam R a k e s h K u m a r @ New Delhi THE government on Tuesday temporarily restricted access to the Telegram messaging app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 reexamination on June 21, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) saying the measure was aimed at tackling cheating rackets and misinformation. Interestingly, the government has directed Apple and Google to remove the messaging app from their app stores rather than merely disable it. This means users will not be able to download Telegram from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store until further orders. NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the restriction on Telegram till June 22 was part of efforts to ensure that the June 21 re-test is conducted without malpractice. “We will not let anything go wrong,” Singh told PTI. According to NTA, some channel administrators allegedly misused the message-editing fea- Indians top users of app Founded by Pavel and Nikolai Durov in 2013 and headquartered in Dubai, Telegram is used by roughly 40 million Indians, accounting for about 10.4% of the platform’s global user base ture and inserted actual question papers while retaining the original timestamp, thereby creating misleading “evidence” of pre-exam paper leaks. In a post on X, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Telegram removed hundreds of channels sharing leaked exam material in India. “We are also making the edit label more visible to prevent backdating scams. Banning it even temporarily is a mistake,” he said. tie, tie... let’s go: Big upsets draw attention This World Cup has thrown quite a few early surprises with lower ranked teams showing more resistance and spunk than their more illustrious counterparts. Through 5 days and 16 matches of football until June 16 morning, underdogs are the flavour of the week. Here are a look at some talking points... 0-0 2-2 1-1 The biggest win (figuratively) of all saw Cape Verde managing to thwart Spanish attack and secure 0-0 draw. Spain are ranked 2 and are considered as one of the favourites while Cape Verde are ranked No 67 New Zealand, at No 85, are the lowestranked team out of the 48 qualifiers, but they held No 20 Iran to a draw 4 erators reported a sharp decline in female ridership following the launch of the scheme. Highlighting a prior assurance by Chief Minister V D Satheesan to shield the private sector from the losses incurred due to Priyadarshini scheme, a section of operators has demanded financial compensation. “It is heartening that the CM acknowledged us as an integral part of the public transport system and recognised that the industry is in crisis. However, we require a compensation model similar to the one provided to KSRTC. We operate more ordinary buses than KSRTC does. Without government support, the private transport industry will come to a standstill,” said a representative of the All Kerala Bus Operators Organisation. E x p r e s s Re a d DYFI member held in ‘kafir’ screenshot case Kozhikode: The special investigation team on Tuesday recorded its first formal arrest in the Vadakara ‘kafir’ screenshot case. Jithin Bhaskar, a DYFI Vadakara block committee member, was taken into custody after questioning. P4 74 graft cases await govt’s prosecution nod T’Puram: As many as 74 corruption cases are awaiting the government’s sanction in the state, hindering the VACB from initiating their prosecution before the courts. P4 Kerala records 7% deficit in rainfall T’Puram: The monsoon has lost momentum with the state recording a rainfall deficit of 7%, raising concerns over the impact of El Nino. According to IMD, Kerala received 283.3 mm of rainfall between June 1 and June 15 against the normal 303.4 mm. P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express Ronaldo in action Cristiano Ronaldo will be in action, his sixth World Cup, late on Wednesday when Portugal take on Democratic Republic of Congo. They are in Group K along with Colombia and Uzbekistan. England, one of the favourites, will open campaign against Croatia No 61 Saudi Arabia held No 16 Uruguay 1-1 No 29 Egypt tied No 9 Belgium 1-1 All four matches on Monday/Tuesday (India time) ended in draws— the most in a single day of men’s WC play since 1958 Today’s matches (IST): Group L: England vs Croatia (1:30AM); Ghana vs Panama (4:30AM). Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo (10:30 PM); Uzbekistan vs Colombia (7:30AM). New Zealand players celebrate with teammates after scoring the team’s second goal during Group G match against Iran at Los Angeles Stadium