Cape of good hope: Debutants in Rd of 32 LOS ANGELES: Cape Verde wrote another chapter in their fairytale debut World Cup campaign on Friday, battling into the knockout rounds for the first time to set up a dream showdown with Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Today's match MADURAI l sunday l june 28, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE CITY EDITION Cape Verde players rejoice after the match against Saudi Arabia on Friday | AP Round of 32: Canada vs South Africa @ Los Angeles Stadium (12:3O AM*) *IST Monday LIVE on United8 Sports & Zee5 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 Ram temple gen Bhagyaraj, screenplay ace, passes away at 73 secy Rai resigns spanning 50 years, he directed nearly 28 films, most of them runaway Renowned Tamil filmmaker, hits, and acted in over 75. He is surscreenwriter and actor K vived by his wife, actor Bhagyaraj (73) — known Poornima Bhagyaraj, and for his storytelling skills, children Shanthanu and sharp dialogues and subtle Saranya. The state govhumour — passed away on ernment announced that Saturday in Chennai after his last rites would be a sudden cardiac arrest. conducted with full state Bor n in Vellakoil in honours at the Besant NaErode district on January gar crematorium between 1953 —2026 7, 1953, Bhagyaraj launched 10.45am and 11.45am on his cinematic journey as an assist- Sunday CM C Joseph Vijay and ac. ant director to Bharathiraja in 16 tor Rajinikanth paid their respects Vayathiniley (1977). In a career at his home.  More reports on P5 E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai n a m i ta b a j pa i @Lucknow WITH THIS ISSUE Teaching No Lesson th e ia t Ind G re a n Education Crisis PLUS 12 P AGES THE Shree Ram Janmabhumi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Saturday confirmed the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Dr Anil Mishra following allegations of embezzlement of temple donation funds and valuables. In a letter released to the media, Trust Treasurer Mahant Govind Giri said both leaders had submitted their resignations, which would be formally taken up at the next meeting of the Trust. Expressing shock over the allegations, Giri emphasized the Trust’s commitment to a fair and transparent probe. “The temple trust assures devotees who have donated silver bricks, ornaments and other valuables in the service of Lord Ram that their offerings are safe,” he stated. The resignations came on the heels of a Special Investigation Team unravelling mismanagement in donation collection in its preliminary report to the UP government. Based on its findings, the police filed an FIR and arrested eight people on Friday . Though neither Rai nor Mishra was named in the FIR, their role in not reporting the matter on time came under scrutiny. Champat Rai The eight arrested include Rai’s former driver, who allegedly held the keys to the ‘hundi’ without authority Rai is also VHP’s vice president. . Highly-placed sources said the resignations followed intense pressure after a Vishwa Hindu Parishad meeting in Haridwar on June 18-19. RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale reportedly questioned Champat Rai and others over alleged irregularities. On Thursday night, Rai received calls from RSS and VHP leaders advising resignation. On Friday morning, both Rai and Mishra submitted their resignations to Trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das at Mani Ramdas Ji’s camp. E x p re s s R e a d MDMK snaps ties with DMK after 9 yrs Tagore appointed as TNCC president Chennai: Accusing DMK of attempting to allegedly prop up an AIADMK government, the MDMK General Council, led by party chief Vaiko, on Saturday announced its decision to walk out of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance after being a part of it for nearly nine years | P4 Chennai: B Manickam Tagore, a three-time MP from Virudhunagar and vocal critic of DMK, has been appointed president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. He replaces K Selvaperunthagai, who had sought to be relieved from the post | P4 athletics delight Ancy eclipses Anju’s 22-year-old mark India out, Bangladesh hands Mongla port project to China E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar She had been struggling with hormonal issues last year. That led to adding weight to her body which was not conducive for jumping. She knew that and had to adjust with strict diet regimen. As was expected, she had started the season on a quiet note. But there were enough indications that Ancy Sojan would conjure something special soon. The day came on a warm and humid evening here during the senior inter-state national competition on her fifth jump. It was when the board flashed 6.88m that the enormity of her achievement started to sink in. She had broken a 22-year-old record of legendary Anju Bobby George, who had jumped 6.83m at the Athens Olympics. If she created history in the horizontal jump, Sarvesh Kushare became the first Indian to clear 2.30m when he climbed to 2.31m on the high jump bar. He eclipsed Tejaswin Shankar’s 2.29m record. | P11 Policy shift in Dhaka The BangladeshChina deal on Mongla Port economic zone is widely seen as a major policy shift in a region New Delhi has traditionally regarded as its immediate neighbourhood Bangladesh’s decision to hand over the development of an economic zone at Mongla Port to a Chinese state-owned company marks a significant shift in Dhaka’s strategic and economic engagement with China in the wake of the justconcluded visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to Beijing. The project will be developed on around 110 acres of land adjacent the Mongla Port in Bagerhat, land that was originally earmarked for an Indian economic zone but was later delisted under the Muhammad Yunus-led administration as India-Bangladesh ties deteriorated. Mongla, Bangladesh’s second-largest and second-busiest port after Chittagong, lies about 188 km from Kolkata and close to the Sundarbans, giving it considerable strategic heft. Sources said plans include setting up industries, warehouses and storage facilities in the economic zone. Beijing sought to downplay any geopolitical implications of its growing ties with Dhaka. “ChinaBangladesh cooperation does not target any third party and should be free from third-party influence,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said. The Teesta project has drawn close attention in India because the river flows close to the India-Bangladesh border and has implications for India’s northeastern region.