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 chennai l sunday l june 28, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 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 secy Rai resigns 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 Champat Rai named in the FIR, their role in not reporting the matter on time came under scrutiny. 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 Chennai: MDMK on Saturday decided to walk out of the DMK bloc after being a part of it for nearly nine years. Party chief Vaiko said MDMK would support TVK in the Assembly byelections and work for a friendly relationship with the ruling party in the forthcoming local body polls | P4 Tagore appointed as TNCC president Chennai: B Manickam Tagore, a three-time MP from Virudhunagar who is a vocal critic of DMK and leading voice for alliance with TVK, has been appointed president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. He replaces K Selvaperunthagai, who had sought to be relieved from the post | P4 K Bhagyaraj, nonpareil storyteller, passes away he directed nearly 28 films, most of them runaway hits, and acted in Renowned Tamil filmmaker, over 75. He is survived by his wife, screenwriter and actor K actor Poornima, and chilBhagyaraj (73) — known dren Shanthanu and for his storytelling skills, Saranya. sharp dialogues and subtle His last rites would be humour — passed away on conducted with full state Saturday in Chennai after honours at the Besant Naa sudden cardiac arrest. gar crematorium between Bor n in Vellakoil in 10.45am and 11.45am on Erode district on January Sunday CM C Joseph Vi. 1953 —2026 7, 1953, Bhagyaraj began jay, actor Rajinikanth, his journey as an assistant director and a host of film personalities and to Bharathiraja in 16 Vayathiniley leaders paid their last respects at (1977). In a career spanning 50 years, his home.  More reports on P7 E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai 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 @ Bhabaneswar 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 long jumper 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. | P13 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. “China-Bangladesh cooperation does not target any third party and should be free from third-party influence,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said. A joint statement said both sides agreed to “jointly advance the Mongla Port Facilities Modernization and Expansion Project” and the development of the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone in Chattogram. It added that the Chinese side would “provide support and help within its capacity to the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project”.