EcsTAsY&AGONY BHUBANESWAR l Wednesday l July 08, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION Messi leads great escape vs Egypt S w a r o o p s w a m i nathan @ Bengaluru THE world has never seen anything like him. The world will never see anything like him ever again. So, honestly even if , you have never supported him, it’s never too late. For the vast majority of the last 20 years, it has been an utter privilege to be wowed by the magic of Lionel Andres Messi. There is no saying how much longer he has in the world game. It could end in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. It very nearly ended in the last 16 in a fever dream of a game against Egypt in Atlanta. On an increasingly fraught afternoon for the world champs in Atlanta, The Pharaohs were up 2-0 and coasting to one of the great shocks in the history of the tournament before the 39-year-old dragged the team to his level. First was an assist, a clipped cross from the right-hand side which was headed home by Cristian Romero. In the 83rd minute, all that tension among the masses had evaporated in an outpouring of joy as Messi drilled a first-time left-foot shot home from close range. Inside 300 seconds, one of football’s greatest created as well as scored for yet more records. With their tails up, Argentina threw men forward as they had the momentum. And the game’s winning goal promptly came thanks to a blistering counter; Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez combining to create it for Enzo Fernandez to score the P13 late winner (3-2).  ronaldo’s wc chapter ends in round of 16 Cristiano Ronaldo walked off the pitch after his final World Cup match for Portugal with a stoic look on his face. The sixth and final World Cup for the 41-yearold ended with a 0-1 loss to Spain in a Round of 16 tie. 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 India, Indonesia expand strategic partnership Landslip at Wayanad tunnel road site kills 3 L e s ly J o s e p h @ Meppadi a landslip at the twin-tunnel road project near Kalladi Meenakshi Bridge in Wayanad on Tuesday claimed three lives, left at least seven persons missing, and ignited a political and legal storm. While heavy monsoon rains triggered the initial slope instability, residents and local representatives termed it a “man-made disaster”, blaming corporate negligence and a complete failure of regulatory oversight. The victims have been identified as Chandra Ban, an operator from Madhya Pradesh; Bikash Kumar, a civil foreman from Bihar; and Anmol, a worker from Jharkhand. T he collapse occur red around 11 am, sending a mas- Jakarta to procure two batteries of BrahMos cruise missile system, Astra air-to-air missile Screengrabs from a CCTV footage showing people running for their lives as the landslide strikes Wayanad on Tuesday | Express A bus stuck in debris after falling into a rivulet near the Meppadi tunnel project site at Kalladi in Wayanad, where the massive landslide struck | Vincent Pulickal sive torrent of liquefied mud, rocks and construction debris crashing onto the Meppadi– Chooralmala road. The deluge buried the Meenakshi Bridge, engulfed a private bus and flattened a roadside eatery where workers had gathered. Nine labourers were pulled from the sludge and rushed to “I had a miraculous escape. I saw the soil sliding down and ran for my life,” said local resident Hamsa Manthikkara. Chief Minister V D Satheesan said several official warnings were issued to the contractor but they were ignored. “On June 20, the district collector directed the contractor Heavy rains Govt orders crop loss survey, assures early compensation Jajpur district has also reported at least two breaches in the embankment of the Kani With low pressure-induced river, a distributary of the heavy rainfall inundating vast Baitarani, at Kantapada in tracts of agricultural land in Dasarathpur block, leading to several districts, the state gov- submergence of nearby agriernment has directed officials cultural fields. Floodwater has to immediately assess crop inundated parts of Mangalpur, damage and ensure compensa- Duduraanta, Shushua, Kantion reaches affected farmers ikapada and other low-lying without delay . areas. Heavy rain also inunRevenue and Disaster Man- dated agriculture land in a few agement (R&DM) minister areas in Kendrapara district. Suresh Pujari instructed Water Resources engidistrict administraneer-in-chief Dillip Kutions in the affected mar Rout said the situareas to conduct suration is under control vey, assess the extent as the rains have subof crop loss and submit sided. Water level of reports to the departBaitarani river at both ment at the earliest. Anandapur and “As of now, there Akhuapada is below has been no report of the danger mark. any crop damage. “We are keeping a As of now, there However, collectors of has been no report close watch on the sitof crop damage. rain-affected districts uation across districts. However, will assess if there Rains have also not collectors will has been any loss to caused flood threat in assess any loss to standing crops and any other river system standing crops submit their report,” and submit their in the state,” he said. On Hirakud, he said said special relief report soon the dam’s water level commissioner (SRC) Rajesh P Patil, SRC is currently about 2-3 ft Rajesh Prabhakar lower than the correPatil. The SRC said instruction sponding period last year. If it has also been given for dis- increases, some sluice gates bursement of compensation to may be opened on July 9, he affected farmers within 24 said. “The water level in Hirakud hours of the damage now stands at 606.12 feet against assessment. As per reports, heavy down- the full reservoir level of 630 feet. pour has impacted Muribahal The water level of the reservoir and Bangomunda of Balangir was at 609 ft around this time where water has reportedly last year. The present inflow to entered vast stretches of agri- the reservoir is 1.80 lakh cusec cultural land, triggering fear which is expected to increase to over damage to standing crops 2.5 lakh cusec in a day or two,” CONTINUED ON P7 he said. in the event of further rain. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar PM recalls Biju Babu’s rescue mission, Balijatra’s Indonesia link Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday invoked Odisha’s enduring historical and cultural links with Indonesia and paid tribute to former chief minister Biju Patnaik for his role in Indonesia’s freedom movement | P3 hospital. Two of them are in critical condition. At the heart of the growing outrage is the dumping of tens of thousands of tonnes of excavated earth by the tunnel project’s contractor, Dilip Buildcon, operating under the supervision of the Konkan Railway Corporation. to remove the excavated soil. The disaster management authority issued a similar order, and the PWD minister also instructed the contractor to clear the soil,” the CM said. The Konkan Railway Corporation has ordered an inquiry . Dilip Buildcon said all norms P7 were complied with.  2008 serial blasts case: Gujarat HC upholds death for 38, life term for 11 D I L IP SI N G H K S H AT RI YA @ Ahmedabad THE Gujarat High Court on Tuesday upheld the Ahmedabad Sessions Court’s ruling in the 2008 serial bomb blasts case, confirming the death sentence for 38 members of the banned Indian Mujahideen and life imprisonment for 11 others. A division bench of Justices A Y Kogje and Samir Dave rejected the appeals filed by the convicts against the capital punishment awarded by the lower court in February 2022. The HC directed the Gujarat government to pay `10 lakh to the family of every deceased victim, `5 lakh to each seriously injured survivor, and `1 lakh to those who suffered mi- The Gujarat government is directed to pay `10 lakh to the family of every deceased victim, `5 lakh to each seriously injured survivor, and `1 lakh to those who suffered minor injuries Court order nor injuries. The compensation must be paid before March 31, 2027. The verdict comes 18 years after 21 coordinated blasts at 20 locations ripped through Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, killing 56 and injuring more than 200 people. The case remains one of India’s biggest criminal prosecutions. Out of 78 accused who faced trial, the trial court con- express read victed 49 persons, acquitted 29, sentenced 38 to death, and awarded life imprisonment till natural death to 11 convicts. The probe into the serial blasts was unprecedented in scale. Police registered 35 FIRs, filed 548 charge sheets, produced around 6,000 documentary and material exhibits, and examined 1,163 witnesses. The Sessions Court’s judgment ran into nearly 7,000 pages, while the complete paper book exceeded 7.88 lakh pages, making it one of the largest criminal case records in India. Lawyers representing the accused said they would challenge the HC’s decision in the Supreme Court after reviewing the full judgment. J ayanth J a c o b @ New Delhi India and Indonesia on Tuesday expanded their strategic partnership, with Jakarta agreeing to procure two batteries of India’s BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system in a deal worth about $200 million, alongside Astra air-to-air missile systems, as the two countries unveiled an ambitious roadmap covering defence, maritime security critical min, erals, technology, digital connectivity and supply chains. The agreements were announced after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta during the first leg of Modi’s three-nation Indo-Pacific tour, which will also take him to Australia and New Zealand. The defence component marks another milestone in India’s push to become a major exporter of indigenous military hardware. A BrahMos battery typically comprises four launchers and 12 ready-to-fire missiles, along with commandand-control systems, support equipment and specialised vehicles, though configurations vary depending on whether the system is deployed for land attack or coastal defence. Sources said Indonesia has also decided to procure India’s Astra beyond-visual-range airto-air missiles following their operational performance during Operation Sindoor. The agreements also envisage wider col- Pic: PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi being conferred Indonesia’s highest civilian honour by President Prabowo Subianto laboration in defence manufacturing and technology transfers, reflecting a shift from a buyerseller relationship towards longterm industrial ties. Addressing a joint media interaction, Modi described the outcomes as a golden chapter in bilateral ties. “The growing trust between our two countries has strengthened cooperation in defence, security and the maritime domain,” he said. The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open and rules-based IndoPacific. President Prabowo echoed the sentiment. The two countries also agreed to jointly develop the strategically located Sabang Port near the Strait of Malacca and expand cooperation in maritime infrastructure. Gajapati halts animation film on Mahaprabhu Odisha’s forest cover up by 558 sq km: CM Will overhaul Ram temple mgmt, says trust E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Puri Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday said the state has recorded an increase of 558 sq km in forest and tree cover over past two years, making it the third best performing state in the country in expanding green cover. Addressing the state-level Van Mahotsav at Kapileswar here, Majhi asserted that economic development and environmental conservation are complementary to each other and called for mass participation in afforestation to tackle climate change and rising temperatures | P2 Lucknow: Contemplating a comeplete overhaul, especially after alleged donation embezzlement of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is set to appoint a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to spruce up administrative oversight. Temple trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri Maharaj said it was imperative to appoint a professional to oversee temple’s affairs admitting that the absence of professional supervision contributed to the lapses | P10 The release of an animation film ‘Mahaprabhu Jagannath’ has been put on hold after Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, chairperson of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, raised objections to its content. The film, produced by Bhubaneswar-based M/S Ele Animation Pvt. Ltd, was slated for release on July 10. It was screened at the auditorium of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration office in the presence of members of the Jagannath Cult Propagation and Preaching Sub-committee. The producer and directors of the film were also present during the screening. Following the screening, the Gajapati said the film contained several imaginary incidents that were not in keeping with the religious traditions associ- ated with Lord Jagannath. While welcoming efforts to make films on Shree Jagannath, he said such productions should be based on the deity’s religious history and widely accepted legends. Observing that the film requires changes, the Puri king directed the producers to recast its content before its release. The producer assured the temple authorities that necessary corrections would be made. The revised version of the film will be screened again before members of the temple body for review, the Gajapati told mediapersons.  Pension fund access Jharkhand bank’s KYC delay kills ailing 75-yr-old MU K E S H R A N J A N @ Ranchi IN a tragic incident that has s p a rk e d o u t r a g e a c r o s s Jharkhand, a 75-year-old ailing man died after being repeatedly denied access to his own pension money due to pending KYC formalities at a rural bank. Ratan Lakra, a resident of Bargarh village in Garhwa district, passed away on Monday after struggling for months to withdraw funds from his account at the Bargarh branch of Jharkhand Gramin Bank. The money, primarily his government pension, was needed for urgent medical treatment. His family maintained Lakra had been making repeated trips to the bank for three months just to complete the KYC process. Even after he was brought to the branch in an auto-rickshaw, officials allegedly turned them away. His daughter-in-law, Phoolmani Lakra, said that on one occasion, the manager ordered a peon to drag them out. “My father-in-law was ill and could not get the required treat- ment because the rural bank didn’t give him his own money she said. ,” She alleged that the family had requested the bank’s regional manager to complete the DC assures actions Garhwa DC said strict action would be taken against anyone found guilty after the investigation and assured that all assistance due under government rules would be extended to Lakra’s family e-KYC process to enable withdrawal of the pension for Lakra’s treatment. “On the manager’s intervention, the e-KYC was completed, but the money could not be withdrawn, and my father-inlaw died on Monday,” she claimed. A bank official, however, said that after the e-KYC process was completed, no one from Lakra’s family came to the branch to withdraw the pension money . Heartbroken family members and villagers staged a pro- test on Tuesday by placing Lakra’s body at the bank’s entrance, refusing to cremate him until action was taken. Chief Minister Hemant Soren ordered an investigation. In a post on X, he directed the Garhwa Deputy Commissioner to “promptly investigate the matter, take strict action, and inform.” Deputy Commissioner Pashupati Nath Mishra directed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate to conduct a detailed probe, and warned of action against those found guilty .