kozhikode l tuesday l july 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Her-story: India crush England in first-ever women’s test at Lord’s Harmanpreet Kaur and Co beat hosts England by a mammoth 270 runs in the historic one-off women’s Test at the iconic venue. A look Tale of many firsts at home of cricket An advertisement for more women’s Tests While the occasion itself will remain historic — first women’s Test at Lord’s in 142 years — India women dominated the proceedings on the field. Kranti Gaud from Ghuwara, Madhya Pradesh became the first woman to get on Lord’s Test honours board with a fifer. Yastika Bhatia is first woman to score a Test ton at the venue as India crushed England in every department ■ ■ Though England failed across departments, Kaur and her band of women showed why they deserve to play more Test matches. Their next one will be in South Africa later this year This was India women’s seventh Test match since 2021. Prior to that, they last played a Test in 2014 | P11 2 India have lost only two of the last 19 Tests since 1996 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 ‘Not for confrontation with Centre’ Clash of styles in first semis Spain stand between France and a third consecutive World Cup final. A look at the semifinal clash... Eyes on Mbappe Kylian Mbappe, the French captain, has dazzled with his quick feet, running and finishing. He has had a hand in 11 goals (eight strikes and three assists) and is odds on to add to that tally | P11 Today’s match Spain’s use of the ball Spain are a bit more methodical in their play. They will have more of the ball and they are built in the image of their own leader, Rodri. Their midfield will be a big reference point France vs Spain 12.30 AM* (IST Wednesday) Live on Unite8 and Zee5 Trump’s latest: 20% Hormuz toll War fallout pushes retail inflation above RBI target of 4% to 18-mth high of 4.38% in June D I PAK MO N DAL @ New Delhi ON a day government data showed the protracted Iran war was hurting the Indian economy, US President Donald Trump reinstated the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and announced a 20% toll that transiting ships must pay for their “safety and security”. Iranian ships will not be allowed, Trump said while claiming the US has taken over the strait as its “guardian”. “We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, adding: “All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.” The fresh developments could push up global oil prices and add to uncertainty in the equity markets. On Monday India’s retail in, flation shot up to an 18-month high of 4.38% in June, breaching the Reserve Bank of India’s 4% target for the first time since January 2025, as the fallout of the Iran conflict, higher fuel prices and a sharp rise in food costs pushed up prices across the economy . Government data showed the Litigants reject mediation push in 3 religious site disputes US steps up attacks on Iranian targets E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ T’Puram IN a stark difference from its predecessor, the newly-assumed Congress government in Kerala has decided not to adopt a confrontational path with the Centre. In an exclusive interview with TNIE Editor Santwana Bhattacharya on Monday Chief Minis, ter V D Satheesan, however, made it clear that the UDF government will continue the political and ideological fight. In his first major interview after assuming office, Satheesan also rejected the CPM’s criticism that he had been going soft on the Assam issue SC remands citizenship row back to tribunal, says apply fair process s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi The US and Iran continued to exchange strikes on Monday. US Central Command (Centcom) said it has hit a submarine and Iranian ship maintenance facility overnight, in response to Iran targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz | P9 Consumer Price Index (CPI)based inflation rose from 3.94% in May to 4.38% in June. The surge was driven by both food and non-food components, with transport and restaurant prices reflecting the pass-through of higher petrol, diesel, and commercial LPG prices. Food inflation contributed 185 basis points (bps) to headline inflation, while non-food items accounted for 250 bps. Inflation in the food and beverages category crossed 5% for the first time under the new CPI series, amid a 40% rainfall deficit during June that raised concerns over crop output. The impact of the petrol and diesel price hikes announced in May became evident in June with transport inflation rising sharply from 1.75% to 4.31%. The Supreme Court on Monday, while hearing 27 appeals, set aside the orders passed by the Gauhati High Court upholding declaration of the appellants as foreigners, noting that determinations of citizenship must be carried out through a “fair, lawful and reasonable process”. “The state has a legitimate and compelling interest in ensuring that persons who are not legally entitled to claim Indian citizenship do not secure such status by misuse of process by false claim or by taking advantage of delays. At the same time, the determination of such status must be made through a process which is fair, lawful and reasonable,” said a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. The court remanded all the 27 cases to the concerned Foreigners Tribunals for fresh adjudication, noting that the question of citizenship carries significant constitutional weight. “The remand being directed ... is only to ensure that the serious consequence of being declared a foreigner follows from an adjudication which satisfies the requirements of the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964, and the constitutional mandate of fairness,” the Court observed. The bench further said the concerned tribunals should decide the cases afresh. The judges clarified that the court has not examined the merits of the claim of citizenships by appellants. “Those questions must be decided by the concerned tribunal independently it said. ,” PRS annual review Kerala assembly most active in India, says report R a j es h R a vi @Kochi express news service @New Delhi EFFORTS to explore an out-ofcourt settlement in three religious site disputes in UP have failed to gain pace, with parties in the Gyanvapi, Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah and the Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid cases insisting that the courts adjudicate them. The Supreme Court proposed these cases be heard in a special Lok Adalat from August 21 to 23. “These are not disputes that can be resolved through a Lok Adalat or mediation,” a counsel for a Hindu-side petitioner said. The mosque management committee said mediation is not an appropriate mechanism for their case. In the Gyanvapi case, Hindu petitioners claim the mosque was built over the ruins of Kashi Vishwanath temple, a claim the Masjid Committee rejects. In Sambhal, a court-ordered survey prompted by Hindu litigants’ claims that the mosque stands on Harihar temple site, triggered clashes last November. In the Krishna JanmabhoomiShahi Eidgah case, the Hindu side claims the mosque stands on the birthplace of Lord Krishna, an assertion the mosque committee contests. BJP-led Union government, say- is dipping. In the 10th Finance ing he doesn’t intend to declare Commission, we had 3.5%. In the war against the Centre. 15th, it was 1.9%. The 15th Finance “It’s not my job... Whenever Commission granted `55,000 crore there are issues, we will try to sort as revenue deficit grant, but it’s it out. I have made courtesy calls not there now,” he said. to the prime minister, the home Maintaining that the state minister, the finance minister and would prefer to have cordial relathe minister for tions with the Centre, Satheesan ports,” he said. asserted that there will be no compress Satheesan, who promise with anyone trying to clusive also holds the fispread communal poison. nance portfolio, “We’ll fight over political issaid there are occasions to sues. On core issues, we align present the state’s case with the AICC stance. We before the GST counhave taken a cil and NITI Aaytough secular og. “In my (budgstand,” the et) speech I said chief minister V D Satheesan, cm our devolution underlined.  P4 performance analysis As concerns grow over the functioning of legislatures in the country the Kerala , assembly has emerged as one of India’s most active and effective examples of legislative scrutiny according to the lat, est Annual Review of State Laws 2025 released by PRS Legislative Research. The report, which examined the functioning of 27 state legislatures and three Union Territories, presented a mixed picture of India’s democratic institutions. State assemblies met for an average of just 24 days in 2025, many laws were passed within hours of being introduced, and only a small fraction of bills underwent detailed committee scrutiny . In contrast, the Kerala assembly sat for 38 days in 2025, significantly above the national average. More importantly , the state has maintained this performance consistently. Between 2021 and 2025, Kerala recorded the highest average number of sitting days in the country at 41, ahead of Odisha (39) and Karnataka (37). The report notes that several assem- Indicator Kerala Nat’l avg Sitting days (2025) 34 24 5-yr avg of sitting days 41 24 Bills passed (2025) 27 22 Bills referred to committees 96% - Budget discussion days 8 10 (Source: Annual Review of State Laws 2025, PRS Legislative Research) blies met only long enough to satisfy the constitutional requirement that no more than six months should elapse between two sessions. In some states, one-day or three-day sessions were convened primarily to meet this obligation. Former speaker A N Shamseer, who held the office from 2021 to 2026, said the state has set a benchmark in legislative functioning and law-making. “We are ahead of other states in the number of session days, legislations and the quality of debates. But we need more ● More on P4 session days,” he said.  E X P R E S S R EA D Guilty verdict in double murder Palakkad: A court in Palakkad on Monday found Chenthamara, 60, the sole accused in the 2025 Pothundi double murder case, guilty of murdering Sudhakaran, 55, and his mother Lakshmi, 75. The court will will pronounce the sentence on Wednesday | P5 Councillor to take oath in jail T’Puram: In a relief for Thiruvananthapuram corporation councillor R Sugathan, who is in preventive detention under KAAPA, the Kerala HC directed Viyyur Central Prison authorities to make arrangements for his swearing in inside the prison on Tuesday | P4 Adani group’s Colombo play to net MSC deal What’s the deal? APSEZL is proposing to sell a 49% equity stake in Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd, the concessionaire to Switzerlandbased MSC for I13,000-crore. They require the approval from state and Union governments. Unni k ris h n a n S @T’Puram The deal with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) at Vizhinjam Seaport is set to divert “a significant portion” of cargo business from Sri Lanka’s Colombo Port to India, the Adani Group has claimed in its letter to the state government, as it looked to allay Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s concerns over the proposed `13,000-crore agreement with MSC, touted as the single largest foreign private investment in Indian port infrastructure. While Colombo Port, which handled 8.4 million TEUs last year, remains the dominant transshipment hub in the region, the new Adani-MSC alliance is expected to disrupt regional maritime dynamics. By December 2028, Vizhinjam’s ongoing Phase 2 expansion is slated to scale its capacity 3.5 times to 5.7 million TEUs. After submitting the application, Adani Ports CEO Ashwani Gupta said the collaboration will directly attract traffic from Colombo and similar regional hubs, leveraging MSC’s status as the world’s largest container shipping line. The move, he said, will help in the growth of port ecosystem, creating more local job opportunities. Saying the deal will open up more ship movements from Vizhinjam to East Africa and Bangladesh, the group also reiterated that Vizhinjam will always function as a “common user terminal” with non-discriminatory access for all car● More on P5 riers.