HYDERABAD l Tuesday l July 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE 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 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 Spain’s use of the ball 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 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 IPA K M O N D A L @ 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 US steps up attacks on Iranian targets 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%. ‘Not for confrontation with Centre’ EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ 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 alya n moha n t y @ New Delhi 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. ,” Astro notes Shubhanshu looks back & beyond, in ‘Second Orbit’ G roup Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the second Indian to travel to space, believes the next decade will transform the country’s space journey In an exclusive in. terview with TNIE’s Khyati Shah at the launch of his book Second Orbit in Hyderabad, he reflects on his space journey , experiments aboard the International Space Station and India’s ambitions beyond Earth. Excerpts: Why did you choose the title Second Orbit, and what does it signify? Second Orbit is a tribute to India’s first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, who travelled to space in 1984 aboard Soviet Soyuz T-11 spacecraft. It took 41 years for another Indian to travel to space, making my journey India’s “second orbit”. The title honours that legacy while looking ahead to India’s human spaceflight journey . Does the book include experiences you have never shared? Yes, quite a few. Public interactions are usually brief and there is never enough time to explain the journey. The book tells those stories in detail, from my classroom days and fighter pilot training to becoming an astronaut, along with the challenges and behind-the-scenes moments people have not heard before. What was your proudest moment aboard the International Space Station? My interaction with Prime Minister 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 VD Satheesan, kerala cm our devolution underlined.  p5 Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla interacts with kids during the launch of his book at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad on Monday | SRI LOGANATHAN VELMURUGAN Narendra Modi from the International Space Station stands out. The Indian flag was being represented aboard the ISS in that manner and Hindi was spoken during an official interaction. It was not just a personal milestone but represented India’s growing presence in global space exploration. I believe every Indian shared that pride. Which of your experiments could have the greatest impact on India’s space programme? During my mission, I carried out seven scientific experiments designed by Indian researchers. They covered different disciplines but shared one objective: supporting India’s future human spaceflight programme. Each is a vital building block for long-duration human missions and sustained human space exploration.  Continued on p2 Kashi, Mathura: Litigants resist mediation bid e x p r ess n e ws s e rv i c e @ New Delhi EFFORTS to explore an out-ofcourt settlement in three major religious site disputes 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 cannot 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. The SC in 2019 had ordered a court-monitored mediation to resolve the Ram JanmabhoomiBabri Masjid dispute. In the Gyanvapi case, petitioners claim the mosque was built over Kashi Vishwanath temple ruins, which the masjid committee denies. In Sambhal, a survey over claims that the mosque stands on the Harihar temple site triggered clashes last November. In the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah case, the petitioners claim the mosque stands on Lord Krishna’s birthplace, which the mosque committee contests. Shabad butcher dead after 6 murders, `2 cr debt `10L aid to victim’s sister MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy, in the presence of Rangareddy collector and others, handed over `10 lakh ex gratia to the victim’s disabled sister on behalf of the state government Express News Service @ Hyderabad P Rajkumar, who was on the run after the grisly murders of six persons, including a teenage girl, her mother and grandmother as well as his wife and two sons late on Friday was , found lifeless in Penjerla village of Kothur mandal in Rangareddy on Monday, a bottle of herbicide by his side. According to Future City Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi, villagers spotted the body and alerted the police through Dial 100. Rajkumar’s relatives, who reside in the village, identified the body . Blames girl’s family The cops recovered a mobile phone and bus tickets from one of his pockets. After examining the mobile phone, police found a selfie video recorded on July 10, the day of the murders. In the video, Rajkumar accuses the m i n o r g i rl ’ s f a m i l y o f betraying him, claiming that he had sold nearly two acres of land and spent the proceeds on them. He also names four relatives of the girl, holding them responsible for his actions and seeking action against them. Joshi said Rajkumar had been in a disturbed mental state for some time. A farmer, he allegedly became addicted to online betting, using around 16 SIM cards and multiple mobile phones. Police said he had accumulated debts exceeding `2 crore, which they believe contributed to the deterioration of his mental condition. Continued on p5