vijayawada l tuesday l july 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 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 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 DI PA K MONDAL @ 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 175 more seats for 2 AP govt med colleges 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’ E X P RE S S NE W S S ER 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 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. ,” 28 killed in Bangkok bar fire A videograb of people fleeing a fire at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar in Bangkok. The fire killed at least 28 people and injured dozens, sending screaming patrons fleeing as flames shot from the entrance | AFP S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada In good news for medical seat aspirants, Andhra Pradesh has secured 175 additional MBBS seats across two government medical colleges for the 2026–27 academic year. The National Medical Commission (NMC) issued official Letters of Permission (LoP) on Monday, granting initial approval for a 100-seat intake at the newly established Government Medical College in Piduguralla, along with an expansion of 75 additional seats at the Government Siddhartha Medical College in Vijayawada. The total number of new government MBBS seats secured for the current academic year alone has touched 275, following the NMC’s earlier clearance of a 75-seat expansion for the Government Medical College in Kadapa and a 25-seat hike for the ACSR Government Medical College in Nellore. The successful allocation is being viewed as a significant milestone for Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav, whose direct intervention proved vital in clearing the inspections. He held multiple high-level coordination meetings with Union Health Ministry and NMC officials in New Delhi to expedite P4 the pending clearances.  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 Litigants reject mediation push in three religious site disputes Exp r e ss n e ws s e r v i c e @ New Delhi EFFORTS to explore an out-of-court settlement in three major religious site disputes in Uttar Pradesh 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. Significantly, the SC in 2019 had ordered a court-monitored mediation to resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute. In the Gyanvapi case, Hindu petitioners claim the Varanasi mosque was built over the ruins of the 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 the site of the Harihar temple, triggered violent clashes last November. As for the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah case, the Hindu side claims the mosque stands on the birthplace of Lord Krishna, an assertion the mosque committee contests. Naidu launches Cotton Barrage gate works 117 gates set to be replaced After unveiling the plaque and inspecting flows, Naidu directed officials to complete the project to replace 117 gates of the historic barrage within nine months K V S a i l e n d r a @ Rajamahendravaram Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday launched the project for replacement of 117 gates at the historic Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram, marking a major step towards the long-term protection of the Godavari delta. The `152.95-crore project is scheduled for completion before the Godavari Pushkaralu in June 2027. After unveiling the foundation plaque and inspecting the water flow at the barrage, the CM directed irrigation officials to complete the installation within nine months. Officials informed him that 27,000 cusecs of water is now flowing into the sea, while 14,700 cusecs is being released through canals. He stressed the need for continuous monitoring to ensure that irrigation water reaches tail-end lands. Interacting with farmers at Pichukalanka in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district, Naidu recalled Sir Arthur Cotton’s contribution to transforming the delta into the ‘Rice P4 Bowl of India’.