French Open: Grand outcome for USA’s Gauff USA’s Coco Gauff captured the women’s singles title at the French Open with an impressive come-from-behind victory over World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in Paris on Saturday. This is the 21-year-old’s maiden win at the Roland Garros and her second Grand Slam title in singles — her first was US Open in 2023. The final score read 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 in Gauff’s favour | P11 hyderabad l sunday l june 08, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION 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 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i ce @ Hyderabad Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao on Saturday dropped a political bombshell, accusing BJP MP Eatala Rajender of lying before the Justice PC Ghose Commission over the approval process for the Kaleshwaram project. He stated that the project was never approved by the state Cabinet during the BRS regime and was instead taken up through an executive order. Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, Nageswara Rao called Rajender’s deposition before the Kaleshwaram commission on Friday a “bundle of lies.” “The Cabinet never approved the construction of the Kaleshwaram project. Only the revised estimates came up for discussion, three years after construction had already begun. The decision to build Kaleshwaram was not collective. Let him show even one document that proves the Cabinet sanctioned it,” the minister asserted. Both served as ministers in the first BRS government. Nageswara Rao also challenged the BJP MP to prove his claim that a Cabinet sub-committee, comprising Harish, Nageswara Rao and Rajender, gave the green signal for the project. The minister said he would submit all relevant documents to the Ghose panel, which is probing alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme.   Continued on P4 The Cabinet never approved construction of the KLIS. Only the revised estimates came up for discussion, three years after the construction began – Thummala Nageswara Rao, Agriculture minister ‘Partners need to understand India’s no-tolerance policy’ J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi INDIA expects its global partners to fully respect its zerotolerance policy on terrorism and will not accept any equivalence between perpetrators and victims, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday during talks with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy . Jaishankar’s remarks came amid unease in New Delhi over attempts by several countries to draw parallels between India and Pakistan following their military exchanges from May 7-10, after India targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and in Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. “We practise a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and expect our partners to understand it, and we will never countenance perpetrators of evil being put at par with its victims,” Jaishankar said, reinforcing India’s stance against crossborder terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Lammy arrived in New Delhi on a twoday visit aimed at reviewing bilateral ties and advancing cooperation in trade, security, technology, and migration. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi before holding extensive discussions with Jaishankar. Telangana Cabinet expansion imminent G Vivek, Adluri Laxman & Vakiti Srihari frontrunners B K a r theek @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy appears all set to go ahead with the long-delayed Cabinet expansion, possibly as early as Sunday. Three of the six vacancies are likely to be filled. Among the frontrunners are first-time MLAs G Vivek (SC-Mala), Adluri Laxman Kumar (SC-Madiga) and Vakiti Srihari (BC-Mudiraj). Party insiders said the high command is aiming for social balance. However, there has been no official confirmation from the Raj Bhavan or the chief minister’s office yet. Nevertheless, Congress sources said that the party high command has given the green signal to induct new ministers. Intense lobbying among aspirants continues, with a delegation of Congress MLAs from the Madiga community meeting Revanth on Saturday evening, pressing for more representation in the Cabinet. AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan also reportedly met the CM on Friday. If only three berths are filled as expected, there will likely be no spots during this round of Cabinet expansion for leaders from the WITH THIS ISSUE Eatala lied about KLIS: Thummala Food For Thought PLUS 12 P AGES 3 of 6 vacancies likely to be filled Only three of the six vacancies are set to be filled, triggering discontent among party leaders as there will likely be no spots for leaders from the Reddy, Velama and Muslim communities. Leaders from the Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Nizamabad districts have also voiced resentment over continued exclusion Reddy and Velama communities, traditionally dominant in state politics. This is said to have triggered discontent within the party ranks. Leaders from Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Nizamabad districts have also voiced resentment over continued exclusion. Notably, Ibrahimpatnam MLA Malreddy Ranga Reddy has publicly demanded a place in the Cabinet. Another notable gap is the absence of Muslim representation. Senior Congress leaders are urging the leadership to uphold the party’s legacy of inclusivity by addressing this omission in the upcoming expansion.  Continued on P4 e x p r ess r e a d Evasion won’t protect ECI, says Rahul New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit back at the Election Commission after sources in the poll panel rejected allegation of rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls, saying evasion would not protect its credibility but telling the truth would | P7 Close call for 6 as copter lands on road Dehradun: Five pilgrims and a pilot onboard a helicopter had a narrow escape when the aircraft on its way to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district on Saturday after developing a technical snag during take-off, officials said. The pilot sustained minor injuries and was rushed to a hospital | P8 6 youths drown in Medigadda barrage Bhupalpally: In a tragic incident that raised concerns over security at the Medigadda barrage, six youths drowned in the Godavari on Saturday. Reports suggest that they may have consumed alcohol before entering the water | P5