chennai l Wednesday l June 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l late city EDITION Modi reaches Canada for G7 Summit, to hold key bilateral meetings Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Kananaskis, Canada on Tuesday, to attend the G7 Summit, marking his first visit to the country in a decade Talks with Carney, Zelenskyy on the cards India eyes Reset in relations with canada Modi met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo on the sidelines of the Summit. He is also likely to hold important one-on-one meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni | P13 ■ Modi’s talks with Zelenskyy could centre on Russia-Ukraine conflict ■ The Modi-Carney meeting could pave the way for renewed cooperation in trade, counterterrorism, and diaspora engagement ■ Meetings with German and Italian leaders will likely focus on deepening partnerships in defence, clean tech, and innovation 6th This is the sixth consecutive participation by Modi at G7 summit 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 13 Air India Dreamliners cancelled in a day Express News Service @ New Delhi/ Ahmedabad India ramps up evacuation efforts as distress calls pour in from Iran 110 students safely shifted to Armenia; over 1,000 people of Uttar Pradesh stranded in Iran J AYANTH J ACOB & NA M ITA BA J PAI SUCHITRA KALYAN M OHANTY As military tensions between Iran and Israel escalate, India has launched a wide-scale evacuation mission, deploying several buses to transport its citizens from the Iranian cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Gorgan, and Kermanshah to safer zones near the Armenia border. So far, 110 Indian students have been safely evacuated to Armenia, with a special flight to Delhi scheduled for Wednesday . Over 1,000 people from Uttar Pradesh are also among those stranded in Iran. Sources said many of them are pilgrims visiting Shia holy sites in Iran. Shias in UP routinely visit Iran’s key religious cities including Mashhad, Qom, and Tehran. Mashhad is home to the shrine of the eighth Shia Imam Hazrat Ali Raza, while Qom houses the shrine of Bibi Fatima, daughter of Imam Musa al-Kazim. Both cities are considered religious capitals for Shia Muslims and host thousands of international pilgrims and students each year. The relatives of families hailing from Lucknow said their kin are stuck in Qom after their return flight was cancelled. The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association said all 110 students—90 are from J&K—who crossed into Armenia have been accommodated in hotels in Yerevan. More evacuations are expected in the coming days as the Indian government monitors the volatile situation closely . Meanwhile, calls for help continued to pour in from those stranded with communication networks remaining patchy and fear of war deepening. In Kerman, Faizan Nabi, a 21-year-old student and the Iran coordinator for the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, said: “The situation is not as bad here as in Tehran. But there is still fear. We are hoping we will be relocated to some safe location soon.” On Monday, Indian students in Tehran—spread across three Coming down heavily on the Karnataka government over actor Kamal Haasan’s film ‘Thug Life’ not being allowed to be released in the state, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that the film be screened in the state, and noted that mobs and vigilante groups c a n n o t b e a llowed to take over the streets. The apex court gave the Karnataka gover nment one day’s time to file a response by June 18. A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan said the rule of law ought to be established and guns cannot be put to people’s heads to stop them from watching the movie. The judges also clarified that Karnataka High Court had no business to seek ‘apology or regret’ from Kamal Haasan for his remark saying that “Kannada language originated @ New Delhi / Lucknow Govt girl students forced to do squats over delay in submitting documents express news service @ Pudukkottai Around 25 girls studying in Class 10 were allegedly forced to perform 100 squats under the scorching sun as punishment for failing to submit documents, including community certificate and Aadhaar card copy at , Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School at Subramaniyapuram in Aranthangi on Monday . One of the students with suspected wheezing condition allegedly fell ill after the incident. Unable to walk, she had to be helped by her friends and parents to reach school on Tuesday “Dis. tressed by his daughter’s condition, her father also collapsed and had to be given first-aid,” another parent said. “T he teacher had even warned she would make students perform 200 squats if the documents weren’t submitted by Tuesday the parent of one ,” of the affected students said. The School Education Department will conduct an offi- cial inquiry on Wednesday . The incident, which took place on Monday triggered out, rage among parents and activists, who visited the school the next day seeking accountabili, ty. According to sources, the class teacher instructed students to submit a list of documents within 15 days of school reopening. These included their community income, resi, dence, and birth certificates, Aadhaar card, and bank account details. “Document submission is the responsibility of the parents. To make their children suffer for this mistake is unfair,” a source told TNIE. School management committee member Thendral K Karupaiah acknowledged that the punishment was inappropriate but maintained that the teacher had a good track record, adding that she had apologised. The headmistress assured parents such incidents wouldn’t recur. “As the affected parents knew the teacher, who is a local resident, they did not want to press charges,” he added. @ New Delhi Armenia Map not to scale Troubled airliner Air India cancelled as many as 13 of its Dreamliner flights on Tuesday due to various reasons, aviation regulator DGCA said. The highest number of cancellations in a day was 14 on Sunday In all, Air India cancelled . 66 B787 Dreamliner flights since the horrific June 12 air crash that killed 241 on board. The DGCA also said that the recent enhanced surveillance on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns, adding maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards. One of the cancelled flights on Tuesday was AI 159 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London. Its earlier call sign AI 171 was retired following the Ahmedabad aircrash. “Flight AI 159 has been cancelled due to the unavailability of aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft, and not due to any technical snag,” a Air India spokesperson said. Aviation regulator DGCA’s fiat to Air India on enhanced checks of its Dreamliner fleet created the temporary shortage. Another aircraft failed its pre-flight check. It delayed the the Delhi-Paris AI 143’s takeoff. “In view of the AI 143 coming under restrictions on night operations at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, the flight was cancelled,” the spokesperson added. Also, AI 142 from Paris to Delhi was cancelled. Besides, an Air India Express Boeing IX 1113 from Delhi to Ranchi with over 150 flyers on board developed a technical issue midair and had to return to the Indira Gandhi International Airport. IX 1113 took off at 4.40 pm and was to scheduled reach Birsa Munda airport at 6.20 pm. However, it returned to Delhi. Ground checks were done and the flight took off at 7.30 pm, a source said. ‘Can’t allow mob rule’, SC orders release of ‘Thug Life’ in K’taka Iraq Israel Iran Afghanistan Saudi Arabia Smoke billows from a oil refinery site in the city of Haifa, following a fresh barrage of Iranian missiles | afp ‘Nuclear site damaged’ The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Tuesday Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s Natanz enrichment site damaged the underground centrifuge halls major universities—were moved to Qom, a city deemed relatively safer. “There is fear all around. We’ve had trouble contacting our families due to weak internet,” said Ehreen Zaffar, an MBBS student at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Huzaif Malik, a student at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, said, “Luckily we were in Urmia, which was safe. We have reached Armenia.” But many others, like Ajmal Mohmed who travelled to Lar for a medical exhibition, remain stuck there. Back in India, families wait in fear. Shuja Hasan from J&K, whose daughter is now sheltering in Qom, said his daughter and other students are stuck in their hotels, unable to leave. “We just want them to return safely. Their funds are depleting,” said a relative of Maulana Nusrat from Lucknow, who is on a religious sojourn to Iran. Evac routes Pakistan india UAE Don threatens Khamenei, seeks Tehran’s ‘surrender’ Ag e n c i es @ Jerusalem / Dubai / Washington As the Israel-Iran war entered the fifth day on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump waded into the conflict, threatening to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei unless Tehran stops further attacks and surrender forthwith. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there -- We are not going to take him out, at least not for now,” Trump said on Truth Social. “But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added, later posting another message that said: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” The series of posts came hours after he asked the 10 million residents of Tehran to “evacuate immediately”. Earlier in the day Trump had , said the US was not looking for a ceasefire but a “real end” to the conflict, without elaborating what he meant by that. On Tuesday both Iran and Is, rael continued to launch air strikes, deepening worries of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the region and beyond. So far, over 450 people have reportedly been killed in Iran since the Israeli offensive began last Friday while the toll in , Israel has stood at 24. Israel’s military said it launched ‘extensive strikes’ targeting missile and drone sites in western Iran on Tuesday. Reports said explosions were heard in Iran’s western city of Tabriz, which houses a major air force base. In Israel, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv came under attack. Sirens sounded in some cities including Dimona town, home to a nuclear power plant. Israel said it intercepted the missiles.  P13 from Tamil”. The bench said SC and HCs are custodian of rule of law and rights and cited earlier court intervention for staging of a play on Nathuram Godse. The judges directed the case pending before the Kar nataka HC be transferred to the apex court. “We can’t allow mobs and vigilantes to take over the streets. The rule of law must prevail. If somebody has made a statement, counter it with a statement. If somebody has written something, you can c o u n t e r i t by some writing,” said Justice Bhuyan. Advocate A Velam, appearing for petitioner M Mahesh Reddy who had moved the SC saying that the film was effectively banned in Karnataka due to threats from fringe organisations and inaction of state authorities, said the state hadn’t filed complaints against those issuing threats.  P7 Welcome showers People visit Kartavya Path amid rain on Tuesday. The showers brought down the temperature in Delhi reeling under scorching heat for the past few days | Parveen Negi ASI transfers officer, DMK and TN parties cry foul T M u r u g a n a n d h a m @ Chennai Archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna, who first excavated Keezhadi in Madurai and whose findings triggered a war of words between the BJPled centre and the Tamil Nadu government, faced his 12th transfer in his 21 years of service as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) relieved him from his post of Director (Antiquity) on Tuesday . Ramakrishna, who was serving as the Director (Antiquity) and as Director of the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA), will henceforth be the director of only the NMMA. While TN parties have been asserting that the Keezhadi report provides evidence to indicate that the Sangam Age — which shows the antiquity of Tamil — could be pushed back to 800 BCE, making it around 300-500 years older than what was earlier thought, the union government had demanded more data, evidence and proof to acknowledge that claim. Reacting to Ramakrishna’s transfer on Tuesday the ruling DMK , has alleged that “it is a ploy to withdraw the (Keezhadi) report and dilute the findings”. The senior archaeologist, who is facing his third transfer since being promoted to the rank of a director, will have to Archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna shift from his office at the ASI’s headquarters in New Delhi to the office of NMMA located in Greater Noida, sources said. Interestingly, H A Naik, the officer who had directed Ramakrishna to rework his report on the first two phases of exca- vation in Keezhadi (located in Sivaganga district near Madurai) with additional information regarding the dating, has been given additional charge as director (Antiquity). It was Naik’s letter that kicked up a controversy last month as the DMK and other TN parties opposed to BJP had alleged this letter, which was sent around two-and-a-half years after Ramakrishna submitted his report, is a delaying tactic by the centre from bringing out the excavation results to the public domain. The role of director (Antiquity) involved more responsibilities, including identification, registration, protection and preservation of antiquities and retrieval of any antique material located in a foreign country In contrast, sources in . the ASI said the scope and role of the NMMA’s director is limited. The NMMA, which was launched first in 2007 by the then United Progressive Alliance government with the aim of documenting and creating a database of built heritage and sites in India, has made slow progress in completing its objectives. Though the initial timeframe set was five years, the project is still under way due to budgetary constraints and other limitations in the intervening period.  P7 express read 80-yr-old’s rape: Accused flees arrest, shot in leg SC to hear ADGP’s plea against HC arrest order Ganesha fest: NGT asks TN to post penalty info 45 killed while waiting for aid trucks in Gaza CUDDALORE: A 24-year-old man was shot in the leg and arrested by police when he allegedly attacked a police team that tried to arrest him for raping an 80-yearold woman near Panruti in Cuddalore district. The woman suffered serious injuries and is being treated in ICU. As per police, the suspect, identified as S Sundaravel (24) of SK Palayam village in Panruti taluk, is a history-sheeter | P6 New delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on Wednesday an appeal filed by ADGP H M Jayaram (Armed Police) challenging a Madras High Court order asking Tamil Nadu police to arrest him in connection with an alleged kidnapping case. The officer, in his appeal, sought immediate protection and challenged the legality of the HC’s order, terming it as “wrong and illegal” | P6 CHENNAI: The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal has issued a directive to the TN Pollution Control Board, mandating public announcement of penalties for environmental guideline violations during the forthcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festivities. The bench directed TNPCB to initiate a public awareness campaign in one week and publish and penalty details by June 30 | P4 KHAN YOUNIS: At least 45 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip while waiting for UN and commercial trucks to enter the territory with desperately needed food, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and a local hospital. The circumstances of the killings were not immediately clear. Local health officials say scores have been killed and hundreds wounded. Some reports put the toll at 51 | P13