THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l tuesday l june 23, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Keir Starmer is latest to exit 10 downing street revolving door Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday, becoming the sixth UK prime minister to step down before the end of tenure since 2016 Keir Starmer Andy Burnham Labour drubbing in local polls sealed fate Oversaw conclusion of India FTA Pressure had been building on Starmer to step down amid domestic policy U-turns, ministerial resignations and a scandal over his decision to appoint a known associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as the British ambassador to Washington. A trouncing for the Labour Party in the local and regional elections held on May 7 proved the final straw ■ ■ Labour politician Andy Burnham, who last week won the crucial by-election in Makerfield is the frontrunner to replace Starmer As UK PM, Starmer oversaw the conclusion of the free trade agreement with India. He brought a large delegation to Mumbai last year, signalling his desire for closer business ties Jul 5, 2024 When starmer became the prime minister of the United Kingdom 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 Suspected AC defect leads to massive blaze in 3-storey building, PM offers I2L ex gratia 12 Indians killed in Qatar natural gas unit blast E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi Students among 15 burnt alive in UP blaze N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow AT least 15 people, mostly students between 22 and 27 years, were charred to death after a fire broke out in a three-storey commercial building in a posh Lucknow neighbourhood on Monday afternoon. The list of the deceased includes four women. Late in the night, police arrested three persons—Ramakrishna Upadhyay, Virendra Prasad Shukla, and T K Jaiswal after filing an FIR. The FIR pertains to negligence and violations linked to the fire. Four officials were suspended too. Most of the victims were trapped on the second floor of the building located on Usha Mehta Marg in Aliganj in north Lucknow, where students were attending classes at an anima- The fire broke out suddenly. It was an animation centre. It seems that the children ran towards the backside but couldn’t survive Brajesh Pathak, Deputy CM, UP tion centre. The ill-fated building housed a pet shop and a clinic in the basement, ground, and first floors. The second floor had a library-cum-coaching centre called ‘Learning Space’, and also housed ‘Head Hopper Studio’, a 3D art production and game asset outsourcing centre. Most of those killed were students who had come for internship/work at the gaming stu- dio. Around 35 students were present when the fire broke out. While some managed to escape, several of them had to jump off from the second floor, while many locked themselves inside bathrooms in a bid to save themselves. As per fire department sources, the blaze originated in the pet shop in the basement due to a short circuit in an air-conditioner around 2.30 pm, and spread rapidly before engulfing the building. “A total of 22 people were brought to the Trauma Centre of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) following the incident. Of them, 15 were declared brought dead, while five injured were admitted for treatment,” King George Medical University PRO Prof K K Singh told the media. UP sets up SIT to probe cause of fire The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a Special Investigation Team under Additional Director General Praveen Kumar to ascertain the cause of the fire. The SIT has been tasked with submitting its findings within seven days Adityanath promises strict action for lapses Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Monday evening said every person responsible will face strict action. He announced ex gratia of I5 lakh for the kin of each deceased, while PM Narendra Modi offered I2 lakh each M S V i d ya n a n d a n @T’Puram ble help to the Indian nationals and their f amilies affected by this incident, including ensuring that mortal remains of the deceased are sent to India at the earliest,” it said. QatarEnergy said the blast occurred during the start-up of operations at the Barzan local gas supply facility. The plant had a capacity of almost 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day, which Qatar used for electricity generation and to power its water desalination plants. “I would like to emphasize that this was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature,” Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi told a news conference Monday afternoon in Doha, Qatar’s capital. Disquiet in Cong over budget plans on liquor tax, mineral sand mining Meta invests in CRED, ropes in Kunal Shah as WA boss K S S R E E JI T H @T’Puram Pa d m i n i D h r u v a r a j @ Bengaluru META Platforms has appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah as the global CEO of WhatsApp. Shah replaces Will Cathcart, who has stepped down after running the messaging platform for seven years. As part of the deal, the US tech giant will invest about `8,550 crore, or $900 million, in the Bengalurubased fintech company The in. vestment, which will be made through a mix of primary and secondary share purchases, values CRED at `43,239 crore or $4.5 billion. Meta will be a minority investor in CRED and will not receive access to customer information, the company said. Shah will step away from his operating role at CRED while retaining his personal shareholding. Miten Sampat, who has led strategy and finance at the company since 2020, will become CRED’s interim chief executive. The board is working on a leadership structure as CRED prepares for a public listing. Announcing the appointment, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said: “Kunal Shah will join Meta as WhatsApp’s next leader. Kunal built CRED into one of India’s most important technology companies, and he brings the kind of builder mentality and global perspective that will serve him well in running the world’s biggest messaging app.” Shah said: “While it’s come very far, the delta between WhatsApp today and its full potential is massive.” Rescue efforts (L) in progress at the site of the fire in Lucknow; and videograb of students sliding down a cable (above) to save themselves | PTI/Express As many as 12 Indians were killed in a massive explosion at Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex on Sunday night as workers tried to resume operations there, months after its was bombed during the West Asia war. In all, there were 13 casualties, which included a Pakistani national. The Indian embassy in Qatar said: “Qatari authorities have confirmed that 12 Indian nationals have unfortunately passed away in the Ras Laffan incident yesterday night. We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for the departed.” Over 60 others were reported injured in the blast. The injured were from several countries, including India, Qatar, Tanzania, Pakistan, Guinea, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya and Nigeria, local media reported. However, all the injured Indians were stable and receiving treatment, the embassy’s statement said. “Qatari authorities have also confirmed that all those who got injured are in stable condition and are receiving appropriate treatment. Our Embassy is working in close contact with the Qatari authorities to extend all possi- Messi’s one, scores two: Record 18 for Leo Lionel Messi became the leading scorer in World Cup history, taking his tally to 18 goals in Dallas argentina enter next round Messi had equalled Miroslav Klose’s mark of 16 goals last week. He started with a penalty miss on Monday but redeemed himself later. He made it 17 when he swept home after 38 minutes in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria. He put the icing on the cake in the 95th minute. In the process, Argentina booked a spot in the next round First win for egypt On Sunday, Mohamed Salah shone as Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1 for their first ever win in WC history while debutants Cabo Verde held Uruguay 2-2. Meanwhile, Belgium were held 0-0 by a resolute Iran Today’s matches: Group K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan (10.30 PM), Colombia vs DR Congo (7.30 AM*). Group L: England vs Ghana (1.30 AM*), Panama vs Croatia (4.30 AM*) *IST Wednesday Live on United8 Sports & ZEE5 Barely days after presenting its maiden budget, the V D Satheesan government is facing mounting pressure to roll back two controversial proposals. After veteran Congress leader V M Sudheeran opposed the proposal for a lower tax on low-alcohol beverages and to allow private participation in mineral sand mining, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal signalled the party high command’s unease over the controversy . Widely regarded as Satheesan’s mentor, Sudheeran was a key backer in the former’s bid for the chief minister’s post. Moreover, the Satheesan-Sudheeran axis was seen as a formidable force in the state’s political landscape. Congress leaders say Sudheeran’s intervention was inevitable given his long-standing reservations on both issues. He is also understood to be un- UDF constituents unhappy, too With the UDF government set to formulate a new excise policy, several constituents are reportedly unhappy with the budget proposal. There is also apprehension about possible opposition from Christian churches and Muslim organisations. happy with the government’s handling of certain matters. “The immediate trigger appears to be the poor response to Sudheeran’s demand for an inquiry into the suicide of former SNDP Yogam leader K K Mahesan, which was aimed at Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan,” a senior Congress leader said. “His opposition to the chief minister’s flagship proposals reflects a growing unease within the party .” The high command is under- Kerala rep dropped from Mullaperiyar safety panel stood to have taken serious note of Sudheeran’s remarks. Venugopal’s statement that policy matters would be discussed within the party has also been interpreted by party leaders as broadly aligning with Sudheeran’s position, adding to the chief minister’s discomfort. “There is concern over the proposal to levy a lower tax on low-alcohol beverages and to permit private participation in mineral sand mining. The state government has a responsibility to address such concerns,” the party leader told TNIE. Excise Minister M Liju, who was reportedly upset over the lack of consultation on the proposal, has acknowledged the finance department’s authority to impose taxes. However, sources said he has instructed senior officials to inform liquor companies making enquiries that no decision has been taken on granting licences to manufacture low-alcohol beverages in the state.  ● More on P4 The Centre’s decision to drop Kerala’s representative from a five-member committee formed to inspect the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam has not gone down well with the state government, which suspects a conspiracy behind the move. In a recent communication, the Union gover nment informed the state about the exclusion of T K Sivarajan, Kerala’s representative in the Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation Committee (CDSEC), saying he was “not available.” This happened while Sivarajan was on a foreign trip. Though Sivarajan had informed both the state government and the CDSEC that he would be abroad for a family wedding, the prior intimation was used as a pretext to drop him. Neither Sivarajan nor the Kerala government received any query on his availability during the period. The timing of the move and the conscious sidelining of the government have forced the state to suspect conspiracy . Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph said the Centre’s action was unacceptable and the removal violated every legal and ethical norm. “When the five-member committee was constituted, its structure provided for one representative each from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Now, Kerala’s representative has been mysteriously dropped while Tamil Nadu’s has been retained. There is some foul play at work,” he told TNIE. Mons maintained that the decision to drop Kerala’s representative should have been taken after consultation with the state government. ● More on P4 E x p r e s s Re a d Traffic reforms on cards to decongest Munnar Idukki: A series of traffic reforms to reduce congestion and improve visitors’ movement in Munnar will be implemented before June 30, with additional measures coming into effect from August 1. Big tourist buses will not be allowed to enter Old Munnar on weekends, public holidays and other peak tourism days from August 1. Home guards will be deployed at major tourist destinations | P5 cricket with care ICC frames pregnancy policy to facilitate healthy comeback g o mes h s @ Chennai In a first, the International Cricket Council has formulated a framework that will assist female cricketers return to sport post pregnancy. The new policy called Return to Play Post Pregnancy Guidelines aims to provide systemic support to athletes through the period of pregnancy and return to play . The eight-page document has been prepared in a general format to be used by all ICC Member nation subject to the coun- try’s own local legislation or regulations. “No player should have to choose between motherhood and representing her country at the highest level,” ICC Chair Jay Shah said in a statement. One of the highlights was each board appointing a dedicated case manager (a doctor or physiotherapist) for each player and will serve as primary point of contact. While countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England and Pakistan already have a maternity policy in R e t u r n -t o - p l ay k e y p o i n t s The decision to announce a pregnancy is always at the discretion of the mother and there should be no mandate from the board to ask for a pregnancy test The 6Rs framework: Ready (0-6 weeks), Review (6-8 weeks), Restore (8-16 weeks), Recondition (12-16+ weeks), Return and Refine place, the BCCI is yet to have a dedicated guidelines for women cricketers. After pregnancy , the ICC has formulated a 6Rs framework: “Ready (0-6 weeks), No fixed gestational age to stop playing, player to decide that in consultation with doctors To ensure key access and wellbeing services through pregnancy and postpartum period Access to medical staff, physios, S&C coaches and psychologist Review (6-8 weeks), Restore (816 weeks), Recondition (12-16+ weeks), Return and Refine.” India cricketer Sneha Deepthi, who made a comeback at do- mestic level for Andhra seveneight months after giving birth to her daughter Kriva Philip in 2021, welcomed the new guidelines. “I feel the policy is really good, it will help women to have a family and also play the sport she loves,” Sneha told this daily . “It is really important to have professional help rather than just medical help. You need help like trainer, physios, and medical staff from the start of the pregnancy In my case it was not . easy. It was Covid time, there was very little medical help, so it made my comeback journey very difficult.” Progress towards ‘gradual normalisation’ in India-China ties National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held ‘constructive’ and ‘forward-looking’ talks in Delhi on Monday | P7 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express