madurai l saturday l june 14, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION India abstains from voting on DRAFT Gaza ceasefire resolution in U.N.G.A. The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to adopt the resolution seeking an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza Motion also demands release of hostages The resolution, introduced by Spain, got 149 votes in favour. Twelve members voted against it while 19 nations, including India, abstained. The resolution also demanded release of hostages, return of the remains of those killed, exchange of Palestinian prisoners, return of civilians to their homes in Gaza, and full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip India has earlier abstained on resolutions on Israel-Palestine. “Our vote today is in continuation of this in the belief that there is no other way to resolve conflicts but through dialogue and diplomacy," he said ■ India is concerned at the deepening humanitarian crisis, he added U.S. Dialogue is the only solution, says India ■ India’s Permanent Representative to UN, Parvathaneni Harish, said Had vetoed a similar resolution at the U.N. Security Council last week 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 Black box found, Modi visits crash site injured persons. “Met those injured in the aftermath of the tragic plane crash in AhmedaA day after a horrible plane bad, including the lone survicrash killed at least 260 people vor,” Modi said. “ Assured them here, probe agencies recov- that we are with them and ered the Digital Flight Data their families in this tough Recorder (DFDR) or black box, time. The entire nation is praywhich is expected to throw up i n g f o r t h e i r s p e e d y clues on India’s worst air trag- recovery .” edy in decades. Modi also paid tribute to The Aircraft Accident Inves- former Gujarat chief minister tigation Bureau that scoured Vijay Rupani, who was among the debris, said it recovered the passengers who lost their the black box from the rooftop lives in the ill-fated flight. “It is at the crash site — possibly of unimaginable that Vijaybhai the BJ Medical College hostel, is not in our midst,” he said. which the London“We worked togethbound Air India er, shoulder to aircraft slammed shoulder, including into shortly after during some of the take-off from the most challenging Sardar Vallabhbtimes. Vijaybhai hai Patel Airport. was humble, hardThe black box reworking, and firmcording will offer ly committed to the vital data on the fiparty’s ideology .” nal moments of Amid speculathe flight. tion on the cause of While the DFDR the crash, includis housed in the ing the position of tail section, the its flaps, the DirecRelatives of a victim Cockpit Voice Remourn at a hospital in torate General of Ahmedabad on Friday corder (CVR) is C i v i l Av i a t i o n usually located (DGCA), ordered within the cockpit. Both DFDR Air India to go in for enhanced and CVR are better known as safety checks, including a reblack boxes. Till the time of view of take-off parameters of going to press, there was no its Boeing series of flights word on finding the CVR. from June 15. “As a preventive Prime Minister Narendra measure, DGCA hereby diModi visited the accident site rects Air India to carry out adand chaired a high-level re- ditional maintenance actions view meeting with senior of- on B787-8/9 aircraft equipped ficials to assess the ongoing with Genx engines with immerescue and relief efforts. “Vis- diate effect in co-ordination ited the crash site in Ahmeda- with the concerned DGCA bad today The scene of devas- agencies.” . tation is saddening,” he posted The National Investigation on social media. Agency and other central He also met the lone survi- agencies, too, joined the probe, vor of the crash and the other sources said. Lone survivor found some space, escaped Di l i p Si n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad Multiple strikes on Tehran IRAN ISrael A residential apartment in Tehran that was damaged in Israeli strikes on Friday | AP Natanz: Uranium enrichment plant strikes near Military, Nuclear, Residential sites Israel takes out Iran’s military brass, nuke sites Over 100 military facilities destroyed in airstrikes; India calls for de-escalation Ag e n c i e s @ Jerusalem / Dubai / Washington We expect to be exposed to several waves of Iranian attacks Benjamin Netanyahu With this crime, Israel has set itself for a bitter and painful fate Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left... JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE Donald Trump IN a major escalation of tensions in West Asia, Israel on Friday launched a barrage of strikes across Iran, targeting nuclear and missile sites, and taking out its top military leadership. Iran responded by launching a swathe of drones. Israeli military said it intercepted 100 drones. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel of a “bitter and painful” fate, signalling further escalation. Late in the evening, Israel launched a second wave of attacks specifically targeting Tehran. Among those killed in the early-morning strikes were the country’s highest-ranking military official General Mohammad Bagheri, commander-inchief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps General Hossein Salami, deputy commander-inchief of the armed forces Gholamali Rashid, and Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who ran the missile programme. Iranian media put the total toll at 18. Israel said it deployed 200 aircraft to hit 100 targets, including Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz. Dozens of missile launchers and radar installations in western Iran were also destroyed in the attack, in which drones smuggled into the country were also used. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ruled out Washington’s involvement, while President Donald Trump blamed Iran for not taking the off-ramp he offered by restricting its nuclear programme. “Two months ago I gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to make a deal... Today is day 61,” he wrote on Truth Social. The Wall Street Journal quoted Trump as saying he was aware of Israel’s plans to attack Iran. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation. “Received a phone call from PM @netanyahu of Israel... I shared India’s concerns and emphasised the need for early restoration of peace and stability Modi wrote on X. ,” P11 (With inputs from Jayanth Jacob in New Delhi) 4 court staff die, judge injured as car rams truck Express News Service @ Thoothukudi Four court staffers died and the principal district judge of Thanjavur and another staff member sustained severe injuries after the car they were travelling in rammed a truck from behind at Melakaranthai on the Thoothukudi-Madurai National Highways on Friday mor ning. The accident occurred when the car, which is believed to have attempted to overtake another vehicle, rearended a gypsum truck en route to Ariyalur, sources said. While advocate S Dhananjeya Ramachandran (55) of Pudukottai, personal security officer D Navin Kumar (28) of Tiruchy, and record clerk K Vasu Ramanathan (33) of Pudukottai were crushed to death on the spot, junior bailiff CA Sridhar Kumar died on the way to Aruppukottai Gover nment Hospital. Thanjavur principal district judge K Poorana Jeya Anand (56) and staff K Udhayasuriyan (34) of Thanjavur, who sustained grievous injuries, were initially rushed to Aruppukottai GH.  P7 Crude OIL Prices soar over Israel-Iran tension Brent Crude oil prices shot up 13% to $77.77 per barrel, on the back of escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran which could disrupt global oil supplies | P12 “Luckily, the portion where I was seated fell on the ground floor of the hostel after the crash. When I saw that the door broken, I saw an opportunity to escape,” says Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the lone survivor DNA test on, eight bodies handed over Only eight bodies have been identified and handed over to their families so far. Autopsies are on in full swing, while DNA sampling has been completed for at least 220 victims LIC eases norms on proof of death Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the site of the plane crash on Friday | PTI Ease insurance claim settlement: Govt Di pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi The government has instructed insurance companies to ease the process of claim settlement for family members of the deceased in the air crash. A senior finance ministry official said instructions were sent to the insurance companies on Thursday night itself. Rajnath Singh set to visit China on June 24-25 J AYANTH J ACOB & RA J ESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi AS India and China work to stabilise relations and rebuild trust, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to the neighbouring country on June 24-25 — the first highlevel Indian ministerial visit since the 2020 border standoff in Eastern Ladakh. This signals renewed momentum in India-China engagement, following disengagement along the Line of Actual Control and continuing efforts to normalise ties. Singh will take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers’ meeting, where he may hold talks with Chinese defence minister Admiral Dong Jun. This will be Singh’s first visit to China as defence minister, though he had previously travelled there in his capacity as home minister. The Indian defence minister’s decision to visit China later this month reflects the intent of both nations to build mutual confidence and trust —Diplomatic sources Singh had last met Admiral Dong in Vientiane, Lao PDR, in November last year on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus. While Chinese foreign ministers have visited India twice since 2022, this marks the first reciprocal high-level visit from India. Diplomatic sources say Singh’s visit reflects the intent of both nations to build mutual confidence and advance the contacts following an understanding reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October last year. On Thursday Foreign Sec, retary Vikram Misri had held talks in New Delhi with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong. The two sides reviewed the state of bilateral relations since their last meeting in January and agreed to focus on “peoplecentric engagements” to stabilise and rebuild ties, External Affairs Ministry said. The discussions covered a broad agenda including resumption of direct air services, visa facilitation, media and think-tank exchanges, and preparations for the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations. gamechanger Esakkimuthu, iDreamer and cricketer G o m e s h S @ Chennai iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans pacer A Esakkimuthu remembers the first time he held a cricket ball in his hand. It was the U16 selection trials in Tirunelveli, and Esakkimuthu, a class tenth student from Kalakudi, a small village in Tirunelveli, had asked his father, who runs a school van service from the neighbourhood villages to Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai, for a white T-shirt and pants. He borrowed “Bata shoes” from a school-going kid. He had only played with a “stumper” (rubber) ball and had never touched a cricket ball before. In the trials, he hit a few big shots before beating the bat with his pace and got selected. However, because of financial situation at home, he could not continue. “My dad had met with an accident. The situation was not good. In all this, I could not even think of cricket. You need mone y t o p l ay a n d t r a i n , ” he recalls. “Veri” (fury) is the word he keeps repeating. When he got a chance to play for Urumu Dhanalakshmi Arts College (Tiruchy), he gave his everything. Esakkimuthu impressed an opposition batter, Yuvaraj from Bishop Heber College, who would take him under his wings. He shifted colleges for his PG (Library Science) and continued to train with Yuvar- There have been nights I could not sleep, I cried. I have not cried for anything in my family or anything else. When it comes to cricket, I could not control it —A Esakkimuthu To mitigate hardships of claimants, LIC said any evidence in govt records of death of policyholder due to the air crash or any compensation paid by Central/state govt /airlines will be accepted as proof of death aj. He was introduced to a senior pacer Senthil Nathan, Veeraraghavan Ramachandran of Alchemy Academy and trainer Michael Anton. Cricketing expense were taken care of, and Esakkimuthu did what he was meant to do -- run through batting line-ups. That “veri” became “pasi (hunger)”. Esakkimuthu retur ned to Tirunelveli and claimed 14 wickets in five games during the 2024 SS Rajan Trophy The . pacer was selected for a TNCA camp, and soon a third division opportunity followed. Today, Esakimuthu is a TNPL player and is making a mark. “Right now it is time for mourning, and no one is thinking about the money However, the . claim settlement process will begin in 5-6 days,” he said. He, however, declined to give an exact estimate of the claims. “This is not something that we can estimate — individually passengers would have all kinds of insurance policies, therefore, it is difficult to make an insurance claims estimate,” said the official. The industry is looking at $150-200 mn in claims. “The hull agreed value of the aircraft would be roughly around $75-80 million, which will be covered under the Hull All Risk part of Insurance,” says Hitesh Girotra of Prudent Insurance Brokers. Hindu Munnani to HC: Muruga Bakthargal meet in Madurai got police nod Express News Service @ Madurai Four days after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court gave police time till Thursday to decide on allowing the ‘Muruga Bakthargalin Aanmeega Maanadu’ on June 22, the ‘Hindu Munnani’, which is organising the event, told the court that permission has been given to hold the event with 52 conditions. The organisation, however, told HC that six of the conditions, including ban on processions, requirement of vehicle passes to enter the venue, permissions from Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department and Madurai corporation for the event, were not acceptable to it and filed a separate plea seeking exemp- tion from the six conditions. Recording the submission, Justice B Pugalendhi said a detailed order would be released soon. Additional advocate general R Baskaran, appearing for Madurai police, said the conditions were imposed only to prevent any untoward incident during the event. The organisers must take full responsibility to ensure that the event is peaceful, Baskaran said. Accepting the state’s submission, the judge told the outfit not to undertake any political activities during the event. The outfit’s state secretary S , Muthukumar, had originally moved HC over rejection of permission to install miniatures of six abodes of Lord Murugan on the conference premises and for conducting pujas to the miniatures from June 10 to 22.  P7 express read Anbumani launches 100-day PMK walkathon CHENNAI: Even as PMK founder S Ramadoss asserted that he will be the leader of the party “till his last breath” on Friday, his son and adversary Anbumani launched a 100-day walkathon across the state to highlight the DMK government’s alleged poor governance. Anbumani also held discussion with PMK leaders at his office in which 108 of 117 district secretaries and all the three MLAs of the party took part | P4 Tenkasi food poisoning: Death toll rises to four Madrasi Camp eviction: Stalin writes to Delhi CM Tirunelveli: The death toll in the suspected food poisoning at a private home for senior citizens at Sundarapandiapuram in Tenkasi district rose to four after Dhanalakshmi (80) died at the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital on Friday. At least 29 more inmates are undergoing treatment at hospitals | P2 Chennai: CM MK Stalin has urged his Delhi counterpart Rekha Gupta to extend housing facility to 370 Tamil families rendered homeless after the demolition of the Madrasi Camp in Jangpura. Stalin said, as per the Delhi HC order, 189 families were allotted EWS flats in Narela but these units remain uninhabitable | P4