India skips voting on Gaza resolution in UNGA The UN General Assembly voted to adopt the resolution seeking an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza . The resolution, introduced by Spain, got 149 votes in favour. Twelve members voted against it while 19, including India, abstained. The resolution also sought release of hostages, return of the remains of those killed, and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza Strip Chennai l saturday l june 14, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 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 Black box found, Modi visits crash site D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad A day after a horrible plane crash killed at least 260 people here, probe agencies recovered the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) or black box, which is expected to throw up clues on India’s worst air tragedy in decades. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau that scoured the debris, said it recovered the black box from the rooftop at the crash site — possibly of the BJ Medical College hostel, which the Londonbound Air India aircraft slammed into shortly after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport. The black box recording will offer vital data on the final moments of the flight. While the DFDR is housed in the tail section, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) is usually located within the cockpit. Both DFDR and CVR are better known as black boxes. Till the time of going to press, there was no word on finding the CVR. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the accident site and chaired a high-level review meeting with senior officials to assess the ongoing rescue and relief efforts. He also met the lone survivor of the crash and the other injured persons. Modi also paid tribute to former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who was among the passengers who lost their lives. “It is unimaginable that Vijaybhai is not in our midst,” he said. “We worked together, shoulder to shoulder, including during some of the m o s t ch a l l e n g i n g times. Vijaybhai was humble, hardworking, and firmly committed to the party’s ideology .” Amid speculation on the cause of the crash, including the position of its flaps, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ordered Air India to go in for enhanced safety checks, including a review of take-off parameters of its Boeing series of flights from June 15. The National Investigation Agency and other central agencies, too, joined the probe, sources said. Settle claims without delay: Govt to insurers D i pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the site of the plane crash on Friday | PTI Lone survivor found some space, escaped DNA tests on, eight bodies handed over “The portion where I was seated fell on the ground floor of the hostel. When I saw that the door broken, I saw an opportunity to escape,” says Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the lone survivor | P9 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 | P9 The government has asked insurance firms to ease the process of claim settlement for family members of those killed in the air crash. A finance ministry official said instructions were sent to the insurance firms on Thursday night itself. “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 estimate of 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 around $75-80 million, which will be covered under the Hull All Risk part of Insurance,” says Hitesh Girotra of Prudent Insurance Brokers. Rajnath Singh set to visit China on June 24-25 J AYANTH J A C O B & RA J E S H K U M AR THA K U R @ 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 high-level Indian ministerial visit since the 2020 border standoff in Eastern Ladakh. This signals renewed momentum in India-China engagement. 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 as home minister. Singh had last met Admiral Dong in Vientiane, Lao PDR, last November at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ meet. Sources say Singh’s visit reflects the intent of both nations to build on the understanding reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping last October to improve ties. On Thursday Foreign Secre, tary Vikram Misri 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”, the external affairs ministry said. We expect to be exposed to several waves of Iranian attacks targets in iran Tehran — Benjamin Netanyahu Natanz With this crime, Israel has set itself for a bitter and painful fate — Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Iran Missile sites Nuclear facilities Radar defence systems Iranian commanders Nuclear scientists Israel hits Iran’s military brass Nuke sites destroyed; India calls for restraint Agenci es @ Jerusalem / Dubai / Washington IN a major escalation of tensions in West Asia, Israel on Friday attacked Iran’s nuclear and missile sites, and took out its top military leadership. Iran responded by launching a swarm of drones, which were intercepted by Israeli military . Late in the evening, Israel launched a second wave of attacks on Tehran. Hours later, Iran hit back with a barrage of missiles, forcing Israelis to rush to bomb shelters. Among those killed in the early-morning strikes were Iran’s highest-ranking military official General Mohammad Bagheri, commanderin-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps General Hossein Salami, deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces Gholamali Rashid, and Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who ran the missile programme. Israel’s strikes hit Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz. Dozens of missile launchers and radar installations in western Iran were 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. 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. P13 ,” (Inputs from Jayanth Jacob)