visakhapatnam l wednesday l june 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 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 | P9 ■ 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 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ 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 AYA N TH J ACOB & N A M ITA BA J PAI SUCHITRA KALYA N M OHA N TY 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 21year-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 cannot be allowed 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 Woman assaulted over debt in Kuppam, 4 held after CM’s intervention E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chittoor In a shocking incident, a 29year-old woman, A Sireesha, was publicly humiliated and assaulted in Narayanapuram village of Kuppam mandal in Chittoor district on Monday. The incident came to light on Tuesday . Following a directive from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Kuppam police arrested four accused, including local TDP worker Munikannappa, in connection with the case. Sireesha was tied to a tree with ropes and physically assaulted over a debt dispute, allegedly by Munikannappa. According to reports, Sireesha’s husband Timmarayappa borrowed `80,000 from Munikannappa about three years ago. After failing to repay the amount, Timmarayappa abandoned Sireesha and their children, leaving the burden of repayment on her. Despite working as a daily wage labourer to support her children and clear the debt, Sireesha was subjected to public abuse for delayed payments. On @ 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’ Agen 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.  P9 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 Infra boost to Amaravati as Centre okays 2 projs E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Union Government has sanctioned ` 2,787 crore for two major infrastructure projects in the capital region. The sanctioned amount includes `1,329 crore for constructing residential quarters for central government employees and `1,458 crore for the Common Central Secretariat (CCS). The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) will execute both projects. The announcement signals a new phase of development for Amaravati and is being viewed as the first major infrastructure win for the newly formed coali- tion government in the state. Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar confirmed the approval on Tuesday, describing it as a crucial step in revivi n g A m a r av a t i ’s c a p i t a l development. “Good news for the people of Andhra Pradesh. We have secured `2,787 crore from the Central Government for the CCS and staff quarters. This is a major step forward,” he said. The Union Finance Ministry issued the necessary administrative approvals to the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry , setting in motion the longpending proposals that had stalled during the previous administration. Originally drafted in 2018, these projects were shelved after a change in government and did not move forward during the five-year tenure of the YSRCP regime. According to the Minister, the proposals were neglected over the past five years, leading to a complete standstill in the capital’s infrastructure development. The renewed sanction now marks a turning point under the coalition government led by CM Chandrababu Naidu. Dr Chandrasekhar credited the approval to persistent coordination between ministries, direct follow-up at multiple administrative levels, and the proactive role played by the coalition government. He lauded the vision of CM N Chandrababu Naidu, the focused efforts of Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, and the coordination by Nara Lokesh for ensuring the project’s revival. This approval was secured as a AP surpasses nation’s growth rate in 2024-25 fiscal Woman who was publicly humiliated and assaulted in Kuppam mandal on Tuesday, CM N Chandrababu Naidu speaks to the woman | Express Monday afternoon, while she was walking on road, Munikannappa reportedly verbally abused her with obscene language, dragged her and forcibly P4 tied her to a neem tree.  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 the 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. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Andhra Pradesh government has recorded a growth rate of 11.89% during the 2024– 25 financial year. This is much higher than the national growth rate of 8.7%. The officials of the Planning department informed this to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during a review held at the State Secretariat on Tuesday. During the meeting, Naidu discussed various issues including state’s financial status, GSDP estimates, development indicators, and key growth drivers. He directed officials to prepare development plans aimed at improving the state’s financial condition. The Chief Minister said the Planning De par tment must take responsibility to ensure every government department achieves better outcomes. Reducing debt burden and mobilising adequate resources for welfare are among the most crucial priorities, he said. He advised officials to explore new avenues for resource mobilisation, in addition to state revenues and central funds. He instructed the Planning Department to pursue these goals and generate reliable data to support government decision-making. He called for enhanced performance from the department to contribute to P4 development.  result of continuous coordination between departments, personal follow-up in offices, and other initiatives by Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar. The CCS aims to consolidate all central government departments under one roof in Amaravati, thereby improving administrative efficiency. “This is a testament to the Centre’s trust in AP’s development under the new government,” Dr Pemmasani stated. “On behalf of the people and government of AP I extend heartfelt thanks , to PM Narendra Modi, Union Housing Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for their support,” he said. express read Chevireddy detained at Bengaluru airport Tirupati: In a significant development in the liquor scam investigation, YSRCP leader and former Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy was detained at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Tuesday by the immigration authorities while allegedly attempting to travel to Colombo, Sri Lanka