bengaluru l monday l june 08, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION Chennai-born architect behind Trump’s AI policies to leave job pushed for rollback of regulations on AI Krishnan was an architect of the Trump administration’s ‘AI Action Plan’, which provided a blueprint to roll back regulation of the emerging technology and promote the construction of data centres across the US. He also was among tech advisers who helped craft an executive order limiting states’ ability to regulate AI, which Trump signed in December Sriram Krishnan is stepping down from his role as senior policy adviser for Artificial Intelligence to US President Donald Trump Criticised green card cap, drew maga ire ■ ■ Born in Chennai in 1984, Krishnan earned his Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology from SRM University in 2005, before moving to the US two years later to join Microsoft Krishnan had courted criticism from Trump’s right-wing supporters over his calls to remove country-specific caps on green cards 42-yr-old Worked at Microsoft, Meta and X before joining the White House 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 Teen hooked to online betting kills sis, father in Koppal dist A m i t S U pa d h y e @ K o p pa l IN a shocker, an 18-year-old boy stabbed his father and sister to death in Koppal during a scuffle over his addiction to online betting. He also stabbed his mother and himself after a heated argument. Both have been admitted to a hospital. The incident was reported from Hosa Ayodhya village in Gangavathi taluk of Koppal district late on Saturday night. The Gangavathi Rural police, who registered a case, said the accused, Sai Venkata Mandeep, was addicted to online betting and had lost over Rs 15 lakh of the family money in the last one year. On Saturday night, when his parents advised him against his addiction, Mandeep took hold of a kitchen knife and attacked them and his sister. His father, Venkatanaydu (45), a cook at a private school, and his sister Pragati (19) died, while his mother Soujanya was admitted to the Ballari Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) in Ballari city Mandeep too is . being treated there. Tata Rao, father of deceased Venkatanaydu, said, “On Saturday we had clashes on the issue , (online betting) throughout the day. When we went to sleep at night, Mandeep attacked his father, mother and sister. Pragati died on the spot, while my son died while being taken to hospital. I escaped and alerted the neighbours,” he recalled. Koppal SP Ram L Arasiddi visited the spot. The police said the family’s finances were in doldrums because of Mandeep’s addiction. Chorus against second cooking gas price hike since Iran conflict TMC’s Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek with AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, in New Delhi on Sunday | PTI Amid strain, 23 Oppn parties to meet today Pr e e t h a Na i r @ New Delhi As many as 23 Opposition parties are set to attend the crucial INDIA bloc meeting on Monday to devise fresh strategies to corner the BJP government on key national issues with an eye on the 2029 general elections, the Congress said. In a post on X, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said 23 political parties have confirmed their participation in the “INDIA janbandhan” meeting. “There are some parties who have expressed their inability to attend this particular meeting for their own reasons, even though they have conveyed their strong opposition to the Modi government’s policies and actions,” Ramesh said. The meeting comes amid growing friction within the bloc, with the DMK and AAP opting to skip and others expressing concerns about the Congress’s conduct. While the gathering is being seen as an effort to deepen coordination among Opposition parties, particularly after the recent round of assembly elections and amid Gehlot reignites debate on 2022 MLA rebellion ra j e s h as n a n i @ Jaipur THE rift in Rajasthan Congress appears to be as raw as ever. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday asserted that the dramatic mass resignation by his loyalist MLAs in September 2022 was aimed solely at stopping Sachin Pilot from becoming Chief Minister, and not against the Congress high command, as widely believed. Addressing reporters at the Constitution Club, Gehlot said the revolt erupted after Pilot’s name was actively circulated for the CM’s post. “Had the MLAs actually rebelled against the high command, would I have been able to remain Chief Minister?” he asked. The MLAs refused to accept Pilot as CM because he had huddled legislators to Manesar in 2020 in an attempt to topple the state government, Gehlot alleged. He also rejected the long-held narrative that he declined the of fer of Cong ress President to remain CM. “When Sonia Gandhi herself offered to make me national president... how could I refuse? It was a conspiracy he ,” said, claiming the sudden arrival of observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken triggered the events that painted him as power-hungry The Pilot . camp maintains the 2020 revolt targeted Gehlot’s leadership. Kejri, Didi discuss way forward Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday met Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal, a day ahead of a meeting of the INDIA bloc. The TMC described the meeting as “warm”, and said the leaders held discussion on “the road ahead” Brittas to represent CPI(M) CPI(M) will be represented by its Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas at the meeting. CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby will not attend in protest over the Congress charge of a CPI(M)-BJP understanding in Kerala evolving political equations in several states, a Samajwadi Party leader told this paper that the DMK’s absence would be a major setback for the bloc. “The Congress will have to face several questions. Being the largest party , they failed to take other parties along,” he said. The DMK decided to boycott the meeting, citing Congress’s “betrayal” in Tamil Nadu by joining the TVK government. The equation with the CPI(M) has also strained, with the Left party expressing displeasure over remarks by senior Congress leaders alleging collusion with the BJP in Kerala. The meeting comes at the behest of the Trinamool Congress, which is facing an existential crisis. “Meeting with a common purpose and clear intent. INDIA united. Many parties look forward to meeting in the spirit of camaraderie,” TMC MP Derek O’Brien said. SP’s Akhilesh Yadav, RJD’s Manoj Jha, J&K CM Omar Abdullah, NCP’s Supriya Sule, VCK’s Thirumavalavan and others are expected to attend. TVK was not invited because it doesn’t have MPs. Digital arrest Cyber fraudsters resort to psychological tactics R aks h i t h G o w d a @ B e n g a l u r u Threats of arrest, a sense of urgency isolation , and intense mental pressure are among the key tactics used by fraudsters in “digital arrest” scams. Cybercrime investigators say the criminals are increasingly targeting people living alone and elderly citizens, exploiting fear and trust to siphon off large sums of money . With recent cases of a retired teacher losing Rs 24 crore and a woman being duped of Rs 2.2 crore after being kept under digital arrest for more than 20 days, the spotlight has once again fallen on the sophisticated psychological methods employed by cyber fraudsters. A senior officer from the Cyber Command Centre said that unlike other cyber frauds that rely on quick deception, digital arrest scams are carefully planned operations where criminals subject victims to prolonged mental pressure, fear and isolation before forcing them to transfer their money P7 . trailblazer Pimenta, most powerful woman in football s w ar o o p s w a m i n at h a n @ Oslo RAFAELA Pimenta has had a few insults thrown in her general direction over the decades. But the most powerful woman in football doesn’t let it affect her anymore. “Couldn’t care less at this point,” she tells this daily on the sidelines of the Norway Chess event last week. Pimenta, who manages Erling Haaland among other star footballers, lifted the lid on what her working conditions were like before she worked up the ladder to carve out a commanding space for herself in an industry created by men for men. “It’s really male dominated and it was even worse when I started,” says the 53-year-old who was at the event as she had invested in their new product, Total Chess. The Brazilian lawyer-turned-manager — generally recognised as one of the first female ‘super agents’ in football press — w i l l h ave a clusive number of clients at the World Cup, beginning in the US, Mexico and Canada from June 11, including Norway’s Haaland. Pimenta hopes for better working conditions for women in football. “What I hope is that it gets easier for all women. That women will not care for What I hope is that it gets easier for all women and that’s one of the reasons for me to be here. Rafaela Pimenta, football agent Rafaela Pimenta | Michal Walusza / Norway Chess this abuse and that we can keep holding our positions we achieved and push forward.” It’s a powerful message to think about as the men’s World Cup — the single most widely watched sporting event across the planet — is about to start in a few days’ time.  P13 ‘A blessing’ Pimenta says that it is a blessing to work with Norwegian and Manchester City star Erling Haaland. “It’s a blessing. He fits the way I think people should work.” OPEC+ hikes output OPEC+ ministers decided Sunday to increase oil production quotas by 188,000 barrels per day for July. OPEC+ said the latest hike was “to support oil market stability” and “to accelerate profits for members Ex p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi OPPOSITION parties on Sunday criticised the Centre over the latest increase in domestic LPG prices, accusing it of further burdening households already struggling with a rising cost of living and inflation. However, the government maintained that despite the latest hike, domestic LPG prices in India remain lower than those prevailing in neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The government raised the price of a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder by `29, taking it to `942 from `913 in Delhi. The hike comes nearly three months after an increase of `60 announced in March amid a surge in global energy prices linked to West Asia conflict. The Congress alleged that the government was passing the burden of rising costs onto ordinary citizens.” Party president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the government’s handling of fuel supplies and pricing. Express Read Red alert along coastal districts as monsoon enters Karnataka Finally, Zverev wins French Open title Bengaluru: Widespread rainfall is likely across Karnataka over the week, with the India Meteorological Department issuing a red alert in coastal and parts of South and North interior districts as the monsoon advances further across the region. Dakshina Kannada and Udupi are under red alert on Monday and Tuesday, while Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada will be under red alert on Tuesday and Wednesday. P6 Paris: Alexander Zverev secured his maiden Grand Slam title with a dramatic five-set victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final on Sunday. The second seed became the first German man to win a Major tournament since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 win. P13 NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar warned that the government would pay a “political price” as frequent hikes in essential commodities were burdening the common man. PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, an NDA ally, too demanded an immediate rollback. Likewise, CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan called it an “anti-people” decision and sought a quick rollback. As for the Aam Aadmi Party , it said the hike in cooking gas price would intensify financial pressure on families across the country . The Trinamool, too, accused the Centre of shifting the burden of global disruptions onto ordinary households. P7