FIFA WC opens amid fanfare, full house Shakira and Nigerian singer Burna Boy had the spectators out of their seats in the opening ceremony for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico City. Dancers twirled around a giant model of the World Cup trophy while fireworks went off in the historic 80,000-capacity stadium Today's matches (IST) chennai l friday l june 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 40 l LATE city EDITION Colombian singer Shakira performs during the opening ceremony ahead of the 2026 World Cup tie between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday | AFP (All June 13) Group D: Paraguay vs USA (6.30AM) Group B: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (12.30AM) CBC 46101/13/0010/2627 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 All 3 missing seafarers dead J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi All three Indian seafarers who had been reported missing after the US attack on the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello of f the coast of Oman have been confirmed dead, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday . The tanker, carrying 24 Indian crew members, was struck by the US military earlier this week, triggering a search-and- rescue operation involving Indian and Omani authorities. In a post on X, Sonowal described the development as “deeply unfortunate”, confirming that the three crew members initially reported missing had lost their lives. “Sadly , three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after two bodies were recovered,” the minister said. Calling the deaths a “profound loss to our maritime family”, Sonowal said the govern- Trump threatens to strike Iran, backs off hours later Hours after threatening to hit Iran ‘very hard’ and “assume total control” of its oil and gas, US President Donald Trump called off the strikes claiming negotiations were “brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership” | P13 ment stood firmly with the bereaved families and would give all necessary assistance. The minister added that officials had been instructed to facilitate the immediate repa- triation of the 21 rescued crew members and ensure the swift return of the deceased sailors’ mortal remains. On Wednesday India strong, ly condemned the attack and formally lodged a protest with the US by summoning Jason Meeks, the US Chargé d’Affaires in New Delhi. Meanwhile, crew members of a Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel identified as MT Jalveer, carrying 20 Indians, were evacuated on Thursday after the vessel came under attack off an Oman port. HC poser on Bengal LoP recognition su b h e n du m ai t i @ New Delhi THE Calcutta High Court on Thursday questioned the legality of West Bengal Assembly speaker Rathindranath Bose’s decision to recognise rebel Trinamool Congress MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as leader of the Opposition (LoP) without the consent of the TMC. Justice Krishna Rao raised the question while hearing a plea against the Speaker’s decision to recognise Banerjee as LoP and Akhruzzman, another rebel MLA, the Chief Whip at a time when the party leadership had already expelled the former. Veteran MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay from Ballygunj in Kolkata, who was selected by the party leadership as the LoP in the House, moved the High Court on 8 June challenging the Speaker’s decision. Trinamool MP and senior lawyer Kalyan Bandyopadhyay , appearing for petitioners, submitted that the move hits the basic structure of the Constitution. CM’s Niti push: SSA dues and youth skill plan E x p r ess n e w s se r v i c e @ Chennai Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay | PTI Tap youth power for growth: PM P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked states to tap into India’s 70-crore youth population and convert this unique demographic dividend into a development dividend for the country’s progress. “Creating the right ecosystem for our youth through quality education, demanddriven skilling and employment opportunities must remain a priority Empowered . youth will be the driving force behind our journey towards,” he said while chair- ing the 11th Gover ning Council Meeting of Niti Aayog, attended by chief ministers, Lt governors and administrators representing 28 States and five UTs. This was the first time chief ministers of all 28 states participated in the governing council meeting of NITI Aayog. Governing council members also debated pushing rooftop solar energy on residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and government properties to reduce household dependence on grid electricity . Committing to work constructively with the centre while firmly safeguarding the interests of Tamil Nadu, CM C Joseph Vijay in his first speech at the Niti Aayog meeting on Thursday urged the centre to release `3,284-crore Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funds without linking them to the implementation of National Education Policy or three-language system. Speaking at the meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi, the CM demanded centre’s support for a Youth Skill and Employment Mission to offer stipend-supported internships and training to five lakh youth every year. He also pressed for technology skill centres in every district to train youth in AI, deep tech, cybersecurity, cloud computing, EV tech, and semiconductor sectors.  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