Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth is next army Chief Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth will succeed Gen Upendra Dwivedi as the Chief of the Army Staff, the defence ministry announced on Saturday. “The government has appointed Seth, presently serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from June 30,” the ministry said. Lt Gen Seth is recognised for his contributions to force modernisation. | P11 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 ■ ■ BENGALURU  SUNDAY  JUNE 14, 2026  `12.00  PAGES 30  LATE CITY EDITION It’s time for the Gulf peace deal Officers among 5 IAF personnel killed in transport aircraft crash J A V A R I A R A N A & P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ New Delhi/ Guwahati Trump claims accord signing on Sunday, Iran says not yet A G E N C I E S @ Dubai/Islamabad THE US and Iran could put to bed an agreement to end the Middle East war within as little as 24 hours, with US President Donald Trump saying on Saturday the deal with Iran would be signed on Sunday and that Strait of Hormuz would be “open to all” immediately afterwards. The momentum came in spite of new skirmishes in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday . “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” he said in a post on Truth Social, signalling what could be a major diplomatic breakthrough after months of conflict. Trump’s comments came hours after Pakistan indicated that the US and Iran were in the final stage of negotiations US missionary organisation, 6 accused face UAPA case EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru A case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has been registered by the Kothanur police against six individuals and a US-based Christian missionary organisation, following a complaint filed by 45-year-old Sun i l K u m a r S i n h m a r, Assistant Director, Directorate of Enforcement (ED). The FIR has been registered against Jonathan S Rajan, Micah Mark, Ajit Varghese Mathai, Varghese Chacko, Bablu Kurmi, Supreme Joy and the USbased The Timothy InitiaP7 tive (TTI). Khamenei funeral Funeral rituals for Khamenei will will take place between July 4 and 9 at the holy Imam Reza Shrine, Iran state TV said. Iran had very early into the war said funeral of Ayatollah will be held only after the war ends | P11 and that an electronic signing ceremony for the agreement was scheduled for Sunday. However, there is no immediate comment from Iran. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, however, said the deal was yet to be determined, “although it will not be on Sunday .” The warring parties have released conflicting information about the contents of the deal. Tehran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium and maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier Saturday the , US said it downed multiple Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz. The US military’s Central Command posted on X that Iran had “launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait”. Modi-Trump bilateral on G7 Summit’s sidelines on June 17 J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump are set to hold a bilateral meeting on June 17 on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, with discussions expected to focus on economic growth, supply-chain resilience, artificial intelligence, investment partnerships and global security challenges. “This is the 8th consecutive G7 Summit to which India has been invited. At the G7, India will not only speak for itself, but it will also give voice to the aspirations of the Global South,” Modi said in a statement ahead of his visit. The meeting with Trump, confirmed by the White House, will take place ahead of a working lunch involving G7 leaders, outreach partners and technol- Rubio sticks to his guns India raised with US killing of its mariners, saying “lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified.” but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “violations of US blockade won’t be tolerated.” ogy executives. A senior US administration official said: “President Trump will meet with G7 leaders to address key issues of shared importance, including economic growth and development, supply chain resilience, illegal immigration, and Artificial Intelligence.” The engagement comes during Trump’s visit to France for the summit, where he is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, the Emir of Qatar, the UAE President and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The Modi-Trump meeting will be their first in person meeting since India’s military operation “Operation Sindoor” against Pakistan last year, although the White House did not provide further details on the agenda of the talks. WITH THIS ISSUE WHAT IS THE PRICE OF A LIFE IN INDIA? ZERO PLUS 12 P AGES TODAY'S MATCHES (IST) Group E: Germany vs Curacao (10:30 PM); Ivory Coast vs Ecuador (4:30 AM* ) Group F: Netherlands vs Japan (1:30 AM*); Sweden vs Tunisia (7:30* AM) *IST MONDAY MORNING LIVE ON UNITE8 SPORTS & ZEE5 Balogun leads US to their biggest WC win Folarin Balogun scored twice in the US’s three-goal barrage before halftime, and the US opened their first home World Cup in 32 years with the biggest win in the event, a 4-1 win over Paraguay. In another match, co-hosts Canada salvaged a draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina SOORYAVANSHI IMPACT To pursue sports, kids favour open schooling B O S K Y K H A N N A @ Bengaluru THE massive impact of teen-age cricket sensations – 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and now-20-yearold Niki Prasad, former U-19 women’s T-20 cricket team captain – on young cricketing minds is having a telling effect on the education trends in the country. An increasing number of school and junior college students are quitting conventional education and joining open schooling – especially through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) – to devote more hours daily to practice and sharpen their sports skills. R Swaminathan, NIOS Regional Director confirmed this trend, while pointing to a whopping 120% rise in admissions. “Last year, it was 4,600, but this year, it has crossed 10,000 so far,” he told The New Sunday Express. What is said to have triggered this shift in education trend among youngsters is Sooryvanshi’s recent statements that he practises for about 10 hours daily facing up to , 600 balls to hone in his batting skills. Interactions with several cricket coaches at academies and parents of aspiring young cricketers revealed that this shift to open schooling is fully supported by parents who are themselves impressed by Sooryavanshi’s routine, which would not have been possible had he been studying in a conventional school. Tripta (name changed) is a 15-yearold Class 10 student who opted for the NIOS and aims to play for India P7 in the U-19 like Niki Prasad. (Top, from left to right) Sqn Ldr Prashant Singh, Flt Lt Shubham Kumar, Sgt Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam; (above) the damaged remains of the aircraft | PTI PRESS INTAKE FIVE Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel were killed and one was injured when an An-32 transport aircraft crashed after landing at the Air Force Station in Jorhat, Assam on Saturday. The incident took place around 10 am at Rowriah airbase in Jorhat. The aircraft had taken off from the same base for a routine sortie. The deceased personnel are Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam. A co-pilot survived with injuries. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident. “IAF extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved fami- Re-register for guarantees, CM tells beneficiaries | P4 Assam tightens Aadhaar norms to check influx | P12 lies and stands firmly with them in this hour of grief,” the IAF posted on X. Footage from the crash site showed the aircraft split into two parts. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sar ma mourned the loss of lives. “Deeply anguished by the loss of five Air Warriors in the An-32 accident,” Singh posted on social media. The crash has once again drawn attention to the Sovietera An-32 fleet, which remains one of IAF’s most important transport assets despite being in service since the 1980s. With airframes now exceeding 40 years of service, maintaining the fleet has become increasingly challenging, sources said. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has further disrupted the supply of key spares, forcing IAF to pursue indigenous alternatives. Mattannavar: Chinnaiah lying, do brain mapping | P6