HYDERABAD l sunday l june 14, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l late cITY EDITION Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth appointed as 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 Played key role in force modernisation Historic permanent comm for 14 women “The government has appointed Lt Gen Dhiraj 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 widely recognised for his contributions to force modernisation. Senior officials said he has commanded at every level in diverse operational environments | p9 ■ ■ In a first, a batch of women joined the armed forces with permanent commission from Day 1 through the National Defence Academy route Nine joined the Army and five joined the Air Force. Until now, women have entered the forces through Short Service Commission and became eligible for permanent commission years later | p9 2021 When the supreme Court opened the NDA route to women 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 Healthy India, Strong India 19,000+ Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country providing quality medicines at up to 90% lower prices Saal It’s time for the Gulf peace deal Vishwas ke, Vikas ke, Jan-kalyan ke 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 will be signed on Sunday, Iran says agreement date yet to be finalised; Israel hits Lebanon A g e n c i e s @ Dubai/Islamabad Three killed in rain-related incidents in Hyd Express News Service @ Hyderabad Three people lost their lives in rain-related incidents across Hyderabad over 24 hours, despite the rainfall being light to moderate. Intermittent showers also led to waterlogging in several localities, causing traf fic snarls and disrupting vehicular movement. At Telecom Colony in Alwal, a man and his daughter died of suspected electrocution in the early hours of Saturday. According to police, strong winds and rain had caused tree branches to fall on a car parked outside their residence. Around 2 am, Chiluveru Sandeep attempted to move the vehicle when his 16-yearold daughter, Preethika, came into contact with a live wire. While trying to rescue her, Sandeep also suffered an electric shock. Both died on the spot. Alwal police have registered a case. In Raghavendra Nagar Colony under Meerpet police station limits, 75-yearold Sabavath Lakshmi Sevya died after a palm tree fell on her tin-roofed house on Friday night.  continued on p7 WITH THIS ISSUE What is the Price of a Life in India? Zero PLUS 12 P AGES THE United States 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 the strategic Strait of Hormuz would be “open to all” immediately afterwards. The momentum came in spite of new skirmishes in the Strait of Hormuz Saturday which has been at the centre of , the war that has roiled the global economy . “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 and negotiations. Trump’s comments came hours after Pakistan indicated that the United States and Iran were in the final stage of negotiations and that an electronic signing ceremony for the agreement was scheduled for Sunday However, there is no immediate com. ment from Iran on the reported timeline. 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”.Meanwhile, Lebanon reported Israeli strikes in its south on Saturday, as the Israel issued evacuation warnings. Modi-Trump bilateral on G7 Summit sidelines J aya n t h ja 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, confirmed by the White House, will take place ahead of a working lunch involving G7 leaders and technology executives. The Modi-Trump meeting will be their first in-person meeting since India’s “Operation Sindoor” against Pakistan last year. 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.” CBC 17101/13/0010/2627 Free treatment up to for senior citizens aged 70+, 60+ crore people covered under Ayushman Bharat (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 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 deceased personnel are Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam. A copilot 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 families 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.