tadepalligudem l monday l june 15, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Selecao survive scare, Socceroos stun Turkiye Brazil come from behind to draw 1-1 against Morocco while Australia record 2-0 victory. A look... Brazil’s Vinicius Junior (7) celebrates a goal against Morocco on Saturday | AP Vinicius rallies to help brazil draw 1-1 dream start for australia and scotland Facing pressure to win their first World Cup title since 2002, five-time champions Brazil were outplayed early and needed Vinicius Junior’s 32ndminute goal to gain a 1-1 draw against Morocco in a pulsating, high-profile group match. Earlier in the day, 2022 hosts Qatar played out a 1-1 draw against Switzerland | P11 ■ ■ Australia spoiled Turkiye’s return to the WC after 24 years with a 2-0 victory. Goalkeeper Patrick Beach made eight saves for the Socceroos with Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe scoring for them Meanwhile, Scotland marked their return to the tournament after a 28-year absence with a nervy 1-0 victory over Haiti Today's matches (IST) Group H: Spain vs Cabo Verde (9:30 PM); Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (3:30 AM*). Group G: Belgium vs Egypt (12:30 AM*); Iran vs NZ (6:30 AM*) (*Tuesday) 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 Let’s not blow India and France deepen strategic it, Trump tells relations with focus on AI, innovation Israel and Iran Bilateral trade: Two sides agree to double volume J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Four die as boat capsizes in Krishna E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada A weekend reunion of an extended family turned tragic when a boat carrying the members capsized in the Krishna river near Konuru village in Achampet mandal of Palnadu district on Sunday Four persons, including . three children, died in the incident, and five others managed to swim to safety . The deceased were identified as Gandham Sandhya (9), Gandham Saini (10), Battula Karthik (12) and Konata Chaitanya (28). According to the police, the family members of Gandham Gangayya had gathered at Konuru to spend the final weekend of summer vacation. Gangayya has a son and a daughter, both of them are married. Sandhya and Saini were the daughters of his son, while Karthik was the son of his daughter. Chaitanya, the other person died in the boat capsize, was a relative of Gangayya. After the end of the family reunion, nine members boarded the ill-fated country boat to reach the opposite bank of the river. While getting down after reaching the other side of the river, all the passengers reportedly moved to one side, resulting P4 in the boat capsize.  Raps Israel for striking Beirut and hindering peace efforts, claims a deal is ‘very close’ a gen c i e s @ Dubai US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged no further attacks by anyone after Israel’s military said it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, potentially complicating efforts to finalise a deal to end the US-Iran war. Smoke rose over Dahiyeh in Lebanese capital Beirut, where at least three persons were killed and 16 others wounded. Iran threatened a military response. Trump reacted on social media: “We are very close to a deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon” and “Let’s not blow it!” The deal in its current form is a deep disappointment to Israel’s government, which has been sidelined in negotiations led by Pakistan and others. The last time Israel struck the Beirut suburbs a week ago, it set off the most serious escalation of fighting between Iran and Israel since the tenuous ceasefire took hold April 7. Trump, who had said the deal could be signed Sunday has pressed , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop hitting Lebanon hard while a deal is near, but the prime minister has defied him. Netanyahu’s office said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel. Israel’s military said Hezbollah launched three projectiles, releasing footage where an audible boom was followed by rising smoke. There was no comment from the Iranianbacked Hezbollah. Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a lead negotiator for Tehran, warned the US on X after Israel’s strikes that “if you lack the will and ability to fulfil your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible.” The deal is expected to be signed electronically Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud . Pezeshkian said the country’s highest security authority supports the “path of dialogue”, after hardliners criticised Tehran’s negotiating team in talks with the United States. P9 We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down... Let’s not blow it! Donald Trump, US President Iran warns of attacks Brig General Mohammad Jafar Asadi, deputy commander of Iran’s military command warned that Israel’s strike would not go “unanswered” Putin calls up Trump Russian President Vladimir Putin called US counterpart Donald Trump on Sunday and discussed the wars in Iran and Ukraine, the Kremlin said India Pak a punch in WC opener Opener Smriti Mandhana’s fifty followed by Deepti Sharma’s fifer helped Women in Blue cruise past Pakistan in their opening tie of the T20 WC. A look... Mandhana to the fore PIC: ICC Spinners take charge When Pakistan took two early wickets, it seemed like India were in trouble. But the ever-soconsistent Mandhana, along with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (36), rose to the occasion. Her 44-ball 68 took the team from 18/2 to 109/3 in 63 balls. Richa Ghosh’s (17-ball 34) explosive cameo in the death overs helped India finish with 170/6 One of intriguing things about this WC is the number of used surfaces on offer and how much spinners could control proceedings. India are aware of it as well, fielding three tweakers on Sunday. And it came in handy with Deepti Sharma (5/10), NR Sree Charani (3/21) and Shafali Verma (1/22) taking all nine wickets (one was a run out) as India beat Pakistan by 64 runs. They play Netherlands next on Wednesday Campbelle Shemaine Campbelle has played 154 T20Is for West Indies in 17 years without scoring a fifty. Late on seals it for Saturday night, when they needed her the most against New Zealand, she not just crossed the milestone, Windies but also smashed an unbeaten 62-ball 90 to secure a thrilling win in the penultimate ball of the contest Today’s matches (Southampton): NZ vs SL, 7PM; England vs Ireland, 11PM; Live on Star Sports and JioHotstar Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday elevated the momentum in India-France ties with a strong push for innovation-led growth, positioning India and France as key partners in emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, defence manufacturing, space exploration, and resilient supply chains. Earlier in the day addressing , innovators, investors and entrepreneurs at Bharat Innovates, Modi projected India as a rising innovation powerhouse and called for technology that serves humanity rather than markets alone. “An India that is emerging not merely as a consumer of solutions, but as a contributor of solutions. Here, some are working to transform rural life through AI, while others are using satellite technology to support farmers. Some young innovators are shaping the future through smart cities, advanced manufacturing, and new materials. At the same time, several start-ups are developing new technologies in the fields of defence and secu- India and France also announced creation of a high-level mechanism for realising the goal of doubling bilateral trade in the next five years. The current bilateral trade volume is $16 billion. The two sides also decided to expand the use of UPI at Paris and Nice airports Innovation Roadmap 2030 launched Prime Minister Narendra Modi with French President Emmanuel Macron during ‘Bharat Innovates’ event in France on Sunday | PTI The India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030 seeks to deepen cooperation in critical and emerging technologies as well as startup and incubator ecosystems besides promoting academic mobility and industryacademia linkages, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said rity Modi said. ,” Modi urged startups to build technologies that are “trusted, inclusive and human-centric”. Following extensive discussions covering defence, technology, space, trade, mobility and global affairs, the two sides announced 13 agreements and initiatives aimed at strengthen- vation and more,” Modi said after the meeting. B o t h l e a d e r s rev i ewe d progress under the Horizon 2047 Roadmap and agreed to intensify defence cooperation with a focus on co-design, codevelopment and co-production of advanced platforms and technologies. ing long-term cooperation. “Considering the longstanding friendship between our nations, we have decided to elevate our ties to a Special Global Strategic Partnership. Our talks covered ways to deepen cooperation in key sectors like defence, technology, space, security counter terrorism, inno, Rebel TMC MPs ‘merge’ with regional 2.58L bags of party NCPI, seek separate bloc in LS fertilisers sold online system in six days PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi Claiming the support of 20 of the 28 Lok Sabha MPs of the Trinamool Congress, the party’s rebel lawmakers on Sunday evening met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking recognition as a separate bloc, and said they had merged with a regional outfit, the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). Earlier, TMC parliamentary party leader Abhishek Banerjee wrote to the Speaker, urging that no recognition, status, or facilities be granted to any group claiming to be a separate faction of the party The letter . was submitted to the Speaker by MPs Kirti Azad and Sagarika Ghose on Sunday evening. Speaking to reporters after meeting with the Speaker, rebel MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the faction has merged with NCPI. “It is a regional party We . have merged with it.” When asked if they claim to be the real TMC, he said it would be decided in court. TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said, “We 20 MPs, who were elected from the AITC, have met the Speaker and given him a letter urging him to allow us to sit as a separate bloc. And these 20 MPs, who constitute more than two-thirds of the TMC’s strength, have merged Y B r a h m a j i @ Vijayawada Rebel TMC MPs meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday | Special arrangement Under para 4 of 10th Schedule of the Constitution, MPs or ML As have no freedom to merge with any party. Only the original political party can merge with another party. After such merger, MPs/ MLAs can only ‘agree’ with the merger — Former Lok Sabha secretary-general P D T Achary with the NCPI. We will support the NDA under the leadership of PM Modi,” she said. Before meeting Birla, the dissident camp, including Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy, Satabdi Roy, and Arup Chakraborty huddled together at the residence of Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, with Kakoli Ghosh claiming two more MPs would be coming to their side. In his letter to Speaker Birla, Abhishek Banerjee contended that any merger claim would require both a merger of the political party and the support of two-thirds of legislators, and that satisfying only one of these conditions would not be suffi- cient under the law. Constitutional expert and former Lok Sabha secretary general P D T Achary told this paper that a merger can only take place between two parties —the original political party and another entity “So long as . the MPs continue to be members of TMC, only the political party can merge with another party. That’s the law, the MPs cannot escape the law whether they merge with any other party Achary said. ,” In his letter, Banerjee cited a 2023 Supreme Court ruling saying no set of members can carve out a parallel group and claim independent recognition. Visakhapatnam Airport records 170% passenger traffic rise in a decade U s h a Pe r i @ Visakhapatnam Passenger traffic at the Visakhapatnam International Airport has grown by nearly 170% over the last decade, increasing from 10.98 lakh passengers in 2014-15 to 29.68 lakh in 2025-26.   During the same period, aircraft movements rose from 11,306 to 21,799, according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The airport, operated by AAI, will observe Yatri Suvidha Diwas-2026 on Monday with a series of passenger-oriented and community engagement activities. Originally established as a military airfield during the World War II, the airport began civil operations in 1981, and has since emerged as a key aviation gateway for the region. “It currently offers connectivity to major domestic destinations, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Kurnool and Jeypore, besides an international service to Singapore. The airport also supports regional air connectivity under the Centre’s UDAN scheme,” airport Director N Purushottam said. The airport has undergone infrastructure upgrades in recent years. A terminal expansion commissioned in October 2022 increased the built-up area from 20,000 square metres to around 30,000 square metres, enhancing annual passenger handling capacity from 2.5 mil- lion to 3.6 million. An expanded Security Hold Area with additional seating and boarding facilities became operational in September 2024. “The airport has also introduced several passenger facilitation measures, including Digi Yatra, free public Wi-Fi, wheelchair assistance, tactile pathways, barrier-free access and dedicated passenger support services. Nearly 30% of departing passengers currently use Digi Yatra for seamless travel,” he noted. Cargo operations have registered a steady growth over the years, strengthening the airport’s role in regional trade and logistics. In the area of sustainability, the airport has adopted a 100% green power tariff, rooftop solar power generation, wastewater recycling through a 180 KLD sewage treatment plant and energy-efficient LED lighting systems. Visakhapatnam Airport has also handled major events in recent years, including the International Fleet Review 2026 and the CII Partnership Summit 2025. It was recognised with the All India Rank-3 Clean and Safe Airports Award in the 1.5-5 Million Passenger Category . “As part of Yatri Suvidha Diwas, activities such as passenger interaction programmes, health camps, blood donation, tree plantation, awareness skits by CISF, recognition of frontline staff and a passenger feedback initiative have been planned at the airport,” Purushottam added. The Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Input Management System (APAIMS) online fertiliser distribution mode, launched by the State government to streamline fertiliser distribution, and curb diversion and misuse of urea, has received an overwhelming response from farmers with 46,830 cultivators purchasing 2,58,144 ba gs of fertilisers between June 8 and June 13. Nandyal has emerged as the top district in the State with the sale of 64,142 fertiliser bags, followed by Nellore with 45,436 bags and Kurnool with 39,555 bags. Krishna and Kakinada are outside the present rollout of the system as the two districts come under the purview of the Centre’s pilot fertiliser application programme. The new system has been introduced to ensure that fertilisers recommended for a particular crop are not diverted to others. The initiative is also intended to prevent the misuse of urea for non-agricultural purposes while guaranteeing availability of adequate quantity to farmers. Andhra Pradesh has become the first State in the country to roll out an app-based fertiliser sales policy across 26 districts, enabling farmers to purchase fertilisers from the dealer or outlet of their choice in a transp a r e n t a n d c o nv e n i e n t manner. Addressing concerns raised by some farmers, the Agriculture Department has clarified that Webland and e-Crop databases have already been integrated with the application, and that any missing cultivation details can be updated immediately through the concerned Rythu Seva Kendra or mandal agriculture office. Farmers without e-Crop registration will also continue to get fertilisers with crop details being recorded on the spot.  P4