hubballi 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 32nd-minute goal to gain a 1-1 draw against Morocco in a pulsating, highprofile 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 ayan t h J a c o b @ New Delhi 3 B’luru cops caught taking bribe in Raj E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru In a major embarrassment to the Bengaluru City Police, a woman police sub-inspector and two constables attached to the HAL police station, who had gone to Jaipur to arrest an accused in connection with a dowry harassment case, were trapped by the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Sunday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 at a hotel in the Rajasthan capital. The accused police personnel have been identified as Sub-Inspector Anitha K and Head Constables Ullvappa Tegur and Yateesh, all attached to the HAL Police Station. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield Division) Saidulu Adavath told TNIE that according to preliminary information, a constable was caught red-handed by ACB of ficials in Jaipur, Rajasthan, while accepting a bribe. They are being questioned by the officials, he said. Sources said the Rajasthan ACB received a complaint alleging that a man and his family members were facing a dowry harassment allegations and a case was registered at the HAL police station in Bengaluru. P5 Raps Israel for striking Beirut and hindering peace efforts, claims a deal is ‘very close’ a g en 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 | P11 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 party NCPI, seek separate bloc in LS PR E E TH A N A IR @ 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 Rebel TMC MPs meet Union Minister and BJP leader Bhupender Yadav at his residence, in New Delhi | 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. Rahul ‘undermining’ achievements of India, its people, says Nirmala Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman interacts with a roadside vendor, explaining the minimum loan schemes, in Bengaluru on Sunday | Express Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of “undermining” the achievements of India and its people while targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central government. She said Rahul is “ignoring” India’s achievements even in the face of major crises like Covid and the conflict in West Asia. She clarified that there is no crisis in the country as is being portrayed by Rahul. “Every time the Congress’ Leader of Opposition speaks in the Lok Sabha, it is only to decry everything and undermine the achievements of the people of India, thinking that he is undermining Prime Minister Modi or the Central government,” she said. She was addressing party functionaries during the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Samavesha in the city to celebrate 12 years of BJP rule in the country under Modi’s leadership. She said Rahul constantly says everything is going to crumble in the next few weeks Parts of K’taka under yellow alert for 2 days E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru Maligning Centre A g en c i e s @ B en g a l u r u Rain forecast and there is a big disaster waiting to happen, but there is no disaster waiting. “On the contrary, quarter after quarter, year after year India is the fastest growing economy,” she underlined. It is not the Central government that is claiming India is the fastest-growing economy, but GDP numbers indicate this. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), too, said India is growing, she added. She alleged that repeated criticism by Rahul could create a false perception among citizens about the country’s eco- nomic condition. “Yet, he and his party continue to undermine India. They try to make people believe that India is in trouble. Even amid crises in West Asia and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, India continues to move forward,” she said. Explaining the impact of geopolitical tensions on fuel supplies and global trade, Sitharaman said the challenges extended beyond fluctuations in crude oil and LPG prices. “These challenges affect not only crude oil and LPG prices, but also global shipping,” she said.  P4 Bengaluru has been placed under a yellow alert for the next three days, with weather officials forecasting light to heavy rainfall across the city Cloudy . skies and intermittent showers are expected to persist, accompanied with thunderstorms. Other parts of Karnataka too have a yellow alert issued for the next two days, as monsoon is active in the region. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), light to heavy rain accompanied by thundershowers and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph is likely in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural, until Wednesday. Maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are likely to remain around 29 degrees Celsius and 21 degrees Celsius, respectively . In coastal Karnataka, heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on Monday , and again on Wednesday and Thursday. Uttara Kannada is expected to receive light to moderate rainfall at most places during the period. The IMD has also issued a heavy rainfall warning for south-interior Karnataka from Monday to Thursday. Kodagu, Hassan and Mysuru districts are likely to witness heavy rainfall on Monday. Heavy showers are also forecast over Kodagu and Chitradurga till Wednesday The weather office . said conditions remain favourable for the further advance of the southwest monsoon into the remaining parts of Karnataka and adjoining regions over the next four to five days. No major change in temperatures is expected across the state, though maximum temperatures are likely to dip gradually during the next five days. Residents in rain-prone areas have been advised to remain cautious due to the possibility of waterlogging, reduced visibility and traffic disruptions during periods of intense rainfall.