hyderabad l wednesday l june 17, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION El Nino to hit 12 states severely, govt calls for contingency plan The impact of El Nino weather phenomenon, linked with a weaker monsoon in India, is likely to be “severe” in 12 states, including UP and TN weak monsoon across majority of states El Nino is a climate phenomenon linked to weaker monsoons. As per IMD, El Nino conditions are present over the equatorial Pacific Ocean and expected to strengthen during the southwest monsoon season. Other states likely to be impacted are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, MP, Jharkhand and Maharashtra ■ 20% reliable inputs critical for farmers ■ Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed states to identify vulnerable districts and prepare crop-wise contingency plans so that farmers can be provided with options, advice and assistance Chouhan said the government’s priority is to ensure farmers receive “reliable, and solution-oriented messages based on scientific inputs” cut in Mumbai water supply for commercial usage due to low storage 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 CBC 22201/13/0015/2627 Record Defence Exports enhancing India's pride Defence Items Delisted from Imports, Boosting indigenous defence industry Vishwas ke, Vikas ke, Jan-Kalyan ke G7 Summit Israel’s war on Lebanon has gone too far, says Trump Agen c i e s @ Evian-les-Bains (France) A day after the US and Iran announced an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday panned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his aggressive military campaign in Lebanon causing civilian casualties, urging him to be “more responsible” in the way he fights Hezbollah. “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody There are lots . of people in those apartments… and they’re not all Hezbollah,” he said. Speaking to reporters in France at the G7 Summit, Trump said Israel’s war with Hezbollah has gone too far and “too many people are being Without the killed.” United According to States, there Iran, the peace would be no Israel. deal includes Israel’s exit Without me, there would from Lebanon. be no Israel, Israel’s continbecause ued attacks on no other Lebanon could president jeopardise the was willing to do what pact, which is I did scheduled to be signed in Donald Trump Switzerland on Friday . Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday said Israel’s continued occupation of southern Lebanon would violate the deal. Netanyahu, who is under tremendous pressure ahead of elections in October, has rejected the peace deal saying Israel is not part of it. Cautioning Netanyahu against defying his directions, Trump said: “Without me, there would be no Israel… no other president was willing to do what I did. Israel would have been blown up a long time ago, had I not gotten involved.” Terming the Hezbollah threat ‘minor’, Trump described the Iran-backed militant outfit in Lebanon as “the little pinprick out there that constantly rears its head”. Israel invaded southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles during the first week of the war. Since then, it has been striking targets deep inside Beirut.  P9 PM plain speak on trust deficit, lack of respect for global law J aya nt h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told G7 leaders that global partnerships can succeed only when they are founded on trust, stressing that the world today suffers not from a shortage of resources but from a shortage of trust. Calling for renewed international solidarity in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, Modi said mutual trust is the most important strategic asset and warned that disregard for international law remains the biggest obstacle to building global cooperation. He highlighted that dialogue and diplomacy must be prioritised to ensure peace, stability and stronger international partnerships. The remarks came shortly after Modi was seen exchanging a handshake and a brief conversation with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit. The interaction, ahead of a scheduled bilateral meeting between the two leaders on Wednesday, drew attention amid ongoing discussions on trade, technology , security and geopolitical challenges. Addressing the Outreach Session on “Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity ,” Modi, seated next to Trump, said that while global interdependence has increased, confidence among nations has eroded. “In a world that is getting more interconnected and interdependent than ever before, this subject becomes all the more vital. But partnerships can succeed only when they are founded on trust,” Modi said. A major focus of Modi’s address was the need to redefine engagement with developing countries and the Global South. He said nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America were looking for equal partnerships rather than traditional aid arrangements. “The Global South has immense expectations from the world. More than support, it seeks partnership. We must move beyond the donor-recipient mindset and work as equal partners. We must walk together and not merely alongside one another. Partnerships must be linked to dignity not dependency he said. , ,” Protect seafarers Modi said it’s important that sea lanes are kept safe and seafarers are able to perform their duties without any fear. “It is our responsibility to protect the seafarers,” he said while welcoming progress in the peace talks Indian lives lost “Due to this conflict, our friendly countries in West Asia have suffered loss of life and property. The world economy was damaged... Many Indian civilians had to lose their lives,” the prime minister said I did not block funds for Metro expansion: Kishan CM writes to Kishan, asks for release of IRFC loan E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Asserting that neither he nor the BJP-led Union government had ever acted against the interests of Telangana, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday countered Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s allegations by stating that Metro proposals would be assessed on technical and financial parameters, as was done in other cities, and would not be influenced by individual opinions. Referring to the Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) loan issue, Kishan said the Telangana government had entered into an agreement for `13,500 crore and that the matter was primarily between the two parties. He said he had discussed the issue with Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday morning and informed him about the chief minister’s allegations regarding the halting of the loan. According to Kishan, Khattar told him that there was a difference of opinion over the loan repayment conditions. According to Kishan, the Centre’s view was that Metro revenues should first be utilised for operational and maintenance expenditure, while the state prioritised loan repayments. He said metro projects generally prioritise operational and maintenance expenditure before loan repayments and argued that financial sustainability should remain the primary consideration. He stressed that the matter required further discussions and should not be politicised. On Metro Phase-II, he said the chief minister had met Khattar several times and that certain modifications had been suggested. He maintained that such issues should be resolved through discussions between the Centre and the state government rather than through public accusations.  continued on P5 Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has written to Union Minister G Kishan Reddy urging the Union government to fast-track , approvals for Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase-II and ensure the release of a sanctioned loan from the Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC). He has also sought an immediate meeting with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to discuss the pending approvals and funding issues. In an open letter released to the media on Saturday Revanth said , the 69-km Metro Phase-I network has been serving Hyderabad commuters well. With the city expanding rapidly , the Telangana government has proposed Phase-II, comprising seven corridors covering 122.9 km at an estimated cost of `38,595 crore. The chief minister said the state had addressed concerns raised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs over the private operating model of Phase-I and the institutional structure proposed for Phase-II. To ensure the entire metro network functions as a single integrated system, the state has decided to acquire Phase-I, he added. According to the letter, the acquisition involves a transaction valued at `15,000 crore, including `1,461.47 crore for equity acquisition and `13,538.53 crore for refinancing project debt. Revanth said the process was carried out transparently by a state-appointed committee that included UPMRCL managing director Sushil Kumar as the Union government’s nominee. He noted that IRFC had completed due diligence and signed the loan agreement. The state government has provided a guarantee for the loan and agreed to a direct debit mechanism through the Reserve Bank of India.  continued on P5 Telegram app banned till NEET-UG re-exam to curb cheating, rumours R a ke s h K u m a r @ New Delhi THE government on Tuesday temporarily restricted access to the Telegram messaging app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) saying the measure was aimed at tackling cheating rackets and misinformation. Interestingly, the government has directed Apple and Google to remove the messaging app from their app stores rather than merely disable it. This means users will not be able to download Telegram from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store until further orders. Today’s matches (IST): Group L: England vs Howdy trump Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with US President Donald Trump before the plenary session at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday | AP Croatia (1:30AM); Ghana vs Panama (4:30AM). Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo (10:30 PM); Uzbekistan vs Colombia (7:30AM). Govt bans sale of cough syrups without prescription K AVI TA B A J E L I - DAT T @ New Delhi THE Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has amended rules to prohibit sale of cough syrups without a doctor’s prescription. The decision comes months after contaminated cough syrups caused deaths in India and abroad. “The measure is expected to promote responsible distribution and sale of cough syrups while ensuring greater compliance with re gulatory standards,” officials said. We l c o m i n g t h e government’s decision, Dr Kuldeep Kumar Grover, associate d i r e c t o r, pulmonolog y and critical care at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, said: “A cough can be a symptom of other serious conditions, such as infections, asthma, and allergies. Prescription-based access encourages proper evaluation, accurate treatment, and safer medication use.” Dr Mohsin Wali, senior consultant and head of preventive cardiology at Pacific One Health, said some African countries reported deaths due to cough syrups from India that contained industrial solvent. “This brought a bad name to our country he ,” said. Dr Meena J, senior consultant, paediatrics and neonatology at Aakash Healthcare, Delhi said making syrups prescription-only will encourage parents to consult a doctor before giving their children medicines. Indians top users of app Founded by Pavel and Nikolai Durov in 2013 and headquartered in Dubai, Telegram is used by roughly 40 million Indians, accounting for about 10.4% of the platform’s global user base NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the restriction on Telegram till June 22 was part of efforts to ensure that the June 21 re-test is conducted without malpractice. “We will not let anything go wrong,” Singh told PTI. According to NTA, some channel administrators allegedly misused the message-editing feature and inserted actual question papers while retaining the original timestamp, thereby creating misleading “evidence” of pre-exam paper leaks. In a post on X, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Telegram removed hundreds of channels sharing leaked exam material in India. “We are also making the edit label more visible to prevent backdating scams. Banning it even temporarily is a mistake,” he said. HC stays inclusion of rtd judge’s lands in prohibited list T G N a i d u @ Hyderabad The Telangana High Court has granted interim relief to retired judge Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili and his brother Ashok Kumar Shavili by suspending proceedings of the Rangareddy district collector that brought their lands under the prohibited properties list maintained under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908. The petitioners challenged the collector’s Form-I proceedings, contending that the inclusion of their lands in the prohibited list was arbitrary and unconstitutional, besides violating Articles 14 and 300A of the Constitution and the provisions of the Registration Act.  CONTInued on p3 ACB unearths assets worth `150 cr in raid on survey official en s @ Hyderabad The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday conducted raids at multiple locations linked to Survey and Land Records (Multi Zone II) Deputy Director Sunkari Narahari for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. During searches, officials detected documents relating to five open plots in Rangareddy district, 1.24 acres of agricultural land at Maheshwaram, a 2,500sq-ft flat in a high-rise building at Puppalaguda, two flats measuring 1,860 sq ft each in a highrise complex at Narsingi, and a 1,377-sq-ft flat at Rajendranagar. The officials also identified a G+3 building at TNGOs Colony , Gachibowli, and a G+2 residential building at Chatrinaka. Bundles of cash found by the ACB in the house of Deputy Director of Survey and Land Records Sunkari Narahari (inset) The ACB further recovered approximately `1.54 crore in cash, bank deposits worth `2.29 crore, fixed deposits valued at `5.04 crore, gold ornaments weighing around 1.3 kg, and 8 kg of silver from the official’s residence. A luxury car was also found during the searches. Officials detected two bank lockers held in the name of Na- rahari’s wife. The lockers will be opened as part of the ongoing investigation. According to the ACB, the total value of assets detected during the searches stands at `13.05 crore based on documented values. However, the market value of the immovable properties is expected to be over `150 crore.