SAMBALPUR l wednesday l june 17, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l 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 reliable inputs critical for farmers 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 ■ ■ 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” 20% 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 G7 Summit Israel’s war on Lebanon has gone too far, says Trump A g e n 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 killed.” Without the According to United Iran, the peace States, there deal includes would be no Israel. Israel’s exit from Lebanon. Without me, there would Israel’s contin- be no Israel, ued attacks on because no Lebanon could other jeopardise the president pact, which is was willing scheduled to be to do what I did signed in Switz e r l a n d o n Donald Trump 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 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 Hampi for Konark, Vidhan Soudha for on trust deficit, Odisha Assly: 1,600 errors and counting lack of respect for global law Sudarsan Maharana @ Bhubaneswar J aya n t 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. , ,” Hurdle to solidarity Modi identified the “lack of respect for international law” as the biggest hurdle to building international solidarity. “We, in India, view the world as one family. Our experience shows that development is most effective when it is connected to the aspirations of people.” Strategic asset “Mutual trust is the most important strategic asset today. But, sadly, today, the world does not suffer from a shortage of resources — it suffers from a shortage of trust. And the future of our partnerships depends on rebuilding this trust,” PM Modi said IN a shocking incident, a 17year-old girl from Chhattisgarh was allegedly gangraped at knifepoint, just 200 metres from the Kendrapara SP’s office at Jajanga in the district headquarters town on Monday night. This is the third such instance of sexual assault in the state in the last 36 hours. The crime came to light on Tuesday after the girl’s mother, a native of Raipur district in Chhattisgarh, lodged a complaint with Kendrapara Sadar police. Two persons have been detained for their alleged involvement in the incident, said police. In her complaint, the mother The textbook pages which feature the glaring factual inaccuracies A lesson in errors  Total errors detected: 1,678  Classes covered: I to VIII  Books prepared under: NEP 2020 framework Printing the books within such a limited timeframe might have led to some errors. However, steps are being taken to address the issue. Officials have also been directed to ensure that such errors do not recur in the future  Printed and distributed statewide Nityananda Gond, School and Mass Education Minister  Worst affected: Class VIII  Errors in Class VIII textbooks: 705 jects ranging from Odia and English to Social Science. Among the blunders, a picture of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hampi has been featured in place of Odisha’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Konark Sun Temple. Simi- Telegram app banned till NEET-UG re-exam to curb cheating, rumours R a k e 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. 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. Industry experts see the move as an attempt to shut down Telegram. According to the Internet Freedom Foundation, “switching off Telegram is a deflection from repeated failures, which will continue while media attention is directed towards the ban.” express read BJP may put in place new teams 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 17-year-old C’garh teen gangraped at knifepoint in Kendrapara town As h i s S e n a pat i @ Kendrapara From an image of the iconic Stone Chariot at Hampi’s Vijaya Vitthala Temple being used in place of the Konark Sun Temple to a picture of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly replacing the Odisha Assembly, and even Berhampur being presented as a district, the state government has come under scrutiny over more than 1,600 errors in textbooks prescribed for Classes I to VIII this academic session. The new textbooks, revised and published in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, have been found to contain a significant number of errors, including grammatical mistakes, incorrect identification of landmarks, wrong tribal nomenclature and geographical inaccuracies. A total of 1,678 factual and typographical errors have so far been detected in textbooks for Classes I to VIII at the elementary level, with Class VIII textbooks accounting for the highest number of inaccuracies at 705. The errors span sub- The statement of the minor girl was recorded. After examining CCTV footage from nearby areas, two suspects aged 30 and 34 years were detained Sidhartha Kataria, Kendrapara SP said her daughter had gone to answer the nature’s call in the night. Two miscreants, in an inebriated condition, forcefully took the minor to a secluded field near their temporary tent on the Kendrapara-Chandabali state highway and allegedly gangraped her at knifepoint. The accused also assaulted her when she tried to resist them. They threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident, she alleged. Police said the survivor and her parents sold brooms in the area and were staying in a roadside tent for the last three months. Kendrapara SP Sidhartha Kataria said acting on the complaint, police registered a case under sections 70, 76, 115(2), 351(3) of BNS and section 6 of the POCSO Act, 2012. “A scientific team inspected the crime scene. The statement of the minor girl was recorded under section 180 of the BNSS. After examining CCTV footage from nearby areas, two suspects aged 30 and 34 years were detained. They are being interrogated,” he said. Meanwhile, opposition political parties BJD and Congress came down heavily on the administration over the Continued on P5 incident.  2 engineers ‘forge’ signature, booked New Delhi: Amid growing speculation over a major organisational overhaul within the BJP, senior party leaders and representatives of the RSS held a four-hour meeting at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence on Monday evening. The discussions reportedly focused on aspects of the party’s organisational restructuring and the formation of a new team under BJP national president Nitin Nabin | P7 Bhubaneswar: Two assistant executive engineers (AEEs) have been accused of forging the signature and official demi-official (DO) pad of Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi to secure transfers to blocks of their choice. A police complaint has been lodged at the Capital Police Station against Monalisa Behera and Laxman Hembram, both posted in Keonjhar district | P5 tie, tie... let’s go: Big upsets draw attention This World Cup has thrown quite a few early surprises with lower ranked teams showing more resistance and spunk than their more illustrious counterparts. Though 5 days and 16 matches of football until June 16 morning, underdogs are the flavour of the week. Here are a look at some talking points... 0-0 2-2 1-1 The biggest win (figuratively) of all saw Cape Verde managing to thwart Spanish attack and secure 0-0 draw. Spain are ranked 2 and are considered as one of the favourites while Cape Verde are ranked No 67 New Zealand, at No 85, are the lowestranked team out of the 48 qualifiers, but they held No 20 Iran to a draw 4 Ronaldo in action Cristiano Ronaldo will be in action, his sixth World Cup, late on Wednesday when Portugal takes on Democratic Republic of Congo. They are in Group K along with Colombia and Uzbekistan. England, one of the favourites World Cup, will open campaign against Croatia. No 61 Saudi Arabia held No 16 Uruguay 1-1 No 29 Egypt tied No 9 Belgium 1-1 All four matches on Monday/Tuesday (India time) ended in draws -the most in a single day of men’s WC play since 1958 Today’s matches (IST): Group L: England vs Croatia (1:30AM); Ghana vs Panama (4:30AM). Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo (10:30 PM); Uzbekistan vs Colombia (7:30AM). New Zealand players celebrate with teammates after scoring his team’s second goal during Group G match against Iran at Los Angeles Stadium larly, a photograph of Karnataka’s Vidhan Soudha has been erroneously printed as the Odisha Legislative Assembly in a Class VIII Social Science textbook. Geographical and cultural references have also been misrepresented, with the state’s Niyamgiri Hills being mentioned as being located in Jharkhand and the Dongria tribe being referred to as “Dongaria”. Similarly, Berhampur city has been identified as a district, while spelling errors have also been found in the names of eminent personalities printed in various books. There are also a significant number of grammatical errors in Odia, English and other textbooks. For instance, “greatest” is spelt as “gretest” in an English textbook. According to the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA), the textbooks were prepared by the State Council of Educational Re s e a r c h a n d T r a i n i n g (SCERT) as an “Experimental Edition” for the academic session 2026-27 in line with NEP Continued on P5 2020.  Govt bans sale of cough syrups without prescription Cough syrups will no longer be sold over the counter | p RAVIKUMAR K A V ITA B A J E L I - DATT @ 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 regulatory standards,” officials said. Welcoming the gover nment’s decision, Dr Kuldeep Kumar Grover, associate director, pulmonology 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.