HYDERABAD l tuesday l june 23, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION UK PM Keir Starmer latest to exit 10 downing street revolving door Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday, becoming the sixth UK prime minister to step down before the end of tenure since 2016 Keir Starmer Andy Burnham Labour drubbing in local polls sealed fate Oversaw conclusion of India FTA Pressure had been building on Starmer to step down amid domestic policy U-turns, ministerial resignations and a scandal over his decision to appoint a known associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as the British ambassador to Washington. A trouncing for the Labour Party in the local and regional elections held on May 7 proved the final straw ■ ■ Labour politician Andy Burnham, who last week won the crucial by-election in Makerfield is the frontrunner to replace Starmer As UK PM, Starmer oversaw the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement with India. He brought a large business delegation to Mumbai last year, signalling his desire for closer business ties Jul 5, 2024 When starmer became the prime minister of the United Kingdom 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 Suspected AC defect leads to massive blaze in 3-storey building, PM offers `2L ex gratia Meta invests in CRED, ropes in Shah as WA boss Pa d m i n i D h r u v a r a j @ Bengaluru Students among 15 burnt alive in UP blaze N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow AT least 15 people, mostly students between 22 and 27 years, were charred to death after a fire broke out in a three-storey commercial building in a posh Lucknow neighbourhood on a busy Monday afternoon. The list of the deceased includes four women. Late in the night, police arrested three persons—Ramakrishna Upadhyay, Virendra Prasad Shukla, and T K Jaiswal after filing an FIR. The FIR pertains to negligence and violations linked to the fire. Four officials were suspended too. Most of the victims were trapped on the second floor of the building located on Usha Mehta Marg in Aliganj in north Lucknow, where students were attending classes at an anima- The fire broke out suddenly. It was an animation centre. It seems that the children ran towards the backside but couldn’t survive Brajesh Pathak, Deputy CM, UP tion centre. The ill-fated building housed a pet shop and a clinic in the basement, ground, and first floors. The second floor had a library-cum-coaching centre called ‘Learning Space’, and also housed ‘Head Hopper Studio’, a 3D Art production and game asset outsourcing centre. Most of those killed were students who had come for internship/work at the gaming stu- dio. Around 35 students were present when the fire broke out. While some managed to escape, several of them had to jump from the second floor, while many locked themselves inside bathrooms in a bid to save themselves. As per fire department sources, the blaze originated in the pet shop in the basement due to a short circuit in an air-conditioner around 2.30 pm, and spread rapidly before engulfing the building. “A total of 22 people were brought to the Trauma Centre of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) following the incident. Of them, 15 were declared brought dead, while five injured were admitted for treatment,” King George Medical University PRO Prof K K Singh told the media. Rescue efforts (L) in progress at the site of the fire in Lucknow; and videograb of students sliding down a cable (above) to save themselves | PTI/Express UP sets up SIT to probe cause of fire The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a Special Investigation Team under Additional Director General Praveen Kumar to ascertain the cause of the fire. The SIT has been tasked with submitting its findings within seven days Adityanath promises strict action for lapses Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Monday evening said every person responsible will face strict action. He announced ex gratia of `5 lakh for the kin of each deceased, while PM Narendra Modi offered `2 lakh each META Platforms has appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah as the global CEO of WhatsApp. Shah replaces Will Cathcart, who has stepped down after running the messaging platform for seven years. As part of the deal, the US tech giant will invest about `8,550 crore, or $900 million, in the Bengaluru-based fintech company . The investment, which will be made through a mix of primary and secondary share purchases, values CRED at `43,239 crore or $4.5 billion. Meta will be a minority investor in CRED and will not receive access to customer information, the company said. Shah will step away from his operating role at CRED while retaining his personal shareholding. Miten Sampat, who has led strategy and finance at the company since 2020, will become CRED’s interim chief executive. The board is working on a leadership structure as CRED prepares for a public listing. Announcing the appointment, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said: “Kunal Shah will join Meta as WhatsApp’s next leader. Kunal built CRED into one of India’s most important technology companies, and he brings the kind of builder mentality and global perspective that will serve him well in running the world’s biggest messaging app.” Shah said: “While it’s come very far, the delta between WhatsApp today and its full potential is massive.” Shah’s appointment marks a significant addition to the growing list of Indian-origin executives steering the world’s most influential technology companies such as Google (Sundar Pichai) and Microsoft (Satya Nadella). Submit enumeration form or risk deletion from voters list Messi’s one, scores two: Record 18 for Leo Lionel Messi became the leading scorer in World Cup history, taking his tally to 18 goals in Dallas argentina enter next round Messi had equalled Miroslav Klose’s mark of 16 goals last week. He started with a penalty miss on Monday but redeemed himself later. He made it 17 when he swept home after 38 minutes in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria. He put the icing on the cake in the 95th minute. In the process, Argentina booked a spot in the next round Today’s matches: Group K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan (10.30 PM), Colombia vs DR Congo (7.30 AM*). Group L: England vs Ghana (1.30 AM*), Panama vs Croatia (4.30 AM*) *IST Wednesday Live on United8 Sports & ZEE5 S B a c h a n J ee t S i n g h @ Hyderabad Voters who do not submit their enumeration forms to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) by July 24 across Telangana may find their names missing from the draft electoral rolls to be published on July 31, Hyderabad District Electoral Officer RV Karnan cautioned on Monday . Addressing a press conference on Monday Karnan said the Special Inten, sive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will be carried out across the state between June 25 and July 24. Printed enumeration forms will be distributed by BLOs to all registered voters during the house-to-house verification exercise. Voters are required to fill in the forms and return them to the BLOs. “If the signed enumeration form is not submitted, the elector’s name will not appear in the draft electoral roll,” Karnan cautioned, urging voters not to wait until the deadline and to return the forms as soon as possible to avoid a last-minute rush.  continued on p4 SIR in motion n House-to-house distribution and collection of enumeration forms: June 25–July 24 n Draft electoral rolls published: July 31 n Claims and objections period: July 31–August 30 n Verification, hearings and disposal of claims: July 31–September 28 n Final electoral rolls published: October 1 n Every existing voter will receive a pre-filled enumeration form from the BLO n The form can be signed either by the voter or a family member n Voters can also download and submit forms online through the ECI portal or mobile app n If a house is found locked, BLOs will make up to three visits to collect the form n New voters will be provided Form-6 and Form-8, along with the required declaration forms Kunal Shah Investor, serial entrepreneur A prominent face of India’s tech ecosystem for two decades, Kunal Shah has invested in hundreds of early-stage startups. Before CRED, he founded Freecharge, one of India’s early digital payments ventures What is CRED? CRED, based in Bengaluru, is a fintech platform that enables users to manage their credit card payments and earn rewards. It is a members-only service that rewards highearners for timely credit card payments Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy share a lighter moment with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during a meeting in New Delhi on Monday Talks with rly minister positive: CM E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday said discussions with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on securing a loan from the Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) for the takeover of Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase-I from L&T were positive. The chief minister, accompanied by Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy met , the railway minister in New Delhi. The meeting lasted for nearly three hours. Later, speaking to reporters, Revanth said the discussions had progressed positively. He also announced that he would meet Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday morning to further discuss the matter. It may be recalled that the IRFC has not yet disbursed the loan amount of `13,600 crore despite signing an agreement with the Telangana government in May . The chief minister had alleged that Kishan was responsible for the delay in the loan disbursement. He had also written to the Centre seeking cooperation in the state’s proposed takeover of Metro Phase-I and the implementation of Metro Phase-II. Recently, Revanth wrote to Kishan requesting him to arrange a meeting with the railway minister to discuss the issue. However, it remains unclear whether Monday’s meeting with Vaishnaw was arranged by Kishan. 12 Indians killed in Qatar natural gas unit blast E x p r ess N e ws Se rv i c e @ New Delhi As many as 12 Indians were killed in a massive explosion at Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex on Sunday night as workers tried to resume operations there, months after it was bombed during the recent West Asia war. In all, there were 13 casualties, which included a Pakistani national. The Indian embassy in Qatar said: “Qatari authorities have confirmed that 12 Indian nationals have unfortunately passed away in the Ras Laffan incident yesterday night. We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for the departed.” Over 60 others were reported injured in the blast. The injured were from several countries, including India, Qatar, Tanzania, Pakistan, Guinea, Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya and Nigeria, local media reported. However, all the injured Indians were stable and receiving treatment, the embassy’s statement said. “Qatari authorities have also confirmed that all those who got injured in the incident are in stable condition and are receiving appropriate medical treatment. Our Embassy is working in close contact with the Qatari authorities to extend all possible help to the Indian nationals and their families affected by this incident, including ensuring that mortal remains of the deceased are sent to India at the earliest,” it said. QatarEnergy said the blast occurred during the start-up of operations at the Barzan local gas supply facility. The plant had a capacity of almost 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day which Qatar , used for electricity generation and to power its water desalination plants. “I would like to emphasize that this was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature,” Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi told a news conference Monday afternoon in Doha, Qatar’s capital. No leaks were detected as a result of the accident. A probe is on. Express Read Anti-drug panels to be a must in edu institutions Hyderabad: Strengthening the state government’s fight against the menace of drugs, Telangana DGP CV Anand on Monday announced a GO will soon be issued, mandating the formation of Anti-Drugs and Safety Committees in all educational institutions. Speaking at the inauguration of Anti-Drug Awareness Week here, Anand warned that institutions failing to set up the committees could face action, including cancellation of licences by the Education department | P3 SBI calculates potential ICC frames pregnancy policy to facilitate healthy comeback loss, reminds CS of ties cricket with care g o me s h s @ Chennai In a first, the International Cricket Council has formulated a framework that will assist female cricketers return to sport post pregnancy. The new policy called Return to Play Post Pregnancy Guidelines aims to provide systemic support to athletes through the period of pregnancy and return to play . The eight-page document has been prepared in a general format to be used by all ICC Member nation subject to the coun- try’s own local legislation or regulations. “No player should have to choose between motherhood and representing her country at the highest level,” ICC Chair Jay Shah said in a statement. One of the highlights was each board appointing a dedicated case manager (a doctor or physiotherapist) for each player and will serve as primary point of contact. While countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England and Pakistan already have a maternity policy in R e t u r n -t o - p l ay The decision to announce a pregnancy is always at the discretion of the mother and there should be no mandate from the board to ask for a pregnancy test The 6Rs framework: Ready (0-6 weeks), Review (6-8 weeks), Restore (8-16 weeks), Recondition (12-16+ weeks), Return and Refine place, the BCCI is yet to have dedicated guidelines for women cricketers. After pregnancy the , ICC has formulated a 6Rs framework: “Ready (0-6 weeks), Re- No fixed gestational age to stop playing, player to decide that in consultation with doctors To ensure key access and wellbeing services through pregnancy and postpartum period Access to medical staff, physios, S&C coaches and psychologist view (6-8 weeks), Restore (8-16 weeks), Recondition (12-16+ weeks), Return and Refine” India cricketer Sneha Deepthi, who made a comeback at do- mestic level for Andhra seveneight months after giving birth to her daughter Kriva Philip in 2021, welcomed the new guidelines. “I feel the policy is really good, it will help women to have a family and also play the sport she loves,” Sneha told this daily . “It is really important to have professional help rather than just medical help. You need help like trainer, physios, and medical staff from the start of the pregnancy In my case it was not . easy. It was Covid time, there was very little medical help, so it made my comeback journey very difficult.” Manda Ravinder Reddy @ Hyderabad With the Telangana government threatening to review its financial relations with the State Bank of India (SBI) over the Raidurg land auction controversy senior officials of the , bank have urged the state not to take any hasty decisions. A delegation led by SBI chief general manager, Hyderabad Circle, met Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao at the Secretariat on Monday During the 30. minute meeting, the officials discussed the dispute arising from the auction of a 5.09-acre land parcel at Hyderabad Knowledge City in Raidurg Panmaktha village of Rangareddy district by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) on June 1. Sources said the state government has begun compiling details of its bank accounts as well as salary accounts of employees, a move seen as a precursor to withdrawing deposits and shifting accounts to other banks. Against this backdrop, the SBI delegation urged the chief secretary to reconsider any punitive action against the bank.  continued on P4