SAMBALPUR l tuesday l june 23, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l 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 Markfield 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 July 5, 2025 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 Ammonia leak death toll rises to 8, state assures all support E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar/Chennai 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 girls. 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 animation centre. The building houses a pet shop and clinic in the basement, ground, and first floors. The second floor has a library-cum-coaching centre called “Learning Space”, and also housed “Head Hopper Studio,” a 3D Art production and 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 game asset outsourcing centre. Most of those killed were students who had come for internship/work at the gaming studio. Around 35 students were present when the fire broke out. While some managed to escape, several of them jumped off from the second floor, with many locking themselves inside bathrooms to escape the flames. As per fire department sources, the blaze apparently 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. Prime Minister Narendar Modi announced an an ex-gratia of `2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given `50,000. The state has set up an SIT under ADG Praveen Kumar to ascertain the cause of the fire. 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 President, Vice President offer condolences President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Monday condoled the loss of lives in Lucknow. “The news of the deaths of numerous people in the horrific fire accident that occurred in Lucknow is extremely sad,” President Murmu said on X Adityanath promises strict action for lapses Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday evening visited the site of the fire. “Every person responsible will face strict action,” he said before announcing an ex-gratia of `5 lakh for the kin of each deceased The death toll in Sunday’s ammonia gas leak at St Peter & Paul Sea Foods Exports in Tiruvallur district of Tamiul Nadu rose to eight after a 15year-old girl succumbed in a hospital on Monday. All the victims belong to from Keonjhar district and are from Juang tribe. The deceased were identified as Shibani Juang, Phulomani Juang, Geeta Juang, Purnima Juang, Champabati Juang, Parvati Juang, Sita, and the minor girl. All were in their teens and early 20s. For families waiting in Keonjhar district, the pain and anxiety were exacerbated by uncertainty as the identification of some victims proved a heartbreaking challenge. Officials of the Labour and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) department said the bodies of several victims were badly swollen due to exposure to the toxic gas, making visual identification difficult. In some cases, the absence of identity documents has further complicated the process, leaving family members desperate for confirmation about the fate of their loved ones. Apart from the eight fatalities, 29 Odia workers injured in the incident are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Tamil Nadu. Officials said efforts were underway to complete postmortem and identification formalities so that the bodies Doval, Wang review India-China ties, see progress to gradual normalisation J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi India and China on Monday reviewed recent developments in bilateral relations and noted progress towards the gradual normalisation of ties as National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the BRICS National Security Advisers’ meeting in New Delhi. The meeting comes amid a cautious thaw in relations between the two neighbours following the tensions triggered by the 2020 military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Officials described the latest engagement as “constructive and forward-looking,” reflecting continued efforts by both sides to stabilise ties after a series of high-level political, diplomatic and military interactions over the past two years. “NSA Ajit Doval met member of the CPC Political Bu- BRICS NSAs meet Talks between Ajit Doval and Wang Yi took place as India is hosting the two-day BRICS National Security Advisers’ meeting, a preparatory event ahead of the BRICS Leaders’ Summit scheduled to be held in India in September reau and Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, on June 22 on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs’ meeting in New Delhi. The two sides reviewed recent developments in bilateral relations and noted progress towards gradual normalisation,” Exter nal Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement. Highlighting India’s position, Jaiswal said Doval “underlined that stable, predictable and constructive bilateral relations contribute to building of trust and better understanding between the two sides.” “The discussions were constructive and forward-looking,” he added. The Indian dele gation included Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Indian ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami and Deputy National Security Adviser Pavan Kapoor. The Doval-Wang meeting assumes significance as New Delhi and Beijing seek to rebuild confidence after relations hit their lowest point in decades following the 2020 border clashes. Since late 2024, both sides have taken steps to ease tensions, including progress on disengagement and increased diplomatic engagement. @ Bhubaneswar The creation of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) has left the East Coast Railway (ECoR) with 461 km less route length, the just-released system map reveals. The comparison for March and June shows that ECoR’s route network has shrunk from 3,169.48 km to 2,708.16 km, a reduction of 461.32 km translating to nearly 15 per cent. The loss of route length follows the bifurcation of the erstwhile Waltair division and transfer of several sections in Andhra Pradesh to the newlycreated SCoR. Before the restructuring, ECoR comprised the Khurda Road, Sambalpur and Waltair divisions. While Sambalpur division remained unaffected, Khurda Road division lost 53.57 km of railway lines located in Andhra Pradesh. The biggest impact was on the Waltair division, long regarded as one of the most strategically important divisions of Indian Railways because of its high freight earnings from mineral transportation. Following the reorganisation, a substantial portion of the division was transferred to SCoR, leaving ECoR with the newlycreated Rayagada division having a route length of 698.69 km a g ainst Waltair’s earlier 1,106.44 km. The reduction has also widened the gap between ECoR and the new railway zone. While ECoR now has a route length of 2,708.16 km, SCoR begins operations with 3,532.41 km spread across Visakhapatnam, Vij ayaw ad a, Gu n t u r an d Guntakal divisions. The new zone is larger than ECoR by 824.25 km. A similar trend is visible in The government will provide all necessary support to the injured workers and assistance, including compensation as per norms, to the families of the deceased. We also hope strict action will be taken against those responsible after the investigation is completed Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia, Minister could be flown back to Odisha and handed over to their families without further delay . Labour and ESI Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia expressed grief over the deaths and said that, under the instructions of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the government has been in constant touch with the Tamil Nadu administration since the incident came to light. A state team led by Labour and ESI Department Special Secretary Rajesh Agrawala has been de- “Meta invests in CRED, ropes in Shah as WA boss” E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ Bengaluru Iran frustrate Belgium, delight for Egypt 10-man Belgium were held to a goalless draw by Iran while Egypt earned their first ever WC win. WC scoring record for messi Lionel Messi scored against Austria on Monday to become all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history with 17 goals. He is now one ahead of Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16). On Sunday, Mohamed Salah, Mostafa Zico and Trezeguet were on the scoresheet as Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1. Salah, who also had an assist, was declared the Man of the Match. Toil for red devils The Red Devils finished the game with 10 men and struggled to break down a resolute Iranian side. Iran’s Mehdi Taremi had the ball in the net from a clever first-half free-kick that was ruled out by VAR. 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 East Coast Rly loses 461 km route network after SCoR formation E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Workers from Keonjhar break down after hearing the news of a colleague’s death on Monday | Shiba Prasad Sahu puted to Chennai to coordinate relief measures and assist affected workers, he added. “The government will provide all necessary support to the injured workers and assistance, including compensation as per norms, to the families of the deceased. We also hope strict action will be taken against those responsible after the investigation is completed,” Singhkhuntia said. Department sources said post-mortems were conducted at Thiruvallur Medical College and Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Stanley Hospital. Upon completion of all formalities, the bodies will be brought back to their native places with due respect. Additional Labour Commissioner Madan Mohan Paik is coordinating with hospital authorities regarding post-mortem procedures and transportation of the bodies, while Agrawala and another team member, Bhakta Bandhu Acharya, have travelled to Tiruvallur to oversee assistance to the injured. Officials said around 130 workers affected by the incident have been accommodated in nearby community halls where food and other essential facilities have been arranged. The Odisha government is also coordinating with authorities in Chennai and Tiruvallur to ensure medical care, relief and support for the affected workers and their families. running track length. ECoR’s running track network stands at 4,975.83 km compared to SCoR’s 6,455.44 km, leaving the Odisha-based zone with nearly 1,480 km less track under its jurisdiction. After the restructuring, of ECoR’s total route length, 2,350 km lies within Odisha. Only 115.28 km of ECoR’s routes remain in Andhra Pradesh and 242.8 km in Chhattisgarh. The South Eastern Railway has 668.413 km Experts observe that the reorganisation has ended ECoR’s strong footprint in Andhra Pradesh, which had been a defining feature of the zone since its formation in 2003 – Analysts route in the state. In comparison, 97 per cent of Andhra Pradesh’s railway network has been brought under SCoR with just 79.3 km in Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. Analysts observe that the reorganisation has ended ECoR’s strong footprint in Andhra Pradesh, which had been a defining feature of the zone since its formation in 2003. The overall track length in ECoR too has shrunk from 7,429.3 km to 6,072.5 km. TNIE reached out to ECoR general manager Parameshwar Funkwal and CPRO Deepak Rout but their response is awaited. META Platforms has appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah as the global CEO of WhatsApp. Shah replaces Will Cathcart, who has stepped down after the running 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 Bengalurubased 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). blast at LNG facility in qatar kills 13, including Indians 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 At least 13 people of Indian and Pakistani origins were killed when fire tore through a gas supply facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City after a blast on Monday | P9