Selecao survive scare, edge past Japan 2-1 When Japan’s Kaishu Sano made the first strike it came as a vital blow for Brazil. But Casemiro rose to the occasion, heading the equaliser before Gabriel Martinelli scored in injury time Today's matches (IST) kochi l tuesday l june 30, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Gabriel Martinelli (22) of Brazil celebrates with teammates after scoring | AP | P11 Norway vs Ivory Coast 10.30 PM, France vs Sweden 2.30 AM*, Mexico vs Ecuador 6.30 AM*(*Wednesday). 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 Ayodhya Police question Rai for 2 hrs WB okays law on N a m i ta B a i pa i @ Lucknow As part of the probe being carried out by the three-member Special Investigation Team into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple, the Ayodhya Police have recorded the statement of the former General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, sources said on Monday . A police team, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Policerank officer, questioned Rai for more than two hours, sources said. Investigators reportedly sought detailed information on the entire donation manage- ment process—from the receipt ‘Heavens won’t fall’: of cash and valuables offered SC on urgent plea by devotees, the counting proc- A Supreme Court bench refused to hold ess, their safekeeping, to their an urgent hearing on a plea seeking a eventual deposit in designated time-bound probe by a CBI-led multibank accounts. disciplinary team into the allegations. Sources said the interroga- It said the matter will be listed for tion was aimed at understand- hearing when the court reopens after summer break on July 13. “Heavens ing the institutional mechare not going to fall. What is the anism governing temple urgency,” the bench observed donations, identifying the responsibilities of various officials at difalleged embezzlement. ferent stages of the Meanwhile, a special process, and examincourt in Ayodhya reing if any procemanded all eight dural lapses accused to 14 might have credays of judiated opportucial custody CHAMPAT RAI nities for the after the po- lice chose not to seek their custody . In another development, the Faizabad Bar Association, in its general body meeting held on Monday, resolved not to defend any of the accused. A resolution was passed that any member who would try to plead on behalf of any of the accused would be slapped with a penalty of `5 lakh. Lawyers also demanded that Rai, Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rao leave Ayodhya. If the trio did not leave within three days, the entire city would be brought to a standstill, a siege would be laid, and no one would be allowed to enter, they warned. ONOE bill: JPC may miss deadline p r e e t h a n a i r @ New Delhi neet-ug retest results likely by July 20, say officials The National Testing Agency plans to declare NEET-UG 2026 retest results before July 20, but will have to respond to 10,000 challenges sent by students to the answer keys released last week, sources said 16 pages, including 4 pages of kochi Express THE Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining bills seeking to introduce simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies is unlikely to submit its report during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, according to sources. Though the Lok Sabha had extended the tenure of the panel until the last day of the monsoon session, the committee is yet to complete its nationwide consultations and is expected to require more time before finalising its recommendations, sources privy to the developments said. The delay is significant amid speculation that the Centre is keen to push crucial constitutional amendment bills such as Unlikely before 2034 The JPC, which will visit the Delhi Assembly on Wednesday to interact with stakeholders, has so far visited 10 states. The panel chairman has hinted that even if the legislative process is completed, simultaneous elections are unlikely before 2034 Delimitation exercise and the ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) bill during the monsoon session of Parliament, ex- pected to begin in the third week of July . The 39-member JPC led by BJP MP P P Chaudhary is cur, rently reviewing the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.The bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2024, was sent to the Joint Committee of both Houses for further examination. The Centre has maintained that holding simultaneous elections would reduce the financ i a l bu rd e n o f f re q u e n t elections. However, opposition parties have raised concerns ove r i t s i m p a c t o n t h e federal structure and the constitutional rights of state governments. arrest without trial for a year s u b h e n d u m a i t i @ Kolkata IN a significant move to crack down on organised crime and public disorder, the newly formed BJP government in West Bengal led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday introduced the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, in the Assembly . The legislation empowers authorities to detain individuals suspected of anti-social activities for up to 12 months without trial. Under the bill, a DM, Police Commissioner, or an officer not below the DIG rank can restrict a “goonda” from entering specified areas, districts for a maximum of one year if they suspect involvement in criminal acts. Tabled by Minister of State for Home Bishal Lama, the bill was passed by a vote of 176 in favour and 41 against, with 20 MLAs from the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress abstaining. The House witnessed noisy protests by opposition members during the introduction of the bill. Defending the bill, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari launched a sharp attack on the previous TMC regime, accusing it of patronising violence. Adhikari recounted specific cases, including the burning of the Beldanga and Rejinagar railway stations, looting of shops, and torching of public buses near Nabanna. “Criminals will be jailed and their assets seized under this new law,” he said. The new bill grants police extensive powers of search, seizure, and arrest, with offences made cognisable and non-bailable. A second bill, West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which holds individuals accountable for damage to public and private property during riots, was passed by a voice vote. The former CM had provoked the fire of violence. Since then, WB is burning... existing laws were inadequate Suvendu Adhikari, West Bengal CM ‘Goonda’ in WB The bill defines ‘goondas’ as habitual offenders and those involved in extortion, land grab, smuggling, and arms and narcotics offenders T’Puram to get one of India’s first university townships E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @T’Puram In a major boost to its emergence as a knowledge and innovation hub, T hir uvananthapuram has been chosen to host one of India’s first university townships. The initiative, proposed in the Union Budget 2026-27, envisages setting up five university townships in the vicinity of major industrial and logistics corridors across the country to strengthen collaboration among academia, industry and research. As per the Centre’s plan, such academic zones will host multiple universities, colleges, research institutions, skill centres and residential complexes. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who revealed the city’s selection in a social media post, said the proposed township, along with the existing Thiruvananthapuram Research and Innovation Cluster (T-RIC), would create an innovation ecosystem that is “capable of transforming the lives of young Malayalis”. In a post on X, Chandrasekhar said while T-RIC creates innovation, the proposed university township will create the ecosystem to scale it. In 2025, eight of the country’s leading research institutions based in Thiruvananthapuram had come together to form TRIC, a collaborative effort aimed at advancing interdisciplinary research in science and ● More on P4 technology  .