KOCHI l thursday l July 09, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION Heavy monsoon rain disrupts normal lives in delhi, Mumbai Building collapses in Pune, 16 feared trapped Heavy monsoon rain battered large parts of the country on Wednesday, triggering flash floods and widespread disruption to rail and road traffic One dead, at least five missing in Delhi Many parts of Maharashtra continued to grapple with the monsoon fury. In Pune’s Pimpri-Chinchwad, at least 16 people were feared trapped after a huge mound of garbage crashed onto a three-storey building, causing it to collapse. Mumbai too reported no respite after days of heavy rainfall. Local train services were delayed and at least 9 city-bound flights were diverted ■ ■ In Delhi, one person died and five to six others were feared trapped after an under-construction building collapsed in the Rohini area. Incessant rains left many areas waterlogged, causing traffic snarls The IMD has issued a flash flood alert in parts of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and the Konkan region 61.1 mm rain in Mumbai’s island city during 48 hours till Wednesday 8 a.m. 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 Markets tank as Trump says Iran peace deal ‘over’ Following a rest day, the last-eight stage of the World Cup gets underway with France taking on Morocco at Boston Stadium. A look... All eyes on Mbappe change: -1,677.12 (-2.15%) 79,000 76,503.60 78,000 SU B HE N D U M A I T I @ Kolkata One of the prime accused in the gangrape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district was shot dead by the police during an alleged encounter on Wednesday . Sources said the police shot Prabhas Mondal after he allegedly snatched a revolver from one of the policemen accompanying him, and opened fire in an attempt to escape from custody . Meanwhile, Mondal’s mother refused to claim his body, saying he has received the punishment he deserved.“The little girl died after suffering from immense pain. My son got what he deserved for what he did,” Sadhya Mondal said. “I told them (police) I would not go to collect his body and nobody from the family will either. I do not want to see him,” she said, adding that her son never obeyed her and was a drug addict. His wife Chanpa Mondal also refused to defend him, saying she had endured a lot of abuse while living with him. “I cannot say whether he committed this crime. After our marriage, I saw his behaviour. I have endured a lot of abuse. When his name surfaced in the case, I felt he was capable of doing something like this,” she said. Argentina vs Switzerland Saturday | 6:30 AM* (*IST Sunday) Lionel Messi & Co barely managed to survive against Egypt and they’ll face yet another tricky tie when they face an upbeat Swiss side, who will be looking to make history by booking a spot in the semis for the first time Today’s match: France vs Morocco @ Boston Stadium | 1:30 AM* (*IST Friday) 77,000 76,000 9 am 11 am 1 pm Prev. Close 78,180.72 3 pm 4 pm Day’s close 76,503.60 missiles and drones. The fresh escalation spooked global equity markets, spiked oil prices, and put the rupee under severe selling pressure. Indian markets on Wednesday lost most of the gains made since a peace deal was brokered between Iran and the US, with the Sensex and Nifty tumbling over 2%. The two indices had gained 2.5% since the announcement of the ceasefire on June 15. The Nifty declined 517 points, or 2.12%, to settle at 23,882 while the Sensex fell 1,677.12 points, or 2.15%, to close at 76,503.60. Investors lost more than `8 lakh crore as the market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms came down from `480.20 lakh crore to `472.02 lakh crore. Meanwhile, Brent crude price surged more than 6% to $79 per barrel while the rupee declined around 0.71% to 95.50 per dollar. Global markets were under pressure, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures falling 1% after key Asian markets including Japan’s Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s Kospi falling 2% P9 and 6%, respectively  . I don’t want to deal with them (Iran) anymore… it’s a waste of time. I’ll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don’t see it. I don’t like these people — US President Donald Trump ‘Deserved it’, says mom as rape accused shot dead Saturday | 2:30 AM* (*IST Sunday) Two of the best No 9s in the world — Harry Kane and Erling Haaland — will go head-to-head when England face Norway. This tie promises to be an epic one Les Bleus begin their final push towards a third World Cup crown when they face Morocco. Kylian Mbappe, who’s in the race for the Golden Boot with seven goals, will once again be the man in focus. Morocco, the sole surviving African side in the competition, are known to be a disciplined unit and they’ll be hoping to cause an upset | P11 BSE SENSEX in a dramatic escalation that further strained the fragile truce in West Asia and sent shockwaves through global markets, US President on Wednesday said the interim ceasefire pact with Iran “is over” and ongoing peace negotiations are “a waste of time”. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the NATO summit at Turkish capital Ankara on Wednesday, Trump also threatened to strike Tehran’s infrastructure and seize the Kharg Island—Iran’s principal oil export terminal that handle 90% of the country’s crude exports. When asked whether the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran was over, Trump said: “It’s a very interesting question. I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them... As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time.” The comments came a day after the US launched a series of strikes against Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on three commercial vessels in Oman’s territorial waters on the southern half of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday Iran has been warn. ing ships against using the newly announced maritime corridor near the Oman coast. Responding to US strikes, Iran said on Wednesday that it hit back by targeting US bases in Bahrain and Ku w a i t w i t h Norway vs England Friday | 12:30 AM* (*IST Saturday) While La Roja haven’t hit the dizzying attacking heights of France, they will fancy their chances of navigating a Belgium side who have slowly built momentum over the course of the tournament stars ready for eight-lifting Sensex and Nifty tumble over 2% each, crude oil prices soar 6% as West Asia crisis deepens A r s h ad K h an @ New Delhi Spain vs Belgium Govt orders probe into tunnel site tragedy, search on for five missing L e s ly J o s e p h @ Meppadi A day after a major landslip hit the Wayanad tunnel road project site, the state government has ordered a dual inquiry — into the cause of the disaster and alleged violations by the contracting firm — even as the search and rescue operations involving multiple agencies continued to locate five missing persons. Chief Minister V D Satheesan has ordered immediate halt to all construction activities for the tunnel road. The two-pronged investigation will include technical and legal evaluations of the project site, as well as a thorough review to check whether the contractor complied with the directives set by the Union government while granting environmental clearance. The landslip that occurred near Meenakshi Bridge in Kalladi, where work on the twintunnel road connecting Wayanad and Kozhikode districts was under way, had claimed Chief Minister V D Satheesan returning after visiting the landslip-hit area in Kalladi near Meppadi in Wayanad on Wednesday | express three lives and left five persons missing. After visiting the disaster site on Wednesday, Satheesan asserted that safety will not be compromised, and announced that work will remain suspended until the investigations are completed. “Before resuming work on the tunnel road, authorities will strictly inspect whether all prior directives and guidelines were followed,” he said. The police also will conduct an investigation simultaneously into the accident, the CM said. He also visited the WIMS hospital in Meppadi, where eight injured persons — three in critical condition — are under treatment. The CM an- US indicts Lawrence Bishnoi, Brar in Nijjar case Har p r e e t B aj w a @ Chandigarh The US Justice Department on Tuesday indicted gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh a.k.a Goldy Brar for commissioning the sensational murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Canadian gurdwara in November 2023, an assassination that had fractured Ottawa-New Delhi relations. Called Operation Hard Ball, the years-long federal investigation involved law-enforcement agencies in the US, Canada and Europe. Though the then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau had blamed India for the hit job, investigators found no evidence linking Indian government officials to Nijjar’s murder, said Lisa Moreland, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Ca- nadian Mounted Police. Bishnoi is in a high-security prison in Gujarat while Brar is on the loose in the US. The FBI has announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to Brar’s arrest. As many as 24 gangsters of Indian origin have been arrested under Operation Hard Ball — 14 of them were in the US, three in Canada and one in Spain, while others were already in custody . The biggies among the other gangsters include Rohit Godara and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. The impact of the trans-national crime syndicates was especially felt by the Indian diaspora, the Justice Department’s statement said. Law enforcement is looking for 10 fugitives — seven in the US, two in India and one in Europe. In all, 37 gangsters were indicted, including two Hardeep Singh Nijjar Lawrence Bishnoi Goldy Brar Punjab SHO named in extortion racket The FBI has accused Tanda SHO Gurinderjit Singh Nagra of acting on the behest of gangster Bhagwanpuria to extort $4 lakh from a family in the US by threatening to implicate them in a false murder case in India. Punjab Police shifted him to the police lines pending inquiry who ran their global criminal syndicates from Indian jails. Bishnoi, the indictment said, projected an image of himself as a patriot, nationalist and deeply religious individual on social media, but presided over a sweeping criminal enterprise that spanned multiple continents. He personally directed political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortions, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other crimes from jail cell through smuggled mobile phones. Bishnoi operated through lieutenants Brar in North America, Rohit Godara (37) of Rajasthan in Europe and Sukhraj Singh Kang (58) of Punjab. “Both Brar and Godara effectively spoke for Bishnoi… and used violence to cultivate a climate of fear, in particular in India and among Indian diaspora communities worldwide,” for extortion, it stated. nounced an ex gratia payment of `5 lakh each to the families of the three migrant workers who lost their lives, promising that the state will manage the repatriation of their bodies. On Wednesday, the disaster zone transformed into a hive of strategic activity, where a massive and highly coordinated search and rescue operation by multiple emergency agencies was under way. Ground operations intensified at dawn after emergency teams worked tirelessly through the night. Around 4am, a joint force of the fire and rescue services, police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local volunteers cleared a massive mound of earth blocking the Meppadi-Chooralmala Road, making the transport corridor fully functional. With the road cleared, a multi-agency force of 150 personnel shifted its focus to the active landslide zone, which was divided into four distinct operational sectors to maximise ● More on P4 efficiency  . EXPRESS READ Waqf Board constitution: HC seeks state’s view Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday sought the state government’s response to a batch of public interest litigations challenging the constitution of the Kerala State Waqf Board, alleging that it has not been constituted in accordance with the amended Waqf Act, 2025. P4 Thiruvonam Bumper 1st prize hiked to G30 crore T’Puram: The first prize of the government’s Thiruvonam Bumper has been increased to I30 crore from the earlier amount of I25 crore. The government issued the order on Wednesday. P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express JPC report on edu regulator bill before Parl session P R EE T H A N A I R @ New Delhi The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 is set to adopt the report ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, paving the way for the government to table the legislation that seeks to establish a single higher education regulator. The proposed regulator will replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education, and the National Council for Teacher Education. According to sources, the 31-member Parliamentary panel headed by BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari is likely to adopt the draft report at its next meeting on July 17. The government is expected to introduce the Bill during the upcoming Parl i a m e n t session after incor porating the committee’s re c o m m e n dations. The VBSA Bill, introduced during the last winter session, was sent to the JPC after protests from the Opposition. Sources said opposition members will formally record dissent notes and seek deferment of the report’s adoption, saying several provisions could significantly change the structure of the higher education system and undermine institutional autonomy . During an eight-hour meeting on Tuesday the committee , held a clause-by-clause examination of the Bill. Opposition M P s p ro p o s e d m u l t i p l e amendments, raising concerns over excessive centralisation of powers, encroachment on the role of states, bureaucratisation of higher education, dilution of the UGC’s consultative mandate, and the absence of funding mechanism. M e t r o ma n ’ s pr o p o sa l Expert panel finds high-speed rail plan feasible, but cost may double A n u K u r u v illa @ Kochi The state government-appointed expert committee examining the high-speed rail proposal submitted by Metro Man E Sreedharan has found the project technically feasible and environmentally viable. However, it has concluded that the actual project cost is likely to be nearly double the estimate presented in the proposal. The four-member panel is ex- pected to submit its report to Chief Minister V D Satheesan next week after completing its evaluation of the ambitious project, which envisages a 473.2-km elevated high-speed rail corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur. According to sources familiar with the deliberations, the committee has broadly endorsed the proposal’s technical feasibility and found that it poses significantly fewer envi- The project envisages a 473.2-km elevated high-speed rail corridor connecting Tvm & Kannur Sreedharan’s proposal estimates the project cost at around L57,000 cr, with an overall completion cost of about L60,000 cr ronmental concerns than the SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project. “The panel has pointed out that since the proposed corridor is fully elevated, there will be no embankments like those envisaged under the SilverLine project. That means Kerala will not effectively be split into two, nor will there be the kind of flood-related concerns associated with large embankments,” a source said. However, the panel has also identified major concerns over the project’s financial assumptions. While the proposal by Sreedharan, the former MD of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, estimates the project cost at around `57,000 crore, with an overall completion cost of about `60,000 crore, the committee believes the actual expenditure could be nearly twice that figure. The report attributes the likely escalation primarily to Kerala’s highly variable soil conditions. According to sources, the proposal assumes relatively uniform geological conditions over longer stretches, whereas, in reality the soil profile chang, es every few hundred metres, requiring different foundation designs for the elevated pillars. “The soil structure changes drastically across the state. Construction costs for pillars will therefore vary considerably, and these variations have not been adequately factored into the current estimate,” the ● More on P4 source said.