S JANAKI BENGALURU l Sunday l july 12, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l LATE CITY EDITION 23 April 1938 l 11 July 2026 ‘Nightingale of South India’ S Janaki passes away at 88 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Mysuru Renowned playback singer, known as the “Nightingale of South India”, S Janaki passed away in Mysuru on Saturday evening due to age-related ailments. She was 88. Janaki sang over 48,000 songs in more than 20 languag- es, including in her mother tongue Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Sanskrit, Odia, Tulu, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Konkani, as well as in English, Japanese, German and Sinhala, making her one of the most versatile singers in India. The most number of songs in her career were in Kanna- da, followed by Malayalam, and was acclaimed as the “Queen of Expression and Modulation”. Janaki won four national film awards and 33 different state film awards, besides being the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Mysore, the Kalaimamani award from the Tamil Nadu government, and the Rajyotsava Prashasti award from the Karnataka government. Janaki was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Mysuru by her family members at 12.49 pm on Saturday with cellulitis and sepsis, and in a critical condition. She was immediately evaluated and shifted to the intensive care unit for further management. “Despite intensive medical care and continuous monitoring by a multidisciplinary team, she suffered a cardiac arrest during the course of treatment. Advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated immediately in accordance with standard medical protocols. Despite resuscitative efforts, she experienced multiple cardiac arrests and could not be revived,” the hospital stated. She was declared dead at 7.30 pm on Saturday . Janaki was born in Pallapatla in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh on April 23, 1938.  more ON: P7 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 NZ ties scaled up to strategic partnership romance de La Roja Spain ultimately showed their class as they beat Belgium 2-1 to advance to only their second World Cup semifinal. A look... Merino does it again A few days after scoring the winner against Portugal in injury-time, the midfielder, who had only been on the field for three minutes, finished from close range to score the winner in the 88th minute Trade target set at `35,000 crore by 2030 PRC Who let illegal immigrants in: Priyank K’taka Home Minister Priyank Kharge blamed NDA govt at the Centre for the illegal entry of Bangladeshis into the country. He clarified that the Karnataka government will never issue Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs) to such illegal immigrants | P4 W I T H T H I S I SS U E Game On PLUS 12 P AGES India and New Zealand elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership on Saturday , marking the most significant upgrade in bilateral ties in decades, with the two countries unveiling an ambitious defence, maritime and economic agenda aimed at deepening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Following wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon, the two sides announced 18 outcomes, including 10 agreements spanning defence, maritime security, trade, supply chains and regional cooperation. The two sides launched a Maritime Security Dialogue, a reciprocal logistics support arrangement between the Indian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force, a maritime cooperation pact between their defence ministries, and a roadmap to expand bilateral engagement over the next four years. The leaders also set an ambitious target of doubling bilateral trade in goods and services to NZ$7 billion (around `35,000 crore) by 2030, while committing to ensure the early implementation of the recently signed India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. “I am delighted that we are going to take our relationship forward through a Strategic Partnership. This milestone As soon as the draw was out, the brackets had suggested this and so it has come to pass. Two of the world’s best sides against will face each other in the first semifinal at Dallas for a place in the final. And it promises to be a cracker | P13 PM Narendra Modi with his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon at an Indian diaspora event in Auckland | PTI will motivate us to move ahead with greater energy confidence , and determination,” said Modi, the first Indian PM to visit New Zealand in four decades. The agreements underscore New Zealand’s growing strategic engagement with India as Wellington seeks to diversify partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, while reflecting New Delhi’s efforts to strengthen cooperation with like-minded maritime democracies against the backdrop of China’s expanding regional influence. The joint statement reaffir med both countries’ commitment to a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific, stressing respect for sovereignty territo, rial integrity and the rulesbased international order. Both PMs also reiterated support for freedom of navigation and overflight. UN experts flag concerns on SIR deletions in Bengal B a n s y K a l a p pa @ B’luru/New Delhi THREE United Nations Special Rapporteurs have written to the Indian government expressing concern over allegations that the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls resulted in the deletion of millions of voters, with minority communities allegedly being disproportionately affected. In a formal communication to the Centre, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion/belief said they had received information indicating that the electoral roll revision adversely affected ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, particularly Muslims. The communication focuses primarily on the SIR exercise conducted in West Bengal before the elections in April 2026, while also referring to concerns raised during a similar roll revision in Bihar last year. The UN experts said many of those removed in Bengal alleg- Simon finally breached Meeting France J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi After not conceding for almost 11 hours, Spain’s Unai Simon finally conceded a goal, Charles de Ketelaere heading home a cross from the right. But Spain refocused to deliver the finishing touch 15 Indians killed as boat capsizes off Vietnam j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi AT least 15 Indian tourists, including 13 men and two women, were killed after a tourist boat carrying Indian visitors capsized off Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island on Saturday prompting a major , search-and-rescue operation and emergency assistance by Indian diplomatic missions. The vessel, carrying 36 people, 32 Indian tourists, three crew members and one attendant, overturned around 1 pm local time (11.30 am IST) while returning from Hon May Rut Ngoai Island to An Thoi Port amid rough seas and strong winds. Authorities said 21 people PM assures speedy assistance Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government was extending all possible assistance. “My sincere condolences to families who lost their loved ones. Our Embassy are providing all possible assistance.” were rescued and taken to hospital, with two reported critical. The Indian embassy said its Ambassador, accompanied by mission officials, was travelling to Phu Quoc to oversee consular assistance, coordinate with Vietnamese author- ities and support the affected Indian nationals. Lava Mobiles said some of its employees and channel partners were among those killed in the boat accident. In a statement on X, Lava said, “Our immediate priority is to extend all possible support to those affected and their families. Our teams in both India and Vietnam are in regular contact with the families and are providing all possible assistance.” Sources said around 110 Lava distributors and employees from South India were travelling together on the Vietnam trip, although only a section of them was travelling on the ill-fated boat.  P7 cambodia Phu Quoc Phu Quoc Island Gulf of Thailand edly possessed valid identity documents but were disenfranchised. The rapporteurs also cited allegations that Muslim voters were disproportionately affected. In Nandigram constituency, 95 per cent of deleted names belonged to Muslims, the representatives said. The UN experts also expressed concern over statements by political leaders linking SIR to identifying “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants,” warning that such rhetoric could blur the distinction between foreign nationals and Indian Muslim citizens and reinforce discrimination against minority communities. Vietnam The speedboat capsized 400 metres off Hon May Rut Ngoai, an island in the An Thoi archipelago off the coast of Phu Quoc, killing 15 Indian tourists, 10 of whom were from Tamil Nadu ai enhanced pic HM: Why not scrap KPSC, KAT with amendment? E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru A day after the police filed an FIR against former Karnataka Public Service Commission ( K P S C ) C h a i r m a n S h iv ashankarappa S Sahukar’s daughter Suma for submitting a fake income certificate to claim 3B quota for a g ove r n m e n t job, Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday mooted the idea of a constitutional amendment to scrap both the KPSC and Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT). “If you ask me, if it were up to me, I would dissolve KPSC and bring new laws or an Act. But people say it cannot be done as it’s a constitutional body Who makes the laws? We, . the legislators. If everyone decides, at the Central or State level, a decision can be taken,” he told reporters. “This is a case of a fence grazing the field. The situation is not in our hands. Here are two issues and if I am left to deal with them, I would scrap both KAT and KPSC,” he said.  continued on P7 Man butchers mom, granny, uncle, kills self in B’luru E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru A 34-year-old driver killed his 68-year-old grandmother, 55year-old mother and 50-year-old maternal uncle before dying by suicide at their residence in Kottigepalya in Kamakshipalya police limits on Saturday . Some relatives claimed that the accused, C Prashanth, suffered from mental health issues, but his father denied it.The bodies of the t wo wo m e n we r e found on the doorstep of the house lying on top of each other. His uncle was found dead outside one of the rooms in the house. The house owner and neighbours heard loud screams in the morning and rushed towards the house. Prashanth, who was trying to escape, rushed back home, and locked himself inside one of the rooms. By the time the police arrived, he had hanged himself inside the room using a veil. The police have not found any suicide note. The police got an alert around 8.30 am. They suspected that Prashanth might have murdered his grandmother Nagamma, a sweeper, mother Mang alamma, a g ar ment factory worker, and his mother’s brother Satish, a plumber, around the same time.  P7 ti m e f o r int r o s p e c ti o n Caught in traffic jam, T20 World Cup champions reeling in English heat e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai ON Saturday afternoon, India captain Shreyas Iyer was supposed to walk out for toss in Southampton for the final T20I against England at 2 pm local time. Instead, India were stuck in traffic and the toss had to wait for 45 minutes. That, in essence, sums up India’s tour for the Men in Blue. From the time they landed in Belfast last month, not a single thing has gone their way And . it ended in a frustrating 56-run loss against England on Saturday With six T20I losses across . Ireland (0-2) and England (0-4), captain Iyer is yet to get his first win while coach Gautam Gambhir is feeling the heat too. To a large extent, the team management has not helped their cause either. In three games, Sanju To top it all, India had one of the worst bowling performances on Saturday | ap Samson, player of the T20 World Cup, was dropped for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old prodigy. After three games, Sooryavanshi who did not get big scores was dropped on Saturday for Samson. Not to mention that India have changed their playing XI every single game. Recurring injuries and poor fielding have added to the woes. “I feel this is the time we need to try what’s the best going forward for us as a team,” Iyer had said at toss on Saturday . Which makes one wonder about playing XI of previous games, lack of role clarity and stability in the dressing room. Tilak Varma, who was touted as No 3 when the T20 WC started and named vice-captain for this tour, has been dropped down the order. Washington Sundar struggling for form and two seam-bowling all- rounders — Hardik Pandya and Nitish K Reddy — are injured. India have not found a viable replacement yet. For a team that won the T20 WC seven games ago, India allowing England to score 257/3 can be considered a new low. When the dust settles after the England tour (ODI-leg left), the BCCI will have to sit down and take a hard look at the way forward.  P13