According to the Health and Family Welfare Department, two workers died by Sunday night, while four others passed away on Monday morning.

The deceased have been identified as B Gumani Juanga (19), Phulomani Juanga, Geetha Juanga, J Purnima Juanga (22), R Shibani (22), and S Champabati Juanga (23).

All of them are from Odisha.

Of the 74 people exposed to the toxic gas, 67 remain under treatment, and two have been discharged.

Those exposed reported breathlessness, eye and respiratory tract irritation, coughing, chest discomfort, and varying degrees of respiratory distress. The cause of the leak is under investigation.

The workers, most of them young women aged 19–20 and hailing from Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam, and West Bengal, were off duty and resting in their hostel rooms about 50 metres from the unit’s ammonia plant when the leak occurred around 11 am.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), roped in by the Tamil Nadu government to carry out rescue operations, said the gas had spread to the workers’ accommodation, causing breathing difficulties and discomfort.

About 130 workers from the unit, who were not affected by the leak, were shifted to the Govinda Bhavanam marriage hall in Kannigaipair, where food and drinking water were arranged.

The ammonia gas leak occurred around 11 am on Sunday at the seafood export unit, spreading to the workers’ accommodation.

Health Minister K. G. Arunraj said that experts had reported a high level of ammonia, around 300 ppm, in the air at the plant.

Police have registered a case under Sections 105 and 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Unit owners Mohan and Joseph were detained for inquiry.

The bodies of the two victims have been kept at the Tiruvallur Government Hospital for post-mortem.

The Chief Minister said that measures would be taken to send the victims’ remains to their homes in Odisha for the final rites.

India on Sunday defeated hosts New Zealand 2-0 with goals from Navneet Kaur and Sunelita Toppo to win their second Nations Cup title and secure promotion to the Pro League.

"Of course, we are delighted to win our first tournament and final together," Marijne said after the match.

"It was crucial for us to learn how to win finals, especially after our recent heartbreak against England at the World Cup qualifier. The team improved with every match. We relied on a very strong and well-organised defence."

"While we created enough opportunities to score more, that remains an area where we must keep working. Our penalty-corner conversion was very good throughout this tournament. If we can achieve a higher conversion rate for field goals, that will be fantastic."

He also acknowledged the challenge of carrying the tag of the highest-ranked side in the competition.

"It is never easy to win a tournament when you enter as the highest-ranked team. We showed that we can manage that pressure well.

"Moving forward, playing against the top teams in the world will provide an important learning process for our youngsters. Testing ourselves at the highest level is exactly what we need to grow to the next tier," he added.

India remained unbeaten throughout their dominant campaign, defeating USA, Japan and Uruguay in the pool stage before ousting Chile in the semifinal.

Striker Lalremsiami secured the 'Player of the Match' award, while drag-flicker Deepika finished as the joint top-scorer of the tournament with six goals.

She shared the honours with USA's Ashley Sessa.

Hockey India announced a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff.

Captain Salima Tete echoed coach Marijne's sentiments and highlighted the intense preparation that went behind the victory.

"It feels absolutely amazing to lift this trophy. Our entire team worked incredibly hard for this moment. We entered this tournament with a clear mindset to bring the trophy home. Securing promotion back to the Pro League was extremely important for us. I am proud that we achieved our goal," she said.

Salima said the title will serve as a big confidence booster for the team ahead of the upcoming World Cup in August.

"With the World Cup approaching, this victory provides a massive boost to our confidence. The team is playing with a very strong mindset right now. Every single match in this tournament was highly important for us. This win gives us the perfect momentum for our future preparations," the skipper concluded.

The BJP chief was accompanied by Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon and state general secretary Anil Sarin.

In a post on X, Nabin stated that he held extensive discussion with Johl on Punjab's agricultural system, issues related to farmers, crop diversification, and the overall development of the agricultural sector.

"Dr Sardara Singh Johl Ji is one of the country's leading agricultural economists. As Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University and Chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), he played a pivotal role in shaping the country's agriculture policy through crop diversification and agricultural reforms," he wrote.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Nabin said it was a privilege to have spent time with Johl, who has 'truly understood the sentiments of the farmers and the agricultural sector, someone who has, in fact, been awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions and hard work.'

"I have come to meet him today as part of an outreach campaign focused on Prime Minister Modi's initiatives over the past 12 years. I believe it is essential to share the details of our work with such distinguished individuals," he said.

The BJP chief, who was on a three-day visit to Punjab, cut short his tour and rushed back to Delhi in the afternoon, amid the buzz around organisational reshuffling in the party.

According to the schedule, Nabin was to return to Chandigarh from Ludhiana on Monday and pay a courtesy visit to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria. He was also planning to have dinner at Punjab BJP chief Kewal Dhillon's Sector 9 house in Chandigarh with some eminent people of the state before returning to Delhi at night.

Earlier today, Nabin held a high-level meeting in Ludhiana with several prominent party leaders, including Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, Rajya Sabha MPs Tarun Chug, Rajinder Gupta and Raghav Chadha, Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon, former state chief Sunil Jakhar and Ashwani Sharma.

During the meeting, the leaders held detailed discussions on the current political situation in the state and the party’s future course of action ahead of the Assembly elections.

Political observers see the meeting as an important step in the saffron party’s preparations for the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.

Nabin’s visit came at a crucial time as the BJP has decided to contest all 117 assembly seats in Punjab after parting ways with SAD.

Navneet Kaur (4') gave India the early lead before Sunelita Toppo (15') doubled India's advantage.

The team produced a stellar defensive display to protect their lead and win the title, which also marked their return to the Pro League next season.

Lalremsiami won the 'Player of the Match' award in the final, while Deepika finished as the joint-top scorer in the tournament with six goals to her name --sharing the honours with USA's Ashley Sessa.

This is India's second Nations Cup title, having won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2022.

India remained unbeaten throughout their campaign, defeating USA (3-2), Japan (2-1), and Uruguay (3-2) in the Pool A matches, before registering a commanding 6-0 win over Chile in the semi-final.

To recognise the teams' achievements, Hockey India announced a cash award of Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff.

In the title match, the hosts enjoyed the majority of possession in the early exchanges as they looked to make early inroads.

However, the visitors manufactured the first meaningful opportunity of the game when Kaur won a penalty corner.

She converted from the set-piece with a thunderous hit in the 4th minute, putting India in front.

India were exceptional in transition, causing all sorts of problems for New Zealand's defence with their intensity.

They doubled their advantage through their fifth penalty corner of the opening quarter, with Sunelita deflecting a sharp attempt from Deepika, handing India a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute.

India were disciplined in the second quarter, while New Zealand began to grow into the game as they looked to claw back.

The visitors too had a couple of opportunities to extend their lead.

However, neither side could find the back of the net, resulting in India holding onto their two-goal advantage at half-time.

India remained resolute in the third quarter, putting up a remarkable defensive display that kept the hosts at bay and denied them any clear goal-scoring opportunity.

With their high intensity, the visitors forced a mistake from the New Zealand defence, but Navneet's reverse hit was saved by the goalkeeper.

New Zealand earned a penalty corner in the opening exchanges of the fourth quarter.

The resulting set-piece, however, was saved by Savita.

The visitors remained superb in maintaining a tight defensive structure and eventually secured a 2-0 win to clinch the title.

Armed with spears and swords, approximately six Nihangs climbed onto the roof of gurudwara, around 4 PM on Saturday and remain entrenched there, even after 40 hours.

The gurudwara is located in Nagrasu, between Rudraprayag and Gauchar, and used by Sikh pilgrims traveling to and from Hemkund Sahib.

They are demanding the release of four Nihangs who were arrested in connection with a clash that took place in Karnaprayag, Chamoli district, on June 16.

During that clash, the Nihangs allegedly injured some locals with swords, leading to the arrest of four of them.

Sources on Monday stated that police and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel remain deployed at the site and are trying to persuade the Nihangs to come down.

Police stated that the Nihangs in the gurudwara are armed with weapons such as spears, swords, axes, and kirpans (ceremonial daggers).

Earlier, Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police Niharika Tomar on Sunday said that the police, district administration, and the Gurudwara management committee were in constant communication with the Nihangs and hoped for a resolution soon.

"The talks have yielded positive results. One of the Nihangs has come down from the roof to speak with the administration and police officials, and dialogue with the remaining Nihangs is ongoing," she had said.

She also refuted reports regarding anyone being held hostage.

However, the gurudwara's caretaker, Sardar Beant Singh, claimed that the Nihangs had held an individual hostage for a brief period, but the person was subsequently released.

Rudraprayag District Magistrate Vishal Mishra stated that the Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage is proceeding peacefully, and activities within the gurudwara, such as 'ardas' (prayers) and 'langar' (community kitchen service), are continuing as usual. He appealed to the public not to pay heed to rumours regarding this matter.

The deceased have been identified as Jimani Jiwang (19), Geetha Jiwang, Bhumiya Jiwang (22), Sibani (22) and Phulamani Juanga.

As of now, three of the deceased have been identified as from the Keonjhar district.

"Other details will be shared after the verification process is completed," an official from the Labour department informed TNIE.

Labour and Employee’s State Insurance (ESI) Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia expressed grief over the matter and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.

The Minister said the State government is remaining alert since the incident came to light and that constant coordination with the Tamil Nadu administration is being maintained to ensure that necessary medical help is extended to the injured.

"A State team led by Labour and ESI department special secretary Rajesh Agrawala has reached Chennai to coordinate relief and assistance efforts," he said.

Singhkhuntia also assured compensation to the affected families as per government norms.

“We hope those responsible for the lapses will face strict action as per the law, following investigation,” he said.

Department sources said that post-mortem examinations of two bodies have been completed at Thiruvallur Medical College and Hospital, while post-mortem of another deceased individual is being carried out at the same hospital.

Post-mortem arrangements for another body are being made at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, and the post-mortem of another body has concluded at Stanley Hospital.

Upon completion of all formalities, the bodies will be handed over to relatives.

Officials informed that additional labour commissioner Madan Mohan Paik, one of the members of the State team, will remain in Chennai to coordinate with the hospital authorities in Tamil Nadu regarding the post-mortem and other related formalities.

Meanwhile, Agrawala, along with the other team member Bhakta Bandhu Acharya, will proceed to Tiruvallur, where several injured workers admitted to local hospitals continue to undergo treatment.

Officials said around 130 workers affected by the incident have been accommodated in a nearby community hall in Tiruvallur, where essential arrangements have been made.

Contacts have also been established with senior Labour department officials in Chennai and Tiruvallur for coordination with the local administration to ensure proper assistance to the affected workers and their families.

Presenting the budget, Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta said the government has inherited a debt burden of Rs 8.15 lakh crore from the TMC regime and stressed that fiscal discipline and administrative reforms were essential to restore public confidence in governance.

"Building a corruption-free administrative structure is a cornerstone of our vision. We have to restore people's trust in governance," he said, announcing a new citizen outreach initiative titled 'Apnar Sarkar, Apnar Pashe'.

Dasgupta announced that the dearness allowance of state government employees and the dearness relief for pensioners would be raised by 20 percentage points from October 1, taking the total DA to 38 per cent. It would narrow the gap between the DA for state government employees and their central government counterparts by 22 percentage points.

The finance minister said the budget had been framed with the objective of building a "modern, progressive and developed Bengal" in line with the vision of a "Viksit Bharat".

Projecting employment generation as a key pillar of the new government's agenda, Dasgupta announced that one lakh vacancies in government departments would be filled in phases, including 20,000 posts in the police department and 50,000 teaching and non-teaching positions in schools.

Thirty-three per cent of the jobs would be reserved for women, while a 10 per cent quota would be provided for Agniveers wherever applicable, he said. The upper age limit for government recruitment, already relaxed by five years, would continue for the next two years.

Seeking to reassure beneficiaries of welfare schemes in the face of the opposition's allegation that welfare programmes could be curtailed under the BJP dispensation, Dasgupta said all existing social welfare programmes would continue.

"Our objective is to ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach the weakest sections of society. Necessary reforms will be undertaken wherever required," he said.

A major chunk of welfare expenditure was earmarked for the Annapurna Yojana, with Rs 36,000 crore allocated.

Under the scheme, women aged between 25 and 60 years will receive direct financial assistance into their bank accounts.

The budget earmarked Rs 550 crore for free bus travel for women and announced the introduction of a "Pink Card" system for availing the benefit.

A new unemployment assistance programme, 'Bharosa', was announced, under which unemployed graduates from families with annual incomes below Rs 1 lakh will receive Rs 3,000 per month, while other eligible unemployed persons will get Rs 2,000, provided they are not covered by any other social welfare scheme. The government also enhanced old-age, widow and disability pensions by Rs 500 per month.

In a move likely to find support across party lines, the annual MLA Local Area Development Fund was increased from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1 crore.

The budget also proposed a monthly pension of Rs 5,000 for retired journalists and Rs 10,000 for those who spent time in jail in what the government described as politically motivated or false cases.

Among welfare measures, the government announced a Rs 5,000 rise in the monthly remuneration for anganwadi workers, ASHA workers and para-teachers, while mid-day meal cooks will receive an additional Rs 1,000 per month.

Civic volunteers, Green Police personnel, NVF workers, Prani Bandhu and Prani Mitra workers will get an additional Rs 2,000 per month from August.

In the health sector, the government allocated Rs 3,100 crore for the implementation of Ayushman Bharat, which is expected to cover nearly seven crore people in the state.

The allocation for mid-day meals was enhanced to Rs 10 per student, with ISKCON expected to assist in food preparation and distribution.

The education sector figured prominently in the budget, with proposals for a Tribal University and two Kendriya Vidyalayas in Jhargram, women's universities in Contai, Kaliachak and Falta, and a one-time grant of Rs 25,000 for students of government and government-aided colleges preparing for competitive exams.

The government also announced plans to facilitate the establishment of an IIT and an IIM in north Bengal and launch a state Artificial Intelligence Mission.

It also proposed installing sanitary pad vending machines in schools.

On the sports front, the government announced a Sports University, an international-standard stadium in north Bengal and mini indoor stadiums at a cost of Rs 5 crore. Clubs participating in national games will receive assistance of Rs 1 crore each, while Rs 20 crore has been earmarked for Khelo India activities in the state.

The government allocated Rs 900 crore for the proposed Chingrighata-New Town elevated corridor and Rs 1,200 crore for a new bridge over the Bhagirathi river. It also proposed a deep-sea port at Dadanpatrabar, a four-lane bridge over the Mayurakshi river in Birbhum and metro rail projects in Durgapur, Asansol and Siliguri.

To ease pressure on Kolkata airport, the government will identify 1,000 acres in Kalyani for a greenfield airport.

Airports have also been proposed in Purulia and Malda, while land will be earmarked for the expansion of the Hasimara and Kalaikunda airfields.

The budget allocated Rs 100 crore for strengthening communication infrastructure in the Sundarbans and Rs 50 crore for riverbank protection and rehabilitation in the Jangipur region.

Measures aimed at boosting north Bengal's economy included reducing the minimum land requirement for commercial tea estates from 30 acres to 15 acres.

The government also proposed expanding the Maa Aahar programme by opening four additional centres in urban areas, where fish-and-rice meals would be made available at nominal rates.

Allocations for the VBG-RAM G scheme were enhanced, and 25 lakh new beneficiaries are proposed to be brought under its ambit.

The Union Minister will begin his engagements by participating in ‘Cycling by the Sea’, a cycling event from Chackai ITI to Shankumugham Beach in Thiruvananthapuram.

Organised to promote Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Fit India Movement, the initiative seeks to encourage people to adopt active and healthy lifestyles through cycling and other fitness activities.

During the visit, Mandaviya will also visit GV Raja Sports School, Mylom, one of the country's renowned sports institutions that has contributed numerous athletes to Indian sports.

The visit reflects the Government's continued emphasis on strengthening grassroots sports development and nurturing young sporting talent.

Later, the Union Minister will attend the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Fun Run Event at the Kerala University Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram.

The event forms part of the outreach activities leading up to the 2026 Asian Games and coincides with International Olympic Day celebrations.

The Fun Run is expected to bring together over 40,000 participants, including students, athletes, youth volunteers and members of the public.

The large-scale event is set to showcase the spirit of sportsmanship and collective participation while highlighting Keralam's vibrant sporting culture and strengthening public engagement with the Asian Games movement.

Starmer said the process of picking a new Labour Party leader would be launched in July and he would remain as prime minister until his successor is chosen, to be in place in September.

"Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party," Starmer said as he choked up in an emotional speech outside 10 Downing Street.

"The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election... I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace," he said.

Reacting to Starmer's resignation, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised his legacy and support for Ukraine.

"It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years... European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you. Thank you, dear Keir," she said in a post on X.

Starmer, 63, swept to power in a landslide election victory in July 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. But a series of political missteps eroded his credibility, while both his approval ratings and Labour's popularity have fallen sharply over the past two years, during a term marked by policy U-turns and deep public discontent.

Andy Burnham, 56, the mayor of Greater Manchester, emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Starmer as Labour Party leader and Britain's next prime minister after winning the parliamentary by-election in Makerfield last week. Burnham, who is nicknamed the "King of the North", is expected to be sworn in as a member of parliament later on Monday.

However, Starmer insisted he would resist any attempt to oust him. "Yes, I will run, I will stand, if there is a Labour leadership contest," he said.

"I've said repeatedly I'm not going to walk away from that."

It’s unclear whether Burnham would face a coronation or a challenge, if Starmer steps aside. Wes Streeting, who resigned as health secretary last month to protest Starmer’s leadership, has said that he will run in a contest if there is one.

Starmer is the sixth prime minister in a decade to stand outside 10 Downing Street and announce a premature departure. It comes the day before Britain marks the 10th anniversary of its vote to leave the European Union, a decision that still roils the country’s economy and politics.

Discontent with the prime minister has been building for months, with Labour lawmakers desperate to reverse the government’s decline in popularity since Starmer led the center-left party to a landslide election victory in July 2024.

He has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and has been hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as the UK ambassador to the United States.

Labour is losing liberal voters to the growing Green Party and facing a rising Reform UK, the Nigel Farage -led anti-immigration party that consistently leads in nationwide opinion polls.

His term is ending less than two years later after missteps, party infighting and one colossal error of judgment that indirectly ensnared him in the scandals surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, a man he had never met and whose sexual crimes he was not complicit in.

On Monday, Starmer said in an emotional statement that he is stepping down as leader of the governing Labour Party, though he will remain caretaker primer minister until a new Labour leader is chosen in coming weeks.

"The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election," he said. "I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace."

Starmer's selling point was "no more soap opera politics," said Rob Ford, a political science professor at the University of Manchester. Instead, Ford said, his government was "the antithesis of what he said he was going to be about, and it's very hard to survive that."

A trouncing for Starmer's Labour Party in a midterm set of local and regional elections on May 7 proved the final straw. It triggered a series of government resignations and challenges that look set to sweep former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham into 10 Downing Street.

It's a precipitous downfall from July 4, 2024, when Starmer brought the center-left Labour Party back to power after 14 years, winning 411 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons.

Standing outside 10 Downing St. the next day, Starmer pledged to restore "respect to politics" and lead a government of "public service." After the chaos of the last years of Conservative rule, which saw a constant churn of scandal and the toppling of prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss in quick succession, Starmer promised to lower the temperature and make politics a little bit more boring.

Some of the problems that felled him were baked into his victory, which was built on a wide but shallow base of support. Despite Labour's huge majority in Parliament, it was backed by only 34% of voters — and many of those appeared motivated by anger at the Conservatives rather than enthusiasm for Labour.

This lack of excitement for his government from the start was compounded as Starmer made a series of missteps. An early furor over accepting free gifts including designer spectacles and Taylor Swift concert tickets, was followed by a series of policy U-turns, especially clumsy attempts to cut welfare spending that stirred anger in Labour ranks.

What ultimately cost him his job was appointing Peter Mandelson to the plum post of the U.K.'s ambassador to the U.S.

Mandelson was seen as someone who could help Britain navigate U.S. President Donald Trump's second term. His trade expertise and comfort around the ultra-rich were considered major assets. He helped secure a trade deal that spared Britain some of the tariffs Trump has imposed on countries around the world.

But the choice of Mandelson — who in 2003 called himself Epstein's "best pal" — backfired spectacularly when documents came to light in September 2025 showing how close his ties to Epstein had been. Starmer fired Mandelson, but further revelations in the following months plunged his leadership into crisis.

Because Starmer entered politics in his 50s, after a successful law career, he lacked the "political radar" to spot potential booby traps, Ford said.

Starmer's legal career culminated in him becoming chief prosecutor for England and Wales, a role that included prosecuting people charged with terrorism, organized crime and other serious offenses. He was knighted for his role leading the Crown Prosecution Service, and opponents liked to use his title, Sir Keir Starmer, to paint him as elite and an out of touch "lefty London lawyer."

That view of Starmer stuck, even though he comes from humble roots and has down-to-earth tastes.

The son of a toolmaker, as he mentioned repeatedly in speeches, he loves soccer — still plays the sport at 63 — and enjoys nothing more than watching his beloved team Arsenal over a beer in his local pub. He and his wife Victoria, who works in occupational health, have two teenage children they strive to keep out of the public eye.

First elected to Parliament in 2015, he was picked to lead and rebuild Labour five years later after the party's worst election result since 1935. Starmer dragged Labour toward the political center after taking over from veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, who led Labour to election defeats in 2017 and 2019. Starmer ditched some of his predecessor's more left-wing policies and apologized for antisemitism that an internal investigation concluded had been allowed to spread under Corbyn.

Starmer's forensic and prosecutorial skills were on display in Parliament, where he tormented the three Conservative prime ministers he faced off against. He was especially scathing in attacks on Boris Johnson, who allowed parties inside Downing Street during the COVID-19 pandemic, in violation of the country's lockdown rules.

But being prime minister required a different skill set and Starmer often fell short, lacking the flexibility and political instincts that the job requires – at least on the domestic front.

Starmer seemed far more comfortable dealing with international events, notably in rallying European support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and in working to mitigate the economic and political turmoil unleashed by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

That conflict opened a rift between Starmer and Trump, with whom he had initially forged a friendly relationship despite their divergent politics.

"He's liberal, which is a bit different from me, but I think he's a very good person and I think he's done a very good job thus far," Trump said in January.

Initially reluctant to criticize Trump publicly, Starmer began taking a firmer stand after the U.S. president's threats to take over Greenland. Starmer's critiques became sharper after the start of the Iran war, and by March Trump was deriding him as "not Winston Churchill" and mocking the Royal Navy.

Starmer's decision to largely keep the U.K. out of the war chimed with the public mood but did not revive his party's support.

Many Labour lawmakers were elected in their constituencies with relatively slim majorities and became increasingly anxious as Labour's poll ratings sank. Starmer's personal approval rating fell to among the worst of any prime minister.

For many Labour lawmakers, the Mandelson-Epstein revelations were the final straw because they shone a spotlight on Starmer's lack of judgment.

There was considerable anger that the prime minister appointed Mandelson to such a sensitive and high-profile post. Starmer sacked Mandelson after a first batch of emails was published in September that showed Mandelson remained friends with Epstein after the late financier's 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor.

But the emails made public in January 2026 suggested that Mandelson also passed on sensitive — and potentially market-moving — government information to the disgraced financier in 2009, when he was a member of the Labour Cabinet.

Mandelson has been arrested and questioned by police on suspicion of misconduct in public office, but has not been charged, and does not face any allegations of sexual misconduct.

Then came the revelation that Mandelson had been appointed despite failing security checks for the ambassador's job. Starmer's apology for the appointment and insistence he hadn't known about the failed security vetting increasingly fell on deaf ears.

In the House of Commons on April 28, Labour lawmaker Emma Lewell said she felt "let down, disappointed and angry," calling Mandelson's appointment "a fundamental failure of judgment."

After Labour was handed a drubbing by voters in May's local and regional elections, the party took action. A Labour lawmaker in Greater Manchester stepped down so Burnham could run for a seat in Parliament. He won decisively and called the moment a "turning point" for British politics. Days later, Starmer announced his intention to step down.

The business leaders were on different sides of the debate when Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016. But 10 years later they are both frustrated by Brexit.

A decade ago, backers promised that Brexit would be the key to a bright new future where, freed from the edicts of EU bureaucrats, Britain would regain control of its laws and its borders and the economy would boom. But the reality failed to live up to the hype as Britain struggled to adjust to life without unfettered access to the 27-nation free trade bloc and its market of 450 million people.

Economic growth is anemic, taxes are high, public services are creaking and successive governments have been unable to stem the flow of migrants who wash up on the English Channel coast in inflatable boats. As a result, it's not exactly a happy anniversary.

“No, it’s not delivered everything that was said it would deliver on the tin, but it is delivering,” Boyd told The Associated Press. “It’s very sluggish. You only need to look at the statistics to see that.”

Boyd, the managing director of REIDSteel, which employs about 130 people at a plant in Christchurch, England, still stands behind his decision to support Brexit, but blames lackluster results on politicians who weren’t committed to delivering. Britain has also experienced unexpected challenges over the past 10 years, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Boyd said.

Economists see fundamental issues

The Brexit vote quickly increased costs for businesses as they prepared for an uncertain future during years of negotiation over the U.K.’s new relationship with the EU. Then, when Britain finally left the bloc on Jan. 31, 2020, new rules governing trade in goods and services made it more expensive and time-consuming to do business with European partners.

Creon Butler, who leads the global economy and finance program at Chatham House, a London-based think tank, said there were long-term consequences to leaving the European single market.

“Whatever was promised, whatever one hoped for, (you have) to accept that it has been a major loss of wealth and prosperity for us through the choice we made to leave,” he said.

“That’s a decision the British public have made, and they’re entitled to make it, but it does make us poorer,” he added.

By most measures, the British economy today is weaker than it would have been without Brexit, according to a recent report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The report, compiled by researchers in Britain, Germany and the U.S., compares the performance of the U.K. economy to 33 other countries, including its European neighbors, the U.S., Canada and Japan.

Brexit has reduced Britain’s gross domestic product, a broad measure of economic output, by 6% to 8%, investment by 12% to 13% and productivity by 3% to 4%, the researchers concluded.

Carmakers had many challenges

Britain’s carmakers were early and outspoken opponents of Brexit, arguing that increased red tape surrounding shipments of parts and finished vehicles would damage an industry built on a network of interlinked factories in multiple European countries.

Those concerns reduced investment in the U.K. auto industry because international carmakers were less likely to see Britain as an attractive way into the European market. As a result, the industry is hoping that international trade deals will help boost demand for its products.

“We have been able to move with the times, so to speak, but undoubtedly it’s putting us at more cost into the industry, more pressure,” Hawes said.

Brexit supporters trumpeted the freedom to negotiate its own trade agreements as one of the primary benefits of leaving the EU, and Britain has since signed dozens of deals with countries ranging from Australia to India to the United States.

But EU countries still account for 41% of Britain’s exports and half its imports, according to the latest government figures.

During more than 50 years as a member of the EU and its predecessors, many British businesses also came to rely on Europe as a source of cheap labor, especially after the bloc’s eastward expansion in 2004.

That pipeline dried up after Brexit ended the free movement of labor, one of the bloc’s founding principals.

The owners of Britain’s curry restaurants, an integral part of communities from Aberdeen in Scotland to Aberystwyth in Wales, have been especially hard hit by the loss of Eastern European workers who went home rather than deal with burdensome new visa requirements. And they’re furious because the industry backed Brexit after assurances it would lead to more visas for South Asian cooks, something that hasn’t happened.

“We feel betrayed,″ said Oli Khan, president of the Bangladesh Caterers Association UK, who serves up tandoori lamb chops, vegetable biryani and chili paneer at his restaurant in Stevenage, north of London.

In an effort to mitigate some of the problems caused by Brexit, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has begun talks with the EU about rebuilding a closer relationship as he seeks to energize the country’s stagnant economy.

Polls suggest frustration with Brexit is growing

Starmer’s move comes as a survey by the Ipsos polling firm, the Policy Institute at King’s College London and the think tank UK in a Changing Europe suggests that frustration with Brexit is growing.

The survey of 2,245 Britons aged 18 and older carried out in May, found that 48% said Brexit was going worse than they expected, up from 28% in March 2021. Some 9% said it was going better than expected and about one in three said it was going as expected.

But Boyd said the most important survey is still the one that took place on June 23, 2016, when 51.9% of those who cast ballots — or 17.4 million people — voted to leave EU.

He continues to believe that Britain has a brighter future outside the EU.

Brexit hasn’t delivered on its promise because politicians, large corporations and other entrenched interests worked to thwart the will of the people, Boyd said. This resulted in a Brexit deal that kept Britain too closely tied to the EU and unable to realize its potential as an entrepreneurial nation filled with creative, hardworking people, he said.

And there's no going back, he said.

“Imagine if we were to rejoin ... today. The conditions upon which we would be allowed back in would be akin to us re-boarding the Titanic on the condition that we surrender our life vests first,″ he said. “Need I say any more?”

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that in 2024, his party had flagged that the Modi government through the RBI had changed the definition of employment to show a boom in job creation, claiming the addition of 168 million jobs since FY18.

The leadership of the RBI was later rewarded for its efforts with plum postings in the Modi government, Ramesh alleged.

Now, the Modi government is attempting the same with rural wages, he said on X.

"We have consistently flagged that the root cause of India's economic slowdown is the stagnation in real wages, which has weakened consumption growth and deterred private investment. Unable to fix this original sin, the Modi Government is now 'doctoring' a rural wages boom," Ramesh alleged.

Reported annual rural wage growth jumped from 6% to 17-18% between June 2025 and March 2026, with average daily wages spiking 12.7% in a single month, he pointed out.

"This 'boom' in wages has been manufactured by a methodological change. The Labour Bureau without a press release or website disclosure -- adopted a new sampling framework, which brought in workers from many northeastern states, NCT Delhi, and Goa into the sample pool," he said.

Despite accounting for only 1.2% of India's workforce, these new data collection points account for 11% of the total sample, Ramesh said.

"Most importantly, their average wages run 50-55% above the old sample because newly added regions have far less agricultural employment and more higher-skilled workforces," Ramesh said.

In reality, an analysis of wages data shows that the genuine wage growth would have been around 4.3% per annum, which is the weakest growth in four years, he said.

"This is the entire political science of data doctoring at play," Ramesh said, taking a dig at the government.

A release issued by PIB said that the human skeletal remains have been handed over to the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI), a national research institute of repute under Ministry of Culture, Government of India, by the ASI for detailed scientific investigation.

The transfer carried out under a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions, is expected to significantly advance multidisciplinary research into one of the most important urban centres of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization, said Prof BV Sharma, Director of AnSI.

Rakhigarhi, spread across approximately 550 hectares in Haryana, is widely recognized as the largest known settlement of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization. Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of continuous habitation from the Early Harappan to the Mature Harappan periods, including planned settlements, drainage systems, craft production centres, trade networks, and burial grounds.

During excavations conducted by ASI’s Excavation Branch-II, Greater Noida, in the 2025–26 field season, archaeologists uncovered eight burials at Mound No. 7, an area previously identified as a cemetery. Three complete human skeletons, along with skeletal fragments recovered from other burials, have now been transferred to AnSI’s ancient human skeletal repository and laboratory in Kolkata for detailed examination. The remaining skeletal materials obtained at these sites are also expected to be transferred in few days.

Researchers believe the remains present a rare opportunity to apply modern scientific techniques, including ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis, stable isotope studies, osteological assessments, palaeopathological investigations, and environmental reconstruction. These approaches are expected to provide valuable insights into ancestry, migration patterns, diet, disease prevalence, adaptation strategies, and human-environment interactions during the Harappan period.

According to AnSI, the research will be conducted in collaboration with leading scientific institutions, including the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow, University College London (UCL), and a team of scholars from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) specializing in ancient DNA research, the PIB release said.

The racket that targeted investors across multiple countries came to light after a Gujarat-based complainant reportedly lost more than Rs 19 lakh.

Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr Lavina Sinha, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hardik Makadiya and the Cyber Crime Police Station launched an extensive investigation into the complaint.

The investigation revealed a larger organised cybercrime network operating across the State and international boundaries.

According to investigators, the complainant was drawn into the scheme after watching forex trading promotional videos circulating on various online platforms.

The videos projected forex trading as a highly profitable investment opportunity and directed potential investors toward a trading platform known as WinProFX.

Believing the claims, the complainant began investing funds through the platform by transferring cryptocurrency in the form of USDT.

Police said the platform initially displayed substantial profits on the investor's trading dashboard, creating an illusion of successful trading activity, encouraging further investments.

However, when the complainant attempted to withdraw the profits and the original investment amount, no money was returned for real.

Communication from the platform operators gradually ceased, leaving the investor unable to recover his funds.

Investigators allege that the accused persons, acting as part of a pre-planned criminal conspiracy, deliberately gained the trust of investors and induced them to invest larger sums through false representations.

Cyber experts conducted an extensive forensic analysis of digital footprints, call detail records, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, bank account transactions, and money trails.

Using advanced analytical tools and technical surveillance, investigators pieced together the operational structure of the alleged fraud network.

Intelligence inputs further strengthened the probe, eventually leading the police to Bihar. Based on the evidence collected, police arrested Kumar Mangalam, a 26-year-old B.Tech graduate in Computer Science from Begusarai, Bihar.

Authorities believe he played a significant role in the functioning and promotion of the WinProFX platform.

During the operation, police seized an iPhone, an iPad, and a MacBook from the accused. Investigators claim the accused was involved in uploading promotional forex trading videos designed to attract investors.

Also, he allegedly acted as a website developer and administrator for the platform. Police further allege that he earned revenue through referral codes and the operation of the trading portal.

WinProFX portrayed itself as an online forex and cryptocurrency trading platform offering investments in foreign exchange pairs, gold, silver, commodities, indices, and digital assets. Investors were encouraged to deposit money either in Indian Rupees or cryptocurrency.

Police sources revealed that WinProFX claims to be registered in Saint Lucia and has built a significant international presence.

Preliminary findings indicate that the platform has approximately 1.93 lakh registered users spread across nearly 100 countries, including India, the UAE, Pakistan, the United States, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, and several other nations.

Investigators suspect that investments running into several crores of rupees may have flowed through the platform.

Investigators have also found that deposits were allegedly routed through mule bank accounts maintained in Haryana with HDFC Bank and Indian Bank.

Verification through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) portal reportedly revealed multiple cyber fraud complaints linked to these accounts.

In a significant development, investigators have also found indications that individuals associated with the ownership and management of WinProFX may have links to a Pakistani national.

Officials, however, stressed that this aspect remains under scrutiny, and further verification is underway.

Notably, the police also pointed out that despite not being registered to operate in India, the platform allegedly accepted investments from Indian users through local bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets. Investigators believe this allowed the accused to reach a large number of Indian investors while operating beyond conventional regulatory scrutiny.

Following the complaint, Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police registered a case under Sections 316(2), 318(4), 336(3), 340(2), 61(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.

With one key accused now in custody, Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police are continuing efforts to identify additional members of the network, trace financial transactions, uncover international connections, and determine the full scale of the alleged fraud.

Eight women who underwent Caesarean sections at Pawta District Hospital on June 20 subsequently fell ill. Six are suspected to have developed septicemia (blood infection), while two suffered kidney-related complications.

All eight were referred to Mathura Das Mathur (MDM) Hospital and are undergoing treatment. Two of them are in the ICU due to their critical condition, while six others are being treated at Pawta District Hospital.

As a precautionary measure, the operation theatre where the surgeries were performed has been sealed. Medicines and equipment used during the procedures are also being examined as part of the investigation.

Dr B S Jodha, Principal of Dr SN Medical College, said all the Caesarean deliveries were performed on June 20.

One of the women suffered excessive bleeding following surgery. Another patient was diabetic and also had low blood pressure and anaemia, conditions that can affect kidney function. "Blood samples from all the affected women have been collected and sent for testing. The reports are expected within three to four days," he said, adding that the matter is under investigation.

The samples of the medicines and medical supplies used have also been sent for testing.

The hospital administration says that the exact cause of the deterioration in the patients' condition, whether is due to infection, medication related issue, or some other medical reason will only become clear once the test reports are received. 

According to Dr Kulveer Singh Chopra, PMO of Pawta Hospital, the condition of all six women admitted for delivery is currently stable and being continuously monitored.

The development has also raised questions as it coincided with Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar's visit to Jodhpur on June 20 to inaugurate five medical facilities. While senior medical officials were engaged in the minister's programme, questions are being raised over when the condition of the affected women came to the notice of the authorities. However, no official statement has been issued on the matter.

The incident comes in the wake of similar cases reported  Kota and Bikaner recently. In Kota, five women died due to kidney failure after undergoing Caesarean deliveries at New Medical College Hospital and JK Lon Hospital May. In this month in Bikaner's PBM Hospital, six women reportedly developed kidney failure following Caesarean sections, resulting in two deaths.

It is notable that an expert committee from Jodhpur identified unsanitary conditions, infection in the operation theatre, lack of fumigation, and the absence of a dedicated ICU for the gynecology department as key factors in PBM hospitals.

However, reports on the testing of drug and IV fluid samples are still awaited and will form part of the final investigation report. The latest tragedy is likely to intensify scrutiny of maternal healthcare practices and post-operative monitoring at government hospitals across Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, former chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot expressed concern over the incident and alleged that while government events were being highlighted, the authorities tried to suppress the news regarding the women.

"Reports of women developing septicemia and kidney-related complications after surgery are extremely worrying and reflected a sharp decline in medical standards and serious negligence," he said.

"Developing septicemia and kidney failure-like complications point to serious shortcomings in the healthcare system," Gehlot said, adding that he would visit Jodhpur and meet the affected patients and their families.

Below are Day 12's fixtures, with all times in IST:

Argentina vs Austria - 10:30 pm

France vs Iraq - 2:30 am

Norway vs Senegal - 5:30 am

Jordan vs Algeria - 8:30 am

Day 11 saw Egypt register the first World Cup victory in their history with a 3-1 win over New Zealand, while Spain returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion by crushing Saudi Arabia 4-0. Belgium's struggles continued with a goalless draw against Iran, leaving their qualification hopes hanging in the balance, as debutants Cape Verde maintained their dream unbeaten run by battling back to earn a 2-2 draw against Uruguay.

Austria defender Stefan Posch available to play vs. Argentina despite broken jaw

Austria defender Stefan Posch will be available to play Monday against defending champion Argentina after sustaining a broken jaw in his team's win to open this World Cup.

Coach Ralf Rangnick said Sunday that Posch, who went through full training the day before the match, had to go to Los Angeles twice to get fitted for a protective jaw brace that will allow him to play despite the injury. Posch didn't need surgery.

"He is ready to play tomorrow just like every and any other player,” Rangnick said through an interpreter. “Then we will see if he will start tomorrow, or maybe he will be brought in during the match.”

Senegal coach isn't saying how much he'll change against Norway at the World Cup

With Senegal in a difficult spot in World Cup group play, coach Pape Thiaw is not revealing how many changes he might make for his team's game against Norway on Monday night.

“Am I going to shake things up a bit? Well, you’ll find this out,” Thiaw said through an interpreter at a news conference Sunday.

Senegal hung in tough against France for the first half of its opener before losing 3-1. Édouard Mendy allowed three goals on eight shots in that game, which included Kylian Mbappé scoring from long range moments after Senegal finally got on the board in stoppage time.

Reserve goalkeeper Mory Diaw accompanied Thiaw to the news conference, but denied his appearance may indicate he would start in place of Mendy.

Senegal has only Iraq left to play after facing Norway in Group I, so the Lions of Teranga are treating their second game as if it is a must-win final.

“We’re in a very tough group; we knew this coming in,” Thiaw said. “We obviously lost the first one, but there’s everything left to play for. We cannot get this wrong.”

World Cup duties no barrier to players' pursuit of lucrative moves

World Cups are a renowned showcase for players to earn a money-spinning transfer, but many at this tournament are pressing ahead with moves on their club future while still on international duty.

Spain's Marc Cucurella was officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player just hours before he took the field for the European champions in a shock 0-0 draw against tournament debutants Cape Verde.

A few days later Liverpool won the race for his international team-mate Victor Munoz in a 40 million euro deal ($46 million, £35 million).

Alex Grimaldo is also set to swap Bayer Leverkusen for Atletico Madrid, while Pedro Porro signed a contract extension with Tottenham since the tournament began.

The flurry of transfers, allied to a disappointing start, has led to questions back home whether La Roja have been distracted by focusing too much on their club careers, an accusation firmly denied by coach Luis de la Fuente.

Timeless Messi eyes World Cup record as Argentina face Austria

The Lionel Messi show rolls into Dallas with the Argentine maestro on the cusp of more footballing history when the World Cup holders face Austria today.

Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria to pull level with Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup record of 16 goals.

Victory over Austria would put Lionel Scaloni's side on the cusp of the last 32 as Group L winners with a game to go, giving Messi the chance to recharge for the knockout rounds.

Police said the case came to light on June 19 after an official from the Brahmavar Child Development Project Office (CDPO) alerted the District Child Protection Unit that a couple from Nejaru in Santekatte was raising a one-month-old baby girl without completing any legal adoption procedures.

Following the tip-off, officials from the District Child Protection Unit and the CDPO visited the couple's residence at Subramanya Nagar in Santekatte.

The team found the accused Prakash, his wife Poornima, the infant identified as Shreenika Prakash, and Poornima's sister Lakshmi at the house.

During questioning, the couple allegedly made inconsistent statements.

Further inquiry revealed that Prakash and Poornima had been married for 11 years and were undergoing treatment for infertility at Kamat Nursing Home in Udupi.

Police said Lakshmi, acting on information from a friend, approached the hospital and requested Dr K Surendra Kamat to provide them with a baby. The accused Dr Kamat handed over the one-month-old girl to the couple about a month ago and facilitated the issuance of a birth certificate, forging the couple as the child's parents.

The couple reportedly told officials that they were unaware of the identity of the baby's biological parents and had no information about the child's background.

Police said the accused conspired to create forged birth records, parentage documents and illegally transferred the infant for wrongful gain, amounting to baby trafficking.

A case has been registered at the Udupi Women's Police Station against Dr Kamat and Prakash under Sections 143(4), 61 and 318(2) read with Section 3(5) of the BNS and Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

Police said efforts are underway to apprehend two other accused in the case.

Replying in the Assembly, the Chief Minister clarified that the Women's Security Pension is not part of the state's social security pension scheme. He said the programme was introduced by the previous government in February, just ahead of the Assembly elections.

Satheesan said the government order for the distribution of social security pensions would be issued on Tuesday, and the disbursal will begin on June 24.

He also informed that the process to raise the monthly social security pension to Rs 3000, a key promise under the UDF's Indira Guarantee, had been initiated. The beneficiary list would undergo a detailed verification to identify ineligible recipients while ensuring that no eligible beneficiary is left out, he said.

Referring to the verification process, the Chief Minister said an official had cited the case of a person in Los Angeles complaining that this month's pension had not been credited. Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan responded by asking whether it made sense to deny a mother pension benefits merely because her son lived abroad. Satheesan replied that the government's only concern was to ensure that no deserving beneficiary was denied the pension.

The Chief Minister also said the government would implement the Oommen Chandy Insurance Scheme, another UDF election promise, adding that detailed discussions were underway among the concerned departments. The scheme is being designed to provide insurance coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh per family.

He further said the Priyadarshini free bus travel scheme under the Indira Guarantee had been implemented within a month of the government assuming office. Rejecting allegations that ordinary buses had been converted into fast passenger services to deprive passengers of the benefit, Satheesan accused sections of social media of spreading misinformation and said he was placing his protest against the campaign on record in the Assembly.

Teams led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf opened talks at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock on Sunday, as part of a two-month negotiating period set out under a preliminary deal agreed last week.

Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the negotiators reached agreement early Monday on a "roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days", and announced that a contact channel had been set up to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz open and end fighting in Lebanon.

"The Swiss facilitator welcomes the constructive progress made during the intensive diplomatic talks that continued throughout the night of 21-22 June at the Burgenstock between the mediators, Iran and the United States," the Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement.

Technical talks have been scheduled to continue for the rest of the week at the resort.

The Swiss ministry said that the roadmap agreed during the first round of talks "creates the conditions for the immediate resumption of new technical discussions".

"Switzerland remains ready to support this process, in line with its tradition of good offices," it said, stressing that "our aim is that our diplomacy contributes to de-escalation, stability and peace".

Mediators Qatar and Pakistan hailed what they called “encouraging progress” made during the talks as Iran and the United States agreed to create a “de-confliction cell” to address the fighting in Lebanon. A senior U.S. diplomat claimed progress on multiple fronts, including the establishment of “mechanisms” to ensure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy shipments, remains open and that a ceasefire in southern Lebanon holds.

Yet the first full day of talks between the U.S. and Iran, who were accompanied by Qatari and Pakistani officials, was jolted by blistering statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, who from thousands of miles away from the Swiss negotiating venue at a mountainside resort near Lake Lucerne was firing off comments that offended the Iranians.

Iranian state media said talks had paused after the “publication of an insulting message by the U.S. President.” The Iranian delegation then met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiating site, state media said. The senior U.S. diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to brief journalists on the ongoing talks, said late Sunday that the Iranians remained on site and the negotiations were on.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had vowed to “never back down from the right to enrich uranium,” according to state media, and Trump later told Fox News in a phone interview that Pezeshkian should watch what he says and also threatened to take over Iran, according to one of the news channel's correspondents.

Trump also continued to issue warnings against Iran on social media, posting as negotiators worked: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

The chief negotiators for the U.S. include JD Vance, the vice president; special envoy Steve Witkoff; and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the president. Iran is represented by Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

It’s unclear when Vance will depart Switzerland, although he told Fox News in an interview Saturday that he anticipates staying only a “day or two.” Kushner and Witkoff are handling much of the technical details on behalf of the U.S. delegation.

In a joint statement, Pakistan and Qatar said the high-level talks had ended and that technical negotiations would continue in Switzerland for the rest of the week. The statement said the sides had agreed to establish a “communication line” to ensure safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a mechanism to bring about an end to the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The U.S. offered no immediate comment, while Iran praised the meditators’ work.

Araghchi wrote on X that Pakistani and Qatari mediators delivered "major progress to end the Lebanon War.” He added that the first “real test” of negotiations would be whether the mechanism succeeded in halting the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The senior U.S. diplomat said among the issues discussed was Iran’s messaging as it related to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran’s military said it closed Saturday in response to continued fighting in Lebanon. U.S. Central Command has disputed that Iran closed the strait again.

The interim deal to end the fighting in Iran, signed last week by the leaders of the U.S. and Iran, outlines a 60-day period for negotiators to settle the future of Tehran’s nuclear program amid concerns that it wants to use it for military purposes, a claim Iran denies. The fate of frozen Iranian assets, among other thorny issues, are also on the agenda.

Though the talks will encompass a vast array of complex matters, Iran first wants to focus on addressing the fighting in Lebanon.

Saturday’s renewed ceasefire in Lebanon appeared to be holding, and Israel’s military said it would lift movement restrictions for residents near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday morning. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the U.S.-Iran deal.

There was cautious calm Monday in Lebanon, with no Israeli strikes reported overnight after a day of quiet Sunday. Hezbollah likewise has not announced any attacks on Israeli forces since Saturday.

The lull in fighting in Lebanon is the longest since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2.

Speaking to reporters, Sarnaik said, “At 3 pm today, six MPs will officially join Shiv Sena. This will increase the number of our MPs from 7 to 13. This has increased the strength of Shiv Sena.”

Omraje Nimbalkar and Nagesh Ashtikar have formally announced their split from the UBT Sena.

He said the MPs had submitted a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker regarding their decision. Sarnaik described the move as a continuation of the party’s “Operation Tiger”, saying, “The six MPs who follow the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray are joining Shiv Sena.”

Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande said she had no official confirmation of the development but suggested that the MPs were aligning with the Shinde faction. “No one is a rebel. They are 'Shiv Sainiks' joining Shiv Sena. I don't have any official information about this,” she said.

She added that Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde had welcomed the development and hinted that “some good news” was expected.

The reported move comes days after several UBT Sena MPs skipped a parliamentary party meeting, triggering speculation about their future. The MPs believed to be considering a switch reportedly also include Sanjay Deshmukh from Yavatmal-Washim from Hingoli, Sanjay Jadhav from Parbhani, Bhausaheb Wakchaure from Shirdi, Sanjay Dina Patil from Mumbai North East and

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Mahesh Sawant, reacting to the reports, said, “Jaane wale gaye! We agree” with the statement published in the party mouthpiece Saamana.

Aaditya Thackeray challenged the rebel MPs to resign from their positions and seek a fresh mandate from voters under their new political banner.

Speaking to reporters, Thackeray said those leaving the party should contest elections again to demonstrate their public support.

“These cowardly people who are deserting the party today, and those who have sold themselves, should resign from their posts and contest elections again to prove their strength,” he said.

UBT Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is preparing to launch a Maharashtra-wide outreach campaign to meet party workers, including in constituencies represented by the MPs facing defection speculation.

According to the schedule shared by UBT Sena leader Sanjay Raut, Thackeray will begin the campaign on June 27 with visits to Yavatmal and Washim, followed by Hingoli, Parbhani, Dharashiv and Shirdi.

Meanwhile, in a video posted on Facebook, Nagesh Ashtikar stated the "lack of trust" and "harsh language" used against him and other rebel MPs after they skipped the parliamentary party meeting, as the reason for leaving Sena (UBT).

The MP said, "There is a lot of talk and speculation going on these days, and I have come to address it. I did not leave out of any sense of grievance; Uddhav Saheb has always shown me great affection. Sanjay Raut and other senior leaders are free to say whatever they wish about me -- it is their right. They, too, have showered me with love, and I regard them all as father figures. However, I must also point out that until the 18th (June 18), we had not gone anywhere. Yet, the lack of trust shown towards us and the use of extreme, harsh language regarding us led to discussions among us, and we concluded that there was no point in staying on."

The Shiv Sena (UBT) has also sacked Ashtikar's son for "anti-party activities," party leader Sanjay Raut said on Monday.

The MP's son, Krushna Patil Ashtikar, was the party's candidate from Nanded local bodies constituency in the Maharashtra legislative council polls held last week.

"Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has sacked Krushna Nagesh Patil (Ashtikar) from the Shiv Sena (UBT) for anti-party activities," Raut said in a post on X.

(With inputs from ANI)

Addressing a press conference, Thackeray alleged that the BJP was trying to weaken opposition parties after falling short of a majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“Today they are breaking our MPs and MLAs as they are willing to change the constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Voters prevented them in 2024, and they got only 240 MPs, but now they are trying that again by breaking parties; their main aim is to change the constitution,” he said.

His remarks come amid growing speculation over a fresh split in Shiv Sena (UBT), with six of the party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs reportedly preparing to switch allegiance to the Shinde faction in what has been dubbed “Operation Tiger”.

Thackeray criticised the rebel MPs, arguing that they owed their electoral victories to the collective efforts of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance and were now betraying the mandate given by voters.

“All these people were elected on Shiv Sena (UBT) with the help of MVA allies, and now they are switching to the other side against the people's mandate,” he said.

He further contended that voters in the concerned constituencies had rejected the NDA’s ideology and questioned the decision of the MPs to align with the ruling alliance.

Launching a broader attack on the BJP, Thackeray said, “BJP can riot in the country, put things on rampage, can campaign, but one thing is sure that BJP doesn't know how to rule. We are seeing this in BMC in Mumbai and PMC in Pune.”

He also alleged misuse of public resources to facilitate political defections.

“These people don't have money for salaries of employees and welfare schemes, but they have money to buy MPs,” he claimed.

Asserting that the original Shiv Sena remains with the Uddhav Thackeray faction, he said, “I think Shiv Sena is just one that is ours, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the other one is a space of BJP and not Shiv Sena Shinde, etc.”

The political crisis deepened after a parliamentary party meeting held in New Delhi on Thursday was attended by only three of Shiv Sena (UBT)’s nine Lok Sabha MPs. Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje attended the meeting, while six MPs stayed away, fuelling speculation about an imminent split.

The MPs whose absence triggered the latest round of rumours are Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar and Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Patil and Rajenimbalkar have formally anounced their split.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut had earlier said the process of seeking the disqualification of the absent MPs had already begun.

The controversy intensified after Shiv Sena MLC Chandrakant Raghuvanshi claimed that six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs had expressed confidence in Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and joined his faction.

With reports of defections mounting, the latest developments have raised the prospect of another major split in the party founded by Bal Thackeray, nearly four years after the rebellion led by Shinde reshaped Maharashtra politics.

Government ministers said the Labour leader was reflecting on his political future over the weekend.

As press gathered outside 10 Downing Street on Monday morning, it was unclear whether he had made a decision, and Starmer's office was not able to confirm timings for a potential press conference.

"I do not know if he has (made a decision). I know that... he has been thinking really hard about what is best for the country," junior education minister Jacqui Smith told Sky News.

"I trust him to make the right decision," Smith added.

Speculation that Starmer was on the brink of resigning comes as veteran politician Andy Burnham was due to take up his seat in parliament, days after clinching victory in a crunch by-election and clearing the path for an anticipated leadership challenge.

Under Labour's rules, the leader of the centre-left party must be a member of parliament.

If Starmer does leave office this year, Britain will get its seventh prime minister in a decade -- an unprecedented rate of churn in its modern history.

The 63-year-old ex-lawyer had insisted he would fight any attempt to oust him but the emphatic nature of Burnham's victory in last week's northwest Makerfield constituency vote appears to have prompted a weekend re-think.

The beleaguered leader "is expected to announce on Monday that he will step down as prime minister after overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs to make way for Andy Burnham", The Guardian said.

The BBC said "signs are growing" that Starmer could set out a plan to resign on Monday, while papers splashed with headlines like "Game Over".

Even US President Donald Trump was predicting Starmer's imminent departure from Downing Street, writing on Sunday on his Truth Social platform: "Keir Starmer will resign".

The American leader, who initially enjoyed a good rapport with Starmer before the Iran war ruptured the relationship, said Starmer had failed on immigration and energy policies.

Burnham -- Greater Manchester mayor since 2017 -- has made clear he intends to bid to lead slumping Labour, warning in his by-election victory speech the ruling party had a "final chance to change".

If successful, the 56-year-old could become prime minister by default unless there are any other challengers for the post, given that Labour has a huge parliamentary majority.

'Time to reflect'

Starmer, who is deeply unpopular with voters according to polling, reportedly spent the weekend holed up with his family at Chequers, the countryside retreat for prime ministers, holding talks with allies.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle told Sky News on Sunday Starmer was "making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in".

The Guardian reported Starmer and his inner circle were working on his resignation speech.

It said the most likely timetable would see Starmer stay in office until after the summer, with the new leader to be hailed at the party conference in late September.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was among the senior ministers telling her boss to go, according to Sky News, while more than 100 of Labour's 403 MPs have reportedly urged him to resign.

Starmer, who took office in July 2024, has been clinging to power for months after a tenure littered with missteps, policy U-turns, scandals and ministerial resignations.

He was nearly ousted in March, over his ill-fated decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a known associate of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as the UK's ambassador to Washington.

Labour's drubbing in local and regional polls in England, Scotland and Wales last month once again intensified the pressure.

The fallout from the May polls saw Makerfield's previous Labour MP quit, gifting Burnham a path to becoming an MP, and challenge Starmer for the party leadership.

A former MP and government minister in the 2000s, Burnham defied national trends by easily beating the hard-right, populist Reform UK party's candidate.

Burnham, from the so-called soft-left wing of Labour, has provided little detail about his plans for government if he wins power.

UK media say he intends to replace finance minister Rachel Reeves, while retaining interior minister Shabana Mahmood.

Interestingly, the ruling TVK and the principal opposition party in the Assembly - the DMK are on the same page on a separate tribunal for Mekedatu issue while the AIADMK and Left parties are opposing the proposal contending that a tribunal will be detrimental to Tamil Nadu's interests.

The AIADMK MLAs led by its general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami staged a walk out over the Speaker's refusal to raise a privilege issue regarding the amendment on the demand for separate tribunal on Mekedatu issue. Despite repeated requests, the Speaker did not allow Palaniswami to raise the issue.

Outside the Assembly, Palaniswami said that the Assembly Rules and established conventions were completely violated during the adoption of the Government Resolution on June 19. He said that although the Leader of the Opposition had submitted an amendment, it was neither circulated to all Members nor formally moved, seconded, debated or put to vote as required under the Rules.

"Despite this, the Chief Minister announced that the amendment would be accepted and incorporated into the resolution, and the Speaker put the amended resolution to vote. The amendment was communicated in advance only to the Chief Minister, who read out a prepared response in the House. This amounted to a breach of the rights and privileges of Members and a violation of Assembly procedures", Palaniswami contended.

Salah scored his 68th goal in international play, a total now just one goal shy of current Egypt coach Hossam Hassan’s career record for the Pharaohs, in a 3-1 World Cup victory Sunday night over New Zealand.

It was his third World Cup goal after he netted two at the 2018 tournament in Russia. Three goals at the World Cup gives the 34-year-old Salah the most ever for an Egyptian player.

Salah played for Liverpool for nine seasons, winning two Premier League titles and becoming the league’s leading foreign goal scorer. But he had a dip in form this season and amid tensions, announced his contract with the squad would be ended a year early.

His departure from Anfield sparked discussion as to where the striker would be going next. For now, he plays for Egypt with his future plans still uncertain.

While between clubs, Mo Salah has etched his name further into the history books as the captain of the first Egyptian team to win a World Cup match.

“What happened today is history for us as Egyptians,” Salah said. “We see a lot of teams win games, but for us as Egyptian, it doesn’t happen often, first time in history.”

Fans would have to wait to see the Salah they grew to expect at Liverpool. He started slow in the first half, missing wide left on a direct free kick and watching New Zealand take an early lead, but he would not be denied for long.

Salah scored Sunday on a pass from Mostafa Ziko in the 67th minute. The ball slid underneath a defender and past New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe to give the Pharaohs a 2-1 lead.

Salah wasn’t done adding to his resume quite yet, getting an assist in the 82nd minute on the Pharaohs’ final goal, his second assist of this game. He also had an assist on Egypt’s lone goal in its 1-1 draw against Belgium earlier in the tournament.

“He’s a good player,” New Zealand captain Chris Wood said. “You have to keep an eye on him.”

The four-time Premier League Golden Boot winner scored nine goals in 10 matches to qualify the Pharaohs for this World Cup. Salah became the career scoring leader in African World Cup qualifying history.

Salah should have his share of clubs interested in his talents after a strong start to the World Cup.

“Salah worked hard on the pitch,” Egypt manager Hossam Hassan said. “I am sure we are going to see more from him.”

A total of 100 people have recovered in the outbreak concentrated in the Ituri province since it was declared on May 15, Congo’s Ministry of Health said.

The Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no vaccines or treatment, was the worst ever in its first month. Officials admit there could be far more cases they still don’t know about and that the peak of the outbreak is still ahead.

Contact tracing remains a key issue for local authorities, who have only achieved a 55% coverage rate, the ministry said.

Officials also are yet to identify the outbreak’s patient zero and still need to trace more than 35,000 people who have come in contact with infected individuals as of last week, authorities said.

The former Trinamool Congress MLA from Tollygunj seat in Kolkata, on Sunday has reportedly written a three-page letter to the party leadership in reply to a show-cause notice served to him recently and brought serious charges of financial irregularities allegedly related party funds lying with different accounts in a private bank.

Days after he wrote a letter to the private bank last week in the city urging it to freeze the accounts of the party so that no financial transactions can be made, claiming himself as a treasurer of the party the former heavyweight minister and a close aide to the party supremo and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

The party leadership has recently issued him a show-cause notice seeking to know his clarification on his previous letter to the bank seeking to freeze the accounts.

The tussle for the status of “real Trinamool” has reached a stash of around Rs 675 crore in a bank vault and intensified further on Friday after a group of about 10 rebel Trinamool Congress MLAs led by Ritabrata Banerjee, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal Legislative Assembly, lodged complaint with the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate fearing illegal transactions of cut money in a bank account of the party virtually showing support to Aroop’s same appeal to the bank concerned.

Aroop raised an apprehension that unauthorised persons may misuse signed cheques and sought status quo until a competent authority resolves the matter.

With Ritabrata camp’s appeal, a tug of war between the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata, and rebels, who claim themselves as ‘real Trinamool’, has been escalated after the move related to who will take control of the party’s fund lying with the bank.

Police have already appealed the concerned bank to freeze three accounts with around Rs 440 crore of the party.

This significant development within the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata came amid the Calcutta High Court’s directive on Thursday giving its green signal to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose to recognise Ritabrata as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the House.

But questions are flying around about Aroop’s political identity at the backdrop of the ongoing crisis within the party. Which Trinamool is he? Mamata Banerjee’s or the rebel groups of ‘real Trinamool’ led by Ritabrata.

Sources belonging to the Trinamool Congress lobby at Kalighat said roop’s recent move to write a letter to the bank might be at the behest of the dissident camp.

Sources also felt that it was game plan of the rebels and BJP managers to make Mamata financially paralysed.

Trinamool Congress leadership while overhauling of the party organisation after its defeat in the elections made Subhashis Chakraborty, former Rajya Sabha MP of the party, the Treasurer removing Biswas from the post. Biswas lost election from the Tollygunj assembly seat this time against the BJP candidate Papiya Adhikari.

According to Biswas’s letter, “At present, rival groups are claiming to be the legitimate representatives and office bearers of AITC, resulting in uncertainty regarding the authority of persons who may seek to operate the bank accounts maintained in the name of AITC.”

"In order to safeguard the funds of the organisation... I request your good office to maintain status quo and refrain from permitting any debit transactions or changes in operational mandates in respect of the following account... until the dispute is duly resolved," Biswas stated in the letter.

"It is further matter of public knowledge that a substantial number of elected representatives of the party, including 20 out of 28 Members of Parliament and 58 out of 90 Members of the Legislative Assembly, have either left the Party or have openly revolted against the existing leadership. In these circumstances, a serious dispute has arisen regarding the authority, control and management of the party,” he added.

"At present, rival groups are claiming to be the legitimate representatives and office bearers of AITC, resulting in uncertainty regarding the authority of persons who may seek to operate the bank accounts maintained in the name of AITC," Biswas said fearing that some signed cheques, including those currently in the custody of the rebel leaders, whose authority is under dispute, may be misused.

The Trinamool Congress has been rocked by rebellion led by Ritabrata with support of around 65 dissident legislators of the party after it lost the crucial 2026 Assembly polls, where it has bagged only 80 out 294 assembly seats across the state.

In a video posted on Facebook, Ashtikar stated the "lack of trust" and "harsh language" used against him and other rebel MPs after they skipped the parliamentary party meeting, as the reason for leaving Sena (UBT).

Yavatmal-Washim MP Sanjay Deshmukh, Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Parbhani MP Sanjay Jadhav, Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Mumbai North East MP Sanjay Dina Patil, and Osmanabad MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar were the ones who skipped the Sena (UBT) parliamentary party meeting on June 18.

The MP said, "There is a lot of talk and speculation going on these days, and I have come to address it. I did not leave out of any sense of grievance; Uddhav Saheb has always shown me great affection. Sanjay Raut and other senior leaders are free to say whatever they wish about me -- it is their right. They, too, have showered me with love, and I regard them all as father figures. However, I must also point out that until the 18th (June 18), we had not gone anywhere. Yet, the lack of trust shown towards us and the use of extreme, harsh language regarding us led to discussions among us, and we concluded that there was no point in staying on."

Amid the 'Operation Tiger' buzz, he also mentioned that not receiving adequate funds for the development of Hingoli Lok Sabha constituency was one of the reasons for deciding to leave the opposition ranks.

"Another crucial reason was that we were not receiving adequate funds for the development of our constituency. The Rs 5 crore MPLAD fund allocated to us is insufficient for the required work, as every individual in the constituency who elected me has their own hopes and aspirations.

"When it comes to development, whether through local self-government bodies like Nagar Panchayats and Zilla Parishads or projects undertaken by the Forest Department, those not in the ruling party do not benefit from these funds. With the constituency's development in mind, others and I took this decision. Some may accept this explanation, while others might be displeased; however, those who grasp the true meaning of my words will understand why we chose this path," he said.

Six of nine UBT faction Lok Sabha MPs are likely to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Meanwhile, the party has expelled Ashtikar's son, Krishna Nagesh Patil, for "anti-party activities."

"Krishna Nagesh Patil (Ashtikar) has been expelled from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) party for their anti-party activities," Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut posted on X.

Amid rebellion buzz within the party, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is scheduled to begin a Maharashtra-wide outreach campaign to meet party workers in the constituencies, including those of the rebel party MPs.

As per the schedule shared by Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray will begin the campaign on June 27 with his Yavatmal visit, followed by Washim in Vidarbha and Hingoli in the Marathwada region. On June 28, he will visit Parbhani and Dharashiv, followed by Shirdi on June 29.

Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray has accused the rebels of prioritising personal "greed" over their political commitments.

(With inputs from ANI)

Speaking to reporters at his Jaipur residence, Gehlot claimed that recent actions in districts such as Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner were intended to create a communal narrative that would benefit the BJP electorally. He alleged that religious sites were being selectively targeted to consolidate votes along religious lines.

According to Gehlot, “The border districts adjoining Pakistan have maintained communal harmony since Independence and have never witnessed major tensions or riots.” He said people from different faiths had coexisted peacefully for decades and questioned the rationale behind the demolition drives.

He alleged that the BJP had consistently relied on polarisation to win elections and suggested that the latest actions were designed to influence voters ahead of the upcoming polls in five states. “These moves are being made with elections in mind and are aimed at sending a political message,” he said.

Referring to one of the shrines, the former chief minister claimed that the site had been looked after by members of the Hindu community because there were no Muslim families residing in the village. He alleged that even local residents had opposed the demolition, but their objections were ignored by the administration.

Gehlot also raised concerns over the role of officials, saying that maintaining social harmony was the responsibility of district administrations, especially in sensitive border regions. He warned that actions capable of disturbing the peaceful atmosphere could have serious consequences and urged authorities to ensure communal amity was preserved.

Gehlot’s remarks come amid the ongoing “Operation Clean” being carried out in areas falling within 50 km of the India–Pakistan border in Rajasthan. As part of the drive, the administration on 18 June demolished four mosques and madrasas in Barmer, alleging that the structures had been built after encroaching on government, grazing and agricultural land near the international border.

The action followed notices issued to 17 mosques and madrasas under the campaign. Members of the Muslim community have alleged that although the notices were dated 11 June, they were served only on 17 June, leaving little time for a response, with some structures being razed the very next day.

The administration has also issued a notice to the Mehmood Shah Peer Jilani Dargah situated on the Ramgarh–Tanot bypass road in Jaisalmer, triggering fresh controversy. Local residents claim the shrine is more than 250 years old and represents the region’s shared cultural heritage and longstanding communal harmony.

However, the BJP rejected Gehlot’s allegations and accused the Congress of practising appeasement and religion-based politics. Rajasthan State Finance Commission Chairman and former BJP state president Dr Arun Chaturvedi said safeguarding the country’s borders was not the responsibility of the armed forces alone, but of every citizen. He maintained that strengthening security in border regions was a matter of national interest and that illegal constructions in sensitive areas would not be allowed to remain.

“National security is paramount. Any illegal construction in border areas will be identified and removed,” Chaturvedi said, asserting that the exercise would continue. BJP chief spokesperson Ramlal Sharma also defended the action, accusing the Congress of pursuing appeasement politics and arguing that the measures were essential from a security standpoint.

Western Rajasthan shares nearly 1,070 km of the India–Pakistan international border, spanning the districts of Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Sriganganagar, Jodhpur and the newly created Phalodi district. The region holds significant strategic importance and remains under constant surveillance by the Army and the Border Security Force (BSF). Jodhpur houses a major Indian Air Force station, while Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner also serve as key air bases. During Operation Sindoor, the border belt witnessed missile launches and drone activity originating from Pakistan.

Amid heightened security concerns, the Centre has expanded the scope of “Operation Clean” to strengthen monitoring along the international border. Under directions issued by the Home Department, inspections that were earlier limited to a 15-km belt have now been extended to 50 km from the border.

Barmer Collector Anupama Jorwal said 102 villages and hamlets falling within the expanded zone had been identified and that joint survey teams had begun ground verification. Personnel from the BSF, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the local administration are jointly carrying out the exercise.

Officials are examining revenue and government records to identify encroachments and have started issuing notices to those concerned. According to official sources, more than 300 notices have been served so far in the border region. Thousands of police personnel have also been deployed to assist security agencies and ensure the smooth removal of illegal encroachments.

Moscow and Kyiv have escalated attacks on each other in recent weeks, as US-led talks on ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II remain effectively frozen.

"A drone strike set fire to a vessel sailing under the Panama flag. A crew member was killed -- a 58-year-old cook, a citizen of Egypt," Kuleba wrote on Telegram.

He said that eight sailors, including citizens of Turkey and India, fled the attack on a life raft, and that the vessel "sustained significant damage and lost seaworthiness".

The Ukrainian navy said that a "large-scale fire" broke out on the Turkish cargo vessel Victress, which was Panama-flagged, following the drone strike.

"This incident once again demonstrates that the Russian Federation continues to violate the norms of international maritime law and to pose threats to civilian shipping," the navy said in a Telegram post.

Russians also attacked vessels sailing under the flags of Palau and Belize, with no casualties, according to Kuleba.

Regional authorities in Ukraine separately reported on Monday that Russian attacks killed two people, one in a missile strike in the port city of Odesa and another in a drone attack in Zaporizhzhia in the country's southeast.

"Three people have been wounded, another woman remains trapped in a burning house following an enemy attack on Zaporizhzhia," Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional military administration wrote on Telegram on Monday.

"Sadly, the death of the woman who was inside the house destroyed by the enemy drone has been confirmed," Fedorov wrote in a later update.

In Odesa, Ukraine's emergency service said that Russian attacks set fire to an agricultural enterprise.

"One person was killed as a result of yesterday's missile strike on Odesa region's civilian infrastructure. A further three people were wounded," the emergency service said.

In Russia, aviation authorities briefly closed Moscow's four airports on Monday after a flurry of drones were intercepted.

Russia's ministry of defence said on Monday morning that air defences destroyed 301 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight.

The complainant, Sudhir Agarwal, 50, stated that in 2024 he and his associates came in contact with Nitin Gulabani, who was running KV Jewellers and Nitin Jewellers in Somajiguda.

He reportedly requested the complainant and his associates to supply gold ornaments regularly for retail sales.

According to Sudhir, it is a well-established practice in the jewellery trade for manufacturers and wholesalers to entrust gold ornaments to jewellery merchants for sale, with the understanding that the merchant will either remit the sale proceeds or return an equivalent quantity of gold or the unsold ornaments, as mutually agreed.

Trusting Gulabani’s assurances and representations, the complainant and his associates entrusted substantial quantities of gold ornaments to him from time to time.

Initially, Gulabani honoured the terms of the arrangement, thereby gaining the confidence of the complainant and his associates and inducing them to continue supplying larger quantities of gold ornaments. Between April 2025 and the first week of June 2026, acting on his repeated assurances, Sudhir and his associates allegedly entrusted 20.59 kg of gold ornaments to Gulabani.

As many as 13 states and UTs, including Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Puducherry, report an increase in any tobacco use among women in the age group of 15 years and above as compared to the National Family Health Survey -5 (2019-21).

This is despite that nationally there is a slight dip – from 8.9% to 8.4% - in women using tobacco of any kind. The same applies to men, too. Tobacco usage among men went down from 38.0% to 36.3%, as per the National Family Health Survey-6.

However, in many states and UTs, usage of tobacco, which is the single largest preventable cause of both cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in India, is high among both men and women.

According to Dr Shalini Singh, Director, Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida (ICMR-NICPR), a national average that appears favourable can mask subnational crises.

“Tobacco control policy must be disaggregated to the state and district level. We need state-specific and most importantly district-level burden assessments and tailored interventions, not one-size-fits-all national targets,” she told this paper.

What is worrisome is that the use of tobacco, both smoked and smokeless, has seen a rise among women, more so among rural women, in many states, including Telangana and Puducherry.

The states which are seeing a rise are: Arunachal Pradesh (from 18.8% to 19.1%), Chhattisgarh (from 17.3% to 18.7%), Goa (from 2.6% to 3.1%), Himachal Pradesh (from 1.7% to 1.9%), Madhya Pradesh (from 10.3% to 11.6%), Meghalaya (from 28.3% to 34.6%), Nagaland (13.7% to 17.4%), Punjab (from 0.4% to 0.5%), Sikkim (from 11.6% to13.1%), Telangana (5.6% to 5.9%), Uttar Pradesh (from 8.5% to 9.6%), West Bengal (from 10.8% to 11.2%) and Puducherry (from 2.6% to 4.1%).

“The rise in tobacco use among women in a few states is a serious public health signal that demands urgent attention,” Dr Singh said.

“Tobacco use during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes, including low birth weight, preterm birth, and increased infant mortality. The previous rounds of NFHS data showed high prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among pregnant women in many central, east and north-eastern states, a deeply alarming finding for both maternal and child health,” she added.

Dr Singh said the rise in female tobacco use in states calls for gender-sensitive tobacco control strategies, including targeted IEC campaigns, inclusion of tobacco cessation in maternal and reproductive health programmes, and stronger regulation of smokeless tobacco products marketed implicitly or explicitly to women.

It is, however, not that men are not smoking.

In 10 states, it is higher than the national average. These are: Arunachal Pradesh (from 50.3% to 51.4%), Chhattisgarh (from 43.1% to 45.3%), Madhya Pradesh (from 46.4% to 47.7%), Mizoram (from 73.1% to 73.6%), Nagaland (from 48.4 % to 51.2%), Punjab (from 12.9% to 13.9%), Uttar Pradesh (44.0% to 45.2%) Uttarakhand (from 33.7% to 33.8%), Chandigarh (from 11.9% to15.1%), Lakshadweep (from 28.5% to 29.5%).

Liquor consumption among men aged 15 years and above has seen a rise both nationally (from 18.7% to 18.9%) and in as many as 14 states and UTs.

These states includes: Andhra Pradesh (from 23.1% to 23.3%), Bihar (from 15.4% to 16.5%), Chhattisgarh (from 34.7% to 38.3%), Haryana (from 16.0% to 17.5%), Kerala (from 19.9% to 22.7%), Madhya Pradesh (from 17.0% to 18.5%), Nagaland (from 23.9% to 26.9%), Punjab (22.8% to 22.9%), Sikkim (from 39.9 to 42.2%), Telangana (from 43.4% to 43.9%), Uttar Pradesh (14.5% to 18.7%), Uttarakhand (from 25.5% to 27.2%), Chandigarh (0.3% to 1.1%), and Lakshadweep (from 0.4% to 0.6%).

Although nationally, consumption of liquor has slightly dipped among women from 1.3% to 1.1%, in eight states it has gone up.

These states are: Andhra Pradesh (0.5% to 0.6%), Chhattisgarh (4.9% to 5.7%), Kerala (0.2% to 0.3%), Madhya Pradesh (1.0% to 1.2%), Nagaland (from 0.9% to 1.6%), Sikkim (from 16.2% to 19.9%), Telangana (from 6.7% to 7.1%) and Chandigarh (from 0.3% to 1.1%).

Interestingly, dry states like Bihar, Nagaland and Mizoram, liquor consumption has seen a hike. The impact of liquor prohibition can only be seen in Gujarat among both men ( from 5.8 % to 5.2%) and women (from 0.6% to 0.3%).

In fact, men and women in rural India are consuming both liquor and tobacco more than those living in urban pockets.

Dr Singh said this is mainly due to lower literacy and health awareness, limited access to healthcare and cessation services, weaker enforcement of tobacco and alcohol regulations, higher availability and lower cost of products (particularly bidis, khaini, country liquor), and a higher proportion of physically demanding occupations where substance use is socially normalised as a coping mechanism.

“It also reflects the sharp urban bias in NCD prevention infrastructure. Cessation clinics, counselling services, and NCD screening camps are overwhelmingly concentrated in urban and peri-urban health facilities,” said the top scientist.

“The rural data from NFHS-6 make a compelling case for integrating tobacco and alcohol use screening and brief counselling into the work of frontline health workers and embedding cessation support into Ayushman Bharat–Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs),” Dr Singh she further added.

“The evidence base is unambiguous that tobacco and alcohol are among the leading modifiable risk factors for India's growing NCD burden, including cardiovascular diseases and cancers. A comprehensive, multi-pronged response is required,” she said.

Why? Because Selvi, who owns and runs the shop, has attracted the audience, many who may not even follow football, through her viral Instagram reels. In the several videos on her account, she tries to cater to the audience by trying to pronounce names of famous footballers and show their jerseys. In the process, her mispronunciation or Tamil-ification of the names — Lamine Yamal of Spain is Lakshmi Ammal and England legend David Beckham is Bee Com — has received warm responses from viewers who find her content cute, and the reels going viral across all social media platform.

So much so that on the morning of Spain’s first match, the Tamil X fraternity was talking about how they cannot wait for Lakshmi Ammal’s World Cup debut. Former India cricketer R Ashwin spoke about her on his YouTube channel while Juventus FC — an Italian football club where Ronaldo played — had uploaded a video of her pronunciations with reactions of former player Paul Pogba.

“It is all thanks to Lakshmi Ammal and Beecom,” she tells CE. Selvi also has her own iterations of other popular names in football. ‘Urgent Lessi’ (sometimes, Android Messi) for Argentina star Lionel Messi, ‘Naroda’ for Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, ‘Nee yaar’ for Brazil’s Neymar and ‘Paapa’ for France’s Kylian Mbappe.

While the sales may have not skyrocketed as much as the views she has gotten, Selvi is happy that customers — who have come from different parts of the country — take their time in being there in the shop to talk to her. “Recently, a customer from a different city had come here and stayed with us for half-an-hour. Although I did not have the jersey they wanted, it was very kind of them to stay back,” she says.

Selvi has kept the prices constant despite the viral reception on social media. “We started this business for those who cannot afford to buy clothes. Our prices of Rs 350 will remain for most of our products. College-going kids would want to come here to buy our clothes as gifts,” she says.

Hailing from Thavalakuppam village in Puducherry, Selvi began working at a stall in a railway station, before getting married. “Then, I worked at a silk sari shop in the town, where I earned around Rs 3,000 a day,” she said. Two-and-a-half years ago, owing to health issues, she decided to start a small business from her home, with her son Sivabalan. “I began by selling only cotton dresses. We only had small quantities of jerseys. But as the demand increased, we focused more on selling jerseys. Ever since my son became a cop (Puducherry commando), I have managed everything by myself,” she says.

When businesses around her struggled to make profits, a friend suggested Selvi use Instagram. Local kids help her make the reels. And it has paid off and how! “They suggested that it may help us in the long run. I am very happy to have this recognition, considering the struggles of raising my children and managing the shop,” she signs off.