vijayawada l tuesday l june 23, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION UK PM Keir Starmer latest to exit 10 downing street revolving door Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday, becoming the sixth UK prime minister to step down before the end of tenure since 2016 Keir Starmer Andy Burnham Labour drubbing in local polls sealed fate Oversaw conclusion of India FTA Pressure had been building on Starmer to step down amid domestic policy U-turns, ministerial resignations and a scandal over his decision to appoint a known associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as the British ambassador to Washington. A trouncing for the Labour Party in the local and regional elections held on May 7 proved the final straw ■ ■ Labour politician Andy Burnham, who last week won the crucial by-election in Makerfield is the frontrunner to replace Starmer As UK PM, Starmer oversaw the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement with India. He brought a large business delegation to Mumbai last year, signalling his desire for closer business ties Jul 5, 2024 When starmer became the prime minister of the United Kingdom CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Suspected AC defect leads to massive blaze in 3-storey building, PM offers `2L ex gratia Meta invests in CRED, ropes in Shah as WA boss Pa d m i n i D h r u v a r a j @ Bengaluru Students among 15 burnt alive in UP blaze N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow AT least 15 people, mostly students between 22 and 27 years, were charred to death after a fire broke out in a three-storey commercial building in a posh Lucknow neighbourhood on a busy Monday afternoon. The list of the deceased includes four women. Late in the night, police arrested three persons—Ramakrishna Upadhyay, Virendra Prasad Shukla, and T K Jaiswal after filing an FIR. The FIR pertains to negligence and violations linked to the fire. Four officials were suspended too. Most of the victims were trapped on the second floor of the building located on Usha Mehta Marg in Aliganj in north Lucknow, where students were attending classes at an anima- The fire broke out suddenly. It was an animation centre. It seems that the children ran towards the backside but couldn’t survive Brajesh Pathak, Deputy CM, UP tion centre. The ill-fated building housed a pet shop and a clinic in the basement, ground, and first floors. The second floor had a library-cum-coaching centre called ‘Learning Space’, and also housed ‘Head Hopper Studio’, a 3D Art production and game asset outsourcing centre. Most of those killed were students who had come for internship/work at the gaming stu- dio. Around 35 students were present when the fire broke out. While some managed to escape, several of them had to jump off from the second floor, while many locked themselves inside bathrooms in a bid to save themselves. As per fire department sources, the blaze originated in the pet shop in the basement due to a short circuit in an air-conditioner around 2.30 pm, and spread rapidly before engulfing the building. “A total of 22 people were brought to the Trauma Centre of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) following the incident. Of them, 15 were declared brought dead, while five injured were admitted for treatment,” King George Medical University PRO Prof K K Singh told the media. UP sets up SIT to probe cause of fire The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a Special Investigation Team under Additional Director General Praveen Kumar to ascertain the cause of the fire. The SIT has been tasked with submitting its findings within seven days Adityanath promises strict action for lapses Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Monday evening said every person responsible will face strict action. He announced ex gratia of `5 lakh for the kin of each deceased, while PM Narendra Modi offered `2 lakh each Kunal Shah Investor, serial entrepreneur A prominent face of India’s tech ecosystem for two decades, Kunal Shah has invested in hundreds of early-stage startups. Before CRED, he founded Freecharge, one of India’s early digital payments ventures What is CRED? CRED, based in Bengaluru, is a fintech platform that enables users to manage their credit card payments and earn rewards. It is a members-only service that rewards highearners for timely credit card payments 12 Indians killed in Qatar natural gas unit explosion as it began operations Govt inks pact with IFMR to realise Swarna Andhra Vision E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The State Planning Department on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR), operating under Krea University to support the , implementation of 10 guiding principles of Swarna Andhra Vision 2047. Planning Department Principal Secretary Piyush Kumar and IFMR representative Kapil Viswanathan exchanged the copies of agreement. As part of the collaboration, IFMR will oversee the implementation of the programme, and support the establishment of Mission Cells to achieve Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) targets and higher growth rates. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reiterated that Andhra Pradesh had set an ambitious target of achieving 15% growth rate as part of Swarna Andhra Vision. The State had achieved a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 13.5% between 2014 and 2019, while the current growth rate stands at 11%. IFMR will work with the Government of AP on key initiatives, including Zero Poverty, Water Security and Deep Tech Missions. A State-Level Committee and Mission Working Groups will also be set up to monitor the implementation of 10 principles. The Chief Minister said the government is integrating deep technologies across various sectors to accelerate development in the State. Minister for Finance Payyavula Keshav, representatives of KREA University and IFMR were present. Rescue efforts (L) in progress at the site of the fire in Lucknow; and videograb of students sliding down a cable (above) to save themselves | PTI/Express META Platforms has appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah as the global CEO of WhatsApp. Shah replaces Will Cathcart, who has stepped down after running the messaging platform for seven years. As part of the deal, the US tech giant will invest about `8,550 crore, or $900 million, in the Bengaluru-based fintech company . The investment, which will be made through a mix of primary and secondary share purchases, values CRED at `43,239 crore or $4.5 billion. Meta will be a minority investor in CRED and will not receive access to customer information, the company said. Shah will step away from his operating role at CRED while retaining his personal shareholding. Miten Sampat, who has led strategy and finance at the company since 2020, will become CRED’s interim chief executive. The board is working on a leadership structure as CRED prepares for a public listing. Announcing the appointment, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said: “Kunal Shah will join Meta as WhatsApp’s next leader. Kunal built CRED into one of India’s most important technology companies, and he brings the kind of builder mentality and global perspective that will serve him well in running the world’s biggest messaging app.” Shah said: “While it’s come very far, the delta between WhatsApp today and its full potential is massive.” Shah’s appointment marks a significant addition to the growing list of Indian-origin executives steering the world’s most influential technology companies such as Google (Sundar Pichai) and Microsoft (Satya Nadella). Messi’s one, scores two: Record 18 for Leo Lionel Messi became the leading scorer in World Cup history, taking his tally to 18 goals in Dallas argentina enter next round Messi had equalled Miroslav Klose’s mark of 16 goals last week. He started with a penalty miss on Monday but redeemed himself later. He made it 17 when he swept home after 38 minutes in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria. He put the icing on the cake in the 95th minute. In the process, Argentina booked a spot in the next round First win for egypt On Sunday, Mohamed Salah shone as Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1 for their first ever win in WC history while debutants Cabo Verde held Uruguay 2-2. Meanwhile, Belgium were held 0-0 by a resolute Iran Today’s matches: Group K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan (10.30 PM), Colombia vs DR Congo (7.30 AM*). Group L: England vs Ghana (1.30 AM*), Panama vs Croatia (4.30 AM*) *IST Wednesday Live on United8 Sports & ZEE5 As many as 12 Indians were killed in a massive explosion at Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex on Sunday night as workers tried to resume operations there, months after its was bombed during the recent West Asia war. In all, there were 13 casualties, which included a Pakistani national. The Indian embassy in Qatar said: “Qatari authorities have confirmed that 12 Indian nationals have unfortunately passed away in the Ras Laffan incident yesterday night. We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for the departed.” Over 60 others were reported injured in the blast. The injured were from several countries, including India, Qatar, Tanzania, Pakistan, Guinea, Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya and Nigeria, local media reported. However, all the injured Indians were stable and receiving treatment, the embassy’s statement said. “Qatari authorities have also confirmed that all those who got injured in the incident are in stable condition and are receiving appropriate medical treatment. Our Embassy is working in close contact with the Qatari authorities to extend all possible help to the Indian nationals and their families affected by this incident, including ensuring that mortal remains of the deceased are sent to India at the earliest,” it said. QatarEnergy said the blast occurred during the start-up of operations at the Barzan local gas supply facility. The plant had a capacity of almost 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day which Qa, tar used for electricity generation and to power its water desalination plants. “I would like to emphasize that this was an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature,” Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi told a news conference Monday afternoon in Doha, Qatar’s capital. No leaks were detected as a result of the accident. The cause of the explosion is under probe. CM to attend Tungabhadra Dam gate inauguration E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The newly installed gates of the Tungabhadra Dam will be inaugurated on June 25.   Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will participate in the event. Karnataka former Minor Irrigation Minister NS Boseraju, MLA Basavaraj Rayareddy and , MLC Basanagouda Badarli met Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu at the Secretariat in Amaravati on Monday . They formally extended an invitation to the AP Water Resources Minister on behalf of the Karnataka government, and discussed several interstate issues. Recalling the 2024 floods when the 19th gate of the dam was washed away, Ramanaidu noted that senior expert Kannaiah Naidu had immediately arranged a stop-log gate, which helped conserve 80 TMC of water. This ensured irrigation and drinking water supply to Karnataka and the droughtprone Rayalaseema region. He flayed the previous YSRCP regime for ignoring expert warnings about the dangerous condition of the dam gates. Highlighting the importance of the Tungabhadra Dam to Rayalaseema, he said CM Naidu sanctioned `51 crore for replacing the 70-year-old gates with 33 new ones, based on expert recommendations. The works were completed within a single season, ensuring safety and reliability he said. , E x p r e s s Re a d 5 teaching hospitals to get artificial limb units Vijayawada: For the first time, artificial limb manufacturing units will be established at five teaching hospitals across Andhra Pradesh, announced Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav. These units, to be set up in Visakhapatnam, Ongole, Vijayawada, Tirupati and Kurnool, will manufacture prosthetic legs, hands, wheelchairs, hearing aids, and other assistive devices for persons with disabilities, the Health Minister said | p3 cricket with care ICC frames pregnancy policy to facilitate healthy comeback g o me s h s @ Chennai In a first, the International Cricket Council has formulated a framework that will assist female cricketers return to sport post pregnancy. The new policy called Return to Play Post Pregnancy Guidelines aims to provide systemic support to athletes through the period of pregnancy and return to play . The eight-page document has been prepared in a general format to be used by all ICC Member nation subject to the coun- try’s own local legislation or regulations. “No player should have to choose between motherhood and representing her country at the highest level,” ICC Chair Jay Shah said in a statement. One of the highlights was each board appointing a dedicated case manager (a doctor or physiotherapist) for each player and will serve as primary point of contact. While countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England and Pakistan already have a maternity policy in R e t u r n - to - p l a y k e y p o i n t s The decision to announce a pregnancy is always at the discretion of the mother and there should be no mandate from the board to ask for a pregnancy test The 6Rs framework: Ready (0-6 weeks), Review (6-8 weeks), Restore (8-16 weeks), Recondition (12-16+ weeks), Return and Refine place, the BCCI is yet to have a dedicated guidelines for women cricketers. After pregnancy the , ICC has formulated a 6Rs framework: “Ready (0-6 weeks), Re- No fixed gestational age to stop playing, player to decide that in consultation with doctors To ensure key access and wellbeing services through pregnancy and postpartum period Access to medical staff, physios, S&C coaches and psychologist view (6-8 weeks), Restore (8-16 weeks), Recondition (12-16+ weeks), Return and Refine.” India cricketer Sneha Deepthi, who made a comeback at do- mestic level for Andhra seveneight months after giving birth to her daughter Kriva Philip in 2021, welcomed the new guidelines. “I feel the policy is really good, it will help women to have a family and also play the sport she loves,” Sneha told this daily . “It is really important to have professional help rather than just medical help. You need help like trainer, physios, and medical staff from the start of the pregnancy In my case it was not . easy. It was Covid time, there was very little medical help, so it made my comeback journey very difficult.” Progress towards ‘gradual normalisation’ in India-China ties National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held ‘constructive’ and ‘forward-looking’ talks in Delhi on Monday | P7