MONDAY CHENNAI-BORN ARCHITECT BEHIND TRUMP’S AI POLICIES TO LEAVE JOB 08 Sriram Krishnan is stepping down from his role as senior policy adviser for artificial intelligence to US President Donald Trump JUNE, 2026 facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard WAR GOES ON IRAN-US CONFLICT MARKS 100 DAYS The US said it shot down a pair of Iranian drones threatening the Strait of Hormuz, as the West Asia war reached its 100th day on Sunday with no end in sight PAGE 9 Tenant couple from Bengal held for killing DU teacher EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi DELHI University assistant professor Debosmita Paul, who was found dead in her flat in Vasudhara Enclave recently, was killed by her tenants to get her property in West Bengal, the police claimed on Sunday . Delhi Police claimed to have arrested a couple from Bardhaman in West Bengal, who allegedly executed the murder. Their minor son has been detained. The couple was identified as Ramprashad Das, 42, and Banashree Das, 36, police said. The police said the victim owned a property worth crores of rupees in West Bengal. “The accused family had been residing since 2023 in the victim’s ancestral property at Burdwan, which had been allotted to the victim through a family settlement. The victim had been repeatedly asking the accused to vacate the premises, leading to an ongoing property dispute. Following a final warning issued by the victim to vacate the property the accused conspired , to eliminate her,” it said. “The accused were caught on CCTV visiting her flat wearing masks on Wednesday They ar. rived in a private cab with some bags and used the stairs to reach the sixth floor. They brought their minor son along to avoid raising any suspicion. They had a friendly entry in the house and murdered the victim using a weapon that they had brought with them,” the police claimed. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI TMC’s Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek with AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, in New Delhi on Sunday | PTI Amid strain, 23 Oppn parties to meet today P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi AS many as 23 Opposition parties are set to attend the crucial INDIA bloc meeting on Monday to devise fresh strategies to corner the BJP government on key national issues with an eye on the 2029 general elections, the Congress said. In a post on X, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said 23 political parties have confirmed their participation in the “INDIA janbandhan” meeting. “There are some parties who have expressed their inability to attend this particular meeting for their own reasons, even though they have conveyed their strong opposition to the Modi government’s policies and actions,” Ramesh said. The meeting comes amid growing friction within the bloc, with the DMK and AAP opting to skip and others expressing concerns about the Congress’s conduct. While the gathering is being seen as an effort to deepen coordination among Opposition parties, particularly after the recent round of assembly elections and amid Kejriwal, Didi discuss way forward Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday met Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal, a day ahead of a meeting of the INDIA bloc. The TMC described the meeting as “warm”, and said the leaders held discussion on “the road ahead” Brittas to represent CPI(M) CPI(M) will be represented by its Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas at the meeting. CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby will not attend in protest over the Congress charge of a CPI(M)-BJP understanding in Kerala evolving political equations in several states, a Samajwadi Party leader told this paper that the DMK’s absence would be a major setback for the bloc. “The Congress will have to face several questions. Being the largest party , they failed to take other parties along,” he said. The DMK decided to boycott the meeting, citing Congress’s “betrayal” in Tamil Nadu by joining the TVK government. The equation with the CPI(M) has also strained, with the Left party expressing displeasure over remarks by senior Congress leaders alleging collusion with the BJP in Kerala. The meeting comes at the behest of the Trinamool Congress, which is facing an existential crisis. “Meeting with a common purpose and clear intent. INDIA united. Many parties look forward to meeting in the spirit of camaraderie,” TMC MP Derek O’Brien said. SP’s Akhilesh Yadav, RJD’s Manoj Jha, J&K CM Omar Abdullah, NCP’s Supriya Sule, VCK’s Thirumavalavan and others are expected to attend. TVK was not invited because it doesn’t have MPs. remain Chief Minister?” he asked. The MLAs refused to accept Pilot as CM because he had huddled legislators to Manesar in 2020 in an attempt to topple the state government, Gehlot alleged. He also rejected the long-held narrative that he declined the of fer of Cong ress President to remain CM. “When Sonia Gandhi herself offered to make me national president... how could I refuse? It was a conspiracy he ,” said, claiming the sudden arrival of observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken triggered the events that painted him as power-hungry The Pilot . camp maintains the 2020 revolt targeted Gehlot’s leadership. FILE PHOTO THE rift in Rajasthan Congress appears to be as raw as ever. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday asserted that the dramatic mass resignation by his loyalist MLAs in September 2022 was aimed solely at stopping Sachin Pilot from becoming Chief Minister, and not against the Congress high command, as widely believed. Addressing reporters at the Constitution Club, Gehlot said the revolt erupted after Pilot’s name was actively circulated for the CM’s post. “Had the MLAs actually rebelled against the high command, would I have been able to  3 PARKED AIRCRAFT HIT BY EQUIPMENT DUE TO WIND, RAIN S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi THREE stationary Air India aircraft were damaged at Delhi airport on Sunday when ground support equipment parked nearby collided into them. The planes are off operations. The incident occurred at around 4:40 pm in parking bays near Terminal 2 of the IGIA. All the aircraft involved were A320s. A source said, “We were caught unawares by sudden winds and heavy rains. Three pieces of ground support equipment, two of which were a trestle and a stepladder belonging to Indigo, placed near the aircraft ended up colliding with the parked planes.” An Indigo source, however, said, “Our stepladder was stopped by our staff before it could hit any aircraft.” TRAILBLAZER Pimenta, most powerful woman in football S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Oslo RAFAELA Pimenta has had a few insults thrown in her general direction over the decades. But the most powerful woman in football doesn’t let it affect her anymore. “Couldn’t care less at this point,” she tells this daily on the sidelines of the Norway Chess event last week. Pimenta, who manages Erling Haaland among other star footballers, lifted the lid on what her working conditions were like before she worked up the ladder to carve out a commanding space for herself in an industry created by men for J8.00  He was criticised by right-wing groups over his calls to remove country-specific caps on green cards PAGES 12 42-YR-OLD WORKED AT MICROSOFT, META AND X BEFORE JOINING THE WHITE HOUSE Krishnan was an architect of the Trump administration’s ‘AI Action Plan’, which provided a blueprint to roll back regulation of the emerging technology and promote the construction of data centres across the US. He also was among tech advisers who helped craft an executive order limiting states’ ability to regulate AI, which Trump signed in December Chorus against second cooking gas price hike since Iran conflict Gehlot reignites debate on 2022 MLA rebellion R A J E S H A S N A N I @ Jaipur Pushed for rollback of regulations on AI Born in Chennai in 1984, Krishnan earned his bachelor of technology in information technology from SRM University in 2005, before moving to the US 2 years later epaper.morningstandard.in men. “It’s really male dominated and it was even worse when I started,” says the 53-year-old who was at the event as she had invested in their new product, Total Chess. The Brazilian lawyer-turned-manager — generally recognised as one of the first female ‘super agents’ in football PRESS — w i l l h ave a CLUSIVE number of clients at the World Cup, beginning in the US, Mexico and Canada from June 11, including Norway’s Haaland. Pimenta hopes for better working conditions for women in football. “What I hope is that it gets easier for all women. That women will not care for What I hope is that it gets easier for all women and that’s one of the reasons for me to be here. Rafaela Pimenta, football agent Rafaela Pimenta | MICHAL WALUSZA / NORWAY CHESS this abuse and that we can keep holding our positions we achieved and push forward.” It’s a powerful message to think about as the men’s World Cup — the single most widely watched sporting event across the planet — is about to start in P11 a few days’ time. ‘A blessing’ Pimenta says that it is a blessing to work with Norwegian and Manchester City star Erling Haaland. “It’s a blessing. He fits the way I think people should work.” OPEC+ hikes output OPEC+ ministers decided Sunday to increase oil production quotas by 188,000 barrels per day for July. OPEC+ said the latest hike was “to support oil market stability” and “to accelerate profits for members EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi OPPOSITION parties on Sunday criticised the Centre over the latest increase in domestic LPG prices, accusing it of further burdening households already struggling with a rising cost of living and inflation. However, the government maintained that despite the latest hike, domestic LPG prices in India remain lower than those prevailing in neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The government raised the price of a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder by `29, taking it to `942 from `913 in Delhi. The hike comes nearly three months after an increase of `60 announced in March amid a surge in global energy prices linked to West Asia conflict. The Congress alleged that the government was passing the burden of rising costs onto ordinary citizens.” Party president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the government’s handling of fuel supplies and pricing. EXPRESS READ Shah to review J&K security ahead of Amarnath yatra Over 15L candidates appear for CUET after 2 extensions Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to chair a security review meeting on Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. Its focus is likely to be on the preparations for the Amarnath Yatra, sources said. The meeting comes less than a month before the start of the pilgrimage and is expected to assess the overall security situation in the Union Territory. P8 The Common University Entrance Test (CUET), 2026, concluded on Sunday after two extensions, with 15,68,867 candidates appearing over 19 days, according to the National Testing Agency. The figure includes 3,765 students affected by a technical glitch on May 30, who were later given a chance to reappear. CUET scores are accepted by over 250 universities. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar warned that the government would pay a “political price” as frequent hikes in essential commodities were burdening the common man. PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, an NDA ally, too demanded an immediate rollback. Likewise, CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan called it an “anti-people” decision and sought a quick rollback. As for the Aam Aadmi Party , it said the hike in cooking gas price would intensify financial pressure on families across the country . The Trinamool, too, accused the Centre of shifting the burden of global disruptions onto ordinary households. KHIRKI EXTENSION BECOMES URBAN NIGHTMARE After loss of life in fire at Flourish Stay B&B, focus is on areas near big hospitals, where infra crumbles every day and life seems precariously uncertain | P4