THURSDAY INDIA BUOYED BY BUMRAH’S INCLUSION IN THIRD TEST 10 JULY, 2025 India, after a pulsating win in the second Test, are high on confidence and are buoyed by the inclusion of pacer Jasprit Bumrah at Lord’s epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard ARCHER RECALLED, GILL FORM KEY FOR VISITORS X.com/TheMornStandard IRAN PEEVED WITH NUKE SCIENTISTS’ DEATHS The killing of 16 scientists linked to Iran’s nuclear programme was made possible by leaks provided by personnel of IAEA, according to Iran’s Consul General in India. PAGE 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI MOVING VEHICLES PLUNGE INTO RIVER ON DAY OF ACCIDENTS 11 DEAD AS 40-YR-OLD BRIDGE COLLAPSES Vedika Padhiyar and Naitaik Padhiyar—hailing from Dariyapura village. The others inAT least 11 people were killed cluded Vakhatsinh Jadav from and five others injured when Kahanva, Hasmukh Parmar their vehicles plunged into the from Harshadpura, Rajesh Mahisagar River after a dilapi- Chavda, Kanji Machi, Jashu dated-but-operational 40-year- Bhai from Anklav, and Pravin old Gambhira Bridge collapsed Jadav from Undel. in Gujarat’s Vadodara district “I was in the pickup van on Wednesday morning. when the bridge suddenly colVisuals from the site showed lapsed. The driver shouted ‘get that a big chunk of the slab be- down’ and we jumped just in tween two piers gave way caus- time,” said Razakbhai from , ing a number of vehicles that Borsad, a survivor. were passing through Ashok Chavda, who the bridge to plunge into lives near the bridge, the river. said: “We rescued four Gujarat Chief Minispersons. We also helped ter Bhupendra Patel di- Loss of lives due retrieve five bodies.” rected an immediate in- to the collapse Eyewitness Rajubvestigation into the of the bridge is hai Athiya from Dwardeeply bridge collapse. ka said, “Two or three saddening The Gambhira Bridge trucks were on the at Mujpur in Padra talubridge when it colNarendra Modi ka was a critical lifeline lapsed. I somehow linking central Gujarat swam to safety but my , to Saurashtra and connecting colleague is still missing.” key regions including VadoPrime Minister Narendra dara, Anand, Bharuch, and Modi and Union Home MinisAnkleshwar. ter Amit Shah expressed deep The tragedy reignited con- sorrow over the incident. cerns over administrative negMeanwhile, the Congress ligence with the Opposition termed it a failure of governslamming the state govern- ance. “Gujarat has several old, ment for ignoring repeated damaged bridges. But the state warnings about the bridge’s government is not taking any poor condition. Built in 1985, concrete steps to repair them,” the bridge had long shown said Congress MLA Amit Chavsigns of deterioration. da. He said the tragedy reflects Among those dead were three the corruption behind the Guof a family—Ramesh Padhiyar, jarat Model.  J8.00  PAGES 12 The hosts, as is customary these days, named the XI for the Lord’s game. They opted to recall Jofra Archer, whose last Test was in 2021. For India, Shubman Gill is the star performer so far. With three 100s in four outings to the crease, he has compiled over 570 runs. If he continues the dream run, India will have a good chance to make further inroads into a fragile England bowling unit | P11 Three KEY LINK BETWEEN CENTRAL GUJARAT, SAURASHTRA CUT OFF Jaguar on training mission crashes in Raj, two IAF pilots killed D I L I P S I N G H K S H AT R I YA R A J E S H A S N A N I @ Jaipur @ Ahmedabad Rescue operation underway after a portion of the Gambhira Bridge in Vadodara district collapsed on Wednesday. Inset: A truck stranded on a dislocated slab | PTI BRIDGE WON’T LAST: OFFICIAL SAID IN 2022 An audio clip of August 22, 2022, between Vadodara-based social activist Lakhan Darbar and a Roads & Buildings Dept officer has now gone viral. In the clip, the officer is heard saying the Gambhira Bridge was structurally weak and “would not last long” | P8 A Jaguar trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed during a routine sortie near Bhanuda village in Rajasthan’s Churu district on Wednesday, marking the third Jaguar crash in the last five months and raising fresh concerns over the ageing fleet and recurring technical failures. According to preliminary information, the Jaguar had taken off from the Suratgarh Airbase in Sri Ganganagar and was on a training mission. Sources said a technical malfunction appeared to have prevented the pilot and co-pilot from ejecting out of the jet. While the exact reason is yet to be officially determined, initial reports indicate a likely technical fault as the cause of the crash. Officials said more details will be shared after thorough investigation. The IAF said a court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident. “An IAF Jaguar trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan today Both pilots . sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported,” its statement read. Churu SP Jay Yadav said the aircraft went down in Bhanuda Smoke billows out after IAF’s Jaguar crashed near Churu in Rajasthan | PTI village under the jurisdiction of Rajaldesar police station. “Two bodies, badly mutilated, have been recovered from the wreckage,” he said. The loud crash triggered panic in Bhanuda and nearby villages. Local authorities rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area, and asked residents not to approach the crash site to ensure smooth rescue and investigation operations. The Jaguar is a BritishFrench supersonic jet designed for low-altitude ground attack and maritime strike missions and was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1979. ‘Administrative reasons’: CM house redo tender cancelled E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi A `59.4-lakh tender for renovation work at the official residence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has been cancelled due to “administrative reasons”, the Public Works Department informed the government on Monday The notification came . just three days after the scheduled opening of the bids. The tender reportedly included extensive electrical Day before SC hearing, Rahul sees EC’s bid for ‘Maha rerun’ in Bihar R A M A S H A N K A R @ Patna A day before the Supreme Court is slated to hear a batch of petitions challenging the special poll roll revision in Bihar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was trying to replicate the Maharashtra model in Bihar by tampering with the electoral rolls ahead of the assembly polls due in October-November. Addressing workers of the opposition INDIA bloc near the Vidhan Sabha gate here on Wednesday, Rahul warned the ECI that it would face legal consequences if it attempted to repeat the ‘Maharashtra episode’ in Bihar. He said though the ECI had wide powers, it was not above the law. Accompanied by INDIA bloc leaders, including RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, CPI (ML)’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI’s D Raja, CPI (M)’s M A Baby and VIP’s Mukesh Sahani, Rahul participated in a chakka jam agitation against Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Attacking the ruling alliance, Rahul said, “In Maharashtra, the mandate was stolen, now in Bihar, the target is the right to vote — a new method to deprive the poor of their right to franchise. We will expose these antiConstitutional forces.” He blamed the alleged manipulation of the voter list for the landslide victory of the BJP-led coalition in Maharashtra. “INDIA bloc got the majority in the Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra, but after a few months in the assembly election, the bloc suffered a defeat. When we analysed the outcome, we found that one crore additional voters were added to the rolls in the assembly election,” he alleged. Tejashwi echoed Rahul, saying, “The Election Commission of India has become a puppet of the BJP. With the poll panel’s support, the BJP gover nment will first cut the votes of the poor and then end their ration, pension and quota.” P8 work, with plans to install 14 air conditioners worth over `7.7 lakh, light fittings worth `6 lakh, TVs valued at `9 lakh, six geysers costing `92,000 and a fully automatic 10-kg washing machine priced at `77,750. The ceilings were to feature chandeliers valued at over `90,000, while ceiling fans, each priced at `8,000, would have brought the total cost for fans alone to `1.81 lakh. The kitchen, too, was de- signed for high-end functionality, featuring a wall-mounted 90-cm electric chimney with auto-clean features, touch control, and a motion sensor, priced at `27,309. A five-burner gas hob with auto-ignition was estimated at over `63,000. Plans also included a 20-litre microwave worth `32,579 and a 71-litre oven-toaster-grill costing `85,828. Gupta was allotted a government bungalow nearly 100 days after taking office. The resi- dence, located on Raj Niwas Marg in Civil Lines, was allocated to her in early June, along with adjoining properties for use during her tenure. She had previously declined to move into the bungalow formerly occupied by Arvind Kejriwal, also located in the Civil Lines area. That property had become central to the BJP’s criticism of the AAP leader, who was accused of spending crores of taxpayers’ money on extravagant renovations, leading the party to dub the house a “Sheesh Mahal”. The sprawling residence, which reportedly expanded to over 40,000 square yards after the merger of four government plots, served as Kejriwal’s official home from 2015 until he stepped down in October 2024. After taking office, Gupta had announced plans to convert the “Sheesh Mahal” into a public museum. CARDIAC SURGEON, BIZMEN IN DRUG PEDDLER’S CUSTOMER LIST EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad IMD ISSUES RED ALERT AFTER HEAVY RAIN A spell of intense rainfall lashed Delhi-NCR on Wednesday evening, bringing city traffic to a standstill, with IMD issuing a red alert | P4 GOING by an FIR filed by The Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE), a surgeon working in one of the top corporate hospitals in the city was among 25 individuals booked for consuming drugs. According to the FIR, a 34-year-old drug peddler, Surya Annamaneni, is the owner of Malnadu restaurant in Kompally who supplied drugs to Dr Prasanna, a cardiovascular surgeon working with AIG Hospitals; Prudhvi Veeramachineni, one of the directors of ‘Xora’, a pub; Rohith Medishetty, MD of Broadway Pub; Raja Srikar, MD of Quake Arena Pub; and others. The list also includes names of techies and gym trainers, among others. However, the official website of AIG Hospitals does not have any cardiovascular surgeon by the name of “Dr Prasanna” on its rolls. According to the FIR, Surya used to consume cocaine with Dr Prasanna and others. Surya reportedly confessed to procuring cocaine over 20 times between 2021 and 2025 and consuming it at upscale Hyderabad pubs, including Prism, Farm Pub, Block 22, Bird Box, Xora, Broadway and Quake Arena. Police said the arrest has exposed a transnational drug network involving international suppliers, pub-based distribution, courier delivery systems and digital payments. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 MATCHES INDIA HAVE WON AT LORD’S SO FAR OUT OF THE 19 PLAYED Mann, Saini on same page over Centre’s IWT decision H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh PUNJAB CM Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said that the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) presents an opportunity to address the water needs of the state. He emphasised that 23 million acre-feet of water from the Chenab River could initially be redirected to Punjab—currently experiencing groundwater depletion—before being allocated to Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. The CM made these comments to the media after attending a meeting convened by Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil to address the long-standing issue of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal between Punjab and Haryana. Nayab Singh Saini, the Haryana CM, was also present in the meeting. The meeting was called in compliance with a directive of the Supreme Cour t, which is scheduled to hear the case on August 13. Mann said that the Centre’s decision to suspend the treaty opens up the possibility of greater utilisation of water from the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab). In response, Saini said, “The Punjab CM also acknowledged that this issue should be resolved, as it has remained pending for far too long.” EXPRESS READ Khandu: Chinese dam a ticking ‘water bomb’ Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu called China’s mega dam project a ticking “water bomb”, and viewed it as an existential threat for the people of the frontier state and their livelihoods. “No one knows what China might do. It could even use this as a sort of water bomb,” he said. | P8 12 Maoists surrender in Dantewada: Cops At least 12 Maoists, with nine of them carrying a collective reward of `28.50 lakh, gave up arms in Dantewada on Wednesday. SP Gaurav Rai said the total number of Maoists surrendered in the district so far is 1,005 under the special drive launched in 2020. Uproar as Shinde MLA beats canteen staff The Maharashtra legislative council on Wednesday saw a huge uproar over Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLA Sanjay Gaikwad assaulting canteen staff for “stale food”. CM Devendra Fadnavis slammed Gaikwad, saying that no one can defend the act of the MLA. | P8 PEGGED TO INFLATION Downside of big, beautiful Act: US visa fee to take 2.5X hike J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi THE United States has introduced a new $250 “Visa Integrity Fee” for non-immigrant visa applicants under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, effective from fiscal year 2026. It applies to nearly all nonimmigrant visa categories, including B-1/B-2 (tourist/business), F and M (students), H-1B (workers), and J (exchange visi- subsequent fiscal year, the tors). Only diplomatic appli- amount… shall be equal to the cants in categories A and G sum of… the most recently are exempt. concluded fiscal year Described in the leg[amount] and… the perislation as a recurring centage… by which the surcharge, the amount Consumer Price Index… VISA is indexed to inflation exceeds [that of] the preand will adjust annualceding calendar year.” ly based on the ConsumWhile the fee may be reer Price Index. “During fisfunded, reimbursement is cal year 2026, and during each conditional. Applicants must demonstrate lawful compliance with visa conditions and provide sufficient documentation such as timely departure. In addition, the bill introduces a suite of non-waivable travelrelated surcharges. These include a $24 I-94 fee, a $13 Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) fee for Visa Waiver Program travelers, and a $30 Electronic Visa Update System fee for Chinese nationals with 10-year B-1/B-2 visas. This will make the visa fees go up. For example, a US tourist or business visa (B-1/B-2) for Indian nationals costs around $185. With the new surcharges—$250 Visa Integrity Fee, $24 I-94 fee, and $13 ESTA fee, the total cost is projected to rise to $472, nearly 2.5 times the current amount.